New Family Information

Welcome to ISA and our international parent community!

Once your child has enrolled at ISA, you become a part of our parent teacher organisation, or PTO. Our PTO Board plays a vital role in the partnership between home and school. It actively promotes school spirit and close relationships with parents, faculty and students. 

We have put together the following information to help make life a little easier as you join the school for the first time. Please feel free to reach out to any PTO Board member, as well as your Class Event Coordinator (CEC), to make the transition into the year ahead the best it can be.

Keeping up to date

Use the ISA Community Hub for the most up to date information about life at ISA. Notices are updated daily and the calendar below them reflects the most up to date information on all events.  Everything PTO related can be found on the Parent Hub accessed via the PTO button on the Community Hub.   Please check in regularly for our most up to date information.  

Our Head of School, Nick Little, hosts an informal “coffee” every Friday (during term time). He is usually joined by other faculty members including the principals of Elementary and Middle and High Schools amongst others.  Everyone is welcome!  Join for all of the latest information and have your questions answered.  Information is posted in the Daily Notices on the Community Hub.

Every Friday the ISA Thistle Talk is also issued. It's a school newsletter with regular articles from the Head of School, MS/HS Principal, ES Principal and Counselor. 

Should you wish to contact anyone on the PTO Board you can find their details on the Parent Hub. If you are not sure who to contact or if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing pto@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk. PTO updates are also issued on the ISA PTO Facebook Page.

CECs

For each grade level one or two volunteer parents undertake the role of Class Event Coordinator (CECs).  To find out who your CEC(s) are, take a look at the Grade Level information on the Community Hub. For more information on what our CECs do, check out the CEC page.

The Class Fund (if requested by your CEC) is used for grade parties, teacher's end of year gifts, other grade related event expenses, leavers gifts etc.  The Class fund, if requested, is entirely at the discretion of that particular CEC.

Daily practicalities

For information on Daily School Routines please take a look here. Students should not be on the school campus before 8am as there will be no adult supervision. 

If it is safe, please encourage your child to walk or cycle to school. Cyclists can find a bike rack at the left hand side of the Pitfodels House entrance. If you are driving them, please familiarise yourself with our procedures. There are several drop off points depending on the age of your child. If you have more than one child in the car, follow the procedures for the youngest. Please do not keep your engine running while parked. If you do not have nursery children please do not park on the island at nursery drop off and pick up times. 

Please get in touch if you have any comments or questions. Take a look at the school's Who's Who to see exactly “who does what” and connect to the right person fast.

Lost Property can be avoided by ordering Stikins labels. If you quote the PTO number 35395, the PTO will receive a 30% commission which contributes to our fundraising efforts. All items found will be placed in the Lost Property area in the Street (main thoroughfare) or next to the small gym. If items are clearly labeled they will be returned to the student’s classroom or advisory room. All unlabeled items that are not collected by the end of term will be donated to local charities. 

Wellbeing

Please familiarise yourself with the information from the Nurse's office. Some key information has been extracted below:

• Allergy Aware (No Nuts)

A number of our students have severe allergies to nuts and pine nuts. When you provide your child with a packed lunch, or any baked goods or other foods for an event, please adhere to the relevant school policies. If your child has any allergies please inform the school nurse. The school makes every effort to create a nut free environment, but can never 100% guarantee it, so if your child has an allergy they should know how to take precautions.

• Breastfeeding Friendly

ISA is a member of the NHS scheme Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland. This scheme is run by the NHS, and it means that women are welcome to breastfeed (or bottle feed) their baby in any public space at our school, with the guarantee that no-one will ask them to move, stop feeding, or cover up.  As well as just being the decent thing to support, the right to breastfeed in public is protected by law in the UK.

• Illness

Good hygiene stops infections from spreading, which means less disrupted learning time. Teach your child to wash hands properly for 20 seconds, use tissues for coughs and sneezes, and stay away from others when sick. Know when to keep your child at home. It's fine to send your child to school or nursery with a minor cough or common cold if they are otherwise well and do not have a high temperature. But if your child has a fever, they should stay home from school or nursery until they feel better, and the fever has resolved. If they have diarrhoea and/or vomiting, they should stay home for at least 48 hours after the last episode to avoid infecting others. It's important to follow the official guidance re illness and time off school, e.g. if your child has a fever, they would be able to return once fever-free without medication.

The little things that make a big difference

• Ask your CECs and other existing parents for recommendations for doctors, dentists, hairdressers, gyms, restaurants etc.

• If you come from a warmer climate let’s just say it's best to have a rain jacket or umbrella in your car at all times as the weather in Scotland can be somewhat unpredictable!

• Most parking can still be paid for in cash in and around the city so it’s a good idea to carry some small change however you can also download the RingGo App which will let you pay to park on your mobile. Please be aware of scams involving fake QR codes on parking meters. Recent scams across the country have seen fake QR codes places on parking signage and meters that once scanned takes the user to fraudulent websites that takes their details and payment. Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council don't utilise QR codes on any of their machines across the city or shire. Pay by cash or through the RingGo App (do not scan a QR code, go directly via previously installed app or their website.

• Join in with PTO events such as our welcome coffees and socials, or take a look at our volunteering opportunities, we would love to welcome you! We also have a regular Walk and Coffee group. 

Spiritwear

While ISA does not have a compulsory school uniform, we do have ISA logo T-shirts, fleeces, hoodies and other items including our school tartan. We also have team jackets with the mascot logo for sporting events. Spiritwear brings all our students together to create a sense of community and school spirit. It also helps spread the word about the International School Aberdeen during sport and other cultural exchanges, from pre-K to Grade 12 seniors. Funds raised from the sale of Spiritwear are used for school enrichments and PTO events/activities.

ISA celebrates school spirit every Friday, when all students and staff are encouraged to wear spiritwear to show their school spirit.

Spiritwear is available to order through our SumUp shop. Although we try to keep items in stock, there are times when an order will have to be placed. Please contact the Spiritwear team on spiritwear@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk if the item you’re looking for is out of stock. Your patience is appreciated under these circumstances.

Getting involved

Volunteering is a great way to get involved and to meet other parents in your grade and across ISA. Please contact the PTO via our Volunteer form so that we know when you are available to help, whether regularly or ad hoc. Some opportunities to volunteer include:

• As a Buddy for a new family.

• Take part in teachers staff appreciation days (be sure to provide information about any allergens and adhere to the food prep guidelines).

• Take part in the International Festival by sharing a dish from your home country, contribute to country specific displays (again be sure to complete the allergen form and adhere to the food prep guidelines).

• Decorate your car and take part in the Trunk or Treat (Halloween event run by the National Honor Society).

• Host visiting students for our sporting tournaments.

• Volunteer in the library, on a weekly basis or occasionally.

• Helping to run the sports days in end May/early June.

• On the PTO Board or as a Class Event Coordinator (CEC).

For volunteering in the library, on the PTO Board or as a CEC, you will need to go through the PVG (protecting vulnerable groups) process. The PVG scheme helps ensure people who are unsuitable to work with children and protected adults cannot do regulated roles. The PVG scheme is a membership scheme. Disclosure Scotland continuously checks members' criminal history information. It also keeps lists of people barred from regulated roles. The PVG process is managed by the school’s HR team, who will give you expert guidance making the application process as seamless as possible.

PTO Board meetings

Our PTO Board meetings are open to all ISA parents. Meeting date and time is published via the WhatsApp groups. Please note that these meetings may at times be held virtually.  

All parents, guardians and teachers at ISA are members of the PTO. All general members are welcome to attend both General PTO meetings (twice a year - one to approve the PTO budget and one to elect PTO Board members) and PTO Board Meetings, which are held regularly, ideally twice per term. 

The PTO Board members are an elected group of parent volunteers. They meet at Board meetings to deal with ongoing planning of social events, discuss issues raised by General PTO members and vote on enrichment requests as and when appropriate. Board members are elected by the general members and serve from June to June.

The Head of School, the principals and the vice principals are invited to report to the PTO Board meetings to share information with the PTO Board about what is happening and to answer questions from the PTO Board members.

Please note that any student specific or personal questions or concerns should be raised by the individuals rather than directed through the PTO. 

Buddy Programme 

If you are new to ISA consider joining the Buddies WhatsApp Group. It's the WhatsApp community to join to ask existing parents for recommendations for doctors, dentists, hairdressers, gyms, restaurants etc. You can ask any questions and we can provide useful information on ISA practicalities as well as the community (if you are new to Aberdeen), in addition to being a friendly face! Admissions will have sent you a link to request access. Each grade level also has a separate WhatsApp group for grade level communications - these will be set up towards the start of the new school year. Giving permission via PowerSchool to share your contact details with the PTO will allow us to reach out to get you connected. Alternatively, the grade level CECs listed in the grade level updates on Community Hub will be able to put you in touch.

Existing ISA families can volunteer to “buddy” a new family. This role involves being available to answer questions that our new families may have and to provide support as they make the transition to their new community. To get involved or for more information, contact the PTO on pto@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk.

No effort fundraising

Easyfundraising.org.uk: The PTO can benefit whenever you shop online. To register and shop with more than 2,000 well known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay, and many more, just visit:

www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/isa/

The PTO organises and supports many events to bring our community together throughout the year. We look forward to welcoming you! Have a great year!

The PTO Team