September 3, 2019

The new school year is almost here!  Here’s a rundown of the important information you’ll need in the coming weeks.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

CLASS SCHEDULES AVAILABLE ONLINE TODAY

Class schedules are officially available after 4:00 pm today on Family Access, but some students are reporting that their schedule is already available this morning. In any case, remember to print a copy of the schedule and send it with your student to school tomorrow. 

URGENT CALL FOR TRAINED WALKABOUT VOLUNTEERS THIS WEEK!

Our award-winning WalkAbout program is one of our greatest contributions to the students of IMS.  Our presence during the busy arrival, lunch, and release parts of the school day provides our students with a sense of reassurance and calm, and this is especially true during the first weeks of school when everything is new for so many of our students. 

We urgently need trained WalkAbout volunteers to sign up for at least one shift this week.  Due to changes in the school’s bell schedule, there are now only two lunch periods each day rather than the three in previous years.  Please check your schedule and see which WalkAbout shifts work for you:

Remember that only volunteers who (1) have been approved as volunteers by the Issaquah School District; AND (2) have completed WalkAbout Training in a prior year may volunteer at this time.  If you are already trained, you should have received several messages from the WalkAbout coordinators with the link.

For those of you who have yet to be trained, the WalkAbout Training for the 2019-20 school year will take place on Sept. 19th from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the IMS library.

PICTURE DAY VOLUNTEERS – Friday, 9/6

Free Pictures to Volunteers!  Sign-up to help with Picture Day (Friday, Sept. 6) and get a free packet of pictures for your child! The first 12 people to sign-up will receive picture vouchers for their child. Morning and afternoon slots are available to check-in students, help photographers, and prepare students.  All volunteers must have a cleared Issaquah School District background check by the day of the event.  

TEXTBOOK DISTRIBUTION VOLUNTEERS – 9/9-11

Textbook distribution takes place next Monday, Sept. 9th through Wed, Sept 11th. The school and PTSA need volunteers’ help to distribute textbooks to the students. If you can assist, please go to the Textbook Distribution sign-up page.  This is a super easy job and a great way to help get the school year off to a great start.  As with all volunteer positions, you must have completed the District background check process and been approved to volunteer in the 2019-20 school year. 

ARE YOU GOOD WITH EXCEL?  WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Each year the PTSA creates a student directory with contact information for IMS students.  This directory is made available on the IMPTSA website to PTSA members.  We’re looking for someone who’s familiar with formatting Microsoft Excel spreadsheets – no in-depth knowledge of the program is required.  The Directory Chair simply formats the data in the Excel spreadsheet we receive from the school, so this is a straightforward project with a well-defined timeframe.  Questions?  Contact Carla Geraci at president@issaquahmiddleptsa.org.

VOLUNTEERING AT IMS

We would love to have you consider volunteering at IMS.  All volunteers must complete the District’s online registration and be approved before they can volunteer at school.  If you were approved to volunteer last year, you still need to sign in to the District’s online system, complete the training, and update the required information.  Please remember there is a delay between completing the volunteer application and getting approval, so don’t wait till the last minute to start the process.  Click here to start the application process or check on your status.

THE FIRST IMPTSA MEETING OF THE YEAR – 9/25

Join us on September 25th at 10:30 am in the IMS Commons for the first PTSA General Membership Meeting of the year.   Meet other parents, learn more about how the IMPTSA helps the IMS community, and be the first to know what’s going on at IMS. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!  Questions?  Send an e-mail to president@issaquahmiddleptsa.org.