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Obstajog is Back

Hola ISLA community!

Our ISLA students are getting excited to take part in our annual Obstajog fundraiser, held this year at the end of ISLA Spirit week, on Friday, February 24th.   If you are new to ISLA, or never got a chance to see this event in action, take a look at this video from last year. Obstajog 2022 Video  Please return your Obstajog donation envelope the same day of the Obstajog.   If you need another envelope, please email jgielen@isla.school for a replacement, and we will send one home next week.  As is noted in the flyer, many students have had great success simply walking around their neighborhood with their parents.   No donation is too small-- so please do what you can.  Each donation goes toward our Annual "Building Our Future" fund.

Gracias!!

If you would like to come and see your ISLA student(s) in action, or volunteer for the hour you are welcome to attend.  Please rsvp to Jessica Gielen at:  jgielen@isla.school if you would like to attend.

Enclosed, please find the schedule:  

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Atentamente,

ISLA Fundraising Committee

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Help Needed - Strategic Planning Committee

Once again, I would like to put forth a call to action today.   Do you have capacity and interest to join our Strategic Planning Committee?   Are you interested in helping track our progress on our  ISLA Strategic Plan  and influence how we are fulfilling our mission? Each of the meetings will be monthly for one hour and could be conducted virtually or in person as folks prefer. Once we make some traction on our objectives, meeting quarterly is normally sufficient for a Strategic Planning committee.  

This will be our approach:

1. Review the strategic plan and look for any necessary edits.
2. Look at the timeline for completion for each item/ determine feasibility.
3. Look at the ownership of action items to see if the item was placed with the correct committee or owner.
4. Track the progress of each item on tracking software.
5. Determine what resources are needed to bring specific goals to fruition.
   

Please email me at jperrin@isla.school if you are interested.  Don’t miss this opportunity to help ISLA bring our mission to fruition.

Atentamente,

Jeremy

Lunch Ordering

The window to order lunch for March is now open until Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 at midnight. The system won't open after the deadline date. Please make sure to order for the whole month of March or preferred days.

There's also an option for "only milk" to children that bring lunch from home.

Link: https://secure.boonli.com/

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Spirit Week

Spirit week is coming up February 21-24. Here are the themes for the week:

• Tuesday, Feb 21: Día cómodo - Comfy Day: Come to school in your coziest gear! Pajamas, sweats, and hoodies!
• Wednesday, Feb 22: Cambio de identidad - Identity Swap: Students come dressed as one of the ISLA staff or LA's and staff/LA's dress as the students! Wacky Wednesday!
• Thursday, Feb 23: Gorro/Pelo loco - Crazy Hat/Hair Day: Come in your favorite hat or craziest hairstyle!
• Friday, Feb 24: Día bigote y barba - Fake Facial Hair Day: Draw or wear a silly mustache, beard, eyebrows or sideburns! Let's celebrate being silly risk-takers. This is also our Obsta-Jog celebration.

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You are invited to…

Ice skating with ISLA
Sponsored by PTO

Join us for ice skating and creating valentines for patients at a local hospital.

February 12th 4:30 - 6:30 PM

St. Louis Park Recreation Outdoor Center

3700 Monterey Drive St. Louis Park

RSVP HERE for skate time to ensure adequate space and skate rentals

*skate rentals available

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Fiesta Tickets – Click here!

Early Bird Ticket prices have been extended through Saturday February 18th at 11:59pm. Grab your $50 ticket now before prices increase to $60!!

ALL STAFF receive one free ticket, but you MUST claim it by February 18th at 11:59pm! Any additional spouse, partner, friends or family must purchase a paid ticket.

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Auction Items

Fiesta de la Primavera will hold both a live auction AT the event as well as an online auction. Online bidding opens on 2/21 and we’ll have more info coming soon! For now, here's a peek at some of the amazing items donated this year…

• Traditional Guatemalan Backyard BBQ
• Figure skating with Sr Raul!!
• Game Day with the LAs!!
• Authentic Colombian Dinner Delivery
• Tapas & Wine Night
• Fideuá for 12 (a lesser known version of paella that everyone loves in Spain)
• Saints Tickets, MN Twins Tickets w/Pressbox Tours
• Framed & autographed Pele photograph
• Arepa Night with a Mojito Bar
• Summer dance camp
• Adult yard game Olympics
• Student v Teach Soccer Game w/pizza party
• Personal shopping party at The Fitting Room with sips, sweets and a personal stylist

Have a last minute item or Great Gathering to donate??

We can still accept your donations!! You could also sign-up to help at the event (Saturday March 4th)! Let’s celebrate and have some fun while supporting the amazing LA Program and ISLA as a whole!

Find all forms here!

Fiesta Tickets - Click here!

‍Thank you!!

Spring Student Led Conferences

Welcome to the sign up for our Spring Student-Led Conferences!  Each 30 minute spring conference includes a 15 minute student-led session followed by 15 minutes with your child’s classroom teacher.  Please use the links provided to schedule a conference for your child.

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Pre-Kinder/El Nido:                  Kinder:‍

(20 minute conferences)       Srta. Doris Bonifacio

Srta. Barbara                           Seño Silvia Herrero

Srta. Marisol                            Sra. Maryann Najera

1st Grade                                      4th Grade

Profesora Bonyin King           Profe Irene Martinez

Sra. Edily Sanchez                 Sr. Roberto Izquierdo

Srta. Erika Leal

2nd Grade                                   5th Grade

Profe Riana Dilley                   Sra. Cori Adams

Profe Luis Vivas                     Sr. Jordi Costa

Profe Lina Pinto

3rd Grade                                   6th Grade

Sra. Patty Floe                      Maestra Rachel Karlov

Sra. Rosa Fernandez            Sra. Sarah Ashby

Sra. Diana Ortiz

Specialists Conferences are fifteen minutes long.  We welcome you to schedule a check-in with your child’s specialist teachers.

Physical Education                  Exploracion/Art

Sr. Igor Diaz                           Sra. Adriana Maldonado

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Kindergarten Welcome Committee

ISLA is creating a Kindergarten Welcome Committee whose primary purpose will be to connect with and offer support to incoming kindergarten families for the 2023-24 school year. Volunteers would connect with incoming families through phone calls and emails in an effort to answer any questions they might have and ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten. The Marketing and Communications Committee is guiding the work of the Welcome Committee. If you’d like to be part of the Welcome Committee, email Tad Johnson at marketing@isla.school.

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, 2022).  Any student applications for a sibling received after the deadline will follow regular enrollment processes.

Reminder - The 2023 HSF Scholar Program Application is now open and closes on February 15, 2023, 5:00 PM PT. We encourage you to share this opportunity with students in your network.

• Every year, HSF selects 10,000 outstanding students as HSF Scholars from a broad and talented pool of applicants
• HSF Scholars are a part of an unrivaled group of 25,000+ Scholars from 50 states, and more than 1,200 institutions, who make up the current HSF Scholar network
• HSF Scholars have access to a network of over 65,000 HSF Alumni. HSF Alumni are leaders in their professions, communities, and the nation; many now serve as HSF mentors, career coaches, and volunteers
  
• HSF Scholars have access to a full range of Scholar Support Services, including career services, mentorship, leadership development, knowledge building, and wellness training
• Career services include access to internships and job opportunities with HSF corporate partners
• HSF Scholars are eligible to apply for all Scholar Conferences including, the STEM Summit, Finance Conference, Media & Entertainment Summit, Entrepreneurship Summit, Healthcare Summit, and Alumni Symposium
• Exclusive access to the HSF Insider which shares invaluable information and select career opportunities with HSF corporate partners
• Finally, and importantly, HSF awards more than $30 million in scholarships annually and, depending upon available funds, HSF Scholars may also be eligible to receive a scholarship, which ranges from $500-$5,000 and awarded directly to students

Deadline: February 15, 2023, 5:00 PM PT

Eligibility:

• Must be of Hispanic heritage
• U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or DACA
• Minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for high school students; minimum of 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for college and graduate students
• Plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or graduate school, in the U.S., for the 2023-2024 academic year
• Submit the FAFSA or state-based financial aid forms (if applicable)

About HSF:
HSF empowers families with the knowledge and resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing scholarships and support services to as many exceptional students as possible.

Founded in 1975, HSF has awarded over $708 million in scholarships. HSF Scholars have access to valuable Scholar Support Services and, as funding permits, scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000.

Additional Important information:

• It takes an average of 30 minutes for students to complete Phase I of the 2023 HSF Scholar Program Application
• No essays, recommendations, or document uploads are required in Phase I
• To get started, visit HSF.net and log into or create your myHSF profile to access the HSF Scholar Program Application

HSF Scholar Application Timeline:

• January – Phase I of the HSF Scholar Program application opened January 1 and closes February 15, 2023, 5:00 PM PT
• Late February– Applicants are evaluated and the most competitive are selected as Finalists
• March – Finalists are also announced and asked to submit essays, recommendations, transcripts, FAFSA, and other related documents
• June – HSF Scholars are announced (including students waitlisted for the HSF Scholar designation)
• June to December – Final Document Verification (financial aid award letter, enrollment verification, and related documents)
• December – 10,000 HSF Scholars are confirmed after the verification process is complete

Apply Now!

Sincerely,

Fidel A. Vargas
President & CEO
Hispanic Scholarship Fund

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