PTO newsletter - Week of April 19th

BOOK YOUR BABYSITTER NOW!!

2019 Language Ambassador Experiences!!!

Have a look at our LA experiences that will take place BEFORE the Fiesta de la Primavera!

It’s easy, use the SignupGenius link, click on the experience, & sign-up with payment all on SignupGenius.

Be sure to read all descriptions thoroughly!!

Reach out to Tasha at Fiesta@isla-academy.org for any questions!

Language Ambassador Experiences Signup!

Thank you to all those who completed the PTO Parent Survey!  The information gathered will be very helpful for future PTO planning.  We are happy to announce  Amber Swenson was the lottery winner of the two Fiesta tickets!

PTO Leadership Opportunities

Do you have a talent to share with ISLA? Would a leadership position on the PTO be of interest to you? There are exciting available positions on the PTO for the 2019-20 school year. The PTO offers co-chair and committee positions and experienced board members are willing to partner/mentor in each role. Requested term commitment is 1 year. For more information, please contact Ginnie Pollen at PTOchair@isla-academy.org. The current board and non-board positions are as follows:

Board Positions:

• PTO Chair
• PTO Treasurer
• PTO Communications/Secretary
• PTO Fundraising
• PTO Social Events
• PTO Volunteer Coordinator
• PTO LA Coordinator

Non-Board Positions:

• Room Parent Coordinator
• Fiesta Coordinator
• Spirit Store Coordinator
• Yearbook Committee
• Uniform Exchange Coordinator

Box Tops are going digital!  As of this June, you will start to see the new digital Box Tops and with that will be a brand new app with which you will simply be able to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to ISLA’s earnings online!  Parents will be able to see the school’s earnings through the app at any time. This should serve as a great motivator as each one of us will be able to see the earning grow first hand. We will keep you posted once the new app is available.

In the meantime….  Please continue bringing in your clipped Box Tops. All Box Tops will continue to be accepted until their expiration date.  If you happen to spot the new digital Box Top icon on packages before the new app is available, you can download the current Box Tops Bonus app, select the bonus offer and scan your receipt. Thanks parents and let’s earn extra $$ for our great school!

UNIFORM DONATION & EXCHANGE DAYS

Has your child outgrown a few of their uniform pieces? Donate clothes on May 6-7. Drop off spot will be labeled with “Uniform Donation” in front entry. Any questions, contact volunteer@isla-academy.org.

Uniforms ready for a refresh? Pick up & refresh uniform items at the PTO meeting on May 14. All families are welcome and clothing donations are not required to participate. Any questions, contact volunteer@isla-academy.org.

THANK YOU to our FALL LA HOST FAMILIES!  Our 8 LAs had a great time with their 1st MN families - their fall families.  From their welcoming pick-ups at the airport to the State Fair to the first days of school and into winter, our Language Ambassador program could not happen without our devoted families who provide fun, food and FAMILY while housing our exchange teachers.  Thanks so much to:

The Fisher Family for hosting Rocio from Colombia

The Gregory Family for hosting Valeria from Colombia

The Halls Family for hosting JuanRo from Chile

The Klein Family for hosting Ruben from Spain

The Lauzon Family for hosting Yancy from El Salvador

The McCabe Family for hosting Lina from Colombia

The Morales Family for hosting Karla from El Salvador

The Salemi Family for hosting Cristian from Colombia

Will YOUR family be a host family next fall?  Please contact Kim (kimgelp@gmail.com) or Meggin (megginoleson@yahoo.com) to talk about this opportunity.

________________________________________________________________

SPRING CLEANING!

Putting away your winter clothes and pulling out your suitcases for spring break?!   When you discover you are done with those items, please consider donating them to the ISLA LA program!

Each spring, most of our LAs want to return home with one additional suitcase - can you imagine how much stuff they accumulate in one school year?!?!  Note: they do NOT need to be working suitcases!  There could be a rip or a broken zipper… as long as it can hold “stuff” and be duct taped up, it will work just fine!!!

And, although our snow is FINALLY melting away, we at LA HeadQuarters never stop looking for warm items to keep our future LAs warm!!!  The PTO provides the LAs with their winter gear mainly from ISLA family donations.  We need men’s and women’s sizes.  Smaller sizes like our older school kids would wear (girls size 14-16) are always needed.  

Please leave any donations with Emily Smith in the front office. Please contact Meggin (megginoleson@yahoo.com) with any questions regarding donations.  

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

IMMEDIATE/BIGGEST NEEDS INCLUDE:

Day time volunteers are needed for classroom exploration and library support. Spanish is not  required. Have you considered volunteering? Sign up for a shift on the sign ups below and give it a try! Still not sure? E-mail us your questions - Sarah and Julia at volunteer@isla-academy.org

• Exploration - We need your help! April and May spots remain open for every grade level! April dates listed by grade level below. Volunteer time is 12:50-2:50pm.

Kinder - 4/26, 5/10

First - 4/29, 5/13, 5/24

2nd - 4/30, 5/14, 5/30

3rd - 5/3, 5/16

4th - 5/6, 5/17

5th - 4/23, 5/7, 5/20

6th - 4/25, 5/9, 5/21

Description: You will be assisting the students participate in the projects and other hands on activities that Sra Maldonado has set up. Volunteer in your child’s class. The sign up identifies the grade and rotating exploration day, with 2 volunteers needed per day for grades K-2, and 1 volunteer needed per day for grades 3-6: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-exploration

• Library - We still have a need for volunteers to assist classes during library time. Spanish is not required. Thank you for considering!  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4fa4a62aa1ff2-library

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:

• Go to the Volunteer Interest Form to learn about more ways to get involved: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4fa4a62aa1ff2-volunteer
• Questions about Volunteering? Contact us at volunteer@isla-academy.org

MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PTO

Looking for more easy ways to help support the great work that the PTO does for our kids and their school?  Here are two great options!

    Mabel’s Labels:  You can find your child’s things easily in the lost and found by marking them with bright, durable, Mabel’s Labels. Go to https://campaigns.mabelslabels.com/ and click on ‘Select your School/Organization and choose International Spanish Language Academy.  A portion of your purchase will support the PTO.

    Amazon Smile: Shop at Amazon?  You can have a portion of your purchase donated to the PTO!  Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and search for International Spanish Language Academy.  Then just make sure to bookmark AmazonSmile and use it for all your Amazon shopping needs.