Hello Islander Parents:

 

Welcome back to the 2014-15 school year!

 

Renovation Update:

Our school year is already gearing up with a renovation going on currently on our site adding 10 new classrooms and changing our parking lot to improve the flow of traffic at drop off and pick up. Our goal is to complete the parking lot improvements no later than end of August. The classroom addition will be completed by September of the following school year, 2015-16. We will have some challenges throughout the year working with our site being under construction but I am confident we will all live through this process and in the end we will have new classrooms to accommodate classes for our students.

 

Temporary Visitor Parking: If you come to the high school this summer, parking is available in the "B" lot on the north side of campus. Turn into the main entrance, but rather than turning right towards the front of the school, drive along the west side of the gymnasiums and around the north side of the school. To enter the school use the north Commons entrance. There will be signs to the Main Office. There is also parking in the Stadium Lot. Visitors just need to walk to the north Commons entrance from there. Do not enter the fenced in area - it is obviously a construction zone. We hope to have the main parking lot (by the main entrance of the school) completed by mid August. STAY TUNED for future updates and parking instructions for Fee and Photo Days.

 

Administrative Changes

There have been some changes in staffing that occurred through the summer. Jeff D'Ambrosio, Associate Principal resigned in mid July to accept a middle school Associate Principal position in his previous school district (Snoqualmie SD) before coming to Mercer Island HS. This allowed Jeff to meet his family needs better. We will miss him. I am pleased to announce that his replacement, Henterson Carlisle, has been hired. You'll learn more about Henterson in upcoming editions of the PTSA newsletter. 

 

MIHS Welcomes New Staff

This year we have 14 new/returning staff members join us at MIHS. Please welcome:

 

Marie Coffren-Barton - French

Clay Laughary - Business Tech & Math

Tracy Mintz - Art

Brook Bowers - Chemistry

Lori Kelton - Health

Andrea Cusak - Resource/Special Education

Kelsay Cohran - Spanish

Jen McLellan - Business Marketing (returning)

Guari Shirali-Deo - Special Education

Melanie Vandenberg - (returning from Leave of Absence)

Annika Nicholas - Administrative Assistant

Mark Zmuda - Associate Principal

Henterson Carlisle - Associate Principal

NEW Special Ed. Teacher - TBD

 

Administration

At MIHS we essentially have 4 principals. We all have different roles. Each Associate Principal has unique duties and primary responsibilities: For specific student needs here is the breakdown:

 

Henterson Carlisle - Students' last names that start with A - Le

Jamie Prescott - Students' last names that start with Lf- Z

Mark Zmuda - All students' Needs w/ Athletic Needs/ Concerns

 

Fees & Photos Islander Day:

More details will come soon on the school website here.

 

Monday August 25, 2014

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Seniors

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Freshmen

 

Friday, August 29, 2014

8:00 AM - 11:00 AM, Juniors

12:00 PM - 2:30 PM, Sophomores

 

View Calendar Updates of Events

To help with your planning in August and for the school year, please go to our MIHS website, and on the right hand side of the front page is a link to click on our calendar of events.  Link to Calendar

 

I look forward to a new start and seeing our students again. Thank you for helping your Islander students get prepared for the opening of school.

 

Go Islanders!

Vicki Puckett

Principal

 

To see Vicki's previous Principal's letter, click here.

 

I am excited to welcome you back to another terrific year of learning and teaching at Mercer Island High School. Summer has been a busy time for us, and I want to share a few updates with you. Associate Principal Jeff D'Ambrosio left MIHS in July to take a position as a middle school principal with the Snoqualmie Valley School District. I want to thank Jeff for his two years of loyal and dedicated service to our students and parents. I am pleased to welcome Henterson Carlisle to the Mercer Island School District as associate principal at Mercer Island High School. Henterson is a highly qualified school administrator and comes to us having served as principal and assistant principal with Seattle Public Schools. Henterson received a Bachelor of Science degree from Portland State University in economics and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Washington, having graduated from the Danforth program. Henterson began his teaching career with Seattle schools teaching mathematics, reading and science at the middle level. He served for a number of years as assistant principal at Madrona Middle School, the African-American Academy and Madison Middle School.  Henterson was promoted to Principal and Madison where he served for four years. Madison Middle School was named a school of distinction. Henterson joins a hugely talented team of school leaders, and I look forward to working with him.

 

We have been busy making changes to entry at MIHS and getting ready for the new 10-classroom addition! The reconfiguration of the main parking area off SE 42nd at the front entry is undergoing significant changes. The new dedicated parent drop off lane should ease congestion along 40th and provide a safe place for students to arrive in the morning and wait to be picked up after school. The parking area will retain the same number of stalls for visitor and staff parking. Two electric car charger stations are being added.   The entry location to the parking lot is slightly modified but in the same location. A new exit from this parking lot directly to SE 42nd is being installed to reduce congestion. All work for this project is on schedule and the lot will be available for the start of school.

 

The other portion of work at the High School is the addition of 10 classrooms. Each of the east/west wings, the 100, 200, and 300 halls is being extended east to provide approximately 15,000 square feet of additional teaching space. All permits have been issued, our contractor is on board, and work will begin in mid to late August. A portion of the parking lot adjacent to the music wing will be used by the contractor for trailers, material storage and parking but the lot will remain open for fire access, special needs transportation and after hours parking.

 

The High School addition will displace the existing bus loop at the school. In the final design, bus loading/unloading will occur off of a widened shoulder with new sidewalks along the west side of 92nd Avenue SE. While construction takes place, through the 2014-15 school year, morning drop off and pick up by yellow bus will be in the bus zone, adjacent to the High School entry, along SE 42nd. For Metro buses, drop off in the morning will be made along 86th Avenue SE at the intersection of SE42nd and 92nd. In the afternoon, Metro buses will stage and load students in front of the District Administration building on the existing loop drive.

 

Please enjoy these warm summer days and evenings, and I wish you and our high school students the best school year yet!