This week we want to donate back the time you’d normally spend reading our message so that you can go right now and sign up for a Family Conference. These are happening next week on September 12, 13, and 14 – and our goal is 100% attendance. You can find instructions on how to schedule a conference through Skyward by clicking here. We look forward to seeing you there!
As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns!
GO TROJANS!
-Todd Torgeson, Principal
-Robert Kratzig, Assistant Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, September 11
Black Day
Tuesday, September 12
Gold Day
Half Day – Dismissal at 12:20pm
Family Conferences – 12:30pm-7:30pm
Wednesday, September 13
Black Day
Half Day – Dismissal at 12:20pm
Family Conferences – 12:30pm-3:30pm
Thursday, September 14
Gold Day
Half Day – Dismissal at 12:20pm
Family Conferences – 12:30pm-3:30pm
Friday, September 15
Gold Day
Late Start – School begins at 9:05am, doors open at 8:55am
COUNSELING CORNER
Dear Meridian Families,
We hope this message finds you well as we wrap up our second week of the school year. It’s been wonderful to see our students settling into their routines and building new friendships. As your school counselors, we’re here to support your child’s academic and emotional journey throughout the year.
Here are some important updates and reminders for the upcoming week:
Open Communication: We encourage open communication between parents, students, and our counseling team. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help!
Check-in with Your Child: Take a moment to check in with your child about their experiences at school. Ask them about their classes, teachers, and if they’ve made any new friends. Your interest and support mean a lot to them.
Homework and Study Habits: Now that the school year is in full swing, it’s a good time to establish healthy homework and study routines. If your child needs help with time management or study strategies, our counseling team is available for guidance.
Building Belonging: We’ll be focusing on enhancing students’ sense of belonging at Meridian this year. We recognize that belonging is an essential component to the wellbeing of our students. Stay tuned for communication in the coming weeks on how students can join after-school opportunities.
Resource Spotlight: Each week, we’ll feature a helpful resource or tip in our newsletter. This week, we’d like to highlight our Google classroom. If your student would like to sign up to see us, they can go to the Counseling class on Google Classroom and click on the material, “How to Sign Up to See a Counselor.” From there, they fill out a brief form and we will call them in as soon as we can.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. We’re here to support your child’s success and well-being throughout the school year.
Wishing you a fantastic weekend!
Warm regards,
MMS Counselors
GENERAL MMS INFORMATION
Drop-Off & Pick-Up Fine Tuning
Thank you everyone for continuing to follow our drop-off and pick-up procedures. We appreciate your patience as new routines are formed!
We have noticed a significant back-up of parent drop-off traffic in the mornings between 7:50 and 8:00. There are a few things you can do to help mornings go more smoothly:
Drop off earlier – we can accept first drop offs beginning at 7:45am – get here early and beat the rush!
Turn right – cars turning right and proceeding toward Hannegan Road cause less back-up than those turning left. Remember – even if you turn right and head for Hannegan, you can use Hemmi or Beard to return to the Guide as needed.
Have students ready to drop off – make sure students have their items collected and organized, and are ready to exit the car quickly.
Washington D.C. Trip for 8th Graders
We are excited to provide the opportunity for our 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 plan to 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 was held on August 29th, but there will be another one in September.
Starting next week we are going to begin following up on students who arrive late to school in the mornings. Please help us out by ensuring your student is dropped off by 8:02 at the latest so they have a chance to get to class before the bell rings at 8:05. Thank you for your help on this!
Trojan Spirit Fridays
This year we’re encouraging all students and staff to consider every Friday a “Trojan Spirit Friday” – where everyone wears MMS gear, Trojan gear, or Trojan colors. As the year goes on there may be prizes, but for now we want people to share in the pride we feel for the amazing community we have here at MMS! Go Trojans!
Student Bus Monitors
If you have an 8th grade student who is a great leader and loves working with kids, we have an awesome opportunity for them!
In collaboration with IRE and the MSD Transportation Department, we are creating a Student Bus Monitor program, where MMS 8th graders will have scheduled shifts to ride elementary bus routes to assist in supporting safe behaviors on the bus. This should be a fun opportunity for our 8th graders to build leadership capacity while also filling a need for our youngest learners. Interested students would serve 2 or 4 afternoons each week, and would be provided transportation home afterward. An application is required, and then an interview following that before notification of acceptance. Applications are due by Monday, September 18. Have your student complete it today!
Click HERE for the application.
Medications at School
If your student has an inhaler or other medication that they may need to bring to school, our nurses are ready and waiting to receive those! If you have any questions about medications at school, give our health room attendant a call or check in via email.
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 schoo
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Back-to-School Resource Fair at MHS
You are invited to the Back-to-School Resource Fair at Meridian High School on Thursday, Sept. 14. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., staff and community partners will be available in the commons to answer questions and provide support. Pizza and water will be provided.
Meridian staff will be available to help families with Skyward Family Access, ParentSquare and FinalForms. Food service staff will be available to answer questions about meal accounts and accept free/reduced meals applications. Transportation staff will be available to answer questions about bus routes. Our Meridian Family Support Center staff and mental health coordinator will also be available with resources.
We will also have a few community partners present. The League of Women’s Voters will be helping with voter registration. Representatives from FuturesNW will be available to provide information about financial aid resources for post-high school education.
Family Services Center
The Meridian School District Family Resource 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.
