January 12, 2018
This weekly update includes information from the District Office and department staff regarding District operations and reminders. It does not include updates or activities from each school site.
Office of the Superintendent:
Student Achievement Goals – The following student achievement goals were adopted as part of the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan for Meridian School District. Please discuss these with your building Principal.
Artwork Dedication at IRE – On Thursday the new artwork, provided by the Washington State Arts Commission, Art in Public Places grant at IRE was dedicated. The artwork signifies a connection with the salmon habitat in Ten Mile Creek.
Thank you to the artist, Greg Ragland and the District arts committee for their work in bringing this project to completion. Thank you to Brian Stephan and our maintenance staff for assisting in the installation. If you have questions regarding this project, please contact Connie Bennum at IRE.
School Board:
Renier Elenbaas – Congratulations to Renier Elenbaas who took the oath of office and was officially sworn in as a School Board Director at the School Board meeting on January 10th.
Next Regular Board Meeting - The next regular School Board meeting is at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Board meetings are held in the Professional Development/Board Room at MHS. All staff members are invited and welcome to attend School Board meetings. Meeting agendas and minutes can be accessed via a link from the District web site or at http://www.boarddocs.com/wa/msdwa/Board.nsf/Public
Human Resources: (Kurt Harvill, Director of Personnel, Grants and Risk Management)
January 26 is a non-student day. – January 26th is a contractual workday for MEA employees as per Article IX, Section 13C of the CBA. It is a normal work day for all year around employees including those in MCEA and PSE. It is a non-work day for all other employees. If you have any questions please call Kurt Harvill or Julie Dodd at the District Office.
Business Office: (Daniel Yorton, Director of Business Services)
Fiscal Year - The Finance Department has “rolled” the fiscal year in Skyward to 2017/18. Now when employees enter items such as requisition, the default year will be 2017/18. If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Yorton, Finance Director.
Teaching and Learning: (Patti Fouts, Director of Teaching and Learning)
Revisiting Team Norms – In the October 6, 2017 edition of the Superintendent's Weekly Update the Teaching and Learning section introduced the rationale for establishing team norms and provided a plan for teams to address inevitable norms violations.
Now the New Year provides a time to reflect, reassess and plan forward. In your PLC teams, please revisit your team norms. Then please review the attached resources to assist your team in asking the questions necessary to reflect on the effectiveness of your team norms, revising norms as needed, and moving the work of your team forward.
Consider asking and answering the following questions in your team:
My Favorite FLOTUS Quote of the Week: “You judge a society by how it treats its citizens. We must do our best to ensure that every child can live in comfort and security, with the best possible education.” (Melania Trump)