Principal’s Message
Dear IRE Families,
As fall arrives with its crisp air and vibrant colors, our students are fully immersed in the season. We’re exploring autumn, narrative writing, and mathematics, and we’re excited about the upcoming events like the Trojan Trot and Family Math Nights. With cooler weather, please ensure your child comes to school with a named jacket, as our lost and found tends to overflow.
I’m pleased to report that our new mathematics curriculum is showing great results! After completing our first topic, we achieved over 74% mastery school-wide. This success is thanks to the hard work of both students and staff. We use this data to understand student performance and tailor our support. For those who excel, we offer additional challenges, while those needing extra help receive targeted interventions. Your support with late arrivals on Fridays helps us assess needs and plan effectively.
Our classrooms are now starting Topic B of Module 1. Check out the family letters linked below for simple ways to integrate math into everyday activities like cooking or folding laundry. In the future, teachers will provide these links as topics change.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in our journey. Here’s to a wonderful fall filled with learning, growth, and achievement!
Best,
Tyler Dockins
Principal
Family Math Letters
Facilities Bond Vote on Nov. 5
Our community will vote on a facilities bond that includes several safety-related projects at our schools. This bond proposal follows an extensive study and survey of district needs, with recommendations from a task force of parents, staff and community members.
Projects include:
- Building a new Meridian Middle School for grades 5-8 to alleviate overcrowding at Irene Reither Elementary. Originally constructed in 1938, MMS faces significant safety and accessibility challenges, and high earthquake risk due to non-reinforced concrete walls.
- Safety improvements and repairs at Meridian High School, including a new music room in the old cafeteria to create a closed campus, roof and masonry repairs for the auditorium, stadium beam and roof repairs, new stadium lighting and an emergency power generator.
Join us for a community presentation at Meridian Middle School on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. to learn more about the bond projects and their financial impact. The event will include a Q&A session and a school tour led by students. If you can’t attend, the presentation will be available on YouTube.
Save the Date: Family Math Nights
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Family Math Nights! These engaging events will give you and your child the chance to explore math together and celebrate our learning journey.
For Grades 3-5:
- October 8th
- December 10th
- February 11th
For Grades TK-2:
- November 12th
- January 14th
- March 11th
Each event will take place from 4:00 PM to 4:50 PM. Mark your calendars and join us for an evening of fun and math exploration!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Save the Date: Trojan Trot
Our Trojan Trot will be on Thursday, October 10.
More information will be coming as the date gets closer.
Whatcom County Library System
Meridian School District and Whatcom County Library System have a partnership called ConnectED which gives K–12th grade
students access to the best educational resources and learning materials in our libraries and on the internet.
Through the partnership, MSD student IDs will be used as WCLS library card numbers, allowing students to:
● Borrow 2 physical items at a time, such as books, CDs or DVDs, from any WCLS location
● Borrow 5 digital items at a time, such as eBooks or audio eBooks
● Incur no overdue fines for items classified for children and teens
● Use computers with filtered internet access at any of the library locations
● Access other educational resources, such as online encyclopedias, using the internet from school or home
This is in addition to, and separate from, a library card that a student may already have.
To enable the use of a student ID as a library card number, MSD will share the following student information with WCLS:
● Student ID
● Student Name (first, middle & last)
● Student Address
● School Name
● Grade Level
● Date of Birth
● Home Address
● Home Telephone Number
● Parent Email Address
● Student MSD Email Address
No other information will be shared. Information shared with WCLS will not be shared or used outside of partnership activities.
If you would like to opt out of this offer, please print and complete the form below and return it to IRE”s office no later than Friday, September 20, 2024.
Family Resource Center
The Family Resource Center has a limited number of Operation School Bell gift cards left for students in grades TK-12th grade.
Operation School Bell provides NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES to students who qualify for FREE MEALS at school.
Students who did not receive a gift card last year will have first priority this school year.
Please call or text Alicia at 360-988-1949 or Elvira (Spanish) 360-306-2886 if you are interested in signing your student up for this program.
To learn more about Operation School Bell:
PTA Meeting
Parents, teachers and staff are invited to join us for the first PTA meeting of the school year:
Wednesday. September 18th
6:00-7:30pm
IRE Library
Childcare will be provided.
We will be planning the Trojan Trot and other fun activities to support our students.
You may also participate remotely through Microsoft Teams. No download is necessary, you can access the meeting through your web browser by clicking this link:
Student Injuries
Attention Families:
We want to remind you that if your child is injured outside of school—whether at sports events, birthday parties, or other extracurricular activities—and requires medical attention, please take them to your family doctor or an urgent care facility for evaluation.
As the school is not a medical facility, we are unable to evaluate or treat injuries that occur outside of school hours. If your child reports pain from an injury sustained outside of school, we will contact you to pick them up so they can be evaluated appropriately.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.