MIHS 101

8th Edition, August 2024
Created by: Mercer Island High School Parent Teacher Association
Contact: VP Outreach for more info outreach@mihsptsa.org

Welcome, New Families!

If your new MIHS student is coming from Islander Middle School, you should already be on the district’s listserv and you’ll continue to receive communications as you have in the past. You should be able to continue to use your same Skyward, Schoology and FlashAlert login info.

If you are new to the district, please sign up for the following and download their apps for easy access.

• Qmlativ (Skyward). Skyward is the system used for accessing your student's schedule, grades, attendance, and emergency contact info. Click here to learn more and get started. 
• Schoology. Schoology is the platform that provides access to class communications and course assignments. Learn more here. 
• FlashAlert. FlashAlert is an emergency notification service that will message you about inclement weather delays or cancellations. Sign up here. You can also receive messages through Skylert via the Skyward system. 
• MIHS PTSA. PTSA membership provides access to the online school directory and helps to support a number of programs for our students and staff. Join here, then download the Membership Toolkit app to access the directory, schedules, and more. 

Calendars

There is always a lot of exciting things happening, and it can be difficult to stay on top of it all. Keep track of events by subscribing to calendars and/or bookmarking pages with important dates.

• Click here for a pdf that features an at-a-glance look at all instructional days, holidays and in-service days.
• Click here to subscribe to an MIHS iCal feed. You can always hide this from view until you want to check what’s happening. 
• To see what’s happening within the MIHS PTSA, go to the homepage. Scroll down and look at the left column. Below “Upcoming Events” there are two buttons. One takes you to a month-at-a-glance page and the other allows you to subscribe to the PTSA iCal feed.
  

Who’s Who

There can certainly be some confusion about these related, yet distinct, organizations. Know that they all work to support students and learning on Mercer Island!

Mercer Island High School PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association)
The PTSA is mostly a group of parents and teachers from the high school who, through their membership dues, fund student leadership training, provide teachers grants, host college reps, send advocates to Olympia and support the school in a multitude of other ways. General membership meetings are held 2-3 times a year. The board meets with the school principal once a month. Membership allows you a vote in the things that are funded and also provides you with access to the online school community directory through the platform, Membership Toolkit. Join the MIHS PTSA here!

Mercer Island PTA Council and Parent Edge
The PTA Council is comprised of parent and teacher volunteers from across the district to support the elementary, middle and high school communities. Parent Edge is a part of the MI PTA Council whose goal is to encourage dialogue and share best practices by bringing in excellent speakers for parents, educators and the community.

Mercer Island Schools Foundation
The MISF is a non-profit organization that raises funds from the community to supplement insufficient state funding and improve the quality of education for every student in the Mercer Island School District (MISD). Among other things, they sponsor a phone-a-thon in the fall and a fundraising breakfast in the spring. They pay for such things as instructional materials, professional development and support for diverse learners.

Mercer Island Youth & Family Services (MIYFS)
MIYFS is a non-profit organization that serves the city through donations and proceeds from the Mercer Island Thrift Shop. It provides emergency provisions and student volunteer service opportunities. MIYFS has two licensed therapists who maintain an office on the high school campus called the R & R Place (Resource & Referral). One is a full-time mental health counselor and the other is a full-time alcohol & drug intervention specialist.

Keeping Informed

Check websites for the answers to many of your questions. Follow Facebook and Instagram accounts to stay in the know. Note that many clubs and booster organizations also have their own sites and accounts. In addition, the senior class usually has an IG account and often a “Parents of Class of 20XX” FB page.

Read more about Daily Schedule, Parking, Student Activities here >>