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Letter From the Director/Carta del Director

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“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai

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Dear Families,

Once the smells of fried food start floating over from the State Fair, it is a sure bet that summer has come to an end, and the start of school is near! It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the 2022-2023 school year! I would like to extend a special welcome to all the new families who are just joining our ISLA community in kindergarten and other grades. We are very excited for the new school year, and we encourage all new parents to get involved, as ISLA depends on the dedication of our committed cadre of volunteers; indeed, it is one of the factors that makes our school community so strong and is a hallmark of any successful school.

It was wonderful to see many of you at our Meet the Teacher Open House event this week! The energy is palpable at ISLA again this year and is elevated by the fact that this is the first “normal” start of the year since 2019! The halls of ISLA have been buzzing with excitement; during the past few weeks of workshops and preparations, it has become increasingly apparent that this is one of our most talented and caring team of faculty and staff ever!

What’s new this year?

• Our school hours have changed: Our school day is now from 9:00 to 3:50. This year we will continue with the drop off and pick up procedures, adjusted for the new times. You can find the procedures and diagrams in the following link: ISLA Drop off - Pick up Logistics
• We are delighted to announce that we are making a significant change in our school wide math curriculum. Our assessment task force and Academics Committee led a pilot and product comparison last year, and Envision Mathematics was the overwhelming winner, chosen for its high rigor and levels of student engagement, the direct links to inquiry and IB best practices, as well as dynamic opportunities for differentiation.
• We are also overjoyed to have 9 Language Ambassadors this year – the largest group ever – and we are looking forward to working with this wonderful new group! Thank you – PTO and host families for all your support.
• This last spring and summer, we were able to finish the projects for a more enhanced usage of the campus, including play fields, the first stage of our vegetable garden, and a new computer lab.

On Thursday, September 15th, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, ISLA will host our annual Curriculum Night for all staff and families. Each teacher will conduct two identical presentations, allowing those with children in more than one grade level to attend both presentations.

Once again, I would like to welcome you to the 2022-2023 school year here at ISLA. We look forward to continuing our work in academic excellence and growth through language immersion and fostering global citizenship through the International Baccalaureate program. I wish you and your family all the best in the new school year.

Kind regards

Jeremy

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"Recordemos: un libro, un bolígrafo, un niño y un maestro pueden cambiar el mund0". - Malala Yousafzai

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Queridas familias,

Una vez que los olores de la comida frita comienzan a flotar desde la Feria Estatal, sabemos que el verano está llegando a su fin, ¡y el comienzo de la escuela está cerca! ¡Es con gran placer que les doy la bienvenida a todos al año escolar 2022-2023! Me gustaría dar una bienvenida especial a todas las nuevas familias que se han unido a nuestra comunidad ISLA en el jardín de infantes y en todos los grados. Estamos muy emocionados por el nuevo año escolar y alentamos a los nuevos padres a involucrarse, ya que ISLA tiene un grupo de voluntarios dedicado y muy comprometido; de hecho, es uno de los factores que hace que nuestra comunidad escolar sea tan fuerte y es un sello distintivo de cualquier escuela exitosa.

¡Fue maravilloso ver a tantos de ustedes en nuestro evento "Meet the Teacher Open House" esta semana! ¡La energía es palpable en ISLA nuevamente este año y se eleva por el hecho de que este es el primer comienzo de año "normal" desde 2019! Los salones de ISLA han estado llenos de emoción; Durante las últimas semanas de talleres y preparativos, se ha hecho cada vez más evidente que este es uno de los equipos de maestros y personal más talentosos y atentos de todos los tiempos.

¿Qué hay de nuevo este año?

• Nuestro horario escolar ha cambiado: Nuestro día escolar ahora es de 9:00 a.m. a 3:50 p.m. Este año continuaremos con los procedimientos de entrega y recogida, ajustados a los nuevos tiempos. Puedes encontrar los procedimientos y diagramas en el siguiente enlace: ISLA Drop off - Pick up Logistics
• Nos complace anunciar que este año estamos cambiando significativamente nuestro plan de estudios de matemáticas para toda la escuela. Nuestro grupo de trabajo de evaluación y el Comité Académico dirigieron un piloto y una comparación de productos de enseñanza el año pasado y el programa Envision athematics fue el ganador abrumador. Esteprograma fue elegido por su alto rigor y niveles de participación de los alumnos, sus vínculos directos con la investigación y las mejores prácticas del Bachillerato Internacional (IB), así como por sus oportunidades dinámicas de diferenciación.
• También estamos encantados de tener nueve (9) Embajadores de Idiomas este año, el grupo más grande hasta ahora, ¡y estamos felices de trabajar con este maravilloso nuevo grupo! Gracias PTO y familias anfitrionas por todo su apoyo.
• Durante la primavera y el verano terminamos proyectos que nos permitirán mejorar el uso del campus, incluidos los campos de juego, la primera etapa de nuestro huerto y un nuevo laboratorio de computación.

El jueves 15 de septiembre, de 6:30p.m. a 7:30p.m., ISLA organizará nuestra Noche curricular anual para todo el personal y las familias. Cada maestro llevará a cabo dos presentaciones iguales, lo que permitirá que aquellos con niños en más de un nivel de grado no se pierdan las presentaciones.

Una vez más, me gustaría darles la bienvenida al año escolar 2022-2023 en ISLA. Esperamos continuar nuestro trabajo en excelencia académica y crecimiento a través de la inmersión lingüística y fomentar la ciudadanía global a través del programa de Bachillerato Internacional. Le deseo a usted y a su familia todo lo mejor en el nuevo año escolar.

Atentamente

Jeremy

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The Spirit Store is Open!

The Spirit Store is now open through Sunday, September 11. Delivery will be to the student’s classroom in early October. Please indicate the student name and teacher in the order comments for expedited delivery! If you have multiple students at the school, put the oldest child’s name.

Please note, due to limited inventory in some colors/sizes, the store is updated to reflect what is currently available.

Click to order. https://isla-pto.square.site/

Did you know that the Spirit Store is a fundraiser for the PTO? Your purchase of uniform-approved shirts and sweatshirts will help support PTO sponsored events such as the back to school picnic, provide funds for classroom supplies and extra-curricular scholarships, and also supports the LA program.

Questions? Contact Sarah at spiritstore@isla.school.

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Volunteers Needed:

Come consider volunteering at ISLA.  With the start of the new school year ahead there are many exciting opportunities.  Consider becoming a Room Helper, volunteering for vision and hearing screens, or just getting on the ISLA volunteer list.  All volunteers must abide by the ISLA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.  Links below.

‍Room Helper: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-isla34

Vision and Hearing Screening: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-hearing

ISLA Volunteer List: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-isla33

Lunch Volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-lunch2

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You’re Invited to…

ISLA’s Back to School Picnic!

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Sunday, September 11th, 2-4 pm
‍Burnes Park, Hopkins
Come connect with ISLA families, learn about volunteer opportunities, and enjoy the park and a nice-cream treat!
Sponsored by the ISLA PTO

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Nurse's Corner

Immunization Information

Minnesota state law requires all students to be immunized before entrance to kindergarten. Students are required to have 5 doses of DTaP, 4 doses of Polio, 3 doses of Hepatitis B, 2 doses of MMR and 2 doses of Varicella to be compliant with MN state law.

CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older and boosters for everyone 5 years and older, if eligible. Use CDC’s COVID-19 booster tool to learn if and when your child or teen can get boosters to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.

The Health Services office must receive written verification of the month, day and year that your student received these immunizations, medical documentation of having chicken pox disease, or a notarized from signed by the medical provider (for a medical exemption) or signed by the parent/guardian (for a non-medical exemption).

Taking Medication at School

All medication must be in the original packing, which displays dosage, frequency, and age requirements. Prescription medication must have the pharmacy label with the student's name and directions for administering. Prescription medication needs both a physician order/signature and parental permission. Over the counter medications need signed parental permission. Medication will be kept in individual medication boxes in the Health Office, to be administered as needed throughout the year.

Orders reviewed and signed for current year

Physician orders for medication and/or emergency care plans need to be reviewed and updated every year. Please make sure you have current signed orders from your child's physician for any treatment or medication that may need to be given this school year. If medication dose or anything else changes during the school year, please make sure you send the updated physician orders to the Health Office.

If My Student Does Not Feel Well

If your child is not feeling well, please do not send them to school with the hope that they will feel better. Instead, keep them home for 24 hours and monitor their symptoms. If they start feeling better, they can return to school when symptoms improve. If they don't start feeling better, consider an evaluation by a health care provider and/or testing, if appropriate (strep throat, ear infection, influenza, COVID, RSV, etc).

‍Procedure for students who become ill or injured at school

‍Health Office staff will reach out to identified parents/guardians by phone and/or email for students who become ill, or if they are injured and may need further evaluation. Students should not call home from the classroom or their cell phone/watch and request parent pick up. Students may call home from the Health Office phone or may use their cell phone in the Health Office with permission from Health Services staff.

Guidelines for Infectious Disease/COVID management 2022-2023

There are some changes to how infectious disease, including COVID, will be managed this school year. The COVID section on the ISLA website will be updated shortly with all the new information, please refer to the website for more details.

In summary, ISLA will identify a set of core infectious disease prevention strategies as part of our normal operations. We will continue to monitor the community and school level of COVID, and other infectious diseases, and determine whether we need to add additional prevention strategies to manage exposures or cases.

These core prevention strategies include : staying up to date for any routine vaccinations, staying home when sick, encouraging hand hygiene & respiratory etiquette, optimize ventilation, routine cleaning, and getting tested for infectious disease if appropriate.

‍Contact the Health Office‍

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns during the school year. The direct number for the Health Office is 651-362-6749. The fax number is 952-746-6023. Email for the School Nurse is tnelson@isla.school.

Thank you, looking forward to a great school year!
Tanya Nelson RN, LSN
Licensed School Nurse

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