In the past few months, the economic downturn has affected everyone in ways that have both shaken us and brought us closer together. Your support of tonight’s Annual Gala and Auction is a testament to your dedication to the mission of our school and is the very definition of what it means to be a community.

When difficult situations arise, we hope that the very last person it will affect will be a child; especially the students we have come to know and deeply care about. Students at the International School of the Peninsula are special, not just in their achievements, but also  because their parents have made a long-term commitment to their bilingual education. Due to the model of our school, students can only be accepted at certain entry points, or unless they already have the required level of target language proficiency. Therefore, it is particularly difficult for a student to suddenly stop and leave their bilingual learning environment at a non-exit point. This can be extremely disruptive both academically and emotionally.

Unfortunately, we all know someone who has been significantly impacted by the economy. It may be your neighbor, your co-worker, or the family of your child’s best friend. We need to band together and think about how we can help the people in our community.

This year’s Fund-a-Need is dedicated towards an Emergency Financial Aid Fund, to assist families whose financial situations may not allow them to continue their child’s education at ISTP. This fund will provide an opportunity for the children of struggling families to stay at school, which in turn, will help to keep the quality of education at ISTP as high as it can be.

The benefits of giving to this fund now will be felt for years to come. We thank you in advance for caring and investing in our students and their future.

Fund-a-Need Facts:

• Approximately $2,000 will allow a student to stay at school for an additional month.


• $44,000 represents a 10% increase of our financial aid.


• Due to the school’s educational model, students who leave may not be able to return, and cannot be easily replaced.


• Approximately $6,000 allows a child another trimester of school.


• Community is one of the biggest strengths of our school, and is the main reason we have been able to weather the storms of difficult years.


• $10,000 will give 50% financial aid to one child.


• 1 child leaves in 1st grade: Approximately $140,000 is what the school will lose in the long-term. Although its effects will be felt immediately by families, classmates, and teachers.
  


• The goal for tonight’s Fund-a-Need is $100,000. The amount raised will go directly towards helping children of families in financial crisis stay at ISTP.