McDonald International School International Support Fund Campaign

What is the International Support (I.S.) Fund Campaign? The I.S. Fund is the money raised solely by parents and neighborhood partners to pay for the cost of classroom Immersion Instructional Assistants and the International Teacher Interns Program. The I.S. Fund Campaign is the variety of efforts implemented to raise the money for the Fund.

What Your PTA Immersion Support Fund Paid For: Immersion Assistants and Interns Spanish Japanese 3 Full Time Native Speaking Immersion Instructional Assistants 2 Full Time Native Speaking International Interns 2 Full Time Native Speaking Immersion Instructional Assistants 1 Full Time Native Speaking International Interns Total = 5 Instructional Assistants and 3 Interns Total Cost = $273,000 for

What Is The Difference between Immersion Assistants (IA) and Immersion Interns (II)? IAs are experienced teachers assistants hired and salaried by the Seattle School District. McDonald PTA gives money to the School District to cover the costs of their salaries. McDonald teachers and Principal Grinager all participate in the selection process. These teachers are then able to stay with the school from then on provided our PTA can come up with the funding for their salaries. IIs are teacher assistants who come to us through international programs (like the Japanese Government, Amity) that are created to give native language speakers the chance to work/teach abroad. They generally come for one year and then return to their studies in their countries of origin. The PTA generally is expected to pay a small amount of money for expenses (around $5,000) and to provide housing in the form of home stays with McDonald families. An Immersion Assistant (IA) or an Immersion Intern (II) is a teacher assistant that is native speaker in the foreign language being taught by the primary teacher.

For the school year we will add at least 3 additional kindergarten classes For an additional cost of $75,000 to add 1.5 more Native Speaking Immersion Instructional Assistants In the Immersion classroom setting, the Instructional Assistant cuts the student teacher ratio in 1/2. When the Intern is present in the classroom, the student teacher ratio is cut by 2/3’s. If your child’s classroom has 30 students – the district funds a 30:1 student teacher ratio. Through our campaign, we have been able to cut that down to 15:1 every day and 10:1 many days. Do you think your child will have a better and more personalized learning experience in a 30:1 environment or a 10:1 learning environment?

Reduction of the student-teacher ratio by one-half. Increase in the opportunity for students to hear and have conversations in the foreign language being taught. Availability of additional support for struggling students and for those who need additional challenges and advancement. Addition of depth and breadth of classroom cultural enrichment. Benefits Of This Kind of Classroom Support Include:

14:1 14:1 Student to Instructor ratio with an Immersion Assistant/Intern 28:1 28:1 Student to Instructor ratio without an Immersion Assistant/Intern Language Immersion Instruction without an Immersion Assistant or Intern WithWithout

The Critical Importance of Immersion Assistants and Interns Other Seattle School District language immersion schools and many nationwide have employed Immersion Assistants (IAs) and Immersion Interns (IIs) with great success. “ Having a an IA is invaluable – it not only …… but also provides me with more time to plan, reflect, and design more effective lessons. “ - Diane Einmo, McDonald Spanish Immersion Teacher

How Much Do Immersion Assistants and Interns Cost Us?. The cost for the Seattle Public Schools to hire each Assistant is $50,000 This breaks down to approximately $25,000 per class. The approximate cost for each Intern is projected to be around $5,000 Projected needs for :  2.5 full-time Japanese IAs  4 full-time Spanish IAs  2 Japanese IIs  2 Spanish IIs

We did not reach our goal last year! We raised approximately 60% of our goal and got a one time gift from the district that covered the remainder for the school year only. We must do better this year to maintain the level of classroom support that we have been enjoying this year.

Your PTA: Hard At Work To Find External Funding In addition to the “Direct Ask” of this Spring’s campaign, the PTA has many external fundraising initiatives already in motion. Business Campaign – soliciting from surrounding businesses Grants – multiple grants are being written and applied for Scrip’s and commissions – Amazon and a variety of other sources Magnanimous Donors Group – Inquire with Mark Roschy or Kathy Bacon

We Need Your Help! Our goal for our Immersion Support Fund is: $375,000 Based on projected classroom needs for :  2.5 full-time Japanese IAs - $125,000  4 full-time Spanish IAs - $200,000  2 Japanese IIs - $25,000  2 Spanish IIs - $25,000