Titan Tidings

This is the week that officially feels like the start of the school year, because students are starting to return. Yesterday was the first day of our week-long "College Boot Camp." Seniors have an opportunity to work with Colleen Courtney (High School Counselor) on getting started with the college application process, while Jen Sorenson (AP English Language teacher) works with them on their college essay. This is a great chance for us to support our seniors by getting a start on the process for the year as well as to get some valuable feedback and support.

In other news, Surbhi Kak will be taking a leave of absence for a period of time for a new adventure in Australia. She will be greatly missed at International School. David Mildorn was previously announced as a Humanities/International Studies teacher and he will now be full-time Humanities. I am pleased to introduce Sandra Carden as a new member of our Humanities and International Studies. Ms. Carden comes to us with an extensive experience teaching at international schools in Cameroon, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emerates. She has taken students on a variety of International trips and she has experience with developing interdisciplinary curriculum with real-life service learning components. We are excited for her to be bringing her experience and passion to International School.

Finally, if you did not see the announcement on the PTSA Facebook page, it was announced that International School was recognized in the most recent US News & World Report as the #2 high school in Washington and #41 in the United States. This is a huge testament to the collective hard work of everyone to make this such a wonderful school: the hard work of our students, our hard working/experienced/passionate staff, and all of the support of our families to make this possible.

Respectfully,

Russell White

Greetings from your ISPTSA! The ISPTSA is preparing for a great school year and planning events both in person and virtual. Joining the ISPTSA supports our community in many ways, but most important to remember: Every student’s success is supported by PTSA.

• Become a PTSA member and become a part of a community that values International School. Parents, guardians, teachers, staff and students can become a part of this community. Join or renew at www.isptsa.org
• ISPTSA has opportunities if you would like to get more involved and support IS. We have a complete board this year and various committees under each VP. Our committees give people an opportunity to try new things. Visit www.ISPTSA.org
• Find us on Facebook! Stay connected with the IS Community and the BSD community through one of the Facebook groups. Share ideas and ask questions. Keep up-to-date on school, district, and community events and information.

International School PTSA

International School Community - Bellevue, WA

Bellevue School District Parent Discussion Group

Bellevue Schools Foundation

The Monday Messenger is our weekly International School PTA e-newsletter. Arriving in email inboxes most Monday mornings during the school year, this newsletter provides school news, upcoming events, PTA activities as well as district and community information of interest to families. If you are a new family to International School or if you are not currently receiving the Monday Messenger, click here to subscribe today! Learn more about International School's active PTA organization by visiting https://isptsa.org/.

Let's continue International School's tradition of working together to give our students the best education and school experience!

Tutorial period is an opportunity for students to connect with teachers after school for assistance. Tutorial runs from 3:15 - 3:45 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Students who stay after school should be in a classroom with a teacher or working quietly in the library. There are no buses available after Tutorial, so students staying will either need to provide their own transportation or take a Metro bus with an ORCA card.

The first day of Tutorial will be Monday, September 14.

We STRONGLY encourage families to take advantage of bus options or carpool to and from school. For families who were with us last year, you know how long the backup can be. If you absolutely need to drive your student to and from school, it is essential to following the following guidelines:

• Familiarize yourself with our guidelines. A presentation with information is below.
• In the drop-off loop, stay to the inside (left) as tight as possible to the curb to let buses use the outside. They have the priority.
• Do not cut through the interior parking lot to safe time.
• We encourage families to come early. Doors open at 7:30. If you try to arrive at 8:00, it is likely that your student will be late to class.
• Pull forward as far as possible to limit backups. Pull up to the middle doors if there is open space in front of you. Stopping right in front of the Main Entrance slows down the line for everyone and makes the problem worse.
• TURN RIGHT ONLY when leaving the property. If you need to head north, it is possible to circle around by Kelsey Creek Park. Cars that turn left slow down the line and cause backups on the neighborhood streets.
• DO NOT use the back lot for student drop off. This was not designed for this purpose and causes risk situations.
• DO NOT use neighborhood cul-de-sacs and streets for student drop-off and pick-up.
• If your student takes a Metro bus, talk to them about the importance of using the crosswalks when crossing the streets and not darting straight across between cars.

The district does provide limited bus transportation for International Students. Students need to know their bus number so that they can get on the correct bus after school. There will not be time for them to ask for help looking up their bus number after school, so they will need to know before the start of school. Route information will soon be available at the BSD Transportation site.

Wednesday Afternoon Bus Schedule

For our students who are new to school, Wednesday afternoons are different than the rest of the week. Normally, Big Picture students take a shuttle to International and then distribute amongst all the buses. However, on Wednesday afternoons this process is reversed. Our students will all get onto two buses and go to Big PIcture. They will then get off and get on the correct bus.

BSD Transportation Announcement

Fall bus routes are coming! Enroll today for the district’s bus tracking program, and get the Stopfinder app, to know when your bus will arrive. Bus routes will be available the week of August 18. Stopfinder invitations will be sent out as well. Please check your junk/spam folder for a message from no-reply@stopfinder.com, and make sure your contact information is correct and current in the student information system. If you have any questions, please email us at transportation@bsd405.org.

Student schedules are now available through StudentVUE and Parent VUE. If you are unable to access these, we will be able to print them out for you at the Open House on 8/31 from 4:30 - 6:30.

Please know that these schedules will continue to change between now and the start of school as we try to make a few balances.

Middle school students at IS are able to participate in after school sports sponsored by Jubilee Reach. The fall season will offer the following opportunities:

• Girls Basketball
• Co-ed Cross Country
• Boys Soccer
• Girls Golf (with First Tee)

Registration will be available to students after the start of school and the season will be September 17 - October 30. Students will receive the Microsoft Forms link to sign up; do not use FinalForms to sign up. Students will need to sign up with the school BSD email. If the registrations exceed the capacity of the teams, then a lotter system will be utilized with a waiting list.

More detailed information will follow.

Starting this year, we will be sending our daily absence notifications via text, using Talking Points, instead of with the pre-recorded phone call. Not only will you be able to receive the information in your preferred language, you can also respond in any language to share the reason for your child’s absence. Sharing the reason for your student’s absence helps us better support your child during and after the absence.

Only families who have not reported their child’s absence will receive the text. Each Talking Points text thread is individual, private, and secure. It is protected by FERPA laws and is only visible to our Attendance Specialist and Administrators (just like email).

Some important tips:

• We are asking families to use text to report their child’s absences and communicate about attendance rather than by email or phone call. (You can even send Dr.’s notes, etc. just like email)
• Each individual parent receives their own individual number to text. You will receive your first text with the number on the first day of school
• You can always check your child’s attendance in ParentVue. Help with ParentVue available here ParentVue help
• For additional help with ParentVue or Talking Points email parenthelp@bsd405.org or call (425)456-4222
• Since this is a new service we are offering, there may be some errors or technical difficulties. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to ensure everything is working properly.

Remember, every day matters! Just 1 absence every 2 weeks is considered chronically absent (even if it’s excused). Please schedule appointments and personal travel on non-school days and only keep your child home if they are actually Too Sick for School. For more information on BSD attendance policy and procedure: 3122 policy and 3122P procedure

This year, we will not be pre-assigning student lockers. This is in preparation to our upcoming new school(s) that won't be utilizing lockers. If a student has a desire or a need for a locker, they can stop by the Main Office and we will make one available.

Visit the BSD resources for the Start of School for additional essential information:

• Nutrition Services--including menus, making payments, and applications for Free/Reduced Lunches.
• Additional Athletics information.
• Technology information
• Health Services--including Required Health Forms
• Safety and Security information--including the student reunification process as well as E-Bike guidelines.
• Communications and Application

This year’s high school retreat for students in grades 9 – 12 will take place September 10 – 11 at Warm Beach Camp. This overnight camp is an opportunity to build the foundation of a strong and caring community for the year ahead. We also honor our commitment to a globally-focused education. This year we will focus on North Africa and the Middle East.

Steps to take include the following:

• Complete FinalForms for the 2026 – 27 school year.
• Pay the retreat fee of $150 through the online portal. Scholarships are available. Contact our high school counselor (Colleen Courtney) at courtneyn@bsd405.org for more information about scholarships.
• We will always take more parent chaperones!! We need to have parent chaperones assisting throughout the day and overnight in the cabins. If you are interested and available, please reach out to Betty Nhan at nhanb@bsd405.org.

The High School Retreat is replacing regularly-schedule classes for these two days. If your student has a conflict that prohibits them from attending, we can set up a supervised study space at school as an alternative. If your student will not be able to attend, please contact Betty Nhan as soon as possible.

Purchase your International School 2026-27 yearbook as part of your Back to School routine. Yearbooks will be available for purchase online in mid-to-late August for $55. New to Touchbase? Here's how to buy a yearbook. You may also check your Purchase History in Touchbase to see if another family member purchased a yearbook.

Class of 2027 yearbook info: Senior portrait, baby picture, and senior thank you due 9/21. Purchase your full-page grad ad for $40 no later than Oct 12 and submit digital art for grad ad by Nov 11. Learn more about Class of 2027 Yearbook Deadlines.

• College Boot Camp for Seniors (August 17 - 21)
• Open House to Find Classes (August 31, 4:30 - 6:30 PM)
• First Day of School - EVEN day (September 2)
• PTSA Ice Cream Social (September 2, 6:30 - 7:30 PM in Commons)
• No School (September 7)
• 6th Grade Retreat - at IS (September 9)
• High School Retreat (September 10 – 11, all school day and overnight)
• First Day of Tutorial (September 14)
• Curriculum Night (September 15, 6:30 - 8:30)
• School Photos (September 16)
• Club Fair (September 16, after school in Gym)
• 12th Grade Parent Night (September 24, 6:30 - 7:30 PM, Library)
• Middle School Social (September 25, 7:00 – 8:30 PM)
• Super Wednesday (11th Grade PSAT / 12th Grade SAT)
• No School (October 9)
• Hall Decorations (October 16 after school)
• Spirit Week (October 19 - 23)
• 11th Grade Parent Night (October 22, 6:30 - 7:30, Library
• Homecoming Dance for high school (October 24, 8:00 - 10:00)
• Parent Night for Grades 9/10 (November 5, 6:30 - 7:30, Library)
• End of 1st Quarter (November 6)
• No School: Veteran's Day (November 11)
• Fall Play Performances (November 13 - 14)
• 6th Grade Parent Night (November 17, 6:30 - 7:30, Library)
• High School Band Concert (November 19, 7:00, IPAC)
• No School: Thanksgiving (November 26 - 27)