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Learning is hard. Unlearning is harder. 

Three years ago, Mercer Island School District implemented two new curricula across Mercer Island elementary schools. After the implementation, students’ standardized test scores have improved significantly. 

The Mercer Island School District is pleased to present its 10th annual Pathfinder Award to 1999 MIHS graduate Katie-Jay Scott Stauring whose achievements, strength of character, and citizenship inspire and challenge today’s youth to make significant contributions to humankind.

The Mercer Island School District hosted a Where Are They Now? How Were They Prepared? college transition webinar yesterday evening.

Island Park alumnus and MIHS Class of 2018 graduate Arwa Mokdad returned to Island Park this afternoon for a Middle East Culture Lesson presentation for third, fourth and fifth graders at the school.

The Mercer Island School District, in collaboration with the Mercer Island Fine Arts Advisory Council, invites the Mercer Island community to the annual Fine Arts Showcase, a two-day event celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our K-12 students in Performing Arts (Music and Drama) and Visual Arts.

In January, Matt Sullivan (Executive Director of Finance and Operations) and I delivered our annual financial update to the community, also known as The Budget Roadshow webinar.

As we reflect on the academic progress of our students, it is evident that our school system continues to provide a supportive and enriching environment for growth.

With the growing influence of artificial intelligence, it’s not uncommon to hear people mutter that journalism will soon be a lost art. However, in MISD, that statement is far from the truth.

The Mercer Island School District (MISD) is inviting the community to consider a bond measure in April 2025.

This afternoon the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) released a statement on the resolution to the antisemitic and racist vandalism case that happened at Islander Middle School on January 1.

Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle hosted a Bond Information Session for elementary school families last night at Island Park Elementary.

The Mercer Island School District is committed to the asset preservation of all our schools and district facilities with the goal of improving student experience and system reliability.

The Mary Wayte Pool is more than just a place to swim—it's a symbol of community pride and partnership on Mercer Island.

The Mercer Island High School Class of 2024 is pursuing post-secondary education opportunities and career paths at colleges all across the United States and internationally.

To foster the vibrant learning environments we desire and promote healthy social and emotional development, MISD restricted access to personal cell phones, smart watches, and ear buds during the school day at Islander Middle School and Mercer Island High School.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for your continued support and partnership.

The Mercer Island School District 2024-25 academic calendar has changed after the closure of schools for three days from November 20-22 due to power outages from a wind storm and on February 5 because of snow. 

Recent Executive Orders coming out of the White House from President Trump and his administration regarding education created confusion and uncertainty for Washington’s schools, including Mercer Island School District

All four elementary schools in the Mercer Island School District will hold an Information Night for new Kindergarten families on Tuesday, January 28, from 6pm-7pm.

The National PTA’s Reflections program has once again inspired students from pre-K to grade 12 in Mercer Island School District to explore their thoughts, feelings, and ideas through original artwork. This year’s theme, "Accepting Imperfection," challenged young artists to embrace flaws and express their creativity in unique ways.

Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle and Executive Director of Finance and Operations Matt Sullivan hosted a MISD Budget  community webinar on Thursday, January 9.

Island Park Elementary School will be hosting school tours on Wednesday, February 26 and Friday, March 28. The tours will take place from 10am-11am.

Late yesterday evening, individuals trespassed onto the Islander Middle School (IMS) grounds and defaced numerous windows and exterior walls with antisemitic and racist symbols and phrases. 

E-bikes have become an increasingly popular choice to get around, especially for Island youth. As we approach the holiday season, parents should make sure they’re informed about the rules and risks when buying or gifting an e-bike.

The Mercer Island School District is hosting a Community Budget Webinar on Google Meet Thursday, January 9 from 6-7pm.

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend with friends and family celebrating Thanksgiving. 

The Mercer Island School District hosted a Kindergarten Information Night last night at Northwood Elementary for Mercer Island Preschool Association (MIPA) families.

Island Park Elementary is celebrating Dia de Los Muertos.

Mercer Island School District in partnership with the Mercer Island Preschool Association (MIPA) will be hosting a Kindergarten Information Night on Wednesday, November 6, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Northwood Commons.

One of the ways we communicate to the community that school will be delayed or cancelled is by text messages from our SchoolMessenger platform.

Come learn about productive math struggle using iReady Classroom Mathematics routines! 

August 1999, thirty-four vibrant, capable, and bright 5th graders returned from summer break with an array of opinions about the upcoming year.

The Mercer Island School District, at the request of the School Board, will be creating a policy to be used when considering naming facilities.

Childhood cancer hits close to home on Mercer Island as some of our students are currently battling this life-altering disease.

The Mercer Island School District New Family Welcome event is scheduled for Thursday, October 17, from 6pm-7:30pm in the Commons at Islander Middle School. Islander Middle School is located at 7447 84th Ave. SE.

Are you looking for an after-school activity that allows you to design, build, write and act in a creative environment?

By now, I hope your family is setting into routines accompanying a fresh school year.

The Mercer Island School District began water conservation efforts in collaboration with the City of Mercer Island in early May.

Therefore, to foster the learning environments we desire and promote healthy social and emotional development, Mercer Island School District will restrict access to personal cell phones and smart watches during the school day in 2024-25 for students in IMS and MIHS.

The Mercer Island School District is pleased to announce over the last three years it has received over $300,000 in incentives and energy savings costs from the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) Commercial Strategic Energy Management (CSEM) program.

Islander Middle School, Island Park Elementary, and Northwood Elementary were recognized for the growth of one or more student groups during the 2021-22 school year and West Mercer Elementary was recognized for the growth of one or more students groups during the 2022-23 school year. All four schools were recognized by the Washington School Recognition Program.

Endings and beginnings. Navigating all of these conclusions and commencements this time of year certainly sparks some poignant emotions.

The Mercer Island School District is pleased to announce Joby McGowan has been selected to be the next principal of Island Park Elementary School.

Twelve Mercer Island Destination Imagination teams recently participated in the Global Finals tournament in Kansas City, Missouri and performed extremely well.

Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle recognized the District’s Employees of the Year, Retiring Staff, teachers earning National Board certification, Former School Resource Officers (SRO) who are retiring from the Mercer Island Police Department, and MISD staff with a years of service milestone in a ceremony this evening in the MIHS Library

The Mercer Island School District Destination Imagination (DI) teams had a fantastic showing at both the Regional and State DI competitions.

The Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) presented Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle with their 2024 Leader of Distinction Award this morning at the annual WASBO conference which was held at the Tacoma Convention Center. 

Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle is pleased to announce the hiring of Melissa Robertson as the new Director of Special Services.

Monthly, and sometimes more frequently, I meet with two very important people in my life: Peg, my professional counselor and Ian, my mental health counselor.

Island Park is hosting their "Starry Starry Night" All-School Talent Show on Thursday, May 2.

The Mercer Island School District is pleased to present its ninth annual Pathfinder Award to 2013 MIHS graduate Jordan Morris whose achievements, strength of character, and citizenship inspire and challenge today’s youth to make significant contributions to humankind.

On, March 26, 2024, Mercer Island School District successfully refinanced the remaining $40,495,000 outstanding from the 2014 Bonds. This proactive and voluntary action will not affect the District’s budget, however, it will save Mercer Island taxpayers over $1.5 million during the remaining five (5) years of bond payments.

If you have ever spent much time around first grade teachers you will be familiar with the term “Magical March.”

The Mercer Island School District, in collaboration with the Mercer Island Fine Arts Advisory Council, invites the Mercer Island community to the annual Fine Arts Showcase, a two-day event celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our K-12 students in Performing Arts (Music and Drama) and Visual Arts.

Superintendent Fred Rundle hosted an Open Enrollment Community Webinar in the evening on Tuesday, March 19.

The Mercer Island School District will host a community webinar on Open Enrollment on Tuesday, March 19 from 6:30-7:30pm.

The Mercer Island School District’s Open Enrollment Community Webinar scheduled for 6-7pm tonight has been cancelled.

Now that my bio and academic rhythm is in sync with the Pacific Northwest calendar, I’m thrilled to know we still have over a third of the year to go for teaching and learning! This is not the time to throttle down but rather hit our stride and finish strong.

Superintendent Fred Rundle will host a community webinar on Open Enrollment on Monday, March 11 from 6-7pm.

A fun knitting party took place in the fourth grade class of Stephanie John-Lewis at Island Park on Friday, February 9.

Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle hosted a MISD Budget and Human Resources community webinar on Tuesday, February 6.

Back in August when opening the school year with our staff, I quoted something Pete Carroll said in an interview a few years ago that has stuck with me.

All four Mercer Island School District Elementary Schools will be holding school tours on Thursday, February 8 and Wednesday, April 17. The tours will take place from 9:30am-11am.

The Mercer Island School District is hosting a district Budget and Human Resources community Zoom webinar on Tuesday, February 6 from 6-7pm.

The Mercer Island PTA Council has announced 21 first place winners, 19 second place finishers, and 16 third place winners in the annual Reflections Arts Program. 

We appreciate our community’s flexibility this week as we dealt with a two-hour delay for schools on Wednesday. 

I struggled with this month’s message- starting, stopping, and deleting many drafts. Toiling with what to say seems odd given the many student, staff, and district accomplishments in 2023.

In honor of Inclusive Schools Week, WASA is partnering with the Mercer Island School District to present a showing of the film This is Not About Me followed by a forum with the film’s star Jordyn Zimmerman and Mercer Island High School graduate, Grant Blasko.

Humankind. Last November, I attended a conference with our student representatives to the school board, Director Lurie, and Director Tucker. Guest speaker, Dr. Adolph Brown, delivered one of those keynotes that leaves you reflecting, wondering, and thinking well beyond the ride or flight back home.

This past week, the Mercer Island School District held three community engagement sessions to present proposals and ideas from the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee. While nothing has been decided, the presentations and feedback from the community will help the District complete the final Long Range Facility Plan (LRFP).

If you have not already, you might hear about threats from Hamas calling for violent acts to be brought against Jewish people globally on October 13, tomorrow.

Our hearts are with our students, staff, and families impacted by the horrific events in Israel and Gaza that began over the weekend.

The Mercer Island School District is partnering with nonprofits CORE Tanzania and The Book Project to repurpose the district’s surplus kindergarten through fifth grade curriculum and materials.

Welcome to the beautiful month of October. It is an honor to provide an update on the happenings within our district and extend my heartfelt appreciation for your continued support.

The Mercer Island School District New Family Welcome event is scheduled for Thursday, October 5, from 6pm-7:30pm in the Commons at Islander Middle School. Islander Middle School is located at 7447 84th Ave. SE.

Our schools, students, and staff started the year strong and confirm we are poised for an exceptional year. Though my last communication just came out a couple of weeks ago, I committed to providing mid-September updates, highlights, and recognitions. I would never pass on the opportunity to brag about our school district!

The Mercer Island School District will be hosting three Community Engagement Sessions in October about the District’s Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP).

Wonder, worry, accomplishment, apprehension…joy. I flew home on Sunday night after dropping my oldest child off at college. I had many emotions to keep me occupied. Those of you who have already watched children move out, you know the feelings all too well.

The Mercer Island Instructional Tech Day on Monday, August 28, in the MIHS Performing Arts Centre was a huge success.

Today at Northwood Elementary MISD staff received a training session from Dr. Vanessa Tucker about how to enable students with autism in the classroom.

I hope you are having an enjoyable summer and finding ways to relax and take advantage of the wonderful summer weather. While most of our staff and students are away, preparations for the 2023-2024 year are full steam ahead, especially for our operations and maintenance teams. 

The Mercer Island School District and the Mercer Island Education Association (MIEA), the union that represents district certificated and classified staff, are pleased to announce they have agreed on a one year contract for the 2023-24 school year.

The Mercer Island School District community deserves a huge shout out for the amazing effort in collecting plastic film for Earth month. 

Eleven Mercer Island Destination Imagination teams recently participated in the Global Finals tournament in Kansas City, Missouri and performed phenomenally well. We represented less than 2% of the 589 teams at the tournament, and yet the teams took home 16% of all the first-place awards!

Well, we made it to June! However, this is a bit like our hopes and dreams for each graduating class. Our dream for our graduates is to not just get into college or on a career trajectory, but instead to thrive wherever life takes them. Thus, we need to all remember that getting to June is not the objective- it is now time to excel all the way through June 23rd!

Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle recognized the District’s Employees of the Year, Retiring Staff, and staff with a years of service milestone in a ceremony this evening in the MIHS Library.

The Mercer Island School District Transportation Department will be hosting rides and tours of our new Electric School Bus this Saturday, June 3, to introduce the Island community to the new bus.

The students, staff, and community continue to amaze and inspire me. Students are excelling in and out of the classroom through athletics, clubs and organizations, and even personal pursuits beyond MISD. 

The Mercer Island Destination Imagination (DI) teams had a fantastic showing at both the Regional and State DI competitions. At the regional tournament 21 of the 24 teams earned awards and recognition for their work. This included several special awards recognizing exceptional technical designs, integration of music into their solutions, and the inclusion of superior engineering elements. 

Island Park Elementary second grade student Sri Vadlamannati participated in the 2023 Washington State Science and Engineering Fair on March 31 and won three awards.

Upcoming in April, we have more religious and cultural celebrations to recognize. Though some of these spiritual or days of significance fall either on a weekend or when the schools are closed for spring break, we will continue to recognize and make space for our students and staff who participate in the many traditions. 

On Friday, March 3, Mr. Hartman, aka The Toymaker, met with all three second grade classes at Island Park Elementary.

The Mercer Island School District, in collaboration with the Mercer Island Fine Arts Advisory Council, invites the Mercer Island community to the annual Fine Arts Showcase, a two-day event celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our K-12 students in Performing Arts (Music and Drama) and Visual Arts.

The Mercer Island School District congratulates the eight students who are 2022-23 Award Winners at the state level for the WSPTA Reflections Program. 

Welcome to March! Winter is not yet behind us, but longer days and buds forming on trees give us hope that spring is coming. We have spring athletics, Fine Arts Showcase, and so much more to look forward to in March.

The Mercer Island School District is pleased to announce we have relaunched our District and school websites. 

The Mercer Island School District and the City of Mercer Island are pleased to announce a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the newly updated South Mercer Playfields (SMP) on Saturday, March 11, at noon.

To kickstart the second half of the 2022-2023 school year MISD celebrates Black History Month. 

Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year begins on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. 

Mercer Island School District Superintendent Fred Rundle and Executive Director of Finance and Operations Matt Sullivan held a Budget 101 webinar for the Mercer Island community on Thursday, January 19, from 5-6pm.

The Mercer Island School District is reforming the Long Range Facility Planning Committee to update the MISD Facility Plan for 2023 and beyond.