So....the fun begins...

So....here are pictures from the CPR training....We all passed....YEAH! But I thought I would give a low-down of ISC staff training.... So, we started with a nap :) No....that is Beth H., Mrs. Nobbe, Mrs. Plattner and Mrs. Gaff, taking their turns being the victim so the other staff could respond to their emergency!

Here is Mrs. Gaff, out science teacher, wrapping the hand of Mrs. Plattner, our art teacher.



However, Mrs. Plattner was a little confused the amount of the wrappings!!!!
Maybe she could use it for an oven mit???




Now....let me explain this one...when practicing the Heimlich manuever, we could have paired up by comparable size....but not here at ISC! We wanted to make it more interesting!!!


All in all, on top of it being a skill we wanted all staff on hand to be trained in, we had a good time. Our students are so lucky to have such incredible staff. Today, the teachers were the students and they all got an "A"!


Monica :)

Check out our new mural!

Check out our new mural! Jacob K's mom, Mrs. Katz (as everyone calls her) painted this on our wall in the common area. It looks AWESOME! It definitely is a work of art and it sooooo shows our Jaguar Pride! Special thanks to her for all her hard work. Another special thanks toDave C. (our A.D. who celebrated his birthday yesterday so a Happy Bday shout out to him!) for creating the design. It looked great on a tshirt, but looks even more amazing on the wall!!! Thanks to both of them for their contributions!

Today staff is attending CPR certification. All staff and faculty, along with our Family Liason, Beth H., will be CPR/First Aid /AED trained. This is a very serious commitment the staff has to our students and families. In a less serious side, I am getting all kinds of cool pictures to show students :)

Just a quick reminder, if you are playing a sport this year, we will need a completed sports physical on file. If you need a form, let me know.

Monica

Things are really starting to look awesome at the school!

Check out our great reception area at the school! Joe H. and Dave C. did an awesome job with the area! They have been hard at work, assembling furniture and utilizing the furniture that REMC generously donated. As you will see, there is actually two desks. I will sit at the desk to the left. To the right, our Family Liason, Beth Hauersperger, will be located. Beth will be a very integral part of the ISC team. She will be helping coordinate volunteers, track volunteer hours, and will play a very big part in activities for kids and fundraising. We are very lucky to have her on board!

It is amazing how, when you think you are somewhere that they don't know about ISC, they do. I have been at Indiana Beach over the past two days and I have been approached (due to my awesome ISC tshirts that I bought from the sports committee) about the school. A family from Marion County, whose dad works in Columbus, a family from Brown County and a family from Bartholomew County....all 2 1/2 hours from home!!! But you all know me...I am always happy to spread the word!

I wanted to do a quick shout out to Joe Hauersperger, who had a birthday today! And another one to our new ISC Cross Country coach, Ed Wilson, who also had a birthday today! Happy Birthday guys! We are lucky to have both of you involved at ISC!!

Monica

Big Days at ISC!

Last night was our July Jaguar Jamboree. As usual, our resident party planner, Beth H. (our Family Liason) did not disappoint. It was a lot of fun and the kids were great. We did have what will forever be referred to as "The Slushie Incident" (just imagine what would happen if you had about three gallons of slushie liquid not frozen coming out of your faucet non-stop....I was covered in blue and red sticky goo!!!). So if I didn't shake your hand, don't be offended! I was really afraid I was going to stick to people.

We had a great Q&A time with staff and families and there were AWESOME questions. My favorite moment of the night came when Guy Platter, one of the directors on the ISC Board of Directors, asked everyone in the audience to raise their hands if they were scared. The look of shock and surprise coupled with some raised hands made us all realize we are sitting in the same boat. And, he made such a great point. As staff and educators, we all have a little fear. This is as new to us as it is to you. But that level of anxiety, coupled with the amazing staff we have, means everyone is paying attention...to what we need, what parents are saying and what the IB curriculum is all about. As with any other profession, we get complacent with time and if no one is challenging us, we stop raising the bar. This change is us raising the bar for ourselves.

As a parent, I am more scared so I relate with all the parents out there. I have one thing that helps me and that is getting to know the staff. I know how committed and fantastic they are and that helps me when I get that queasy feeling in my tummy. I love my job, without a doubt, but as a mom, I say a little prayer every night that I made the best choices I can. Not just about ISC, but every night. And this choice is no different.

Thanks to the families that came today and helped out with the great donation we got from REMC to build our computer lab, reception area, and office areas. It is greatly appreciated!

I promise to be more diligent in blogging. This was a crazy 10 days, but in a good way!

Heads up reminder....Open House is Wednesday, August 12, 6:30pm-8pm. This will be a structured open house so please be there at 6:30pm, if all possible.

Monica

Sorry to be absent so long....

It has been a crazy week since I last blogged! We wrapped up Johnson County Fair and while I am not sad to see that over, I don't think I was prepared for what would come next.

I had 8 phone calls yesterday of interested students from Bartholomew County and Johnson County that talked with us at the fair. I had one from Johnson County come in to register yesterday along with a second new student who heard about us from another student. Our families are the best advertisement we can possibly have so thanks to all of you out there spreading the ISC word!!!!

Yesterday was also the day Mrs. Nobbe went and recorded a commercial for QMIX, the best radio station in Southern Indiana! Listen for it on QMIX!

I also met with the vending company we will be using at the school. I was so excited to see we would have healthy options available. I know, as a parent, I was worried a little about no food service the first couple years, but I have to say, knowing there are going to be choices like salad, soup, turkey on wheat, baked chips and pretzels, milk and other good stuff, it makes me feel a little better. Sure, there will still be some goodies in there, but knowing there are healthy options makes me feel better! We are also still nailing down some other options for lunch being brought in so more to come later!

We are about to head to QMIX to be on the Morning Show. I hope everyone is listening!!

Monica

Tomorrow is the first day of the ISC student's life...

Tomorrow starts meetings with Director of Student Services, Alice Taulman. She is booked solid through the first day of school, meeting with students for scheduling. Here is the lowdown on what to expect:

• The student DEFINITELY needs to attend. We will be doing some assessment testing, when needed.
• You will get a good idea of what classes you will be having, but not the actual schedule. We will hand those out at open house on August 12.
• Alice will be able to answer curriculum questions and Ms. Nobbe and myself will be in the office, so if you have any school questions, feel free to stop in!
• If you have not turned in your enrollment packet yet, don't fret! (I work here and my packets are not in yet either!!!) Bring it in with you at your appointment.

If you have any questions prior, feel free to call the office and we will help out!

Sports signups are still going on for Fall and Winter Sports! If you are interested in Boys Tennis, Girls Golf, Boys/Girls Cross Country, Boys/Girls Basketball or Cheerleading, drop an email to our Athletic Director, Dave Christian, at sports@internationalschoolofcolumbus.com

Don't forget...next mixer is Friday, July 31st, 6pm-9pm, at the school...more details to follow, but be sure to save the date!

Monica

Johnson County Fair

We started Johnson County Fair this week. This has been a little different. First of all, if you have not been, you should go. It is a very nice fair. It is very clean and lots to see!

Second, I am finding that families in this area are actually very well acquainted with the IB curriculum! There are several IB schools in Indy and they have a good reputation! They are very interested in our school, especially given many are familiar with IB schools that are private and tuition-based. We are a free, public school and that is a draw.

In terms of facility, it is, for all intensive purposes, completed. Now, I am not a contractor so there may be some things I am not seeing :) I know we can't move in yet until inspections and all of that are completed. But, let me be honest....it looks FANTASTIC! It is so clean and bright! It is so hard to believe it was just a warehouse in May!!!!

We are busy here at the booth so I better get back to it!

Monica