MIHS PTSA News - October 8, 2023

10/6/2023 6:50 pm

PTSA NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS  

Special PTSA Membership Meeting

You are invited to attend a special general membership meeting on October 18, 2023 at 9am-9:30am on Zoom to discuss and vote on the following topic, vetted and proposed by vote of the MIHS PTSA Board:

 

Proposal: a vote to authorize allocating $20,000 to the Fitness Center renovation initiative, with funds coming from the unused Senior Activity Committee's Senior Party Funds from the Class of 2020. The proposal would allocate the funds as a gift from the Class of 2020. (This was the class that graduated without a Senior Party due to Covid-19).

 

More information about the project:

• Scott Rockfeld’s slide deck regarding the project is linked here
• And his organization is here: https://mihsfitnesscenter.org/ 

Join Zoom Meeting Here

 

Meeting ID: 721 530 9433
Passcode: 517509

 

MI Candidate Forum

Meet the candidates for MI School Board and City Council on October 18, 2023 at 7-8:30pm at Islander Middle School, doors open at 6:30pm. Some of these candidates will be making significant decisions impacting our elementary schools in the coming year. Here's your chance to learn more about them before you vote. If you'd like to submit a question, please click here. All questions for the candidates must be submitted by October 10th. No questions will be accepted on the night of the forum. The event will be held in person and have a digital option. Click here for more info.

 

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day" is a holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October in the United States, in lieu of Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, at its core, aims to celebrate and honor the past, present, and futures of Native peoples throughout the United States and acknowledges the legacy of colonialism, which has devastated Indigenous communities historically and continues to negatively impact them today.  Read more here...

 

Parent Edge Event: Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic -- And What We Can Do About It

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, Award-Winning Journalist, NY Times Bestselling Author

Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 5:30pm – 6:30pm PT, Virtual Event (Live)
Thursday, November 9, 2023, 12PM, Parent Circle Discussion

Featuring interviews with some Mercer Island families and Superintendent Fred Rundle, award-winning reporter Jennifer Wallace investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture, and finds out what we must do to fight back.

 

Achievement Pressure is a real thing in our community and we want to create a safe space to process what we know is true in the Mercer Island culture. Webinar presented by our program partner, The Parent Venture. Recording available post-event.

 

Register for the webinare: https://jenniferwallace2023smcoe.eventbrite.com 

 

The PTA Reflections Art Contest Call for Entries!

Celebrating student creativity, the PTA Reflections program helps students explore the arts. This year’s theme is I Am Hopeful Because...

 

To participate, students submit original works in any of six categories—literature, music composition, photography, visual arts, film/video, and choreography/dance—in response to the theme. We will be recognizing participants and winners with an in-person awards ceremony on March 4, 2024 and a real gallery showing! Details to be announced.

 

Enter by December 1st, 2023. Get all the details here. To enter, click here.

 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 - October 15

Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 to October 15 as a time to recognize and celebrate the many achievements, contributions and histories of our American Latinx and Hispanic communities. Read more here.

 

COMMUNITY EVENT: Screening of Short Film Take Me Home 

Please join us for a free community screening of the Sundance Film Festival award-winning short film, Take Me Home, on Thursday, Nov 2nd at 6 pm at the Northwood Elementary commons. Filmmaker Liz Sargeant and DEI trainer Molly Jordan will be present for an after film discussion on disability awareness and Asian American representation.  

 

This event is sponsored by the MIHS PTSA DEI committee, Make Us Visible WA, and Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington. Read more here.

 

Help Stock the Staff Mini Kitchen

As we start a new school year, please help the PTSA stock the mini kitchen in the high school staff lounge. The mini kitchen is a place where teachers can grab a quick snack for a little extra energy boost. It's one way we keep them encouraged and show our appreciation. Items purchased off of this wishlist will ship directly to the school. Your support is greatly appreciated! Purchase items here.

 

Information for MIHS Seniors and Senior Families

MI Pop Up Shop - Glassybabies, Glasses and Senior Sweatshirts!

Check out the unique and fun MI items for everyone! The MI Pop Up Shop is open for a very limited time - Sept. 27 - Oct. 9. So place your orders quickly! Click here to order

 

Sponsor: The MIHS PTSA Senior Activities Committee. All proceeds benefit the Senior Party, an event that provides a safe graduation night for all seniors. Questions: Contact: Emily Ferrari

 

Yearbook Portraits Due Dec. 15th

Custom senior portraits for the yearbook are OPTIONAL. The MIHS yearbook staff will use school ID images if they do not receive a senior portrait submission from you. Instructions are located here.

Email mihsportrait@gmail.com with questions.

 

Yearbook Grad Ad Submissions Due Jan. 12th

Grad Ads are an optional way for families to add personal pictures and reflections about students in the class of 2024. Ads can include one child, a group of kids, a team, a club, or any collection of students to celebrate graduation from MIHS. Grad Ad Instructions are located here.

 

Contact mihsyearbook2024@gmail.com with questions.

 

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

Mock SAT/ACT Tests

MIHS PTSA provides 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 to 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. 

 

MIHS News 

Mercer Island High School Marching Band

The MIHS Marching Band is one of six high school bands from across the nation that have been invited to march during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. This is such an honor for our student musicians and is the culmination of months of planning and support from our extraordinary Mercer Island Community. THANK YOU to everyone, including our island PTAs, for helping to make this experience a reality for our island teenagers.

 

A wonderful article that was recently published about our island’s marching band may be found here. Make sure you tune in on Thursday, November 23rd beginning at 9:00 a.m. on NBC to watch our beloved ‘Pride of the Island’ MIHS Marching Band. Thank you Mercer Island!

 

Seattle Competition for Young Entrepreneurs

This month, a group of young entrepreneurs, 3 seniors at MIHS, Benjamin Viafore, Nikesh Woerner, and Douglas Stovall, will run a business plan competition in partnership with the DECA chapter of Mercer Island High School. With the help of Jen McLellan, a teacher and advisor at Mercer Island High, the students created the non-profit The Seattle Competition for Young Entrepreneurs, or SCYE for short, which will host the competition on November 4th. The Seattle Competition for Young Entrepreneurs, features two rounds: first, participants submit one-pagers outlining their concepts by October 21st; second, the finalists will present their ideas and face questions on November 4th in front of a panel of judges. In order to make the competition as inclusive as possible, it is free to enter for all high schoolers in the greater Seattle area who can join teams of one to three to compete for cash prizes. A donation would be highly appreciated as the students need to cover the costs of running the competition as well as the costs of the prizes.
https://donorbox.org/the-seattle-competition-for-young-entrepreneurs

For more information, please see these boy’s website: https://thescye.com/ 

 

MIHS Playwriting Project

The Mercer Island High Drama Program's first event of the year is the annual Playwriting Project. In

cooperation with guest artists from Youth Theatre Northwest, five student playwrights have been selected to write a ten-minute play. Those plays will be directed by guests from YTN and performed by their fellow classmates. Please join us on Thursday, October 19th at 7pm in the MIHS Performing Arts Center (PAC) to celebrate new works by Izzy Ferrari, Kyle Gerstel, Paige Kirby, Macie Nordberg, and Tiger Yang.

 

ASB needs help with the Homecoming week and dance (October 11-14, 2023)

Volunteers are needed for the lunches leading up to and the day of the event with ticket sales, and also during the actual dance with set up and on-site attendees. Please sign up here.

   

MIHS College Visit

Check out this week's college visit schedule here. (click on the College Visits tab)

  

Daily Schedules

Get the 2023/24 Daily Block Schedule here.

 

Principal's Updates

Read the Principal Newsletters here.

 

MIHS Counseling

Get the MIHS Counseling Newsletters here.

 

Community News

 

MI Heathy Youth Initiatives Fall 2023 community programs now being offered. We are excited to offer a series of no-fee programs for MI parents and caregivers, for more information please go to https://www.mihealthyyouth.com/. 

 

Rotary Youth Exchange Program is a short term summer exchange between families, facilitated by Rotary Clubs at each end of the exchange. Click here for more info.

 

BridgeWhiz is a FREE online course designed to teach students in grades 4 through 12 the mind-building challenge, great fun, and competitive excitement of contract bridge, which will nurture your child’s team and individual competitive spirit. Build social skills. And enhance deductive reasoning and math abilities.