2023-10-26 Noticias de ISLA y ISLA PTO
Emily Smith
Calendar of Events
- October 27 Obstajog
- October 28 Dia de los Muertos, 11 am-2 pm
- November 2 No School, Parent/Teacher/Student conferences
- November 3 No School, Parent/Teacher/Student conferences
- November 8 PTO Community Meeting, 6:30 pm
- November 13 Restaurant Night at Chevy's, 5-9 pm
- November 14 State of the School, 6:30 pm
- November 16 Give to the Max day
- November 21 ISLA Board Meeting, 6:30 pm
- November 22-24 No School, Thanksgiving Holiday
- December 1 End of Trimester 1
- December 6 Restaurant Night at Noodles and Company, 4-8 pm
- December 8 No School, Grading Day
Ayudantes de la comunidad
The newest members of ISLA engaged in a special provocation to kick offtheir second IB Unit of Inquiry: Community Helpers! Kindergarteners came toschool dressed as their dream job and put on an amazing parade for 3rd gradespectators. Their new IB unit under the transdisciplinary theme “How WeOrganize Ourselves” is called Somos ayudantes. Our students willexplore the concepts of responsibility, causation, and function while learningabout community workers. Conceptual learning is an important part of IBteaching and learning that supports students with their understanding of bigideas. Kindergarten teachers will also invite in family members withconnections to students’ career interests to present in the classrooms. Theobjective of this unit is to help students gain knowledge and reflect on thecollective impact of community helpers.
Bailar esta de Moda/Dance in Today's Style
There are a couple of spots available open to grades 1 thru 6. These students will join the current ones and will learn modern dances (bachata, merengue y salsa) and at the end of the course, the students will be able to show the parents different choreographies. We intend to show them other cultures in relation to dances. There will be a final show in which students will show the different dances they have learned during the semester.
Who: Grades 1-6
When: November 7-December 19, Tuesdays 3:50-4:50 pm.
Who: Jawi Jamith Romero Gonzalez and Andrea Calvo Martin
Cost: $84 payable via cash, check made payable to ISLA PTO, or venmo @ISLA-PTO
Students will need to put together some costumes for the final show (they will communicate with parents about this). For the classes students will wear comfortable clothes to be able to dance (sport shoes and clothes).
A Word From CafeRacer
Dear students, families, and school staff,
Happy fall! We’re so honored to be able to serve your school communities this year. We appreciate all of the engagement and feedback, and we’re excited to keep having an excellent school year together.
We wanted to extend some invitations for the schools we serve to get further involved in our Cafe Racer community.
We were fortunate enough to get a write-up in Eater Twin Cities’ article “11 Underrated Restaurants to Explore in the Twin Cities”. Check it out Here.
Join us every last Monday of the month for our free Break Bread community meal! These meals are 100% free with the option to order a meat entree, vegetarian entree, water, coffee or tea (our regular menu items are not available for purchase on Break Bread days).
We’ve been offering these meals since 2018 as a way to build community and give back to the neighborhood that has supported Cafe Racer for so many years. We would love to see our school communities come meet and mingle, and enjoy a free meal! Read more Here or donate to our Break Bread fund here.
Upcoming free Break Bread meals will be held 11am-1pm on October 30th, November 27th, and December 25th. We’d love to see you there!
Thank you!
Cafe Racer Team
Caferacermn.com
ISLA 4th Grade Boys Basketball
The ISLA 4th Grade Boys will be competing in the Midwest 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament at 11:55am, 1:10pm, 2pm on Sunday, October 29th! Tournament location - Maple Grove Junior High. These ISLA 4th Graders will be wearing their orange or black ISLA T-Shirts and playing under the name of 5350 representing ISLA's address: 5350 W. 78th Street. Come out and show your support for ISLA by wearing your ISLA gear! Check out the details below:
Come out and Show your Support! Adults - $7.00, Students & Seniors - $5.00, under 12 is free.
4th Grade ISLA Boys Basketball
Location: Maple Grove Junior High: 7000 Hemlock Ln N Maple Grove, MN
Date: Sunday, October 29th
1st Game: 11:55am - Court 8
2nd Game: 1:10pm - Court 11
3rd Game - 2:00pm - Court to be determined based on the results of the first 2 games
Wear your ISLA Gear
• • • Top Notes for this week • • •
Dia De Los Muertos: THIS IS THE WEEKEND!!! Come celebrate with the ISLA community this Saturday 10/28 from 11am–2pm. Facepaint, music, crafting, dancing and all sorts of fun!! Please RSVP and we’d love to have you donate an hour of your time!! These events are run 100% by volunteers and we’d love to see more of our amazing community showing up:
Fiesta site is live!! Our first Great Gathering is a Halloween Party for 2nd Graders on Monday 10/30 after school– And there’s a few tickets left!! Head on over to the Fiesta 2024 Website and grab yours to provide some fun for your child while supporting the Language Ambassador Program!! (Scroll down to the Fiesta Corner below for more details)
Get your Great Gathering ideas submitted!!! I know this is a new idea, but the PTO feels it is a great way to get families connected earlier in the year instead of waiting until the Spring to get to know people more. Donation forms are linked below. Let’s get together…. This Fall!
Gift Basket Donations
Community/Parent Donations
Staff/LA Donations
• • • Help support our Teachers • • •
With conferences coming up, we would like to make sure our teachers have some yummy food to fuel them through their meetings!! Items can be dropped off in the staff lounge anytime during the day, but should be there by 3:30 when they’ll start eating! You can view some ideas via this link and grab your slot!!
***A HUGE THANK YOU to the Mediterranean Cruise Cafe for sponsoring the whole staff meal on Friday 11/3! They are an ISLA-family owned gyro & falafel buffet-style restaurant. They also offer a brunch buffet you won’t want to miss– Go check them out:
https://www.medcruisecafe.com/
• • • Language Ambassador Updates • • •
Looking for Host Families
The LA team is looking for SPRING host families. The main requirement for hosting an LA in your home is to have their own bedroom! This is such a great opportunity for your kids (and you) to be further immersed in the Spanish language and learn about another culture from these wonderful humans!! You can gain a lifetime friend for you & your kids by hosting an LA and making loads of memories. Stipends & grocery gift cards are available to host families along with support from our amazing LA Coordinator, MK! If you are interested in learning more or have questions, please reach out to islalaprogram@gmail.com or fill out this google form!
You can also go over the new LA Family FAQ sheet.
• • • Upcoming Events • • •
Dia De Los Muertos: THIS WEEKEND!!! Come celebrate with the ISLA community this Saturday 10/28 from 11am–2pm. Get face paint done by our lovely LAs, dancing, crafting, food and other fun activities (plus the Obstajog will be available for use too)!! Please RSVP & grab a short volunteer spot to help make this event even more amazing!!
• • • Spirit Store • • •
Have your students hit a growth spurt? Decided that long sleeves are ok now that the weather is changing? The Spirit Store has them covered! The Spirit Store is now open through Sunday, November 12th! You can order by clicking on this link! Delivery will be to the student's classroom the week of December 18th, right before winter break.
NEW THIS FALL! The Spirit Store now offers winter hats and joggers to stay warm while running errands and attending activities!
The Spirit Store is provided by the ISLA Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for families to purchase uniform approved shirts and sweatshirts and show their school spirit! The Spirit Store is a fundraiser for the PTO, and proceeds support PTO sponsored events such as the back to school picnic, provide funds for classroom supplies and field trips, and also supports the LA program.
Each grade level has an assigned color and all grades are allowed to wear black. While the shirts are not required, teachers like to have kids in their "Se Habla Español" shirts for field trips and students like to represent ISLA!
- Black - All School
- ISLA Sweatshirts (hooded and full zip) - All School
- Kinder - yellow
- 1st grade - blue
- 2nd grade - green
- 3rd grade - red
- 4th grade - orange
- 5th grade - purple
Questions? Please contact spiritstore@isla.school
• • • Community PTO Meetings • • •
Next meeting: 11/8 6:00-7:30pm (food at 6, meeting begins at 6:30!)
Where? ISLA conference room & playground or gym (Enter through main doors, we will have someone waiting to let you in)!
What? Dinner, time to meet & chat with other ISLA parents while we share-out all the things the PTO has coming.
Meeting ID: 214 553 3786
Passcode: ISLAPTO
View prior meeting slides: Link to PTO Community Meeting Slides & Recordings
– Please RSVP –
It will help us plan dinner portions as well as childcare (provided by our LAs!
PTO Community Meeting Attendance
• • • Upcoming • • •
Monday 11/13 5–9pm
Chevy’s
2251 Killebrew Dr, Bloomington, MN 55425
Wednesday 12/6 4–8pm
Noodles & Co.
8120 MN-7, St Louis Park, MN 55426
Wednesday 1/18 4–9pm
Cafe Zupas
13000 Technology Dr., Eden Prairie, MN 55344
• • • More ways to get involved • • •
Serve lunch to your kids!
While this isn’t technically a “PTO-sponsored” volunteer opportunity, it is a really fun thing to do at school. So I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to Jorge in the kitchen!! This year was the first time I’ve been able to volunteer for lunch, and it’s been a blast both times I’ve been in. Jorge is fun to work with and it’s so cool to see your kids get excited to see you during their day (you can also go sit with them for a bit between serving)!! Plus, you can get a peek at how DELICIOUS the food has been this year with our new vendor– YUM!! Sign-ups are posted about a month in advance to help plan your schedule. Come try it out!!
Click here to see available slots!
Box Tops for Education!
Download the app on your phone and search for International Spanish Language Academy to begin benefiting your kids’ school! After setting up your account, you can send digital receipts via email or scan a hard copy in the app. No more ripping boxes up!!
Use any of the below referral links to give ISLA an extra bonus when you sign-up:
https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=CWLL52QA
https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=L0Y82RM7
https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=FCGQ9A6Y
Teacher Wishlists!
Our wonderful teachers work so hard to make their classrooms welcoming and comfortable for our kids. This year, the PTO has asked that our teacher’s share a list of items they need to complete this huge task. Here are their lists, broken down by grade. Any item is a huge help for our teachers & is SO very appreciated by them AND your kids in their rooms. We are still awaiting a few lists, and will send out updated links when they are ready! If you have access to donations of comparable items outside of Amazon, just reach out to me at ptosecretary@Isla.school and I’ll get their list updated!
El Nido
Group wishlist for all of El Nido
Kinder
Doris Bonifacio Salas
Silvia Herrero-Fernandez
Maryann Najera
Luis Vivas
1st Grade
Bonyin King
Erika Leal Gil
Edily Sanchez
2nd Grade
Irene Martinez
Miriam Oropeza
Lina Pinto Perez
3rd Grade
Corene Adams
Rosa Fernandez
Patricia Floe
4th Grade
Riana Dilley
Roberto Izquierdo
Pilar Robles
5th Grade
Stewin Bernal
Jordi Costa
6th Grade
Rachel Karlov
Specialists
Exploración & Art: Adriana Maldonado
Exploración & Art: Ana Luisa Galleres (link to come)
Physical Education: Igor Diaz
Tech: Edgar Avendano (link to come)
Music: Danyelo Rivera
Lunch: Jorge Gomez
Special Education
Ruth Garcia
Tatiana Gordillo
Thairys Rodriguez
Office
Emily Smith
Jessica Gielen
Nurse: Tanya Nelson
• • • Save the Date • • •
When: Saturday, March 9th, 2024 6-11pm
Where: Bloomington Event Center
New to ISLA or need a refresher on what Fiesta de la Primavera is? No problem!! Each year, the ISLA PTO hosts the biggest fundraiser AND party of the year for parents, teachers, LAs, staff and more from our ISLA community. This is an adult-only event where we will have food, games, prizes, music, dancing and our live & silent auctions! It is a time where we can come together as a community, connect or reconnect and celebrate!! All proceeds raised at Fiesta de la Primavera go back to the ISLA PTO to support the Language Ambassador Program where we bring student teachers to our school from native-Spanish speaking countries. They provide support for our classrooms and enrich the experience our kids have everyday at school by sharing their unique cultures & stories both in-school and with after-school activities, social gatherings and more! It's such an amazing program & I'm grateful to take part in that coming together.
• • • Ways to help with Fiesta • • •
Volunteer your time!!!
We will respect the time you have available whether it be 1hr or 10hrs per week/month/etc. Click here to view the different areas of interest for small & big ways to help plan this party & fundraiser!
Donate a Great Gathering!!!
This year, we are encouraging Great Gatherings to be held beginning in October! This will allow for more Fall & Winter fun before our actual Fiesta event in the Spring, but all the funds raised will still go back to the ISLA PTO to support the Language Ambassador Program and enrichment for our kids in the classrooms! Our donation forms are now OPEN!! We will get our Givesmart website launched in the coming weeks to allow purchasing tickets to upcoming Gatherings that are submitted!
• • • Great Gathering Ideas • • •
Moms & Margaritas: Host 7 other ISLA Moms at your house/yard with chips, salsa, guac/snacks & margaritas while you chat & hang out!
Family Bonfire: Have 5 families in your backyard around the campfire while you roast marshmallows, make s’mores, have adult or N/A beverages, tell spooky stories or just chat.
Paint Party: Host 7 other ISLA parents at your home (or even in the party room at a restaurant…?) and provide snacks, drinks, a 10x10 canvas with paints and have a great evening getting to know one another!
Golf Day for Dads: Host 5 other ISLA Dads at your favorite golf course with beverages & lunch or snacks.
Fall Fun Day: Host with another parent(or more) and bring 8 kids to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch– Grade specific, maybe?
ANY of these ideas could be hosted on your own or with another ISLA friend or family!! These gatherings don’t need to be EXTRAVAGANT or overly spendy, they are meant to bring kids, parents, LAs & staff together outside of the classroom and enjoy the wonderful community we have here!!
• • • Donation Form Links • • •
Gift Basket Donations
Community/Parent Donations
Staff/LA Donations
*Info on Fiesta business sponsorships will be coming soon!!
Recommend potential donors/sponsors
Do you have a favorite restaurant, salon, birthday party spot or other locale? Send us the business name and we will reach out to see if they’d like to participate by donating to Fiesta!
Any friends own a local business?
Or maybe you want to get your own small business involved with this fundraiser? We’re sorting out details for sponsorships to help advertise your business(es) while contributing to the growth of the LA Program!! Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks, but you can always reach out to us (Jenner Moretto or Caitlin Edstrom) at Fiesta@isla.school with any questions!
