As the long summer days continue winding down, Mercer Island School District (MISD) students’ return to classes sits on the horizon. Aug. 28 is go time for all pupils in grades K-12.
MISD announced that Aug. 13 was the opening day for parents to verify their information online through the RSVP process. They can log into their Skyward Family Access accounts and complete myriad district forms, permission slips, notifications and other information required for when schools roll back into session at https://tinyurl.com/3nydwx45.
Also on Skyward, parents can view students’ schedules, daily attendance, food service account information and report cards and test scores.
On the first-day front for Island Park, Lakeridge, Northwood and West Mercer elementaries, Aug. 28 will be a typical early-release Wednesday with a 9:10 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. schedule for K-5 students. All RSVP forms must be completed prior to opening day. At Lakeridge and West Mercer, kindergartners won’t have classes on Sept. 3-5 due to WaKIDS conferences.
Over at Islander Middle School on Aug. 28, sixth-graders and WEB leaders will attend school from 8:25 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. with lunch from 10:55-11:20 a.m; seventh- and eighth-graders and WEB leaders’ schedule will be from 11:25 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. without a lunch. All RSVP forms must be completed prior to today.
The initial day at Mercer Island High School will commence with a welcome for freshmen from 8-11 a.m. in the main gym. The full schedule was not yet posted on the district site as of the Reporter’s press time.
Within the district’s back to school resources page, which contains frequently asked questions regarding RSVP and information for all schools, parents are asked to long onto Skyward to determine their child’s placement. For grades K-5, placement schedules open at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 23; for grades 6-8, schedules open at 8 a.m. on Aug. 20; and for grades 9-12, schedules open at 4 p.m. on Aug. 16. For full resource information, visit https://tinyurl.com/46mkw57m.
A host of upcoming noteworthy events for elementary schools include open houses at Island Park (11 a.m. to noon on Aug. 27), Lakeridge (3-4 p.m. on Aug. 27), Northwood (3-4 p.m. on Aug. 27) and West Mercer (3-4 p.m. on Aug. 27); and a question-and-answer session with Lakeridge Principal Heidi Christensen from 10-10:30 a.m. on Aug. 28 in that school’s library.
The district’s first school board meeting of the year will occur from 5-8 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the MISD Administration Building Board Room.
As reported earlier, MISD will be implementing its new MI Phone-Free Schools cell phone policy when students return to classes for the 2024-25 school year.
Students will utilize Yondr pouches to safely and securely store their cell phones, smartwatches, AirPods/earbuds and any other personal cell devices, according to district Superintendent Fred Rundle’s letter to the school community. Pouches will come in both locked and Velcro forms, with the latter receptacles for students with medical or other needs requiring access to their phone during the day.
“It’s an opportunity for some and it’s going to seem like maybe a take away for others, but in the end, it is what is in the best interest of our community and our students. We want to ensure that our schools are engaging our students intellectually, that we’re making sure they’re connected socially and equipped for the future,” Rundle said in the video that is posted within the district’s ultra-informational, research-backed web page, www.mercerislandschools.org/cellphone.
