Dragon News - 08.19.22
Principal's Message
With just a little over two weeks to go before we start another school year, we are all busy getting things ready for the return of both teachers and students. In working with staff to prepare for the teacher preservice week, my mind keeps returning to the larger question of why we do what we do. Our school mission (see below) leads us to make a difference for individual students, thereby impacting the larger world around us. For many of the ISB staff, the rewards we get from the continued impact we have on students is what keeps us going.
A recent candidate for an open position at ISB asked the teachers on the interview panel what it was that they most liked about ISB. One of our teachers responded that this was the hardest job she ever had, and it was the best job she ever had. Because we are able to live out our mission through the work we do here, we often can see the difference we are making in the lives of our students. This is especially true when we get to see our students go from grade 6 all the way through grade 12.
Some of you may have seen this video of one of our seniors last year expressing her gratitude to one of our teachers who had a significant impact on her. I would like to share it again with you all as a way to affirm our continued commitment to our students and to let our new families know, we’ve got you.
ISB Mission: Students will learn through an international lens as thoughtful, compassionate world citizens. We actively embrace intellectual rigor, intercultural respect, service to our local and world communities, and the promise of a peaceful world.
Andrew Gilford
Principal
Upcoming Events
- September 5 - Labor Day, no school
- September 6 - First Day of School for Grades 6th & 9th only, as well as new students to ISB
- September 7 - First Day of School for All Other Grades
- September 14 - Picture Day
- October 6 - Community Picnic & Back to School Night; 5:00 - 8:30 pm
New Staff
We are so excited to have several new staff joining us this year! Some of these are due to other staff retiring or leaving, but we have also been able to add some positions.
Kelly Bordwell is the new Assistant Principal. She has been in the Beaverton School District for over 20 years, and was most recently just down the road at Mountainview Middle School.
Tim Ehlers taught in Salem-Keizer, Hillsboro, and here in Beaverton before landing at ISB. He has a background in urban planning and GIS cartography, which will be a great fit for teaching Design 6 and Design 8.
Blake Engeldorf was most recently at Aloha-Huber before joining us here at ISB. He will be teaching the Learning Strategies class and supporting students on IEPs.
Beth Hartford will be teaching Social Studies 8 and US History. She was most recently at Forest Grove High School.
Mark Hernandez is a new addition to our PE/Health department. He will be teaching primarily PE/Health 7. Prior to ISB he was at Groner K-8 in Hillsboro.
Miriam Hernandez Gabriel is our new Grade 8 counselor. Prior to ISB, she was with the Tigard-Tualatin School District.
Vytas Nagisetty was most recently at Grant High School. He has a background in both math and music, and will be teaching math at both the MYP and DP levels.
School Supplies and Donations for Students in Need
Every year we have students who could use some help in getting all of the school supplies they need to be ready for the year. If you are able to donate any additional school supplies from the supply list, bring them by the main office and we will make sure to get them to the students who need them.
Here is the message from the last newsletter about school supplies:
School Supply Lists for 2022-23
School Supply Lists for 2022-23 have been published on our website, they can be found here. Students do not need to bring all their school supplies on the first day of school. Markers, colored pencils and something to write with/take notes is all they need. Lockers will be assigned at the end of the first week.
School Meal Reminders, Accounts and Benefits
We will return to regular meal service and charging for the 2022-2023 school year. Please visit the Nutrition Services page of the BSD website for full details on pricing, monthly menus and other FAQ. If you don't already have a School Cafe account, this is a very convenient way to add funds to your student’s account as well as see which items your student is purchasing.
If you would like to apply for Meal Benefits, you can do so online, using your School Cafe account, or submit paper forms which can be printed here or picked up from the office. These are also available in Spanish. To note, Oregon Expanded Income Guidelines state that students may qualify for meals at no charge if the household income falls at or below $83,250 for a family of four.
If applying for meal benefits, it is highly recommended that you also submit the “Permission to Share” form. This enables your student to receive numerous additional benefits, such as waived student body card and chromebook insurance fees, test fees, reduced athletic fees and more. If your family qualifies for SNAP or TANF, you are likely automatically qualified for meal benefits and do not need to apply however you do still need to submit the Permission to Share form to receive the additional fee waivers from BSD.
Student Schedules
Student schedules will be visible in StudentVUE beginning September 2nd. Please know that small changes always take place through the first few days of school as we balance classes and ensure proper course placement. If you have any questions about your student’s schedule you can contact their counselor:
Grade 6 and 7: Jack Rossing, jack_rossing@beaverton.k12.or.us
Grade 8: Miriam Hernandez Gabriel, miriam_hernandez_gabriel@beaverton.k12.or.us
Grade 9-12, Last names A-N: Kathryn Hirsch, kathryn_hirsch@beaverton.k12.or.us
Grade 9-12, Last names O-Z: Tracy Muilenburg, tracy_muilenburg@beaverton.k12.or.us
Paper copies of student schedules will be given to students on their first day of school. For students who are new to ISB, there will be help provided in interpreting and reading their schedules.
Help ISB Maximize Instructional Time
The following strategies will help parents and office staff avoid interrupting instructional time:
On Time and Ready to Learn
Parents who drive their students to school in the morning should leave home early enough to enter the parking lot no later than 7:20 am. Students who arrive later tend to be late to their first class of the day. Support your student's success by ensuring they arrive on time and ready to learn each day.
Picking Up Students Early
If you know you will be picking up your student before the end of the school day, please send a note indicating the date/time they will be picked up and the reason for the early pick-up. They should show the note to the Attendance Secretary when they arrive at school so she can write an early pick-up pass for them to show to their teacher. At the indicated time, the teacher will send them to the main office to meet you. Allow at least five minutes for your student to show up. A parent/guardian must enter the office to sign out the student before leaving campus.
If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking up your student, make sure they are in your emergency contact list with Release To permission (you can do this in ParentVUE during online verification) and indicate that person’s name in the note you send to school.
Students who drive themselves to school must also provide a parent/guardian note if they need to leave early and must sign out in the office before leaving campus.
Following these guidelines helps us avoid interrupting classroom instruction to retrieve students.
Riding the Bus with a Friend
If a student will be going home with a friend who rides the bus, please write a note giving your student permission to do so and indicate who your student will be riding with. The note should be turned in to an office secretary who will issue a yellow bus pass to give to the bus driver.
Delivering Items During Class
From time to time students forget their lunch, books, homework, etc. at home. Please let your student know that if this were to happen, you will drop the item in the main office and he/she is responsible for picking it up during passing time or lunchtime.
Sending Messages to Students
Families are asked to please coordinate how the student is getting back home prior to the start of the school day. We understand that during the day an emergency may arise, we will only make exceptions to send messages to students in case of an emergency.
School Contact
Please call the school office Monday - Friday from 7:00 am - 3:30 pm at 503-356-3690 or email isb_communications@beaverton.k12.or.us with any questions you may have.
For Verification of Enrollment help, please call our Registrar, Margaret Lusk, at 503-356-3700.
To report student absences, please call the Attendance Line at 503-356-3691 or email isb_communications@beaverton.k12.or.us.
Buses and Parking Lot Guidelines
Parents can view their student's bus route information through the E-Link Application after August 29th. For those of you that are dropping off and picking up your students yourself, please make sure to follow the directions in the image below.
Please be patient, drive slow, and follow the guidance of ISB staff in the parking lot. As soon as Blanton Street backs up, it becomes impossible for vehicles to leave the parking lot creating gridlock. Students are moving through multiple lanes of cars to find their parents, and in some cases crossing Blanton St. Please drive slowly, keep a sharp eye for students, and advise your own kids to be extra careful when finding you after school. Some suggestions to make it a little better:
If your schedule allows, come after 2:15 when the parking lot is mostly cleared out.
Pre-arrange a spot for your student to meet you a couple of blocks away from school.
If your student doesn’t have a phone, use some type of signal so they can easily find you.
Parking in the school lot is extremely limited with spots reserved for staff at both ISB and the Beaverton School District offices that we share the lot with.
CONTACT AND FOLLOW US
International School of Beaverton
IB World School - MYP & DP
Andrew Gilford - Principal
Email: isb_communications@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/schools/isb/
Location: 17770 SW Blanton St, Beaverton, OR, United States
Phone: (503) 356-3690
Facebook: facebook.com/isbdragons
Twitter: @isb_dragons
The Beaverton School District prohibits discrimination and harassment based on any basis protected by law, including but not limited to, an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national or ethnic origin, marital status, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, familial status, economic status, veteran status, or because of a perceived or actual association with any other persons within these protected classes.