May 2010
In this issue….
Issaquah Schools Foundation (ISF)
Please join us
for our next IH PTSA meeting Friday, May 7, 9:30 AM, room C-5 (Career Center). Our program, beginning at 11:00, will feature IHS Student Resource
Officer, Karin Weihe who will discuss drug and
alcohol activity on and off campus, and will cover the most frequently asked
questions from kids to her in Health classes. Joining her will be Julia Bamba and a School
counselor who will provide information about procedure and consequences when a
drug or alcohol incident occurs. They will also be available for questions.
THANK YOU to all who have donated to Issaquah High this year through our
Pass the Hat fundraiser! Your gifts have funded direct grants to
teachers, materials for an advanced science lab, specialized software that
makes material more accessible to learners at all levels, and scholarships for
our students.
In this year of difficult economic times, your generosity is especially
appreciated. If you have not yet donated, or if you would like to consider an
additional donation, please visit our Fundraising
page
on the PTSA website, or print the Pass the
Hat form, and send your donation to Issaquah High.
VOLVO Special!
If you are planning to purchase or lease a Volvo, you can request a $500
donation to Issaquah High simply by becoming
an eScrip member, logging in (you must log in before the following link
will work), and submitting the
eScrip-Volvo form to your local Volvo dealer before June 30th.
Remember that eScrip also works with
Safeway and other merchants to direct part of your spending into direct rebates
to Issaquah High! Every eligible shoppers' club or credit card that you
register with eScrip ensures that a portion of your spending turns directly
into earnings for IHPTSA.
Again, thank you for supporting EDUCATION IN ISSAQUAH by supporting the
IHPTSA!
The Issaquah High Site
Council is comprised of staff, parents, students, and community representatives
who meet to address issues that impact student learning. Areas in which we are
focusing our efforts this year include monitoring progress of the Optimal High
School Experience task force, the School construction project, preparing for
transition into the new buildings and the return of freshman to our campus. The
next meeting is scheduled for May 19. Karin Allen is the PTSA liaison. Please contact her at kallen@allenmarketing.com if you have any issues you'd like her to raise
on behalf of the PTSA community.
The final legislative budget cut Issaquah
School District’s revenue by an estimated $3.1 million. Lawmakers eliminated
all I-728 funding, which lowers class sizes; shrunk funding for enhanced
class-size ratios in elementary grades; and took away the only remaining
professional development day for teachers.
However, the GOOD
NEWS is that a bill passed this legislative session that increases
school districts’ levy authority by 4 percent through the year 2017. The
Issaquah School District now has the ability to collect a Maintenance and
Operations (M&O) levy worth 28.97 percent of its total state and federal
revenue. Previously, we were capped at 24.97 percent. The increase in
local levy dollars will allow us to offset the systemic cuts made to
State education funding for the most part, allowing us to break even next year
and covering the $3.1 million in State reductions as well as the typical annual
growth in operating expenses. Therefore, the District anticipates
maintaining current class sizes and service levels next year, and will not
institute a reduction-in-force in our teaching ranks.
Did you know that almost 150 Issaquah High School
students took Mock SAT and ACT exams at school this year sponsored by the
Issaquah High PTSA? We also had over 100 students enrolled for our SAT
Readiness classes taught by Ms. Crain, Ms. Dean, and Ms. Jarvinen in the Fall
and Winter.
SAT Programs for next year will be similar with
Mock exams and SAT prep classes.
For those who are wondering - the Mock exams are
a nice opportunity to take a practice exam and get score results without it
counting. The test score will be between you and your student. This
is not the same as the PSAT test that will be offered in October at
school. The PSAT exam is administered by Collegeboard and is a helpful
tool in preparation for the SAT and is also the National Merit Scholarship exam
for juniors. Differences with the mock SAT and ACT exams are that they
are full length and include essay sections just like the real SAT and ACT,
while the PSAT is shorter and does not include an essay section.
Scheduled Mock Exams for next year are:
Mock SAT (Sept. 11, 2010 and Feb. 5, 2011) and Mock ACT (January 29,
2011). We will offer the take home option again next year for those
students with conflicts with the scheduled test dates.
Scheduled SAT Readiness courses will be in the
Fall (starting the week of September 20, 2010) and Winter (starting the week of
January 31, 2011). Registration will be online at www.issaquahhighptsa.org. Look for registration to
open in August. If these dates do not work for your student, then summer
is a great opportunity to take review courses from outside companies such as
Kaplan and Huntington (and there are many others...).
A big thank you to Kaplan Test Prep who has
generously supported our students by providing test materials and proctoring of
these mock exams as a fundraiser for PTSA. Kaplan is also offering
Issaquah High School students a 10% discount if they sign up for a
comprehensive tutoring package and Kaplan will donate to the PTSA as
well. Kaplan also offers Classroom and Small Group /Tutoring and Issaquah
HS students will receive $100 off enrollment of these options. In
2009-2010 Kaplan donated $400 to the PTSA. There are many options
for SAT prep out there, but if you choose Kaplan, mention Issaquah High School
and receive a discount.
Parents, PTSA Drive
NEM: Nourish Every Mind may be an Issaquah Schools Foundation event, but
parents and PTSA members are critical to its success. Nourish Every Mind 2010
is fueled by Co-Chairs Elizabeth Brown (Cougar Ridge/IMS) and Leslie Patten
(Liberty/Maple Hills) and a host of parents who coordinate everything from the
Silent Auction and Catering to Table Captains, Décor and Messaging. Their
efforts will help the Foundation reach its goal of raising $350,000 to support
ongoing programs and pressing District needs. Thank you volunteers! Your participation
is an example of how the ISF/parent/PTSA partnership improves education
resources for our students.
Who’s helping at your
school? Click Here to Find Out
There is still time: Want to attend Nourish
Every Mind, but have not yet been invited by a Table Captain? Don’t
worry. Contact Michelle Weldon, mweldon@issaquahschoolsfoundation.org, 425.416.2045 to
register.
Why Pay a Tutor?
Remind
your student to use the Foundation’s FREE
After-School Homework Clubs and Labs at middle and high schools. Both offer
teacher assisted tutoring. Contact your school for its After-School Homework
Club/Lab schedule. Click to hear what kids at Pine Lake
Middle School think about After School Homework Club.
Your
Dollars Make a Difference
A 2009 Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need grant
funded new piano keyboards at Briarwood, Maple Hills and Clark Elementary
schools. Briarwood students recently wrote to thank ISF donors for the additions.
Below are a few of our favorites.
- Thanks for helping increase my knowledge and making school a
better place. Tanner
- Thank you for the pianos. I learned so much with them. My mind
was almost blank before and now I am very good. Tim
- Thank you for the pianos! They are so much better than the old
ones. They really make music class a better place. Anthony
Can You
Spare an Hour a Week to Change a Life?
Then the VOICE Mentor Program needs you. VOICE, a
mentoring/tutoring program funded by the Foundation and the District, matches
students in need with caring adults or high school students who can provide
one-to-one academic and social support. Please contact Susie Gierke, VOICE
Director at 425.837.7139 or voice@issaquah.wednet.edu to apply.
Here are a couple of
upcoming seminars in our District that you may be interested in….
“Positive Discipline:
Parenting with Courage, Compassion, and Clarity”
Tuesday, May 11,
7:00-8:45 pm
Cougar Ridge
Multi-purpose Room
and
“Getting to Calm: Cool Headed Strategies for Parenting your Teen
and Tween”
Monday, May 17, 7:00-8:30 pm
Issaquah Middle School Commons
For more information on these and other seminars,
see the Issaquah PTSA Council’s Parent Ed page.
New School Rebuild Volunteers Needed!
Have you seen the
progress on the new school? Truly amazing!
Many hands will be
needed to prepare for the move into the new facilities later this spring and
into the summer. We need you and your students. This is a great way
to get community service hours and be among the first to roam the halls.
Please sign up to accept
NO Obligation emails as volunteer
opportunities arise. The two ways to sign up are: Email Lisa Gaan
at lisagaan@comcast.net or go to issaquahhighptsa.org and check the “School Rebuild” box on the
volunteer form.
Please don’t hesitate to
contact me with questions,
Lisa Gaan
Did you know that each
year your PTSA funds a Pi Memorization Contest open to all that attend IHS?
The Math Department
enjoys bringing some fun and enthusiasm to the subject of mathematics. By holding a Pi Memorization Contest,
students of all levels have a chance to succeed. Many times the involvement in
an activity such as this turns a student’s attitude and output toward a class
around.
Each year there are approximately fifty initial winners in the classes, with five
who go to the finals. First and second
place winners for each class collect prizes and those who compete in the finals
(over 100 digits) select another prize. The overall winner gets their name engraved on a trophy and also
gets a pie!