merritt island high school
TRANSCRIPT
Merritt Island High School
Principal
James Rehmer Assistant Principals
Debbie Lubbers Robert Farrell
Mark Mallak Vevea Finerson
Subject: Weekly Report To: MIHS Electronic Newsletter Recipients Date: October 29th, 2021
FROM THE HEAD MUSTANG CONGRATULATIONS Mrs. Amira Rodriguez, Teacher of the Year, and Mr. Tyrone Smith, Employee of the Year!!! Congratulations to our Fall Sports:
• Volleyball Conference and District Champs and will play in the Regional Semi-Finals on Wednesday, November 3
• Girls Golf District Champs and will play in the Regional Tournament on Tuesday, November 2
• Boys Golf District Runner-Up and will play in the Regional Tournament on Monday, November 1
• Cross Country will race at Districts on Saturday, October 30 with the goal of qualifying for the Regional Meet on November 6
• Swim Members advanced to the Regional Swim Meet which will be held today, October 29 with the goal of qualifying for the State Meet on November 5
• Football will face off with Satellite tonight for the District Championship and the opportunity to host Regional Playoff Games
• Boys Bowling District Champions and will compete at the State Tournament on November 2, 3, 4
Best of Luck to the Best Band in the Land as they will compete in MPA’s on Saturday, October 30 at Melbourne High School (6:30PM) Band Concert will be held in our Auditorium on Thursday, November 4 at 7:00PM
Dual Enrolled students—the Spring Eastern Florida State schedule is now available online. Please look up the courses and complete your Dual Enrollment Registration Form and submit it to your Guidance Counselor for their signature. You’ll need to upload it to your “MyEFSC Student Dropbox” after it’s signed by your Guidance Counselor in order to get enrolled in the classes. Please do this as soon as possible, so you can get the classes and times you want. See EFSC section below for more info. Seniors: November 1 is the deadline for most Florida College Applications.
EFSC is conducting two FAFSA workshops. They will be led by the EFSC Financial Aid Department and will be hosted on their Cocoa campus on Tuesday, November 2nd from 5:00 – 7:30pm in Bldg 14 Room 194 and on the Melbourne Campus on Wednesday, November 3rd from 5:00 – 7:30 pm in Bldg 2 Room 201A. RSVP is required. Contact guidance for the link to register.
Seniors: FAFSA applications have opened. Please visit the FAFSA website to apply: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Attendance Reminder: Students are permitted nine absences per semester before a class will be failed due to absences. After a student misses more than nine days they will potentially fail their courses due to absences. All students who go over the nine days will be afforded the opportunity to fill out an FA appeals packet. Absences with proper documentation that will not count towards the nine days: Court, Doctor, Quarantine, Approved College Visit, Testing. November,11 will be a Holiday for All Wednesday, November 24 through Friday, November 26 will be Holiday days for students and teachers FOCUS grades can be consistently monitored throughout the year. Please take time each week to review your students grades and progress. Contact the front office with any FOCUS questions or for your Pin number. Second interim ends on Friday, November 12 Juniors and Seniors can order class rings or graduation items through Jostens. In addition, yearbooks can be pre-ordered online through Jostens. Some Winter Sports have started while others will hold tryouts or start in the next two weeks. Please see more info in the Athletics section below or contact our Athletic Department. Student Focus Points:
• Attend School Every Day
• Be On Time
• Strive For Excellence
• Be Respectful and Responsible Each Friday is Black/Gold Day. I encourage all students to show off their school spirit by wearing Black/Gold. Our Band/Cheerleaders also hold a pump up each Friday morning starting at 8:20AM.
GOOOOO, MUSTANGS!
NEXT WEEK’S LOOK AT ACTIVITIES FOR MIHS Tuesday 11/2/21 Boys Soccer Preseason @ Mitchell Ellington Park 6:00 Wednesday 11/3/21 Volleyball Region Semi 7:00 Girls Soccer Preseason 7:00 Thursday 11/4/21 Band Concert 7:00 Boys Soccer Preseason 5:30 Friday 11/5/21 Football vs Viera 7:00 Saturday 11/6/21 Cross-Country 3A Region @ South Fork 8:30am Volleyball Region Final 2:00pm
CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to the Boys and Girls swim teams on their 5th place finish at the district swim meet last Friday. Top finishers and moving onto regionals are: Caitlyn R 1st in the 500 and 2nd in the 200 freestyle, Isaiah B 6th IM and 3rd Breaststroke, Cooper C 3rd in the 100 backstroke. Also moving on to the regional swim meet are: Samantha D, Kylie M, Taygan C, Taylor T, and Jillian R for the girls. Damien S, Daniel A, River D, Tristen P, and Brayden H. Good luck to all swimmers at regionals!
GUIDANCE
Do you need help paying for college?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the best way to make college affordable. In fact, 4 out of 5 Florida college students rely on federal, state, and college-based sources to help pay for college and completing the FAFSA gives you access to that aid.
Join this FREE event to learn step-by-step how to complete the FAFSA and get questions answered by financial aid experts. – October 19th - 6-7:30pm
Register for the virtual event at www.floridashines.org
Attention 10th graders—want to have the experience of a lifetime learning more about yourself and how to become leader? The Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Seminar is where it’s at! Complete an application available in Guidance to be selected to represent Merritt Island High School this summer at a 3-4-day weekend event. If you’re selected, your admission to this event will be paid by MI. So, don’t delay in picking up an application and turning it back into Ms. Luthman as soon as possible.
Do you need help providing a Thanksgiving meal for your family this year? We are here to help!
For more than 20 years, Revolution Technologies has made it a priority to give back to our communities. This year, we are excited to share that we have partnered with The Parker Foundation to host and launch a new charitable event, Feed the Families. Feed the Families will be providing free Thanksgiving dinner to registered families in need in our local community on Florida’s Space Coast on Tuesday, November 23rd at the Revolution Technologies office in Melbourne, FL (see address below) from 10am – 8pm. Families that are unable to pick up their Thanksgiving dinner can choose a delivery option when registering their family for this event.
To reserve your Thanksgiving dinner, it is crucial you sign up as soon as possible. Please
note that you must be registered by November 19th to reserve your family’s meal.
• Family Registration Options – sign up your family today! 1. Families can register online at www.feedthefamilies.com/families 2. Families can stop by the Revolution Technologies office to sign-up in person at
1000 Revolution Technologies Way, Melbourne, FL 32901. Revolution is open Monday-Friday from 8am – 5pm.
3. Families can also sign-up by filling out a Family Registration form at the school (please let us know how many registration forms you think your school might need) and our volunteers will pick-up the registration forms.
• Event Location All registered families are welcome to pick their Thanksgiving dinner anytime from
10am – 8pm on Tuesday, November 23rd at the location below: Revolution Technologies 1000 Revolution Technologies Way, Melbourne, FL 32901
• Thanksgiving Meal Details: Feed the Families will be providing all registered families with a full Thanksgiving
Dinner from Honey Baked Ham, including: o Ham or Turkey (family's choice) o 2 large sides o Dinner rolls
Volunteer and Sponsorship Opportunities If you would like to sign-up as a volunteer or as an event sponsor, please go to
www.feedthefamilies.com/signup to volunteer, donate, or register a family in need. PayPal Donations are accepted via The Parker Foundation, a 501(c)3 Non-Profit. Please click here to make a monetary donation. All donations are tax deductible and will be used to purchase Thanksgiving Dinners for Brevard County families in need.
We look forward to a successful Feed the Families event this year and truly making a difference in the lives of our families in the Brevard community! For any questions on this event, please email [email protected] and our team will respond as soon as possible.
National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS). NVHS partners with the VA and other Veteran agencies to connect vets with Transitional Housing and Financial Assistance to get them into Permanent Housing and help them stay there. Most often this funding is for deposits, rental payments, and utilities. Last year we distributed more than $50,000 to keep 135 veteran families from experiencing homelessness. We of course try to utilize help from agencies with grant funding first, but due to income limits and timeline sometimes those options are not available. This is when we step in. NVHS of Cocoa would like to know if there are any MIHS families who need their assistance. Mrs. Small is the “Student In Transition/Homeless Liaison” for Merritt Island and she can be reached at 321-454-1000 ex 25026 or [email protected]. Any Veteran family looking for information on how the agency might be able to help can visit the NVHS website at www.nvhs.org/get-help or call 321-208-7562
Juniors: Students and their families who income-qualify may be eligible to deposit up to $500 into an Earn to Learn FL savings account each year. Their savings are then matched 8:1 by Earn to Learn FL. This brings their total available funds for financial assistance up to $4,500 per academic year. The funds are used for tuition, books, fees and other approved educational related expenses. Earn to Learn FL, in partnership with Florida Prepaid College Foundation, purchases STARS contracts to double the impact of non-government funds available for financial assistance at the 8:1 ratio. For ALL the info, go here: https://earntolearnfl.org/programs-matched-savings-for-education/
Attention Juniors: Are you a student who has an interest in the governmental process? Do you
have outstanding qualities of leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service to your school
and community? Florida American Legion is accepting applications for Boys State, Florida’s
premier youth leadership program. To be eligible, you must be a male student in your junior year
of high school and have a GPA in good standing. If you would like more information or want to
pick up an application, please see Mrs. Campbell in Guidance. Completed applications are due
back to the guidance office by November 5th.
Heather Van der Westhuizen, new English teacher, is out of area in ESOL.
SCHOLARSHIPS Students who qualify for the Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award are eligible to be considered for a Panther Distinguished Scholar Award, a combination of scholarships and grants that cover FULL TUITION (plus facilities and activities fees). Grant Opportunity for seniors New Latest Grant URL - https://benjamingordongrant.com/benjamin-gordon-grant-program-palm-beach-cambridge-capital/ Email address: [email protected] Award Amount: $1000 Submission Deadline: December 31, 2021 American Legion Scholarship – Student must be a high school senior who is a direct descendant of a veteran that is a member of The American Legion. Applications are available in Guidance. Check out www.goingmerry.com and www.fastweb.com for tons of scholarships. Both sites are free to use.
EFSC COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL/DUAL ENROLLMENT The Spring Eastern Florida State schedule is now available online. Please look up the courses and complete your Dual Enrollment Registration Form and submit it to your Guidance Counselor for their signature. You’ll need to upload it to your “MyEFSC Student Dropbox” after it’s signed by your Guidance Counselor in order to get enrolled in the classes. Please do this as soon as possible, so you can get the classes and times you want. See Mrs. Ash if you have questions about courses to take.
TESTING
PSAT/NMSQT: Students who took the PSAT/NMSQT on October 13th should expect results sometime in December. College Board will send the score report to the email they provided on the answer sheet. There are no paper score reports being sent to the school. FCLE (Florida Civics Literacy Exam): students currently enrolled in semester 1 US Government course here at MIHS or AMH2020 or POS2041 at EFSC will take this exam. Students earning a passing score on this assessment are exempt from the postsecondary civic literacy requirement. The date of this assessment will be November 16 beginning at 8:45 am. Resources are available at http://www.fldoe.org/civicliteracy/. Students will receive detailed testing information via their US Government class.
SENIOR NEWS:
Seniors: Just a reminder that November 1 is the deadline for most Florida College Applications. EFSC is conducting 2 FAFSA workshops. They will be led by the EFSC Financial Aid Department and will be hosted on their Cocoa campus on Tuesday, November 2nd from 5:00 – 7:30pm in Bldg 14 Room 194 and on the Melbourne Campus on Wednesday, November 3rd from 5:00 – 7:30 pm in Bldg 2 Room 201A. RSVP is required. See guidance for the link to register. Seniors—here’s a great video from all the Florida State Universities that will give you the best information about applications and what they look at to consider you for acceptance. Check it out! Fall SUS - Your College Adventure Awaits - YouTube Jostens was on Campus Monday, October 4th with ring and Cap and Gown orders. Orders for Cap and Gown are due by November 24th. Cap and Gown orders will be brought to school after
the Winter holiday. DON’T MISS THE November 24th deadline to get your Cap and Gown order in with Jostens.
Seniors – did you know by not filling out the FAFSA, American college students are missing out on a good deal? Federal grants do not need to be repaid, federal student loans have low interest rates and work-study programs can be a convenient way to simultaneously fund an education and build a resume. Many students choose not to apply for FAFSA because they think that federal college aid is only available for those less fortunate than they are. But in fact, most Americans are eligible, so if you think you don’t qualify, think again. https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Seniors interested in exploring Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. They are hosting on-campus open house events for their regular campus and their honors college campus. To join us this fall for our in-person events: Explore FAU on the main campus of Boca Raton and the Wilkes Honors College Open House in Jupiter pre-register. For more information, please visit fau.edu/explore-fau. There is a LAST CHANCE senior photo shoot here at school on Tuesday, November 2. Photographers from Cady Studios will be on campus taking a yearbook-only photo.
• There is no cost to you for this picture and it ensures you are in the yearbook.
• You do not need to bring special clothing for the picture—it will be provided to you.
• If you have not received a green pass with an appointment time, please see Mrs. Finney in C109. (Passes were distributed approximately 2 weeks ago)
The last chance yearbook-only photos are not available to purchase. If you want to purchase senior pictures through Cady Studios, you must schedule an appointment and go to their studio. You can schedule an appointment at www.cady.com. The deadline for studio portraits is December 3, 2021. MIHS Senior Yearbook Recognition Ads Yearbook ads are a great way to celebrate student’s milestones and reflect on the person they have become. Visit jostensyearbooks.com to create your recognition ad. Save when you order by November 12. The final day to purchase an ad is January 28, 2022. Don’t miss out. See flier at the end of this newsletter for more detail
MUSTANG MALL The Mustang Mall is open! Come in Tuesday and Friday Mornings from 8:00-8:40 a.m. to shop for clothes, Mustang shirts, school supplies, toiletries, dresses and suits and grab and go snacks! All for FREE. Mustang students and families are welcome! Parents stop and check in at the front office please. Any questions please email Dr. Jesser at [email protected]
YEARBOOK Seniors Who Have Not Had Seniors Picture Taken: Time is running out to have senior portraits taken and still be in the yearbook. The deadline for having senior pictures made is December 3, 2021. Seniors have two options if they have not had their senior picture made yet.
1. Seniors can make an appointment to go to the Cady Studios facility in Orlando. The photographer will take multiple poses and pictures can be purchased.
2. Last chance/on campus photo shoot-- On November 2nd, the photographer will be at school for a last chance, yearbook only photo. There is no sitting fee, and it will be the traditional yearbook pose only. These pictures are not available to purchase; they are for the yearbook and student ID only. All students who have not been photographed yet have been assigned a time to report to the auditorium annex on November 2nd. A pass an informational flyer was given to unphotographed seniors in their third period class this past week. If a senior chooses to go to the studio instead of having their picture taken on November 2nd, that is fine.
VPK VPK had a costume parade and went trick or treating. They stopped by the media center for a quick video!
CLUB NEWS
Fellowship of Christian Athletes is back for the 2021-2022 school year. Coach Smith will be hosting the meetings on Thursdays at 8:15 a.m. in room D-112. FCA was completely shut down last year because of Covid so we are pretty much starting from scratch. Would love to have representation from all our teams. Art Club/Sewing Club Thursday's afterschool from 3:45-5pm in Room C114 (3D Art) is an open studio for students who want to learn how to sew and for NAHS Art Club members who cannot attend morning meetings to stay afterschool and work on individual or community-based art projects. We will have adult volunteers come in from time to time as well to instruct students in working with various art mediums, tools, and machines. The GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) Meetings will be held every Thursday at 8:15 in Mrs. Georgelis’s room 17-116 The Video Game and Anime Clubs will be meeting on Tuesdays after school in Room 17-102. If you have any questions, see Mr. Wilson for further details. Chess Club will meet every Thurs. after school in the media center.
ATHLETICS
If your student is interested in playing a sport in college, please visit the site below for a wealth of information on eligibility and any other questions. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf If your student is interested in participating in any winter sport of basketball, soccer, or wrestling. Please remember that they must have a complete athletic packet on file with the school prior to doing any type of conditioning or tryouts. Athletic packets can be picked up in the front office.
Boys basketball tryouts are here! All boys grades 9 through 12 looking to tryout this season, please report to the commons on Monday Nov. 1st at 4:15. Athletic packets must be fully complete with a physical before any players can participate. Girls Basketball tryouts will begin on October 25. All students must have an up-to-date ATHLETIC PACKET on file. Please contact Coach Leland Lesher for any questions [email protected] Wrestling season begins on Monday, Nov. 8th. If you are interested in wrestling this year, please see Coach Smith in room D-112 to sign up. Email: [email protected] New Paperwork packages are required for the 21-22 School Year – check the front office or on the MIHS webpage. EKG/ECG REMINDER. This is a reminder that according to BPS Policy, any student who will tryout/play for a team, must complete the ECG/EKG waiver form every year. It is part of the athletic packet. Every athlete must either complete a heart screening at least once in grades 9-12 or opt out, but must complete and sign the form every year. Students/parents may choose to decline/opt out every year, but still must complete the form and check the appropriate box. Go to www.whoweplayfor.org to find out where to complete or have their physician do it.
PROJECT GRADUATION Recognize your senior with YARD SIGNS! See below for Project Graduation Bundle Offer! Ongoing fundraisers:
• Flamingo Flocking (see flyer at the end of the newsletter)
• Legacy Walk (flyer at the end) • Sonny’s Family Night - 2nd Monday of each month - 5pm till close of business. Starts
Monday, October 11th We earn 10% of all curbside, drive-through or takeout orders. Just mention Project Graduation.
Meetings – 6:00pm at Sonny’s BBQ, every 2nd Monday of the month. Next meeting - Monday, October 11th. Email – [email protected] Phone: 321-652-5808 Facebook: MIHS 2022 Project Graduation - For parents, committee, and volunteers for meetings
and planning information MIHS Project Graduation - Public for everyone to view updates and events.
SCHOOL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Next SAC Meeting will be November 9th, 2021 Contact: [email protected] for more information.
MUSTANG PARENT ORGANIZATION (MPO) Join us on Facebook: MIHS MPO - to see information about volunteer opportunities, donation needs for school events, and other pertinent information and updates regarding MIHS & MPO. You can also contact us at [email protected]
E-NEWSLETTER ONLINE:
The newsletter is being delivered through BlackBoard Connect. If you know someone who is not receiving it, please email me. zieres.christy@brevardschoolsThe Weekly Newsletter and the Daily Announcements are also posted on the MIHS web page under Featured Stories.
