September 9, 2019

The Owl Weekly Parent Newsletter 9/3/19

Morning Arrival Reminder

For safety purposes, please be aware of our official school morning dropoff window.

School early drop off starts at 7:30. Please do not drop students off earlier than 7:30, as staff are not present. We have recently had several students arrive prior to 7:30, and we have found them waiting outside unattended. School officially starts at 8:00.


Founder’s Day this Friday

Our annual Founder’s Day is this Friday! This includes our Fall Handshaking Ceremony, where all all students, teachers, and staff members line up like a receiving line in the playground.  ISP founders Doug and Frey Stearns will be a part of the handshaking line, joining us for the Handshaking Ceremony as we begin our 29th year of operation.

Parent participation is NOT required, though it is a beautiful ISP tradition if you can come by to watch. We do need a few parent volunteers for each class – please let your teacher know if you can help. 9am, Lower Playground.

 **Please have your child wear his/her ISP t shirt!**


NEW! ISP Spirit Days

In collaboration with the ISP Parent Network, we will be having monthly Spirit Days this year! On the first Friday of  every month, wear your ISP t shirt or other school gear to fun show off your school spirit. This Friday, our Founder’s Day celebration, will be our first Spirit Day of the school year.

Don’t worry, we will send you reminders here in The Owl!


Picture Day is Next Wednesday!

Picture Day is next Wednesday,  September 11th! Order forms are going home with your child this week, if they have not already. Please check backpacks!

Pre-orders for picture packages may also be placed online at https://ios.mydorian.com using our school’s access key provided here: CTEP3XHP. Online pre-orders using your school’s access key are available up to 4 days AFTER picture day.  For order accuracy, please return your completed envelope on picture day for all payment types

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need 4 parent volunteers for Picture Day! Two are needed for the morning, two for the afternoon. Volunteers will get a FREE photo package of their child! Email Kat Simons (or respond to this newsletter) if you are interested!

Pre-Order Online


Global Kids: No School Day / Alternative Day Enrollment Now OPEN


Room Parents Still Needed

Room parents are still needed for the upcoming school year! At this point, we still need room parents for:

  • Kinder – Mercedes’ class 
  • 1st grade – Ivonne and Liza’s classes (some partners wanted)
  • 2nd grade – Vicky and Jennifer’s classes
  • 3rd grade – Celina and Cristina’s classes
  • 4th grade – Tongfang’s class
  • 5th grade – Christy’s class

See intlschool.org/room-parents for the “job” description, or CLICK HERE to sign up. Please mark your calendars for Room Parent Orientation / Parent Network Meeting on Thursday, Sept 5 at 8:15am at the Arthur Administration Building. If you can’t make the meeting but still want to room parent, please send an email to Kat Simons (kats@intlschool.org)

Questions about room parenting? Feel free to reach out to Kat Simons, current room parents, or our Parent Network leads, Andrea Long and Meryl Villarreal (parentnetwork@intlschool.org)


Curriculum Nights 2019 – Please Read!

All parents are encouraged to attend ISP Curriculum Night(s), when teachers meet with parents as a group to share information about our academic program, homework and expectations for the year. It is also a great time to meet other parents in your child’s class.

Please note that we have some schedule changes for our Japanese track classes!

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 11: ALL PREK, ALL LOWK, CHINESE & SPANISH KINDER, CHINESE & SPANISH GRADE 5

5th Grade Schedule (Chinese & Spanish)    

  • 5:30-6:00pm: Grade 5 Spanish Capstone Trip, Grade 5 English (Chinese Track Parents)
  • 6:05-6:35pm: Grade 5 Chinese Capstone Trip, Grade 5 English (Spanish Track Parents)
  • 6:40-7:30pm: Grade 5 Spanish & Chinese Homerooms

Kindergarten (Chinese & Spanish), PreK & LowK Schedule

6:00-6:45pm: PreK, LowK and K in Homerooms

All Homeroom presentations will be in your child’s classroom. English & Capstone presentation locations will be announced.

JAPANESE KINDER, ALL FIRST GRADES, CHINESE & SPANISH THIRD GRADES: Wednesday, Sept  18th, 6-7:45 – Schedule TBA

ALL SECOND GRADES, ALL FOURTH GRADES, JAPANESE 3RD GRADE, JAPANESE FIFTH GRADE: Thursday, Sept 19th –  6-7:45 – Schedule TBA


Seeking Chinese Track Volunteers for Lan Su Garden Autumn Moon Festival

International School of Portland is honored to have been invited to participate in Lan Su Garden’s annual Autumn Moon Festival for the second year in a row. We’ll have a booth at the festival where we’ll be leading a children’s craft activity making colorful dragon masks.

We’re seeking 2 – 3 additional Chinese Track parent volunteers to help out. The Autumn Moon Festival takes place on Saturday, September 14th, with the ISP craft activity from 2pm – 5pm. Please email Lauren Riegelnegg if you are interested in volunteering: laurenr@intlschool.org. This counts towards your 25 volunteer hours for the year! 

More information on this fun family-friendly cultural event can be found here. We hope to see you there!


ISP Board of Trustee Meetings 2019-20

International School of Portland’s Board of Trustees have the following general meeting dates set for the year. All parents and faculty are welcome to attend.

  • September 12th

  • December 12th (Annual Audit)

  • February 13th (Budget Approval)

  • May 14th (Annual Meeting)

The meetings will be held at Learners’ Hall, and generally start at 6:00pm.


Carpool Requests

  • NE Portland – NE Shaver and 7th Ave, Two Children in Early Childhood Program, juli.reyes09@gmail.com            

Are you interested in setting up a carpool for the upcoming school year? Publish your request in The Owl! Simply send your name, nearest street corner or part of town, number of children, and best way to contact you to owleditor@intlschool.org. No need to know your exact before/after school needs yet – you can discuss this with interested families.


Upcoming Events

THURSDAY, SEPT 5

Parent Network Monthly Meeting / Room Parent Orientation. Meet your 2019-20 Parent Network Steering Committee! After a brief intro and overview of the year, we will be giving this year’s room parents an introduction to the role. Come meet fellow parents and learn how you can get more involved with volunteerism at ISP! 

8:15am – 9:30am. Arthur Street Building, 0122 SW Arthur (corner of Water and Arthur Streets).

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FRIDAY, SEPT 6

Founders Day Celebration/Handshaking Ceremony. Parent participation is not required, though it is a beautiful ISP tradition if you can come by to watch. Please have your child wear his/her ISP t shirt!. 9am, Lower Playground.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPT 11 

ISP Picture Day – Order forms will be going home this week, or pre-pay online. Please see above post for details.

CURRICULUM NIGHT: PREK, LOWK, CHINESE & SPANISH KINDER, CHINESE & SPANISH 5TH GRADE Please see above post for schedule.

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THURSDAY, SEPT 12

ISP Board of Trustees Meeting

All are invited to attend meetings of the ISP Board of Trustees. 6:00-8:00pm, Learners’ Hall.

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SATURDAY, SEPT 14

Lan Su Chinese Garden Mid-Autumn Festival. Come visit our booth this afternoon! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 2-5pm, Lan Su Chinese Garden.