Greetings Meridian Students, Families, and Staff.
What a beautiful Monday afternoon! Much has changed since the Governor closed schools Friday afternoon. I want to update you on what we are focusing on here in the district. I am appreciative of all our employees for their leadership and support. They have been grappling with difficult issues and working to find solutions.
Recently I shared the need for time to develop good strategies for moving forward. As you know, there are three main functions we are seeking to accomplish: provide food to the young people in our community, support childcare options for our first responders and health care employees, and develop ongoing support for student learning. In addition, we are working to identify methods for our employees to work remotely while still accomplishing those goals above. Educating others is a social, interactive process. This new reality is much different and challenging us to provide meaningful support.
Saturday I shared our goal to provide food for young people in the community. We started that work today and will continue to provide that resource. We will have free bagged lunches and breakfasts available for children ages 0-18 at Meridian Middle School Tuesday from 11:30 to 12:30 pm. We are still planning to deliver food Wednesday – and will share details Tuesday afternoon.
We are also planning to provide educational support to students and families. We are connecting our educators so they may work in collaboration to develop common self-directed learning opportunities for students at different grade levels and content areas. These activities should review, refresh, and reinforce previous learning in order to minimize potential academic loss. It is important the information shared is not new and is accessible for all our students. We plan to provide this to families Monday, March 23rd and will share details soon.
Last evening a call went out to our community to have all first responders and health care families share their details if they will need to have child care support during this shutdown. We are also working to identify the scope of the need and seeking guidance from the state for how to provide this essential service. If you are a healthcare worker or first responder with students enrolled in Meridan’s Pre-K through 5th grade and will need childcare during our school closure, please email studentsupport@meridian.wednet.edu or call 360-318-2177 during office hours. We expect to share more information soon. We plan to have this in place by next Monday, March 23rd.
For the most up to date information concerning the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, please check out the Whatcom County Health Department website.
Our goal has always been to serve the students and families of the Meridian School District. We recognize the methods for us to reach that goal has shifted below our feet. We are developing systems to address these challenges so we may ensure learning thrives here. Thank you for your confidence and support.
Enjoy your evening,
James
Dr. James Everett