1ST Annual Got Mud? Youth Fitness Challenge…
1ST
Annual
Got Mud? Youth Fitness Challenge…
MUD RUN
Saturday,
August 23rd
Adventure
Playground is hosting its first annual “Got Mud
Youth Fitness Challenge”. Children ages 6-13
will test their limits as they complete in the ¾
mile obstacle course. Treading through
grasslands, shooting hoops, jumping in and out of
the bounce house, whisking down the waterslide and
plopping in the mud pit are just some of the
challenges one will face in this course. Be a
part of this event by registering now.
Registration is only $5 until July
1st.
We are in the process of planning a fun “carbo
energy load” pasta dinner the night before the race
for the participants and their families. We
look forward to seeing your school’s participation
at this event. Any ideas and feedback are
always welcome!
Sandy Spurgeon McDaniel
This is the time of year when schools and churches have me in to teach either my “Transition Class” (for 5th or 6th graders moving from Elementary School to Middle School) and/or my “Making Good Choices Class” for children between 4th and 8th grade.
From my standpoint as a child advocate, as parent who (thank God!) now has grown children and as an educator it is just plain foolish to send our children through the years without training them in life skills.
The parents “should” do it, people say. Cool! I agree –except there is a HUGE chance that today’s parents did not get that training and therefore don’t have a clue about how to think about or teach lessons that are appropriate to children’s needs.
Does your child understand what it is like to do something foolish because of peer pressure?
What are the “pit” words that your child needs to know to stay out of trouble? How important is the choice of friends your child makes to his/her survival? Does your child know what to do with someone being unkind –or how to say no when he/she wants to say no? How does your child handle it when the group leader wants to do something he/she does not want to do? How does your child get you to help him/her get out of a difficult situation without the other person knowing you were asked to help? Why is it important to take care of yourself first? What percentage of children can just walk out of a difficult situation where peer pressure is involved?
These are some of the questions today’s parents need to be sure their children know the answers to in order to keep them safe in an unsafe world.
A child who has one friend who will accompany him/her can leave a party, get out of a car or otherwise make the choice to leave a negative situation. The importance of making one friend who shares your morals and values cannot be over-stated.
If a child thinks about a possible negative situation before it happens, he/she is far less likely to get swept up in the tide of peer pressure. It is important to discuss, “What would you do if….” with your children.
We play “The Choice is Yours” game in my workshops. What would you do if you walked into a home/party and were handed a beer –and you did not want to drink it? What would you do if someone offered you a pill that would make you feel really good? What would you do if a friend asked you to let him/her cheat on a test? For everything from smoking a cigarette to being unkind to someone falls under the category of choices on makes vs peer pressure.
Take a piece of paper, draw a line down the center from top to bottom and put a plus sign at the top on one column, a minus sign at the top of the second column. Write the positive and negative of each choice. Using the I don’t want to drink a beer example, one choice could be to pour the beer out in the bathroom sink. A “plus” of that choice is you are not tempted to drink it; the “minus” of that choice is someone could refill your drink.
A child who rehearses these life dramas has a tool for making a good choice. Teaching our children how to make good choices is essential to the safety of each child.
Workshops on these topics are available to schools and churches at no cost to the school/church. Ask for details at sandy@sandymcdaniel.com
OCR- MAKING GOOD CHOICES
Sandy Spurgeon McDaniel - At Lakeside join us!
ASE program information
The Ace Afterschool Program was founded in 1996 through the efforts of the Irvine Unified School District, Irvine PTA Council, Irvine Public Schools Foundation, and the parents of Irvine school children.
The ACE Program is an innovative afterschool classroom-based program based on the concept of school-site program control by volunteers, using paid instructors. This keeps control of the program focused on the needs of the students, and keeps administrative costs at a minimum, while providing professional-level instruction.
Carefully developed and implemented policies and protocols, supported by computerized database technology, ensures that the program is in compliance with district and state educational policies and laws, and fully insured. District-wide training of the school-site coordinators provides the administrative and institutional infrastructure that enables schools to join the ACE Program.
This is one of the most successful volunteer-run education programs in Orange County. It embodies the spirit of volunteer effort, the quality of professional teaching, the savvy of a well-run business, and the efficiencies of computerized program support.
Who may participate?
Any school may participate in this program. The only requirement is commitment by the school principal and presence of one or more volunteers interested in running the program at that school.
How do we find a volunteer interested in coordinating the ACE Program at our school?
If you are one of the many PTA’s who send home a volunteer interest list for the upcoming school year, include afterschool programs as an interest item. You can also individually recruit as well as have your principal recruit an enthusiastic volunteer. If you have a welcome back volunteer tea, that would be a good time to see if anyone is interested in providing afterschool classes to your students. If you would like someone to come talk about ACE or give you information about ACE, call IPSF at 949.263.8340.
How will our volunteer know what to do?
In September, an ACE training will be conducted. Have your volunteer come to the training. IPSF will train them and continue to be available for individual help.
Can an ACE Site Coordinator be a PTA Board position?
An ACE Site Coordinator can and should attend PTA meetings in a liaison capacity. Most high schools have booster club liaisons that attend PTA meetings so that all parent-run groups can be kept informed and schedules coordinated. ACE, like a booster club, has separate fiduciary responsibilities that do not involve PTA.
What happens if we have students that can not afford to participate?
Some partial scholarship money is built into the price of the classes. IPSF also provides some money for each school site to be used for scholarships. Granting of scholarships is at the complete discretion of your principal.
Where do we find instructors?
IPSF employs IUSD teachers at the participating schools. In addition, several parents teach at the schools and we carry contracts with many local contractors. Finding instructors is easy.
Is this an IPSF fund-raiser?
This is not designed as a fund-raiser for IPSF or the individual school sites. There is a charge for direct IPSF expenses only (payroll, insurance, training). IPSF sponsors this program to benefit the students in the IUSD. All schools are responsible for their own budget. Excess funds, after expenses, will stay in a separate IPSF account to be used at the discretion of the ACE Coordinator and principal for use at their school site.
How do we get started?
Call IPSF ACE (949) 651.8128 and tell them you are interested in an ACE program.
Parent Education Seminar
Is your child's behavior "bugging
you"?
We
can help!
Register now
for our Parent Education
Seminar....
The
Challenge We Call
Children:
Tips &
Tools for Survival
Saturday,
February 9th
at
the Orange county Department of
Education
200
Kalmus Drive, Building D, Costa Mesa
CA
8:30
a.m. registration and breakfast
9:15
to 10:30 a.m. first session
10:45
a.m. - 12:15 p.m. second session
Our
presenters:
Dr.
Lyndsay Elliott Eating
disorders
Frank
Boehler Bullying
Friday
Night Live Program
Lance
Christensan Drugs & Alcohol Trends
in our Schools
Tony
La Mantia The Whole
Child
Turning
Point Anger
Management
Dr.
David Lechuga Sports Injuries and the
Effect on the Brain
Sign up
today! $10 for PTA members--$15 for non-PTA
members
To download
registration form, go to:
http://www.fourthdistrictpta.org/forms/2008ParentEdSeminar_RegistrationForm.pdf
Do
it today!
TEEN SUMMIT
TEEN SUMMIT
February 29, 2008
Leap into Action
Background
The
Teen Summit began 11 years ago to assist the
community in developing youth volunteers. The
conference has consistently attracted more than 400
youth, educators, and community partners over the
past eleven years. The summit steering committee
consists of youth, educators and community
activists.
Time
& Place
Friday,
February 29, 2008 from 7:45AM – 1:30 PM
California State University, Fullerton – 800 State
College Blvd, Fullerton, CA
Purpose
The
highly interactive environment at the Team Summit
will allow Orange County youth and educators the
opportunity to learn leadership strategies and
skills that will strengthen youth volunteerism and
enhance civic participation. They will learn how to
get involved and inspire others.
Participants
All
Orange County youth (grades 9-12) from public,
private and alternative school settings
who have never been involved and those who have
participated in service are encouraged to attend.
Format
The
conference features a key note speaker, lunch, and
more than twenty different workshops focusing on
service, leadership, and civic involvement.
Keynote
Speaker
Come
and listen to a story about a cool guy who
co-founded a cool restaurant loved by thousands of
teenagers. He used his success to help the
community in an endless number of ways. While
following in his father’s footsteps, this guy and
his two brothers worked to expand the restaurant
chain throughout the U.S., impacting people’s lives
with charitable acts along the way. Your keynote
speaker is Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo’s Fish
Taco restaurant chain. How cool is that? Don’t miss
this inspiring guy. You will learn a lot from him!
You may become the next cool success story when it
comes to helping the community. Check it out!
Sponsor/Support
The
Youth Service Conference is made possible through
the sponsorships and support of local businesses
and companies who value the contribution that the
youth of our community can make within Orange
County. For sponsorship information, please
contact
Cindy Beyl at 714- 953-5757 ext. 140 or
cbeyl@volunteercenter.org,
Cassady Taylor at 714-438-3205 or
ctaylor@festivalofchildren.org
NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS
December 1, 2007
The
IPSF Community Campaign is Underway!
In
conjunction with the Irvine Unified School
District, IPSF supports many programs that enhance
the education of all our students. For more details
about our programs, please visit our website
at
www.ipsf.net
This
year IPSF fundraising is focused on three crucial
areas:
Health and Wellness
IPSF
supports the health of our students by providing
additional funds for increased numbers of school
site nurses and health clerks, Type II Diabetes
Screening, leading edge health curriculum through
the Great Body Shop, and by promoting active
lifestyles through activities such as the Walk to
School Day event.
Classroom Support
IPSF
supports educational experiences that directly and
positively impact students, teachers and parents in
the classrooms by providing funds for reduced class
sizes, grants directly to teachers through the
Innovative Teaching Awards Program (ITAP),
Afterschool Classroom Enrichment (ACE) Programs,
fine arts programs, and enhanced parent
communication resources. (MyIUSD.com and voice
communications)
Advancing Multi-Cultural Understanding
IPSF
partners with cultural groups to provide the funds
needed to advance greater awareness, enhanced
understanding and professional development
opportunities in support of multi-cultural
understanding through programs such as the Program
to Advance Cultural Education (PACE).
Our annual appeal will come to you by email, and by
direct mail to your home. Your support is ESSENTIAL
to reach our community campaign goal of $150,000.
That’s only $6 per IUSD student to realize a
private education experience in a public school
setting! Please give generously to support these
programs for all our students. Donate online TODAY
at
www.ipsf.net/donations.
Thank You!
IUSD
Middle School Career Options
ConferenceThis
year’s conference will be held on December 18, 2007
at University of California, Irvine, to give our
middle school students the chance to explore
careers in Science and Mathematics. For more
information, contact Jenna Kurtenacker at
jkurtena@iusd.org or
call 949-936-5057.
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly ten years ago, IUSD
teacher and IPSF Board member Barbara Reynolds, had
a creative idea to recognize outstanding staff
members and raise money to support grants to the
classroom. The IPSF
Parents Appreciating Teachers and Staff program
(PATS) was
established and since
its inception has thanked thousands of teachers and
staff members and raised more than $200,000.
The 2008 PATS program will begin in January, 2008.
Look for the flyer in your school bulletin or in
your child’s backpack!
Thank
You for Shopping!!
The recent Orchard Hill Center
Grand Opening was a great success! IPSF received a
check for $1,000 as our part of the proceeds for
the day. Thanks to the Irvine Company Retail
Properties for putting together such a great event
and to everyone who came out, explored the center,
and shopped!!
IPSF
wants to highlight the great things going on at
your school site! Please send news, announcements,
good ideas about what is going at your school, and
it will be posted here in:
NEWS
FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS
Food
Services Presentation at Northwood High School
On
December 6th at 7.00pm in the NHS Theater. Rhonda
Devereaux from IUSD Food Services will be talking
about the new state mandated food policy and will
be answering questions from the floor. This is
geared toward Middle and High Schools and both
parents and students are invited to attend.
If you would like to attend and have questions for
Rhonda, please e-mail these questions to Sue
Kuwabara, the PTA Program coordinator for IUSD PTA
Council,
sukuwabara@cox.net.
December is filled with
concerts, performances, and holiday activities of
all kinds! Check your school site calendar, and
plan to attend one or more of these great events!
Food Flyer
Vetrans Day- LemonAid Event
CIF flyer
Flyer on Parents
Reflections
IRVINE PTA COUNCIL
REFLECTIONS
PROGRAM
You’re
cordially invited to enjoy our students’ work of
art
At
Irvine City Hall
Thursday,
November 8, 2007 through Friday, November 16,
2007
Weekdays
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Please
join us for the Awards
Ceremonies
Saturday,
November 17, 2007
11:00
a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Preschool
through Second Grade presented at 11:00 a.m.
Visual
Art and Photography Third through fifth
Grade
Presented
at 11:30 a.m.
Literature,
Music Composition, Film and Dance third through
fifth grade presented at 12:00 p.m.
Sixth
through twelfth grade Categories presented at 12:30
p.m.
Congratulations
to All Students who participated
in
our Reflections Program.
Reflections Invite
REFLECTIONS
PROGRAM
You’re
cordially invited to enjoy our students’ work of
art
At Irvine City Hall
Thursday, November 8, 2007 through Saturday,
November 19, 2007
Weekdays 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Please join us
for the Awards Ceremonies
Saturday, November 19, 2007
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Preschool through Second Grade presented at 11:00
a.m.
Visual Art and Photography Third through fifth
Grade
Presented at 11:30 a.m.
Literature, Music Composition, Film and Dance third
through fifth grade presented at 12:00 p.m.
Sixth through twelfth grade Categories presented at
12:30 p.m.
Congratulations to All Students who participated
in our Reflections Program.
Helpful Hints for Reflections Chairpersons
1.
Please double-check for student’s signature, Parent
signature, grade level, school name, school
address. Verify that the student’s address and
telephone number are on the form.
2.
Check and
recheck the
size of the entry. Photography and Visual Arts have
size limitations and must be within the
limitations. Mount Photography and Visual Arts
entries on stiff and sturdy material, such as mat
board, corrugated cardboard or foam core board.
3.
DO NOT submit
mounted works in Literature. If a book is
submitted, please see that the entry is placed in a
manila folder with the entry form staples to the
back.
4.
Reminder – Plagiarized entries will be disqualified
and returned to the student. Use of copyrighted
material is prohibited. This includes the use of
copyrighted Cartoon Characters or other such
material in visual arts or photography entries.
Musical Composition and Literature entrants are not
to borrow from Copyrighted material either.
5.
Confirm that the length of playing time for musical
compositions, dance choreography and film/video
production together with the student’s name, grade
division, state and year are marked on both the
cassette tape/CD/DVD/Videotape and its case.
6.
Shrink Wrap is required for entries sent to the
state for judging. This process is highly
recommended for Photography and Visual Arts at the
Unit level as well. DO NOT use plastic food wrap!
Shrink Wrap Photography and Visual Arts entries and
then place the completed Official Entry Form in a
plastic sheet protector and firmly attach to the
back of the entry on top of the shrink wrap. Tape
the plastic sheet protector on three sides, leaving
the top open for easy access for the judging
process. Kinko’s and Office Depot will laminate
your work
at a decent price.
7.
Photocopy Literature entries sent to the State, and
make a copy of the Music, Dance and Film/Video
entries. Photograph the photography and Visual Arts
entries. When photographing, place a card with the
entrant’s name and grade level on it with the
pieced to be photographed. If you hold an Award
program after the entries have been forwarded to
the State, you could use the photographs for
display. Please keep a copy of all the entry forms
of the winning entries which you forward to the
next level of judging.
8.
Local Units must complete the appropriate
Participation Form A (FORM A). These forms must
accompany the entries to each level of judging. The
local unit initiates the forms, forwards them to
the Council with the winners, and the Council then
forwards their forms to the State with its winners.
Please complete only the section appropriate for
your level. Keep a copy of your FORM A.
Revised
10/20/07 Amy Tingirides IUCPTA Reflections Chair
Cans For Cash Update
As we are
halfway through the month of October, I wanted to
give you an update regarding Cans for
Cash.
First, if you did not catch the IUSD
Cans for
Cash news story
on ICTV that was filmed the day of the kick-off at
Bonita Canyon, you can watch it online at
http://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/citymanager/pio/ictv/irvine_news.asp.
Click on the October 3rd newscast, and skip ahead
to the story on Cans for
Cash . We
also have some pictures from the day, which I've
included as attachments.
Also, as you are aware, the City has been working
with Irvine businesses to involve them in
the Cans for
Cash effort by
partnering businesses with schools to collect
aluminum beverage cans. You will find a list
of the schools and their business partners attached
to this email. The City will be placing an ad
in the Irvine World News next week thanking the
businesses for their support of Irvine Schools and
the Cans for
Cash City Recycling
Challenge.
I hope to get a report of recycled can poundage for
the first half of the month from the district's
recycling company sometime this week. I will
keep you posted on any new information that becomes
available.
Also, I was
hoping to be able to work with you through the PTA
network to really encourage participation in the
last half of the month. Is there a newsletter
or email network that the school district could tap
to get a message out to parents?
Thank you
for your continued
partnership!
Sarah
~~
Sarah Mills
City of
Irvine
Cans for
Cash City Recycling Challenge
Phone:
714.227.0181
SarahMills@gmail.com
Partners in
Recycling
Walk to School Day video
Video: An Irvine principal walks to school from his Lake Forest home as a challenge for students to get fit. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1127694947/bclid1125901233/bctid1225543884
Debbie Rugani Director of Community Initiatives & Programs 949-265-6403 (direct) Irvine Public Schools Foundation
Walk to School day Vol. 1 Issue 2
August 27, 2007 Volume I, Issue 2
Thank You to the schools that will participate in Walk to School Day:
Alderwood, Bonita Canyon, Brywood, Canyon View, College Park, Culverdale, Deerfield, Eastshore, Meadow Park, Northwood, Oak Creek, Santiago Hills, Springbrook, Stone Creek, Turtle Rock, University Park, Westwood Basics, Lakeside Middle School, Sierra Vista Middle School, South Lake Middle School, Venado Middle School, Northwood High School!
New Partners and Supporters
HSBC Bank The Veggie Grill, Irvine www.veggiegrill.com/visitus.html Veggie Grill will donate $5 gift cards to reward students who walk to school.
AT&T
Mochilato – Just open in Irvine! If you are a fan of mochi ice cream, like I am, wait until you try mochilato…mochi filled with gelato! The store features lots of varieties of this tasty treat, plus a great selection of pastries and baked goods, The store itself is spacious, elegant and inviting. In the Heritage Park Shopping Center: 14310 Culver Drive, Suite E, Irvine 949.559.1116. 10 a.m.-midnight daily. Free wi-fi.
Information
¬ IPSF will send home a back pack flyer to all elementary families the week of Sept. 17. (Copy attached) It is being printed by the IUSD Print Shop and will be delivered to the school sites. You might consider attaching a cover letter, customized to your school site. Check with PTA and your principal.
¬ IPSF will supply round stickers for each student that say “Walk to School – October 3, 2007”. These can be distributed a day or so (?) before as a reminder.
¬ IPSF will supply each site with about 200 silicone bracelets that say “Walk to School – www.ipsf.net.” You can use these as incentives or rewards in whatever way works at your site. I would love to have enough for every child, but our budget is limited.
¬ As other incentive or in-kind items are donated, I will distribute them equally to participating schools, so you may get more reward or incentive items.
¬ The City of Irvine is providing more than 20 banners to advertise the event!! More details to come.
Keep “walking” to the next page……
Plans and Ideas
Here are just a few ideas you might use at your school to build excitement and participation:
♣ Have your students help plan your event. Involve student leaders and others.
♣ Have classes make signs to carry along the way. ****See Special Opportunity Below****
♣ Have your students wear their School Spirit wear that day, if your school has it. (You could sell Spirit Wear at school before the walk!)
♣ Have students make and hang posters around school describing the benefits of walking
♣ Reward the class(es) with the most participation
♣ Hold a PTA meeting right after the Walk. Invite a speaker to talk about Health and Wellness and where walking fits in.
♣ Start a moms and dads walking club. Visit www.walkstyles.com for ideas
****City Councilmember Sukhee Kang has arranged a walking partnership with the Nowon school district in Seoul, Korea. Sukhee will travel to Nowon to meet with their mayor on September 15. Sukhee would love to take photos of our IUSD kids holding banners of greeting for the kids in Nowon schools. "We Love Nowon School friends" or Hi, Friends of Nowon" "We Love Korea", these are just samples of signs we can make. If you can get students at your site to make and hold up a banner and then take a photo, I will see that the greetings get to Councilmember Kang before his trip. Cards and letters from students would be great, too.****
Resources
New York State has a cool page to teach safe walking to kids: This page features a cool activated chart with things to remember.
http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/Kids/kidswalk.htm
Thank you all for your help and support!! More newsletters will be coming to you on a regular basis. PLEASE email back any questions, concerns or GOOD IDEAS you have and I will share them!!
Walk to School Day Vol 1 issue 3
September 4, 2007 Volume I, Issue 3
Happy September! Take a deep breath and tie up those laces! We are walking to school!
IPSF supports our students all year long with programs like
♣ the Health and Wellness Initiative, adding nurses and Health clerks to our sites,
♣ Instrumental Rental,
♣ Afterschool Classroom Enrichment,
♣ grants to teachers through the ITAP program,
♣ Parents Appreciating Teachers and Staff,
♣ the Honors concert and so much more!
Thank you for all you do to support these outstanding programs for our students.
New Partners and Supporters
Fresia Market
Information
¬ The City of Irvine is providing banners to advertise the event!! More details to come.
¬ Walkstyles www.walkstyles.com, wants to encourage all our schools sites to set up moms (and dads) walking clubs. Their site lets you register FREE to be an administrator and start a club. You can then invite your friends and colleagues to join your club, and they can participate for free, too. Of course you can upgrade your membership for a fee, but it is NOT required that you do so. IPSF Board and staff have a club, thanks to Stephanie Bynon!
Sue Parks, the president of Walkstyles, has offered us a 10% discount on any purchases on the site…..I just got a very cool pedometer! The discount code is CHIPSF1X. They have some cute walking clothes, too.
Plans and Ideas
Here are just a few ideas you might use at your school to build excitement and participation:
⎫ Model good behavior for your students! Start a walking club at your school and make time each day to walk with your kids and your friends. See the offer from Walkstyles above to get started. Get a pedometer and start keeping track of your steps.
⎫
Keep “walking” to the next page……
⎫ Walk on over to Veggie Grill and treat yourself with a healthy salad or those unbelieveably good sweet potatoe fries!
⎫ Since we are doing a partnership with a Korean school district, see if there is a volunteer parent from the Korean community at your school site who might help with that partnership!
⎫ Have your students help plan your event. Involve student leaders and others.
⎫ Have classes make signs to carry along the way. ****See Special Opportunity Below****
⎫ Have your students wear their School Spirit wear that day, if your school has it. (You could sell Spirit Wear at school before the walk!)
⎫ Have students make and hang posters around school describing the benefits of walking
⎫ Reward the class(es) with the most participation
⎫ Hold a PTA meeting right after the Walk. Invite a speaker to talk about Health and Wellness and where walking fits in.
⎫ Start a moms and dads walking club. Visit www.walkstyles.com for ideas
****City Councilmember Sukhee Kang has arranged a walking partnership with the Nowon school district in Seoul, Korea. Sukhee will travel to Nowon to meet with their mayor on September 15. Sukhee would love to take photos of our IUSD kids holding banners of greeting for the kids in Nowon schools. "We Love Nowon School friends" or Hi, Friends of Nowon" "We Love Korea", these are just samples of signs we can make. If you can get students at your site to make and hold up a banner and then take a photo, I will see that the greetings get to Councilmember Kang before his trip. Cards and letters from students would be great, too.****
Resources
NOTE: I have sent this link to our principals suggesting that they tell their teachers about this cool site:
Take a look:
http://www.saferoutestoschools.org/walk/
Walk and Bike Across America is a web-based interactive game that promotes physical activity. The object of the game is for school classes to accumulate miles by tracking the miles students walk and bike to school. Use those miles to travel around the U.S. visiting as many sites on the map as possible. Each site represents a significant national park, historic site, or key agricultural location with nutritional information, that will broaden the students' knowledge of the United States.
Thank you all for your help and support!! More newsletters will be coming to you on a regular basis. PLEASE email back any questions, concerns or GOOD IDEAS you have and I will share them!!
IPSF Ambassador Job Description
IPSF Ambassadors
Job Description
BACKGROUND:
The IPSF Ambassador program was developed from an IPSF Board Member’s idea to improve the relationship and communication between IPSF and the individual school sites. Over the years, the Ambassador program has become instrumental in keeping schools connected with IUSD and IPSF information and activities. Ambassadors are primarily representatives from each individual school who serve as IPSF liaisons to enhance communication between IPSF and the local school sites. The IPSF Ambassador program has expanded to include many members of Irvine’s diverse multi-cultural community as well.
EXPECTATIONS
1. Commitment:
The Ambassador position is a one-year commitment beginning at the start of the school year in the fall. Although the Ambassador position is vital to a successful school district, it requires minimal time commitment and provides individuals with the ability to work at their own schedule. All Ambassadors are required to meet twice a year, for an introductory meeting in the fall and a wrap-up meeting in May.
2. Communication:
Almost all of the communication for the Ambassador Program is done through email and/or phone calls. On the 1st and 15th of each month, IPSF sends out an Ambassador Alert. The Ambassador Alerts provide the latest IPSF updates in an easy format, which can be quickly reported to a group, or cut and pasted into a newsletter. All Ambassador Alerts are sent via email so they can be forwarded on to the PTA, School Site Council, or other member groups.
3. Roles and Responsibilities:
• Conduit Of Information
The Ambassadors are responsible for relating IPSF information to their constituent groups regarding upcoming programs and events. They also answer any questions regarding IPSF while out in the community, promoting better awareness and communication. In addition, all Ambassadors at the end of the year complete an evaluation.