From the Principals

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your time and participation in this year’s parent-teacher conferences. It was wonderful to connect with so many of you and discuss your child’s goals, strengths, and ways we can support them throughout the year.
Building strong partnerships between home and school is essential for student success. We are excited to continue working together to ensure your child has the resources and support they need to thrive.
Thank you for your continued involvement and support. We look forward to a great year ahead!
-Todd Torgeson, Principal
-Jill Hammack, Assistant Principal

Upcoming…

Picture Day

Health Services Reminder

We want to remind you that if your child is injured outside of school hours—whether at sports events/practices, 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.

Family Support Center

The Family Support 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.

Whatcom County Library Partnership

Meridian School District and Whatcom County Library System have a partnership called ConnectED which gives K – 12 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 your child to access public library resources using his/her school ID, you do not need to do anything. Your child will automatically be enrolled. To opt your student out of public library access using his or her school ID, please complete the form below and turn it in to your school.
We look forward to joining with you in this partnership, which will give students easier access to books and other resources that will help them succeed! You can read more about the partnership at www.wcls.org/student-library-cards.

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.

Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Lessons Begin Oct. 14

Students in seventh grade will be taking part in comprehensive sexual health lessons beginning the week of Oct. 14 in health class.
Parents and guardians may review the Positive Prevention Plus curriculum and may remove their children from these lessons with a written request. (RCW 28A.300.475). Families who wish to opt their children out of these lessons must turn in an opt-out form to the school office before the first day of lessons. Students who opt-out of the lessons will be working on a self guided project learning about the body systems in a separate location.
Curriculum materials are available for families to review at the District Office, 214 W. Laurel Road, Bellingham, WA , during business hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. If families are unable to review materials during business hours, please call 360-318-2170 to schedule an appointment.
We appreciate your continued partnership in your student’s learning. If you have any questions please contact your teacher.

A Peek into the Classroom

​Mrs. Wolven teaches 7th grade math here at MMS. When you walk into her classroom, it is immediately apparent that Mrs. Wolven has worked diligently to set up systems and structures to support students in engaging with the learning. One way Mrs. Wolven creates this culture in her classroom is by having explicitly taught and practiced routines that students can expect each day. As students enter her classroom, Mrs. Wolven has a song playing. By the time the song is over, students are expected to be in their seats actively working on their entry task. It is incredible to walk into her space and see students ready to go and working productively before the tardy bell rings.
Another strategy used artfully by Mrs. Wolven is called self-interrupt. If a student begins to talk over her, Mrs. Wolven will cut herself off mid sentence to communicate the expectation that only one voice is on at a time. This is an effective and powerful way to recommunicate her expectation.
Way to go, Mrs. Wolven!