MIHS News – September 5, 2021

9/5/2021 3:48 pm

PTSA News and Announcements

MIHS PTSA Welcome Back Coffee & General PTSA Meeting

Friday, September 10th | 9:00-10:30am, MIHS Lower Commons. 
Meet the MIHS Principal, Counselors and other MIHS support staff. There will be tables where you can meet representatives and learn more about MI ParentEdge, MI Schools Foundation, MI Youth and Family Services, PTA Advocacy, PTA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and sign up to volunteer. The Coffee is a casual and fun way to learn about all our programs while mingling with other parents. NOTE: Please check in at the MIHS FRONT OFFICE.Street parking is available.

Parent Edge

Supporting Re-Entry – Middle and High School | Monday, Sept. 27th | 7:00pm
This program is part of the MI Parent Edge & MIYFS “Parent Support Series” and is intended for parents of students in middle and high school.  MIYFS Counselors will share information and answer questions. Topics include:  

• Expected behaviors during the transition back to a (somewhat) normal school year.
• How to support your child in rekindling friendships and socializing.
• Helping your child build stamina to prepare for their return to school and activities.
• Bring your questions for our MIYFS counselors for the Q&A session!

Register and get more information on other Parent Edge events.

PTSA Store & Directory

Visit the MIHS PTSA Store & Directory to see everything our PTSA has to offer this year. Returning parents and parents of IMS students: Your login and password from last year will carry over to this year. New to Mercer Island School District: Click here and follow the instructions to set up an account.

PTSA Membership Drive Has Launched!

Renew your PTSA Membership and get immediate access to our online MIHS PTSA School Directory.  Your PTSA Membership supports our advocacy work for students and teachers at the local, state and federal level.  Purchase your membership in your Membership Toolkit account – here. 

Contribute to MIHS PTSA Annual Giving campaign to help enrich the lives of students, staff and families every day.
Your contributions make a difference to the students and teachers at MIHS.  Your contributions to the Annual Giving Campaign, Friends of the Library and PTSA Membership are tax deductible.  Make your gift today!

This is what your MIHS PTSA Contribution supported during the School Year 2019-20:

• For 2020-21: $15,300 in classroom enrichment grants – ASB Leadership training, interview attire, drama workshops and a YTN playwriting project, equipment for Crest students, music artist in residence, Jazz symposium
• Here is more of what your dollars support.

Information for MIHS Seniors and Senior Families

Dear Seniors and Senior Families:

Welcome to an amazing year of your lives. We hope this is a year of celebration, joy, and rich memories of time spent together.  But it’s a busy year.  In order to help all our Seniors and their families navigate this year, we hope to share as much information, as early as possible, so planning can take place.

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

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.

President’s Letter

Dear MIHS Parents: 

Welcome Back!!

It has been amazing to see the energy and happiness in the hallways at MIHS as students returned to school this past week!  We hope your family had a great first week.  Kudos to our MIHS staff for working hard to provide a safe start to our school year.

We hope that your students are beginning to embrace Back to School routines. The summer-to-school transition can be challenging, and even more so this year with returning to in-person learning after a year and a half of virtual and hybrid schedules. If your student is struggling a little, just know that they are in good company.

PTSA Welcome Back Coffee and Membership Meeting

We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming MIHS PTSA Welcome Back Coffee and General Membership Meeting this Friday, September 10th from 9:30am-11:30am at MIHS in the Lower Commons. The Coffee is a casual and fun way to learn about our programs while mingling with other parents, and consider signing up for one (or more) of the myriad of available volunteer opportunities! During the meeting you will hear from Principal Kelly and be introduced to MIHS administrative and counseling staff, as well as meet this year’s MIHS PTSA board members. We will be voting to approve the updated PTSA Standing Rules and Budget for the 2021-2022 school year. Coffee and packaged pastries will be served, and street parking will be open!

Join the PTSA!
There is no better way to connect with other parents, hear about important decisions and changes in the school, and participate in how we support enriching our children’s education at Mercer Island High School than joining the PTSA. Your MIHS PTSA membership provides you voting privileges at our MIHS PTSA Membership meetings and voting representation for children’s advocacy at the State and Federal level.  We encourage you to join MIHS PTSA!

Please also consider donating to our Annual Giving Campaign. Membership fees and donations support so many great programs at MIHS including before and after school tutoring, classroom enrichment grants, parent education (Parent Edge) lecture series, counseling department initiatives, staff appreciation lunches, and more.  None of this would be possible without your support and generosity.  Thank you!

Homecoming Weekend
We have been receiving many questions regarding plans for Homecoming, which is coming up on October 15/16. There will be a homecoming football game against Juanita on Friday, October 15th. The status of the traditional Friday afternoon parade is pending. MIHS is not allowed to hold a dance due to DOH guidelines. However, pending any additional curve balls that may arise due to Covid, the MIHS Administration and ASB Leadership are working together on an alternative plan for a celebratory event on October 16th. Save the date and stay tuned for more details!

Best wishes as you wind down your summertime fun over this long weekend and we hope to see you at the Coffee/General Membership meeting on Friday.  Grab your masks and come connect with other parents!

Go Islanders!

Maria Alberto & Debbie Burke
MIHS PTSA Co-Presidents
president@mihsptsa.org 

MIHS News

Schedule This Week

Click here for the MIHS Daily Schedule.

Click here for the 1st Semester Lunch Schedule.

Principal’s Updates

Read Principal Walter Kelly’s August 20th letter which includes information about the upcoming school year, including bell schedules.

Click here for MIHS Back to School FAQs.

Community Opportunities

Back to School Mental Health Series at the SJCC
Friday, September 10th | 9am – 3:30pm on Zoom, Free
In partnership with Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, Mercer Island Therapy, and Jewish Family Services, the JCC is offering a Mental Health workshop series to support families as they prepare their children for the new school year. Covid has taken a toll on students and many are stressed and worried about going back and wondering if they will have the same friends, if they will be behind academically or if they will get sick. With all this in mind, the SJCC has put together three virtual programs to help families navigate these challenges.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
For adult caregivers supporting teens, ages 13-18

Parks & Recreation Community Survey
Folks have been out enjoying parks all summer long, and as we head into back-to-school season, this is a great time to share your experiences and feedback for the future. See this article for more information on the background to the survey, an important piece to engaging our community.

The online, community-wide survey is now live- right here! The community survey closes at 11:59 pm on September 17.