Principal's Message
Island View Families:
I would like to thank our science specialist, Ms. Ross, and the many community, parent, and PTA volunteers that created an AMAZING Science at Work night last week. As I walked through the event, I wasn’t sure who was having the most fun – the students or the parents. 😊 Such celebrations bring us together as a larger school community. I left school Thursday evening inspired, happy, and hopeful for the future.
March is one of my favorite times in the school year — it is a long month with few interruptions to teaching and learning. Students and teachers focus on core learning, punctuated by the occasional art projects with shamrocks, rainbows, and pots of metaphorical gold. In March we also celebrate "I Love to Read." We have many activities planned for students throughout the month, but important reading also happens at home: please celebrate the month with lots of reading activities before bed and during the weekend.
Next month, we will focus on plans for state testing in grades 3-5. Teachers will communicate specific assessment windows to families. Because our students have individual laptops, we can schedule classroom testing in a way that is most supportive for students. I feel very fortunate to work and live in a community that supports kids like we do in Anacortes.
As always, please contact me with your questions, concerns, and suggestions:
bhanrahan@asd103.org or at 360-503-1490.
Brian Hanrahan
Important Dates
Feb 27 - Mar 3: Spirit Week at Island View
Mar 6-10: Education Support Professionals Week
Mar 14: Family Fun Night - I Love to Read Month - 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Mar 16: K-5 Half Day
Mar 17: No School
Mar 18: Island View Garden Clean Up event
Mar 21: PTA Meeting at the Island View Library - 6:00 to 7:00 pm (virtual attendance will be available through Google meet)
Mar 28: Popcorn Day!
Apr 15: (tentative date): Movie morning - Super Mario Bros. - 10:00am (more info soon)
100th Day and Food Drive
February 15th and February 21st were the days that marked "100th Day" which is the 100th day of school for our Eagles (15th was for 1st through 5th graders and the 21st was the date for Kindergarteners). To celebrate 100th Day, the Island View PTA coordinated with a non-profit organization called "A Simple Gesture" to run a food drive at the school. Our challenge was for every grade to donate 100 items to the food drive and our Eagles and families did not disappoint. In all, Island View collected nearly 1,300 items and over 1,150 pounds of food and other needed household items to support families and individuals in need within our local community.
What was also awesome was that some teachers and parents took the opportunity to use the food drive to reinforce concepts about sharing, kindness, and giving with their students.
See this Photo Gallery for more photos from the Food Drive.
Amazing work, Island View!
Family Fun Night - Science at Work
Science Specialist Nicole Ross organized an amazing Science at Work night on February 23rd. The place was packed with students eager to learn about STEM careers! Nearly 280 students learned from 40 presenters at 27 stations about how they use Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math in their jobs.
Each student collected fun swag from the various stations, and over 80 prizes were awarded to lucky winners. These are the kinds of treasured life-long memories your contributions to Island View PTA are making possible - thank you!
See this Photo Gallery for more photos from Science at Work.
Hospitality Update
Thank you so very much to everyone who donated their time and any goods to help "Stock the Staff Lounge!" What a turn out! The teachers and staff were blown away by all the generosity!
We also treated them to a chili dinner on the late night of conferences! Hospitality provided 3 kinds of chili, macaroni and cheese, cornbread muffins, Caesar salad, and some sweet treats! Special thanks to Nicole Johnston, Stephanie Downey, Kristen Lamb and Amber Fry!
Our next big event will be showing how much our staff and teachers are truly appreciated, during Staff Appreciation Week in May!
If you’re interested in helping, please email: hospitality@islandviewpta.org
Spirit Week:
Mon - Fri, Feb 27 - Mar 3
The PTA is working hard to create opportunities for our kids to make amazing memories, raise Island View spirit and camaraderie, and increase community building! Here’s the lineup of events for Spirit Week:
Monday (Feb 27): School Spirit and Sportswear Day - Wear your Island View Eagles spirit wear, Island View Colors (blue and yellow), or sportswear from your own team or from your favorite local, college, or professional sports team!
Tuesday (Feb 28): Rainbow Day - Wear as much of your grade’s assigned color as you can:
K - Purple
1 - Blue
2 - Green
3 - Yellow
4 - Orange
5 - Red
The PTA has coordinated with a local photographer who is coming to the school with a drone and will take a school rainbow-themed picture!
Wednesday (Mar 1): What’s the Weather Wednesday - What is your favorite type of weather? Dress for a sunny beach day, wear your winter hat and gloves, a rain jacket, sun hat, or a favorite fall sweater. How creative can you be?
Thursday (Mar 2): Cozy Day - Wear your coziest clothes or pajamas and bring your favorite stuffed animal to snuggle!
Friday (Mar 3): "Wacky Wear" Day - Wear your silliest or mismatched socks and shoes, inside out and/or backwards clothes, match patterns with polka dots, the sky’s the limit!
BUT THERE’S MORE!
Theme: "Be the Change" in our Community
We also want to take the chance to make a difference in our local community during Spirit Week. We can be the change! What better way to do that then with a change drive!
All week long, students are invited to participate in the fun themed days as well as bring any loose change they can spare to school. Classes will collect their change all week long and at the end of the week we will bring all our donations together and vote on an organization/non-profit group to donate the money to. Our change can make a change!
Our Eagles are going to be asked to participate in the decision on where the funds will go by voting in their classrooms (they’ll get to vote!). The list of organizations includes: Anacortes Family Center, Center for Whale Research, Humane Society of Skagit Valley, ACFL-Friends of the Forest, Padilla Bay Organization, and A Simple Gesture.
I Love to Read Month
March 1st through 31st
Welcome to Camp Read-A-Lot! Our Island View Eagles will be encouraged to participate in the I Love to Read Month in March! Starting the first week of March in library class, our students/campers will be given a Welcome packet and introduced to some fun activities that will take place. We can't wait to start school wide activities like "Drop Everything And Read!", "I've been caught reading!" or the progression through the Camp Genre Badges. Camp Read-A-Lot will have additional camp fun at our March Family Fun Night! Set up a cozy corner at home to get ready for the reading fun!
Family Fun Night - Camp Read-a-Lot
Tues, March 14 - 6-7:30pm
Morning Reading & Math Assistance
Island View has kicked off an initiative for early morning reading and math assistance for our students. Currently, the program has seven volunteers matched with students that need support.
There is still a student need for assistance, but additional volunteers are needed to expand the program. Volunteers will work with students in grades K-5 on reading or math (depending on what the student needs support in, but right now the skill in greater demand is reading support).
Details / Volunteering time requirements:
Time: 8:30 - 9:05 (not every day; volunteers work this out with Ms. Frost)
Where: ISV Library
Who: K-5 students
What: Reading or Math Support
Contact: Monica Frost at mfrost@asd103.org
If interested, please reach out to Ms. Frost and let her know what age/grade level child you would prefer to work with, a subject preference, and a preferred day of the week.
Island View Garden
Saturday, Mar 18 - 10:30 am start time
Spring is just around the corner and the PTA is assisting the school by preparing the Island View Garden for planting season (our Eagles will plant fruits, veggies, and flowers with their classes later in the season).
The garden clean up event will take place on Saturday, Mar 18th starting at 10:30 am and will go for roughly two hours. This clean up event will involve pulling weeds, composting, and general clean up so please bring some appropriately sized gloves and a few garden tools (so we will have enough).
Please let us know if you will be able to make it so we can bring enough donuts or treats 🙂. Email Nicole Johnston at nmh_0882@live.com if you plan to attend!
ISV PTA Meeting
As we head into the second half of the school year, the PTA anticipates many opportunities to engage with the school community to help our kids have memorable experiences. Some examples of future volunteer opportunities include one or more work parties to prepare the Island View Garden for planting, field day, the spring Walk & Wheels event, and the 2023 Color Run.
Consider joining us in person or virtually at the next PTA meetings or if you are interested in volunteering for any of these events, please contact us at president@islandviewpta.org, vicepresident@islandviewpta.org, or membership@islandviewpta.org and we’ll connect you with the Project Chairperson.
Here's the link to join the PTA:
https://www.islandviewpta.org/membership/
Box Tops Program
Every bit helps and with losing the AmazonSmile funding stream (it was sunsetted by Amazon on Feb 20, 2023), your participation in the Box Top program is even more important.
Box Tops is an easy way to support Island View; the school can earn up to $1,000 a year when you earn box top credits (10 cents per box top). You can do this by scanning your paper and digital receipts using the Box Tops for Education app within 14 days of eligible purchases. If you’re buying things like fruit snacks, granola bars, certain cereals, cookie dough or pie crusts, and even cleaning supplies – you could be earning money for Island View. Why not get credit for the stuff you were going to buy anyway?
NOTE: Use this referral code A3N53R18 when you sign up and you’ll get 25 Bonus Box Tops ($2.50 value) when you scan your first receipt now through 05/31/2023, while supplies last!
Download the Box Tops for Education app through the link below:
If you don’t want to scan your receipt, the PTA has you covered. Just drop off receipts at the PTA mailbox in the front office within 14 days of the purchase and we’ll do the rest.
Island View 2022-2023 Yearbook
Parents, here’s how you can help now: If you’ve snapped a great picture of your Island View student participating in a school event (the play, at a field trip, while you were volunteering in the classroom), please share it with us! It is never too early to start sending the PTA pictures of your eagle so we can make sure we are able to get everyone in the yearbook. Images can be sent to yearbook@islandviewpta.org.
Questions? Please feel free to contact us any time!
President - Teresa Syms
Vice President - Karen Denny
Membership Coordinator - Molly Johnson
Hospitality Coordinator - Kristin Lamb & Amber Fry
