Bearcat Necessities 10/08/2021
Monroe High School - 17001 Tester Road, Monroe, WA 98272
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Coming Events
- Principal Chat is 3rd Thursday of each month, 9-10 am, a Zoom link will be provided.
- Bearcat Pride Meeting - Oct. 13th, 7 - 8pm
- Hispanic Heritage Month - Sept. 15 to Oct. 15
Homecoming Game – October 22nd – 7pm
- Come decked out in orange and black to support our MHS Football team and celebrate being part of our current or past MHS community!
A Haunted Night on the 50 Yard Line - October 23rd - 5 - 8pm
- School Picture Retakes Oct. 28 - - Students who missed their picture day or would like to have retakes may do so.
- Senior pictures are due by Nov. 12th.
IMPORTANT -- Verification of 2022 Enrollment
A Message from the Principal
Welcome to the Fall and the month of October Bearcat families … we hope this newsletter finds you well!
We’ve settled into a groove here at MHS this school year, working to create a sense of normalcy in a year that’s still not quite normal by all intents and purposes. By and large our students are doing a phenomenal job, working with us to navigate the mask wearing in the building and the other protocols we still need to follow for safety purposes. I have to say I’m extremely proud of them … they are real troopers, doing what’s needed as we work together here in our school community to push through this pandemic together. Our kids … your kids … are remarkable and it’s been super awesome to just have them back in the building every day. They continually make us smile and it’s an honor to be here with them, learning and growing and working together to create a better MHS.
On the other side of that exciting work with our students, we are still dealing with quite a bit of overwhelm right now within our system. The added layers due to Covid and the shift back to 8 periods after 18 months of being in different modes and formats of learning has added more stress to all of us here at MHS. This includes students, staff and I’m sure families as well.
As a result, our staff took some time this week in our staff meeting to acknowledge this reality and also talk about some of the strategies we are using across our classrooms to help our students with this stress and overwhelm that they are experiencing. This was a really great moment for us … talking about what students need and giving ourselves permission to slow down, adjust, and adapt to those needs. In a large high school, this approach is sometimes hard to embrace … we often try to use a “one size fits all” type of approach because of how big we are as a school. But what we know about students and their unique needs is that type of mind-set doesn’t work. I’m really proud that our staff is embracing this idea that we have to be extremely responsive to the needs of students, which means being flexible, making changes, and adjusting to those needs. We will continue to work on that throughout the year and in the years to come as we work together to create a school for ALL kids here at MHS
From the family side of things, please continue to hold us accountable to meeting the needs of each of our students and continue to challenge us on practices that seem to be working against that goal. We appreciate you all, your support, and wish you a wonderful weekend. GO BEARCATS!
Celebrating "Bold Bearcats"
Thank you to this week’s “Bold Bearcats” for contributing to our school’s culture of positivity and ensuring Monroe is a place of high school PLUS for ALL.
Thank you Milena Shipley :You are THE person to go to for anything Canvas or technology related. You are always willing to lend a hand to help others navigate Canvas or an assignment using tech.
Thank you Kawai Notoa for noticing a new student was struggling and stepped in during class to support and encourage them!
Thank you Marley Gathmann- You stepped up and helped when there was an emergency in class with a classmate
Thank you Ireland Guthrie for going above and beyond to help a student and showing outstanding leadership.
Thank you Lillian Banta. You have taken on leadership in choir and done a really fantastic job of it so far. I appreciate your dedication and her enthusiasm within the program, your going to do great things with her life!
Thank you Piper Brown you have been a really strong example of a focused and attentive member of choir, and her support of her peers is fantastic. I'm very appreciative of your positive attitude and willingness to put in the work.
Thank you Zoe Geer, you stepped up to take a leadership position and really impressed with your musical abilities and her drive to do well.
Thank you Justin Ponce. You took the initiative to create a Dungeons and Dragons club at MHS after hearing that students have been wanting to play, but didn't have opportunity.
Thank you William Ellison you saw another student who needed some school supplies to complete an assignment, and without hesitation, helped the student out so they could be successful.
Thank you Nathan Macauley and Joseph McCammon Together you teamed up and fixed a teacher's PC today. You are both highly interested and knowledgeable about configuring computers. You knew exactly what to do. It felt like working with the Help Desk at AMZN.
ATTENTION - Traffic Flow After School
MHS After-School - Student Pick Up
Student Race and Ethnicity Data Collection
Recently, there was a change in federal and state law that affects how student ethnicity and race data is collected by school districts. This change now requires schools to have this data recorded for every student.
As a result, we are required to ask families to verify their child as either Hispanic/Latino or not Hispanic/Latino AND by one or more of 217 racial groups. We ask that families please respond to the two questions in Family Access for each of their students currently enrolled.
While families are not required to verify the race and ethnicity of their students, we are required as a school district to submit this data to comply with federal and state law. We will make two attempts to reach families with the request to submit their child's ethnicity and race category. If there is no response, schools are required to make the ethnicity and race selection for the student.
Homecoming Events!!
Homecoming Week - October 18 – 23, 2021
We are excited to be celebrating our MHS community by having some fun festivities for the week! Due to covid safety protocols, a few activities will be modified, and we are excited to be able to offer them. Our goal is to create a safe, comfortable place for all of us to be in. We all need some fun!
Spirit Week – we will announce the themed days soon
Senior Coronation – Celebrate the power of our MHS students through our clubs and sports by nominating 2 seniors each for their positive influence with each other and MHS. The top Royalty will be announced at the half-time game based on student vote and the quantity of food and donations brought in for the Sky Valley Food Bank and at half-time. We love the tradition of honoring our MHS students while supporting our community.
Homecoming Tailgate - October 22nd – 4:30 – 6:30 in the parking lot adjacent to the stadium
- The first row will be for MHS clubs, sports and activities
- The second row will be for the community
Homecoming Game – October 22nd – 7pm
- Come decked out in orange and black to support our MHS Football team and celebrate being part of our current or past MHS community!
A Haunted Night on the 50 Yard Line – October 23rd
- 5 – 8pm in MHS Stadium
- $5 per kid
- Masks required
- Attire: Come dressed as you want and is appropriate. Dress formally if you want, dress ready to hang out, or dress in an appropriate costume.
- Pumpkin Painting
- Yard Games – corn hole, spike ball, ladder ball, volleyball
- Board Games/coloring
- Photobooths
- And more surprises as we plan
*Plans are subject to change based off of local and state regulations and weather*
Testing Updates
Smarter Balance Testing
Last Spring's 2021 SBA (ELA & Math) and WCAS (Science) assessments were postponed to this Fall. We will be administering the assessments to the 9th, 11th and 12th graders. In order to complete the test, It is essential that students bring their fully charged chromebooks.
There are two sessions, each day broken down by grade and alpha (last name). Testing will be in the MHS Library and students will be fully excused for participating.
- Morning session will start at 8 am and the afternoon session will start around 12:10 pm. Any student who can't test during their assigned window will have the option to make a test up on the Friday dates below.
Students who finish testing are allowed to go back to class as soon as they're done.
Lunch Details
Students who have an afternoon testing session, and typically go to third lunch, will instead be asked to be dismissed early from class and attend second lunch. These students will have seats reserved in the mezzanine upstairs during the second lunch.
Below is a breakdown of the date students will be testing, alpha split is by last name:
ELA Test
October 11th (morning session) – 9th Grade A-E
October 11th (afternoon session) – 9th Grade F-Mc
October 12th (morning session) – 9th Grade Me-Ro
October 12th (afternoon session) – 9th Grade Ru-Z
October 13th (morning session) – 11th Grade A-D
October 13th (afternoon session) – 11th Grade E-L
October 14th (morning session) – 11th Grade M-P
October 14th (afternoon session) – 11th Grade R-Z
October 15th – (morning session) ELA MAkeup, 12th Grade A-Z if needed for graduation pathway
Math Test
October 18th (morning session) – 9th Grade A-E
October 18th (afternoon session) – 9th Grade F-Mc
October 19th (morning session) – 9th Grade Me-Ro
October 19th (afternoon session) – 9th Grade Ru-Z
October 20th (morning session) – 11th Grade A-D
October 20th (afternoon session) – 11th Grade E-L
October 21st (morning session) – 11th Grade M-P
October 21st (afternoon session) – 11th Grade R-Z
October 22nd –(morning session) Math makeup, 12th Grade A-Z if needed for graduation pathway
Science Test
November 1st (morning session) – 9th Grade A-E
November 1st (afternoon session) – 9th Grade F-Mc
November 2nd (morning session) – 9th Grade Me-Ro
November 2nd (afternoon session) – 9th Grade Ru-Z
November 3rd (morning session) – 12th Grade A-E
November 3rd (afternoon session) – 12th Grade F-L
November 4th (morning session) – 12th Grade M-P
November 4th (afternoon session) 12th Grade Q-Z
November 5th (morning session) – Science makeup.
For more information about this test, Click Here.
Please contact Noah Wallace at wallacen@monroe.wednet.edu with any questions.
Health Curriculum Webinar
Dear Families,
We’re writing to inform you of an upcoming webinar, in which we will share an overview of our currently adopted sexual health materials and HIV/AIDS lessons. Each year we present this information to our families, so that families have the opportunity to review the materials and decide if they would like to exclude their child from these lessons.
We will send out additional details and information closer to the date of this event, including an FAQ and how to preview materials prior to this webinar.
This webinar will be presented in English and translated live into Spanish.
Secondary Webinar for Grades 6 - 12:
Date: November 4th, 2021
Time: 6 - 7 pm
Location: https://monroe-wednet.zoom.us/s/82918872717
Elementary Webinar for Grades Kindergarten - 5:
UPDATED - MHS Athletic Spectator Guidelines
Per Governor Inslee’s mandate, face coverings/masks are now required for outdoor events with 500 or more people, regardless of vaccination status. Please remember this when attending outdoor school district athletic events, as this new mandate will be strictly enforced for all those attending.
Our district and schools will be proactive in adhering to these guidelines with increased facility signage, in-game public announcements, in-school student reminders, etc. that highlight the face covering/masking expectations. The same guidelines hold true when attending away (non-home) events and activities.
The Governor's office and Washington State Department of Health have noted they will allow K-12 athletics and extracurricular activities to continue so long as they trust that their member schools will enforce the mandate at each and every event. All of us have done tremendous work over the last 18 months to get athletics and activities back up and running with fans. We kindly request that all those in attendance please adhere to the mandates to make sure these participation opportunities continue to be available for our students. Please be kind to our employees as they enforce this state-level mandate in order to keep our students, staff, families and community safe and healthy.
Thank you!
Attention: Yearbook Info for Seniors
https://sites.google.com/monroe.wednet.edu/mhs-yearbook/home
We still have a few dozen 2020-2021 yearbooks for sale for $45 at the finance window during lunches until they are sold out. Don't miss out!
Bearcat Pride
Hello Bearcat Families!
Are you tired of seeing the same old faces every time you go to the concession stand? Did you go to a game recently and were super excited to get that bag of popcorn, but then concessions were closed because there were no volunteers available? Well...this could be an opportunity for you! Click on the signupgenius link and find a time that you can help. We could use more help and we are only having concessions outside until further notice.
Concession Stand Sales.
Be on the lookout for an opportunity to help in concessions for all football, soccer, and one cross country meet.
Concession stand sales will look a bit different this year but we will do our very best to bring the same enthusiasm within Covid-19 guidelines. The signup genius will be posted on Facebook and is at the link below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D48ABA72EA64-concession
Email us at parents-mhs@monroe.wednet.edu if you are interested or have any questions.
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Our next board meeting
Date: October 13, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm
Virtual: Link will be provided closer to date (Check your email day of)
Come and hear how you can support the staff at MHS and other ways that Bearcat Pride is making a difference and have a voice in how you would like to contribute or perhaps change some things.
ATTENTION PARENTS OF CLASS OF 2022
As Senior year kicks off there will be lots of info and dates to remember. We will do our best to keep you updated, answer questions and just be there for support if needed.
Join us:
Social Media: Facebook @mhsclassof2022
Email: Mhsbearcats2022@gmail.com
Counseling Corner
The MHS Counseling Office will open August 30. Student schedules will be available through Family Access on Sept 3.
Questions contact your school counselor
Student last names: A-El: Mrs. Woodard: woodardl@monroe.wednet.edu
Student last names: Em-Le: Mrs. Garcia: garciaj@monroe.wednet.edu
Student last names: Li-Q: Mrs. Parry: parrys@monroe.wednet.edu
Student last names: R-Z: Ms. Stevens: stevensj@monroe.wednet.edu
APPOINTMENTS: If you need an appointment with your counselor you can email them directly or contact one of our Counseling secretaries.
Ms. Hutson - (360) 804-4520 - hutsonh@monroe.wednet.edu
Ms. Tucker - (360) 804-4503 - tuckers@monroe.wednet.edu.
MHS Career & College Center
Helpful Resources
Career & College Events & Opportunities
Local Jobs & Volunteering Opportunities
Career & College Center Website
Junior/Senior College Workbook
$CHOLARSHIP HIGHLIGHT$
A Scholarship is financial support awarded to a student, based on a variety of criteria. Scholarships and grants are funds for college that do not need to be paid back. Sounds great right! Learn more here.
Veterans of Foreign Wars - National Scholarship - $30,000 for first place. Voice of Democracy Essay. Theme: "How Can I Be A Good American?” Other scholarships available for $1,000-$16,000.
Grades 9-12 - Due October 31st
SENIOR $CHOLARSHIP HIGHLIGHT$
A Scholarship is financial support awarded to a student, based on a variety of criteria. Scholarships and grants are funds for college that do not need to be paid back. Sounds great right! Learn more here.
Heisman High School Scholarship
The Heisman® High School Scholarship presented by Acceptance Insurance® supports education, recognizes achievement, and celebrates community-minded high school student athletes around the country. Seniors, if you strive for excellence in the classroom, on the playing field, and in your community, now’s the time to get the recognition you deserve. Apply today for your chance to earn up to a $10k scholarship.
Due October 19th
Dr. Philip Sobash Scholarship 2021-2022 For Future Medical Doctors - $1000 Essay Scholarship For Future Medical Doctors - Email essay word document to drsobash@drphilipsobashscholarship.com. Theme “Describe a problem in the world that needs drastic improvement and how you would use your medical degree to help solve this problem” - Due December 16th
College Financial Aid Applications Are Open - APPLY NOW!
Who's Who at MHS
Brett Wille- willeb@monroe.wednet.edu
Principal
Rachel Bleakney-Bailey - bleakneybaileyr@monroe.wednet.edu
Assistant Principal
Jennifer Murphy - murphyj@monroe.wednet.edu
Assistant Principal
Noah Wallace - wallacen@monroe.wednet.edu
Assistant Principal
Shannon Tarrach - tarrachs@monroe.wednet.edu
Director of College and Career Readiness - (360) 804-4508
Ashley Tuiasosopo - tuiasosopoa@monroe.wednet.edu
Athletic Director - 360-804-4542
Melissa Myers - myersme@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Manager - 360-804-4502
Oscar Hanson - hansono@monroe.wednet.edu
Main Line - Front Desk - (360) 804-4500
Janet Smith -smithja@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Support -Attendance/Discipline -(360) 804-4501
Jacci Rasmussen - rasmussenj@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Support - Financial Office/ASB - (360) 804-4513
Sarah Tuckers- tuckerss@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Support - Athletics - (360) 804-4511
Shannon Barksdale - barksdales@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Support - CTE - (360) 804-4512
Denise Palmer - palmerd@monroe.wednet.edu
Registrar - (360) 804-4524
Amber Mehta - mehtaa@monroe.wednet
Attendance Intervention Specialist - (360) 804-4518
Helen Hutson - hutsonh@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Support - Counseling - (360) 804-4520
Michelle Dickinson - dickinsonm@monroe.wednet.edu
Career & College Ready Specialist - Career Center - (360) 804-4507
Geneva Padilla - padillag@monroe.wednet.edu
Health Room RN/ (360) 804-4532