Notes:

1. Teacher Appreciation Week: Next week is teacher appreciation week. If you get a chance, please do encourage your children to think of their teachers and teaching assistants, give them a "thank-you" or maybe make a card. On Wednesday, we have the teacher appreciation lunch run by the PTO, and I would like to thank in advance those of you who help out on that day. 

2. KG B & 3C Assemblies: Thanks to the classes of KG B and 3C for all the work they and their teachers put in for this week's assemblies. It was also great that Alan Knobloch had a chance to speak with all the classes at the two gatherings. We really loved hearing about their green initiatives and inventions, and here are some photos:

3. Starfall Reading Site: I would like to share this great resource for all of you who have beginning English readers. It is called Starfall, and it has a lot of resources for young children learning ABC's, word families, emergent readers, and beginning readers. Click HERE for the site. 

4. Step into Reading Program: There are more books in the library that you can ask Ms. Stephanie about. A program called Step into Reading is also very popular, and there is a set of these leveled books for Early English Language Learners in the library. The web site is HERE. 

5. Grade 3-5 Disco: The ES Student Council, supervised by Mr. Ishmael, will be running a disco in the gym next week, Friday May 9. Please note that pick-up is at or before 8:30pm. We do appreciate your adhering to this, as students are not permitted to walk home alone, and the faculty supervisors also need to get home after the event. 

6. PTO Yard Sale: There is a Yard Sale coming up in a week, on Saturday, May 10. Reserve a table at the ISD yard sale to sell your gently used items to other members of the ISD community. Tables are 2500 cfa and can be reserved by contacting the PTO at pto@isd.sn. All tables must be reserved by May 5th. Admission is free, and parents must wear their ISD ID badge. Friends of the ISD community are welcome to attend but must be signed in by an ISD community member.

7. WCM Photos: Please click HERE for the school page which has a lot of great photos of last week's big event. 

8. Resiliency Powerpoint: Ms. Pam ran her final Parent Workshop on resiliency this week. There were some interesting discussions and reflections on how we can best lead our children in their journey to becoming more independent problem solvers. I would like to share the powerpoint presentation, and it is attached. It includes not only notes and suggestions, but a list of resources for those who could not make the event. 

9. MAP Tests Approaching: We will be beginning our final set of MAP assessments beginning next Monday May 5. These will run through the next 6-day rotation. As with all the MAP tests we schedule these so that they have no impact on any of the specials classes, such as Art, Music, PE or French. The reports will be sent home shortly after, and more information for new parents on the MAP assessments can be found by reading the MAP Parent Toolkit, linked HERE. 

10. Elementary School Summer Camp: Last call for Summer Camp interest forms is today, but we have had enough responses to make it viable. More on that later. The Summer Camp will run from 9:00am - 3:00pm on June 16-20. This is only for Pre-K - Gr 5 students who are currently attending ISD. 

11. 2014-15 Academic Calendar: To mention again, the calendar for the 2014-15 school year is on the web site HERE. Please note that the first day of school will be Monday, August 18, and the Opening Ceremony will be that morning, starting at 8:45. We will then begin Day 1 after the assembly. 

12. PE Swimming starts in a week!: A note to let you know that the K-5 PE swimming sessions will begin in a week, from Monday May 12. So please be ready to pack the swim gear on your K-5 child's PE day. 

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