The Owl 4/16/24
It’s Earth Week!
EARTH DAY SPIRIT WEEK
As a lead up to the big day on Saturday, April 20, we are having Earth Day Spirit Week!
Monday, April 15- Watershed Day! Wear blue or celebrate your favorite ocean animal/activity!
Tuesday, April 16 – Energy Day! Wear yellow like the sun, or your brightest neon!
Wednesday, April 17 – Animal Day! Dress as your favorite animal!
Thursday, April 18 – Recycling Day! wear all your green!
Friday, April 19 – Pollinator Day! Dress as your favorite pollinator or bring your floral print!
Saturday, April 20 – EARTH DAY! Dress to work outside and come plant a garden!
SATURDAY: EARTH DAY AT ISP!
You’re invited: Earth Day on ISP Campus! On Saturday, April 20 from 9-12, we’d love to have you join us on campus for a variety of activities including fun activities like:
bioswale planting * cargo bike demos * native plant sale * butterfly garden planting * pollinator and mason bee info * SOLVE clean up * take a book leave a book * and MORE!
**NEW EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES JUST ADDED**
BIKE BUS TO ISP!
Come ride with us on a young-pedal -biker-friendly paced ride over the Tilikum Crossing Bridge to ISP’s Earth Day Event. Continue the fun by biking on the closed street in front of school!
Tilikum Crossing Bridge to ISP Campus Bike Bus details:
Meeting Location: 45.50725° N, 122.66350° W
This is the plaza between OMSI South parking lot and OMSI/ SE Water Street light rail Station. It is about 1 mile from the meeting point to ISP
Departure time: 8:30AM; Arrival at ISP: ~8:45AM
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact the ISP Green Team at green [@] intlschool.org
Join Us to Say Farewell to James!
One of our beloved Facilities Team members, James Smith, is planning on retiring at the end of April. He has been a valued member of our ISP community for over 5 years now and will be missed! We are planning a farewell reception for tomorrow, April 17th, Learners Hall third floor beginning at 3:00 PM.
Families are welcome to stop by and wish James luck on this new chapter!
Parent Network Update: Parent Leaders Needed for 2024-25!
PARENT LEADERS NEEDED!
At ISP, our school is flourishing because of a strong network of parent volunteers. And just by being a parent at ISP, you are a member of our Parent Network! Parent Network meetings generally are held monthly at 8:00am on the first Friday of the month.
The Parent Network is led by a steering committee that works in collaboration with school administration to provide volunteer support to help further ISP’s mission. The group’s goal is to strengthen, enhance, and encourage the educational and community environment ISP. The Parent Network also aims to strengthen relationships, communication, and collaboration between parents, faculty, and administrators.
Current Parent Network leaders are in the planning stages for the 2024-25 school year. Are you looking for ways to meet new parents at the school and help build community at ISP? There are several open positions available, most with minimal time commitments.
For more information or questions, contact Alumni and Community Engagement Manager, Deborah Marion at deborahm [@] intlschool.org.
NEW! 5th Grade Supply Drive for Local Shelters
One of our 5th grade Exhibition groups is holding a supply drive for the houseless. All supplies will be split between our neighboring QA Village, Blanchet House, and Rose Haven family shelter. The 5th graders will begin their collection on Earth Day and collect through Exhibition in May.
Here is a list of items that participants currently need. Please bring items to the Earth Day event or to collection boxes in Stearns or Learners Hall.
Towels (lightly used)
Adult-sized Summer Clothes (lightly used)
Socks (new)
Art Supplies
Rolling Luggage, Backpacks
Hats
Sleeping Bags (lightly used)
Pillows
Twin size sheets
Umbrellas
Adult-sized Shoes (lightly used)
Small fans
Gift Cards
What is Exhibition? It is a special Unit of Inquiry designed and executed by the students themselves. 5th grades write lines of inquiry, gather data, conduct investigations, take action, and present this experience in a public forum. Exhibition this year will be on May 1 and 2; more details to follow!
Bike Commuter Conversations
Meet some of our ISP Bike Commuter Families! In honor of Earth Week and our upcoming Bike & Walk to School Month, the ISP Green Team will be profiling several of our regular bike commuting families.
Q: What’s your motivation for biking to school?
A: A few motivations: we wanted to go back to being a one-car household, so biking was the natural substitute. We also wanted to bypass traffic (we’re lucky to live close to the Springwater Trail) on our commutes. Lastly, it was a good way to get more exercise.
Q: What do you like about bike commuting? What does your child like about it?
A: For our commute (mostly to ISP and work), there are routes that are protected, and avoid traffic. I love not being stuck in traffic, and being able to bypass the morning rush at ISP during dropoff. Our son loves the wind in his hair, and seeing wildlife on the Springwater Trail.
Q: What kind of experiences have you had while biking that you wouldn’t have had if you were driving?
A: We see deer and other wildlife on our route regularly! Our kid loves that.
Q: What do you say to parents who have concerns that biking may be too difficult, or you might end up too sweaty before work?
A: With the right clothes, that hasn’t been the case for us. We also use an e-bike, which helps a lot.
Q: Some people are afraid that they wouldn’t be able to ONLY commute by bike, but they forget that they can start by biking once a week, or a few times a week. How many days a week do you bike commute?
A: On a typical week with nice weather, we commute via bike 3-4 days/week and sometimes every day of the week, but we started doing only a few days/week. The mornings ended up being easier, so we started there.
Q: How has using an e-bike made bike commuting easier?
A: It’s great! It helps with the extra weight on the bike, and allows for our gear (lunch bags, work bags, etc.) too! Pro tip: Buy your ebike at REI and get a 10% dividend 🙂
Q: What would you like to tell other parents who might be considering biking, but haven’t tried it yet?
A: One thing that was holding us back was the lack of bike seat for the kid. We found one through a friend, but have also seen them for pretty cheap on Nextdoor. Also, lots of lights in the front and back!
Q: Would you be open to other ISP parents asking you questions about your experience with bike commuting?
A: Sure!