topPTSA#2.9.50                                                                               May 2, 2016

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MIHS News and Announcements
Parent help needed for:  
Class of 2017 & Class of 2019




Help Still Needed For The Cinco De Mayo Staff Appreciation Fiesta Lunch. Sign up here. 
SuSup

Counselors are marching into Spring

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CalendarEvents:*
May

May 2-6 - Staff Appreciation Week and AP Testing

May 9-13 - AP Testing

May 10 - Senior Wills/Map submissions due

May 11 - Drama Awards 7:00 p.m.

May 14 - Senior Prom 6:00 p.m.- 11:00 p.m.

May 16 - National Honor Society Induction 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

May 17-19 - SBAC & ELA Testing.
Click here for schedule

May 18-20 -  Late AP Testing

May 19 - MIHS Drama Improv Show 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

May 21 - Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship Award Ceremony
2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

May 25 - MIHS PTSA General Membership Meeting 9:30-10:30

**  Calendar information current as of 5/1/16.  Always check the District calendar for updates.
 
Have a Question about Student Life at MIHS? Maybe the Answer is in the MIHS Student Handbook:

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Join the PTSA!
Care to Volunteer?

 

PTSA 2015-2016 Executive Committee


President   Jayme Witman
VP/Elect   Jackie Brown
Secretary  Amy Melick
Co-Treasurer  Lesley Kalmin
Co-Treasurer  Kristen Glant
Co-VP Com. Monica Moline
Co-VP Com. Suzanne Riley
VP Outreach Betsy O'Connell
Co-VP Ops.  Kathy Bauman
Co-VP Ops.  Lori Coe
Co-VP Leg Adv Wendy Weiker & Hilary Benson
  
Parent Advisory Committee
 
Freshman Class of 2019
CC Crenshaw       
206-230-8282
Amie Fahey           206-232-2639
Loulia Howard      206-334-9915
Maryellen Johnson 206-420-8866
Betsy Robertson   206-230-4151
Emily Thompson   206-232-9881
Cara Williams       206-232-8446

Sophomore Class of 2018
Lisa Kittilsby         206-999-8494
Enas Muzio           425-736-3878
Molly Lambright   425-443-0258
 
Junior Class of 2017
Jane Rosenstein   206-275-1977
Ivy Suzuki-Jaecks 206-236-3485

Senior Class of 2016
Tanya Conger        206-453-3366
Kathy Gersch        425-269-9089
Kathy Umlauf        206-230-6449
 
MISD Advisory Council Rep
Debbie Hanson    206-236-3091 

MISD Board of Directors

Click name to link to email

Adair Dingle            
Ralph Jorgenson, President
                       

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legislation parentvolunteers
From Our PTSA President President
Islander Families,
 
As we begin the down hill slide of the school year, lots of events will be coming at you fast and furiously!
 
Thanks to all of those that attended and supported the Breakfast of Champions! Attendance was the largest in the history of the breakfast and helped raise aver $503k! It's not too late to donate! We will not be doing any supplemental fundraising at MIHS, so don't delay! Donate online HERE.
 
AP testing begins this week! Students taking AP tests will need to check teacher websites to ensure they are arriving at school on time for the tests. IMPORTANT..... Morning tests begin at 7:30am, NOT 8:00!  Also, students will NOT be able to leave the test upon completion, but will need to wait until they are dismissed by their teacher.  If your student has other school obligations, they should alert the teacher BEFORE the test begins to allow for accommodations.
 
Staff Appreciation week is THIS WEEK! Say thanks to our hard working staff at MIHS.  We had many wonderful parents provide breakfast goodies first thing this morning. We still could use help and food items for the Appreciation Lunch on Thursday.  Click here to sign up.
 
The National PTA REFLECTIONS contest has concluded and we are thrilled to announce that sophomore Jessica Waller received a second place Award of Excellence for her original musical composition "Adventures in a Faraway Land". she will receive an $800 scholarship along with a trip to Washington DC to accept the award. We are so proud of Jessica.
 
Parents of SENIORS- lots of activities happening NOW. Check out all of the "happenings" here. 
 
Check the DAILY BULLETIN to stay current on all of the events occurring over the next few weeks.

Beginning Tuesday, May 17th SBAC and ELA testing starts at MIHS.  10th & 11th graders will have testing that week and there will be a special schedule including late start times for some grades.  It is a good idea to check out the schedule and be prepared.  See the schedule link on the MIHS website here.
 
Superintendent Gary Plano's newsletter has lots of important information. See it here.

 
Go Islanders!
 
Jayme Witman
witman3@msn.com
PrincipalPTSAnewsBack to Top 
From Our Principalprinltr
Vicki Puckett
Email Vicki Puckett
Hello Parents:
 
Wow, what wonderful spring weather. Our students are amazingly staying focused in this hot weather.

Athletes for Kids: One of our students has been working on recruiting students to help with this program. Alex Shanks started this chapter for Mercer Island. Athletes for Kids is now accepting applications at Mercer Island High School through Alex!  We're looking for caring and enthusiastic Sophomore and Junior athletes who want to make a difference in the lives of a younger child with special needs.  Please email : Alex Shanks (student) if you are interested in learning more .
 
MIHS Summer School Program 2016: Summer school will run from June 28 to August 4. Classes offered on contract are Health, PE, WA State History, Moral Choices (Philosophy), various other Social Studies, English and Math classes, plus some "on-line" classes. Students taking English, Algebra and Geometry as focus or credit retrieval will have class daily i.e. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays. Tuition is $300. Students must attend class/appointments. The catalog and registration materials will be on the website very soon. Questions should be sent to the Director Vicki White Miltun at summerschool@mercerislandschools.org.
 
AP Examinations: May is a busy month. Please watch for details in the bulletin about library closure due to AP examinations. Space is tight around the building to do these examinations at the same time of running school.
 
MIHS Counseling Services Review: Mercer Island High School is strongly committed to preparing graduates for college, career, and beyond.  We could use your help to provide feedback regarding the counseling services at MIHS in order to identify the current strengths of the counseling program as well as opportunities to better prepare students for post-graduation planning.  Please click on the link below to complete the confidential survey.  It will take about 5-10 minutes to complete. Please complete prior to Monday, May 9th.  Thank you for your time and feedback!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dr. Cher Edwards who can be contacted at edwards@spu.edu. 
Survey link:
 
Seniors This Time of Year:  This is a challenging time of year for Seniors.  They are trying "flock the nest" so to speak but they are scared and don't want to admit it sometimes. They tend to be very emotional for the littlest issues. They either check out or they shed emotional behaviors (crying, anger, passive resistance) that sometimes create more challenges. Best advice is listen, listen, listen and patience, patience, patience.  Sheryl Ehrlichman, Counseling Secretary, is keeping up the Counseling Website with details about graduation activities.
 
Go Islanders!

Vicki Puckett
Principal

To see previous letters from Principal Vicki Puckett, click here 

PTSANews
From Our SuperintendentSuperintendent
Gary Plano Click here to see Superintendent Gary Plano's monthly message.

Visit the District Facebook page here.

Twitter: @mercerislandsd


MIHSNEWS VolunteersBack to Top 

PTSA News and Announcements PTSAawards
A Spring Tradition on MI: Graduate Grams
Every spring, the Mercer Island PTA Council produces and mails thousands of Graduate Gram greetings to the homes of Mercer Island students. Whether graduating from Preschool, Kindergarten, 5th grade, 8th grade, High School or College, all students love receiving these personalized certificates in the mail. Each hand prepared "Grad Gram" congratulates the recipient and acknowledges the sender.

Order Graduate Grams for your graduating seniors, neighbors, babysitters, children and their friends! All funds raised through the purchase of Graduate Grams go directly into the MI PTA Council Community Scholarship Fund which honors graduating seniors for their achievement, hard work, and attitude. 

Please click here to order. Thank you for supporting this wonderful MI tradition!

Need Graduation Gifts?
We are in the final quarter of the 2015-16 school year and graduation is right around the corner.  Your PTSA and various booster clubs have great gift ideas for your favorite Class of 2016 grad!  Senior yard signs, 
personalized bricks, graduation leis and more are all available.  Click here for order forms.
Nancy Schapps Memorial Grant
The Nancy Schapps Memorial Grant was established to support Mercer Island children who are currently facing the terminal illness of a parent, the recent death of a parent, or have a parent on active duty in the military.

Please nominate MISD students from your school community. Children may be nominated by a counselor, teacher, MISD staff member, parent, neighbor, etc.  Applications and information are available on the Mercer Island PTA Council website under Programs.  The grant application period is open until May 27th.  
Parent Volunteers Needed!
Teacher Appreciation Week
is this week!  May 2-6 
We have some great events planned to show the amazing MIHS staff how much we appreciate them, and we still could use some help! 

Our first event of the week will be a Continental Breakfast on Monday, May 2nd. The staff will be greeted first thing Monday morning with a fabulous spread planned by Jill Swaya and Kathy Umlauf. Thank you to all the parents who provided for today's breakfast!
 
On Tuesday, May 3rd, the MIHS PTSA will provide an Espresso Cart and professional barista to create custom coffee drinks for the entire staff.
 
On Thursday May 5th, the Staff will be treated to a Cinco De Mayo Fiesta Lunch. This will be our final Staff Appreciation event of the year, so let's make it a great one! Lots of volunteers are needed. If you can donate a food item (or two!) and/or your time at the lunch, please sign up here.
 
Please feel free to sign up for one or both of these events if you can. Your support is greatly appreciated!
And thank you for all you have done throughout the year to show your support for the MIHS staff. They really look forward to these events, and are very thankful for everything you do for them.
MIHS News (including Senior Info)SeniorMIHSNews
Check the MIHS website for the latest announcements and calendar information
C2017
Class of 2017 Senior Party Parent Chairs Needed:
Parent volunteers are needed to be in charge of organizing the Class of 2017 post-graduation party. This party is a long-standing MIHS tradition, and is a very special opportunity for Seniors to celebrate together after graduation in a safe and supervised situation. Planning for 2017 should begin now, in order to participate and learn from the current Senior class, and book the best party venues. This position can be shared by 2-3 Co-Chairs. Any parents of current Juniors who would like to be considered for this leadership position, or would like more info, should contact Betsy O'Connell at tboconnell@msn.com.

More help needed from Class of 2017 Parents 
The Baccalaureate planning committee is recruiting 2 volunteers to help coordinate the reception following the 2016 Baccalaureate Service. This event is an inter-denominational celebration that honors our graduating senior class.
This year the event will be hosted by the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, on Wednesday, June 15th at 7 p.m. The service lasts about an hour and will feature speeches and musical performances by students who have been selected by their fellow seniors. 
This is followed by a very low key reception. The evening  is meant to be a time for family, friends, and community leaders to gather together to celebrate and honor the senior class prior to graduation ceremonies the following night.
Generally as the coordinator for this job you will work with our senior parent Shelley Taylor to execute the reception piece. This would include:
~prepare/decorate the reception area  (table cloths, flowers etc.)  very low key
~organize the set up/clean up (you will have 3 junior volunteers for each shift: 6-7 and 7:45-8:45)
There may also be some time spent prior purchasing paper products, and working with the church to confirm what they have available for use.
We have senior parents available to help prior to the event as well but in an effort to allow them to enjoy the evening we reach out to the Junior Class to oversee the reception.
Thank you in advance for your help. Please contact Petra Varney at petravarney@comcast.net if you are able to help in this way.


Writing For College Workshop
Curtis Johnston and David Willecke are offering the 7th annual Writing for College workshop at Mercer Island High School, beginning June 27th! Lower your stress and get a jump start on senior year college admissions insanity.  Craft your admissions essay in a relaxed workshop atmosphere with on demand one-on-one guidance from people who have spent years mastering the personal essay.  We will help you write to your audience, maintain authentic voice, avoid the many common pitfalls that can lead to automatic denial, and more.  For more information, including how to register, click here. 
C2019
Parents of the Class of 2019
We are looking for parents to volunteer as "Class of 2019 - Parents." This role supports students and staff as we plan annual events, such as Homecoming and Prom. If you might be interested in learning more, contact Alexandra Baker or Susan Rindlaub by May 20th. Thank you.
All the world's a stage! Please join the Drama Department as they present their spring play, William Shakespeare's comedy, As You Like It. 

It's 1992 in Seattle. Join Rosalind, Orlando, Duke Senior and their friends as they run off to Gasworks Park, where they will encounter love at first sight, mistaken identity, and the music of the Seattle grunge scene.

Performances are in the MIHS Performing Arts Center on April 28-30 and May 5-7 at 7pm. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased from the cast or on campus during lunch for $10. Tickets purchased at the door are $15. Seniors 65+ and children under 7 are $5. Tickets may also be purchased online through the district website.

Questions? Please email Daniela Melgar at  
seniorannoucement

Class of 2016 Senior Announcements:

Graduation Links now live!  Click here for up to date information and FAQs from our Counseling Department about dates, tickets, venue details, check out procedures, etc.

Class of 2016 Senior Party. Sign up now to guarantee your spot! Click here for more info and to sign up.
Senior Wills and Graduation Map submissions are due May 10th.  Visit MIHSislanders.org to submit information.
Important dates:
  • Tuesday, May 10:  Senior Wills and Post-Graduation Map submissions due.
  • Wednesday, June 15, 7:00 pm: Baccalaureate - Emmanuel Episcopal Church.
  • Thursday, June 16, 7:00 am: Senior Breakfast, MIHS Gym
  • Thursday, June 16, 7:00 pm: Graduation, Key Arena
  • Thursday, June 16, 10:00 pm - 6:00 am: Senior Party (location TOP SECRET)volunteers 
 COUNSELORS   LegandAdv                                                                                                                                         Back to Top 
Legislation and Advocacy
Basic education is vital to creating successful students, employees, and contributors to our community and economy.

A challenging question posed by the Seattle Times:


Then join the discussion with our PTA advocacy team (advocacy@miptacouncil.org), made up of interested parents, teachers, and other community stakeholders.

Why are our students underperforming? Could it be related to the fact that Massachusetts spends almost $15K per pupil, while Washington spends about $10K? Did you know that Mercer Island ranks 144th out of 295 Washington districts for per pupil spending, INCLUDING donations to PTA and the foundation, and that funding may be at risk. Want to learn more? Mercer Island School District Per Student Funding Data Sheet 

Another good source on education funding is The Greater Good Campaign - The Seattle Times.    
 
To become even more informed, see our webpage link above.
 CLUBSANDATHLETICS
MIHS Clubs and Athletics Announcements sportsmeeting
MIHS All Season Sports Passes are on sale
This year the school has moved to a punch card system.  Punch cards are good for any regular season varsity event and come in 10 game cards.  They are available from the ASB office, or purchase Online (login with Skyward information, choose "Items at students school", "Sports", "Season Pass".  Cards purchased online may be picked up in the ASB office beginning September 8th.
 
MIHS Counselors Are In Touch!Counseling
Our MIHS Academic Counselors will be providing parents with a monthly Counseling Center Update Letter.  It will be posted on the Counseling Center webpage, and we will link to the letter in our weekly newsletter. See below for this month's information.

High school and beyond plans, summer programs, MIHS summer school, running start, MIHS Presidential Scholar Candidates, college information for Juniors, Juniors SAT-ACT information, and AP exam registration are all discussed in this month's update:  Click Here to download and read the full letter. 

More information from the Counseling Center can be found here.

Questions can be directed to MJ Hillstrom, College Counselor
 Community
In the Community
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. 
Get Updated On What's Going On Around Mercer Island                                     
Want to know more about City of Mercer Island events, hot topics and seasonal programming? Curious about Parks and Recreation activities or Youth & Family Services volunteer opportunities?  Click here for the City's website and explore the various tabs to learn the most up-to-date information about these topics and more: http://www.mercergov.org/Index.asp
 
Programs in our Community - 
The MIHS PTSA has not reviewed or endorsed these programs.  See above.
2016 SUMMER PROGRAM: BIOINFORMATICS-CODING FOR MEDICINE
ORGANIZED with the Washington Student Science Association (WSSA)
SESSION CHOICE: July 5-18 OR July 20- Aug 2 (10 working days)
10am-2pm
Bellevue College location
Course Fee $750 (10% discount with a friend)
REGISTRATION link: http://coding4medicine.com
BIOINFORMATICS is the hottest emerging area of STEM with all major universities and colleges including Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, U Washington and others developing cutting-edge programs. This is a major focus of investment for technology companies such as GOOGLE etc and many job opportunities are being created in this field. Skills are much in demand in this high STEM job growth area.  Our STEM summer program 2016 will open the doors of this exciting field to students thinking of future careers in biology, computer science and medicine. The course is led by Dr M Samanta who has extensive experience in BIOINFORMATICS and is an International Maths Olympian and ex-NASA scientist.
 
Get a Jump Start on Summer!  Grab your friends, lace up your shoes and come run or walk the YoungLife 5K at Luther Burbank.  It's one of the only events around where the finish line is in Lake Washington! All finishers earn a MI Young Life beach towel.  Prizes for best team costumes, fastest 5K for >15 years and fastest <14 years.  June 11 at 9:30AM.  For more information and to register visit:  mercerisland.younglife.org.

Two Mercer Island High School Graduating Senior Women to be Awarded Scholarships-You are invited to the Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship Award Ceremony 
The Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship Fund Board welcomes President Obama's sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, as guest speaker at our 7th Annual Scholarship Award Ceremony on May 21 from 2 -4 pm at the Congregational Church on Mercer Island. This year, we will award $5,000 college scholarships to two MIHS senior women whose strong academic records and volunteer service in the wider community demonstrate the values that Stanley Ann Dunham, a 1960 graduate of MIHS, practiced in her life and passed on to her children, Maya and Barack. The ceremony is free and open to the public. There will also be a private fundraiser following the ceremony to raise money for our scholarships and to meet Dr. Soetoro-Ng ($150 minimum donation). For more information, please visit our website here.  
You can also email us at dunhamscholarship@gmail.com. 
Be a Part of Island History!
In less than five months, the beautiful Northwood Elementary will open its doors to a parliament of owls.  A new school hasn't opened on Mercer Island since 1963, when JFK was President, Martin Luther King had a dream, and Beatlemania began!
 
To commemorate this milestone moment, the Northwood PTA is offering all families, friends, staff, and supporters of Northwood Elementary the opportunity to leave a permanent, personalized mark on a brick in Northwood's unique outdoor play area.  For further information and to view all the possible options, please check our website at here.  This opportunity will only be open until June 30, 2016.  If you have any questions, please contact jsytman@mac.com.

The Mercer Island Visual Arts League (MIVAL) Scholarships:
is now accepting applications from Mercer Island High School seniors for 3 scholarship grants of $700 each. Applicants must be entering a university, community college or art institution, with the intention of pursuing an art major or continuing in the visual arts field. Applications are available from Ms. Totten, Mr. Wick or Ms. Mintz or directly from MIVAL at president@MIVAL.org.

Founded in 1961, MIVAL is a member run, non-profit, visual arts organization located on Mercer Island. MIVAL hosts three annual shows (Treasures in Miniature (April), Summer Celebration/Junior Art Show (July) and Holiday Show (November/December)) and operates the MIVAL Gallery located next to the Baskin-Robbins in downtown Mercer Island. MIVAL's scholarships support emerging, committed and deserving high school visual artists who will to continue their art education after high school. MIVAL works closely with the Mercer Island Arts Council. For MIVAL membership and other information see www.MIVAL.org.

Camp Biomed Presented by the Northwest Association of Biomedical Research
Our goal is to inspire students entering grades 9-12 to consider a career in biomedicine, biotechnology or bioengineering through immersion in the biomedical research community.  Camp subjects include Cancer Laboratory and Do-It-Yourself Biology, Next Gen Science-Origami of Life with Bioinformatics, and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)-Solving a Murder Mystery.  For more information click here.
 
Mercer Island Youth and Family Services - VOICE Program Registration
VOICE (Volunteer Outreach in Communities Everywhere): 
Current 8th-11th  graders. 
This summer, MIYFS is offering two summer volunteer opportunities for youth. The middle school SVP program is open to current 6th and 7th grade students, and VOICE is open to current 8th - 11th grade students who would like to participate in volunteer projects throughout the summer.  These programs give Mercer Island students the opportunity to raise their social awareness by working directly with populations in need around the greater Seattle area while volunteering alongside their peers.  SVP and VOICE projects are plentiful and diverse- by participating with the program one might cook a meal at a homeless shelter, tutor a child in need, participate in recreational activities with people with disabilities, build a hiking trail in Snoqualmie, and much more. We are excited to announce we have increased our nonprofit partnerships, and will work with over SIXTY nonprofits this summer!
 
Registration will open at 10:00am on Wednesday, March 16th and will close at 5:00pm on Wednesday, April 27th. See our website www.mercergov.org/voice for more information and to register.
 
The 2016 VOICE/SVP programs will run from June 27 - August 19.
 
For more information contact Tambi Cork, Youth Development Program Coordinator at Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, at 206.275.7755 or tambi.cork@mercergov.org.

2016 International Summer Spanish Programs & Youth Sport Camps
 with Homestay in Barcelona, Spain 
SpainBcn- Summer Camps are designed for boys and girls, junior and teens, who want to practice their favorite sport and/or improve their Spanish, enjoy a complete cultural program in a fun, safe and nurturing environment with youth participants from all over the world.

To learn more about SpainBcn-Summer Camps please visit: 

Question

Question of the Week
Q:  What happens at the end of the year? My kid still has lunch money in their ASB card, how does he return his school books, how do we get our yearbook? How do I know if my student owes any fines?

A:  Great questions! Class's text books and library books should be returned AFTER your student completed their final exam in each class. Any outstanding monies on their lunch account will be carried over to next year. Yearbooks will be available to pick up during lunch several weeks before school is out. Your student should listen to the daily bulletin to learn about pick up opportunities. Fines owed are listed on your students SKYWARD account. These fines must be paid before the end of the year in order to check out text books next fall OR reserve a student parking spot.


Calendar information for future reference:
This event calendar is different than the student calendar which is bargained in advance with school start and end dates, vacations and service days.  Those calendars have been set for 16-17, 17-18, and 18-19 and are located on the District Website under News and Events on the Student Calendar page.


P.S.
We are leaving the schedule links here in the event you have not bookmarked them:

and the 

If you bookmark this page you will be able to check schedules on your computer or smartphone. Seven period weeks take place during "short weeks", testing weeks, and Showcase weeks. Schedules are also adjusted during finals.  

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