MIHS News – June 13, 2021

6/13/2021 11:32 am

What’s New This Week

Principal’s Message

Read Principal Walter Kelly’s June 8 letter, which includes information about the conclusion of this school year, including the last day of school on June 21. 

Graduate Grams – Last Call!

Last chance to order a Grad Gram for that special graduating student! The deadline to order is Wednesday, June 16. Click here to order.

MIHS Personalized Legacy Brick Order Deadline is Tuesday, June 15th.

Purchase a personalized Legacy Brick that will become a permanent part of Mercer Island High School at the amphitheater entrance to the commons. It’s a great idea to purchase now so your rising Sophomore, Junior or Senior can enjoy seeing their name while attending MIHS. View for more information and place an order.

Information for Senior Parents

Congratulations to the Class of 2021. Click here to see a replay of the graduation ceremony and the senior slideshow. Click here to see the June 6 Baccalaureate ceremony.

Message from MI PTA Council

MI PTA Council is proud to announce there will be a Committee of Special Services, Learning Differences and Abilities!

We will officially start this committee in September, but would like to invite interested parents to connect with us. The purpose of this committee is to Advocate for the advancement of the academic and social-emotional education of students with learning differences and abilities, ensuring every student is able to reach their full potential.

The Committee of Special Services, Learning Differences, and Abilities goals are:

• Provide support, information, resources, and education for parents regarding services, policies, and procedures for children with learning differences and abilities. 
• Facilitate a self-sustaining community of families of students with learning differences and abilities, including caregivers, educators, and other professionals. 
• Strengthen partnerships between district administration, staff, and parents to maximize the awareness of essential approaches and issues specific to educating students with learning differences and abilities. 
• Join with other advocacy organizations and families in promoting the improvement of system wide changes benefiting all students in Mercer Island schools and across Washington. 
• Assure the protection of the civil rights of students who receive special services and have learning differences and abilities. 

If you are interested in joining this committee please send an email to: advocacy@miptacouncil.org with your name and school. 

Thank You MIHS!

The MI PTSA Advocacy Team is sending out the following heartfelt message tomorrow to all of our Teachers and Staff for all their hard work this year.

PTSA News and Announcements

Advocacy Updates

Legislative Summary

Washington State PTAs were active in the recently concluded legislative session. Here is a summary of WSPTA’s legislative wins this session:

• School counselor funding at all grade levels
• Statewide youth tip line for mental health and safety funded
• Funding for two days of paraeducator training
• Flexibility in Learning Assistance Program funding
• Broadband and devices funding
• Seismic funding
• Lead in drinking water legislation
• Emergency waivers for graduation requirements
• Changes to College in the High School
• School meals/lunch co-pays for K-12
• Mitigating climate change
• Dismantling systemic racism

Click here to learn more about WSPTA Advocacy and here to read a summary of the 2021 legislative session.

MI PTA Community Scholarships

Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the MI PTA Community Scholarship Awards:

Annika Bhananker – Braman Writing Award
Peter Empey – CCR
Ava Motroni – CCR
Bella Hartman – CCR
Elissa Kresek – Crest
Megan Connoley – Crest
Grace Wilson – English
Nicholas Weiss – English
Katherine Francke – English
Mohamad Imran – Math
Nathaniel Cadicamo – Math
Renee White – Math
Jamisen Dowdy – Performing Arts
Jared Marcus – Performing Arts
Jessica Starnes – Performing Arts
Ann Hochberg – Performing Arts
Ryan Hsu – Science
Annika Vanderspek – Science
Kevin Bai – Science
Shoko Wichman – Social Studies
Rio Kemmotsu – Social Studies
Kevin Bai – Social Studies
Miya Nakata – Visual Arts
Killian Finneran – Visual Arts
Katherine Gregory – Modern Languages
Emily Yang – Modern Languages
Gian Angelo Roque – Modern Languages
Noah Hendelman – Principal’s Award
Jun Deng – Principal’s Award

MIHS News

Community Opportunities*

Volunteer Opportunity for High Schoolers – Join the MICF Student Board and Help us Market the Directory

The MI Community Connection Directory is an effort of MI Community Fund and partner organizations to help spread the word about board opportunities with the intent to be inclusive and provide a “directory” of community organizations who want to embrace the mission of diversity and inclusion to attract a broader representation of our MI community to board and leadership positions.

MICF is formalizing its program for student volunteers, which they’ve named the MICF Student Board. Expanding its board to include some younger, student voices is one more way they are working toward board diversity.  Students who volunteer will be exposed to the workings of the MICF board and will hopefully learn and grow from the experience.  MICF Student Board members will not only get a great title for their resumes, they’ll also get signed volunteer hours. 

For more information, please go to MICF Student Board Information – Sign Up Now – Google Docs, which includes a clickable link to the Google Form for high schoolers to indicate their interest.

League of Women Voters Climate Action Survey

Parents and students, we need you for climate action! Did you know that Mercer Island has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030? This will require civic engagement!  Mercer Island CAN has a mission to ensure that every Islander is aware of the climate goal and has an opportunity to contribute ideas and have input. Please help by taking this short survey before the end of May: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MICAN2021

Together we can make our community and world a better place.  You can learn more and get involved by visiting Mercer Island Can!

Mercer Island Can! is a project initiated by and part of a multi-city climate effort of the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County.

Ergon Student Exchange – Host Family Needed!

Host Marco, an Italian exchange student, and give your child a friend to share life with

There are now reasons for hope, with mass vaccination speeding up in the United States. Marco shares this hope and looks forward to his dream coming true of his exchange at MIHS in the  2021-22 school year. Click here to learn more about Marco and how to become a host family. Also, visit www.ergon-se.org or e-mail  info@ergon-se.org for more information. 

MIYFS Newsletter Relaunched

MIYFS has relaunched its newsletter, the MIYFS Monthly. You can find great community information and resources in this newsletter. Click here to sign up.

*Mercer Island High School PTSA (MIHS PTSA) and the Mercer Island School District have neither reviewed nor approved the programs, personnel, activities or organizations announced in these flyers or websites.  The participants agree to protect, indemnify, and hold harmless the district and MIHS PTSA, including elected and appointed officials, employees, agents, staff and volunteers, from any and all claims, liabilities, damages, expenses, or rights of action, directly or indirectly attributed to the activities.  Permission to distribute this information and or flyers should not be considered a recommendation of the programs by the school district or by the MIHS PTSA.  These are neither school district nor MIHS PTSA sponsored activities.

For additional news, please click on What’s New on our website, where you can scroll through all of our news posts.