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Sibling Enrollment    

To be eligible for enrollment into Kindergarten, a student must be five years old on or before September 1 of the enrollment year. ISLA gives preference for enrollment to students who:

• Meet the application deadline
• Is a sibling of a currently enrolled pupil or foster child of the pupil's parents
• Are a child of an ISLA staff member

Make sure that your child receives the sibling enrollment priority they are entitled to at ISLA.  Submit an online student application for the sibling of a currently enrolled student by the sibling enrollment deadline (4:00 pm on February 15, 2024).  Any student applications for a sibling received after the deadline will follow regular enrollment processes.

Note from the Nurse

Free COVID test kits for MN Households

If your family would like free at-home COVID test kits mailed to your house, please visit (https://sayyeshometest.org/). Each household in MN is eligible to order up to 4 free test kits every month. You can order more test kits the first day of each month. These test kits are made available by a cooperative effort with the MN Dept of Health, CareEvolution and community partners.

Extra-curricular Activities

Intermediate Guitar with M&M (Manuel and Mili)

Wednesdays, Jan 17-March 13

Location: Flex Room
Tuesdays: 3:50-4:50 p.m.
Grades: 3 to 6
Max number of students: 10
Cost: $108 payable via cash, check made payble to ISLA-PTO, or Venmo @ISLA-PTO.  Please email Emily Smith at esmith@isla.school for scholarship information.

Students will learn the basic chords: C, D, E, F, G, A, B.  They will also learn rhythms on the guitar and the following songs: Los piratas de caribe; Super Mario bros beat song; Don’t worry, be happy; Titanic song

We expect that each student brings their own guitar (Not electric guitar).

Please send a snack and water bottle with your child.  Click here to register.

Upcycle Art Class with Francisco, Marina and Andrea

Tuesdays, Jan 16-March 12
Location: Art/Exploration room
Tuesdays: 3:50 - 4:50 p.m.
Grades: k-6
Max number of students: 20
Cost: $108 payable via cash, check made payble to ISLA-PTO, or Venmo @ISLA-PTO.  Please email Emily Smith at esmith@isla.school for scholarship information.

Students will make crafts using recycled materials.  Occasionally, students will have to bring some material from home.  Being such a large group of all ages (k-6), the older students will work with the youngest ones serving as role models.

Please send a snack and water bottle with your child. Click here to register.

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Creative Movement with Jawi

Jan 16 - March 12
Location: Buenos Aires room
Tuesdays: 3:50 - 4:50 p.m.
Grades: 3 to 5
Max number of students: 6
Cost: $108 payable via cash, check made payble to ISLA-PTO, or Venmo @ISLA-PTO.  Please email Emily Smith at esmith@isla.school for scholarship information.

The objective of this class is to help develop movement skills, memory, creativity, teamwork, problem solving, concentration and fun.  Each class will focus on different activities.

Please send a snack and water bottle with your student. Click here to register.

Winter Chess Club

Winter chess club will begin January 18th and go until spring break. Here is the link to sign your student up:

https://www.twincitieschessclub.com/school/Registration.html

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• • • Staff Party • • •

Last weekend our ISLA Teachers and Staff were able to celebrate in style and really enjoy their Holiday Party! HUGE thank you to Jenner, MK, Andrew and the ISLA PTO for their efforts inm sourcing supplies, sponsors, their time and so much more to ensure our teachers & staff had a fabulous evening– And to YOU, our ISLA parents & community!!! THANKS TO YOU, the wine, dessert AND the room rental space for the staff party was all covered by your parent donations–What an amazing show of love for our teachers and staff!!

THANK YOU to our Staff Party Sponsors!!! PLEASE go show them some love as they were also a great part in making this staff holiday party a huge success!

https://dameladona.com/
‍https://www.qdoba.com/
‍https://ltdbrewing.com/

• • •  Twins Game Update • • •

Join your fellow ISLA Community & PTO Members atTarget Field for Spring Baseball! Watch Me!! ISLA Parent Bob Sparkins is working to coordinate anISLA-Family Game Day event with the Twins.

Here’s a quick overview:

Game: Sunday, May 5, 1:10pm vs. BostonRed So
‍(Kids can runthe bases after the game.)

Seats: First 7 rows of T and U in LegendsLanding

Price: $48 per person, inclusive ofballpark food and NA beverages.
‍(These seatsare $60 with fees if purchased on the Twins website.)

Payment: We will start collecting paymentslater. Details to come in the new year.

If you already filled out theform, sit tight. If you didn't share your info and requests with me yet, youcan still do so by clicking here! Bobwill communicate updates via email and this FB group aswe get closer to the next phase of preparing for the event.

*Pleasenote you can change your mind when the time comes if need be! :) Current Count: 54 families / over220 tickets!!

• • •  PTO Website • • •

Websiteoverhaul (still) underway!!

It’s a slowprocess, but we are working to make the ISLA PTO website aone-stop-shop for ALL things ISLA you may need to know… Fiesta, Volunteeropportunities, donation needs and more!! More to come.

• • • Community PTO Meetings • • •

Thank you to those that wereable to attend our last PTO Community Meeting Wednesday night both online &in-person. And a HUGE THANK YOU to Sra Fernandez & Manu for cooking thatdelicious paella dinner for us!! YUM!!

If you weren’t able toattend, you can view prior meeting slides by clicking here! I apologizefor the technical difficulties with the wifi repeatedly dropping. There was anissue with the second half of the Juntos recording, but I do have the slidesthat will be included in the link above. We will share out any upcoming momentsto reconnect with our friends in the Juntos Program! As for other updates… Wewill continue to utilize a combination of the following platforms forcommunication on PTO updates:

❖   ISLA PTO website

❖   Theschool’s weekly Noticias sent via email / school emails

❖   The Facebook Group

❖   Red folderflyers

❖   Posters at school

We are so excited to be hosting these monthly restaurant nights!! After adding in another $211 from our recent Noodles night… Our running total is a WHOPPING $2,528!!! Thank you for notcooking once a month and helping support the ISLA PTO!!!

• • • Upcoming • • •

Wednesday 1/18 4–9pm

Cafe Zupas
13000 Technology Dr., EdenPrairie, MN 55344

Monday 2/12 4–9pm

MyBurger
10997Red Cir Dr, Minnetonka, MN 55343

• • • More ways to get involved • • •

Serve lunch to your kids!

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 yourphone and search for International Spanish Language Academy to begin benefitingyour 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 ISLAan extra bonus when you sign-up:

Referral Link 1
Referral Link 2
Referral Link 3

Mabel’s Labels

Keep your kid’s stuff out ofthe lost & found!! Check out the Tag Mates (or even the stamps) from Mabel’s Labels! This is yet another quick & easy fundraiser– 20% ofproceeds will go back to the ISLA PTO– AND it will help you (and the staff) keep track of your child’s belongings!

Just search for International Spanish Language Academy at www.campaigns.mabelslabels.com

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. Their wishlist links are available on the PTO Website and are broken down by grade. Any item is a huge help for our teachers and is SO very appreciated by them AND your kids in their rooms. We are still awaiting a few lists, and will add links as 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!

Girls on the run

GIRLS ON THE RUN is coming to ISLA this spring!! It is an activity for 3rd – 5th grade girls with teams of 8-20 participants – We will be meeting twice a week for 8 weeks. This program helps girls prepare for a 5K while playing games and activities that incorporate life skills, such as managing emotions, being a good friend, standing up for yourself and others!

Quick Notes:

• We are looking for coaches to help during practices
• Tuesdays and Thursdays 4–5:30
• You don’t have to be a runner to coach.– Financial aid is available, no qualifying necessary.

Please email me PTOChair@isla.school with any questions or if you would like to volunteer to coach!

• • • Tickets Available Now! • • • 

(New link!!)

When: Saturday, March 9th, 2024, 6-11pm
Where: Bloomington Event Center

Fiesta de la Primavera is ISLA PTO’s biggest fundraiser AND party of the year for parents, teachers, LAs, staff and more from our ISLA community. This is an adult-only event with dinner, 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 and 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.

Click this link to RSVP via Facebook and have one other way to keep in touch with updates!

• • • 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 and fundraiser!

Donate a Great Gathering!!!

Great Gatherings are OPEN!! This will allow for more 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!

Click here to learn all the ways you can donate!

• • • Great Gatherings AVAILABLE NOW!! • • •

Visit the Fiesta website to view more details or purchase tickets to these events!!

• Westwood Hills Nature Center Party
• Spanish Wine Tasting
• Wine and Tapas Party
• 3rd Grade Sledding Party
• 2nd Annual Olympic Yard Games
• Summer Softball Social

Great Gatherings 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 and staff together outside of the classroom and enjoy the wonderful community we have here!!

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!