Dear MMS Families,

A week from tonight you’ll be welcoming home your students after their second day of school!  To say the MMS staff is excited is an understatement – we simply can’t wait to get going on another fantastic school year together!

In preparation for the year we hope you’ll join us on Tuesday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for our “Back to School Block Party” (see details below).  That will be your first chance to get a peek at your student’s schedule for the coming year, to meet their teachers, and to ease any nerves about what new routines will be like.

As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

GO TROJANS!

-Todd Torgeson, Principal
-Robert Kratzig, Assistant Principal

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

Monday, August 28

  • First Day of Fall Sports Practice, 3:00pm
    • Football at MMS
    • Cross Country at MMS
    • Softball at MMS
    • Boys Soccer at MHS NW Field

Tuesday, August 29

  • Back-to-School Block Party, 6:00pm to 8:00pm (see below)
  • Schedules posted to Skyward (after B-t-S Block Party)
  • Washington D.C. Family Interest Meeting (8th graders only), 8:00pm in Room 2 (after B-t-S Block Party)

Thursday, August 31

  • First Day of School (doors open 7:55am, school begins 8:05am)
  • Gold Day

Friday, September 1

  • Late Start (doors open 8:55am, school begins 9:05am)
  • Black Day

 

GENERAL MMS INFORMATION
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Back-to-School Block Party

On Tuesday, August 29 we will host a “Back-to-School Block Party” event right here at MMS.  We aim to provide students and families a chance to reconnect with friends and the school community as the summer winds down.

At this event you can:

  • Pick up your student’s class schedule
  • Meet teachers (not all will be present)
  • See new classrooms / walk the schedule
  • Turn in Free/Reduced Lunch Paperwork
  • Set up your locker (if your student chooses to use one)
    • Having a locker is optional
    • To get a locker at this event, the student will need to bring a lock (with the combination or spare key)
  • Get answers to any questions you may have
To add a little more fun to this annual back-to-school event, this year we’ve added food trucks and music!  Now you can grab dinner with friends in addition to getting your middle schooler set for the year.  Make an evening of it!  Food trucks will open at 5:30, while the school doors open at 6:00.  We’ll be featuring MHS FFA Boosters hamburgers and hot dogs, Red Barn coffee, Kona Ice, as well as a few other offerings still to be determined.   All MMS students will receive a free Kona Ice, with the other food trucks available for optional purchase.

In order to reduce congestion in the hallways and with parking, we ask that families with only 7th or 8th graders attend from 7:00 to 8:00, while 6th graders and their families should attend from 6:00 to 7:00.  If you’ve got students in multiple grades, come whenever fits best!

We can’t wait to see you there!  If you have questions, feel free to call our office at 360-398-2291.

 

Washington D.C. Family Interest Meeting

We are excited to provide the opportunity for next year’s 8th grade students to join their US History teacher Ms. Garlatz on an optional but amazing trip to Washington DC during the week of March 16 through March 21, 2024.

There will be lots of learning and fun as we sightsee our way through our nation’s capital including visits to the National Mall, our nation’s most important government buildings and Mt. Vernon. We’ll also have a chance to go to Philadelphia to check out Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written. Cost for the trip will be $2,208 and will include airfare, hotel, food, as well as a whole program including local guides, If this trip would be a financial stretch, please still attend the meeting and then email Mrs. Garlatz and we will do what we can to provide fundraising opportunities and possibly scholarships.

The first parent information night will be August 29th at 8pm just after MMS’s Open House. There will be another one in September if that night doesn’t work for you.

Questions?  Email Mrs. Garlatz.
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School Supplies

Please make sure your student has their supplies ready for the first day of school.  If you’re having any trouble getting supplies, please stop by and check in with our school counselors during the Welcome Back event.  They have resources to help you.

Click HERE for the list of supplies.

 

MMS Drop-Off and Pick-Up Plan

If you’re planning to drop-off or pick-up your student from MMS this year, please review the below descriptions and the attached graphics that will explain where and how this process occurs on our campus.  We have a bit less space to work with than some of the other schools, so it’s important we all work together to make this process smooth, efficient, and safe.

Morning Drop Off

As you arrive for drop off, please pull into the yellow zone to wait.  Do not drop off students in that area.  Use the green zone for a quick stop for students to exit the car.  If you need a longer time for your student to collect their things and/or to say goodbye, park in the lot so as not to block the drop-off zone.  Please do not drive in the red zone (bus loop) or drop off students along the roadside.
Any students who arrive before 7:55 will need to enter the courtyard through the open gate and wait in the gray zone “Student Waiting Area” between the cafeteria and main building until doors open at 7:55. Students who arrive after 7:55am can walk through the “Student Waiting Area” and on to class directly.


Afternoon Pick-Up

As guardians arrive to pick up students, we ask that you find a place to park in the green zone on the map below, and do not drive or park in the red zones (bus loop and staff parking).
At 2:45 (end of day), all students who are being picked up will report to the new gym.  Once the buses have loaded and departed, students being picked-up will be released to walk through the parking lot to find their guardian’s car.  You may leave as soon as your student arrives to your car.  Please drive cautiously and watch for other students as you leave.
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MMS Booster Club Reactivates!

Meridian Middle School Boosters is back this year! We will be at Back to School Night to greet students and parents and introduce ourselves. Come see us in the foyer where students can grab a MMS bracelet and parents can find out about the many different volunteering opportunities!

We are also on Facebook! Click here to go to Meridian Middle School Booster Club where you can find out all that is happening this year and contact information. We are looking forward to a great year supporting our middle school students and school!

 

COMMUNITY RESOURCES
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Family Services Center
The Meridian School District Family Resource Center will reopen on August 21.  The center is open daily from 8:30 to 3:30 in portable 400A on the Irene Reither campus.

Students who qualify for free or reduced meals can stop by to get school supplies or sign up for Operation School Bell which provides new school clothes for students enrolled in Meridian School District. We also have the clothing closet available for any Meridian family looking for gently used adult and kid clothing.

Students who can’t make it in to the family center to get school supplies can pop into the middle school office to get the supplies they need.

Questions?  Contact Alicia Roberts (English) at 360-988-1949 or Elvira Trautman (Spanish) at 360-306-2886.