January 20, 2020
 
There’s a lot going on at IMS this month, so make sure your calendar is up-to-date.  Here’s a rundown of the important information you’ll need in the coming weeks.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
1/20 MLK Day – No School
1/21 New Family Ambassador Meet & Greet
1/21-22 School Play Auditions – Little Mermaid Jr.
1/22 PTSA General Membership Meeting
1/22 ParentWiser Event:  Being Culturally Competent
1/23 WalkAbout Training @7:00 pm
1/27 Teacher Work Day – No School
1/31 Binder Bootcamp
2/4-6 8th Grade Course Selection Info Sessions at IHS
2/10 ParentWiser Event:  Kids in the Digital Age
2/11 Ballots due for ISD Renewal Levy
2/17-21 Second Winter Break
Agenda
Minutes from 11-20-2019 Meeting 
RESCHEDULED NEW FAMILY AMBASSADOR MEET & GREET – 1/21
 
The IMS New Family Ambassador Program Meet and Greet originally scheduled for January 16th has been rescheduled. This month’s meet and greet will now be held tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21st from 9:30-11:00 AM at the Starbucks located at 1460 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah WA 98027. Hope to see you there! Questions? Contact us at familyambassadors@issaquahmiddleptsa.org.
PARENTWISER EVENT:  BEING CULTURALLY COMPETENT – 1/22
 
Are your kids exposed to racially or culturally-charged comments? ParentWiser hosts Dr. Caprice Hollins for a paradigm-shifting talk to help parents engage in courageous conversations with our children and learn How to be a Culturally Competent Family in 2020, Jan. 22nd from 7:00-8:30 pm at Liberty High School.  Participants will increase their understanding of equity vs equality, privilege, and implicit bias to develop a community where everyone benefits through inclusivity and the honoring of differences. For parents of K-12.  Register here.
FINAL WALKABOUT TRAINING – 1/23
 
If you missed the first WalkAbout Training session in the fall, the second (and final) WalkAbout Training session for the 2019-20 school year will take place on Jan. 23rd from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm at IMS.  This training session is mandatory if you’ve never been trained before.  Questions?  Contact us at walkabout@issaquahmiddleptsa.org.
 
Remember that only volunteers who (1) have been approved as volunteers by the Issaquah School District; AND (2) have completed WalkAbout Training this year or in a prior year may volunteer.
CALLING VOLUNTEERS FOR BINDER BOOTCAMP – 1/31
 
Our next Binder Bootcamp of the year is just around the corner on Friday, Jan. 31st, and we need your help to bring a little order to our corner of the universe.  Binder Bootcamp is an ongoing initiative organized by IMPTSA and supported by Issaquah Schools Foundation to help students who are struggling with organization which can lead to missed homework, misplaced completed homework, and general angst!
 
Our volunteers work one-on-one with students who are referred by teachers, counselors, and parents. If you can recognize a tidy, organized binder and can offer common-sense suggestions for keeping homework together, then you have all the skills required to work with students. We provide a brief training and all the supplies needed to help students organize their binders.
 
The number of students we are able to help depends upon the number of volunteers.  Please consider helping with this gratifying (and fun) activity and feel free to sign up for any of our five one-hour shifts.  Click HERE to sign up today!
 
Our school counselors and teachers are very good at identifying and referring students in need of organization help, but if you believe your child’s performance is being negatively impacted by poor organization, you may request that your child be included on the 31st.  If you have any questions, email us at BinderBootcamp@IssaquahMiddlePTSA.Org
ISSAQUAH HIGH SCHOOL 8TH GRADE PARENT/STUDENT NIGHT – 2/4-6
 
Issaquah High School is hosting a number of events for 8th-grade students and their families regarding the transition from middle school to high school.  The first event is an evening program for both parents and students to learn about courses and make appropriate course requests for the 9th-grade year. The date and time of the presentation for each family depends on the students’ first letter of their last name. The dates are February 4th, 5th or 6th depending on the last name. If you cannot make your designated time, it is okay to attend any of the other sessions listed.  All presentations take place in the IHS library.
 
Last Name Date/ Time
A-B Feb. 4 @5:00 pm
C-D Feb. 4 @6:00 pm
E-G Feb. 4 @7:00 pm
H-J Feb. 5 @5:00 pm
K Feb. 5 @6:00 pm
L Feb. 5 @7:00 pm
M Feb. 5 @8:00 pm
N-Q Feb. 6 @5:00 pm
R-Si Feb. 6 @6:00 pm
Sj-T Feb. 6 @7:00 pm
U-Z Feb. 6 @8:00 pm
Presentations in Spanish or Chinese will be held on February 5th @7:30 am.  If you already have a student at IHS and want the quick version, attend the presentation on February 4th @8:00 pm.  More information is available on the IHS website. 
TELL YOUR STORY AT IMS ANNUAL CAREER DAY – 2/7
 
IMS is looking for parents, guardians and community members to give a short presentation about their current or past career and pathway.  Please share this with family and friends who have interesting or unusual careers or have a unique story of how they ended up there. We need a wide variety of professionals to make this a well-rounded event for students to learn about something they might like to pursue in the future. Everyone is welcome to come and share.  Please contact Oracio Valdez at valdezo@issaquah.wednet.edu for more information or to sign up.
PARENTWISER:  KEEPING KIDS SAFE, HAPPY, AND HEALTHY IN THE DIGITAL AGE - 2/10
 
Even the most in-tune parents could use some extra tips for keeping up with the fast-changing media landscape. Local Issaquah mental health therapist specializing in technology fixation, and youth screen time use, Jocelyn Skillman, partners with nationally acclaimed Common Sense Media to deliver a comprehensive presentation addressing the biggest concerns parents of elementary and middle schoolers have: managing screen time, getting a cellphone, cyberbullying, social media, apps, and more.
 
Jocelyn leads a thought-provoking discussion to help parents determine how to use media in balance as a family, find quality content, set expectations around healthy use to prevent conflict, and raise our kids to be media-savvy consumers and creators. This ParentWiser event starts at 7:00 pm on Feb. 10th at Issaquah High School.  For PARENTS of grades K-8. Register here. 
ISD RENEWAL LEVY WILL BE ON THE FEBRUARY 2020 BALLOT – 2/11/20
 
The Issaquah School District will be asking voters to approve the renewal of the EP&O levy in February which allows the district to continue to support the programs and services funded by the previous two-year levy which is expiring in 2020.  Like a subscription, local school levies must be renewed, or the funding will be lost.
 
The 2020 EP&O Levy Renewal Levy continues support for:
  • Career & Technical Education
  • Mental Health Counselors
  • Special Education
  • Safety & Security
  • Dual Language Program
  • Early Childhood Learning & Preschool Opportunities
  • Highly Capable Program
  • Professional Development for Teachers
  • Expanded High School Schedules (7 periods instead of 6) at Issaquah and Skyline High Schools
 
The Issaquah School District is asking for less than it is legally allowed to collect. This maintains its current programs, while remaining fiscally responsible and sensitive to the overall tax rate. This is NOT a new tax. The proposed two-year levy replaces the expiring 2018 levy at a lower overall tax rate.
 
Please remember to VOTE and if you have a student who will be 18 by the next election, please have them register to vote!
 
Click here for more information
Click here to download a fact sheet with details
Click here to register to vote
 
Thank you!
BECOME A PTSA MEMBER TODAY!
 
Even if you don’t want to volunteer at the school, becoming a PTSA member makes a lot of sense!
(1) Up-to-Date Info:  First, you get access to up-to-date information about what’s going on at IMS.  In addition to our weekly E-news, you can hear the principal personally provide updates on issues of importance to you and your child and answer questions at every monthly PTSA meeting.
(2) Get Access to the Student Directory: As a PTSA member, you get exclusive access to the online PTSA Student Directory. 
(3) Retail Benefits: Members can take advantage of discounts at state and national companies like Great Wolf Lodge, Wild Waves, Office Depot, and car rental companies including Avis, Hertz, and Budget.
(4) Your $ Support Programs for Your Child: Your membership fee and your donations help support a wide variety of PTSA programs that support and enrich our students, families, and staff members.
 
It’s easy to join online today – CLICK HERE!
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 sign in.
Like us on Facebook
 
 
Issaquah Middle PTSA 2.6.35
600 2nd Ave. SE
Issaquah, WA  98027
issaquahmiddleptsa.org
 
 
To unsubscribe, either
- Reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line, or
- Go to My Account on the IMPTSA website and edit your email preferences.