International School PTSA

June 19, 2009

There is much good news to report, and many "thanks" and "congratulations" to pass around.  The "Mind the Gap" special fundraising campaign, launched after the May 20 PTSA meeting in order to mitigate the impacts of the budget cuts announced on May 15, has been a huge success and will make big differences at International School next year.  In addition, there is good news for the World Language program.

Last night, the International School PTSA held a special meeting, at which our members unanimously approved a new preliminary budget for the 2009-2010 school year and authorized PTSA officers to make written commitments to the Bellevue School District to pay for reduced class sizes and the restoration of the AVID program next year, based on donations received this month in the Mind the Gap campaign.  The commitments total $81,300 and will reduce class sizes in 9/10 Humanities, 7/8 International Studies, French 2, and Middle School Health/PE, as well as funding the AVID class.  It turned out to be unnecessary for the PTSA to support library staffing next year, because the district has agreed to fund that expense (not a true librarian as we now have, but a person with some training in library science, for 4 hours each day).  We have accomplished virtually all of the goals we established in May.

The Mind the Gap campaign as of yesterday had raised $94,053 in pledges and expected company matches, of which we have received $63,863 in actual payments.  By way of comparison, in a typical school year we raise $60,000 in total donations over the entire year.  We owe thanks to many people for the success of this campaign, but especially to our Mind the Gap co-chairs Marian McDermott and Elizabeth Hitchman. 

With respect to the German language program, our principal Dr. Peter Bang Knudsen and the Bellevue School District agreed last week to provide an introductory German language class this summer for incoming students who had enrolled in German 1A (the summer program will be paid for by the district, not PTSA), so these students will be prepared to combine with German 1B students in a single class next year.  They also have agreed to allow our school community to discuss next year whether the school should offer one or more world languages, which languages should be offered, and how they can be sustained.  This important discussion likely will be led by Dr. Bang Knudsen and our Program Delivery Council.  Our school will be a better place if you help the rest of us learn the facts, and if you participate.

We need to raise additional funds over the next few weeks and months.  Some sources of education funding that are available now will not be available next year -- our school community must continue to rely on the generosity of donor families in the 2009-2010 school year to prevent painful cuts in the 2010-2011 school year.  More than half of our families have yet to contribute to the campaign for next year.  If you have not yet given what you can, please consider making a gift today.  Your contribution will help our PTSA support enrichment grants, foreign-language interns, ASB programs, SAT preparation, community-building events, and other great programs – in addition to the reduction of class sizes and the restoration of AVID.

We have pulled together beautifully and made a huge difference in the quality of education that will be available at International School next year.  Everybody – smile, relax, give yourself a big pat on the back, and enjoy your summer.

2008-2009 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE	2009-2010 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Marco de Sa e Silva, President	Bart Becker, President
Bart Becker, President-Elect	Maral Nigolian Kirschenmann, President-Elect
Maral Nigolian Kirschenmann, Vice President	Archana Gadkari, Vice President
Archana Gadkari, Vice President	Mitch Kruse, Vice President
Robin Gebhart, Co-Treasurer	Michele Moore, Co-Treasurer
Eric Matson, Co-Treasurer	Kendall Main, Co-Treasurer
Cindy Parker, Secretary	Alison Uppendahl, Secretary

June 5, 2009

Dear International School community members:

As many of you know, these times of economic difficulty, place added burdens on our families as well as our schools.  The International School Staff is doing its best to continue to provide world-class educational experiences for our students, given significantly reduced funding for our school. Our PTSA has always been generous in terms of supporting our school’s programs.  For next year, the PTSA has already committed to funding $75,000 which includes $34,000 for supporting reduction in class sizes in humanities and International Studies classes.  This help, and the support of regularly funded programs like the language interns, classroom grants, and support for other school programs are all incredibly valuable for our school.  Thank you to the PTSA for your active and generous support for our students.

In addition to the $75,000 that the PTSA is committed to raising for the 2009-2010 school year, the PTSA is also sponsoring, with my full support, a “Mind the Gap” campaign.  This campaign is intended to raise additional funds for a few areas of targeted needs.  The following are the ordered priorities for the application of any funds raised with the “Mind the Gap” campaign. 

1.       $12,000 for library support.  With the unfortunate cutting of the librarian position, we will need to hire an instructional assistant for the library to keep the library open and accessible for students between 12:00 and 3:30.  This will allow students to be in the library and utilize library resources during lunch, tutorial and after school.   

2.       $34,000 for additional class size reduction.  Given the budget cuts that have occurred, there are some large class sizes that exist for next year.  There are middle school PE classes that average 35 students, French 2 classes that average 37 students and several other individual sections with large class averages.  While I cannot guarantee what courses will be added (there are scheduling and contractual issues that need some flexibility in terms of implementation) I can guarantee that these funds, or partial funds, would go toward reducing class sizes of classes that are already currently scheduled. 

3.       $17,000 for an AVID section.  AVID is an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination and is designed for 7^th and 8^th grade “students in the middle” who need additional support in achieving their potential.  Study skills, organization, test-taking strategies, writing, college preparation, and leadership are a few of the skills that are taught in this course.  In addition, by adding this course, it would slightly reduce the class sizes in some of the PE, art and music classes. 

I recognize these are incredibly tight times economically for families; however, if you could donate to this “Mind the Gap” campaign, it would make a positive impact for our students next year.  By donating to the “Mind the Gap” campaign by June 8^th, 2009, this gives me the most flexibility in terms of hiring additional staff, and scheduling classes so as to maximize the positive impact on our students.  I know that together, we can make a very positive difference for our students.  If you have any questions about the “Mind the Gap” fundraiser, please do not hesitate to contact me at bangp@bsd405.org or at (425) 456-6500.

Best regards,

Dr. Peter Bang-Knudsen

Mind the Gap Fundraising Message June 1, 2009:

Dear International School Parents and Supporters:

You have learned of the drastic cuts to public education and the impacts to the International School, including increases in class size and elimination of the librarian position, AVID study skill class, German IA, and advanced calculus.  These changes will affect every International School student this next year.  We ask you to “Mind the Gap” and help the PTSA raise funds to undo the damage to the extent we are able.  Give or pledge your support now for the 2009/10 school year.  You will receive a letter with additional information about this urgent fundraising campaign. Meanwhile, this is the short version:

• The budget cuts will affect every International student next year. To reverse or mitigate these cuts we need to act now.
• To reduce the staffing cuts by one teacher (1 FTE), we must more than double PTSA fundraising.  If you normally give $50, please try to give $100.  If you normally give $1,000, please try to give $2,000.  If your employer matches your charitable donations, please take advantage of their generosity and double your gift!
• The school must make most planning decisions in June – after then it may not be possible to undo large class sizes or reinstate the AVID program, etc. for 2009/10. We need your support now to realize a difference for the coming year.  Send in your gift or pledge by June 8, 2009!
• Click http://www.is-ptsa.org/support.cfm?subpage=895074 or click the "Support International" button on the left, then scroll to the bottom of that page to get to the “Mind the Gap” pledge form. Return it with your tax-deductible gift to the International School office by June 8^th!

If you have any questions about our pledge drive, please contact our incoming co-treasurers Michele Moore (michele@zemax.com) and Kendall Main (kendall@sbbb.com) or our “Mind the Gap” campaign co-chairs Elizabeth Hitchman (elizabethhit@msn.com) and Marian McDermott (ma_mcdermott@hotmail.com).

Thank you for supporting the International School!