ICS PTSA NEWSLETTER

January 15th, 2023

See the ICS Calendar for more upcoming event dates.

Summer Trip to Mexico

With the district's decision to disallow international travel during focus week, Señora Del Toro is planning a México trip for high school students this summer in order to continue learning about Hispanic cultures.

México. Put into practice what you have been learning at school. Would you like to experience a little bit of the culture of México, starting from the Mayas until modern times? The 8-day trip includes activities for each day from the arrival students will be able to connect with culture and a magnificent opportunity to a community service, explore a Cenote, Chichén Itza and Tulum pyramids, and wonderful beach to explore.

Students will need to reserve a place and sign up on the Explorica website before January 31st to secure the price. We realize that this time of year the cost will not be feasible for many. To find out more details about the trip and to register, go to Explorica if you are interested in attending, you'll need to register. The tour ID is DelToro-4642 (need to include the hyphen). There are different payment options, and you don’t have to full price in order to register.

Contact email: sdeltoroics@gmail.com

Dates: June 29 to July 6, registration deadline until Jan. 31 

Cost: $3,281.00

Eligibility: current grades 9-12

Number of students: 15 with 1:5 Chaperone Ratio

FBLA is looking for volunteers

ICS FBLA is looking for 2 parent volunteers to chaperone students at the Winter Leadership Conference, which will take place on Saturday, February 4th at North Creek High School. Volunteers are asked to supervise students as they prepare for their competitions from 7:30 to around 2-4 PM. Please email icsfbla@outlook.com with questions and to confirm that you will volunteer.

ICS FBLA is also looking for 5 volunteers to help judge the Winter Leadership Conference. Judges will be grading presenters on their projects, but no business knowledge is required. If interested, please fill out this form ASAP.

From Ski Bus Club

Ski Bus has several open seats for the remaining Wednesdays (Jan 18, 25, Feb 1, 8, 22) going to Alpental. Want to come and free ski? Grab a friend and take them with you. We depart at 3PM and return around 8PM. Cost of the roundtrip ride is $55 per person. Bring your own gear and a lift ticket/pass. You can sign-up as late as the day of the trip. Paying guarantees your seat. Interested? Contact Boris at bvbar@hotmail.com

Lunar New Year Celebration

for 9th Grade Students and Families 

Happy Year of the Rabbit! All 9th graders and their families are invited to join in a Lunar New Year potluck dinner and celebration on Friday, January 27, from 5:30 to 8 pm, in the ICS Lyceum. 

For more details and to sign up, go here 

Art day update 

2023 Art Day will be on Monday, January 30th, 2023

Here is the list of classes offered on Art Day and their description.

The survey link to choose up to 5 Art Day activities is available too! Students will get to participate in 3 out of 5 activities chosen, based on their interest. Please ensure your child/children have filled the survey.

Volunteer opportunities available for Art Day Luncheon! Signup link

There are still some open spots for Art Day volunteering. Please sign up before the slots fill out! 

Signup link

Nominations Committee Seeks New Board Members

The Nominations Committee has begun the process of finding new ICS PTSA Board members to replace those who are leaving their positions at the end of this school year.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the following positions are open and need to be filled by May 2023:

• Co-President - 2
• VP Activity Support
• VP Information Support
• Co-Secretary -2
• Treasurer - 2

All ICS PTSA members who would like to take a more active role in supporting our school and students are welcome to apply. Serving on the ICS PTSA Board is a great opportunity to be more engaged in school life and to quickly earn volunteer hours.

To nominate yourself or another parent, send an email to Nominations@icsptsa.org with the following information:

• First and Last Name,
• Mobile Phone Number,
• Email Address, and
• Board Position of Interest.

More information about the roles and key responsibilities can be found on the ICS PTSA web page. Board positions require a 2-year commitment and participation at all PTSA Board and parent meetings.

All nominations should be sent to the Nominations Committee by February 28. The Committee will then interview all nominated candidates.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us (Elizabeth Vogel, Usharani Mandava, and Roberto Baselli) at Nominations@icsptsa.org

In-person meeting survey

Now that things are opening up again, we have the option to return to meeting each other in person again.​ Online meetings have been convenient and average attendance has gone up. ​We will keep some meetings online, maybe all, if there isn't interest.​

However, PTSA participation has dropped​.

• Membership is down​
• Donations are down​
• Volunteer hours are down​

In-person meetings offer a chance to meet the board, the administration, student leaders, and other parents face to face​ and build relationships that help put the community in International Community School.

How often would you like to meet in-person? Let us know in the survey.

REPEATED ARTICLES

Senior Ads

Hello parents,

Senior ad submissions are due on February 9^th. Senior ads are a great way for families to send a message to their kids congratulating their achievements.

If you’re interested in submitting senior ads to honor your child’s achievements, please go to this link and order one before February 9^th.

On the website you will be asked to make an account to create an ad, please do so.

You are required to send in a small message about 2-3 sentences long about your kid. Please send in baby photos, dance competition photos, sports photos, or any photos you think would best showcase your child. These senior ads will be featured in the yearbook for your kids to read at the end of the year!

The price for an ad is $65.

Grant Committee Update

The board needs more time to review the overall budget this year, and the grants application budget will not be finalized before early January. The new board grant review deadline is set to Jan 20th. If you any questions, please reach out to Lei Kou.

Parent Meetings

This Teams Link will take you to the recurring meeting; it works for all meetings this school year.