IN THIS ISSUE
New Family Coffee | PTA Nominating Committee | Girls on the Run | MI Parent Edge | Eagle Hop | International Night | Talent Show | Plant-Based Eating
Volunteer Opportunities | MISD News | Community Events | MI Activities for Kids |
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| January 8 | New Family Coffee
9 | Deadline for nominations to PTA Nominating Committee
10 | Girls on the Run registration opens
14 | MI Parent Edge: Who We Are
17 | Eagle Hop
20 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School closed
24 | Deadline for Talent Show applications
View Full Calendar |
| New Family Coffee
Wednesday, January 8 | 9:30-10:30 am | South End Starbucks 
New to Island Park? Join us for an informal New Family Coffee after drop-off! This is a fun, low-key hour to grab a coffee, chat, and dish on life on MI and Island Park! If you are interested in connecting with a family buddy, e-mail Carmela Wood or Nina Cuneo. More information on the PTA website. |
PTA Nominating Committee
Submission deadline: Thursday, January 9  Do you want to make a big contribution to Island Park? The PTA is seeking 3 candidates for the Nominating Committee responsible for identifying and recruiting the most qualified candidates for the elected PTA positions of President, Treasurer, and Secretary for the 2020-2021 school year. The members of the Nominating Committee will be voted in at the February 6 General PTA meeting. The Committee will then begin the nominations process of confidential meetings, review of nominations, candidate interviews, and, ultimately, presentation of the slate of candidates to be voted in at the April 23 General PTA meeting. The Nominating Committee has a tremendous influence on the future of our PTA as they are responsible for identifying and recruiting the best qualified people to step into leadership positions at Island Park. If you are interested in the committee, or would like to nominate someone to serve on this committee, please e-mail Pam Hinnen and Andrea Simpson at president@islandparkpta.org by Thursday, January 9. |
Girls on the Run Registration opens Friday, January 10  Girls on the Run is back at Island Park this Spring! Girls on the Run is a girl empowerment program that teaches girls important life skills while creatively integrating running and walking. This program is 10 weeks long and is for 3rd-5th grade students who identify as female. The program culminates in a celebratory, non-competitive 5K (3.1 miles) on Sunday, May 17.
Here are details for our Island Park Eagle GOTR team: - SEASON DATES: March 3 - May 19
- DAYS/TIMES: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:45-5:15 pm
- SITE LIAISON CONTACT INFORMATION: Elizabeth Ohvall, Room 2
- END OF SEASON 5K EVENT: Sunday, May 17 at Renton Memorial Stadium
The team size is 8-15 girls, and a random lottery will be used to select the 15 girls for the team if more than 15 girls apply between January 10 and 24. The last day to sign up, if spots are still available, is Monday, March 9. Please learn more about the program on Girls on the Run's website or by e-mailing Elizabeth Ohvall. We hope that your girl will participate! |
Who We Are: Identity, Inclusion, and Allyship Tuesday, January 14 | 7-9 pm | Islander M.S. 
How do we learn about our various group identities? From whom do we learn the meaning of these terms? What messages have we internalized about ourselves and others? Learn how we co-author peers’ identity as well as our own, how the cycle of oppression and cycle of bullying pressure us to reinforce stereotypes, and what we can do as allies to break these cycles and work toward inclusion of all. |
Eagle Hop Friday, January 17 | 5:30-8 pm | Islander M.S. 
Our beloved Eagle Hop is back! Please note the new location with more room for dancing and milling around!
*This is not a drop-off event. A parent must attend with children*
Pizza (and popsicles for $1) will be available for sale at 5:30 pm. Dancing will kick off at 6:30 pm, concluding at 8 pm. We need your help to make this a great event! |
International Night Friday, January 31 | 6-8 pm | IP MPR 
Join us for a trip around the world right here at Island Park! Upon entry, you'll receive a passport for your educational trip across the globe. Be sure to have your passport stamped at each destination to receive a prize. You'll learn about different cultures and traditions while getting to sample delicious international cuisine.
Don't miss this awesome event! Come celebrate our community's rich culture and diversity with your friends and neighbors.
Volunteers needed! Click below to represent a country or to participate as a general event volunteer. Contact enrichment@islandparkpta.org with questions. |
Starry Starry Night Talent Show - Applications available! Thursday, March 12 | 6:30-8:30 pm | IP MPR Applications due Friday, January 24 
We encourage all budding singers, dancers, comedians, musicians, jugglers, gymnasts, and performers with any other amazing talents to audition for this year’s talent show! We are also looking for some Masters of Ceremonies – please come to the audition with a Talent Show welcoming script. Click below to access the application! For questions, contact Co-Leads Susan Hamp or Karen Swift. |
 Your Awesome Power of Choice Plant-based eating is the new catchphrase turning fast food restaurants into havens for vegetarians and bringing health nuts and jocks together for the first time! Everyone from Oprah Winfrey and Tom Brady to Beyoncé are celebrating the power of choice by opting to eat a largely plant-based diet because it's better for the planet and better for their health.
When we talk about making environmentally sustainable choices, some are definitely easier than others. It’s hard to imagine a life where you never get on an airplane or never purchase anything in plastic. These are things we all know would help our planet, but it takes a lot of thought and effort. However, when you are at a restaurant, looking over a huge menu at a place like the Cheesecake Factory or your favorite Italian eatery, it is VERY easy to pick plant-based items or even easier to pick vegetarian. Eating less meat is one of the most impactful changes you can make to use your power of choice to help our planet. Learn morehere about how the content of our plate has the power to heal our bodies and the planet! Brought to you by MI PTA’s Action Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES). |
AmazonSmile  Did you know? Every time you shop at Amazon.com, you can also donate to Island Park PTA at the same time! Select "Island Park PTA" as your charity every time when you shop at smile.Amazon.com, and a percentage of your purchase comes back to the Island Park PTA!
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| Library Volunteers
 Interested in getting involved in your child's reading? The library relies on an amazing pool of library volunteers to help out in the library all year long. Many enjoy interacting with their child's class as they come to the library to check out books; others volunteer for special projects or the book fairs. Come enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and help promote reading. No experience necessary. Sign-ups for January available below.
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Eagle Hop Volunteers
During the second school week of January, all students will be dancing in the MPR to prepare for our upcoming Eagle Hop dance on Friday, January 17, and we'd love your help! To facilitate instruction, we could use 3-4 parent helpers during each kindergarten, first, and second grade dance session. Below are the times we need assistance. Please let your child's classroom teacher or Mrs. Hamp know if you would be able to assist. And if you can assist for more than one day, that would be wonderful! 
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Music Room Volunteers
 Between January 21 through April 3, Mrs. Hamp is seeking volunteers to help 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade students learn how to play the piano and help 4th grade students learn how to play the recorder. While having music experience is helpful, it is not necessary - ALL volunteers are welcome, highly valued, and encouraged to sign up for multiple spots! Please contact Mrs. Hamp with any questions or for more details. |
Mercer Island School District News |
Long-Range Facility Planning Meetings Monday, January 13 | 7-9 pm | Lakeridge E.S. Library Wednesday, January 15 | 6-8 pm | Northwood E.S. Commons
Mercer Island School District is currently undertaking a long-range facility plan to understand comprehensive facility-related needs and explore alternatives to address identified needs over time. The District has assembled a Facility Planning Committee comprised of community members to review these needs and discuss potential planning alternatives.
The District would like to invite input from the broader Island community and will be holding two public outreach meetings where a summary of facility-related needs will be presented.
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| Mercer Island Business Breakfast
Thursday, January 23 | 7-8 am | MI Boys & Girls Club Keynote speaker Scott Servais (Manager of the Seattle Mariners). Hear from an inspiring speaker while supporting Mercer Island kids and teens! No charge to attend. Register here. |
The Upstanders: Film + Panel on Bullying
Wednesday, January 29 | 7 pm | JCC | $15 The Upstanders explores cyber-bullying, bullying among friends, families, and co-workers, and the brain science behind it all. The film highlights new laws and programs already reducing bullying in schools and shows us how we can learn to make a difference together to create systemic change. The film is appropriate for ages 13 and up. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. |
Mercer Island Youth & Family Services Foundation 2020 Annual Breakfast - NEW!
Wednesday, February 12 | 7-8:30 am | MI Community and Event Center The Mercer Island Youth and Family Services Foundation’s exclusive mission is to support the programs and services of the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) Department, which include emergency assistance, mental health services, senior outreach and counseling, the Food Pantry, the Thrift Shop, youth programs, and professional mental health counselors, including the mental health counselor in each of our schools on MI. Please come to help create a stronger, more resilient community. Island Park has a table - please join us! For more information and to register yourself, click here and select Andrea Simpson as the Table Captain from the drop-down box. |
| MI Girls Lacrosse spring registration
Click here for more details for 1st-4th grades. Click here for more details for 5th-8th grades.
SJCC Winter After-School Classes
Thursday, January 9 - Friday, March 20, 2020 Click here for more information and to register.
Animal Tales Saturday & Sunday, January 25 & 26, February 1, 7, 8 | 7:30 pm | Theatre 33 Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Click here for more information. Kids Corps tutoringClick here for the application for new tutees or e-mail for more information. Kidstown at the SJCCClick here for more information.
Mathnasium of Mercer Island Click here for more information.
Mercer Island Martial Arts Click here for more information.
MI Library Study Zone Contact Carrie or call the Library at (206) 236-3537 for more information. Island Park Elementary (IPE) PTA and the Mercer Island School District have neither reviewed nor approved the programs, personnel, activities, or organizations announced in these flyers or websites. The participants agree to protect, indemnify, and hold harmless the District and IPE PTA, including elected and appointed officials, employees, agents, staff, and volunteers, from any and all claims, liabilities, damages, expenses, or rights of action, directly or indirectly attributed to the activities. Permission to distribute this information and/or flyers should not be considered a recommendation of the programs by the school district or by the IPE PTA. These are neither school district nor IPE PTA-sponsored activities. |
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HUGE changes this year!!! Box Tops has gone digital! No more clipping. No more sending baggies of Box Tops to school!! It adds up! To learn more, visit the Box Top$ for Education page.
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