March 6 , 2007

The Flash A publication of the International School of Louisiana

March 6, 2007

IMPORTANT DATES

Wednesday, March 7 Library Prime Time

6:00 pm ISL Library

Thursday, March 8 ISL Board of Trustees Mtg

6:00pm ISL Library

March 12 – 16 Registration Week

For 0708 School Year

March 19 – 23 LEAP Week

Friday, March 30 Report Card Day

Parent Teacher Conferences Noon Dismissal NO PRIME TIME

ISL RECEIVES LONG TERM LEASE ON CAMP STREET BUILDING!

In their regular session on February 15, 2007 the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved ISL’s request to extend the lease on the Andrew Jackson School facility for the duration of our charter.

We are thrilled that BESE has chosen to recognize our commitment to education in New Orleans and to the Coliseum Square neighborhood. With this assurance from the State we can feel confident about moving forward on plans to make significant improvements to the building and grounds, knowing that our children will benefit for years to come.

We want to thank all of you who have worked so hard over the last six months to make this building a comfortable and inviting learning environment for our children. We look forward to many more years of learning in our new home.

Tina Webster, fifth grade Spanish, will be featured on the March 12th episode of the Learning Channel special presentation "My Life as a Child" on Monday, March 12 at 6:00pm. Tina was chosen to participate in this BBC production last year at an audition held on ISL's Kenner Campus.

“My Life As a Child” documents the lives of 20 American children, between the ages of 7 and 11. Each episode tells the stories of three to four children from different backgrounds, providing a snapshot of American life through their eyes.

We are all very proud of Tina and encourage everyone to watch her story. You can get a sneak peek at: http://tlc.discovery.com/beyond/?playerId=203711705&cate goryId=208816820&lineupId=520546032

ISL STUDENT FEATURED ON THE LEARNING

CHANNEL!

ISL Welcomes New Art Teacher Ms. Jennifer Schumacher has joined us as the new art teacher. She comes to ISL through the Young Audiences Art for Learning program. Jennifer will also be coordinating an artist in residency program placing artists in the classroom with teachers in Grades 2 – 6 to incorporate art into the class curriculum. Ms. Jennifer holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University and was formerly the Art Education Coordinator at the Louisiana Children’s Museum. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Jennifer to the ISL Community.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Fats in Foods: How Much for Kids?

Is ice cream okay for kids? How about fried chicken nuggets or fries? You’re smart to wonder about higherfat foods for kids. Here’s the scoop.

Your child needs some fat from food.

Trying to cut way back on fat may seem like a good idea. But your child needs some fat to be healthy:

v for energy to play, learn, and grow. v to grow properly. v to use vitamins from food. v to add flavor to foods.

v Nibbles For Health 23

FROM THE SUGGESTION BOX I request that more volunteer options be given on Sundays. Some parents work in the service industry where Saturdays are very busy work days – Thank You, Anon.

In response to this suggestion, we’re scheduling a Sunday Work Day in the library. We’ve just received a donation of carpet for the library floor, but before it can go in, we need to finish painting the windows and baseboards and clearing out the room. Attached to this FLASH is a sign up form for a Sunday, March 25 th Family Work Day. We need at least 20 people to sign up in order to get the library ready for the carpet to be installed. If you are interested in participating, please return the form via your child’s homeschool connection book by Friday, March 16. FTCO will provide lunch and supplies – just bring your enthusiasm!

THANK YOU!

Students of the Week

Congratulations to all “Students of the Week”. Keep up the great work and continue to shine.

YOUR CHARACTER REALLY COUNTS ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.

February 26March 2, 2007 VAN SMITH III

CARRINGTON WILLIAMS IAN GREEN JADA BYRD

BENJAMIN DARDEN SAMIYA ST. JULLIEN

ERIC WEBER CAMERON RICHARDS MORGAN CRONVICH SHYLOH KIRSTLY

ADAM BELANOUANE ANGELE MACCLAIN JANYCE GUTIERREZ ZAKIYA SALEEM

CHRISTIAN TEJEDA AURELIEN BARNES

J’SAAN MOSS

Soul food of the week: “GOOD LUCK IS THE RESULT OF HARD WORK.”

Charactercounts.org

HOME TO SCHOOL CONNECTION

Ms. Bea's Kindergarten Class Flies High!

After having studied birds, learned their names, and learned how they look and move, our class threw itself into the adventure of making bird masks for Mardi Gras. All of the students did their best to

transform egg boxes into birds! We celebrated the completion of our project with a King Cake, of

course!

ECOLE BILINGUE INVITES ISL TO THEIR ANNUAL

Fête Française Celebration of French Language, Culture, Food and Fun

Honoring our Creole Heritage

938 Calhoun Street (next to Audubon Park)

Saturday, March 10 th

11am – 6 pm

TIPS FOR TODAY’S KIDS Tips for Families & Kids

Strengthen Your Family Living in Uncertain Times and Helping Children Feel Safe in a World that Doesn't Seem Safe

PreSchool Age Children Young children will interpret a crisis as a personal danger to them and those they care about. Reassure them that they are safe and loved. Provide extra comfort and contact by telephoning your child more often and touching base with your child every night. Answer all questions. Be honest and open, but keep in mind that the information you share should be age appropriate. Encourage playing and drawing as outlets for expressing emotions. Remember the importance of touch. A hug can reassure children that they are loved.

Grade School Age Children Don't tell a child not to worry that may make your child worry more. Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know." At the same time, offer reassurance that you will keep your child safe and secure. Encourage children to express emotions, share dreams and ask questions. Reinforce positive memories to help children call on experience to put their fears in perspective. Keep children physically active, especially if they are anxious.

Adolescents Keep the lines of communication open. Ask about their friends if they are unwilling to talk about themselves. Ask them to run errands with you, then talk about your concerns as a way of inviting them to share their feelings. Encourage teenagers to do something to help the victims of disaster. This is a good way to instill a sense of confidence and control in adolescents. Use family meals as a time to "debrief" and ask your teenagers about their day.

All Age Groups Develop and discuss home safety rules and practice emergency procedures. Monitor and limit media and Internet exposure. Praise and recognize responsible behavior. Maintain daily routines. Make sure to focus on what is good in the present rather than the unknown in the future.

Parent Support for Immersion Education OnLine Resources

Bilingual Families Website This web site provides support and resources for families where one or both parents are speaking a foreign language (not their native language) to their children in an effort to raise them bilingually. The site features answers to frequently asked questions about raising children bilingually, a list of references and a listserv. http://humanities.byu.edu/bilingua/

Multilingual Children’s Association Website The Multilingual Children's Association focuses on the daytoday joys and challenges of raising bilingual and multilingual children. This userfriendly website includes uptodate information and useful resources for families seeking to raise multilingual children. http://www.multilingualchildren.org/index.html

Canadian Parents for French(CPF) CPF is a national network of volunteers that values French as an integral part of Canada and is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French second language learning opportunities for young Canadians. CPF sponsors a newsletter and an annual conference, and offers a website with many resources for educators and parents of children in French immersion programs. http://www.cpf.ca/

MIDDLE SCHOOL MINUTE

5th Grade at ISL Making a Difference

One of the major components of our Middle School philosophy is integrating community service into the curriculum. This week, the 5th grade at ISL has initiated two such projects that they hope will make a positive change in our world. Our first action project was inspired by an article that was read by our very own Janet Ruppert and her family. In this article, she learned that the Virginia legislature has created a resolution to officially apologize for the state's role in the enslavement of African people. Janet then asked her family why Louisiana doesn't do the same, as our state also clearly holds a responsibility for this period of history. Janet decided that she was going to take action by writing a letter to her Louisiana legislator.

When this news was shared with the rest of the 5th grade, the other students were greatly inspired to join Janet in doing the same. After studying the U.S. History of enslavement over the last few months, the 5th graders now feel quite impassioned about this subject. First, students will learn how to go online to http://www.legis.state.la.us/ and look up the mailing address of both their Louisiana House Representative and their State Senator. We will then conduct a letterwriting campaign, in which the students will learn how to voice their political opinions. Please feel free to join us by writing your own letters.

The second action that the students have decided to take involves developing a recycling program here at ISL. We have talked a lot this year about what it means to throw away paper, and what we could do about this. On Wednesday, 2/28/07, the 5th graders decided to stop talking and start acting. We began by brainstorming a list of things we will need to do to get a recycling program under way. The students are looking into ways of obtaining small recycling bins for each classroom. They would then like to go in pairs to deliver these bins to classrooms, where they also hope to give a short presentation to the younger students on the importance of recycling. They additionally brainstormed ideas on how to transport the paper from ISL to a recycling dropoff center, such as the Green Project in the Marigny area. Ideas were to either recruit parent volunteers to take turns doing this, or to fundraise for the $20 bimonthly pickup fee that a recycling service would charge us.

If you have any questions, suggestions, appreciations, or comments regarding these two projects, please feel free to send them to the 5th grade via bmuntean@isledu.org.

Senator Ann Duplessis State Capitol Drive Baton Rouge, La.

Dear Senator Duplessis:

Virginia is saying sorry for what they did. They took enslaved Africans from their homes. Also, they thought it wasn’t fair, so they apologized.

I go to my school, ISL (International School of Louisiana.) Our teacher, the famous Mrs. Muntean, taught us that slavery was a cruel thing. Also, we studied a chapter of it in our History Alive book.

What I’m writing to you is that Louisiana should say sorry for taking a part in slavery. Even if it’s an apology it will help a little. Please if you agree do two things for me. One, apologize to the world or something, and two, write us back at my school: 1400 Camp St, New Orleans, Uptown. My name is NNAMDI (Nanamdi).

Sincerely, Nnamdi Louis

Senator Julie Quinn P.0. Box 94183 Baton Rouge, La. 70804

Dear Senator Julie Quinn:

My class has been studying the state of Virginia. They have said their apologies about their involvement in slavery. Virginia has convinced other states such as Missouri to say their apologies too.

I go to the International School of Louisiana. It is a French and Spanish immersion school. In school, we have been learning about the enslavement of African people. We believe that it was wrong and that we need to give an apology.

My class would like you to write a letter saying that we are sorry for being involved in slavery. I know that you are extremely busy, but this will mean a lot to our school, the state of Louisiana, and to all the people who were enslaved.

Sincerely, Paris Khalaf

State Legislator Karen R. Carter 274 Capitol Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70000

Dear Legislator Karen R. Carter:

This year my class has taken interest in the recent action taken by the representatives of Virginia. They decided to create a law that apologizes to the people of African descent from Virginia for Virginia’s participation in slavery.

This year my class has studied slavery. We learned that slavery has been practiced all over the world and that slavery brought to America a horrible practice called racism. We do not agree with this practice and are trying to convince others to feel the same way.

My classmates and teacher are trying to interest you and other states to write apology letters to the people of African descent for your state. All we ask is just for your representatives to write an apology letter.

Sincerely, Talia Ambrose

[email protected]

March 6, 2007

4 th Grade Sponsored Dinner is rescheduled to Friday, March 16, 2007 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm This is a fundraiser for our children’s International Experience. The proceeds are divided equally between all grades.

Followed by the FTCO General Meeting at 6:30 pm.

THANK YOU! To everyone who participated in Saturday’s School Work Day!

We appreciate all of you ~ Brian, Kathryn, Izabel, Marc, Julie, Maxwell, Ashley, Sharon, Pam, Peter, Keaton, Maura, Miranda, Jennifer, Eagan, Renee, Melanie, Jose, Angelle, Tricia, Zoe, Jennifer, Jackie, Kevin, Luisa, Sophia, Randi, Alex, Aleagra, Tifany, Willy, Peter, Lillie, Judy, Benny, and Eleanor!! What a fantastic job on the library windows!

Thanks for all your efforts!

The February numbers are in… F3, Mlle. Fabienne’s class turned in the most labels/box tops in our school wide contest.

When sending in your items please remember to label the envelope with your child’s grade/class and teacher’s name.

March 6 , 2007

Documents