Parent Connection: Dec. 12, 2013

Parent

December 12, 2013

Connection

Breaking News

√ Bring in slippers for the Slipper Tree

Click HERE for important dates

Winter Fun With Mr. Dean & Ms. Rachelle

Get in on the winter and holiday arts, crafts, stories, science experiments, outdoor activities and lots of fun for children aged 4-10.

Dates: December 23, 2013 – January 3, 2014. (No class on Wed., Dec. 25, 2013 and Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014.

Times: 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $315.00 Location: The kindergarten classroom Please note: snacks, lunch and beverages are not included and must be provided by parents. Contact the Office to sign up.

Alumni T-Shirts For Sale

A new shipment of these beautiful, green ISAA shirts is here for the holiday season. $12 each in children’s and adult sizes.

Limited number available. Contact Peggy at peggy@ ischool.org or stop by her office. You may also order online at http://diamondmindinc. com/island.html. Specify shirt size/s and ISAA SHIRT.’ These shirts are approved for school uniform use.

Kaua‘i Bus Stop Changes

We have been notified by the County of Kaua‘i Transportation Agency that the Kaua‘i Bus public transit bus stop

at the Island School campus will be discontinued as of Monday, January 13, 2014. The closest stop will be located at the KCC Performing Arts Center.

Holiday Giving

We hope you will remember Island School as you make your year-end charitable contributions. We are a non-profit organization with a mission to prepare our students for productive, fulfilling lives. Donations are tax-deductible and reach every Island School student. Give today at http://diamondmindinc.com/island. html or stop by the office to drop off your gift. Mahalo nui loa for your support!

Interact Club Raising $ For the Philippines

Support our high school Interact Club’s efforts by ordering a T-shirt.

All profits will go to the Disaster Relief Fund of Red Cross to help the people of the Philippines after Super Typhoon Haiyan. The shirts are available in size S-XL. All sales will go through an Interact Club member, must be pre-paid, $20, and checks may be made to Island School. Orders will be taken through Dec. 20, for delivery at the start of the new year. You may also order online at http://diamondmindinc. com/island.html. Be sure to include shirt size/s in the ‘specify box’ and write ‘INTERACT.’ These shirts are approved for school uniform use.

SAT Prep Courses to Begin in January Recommended for juniors who plan to take the SAT this spring and for freshmen and sophomores as excellent preparation for the PSAT. Complete info on page 5.

Junior Class Go Pro Drawing -

There’s still time to win a Go Pro. See flyer on page 6.

Secret Santa Gifts and Holiday Parties Next Week

Children in grades PK-5 have picked their Secret Santa names. Gifts should be in the $5 range, wrapped and turned into their homeroom teachers

by Tuesday, Dec. 17. Middle and High school students who are participating in the adopt-a-family effort should bring their contribution to their class adviser by Thursday, Dec. 19.

For details, contact your child’s homeroom teacher or Liz Hubbard.

To contact the publisher of Island School’s Parent Connection, email peggy@ischool.org

I.S. Chronicles

Middle School girls helped PK students on the traverse wall.

mini geography bees in order to select representatives to the school National Geographic Bee. The final round will be held on Monday, Jan. 13. Representing their classes are: 6th grade-- Khayias Hamilton, Sienna Martin-Oldfield and Luke Sullivan; 7th gradeOlivia Gegen, Andrew King and Dominic LaFratta; 8th grade-- Damia Cain, Sierra Jonas, Aliana Ho and Kanani Segismundo.

All Smiles: our LegoMasters competed in the State Championship last Saturday.

CHORUS – Reminder - final payment for chorus trip to O‘ahu is due by December 18.

SENIOR UPDATE – Kristina Scheppers has been accepted at Portland State University in Portland, OR. Alyssa Medd has been accepted to Biola University in La Mirada, California, where she was awarded a President’s Scholarship. Angelique Silvestre was accepted at St. John’s University in Queens, NY. Ivana Wu was notified that her acceptance to Washington State University includes a Cougar Achievement Award. Christy Jo Williams has been accepted at Willamette University in Salem, OR, and was awarded a Willamette University Merit Scholarship. To date, Island School seniors have received 28 acceptances to 18 different colleges and universities!

Sophomores Anne Cushnie, Lia Yamasoto and Tai Mitchell study specimens in biology class.

DANCE – Mike Goto is teaching his popular Ballroom Dance class this trimester to a group of lucky high school students. This week, they had a special guest instructor, Lila Metzger, from KUGA, teaching them salsa steps.

SPANISH – Spanish Club meets every Thursday during lunch. Spanish Club is open to all students who are studying Spanish (grades 7 - 12). They are currently planning fund raising projects for an upcoming trip to O‘ahu for the Cinco de Mayo celebration in 2014.

BIOLOGY – Students in Ms. Mink’s classes have practiced classifying unknown “organisms” and studying collections of specimens as one might find them in natural history museums.

Just like professional scientists, they’ve found that this can be perplexing, that you may not have enough information or may not agree with your colleagues, and that the more you look the more questions you find.

GEOGRAPHY – All six middle school social studies classes held

ROBOTICS –Our LegoMasters traveled to O‘ahu last weekend to compete in the State FIRST Lego League Championships. They took advantage of being on O‘ahu and visited the Lego traveling display at the Bishop Museum. They also cut loose on the raceway at Podium, and toured the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The team of 3-5th graders includes: Colby Barth, Colin Bedwell, Joshua Dobashi,

Ema-Lani Ebesu, Ethan Inanod, Bonnie Lee, Cody Manibog, Tiago Morgado and Nate Sullivan.

Kala & Liko Edwards, who will join next year, went with the team as supporters.

DRAMA – Peggy has announced this year’s High School production, The Mouse That Roared, a comedy adapted from the Leonard Wibberly book by Christopher Sergel. Students enrolled in this after school class have been given character descriptions and audition scripts. Auditions will be held in the Main Hall on Monday, Dec. 16, from 3:15-5:00, and the cast will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Performances are March 21, 22 & 23, 2014.

STAFF ACHIEVEMENT – Congratulations to Ms. Shantelle for completing the Honolulu Marathon last weekend. (Her first full marathon!) She reached her goal of 4 hours. 56 minutes!

HS students learn to salsa with guest instructor, Lila Metzger.

Parent Page Mahalo to Parent Association December PA Meeting Highlights •

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The 7th grade girls were awarded a $100 Enhancement Award for YMCA admission for their PE classes.

Parents are encouraged to sign up for eScrip as an easy way to help the PA raise funds. Go to www. escrip.com to sign up your Safeway, Macy’s and other credit cards. Look for the group - Island School Parent Association, ID 7282482.

The PA plans to revisit the creation of the Circle of Friends, which helped integrate new families into the Island School ohana.

Next Meeting - January 7, 2014, at 1:00 p.m.

Classified Ads

HOUSE SITTER AVAILABLE: Terri Kass, mother of Katie Magoun, is available as a house sitter.

Short or long term. Small dogs OK, no cats.

KCP AUDITIONS: For Kaua‘i Community Players’ production of Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz, Friday, December 13, 6pm and Saturday, December 14, at 3pm at the Puhi Theatrical Warehouse. Other Desert Cities will be directed

by Arnold Meister and open February 14, 2014, and run for three weekends. For more information, visit http://kauaicommunityplayers.org/.

KAUA‘I CHORALE CONCERT: Dec 14 & 15, titled JOY, it promises to be just that. Directed

by Lois Ricciardi, this concert will cap the year-long celebration of the Chorale’s 50th anniversary. Saturday, Dec 14, 7:30 p.m. at KCC Performing Arts and Sunday, Dec. 15, 5pm at the St. Regis Grand Ballroom, Princeville.

Tickets: $12.00 advance; $15 at the door; students $5.00. Contact Judy Byce for tickets at 808-337-1882 or 808-822-563.

NUTCRACKER BALLET: Ballet Kaua‘i, directed

by Daniel Nelson, presents excerpts from The Nutcracker at Island School on Friday, December 13 from 7 to 8pm. Tickets are $7 and are available at the door.

♥♥♥

♥ ♥ ♥ Alexander & Baldwin Foundation, Peter & Linda Baldwin, Marau & Hobey Beck, Hale Kaua’i, Sean Head, Bernadette Kaeo, Lindsay & Gregg Kamm, Fred & Cadice Pascual, David & Carol Pratt, Victor Punua, Valerie Rivera, Roy & Lina Skinner, Traci Sullivan and Darius & Vanna Wu for donations to Annual Giving. ♥ ♥ ♥ Kuhio Motors for a gift to the girls’ soccer team. ♥ ♥ ♥ Home Depot for helping us purchase items for the community garden. ♥ ♥ ♥ Dr. Eric Yee for a gift of computer components to the school. ♥ ♥ ♥ Vera Errico, Katie Johnson and Bridgette Orsatelli for decorating the 1st grade classroom for the holidays, Dodd Apao and Katie Johnson for volunteering to stuff folders on Monday mornings, and to Heather Biedermann for her help with portfolio preparation and the Secret Santa names. ♥ ♥ ♥ Rebekah Ort for her donation to the LRC. KPAC PERFORMS THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST:

by Oscar Wilde. December 13, 14, 20, 21, 7:00 pm Sunday, Dec 15, 22, 4:00pm. at The Children of the Land, Kaua‘i village Shopping Center, Kapaa(next to Papaya’s) Adults $10; Students $8. Tickets at the door.

MOVIE TICKETS: If you are planning on going to the movies in the near future, please purchase a ticket from Mike Goto. The cost is the same as if you bought the ticket at the window, but Kukui Grove Cinema is donating a portion of each pre-purchased ticket sale to the Kaua‘i Boy Scouts. Contact Mike at mike@ischool.org.

KAUA‘I SINGS CHRISTMAS: At Kilohana. Advanced tickets at 246-9577 OR purchase your table or tickets online by clicking this link http://malamapono.org/kauai-sings/#!/~/category/id=7076682.

MASSAGE: Massage gift certificates make lovely holiday gifts. Help Lulu make the world a better place … one massage at a time. Please spread the word to family and friends and don’t forget to treat yourself! If interested, please contact Lulu at 635-6779 or through the Front Office at 246-0233.

WINTER BREAK MINECRAFT CHALLENGE: Island School, Friday, Dec. 27, 3-5:30pm. We have the server, the network, custom maps, Minecraft experts, snacks and prizes. $1 - bring your computer.

Limited to 20 players (though if it fills up we may be able to add a second session.) Email info@zekatech.com or see Ms. Mink to sign up.

Disco Ball - March 15, 2014!

Get out your Bee Gees and Donna Summer Records

volunteer opportunities in each category: General Auction Volunteer listings include positions that have specific date and time parameters (ex: Display Set-Up on 3/14/2014 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Mariott).

Flex Time Volunteer listings include positions and tasks that can be completed on your time, either at home or on campus (Ex: making calls as a part of the acquisitions team or Start looking for your silky, shiny, rhinestoned helping to deliver auction items from local shirts, your high heels and wide, flashy belts businesses to the school).

- it’s time to DISCO! Our 35th Annual Gala Auction, The Disco Ball, will be on March 15, With VolunteerSpot, it’s easy to see what 2014! It already has us dancing and dreaming. is needed and to sign up. You will not need to register an account or keep a password.

VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use The auction is a parent-driven event that raises funds for the tuition aid program and your email address, please contact us at 2460233 to sign up manually. the school’s operational needs. This means

It’s also time to VOLUNTEER!

proceeds from the auction help us to keep tuition as low as possible for every Island School family. Last year we raised a recordbreaking $250,000 and we’re hoping to keep the momentum running in 2014.

Your help is needed to make this event a success. Please visit our VolunteerSpot page and click on the tabs to learn more about

Click here to go directly to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/ iVnNaC. Mahalo in advance!

Island School 3-1875 Kaumuali`i Hwy Lihu`e, Kaua`i, Hawai`i, 96766

December 12, 2013 A weekly publication We’re on the web at www.ischool.org

the Disco

Ball

SAT Prep Courses

January/February 2014 NOTE: Each Prep Course (Reading/Writing and Math) consists of four sessions over the course of four weeks; each session is 1 ½ hour in length.

Who Should Take the Jan/Feb 2014 SAT Prep Courses?

The Jan/Feb prep courses are recommended for juniors who plan to take the SAT this spring (March 8, May 3 and/or June 7). Prep Courses are also recommended for freshmen and sophomores as excellent preparation for the PSAT (Preliminary SAT administered to all Island School 10th and 11th graders each October). Enrollment in both classes is limited. Students can sign up for one or both classes with Joan Shaw, College Counselor, Island School (246-0233, ext. 232 or joan@ischool.org). Checks should be made out to the individual instructors and registration is confirmed when payment is received. Spaces will not be held without receipt of full payment. Independent practice work between class sessions will be required to receive full benefit from the course.

Math Prep Course taught by Susie Massaro This course will cover test-taking strategies, including some review of Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II. Students will receive two prep books: The Official SAT Study Guide and The New SAT Math Game Plan. Practice tests will be administered. Registration for the math course is limited to students who are enrolled in geometry or higher.

Wednesdays, January 29, February 5, 12 and 19 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Island School – Wiliwili Room, Purdy Hall $130 including materials Critical Reading/Writing Prep Course taught by David Reynolds This course will cover test-taking skills and strategies to discern the meaning of a sentence and the purpose of a passage. Sections of the SAT will be administered, with significant focus on responding to timed-writing prompts effectively.

Mondays, January 27, February 3, 10 and 24 (NOTE: Class will not meet on President’s Day, February 17) 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Island School – Wiliwili Room, Purdy Hall $120 including materials Registration will be on a first-come, first served basis; registration will be confirmed when payment is received. This course typically fills up very quickly, so please sign up as soon as possible to ensure your space. Checks should be made payable to the individual instructors (Susie Massaro for math and/or David Reynolds for reading/writing).

Questions? Call Joan Shaw at 246-0233, ext. 232 or email joan@ischool.org. back to page 1

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