MIHS PTSA News – October 24, 2021

10/24/2021 1:00 pm

What's New This Week!

Mandarin Outreach Event

Friday, October 29th | 10am, MIHS Library Presentation Room
Mercer Island High School is hosting its first-ever Mandarin Outreach Event. Mandarin-speaking families are invited to hear ways to navigate MIHS academics and culture. You can meet and hear tips from Assistant Superintendent Fred Rundle, MIHS Principal Walter Kelly, academic Counselor Rachel Auffant, MIYFS Counselors Chris Harnish and Caleb Visser, PTSA Co-President Debbie Burke, and MIHS parents.
Questions? Please contact Julie Ogata Ciobanu, PTSA VP of DEI (embed my diversity@mihsptsa.org e-mail, please)

Advocacy

Remember to VOTE November 2nd!
Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, November 2nd. Please remember to vote! Ballots must be postmarked by November 2nd or returned to a Ballot Drop Box by 8pm. Online Voter Registration Deadline is October 25th for King County elections. See King County Elections website to register or for more information

Did you miss the Candidate Voters Forum last Tuesday organized by the League of Women Voters and the MI PTA Council? Check out a recording of the Candidate Forum Here.

Parent Edge

PEPS for Parents of Adolescents and Teens
6-week program Nov. 1 – Dec. 13  | Mondays 6:30-8:30 PM

MIYFS and the MI Healthy Youth Initiative are partnering with PEPS to offer a FREE 6-week online pilot program specifically for parents of kids age 10-18.  The Program for Early Parent Support (PEPS), is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization which has helped parents connect and grow as they begin their journey into parenthood since 1983.

 

The series will run November 1 – December 13 and will meet on Mondays from 6:30-8:30 pm.  The sessions will include time to share highs and lows and will feature a topic each week.  Meetings will be led by a Group Leader with a background in adolescent development and psychology, trained in group facilitation. Visit MIHealthyYouth.com for more information.

 

Mercer Island Healthy Youth Forum:  Moving Forward
Monday November 8, 2021  |  6:30-8:30 PM  | Virtual

As the Mercer Island community continues to move forward during and beyond the pandemic, the Healthy Youth Initiative will recenter our work on ensuring the wellbeing and resilience of the youth and young adults in our community.

 

Mercer Island students, parents, community members and leaders are invited to join us for the Mercer Island Healthy Youth Forum to:

• Learn about current youth trends
• Engage in dialogue
• Identify MI community priorities

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Jason Kilmer, Assoc. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, will share key findings from the WA State COVID-19 Student Survey.

 

Anyone interested in the health and wellbeing of Mercer Island youth is invited to attend. Your voice is valued!

Band Together Celebration

Thursday October 28 | 6-8.30 pm @ MIHS Stadium

Band Together, the annual fundraiser for our MISD 5-12th grade band programs, is back! Join us at MIHS Stadium during the rehearsal for All Island Band Night to enjoy hot drinks and treats under cozy tents, catch up with friends, preview the performance, and bid on fun auction items including exciting vacations, wine packages, desserts, and more! The whole family is welcome so we hope you’ll come, have fun, and give, but no tickets or purchases are required! Here you can learn more and bid on the fabulous silent auction items in support of our band program!

Click here for the MIHS weekly schedule

PTSA News

Call for entries: The 2021-2022 PTSA Reflections arts contest is now open

Celebrating student creativity, the PTSA Reflections program helps students explore the arts and express their creativity. The theme this year is I Will Change the World by…

To participate, MIHS students submit original works of art in response to the theme in any of six categories or the special artist division: Literature, music composition, photography, visual arts, film/video, and choreography/dance. View our PTA Reflections Art Contest page for complete details. DEADLINE for submissions is November 30, 2021.

Mock SAT/ACT Tests

MIHS PTSA provides 6 testing opportunities as a chance to practice a real test, become familiar with a testing environment, and help identify which testing platform is best for each individual student. All this in a ‘Mock’ situation where tests are not recorded or submitted to any high school or college organization. This is a perfect chance to ‘try out’ these tests.

Learn more about the Mock SAT/ACT tests offered by the PTSA.

Parent Edge

“Healthier Approach to College Admissions” – November 9 at 7PM.
Program is appropriate for parents with students in grades 8-12.
Register at miparentedge.org
“Forefront Youth Suicide Prevention for Parents” – November 17 at 7PM
Register at miparentedge.org

President’s Letter

Greetings MIHS families!

We want to take a minute this week to recognize our incredible kids!  Our students run SO much at the High School (with advisor support!).  Many parents do not know that ASB leadership actually runs the big school events like Homecoming, Tolo, and Prom. There are also spirit groups, a student newspaper, a student-run radio station, and a zillion clubs!  Student representatives also serve on multiple advisory councils, are part of focus groups, and are often the main agents for action and change at MIHS. It is truly amazing to see what our students can accomplish!  

However, as parents, it can also be really easy to feel disconnected with what is happening at the school.  Gone are the days where PTSA parents organize and run every event (we still do a lot at the HS – but our involvement is very different than at the lower grade levels!).  Want to know more about what is happening at MIHS?  Check out the Daily Bulletinfound in the Students tab on the MIHS website! You can learn all about which athletic teams are playing on a particular day, find the college visits schedule, and read current club/student announcements and events.

Academic support services began this past week!  This program is funded by the PTSA.  You can find a detailed list of subjects offered and the days/times available for extra help HERE. To find this information without the link, go to the MIHS website, then to the “Students” tab, then select “Academic Support Sessions”.

Principal Kelly’s Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) had its first meeting of the year. One big topic for discussion:  “How are our kids doing this fall?”  General observations were: the return back to in-person schooling has shown a higher energy level in students at school, and they seem to be very engaged in discussions. In other words, “overall glad to be back”!  Combined with that, stamina seems to be lower for some (students may be more easily exhausted and at times overwhelmed), and there may be a need for more “down time” in order to recharge. There has been a decrease overall in student participation in extracurricular activities across the board (fine arts, sports and clubs), but attendance at in-person events this fall has increased in comparison with previous years.  Education-wise, teachers are working to help students overcome any learning gaps in skills.  The transition between classes that build (for example: Algebra 1 to Algebra 2, Physics 1 to Physics 2, etc…) is where this is the most noticeable. Information about the PAC can be found HERE.  

Don’t forget that during the first week of November, MIHS will have a modified schedule due to the administration of State testing (linked here and below). While State assessments are normally given in the spring, OSPI postponed the spring 2021 tests until the fall of 2021. Therefore, the assessments given in November will be reflective of the grade students were in during the 2020-21 school year. For Example:

• A student enrolled in grade 9 in fall 2021 will take the 8^th grade Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA)& the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).
• A student enrolled in grade 11 in fall 2021 will take the 10^th grade Smarter Balanced Assessments(SBA) & the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).
• A student enrolled in grade 12 in fall 2021 will take the 11^th grade Smarter Balanced Assessments(SBA) & the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).

Yes, it’s a goofy testing schedule this year, but chalk it up to one of the many, many disruptions due to last year’s Covid shutdown. The modified school schedule for the fall State testing can be viewed here.

Please put these Upcoming Parent Edge Programs on your calendar!

• “Healthier Approach to College Admissions” –  November 9 at 7PM. 
  • Program is appropriate for parents with students in grades 8-12. 
  • Register at miparentedge.org
• “Forefront Youth Suicide Prevention for Parents” – November 17 at 7PM
  • Register at miparentedge.org

Finally, Election Day is coming up, so please remember to vote! Ballots must be postmarked by November 2nd or returned to a ballot drop box by 8pm on November 2nd. On October 12th the League of Women Voters and the MI PTA Council hosted a Mercer Island Candidates Forum. In case you missed it, you can check out the recording HERE.

Have a great week,  everyone!

Maria Alberto and Debbie Burke
MIHS PTSA Co-Presidents

Information for MIHS Seniors and Senior Families

Caps and Gowns Orders and Yearbook Submission Information is found on our “Fall Tasks for Seniors” page.

• Yearbook Senior Portraits Due December 17, 2021
• Grad Ad Submissions are Due February 18, 2022

Remember you can also check the Seniors tab on the PTSA website for more information.

MIHS News

Schedule This Week

2021-2022 AP Exam Registration and Payment Info

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams are not placement exams for high school courses; they are college-level assessments that potentially allow students to earn college credit before leaving high school.  
AP Exams are designed for students currently enrolled in College Board AP courses, but may also be appropriate for students who have learned the requisite knowledge in other ways (home-school, self-study, etc).
This year, exams will take place May 2 – May 13, 2022.  Click the link below for up-to-date information. 

• MIHS 2021-22 AP Exam Registration & Payment Information for AP Students

Principal’s Updates

Read Principal Walter Kelly’s October 22nd letter.

MIHS Counseling Center

Click here to read the October 2021 Newsletter.

Community Opportunities

The Bush School – Parent University | October 26 at 5:00pm
Professor Lebowitz is the author of, Breaking free of Child Anxiety and OCD and the Program Director for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center. One in three children experiences a clinically impairing anxiety disorder during their development. Coupled with the escalation of child anxiety during the past two years of the pandemic, anxiety is now the most common mental health concern among youth. This talk will provide parents with
practical tools for helping their child overcome anxiety. Dr. Lebowitz will introduce parents to SPACE, a novel, scientifically supported, and completely parent-based treatment for childhood and adolescent anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In an effort to make parenting resources more accessible to families, all virtual Parent University events are free to the greater Seattle and Methow communities, but please be sure to register in advance.