Good afternoon,
There are quite a few topics to share in today’s message. The school year is rapidly coming to a close and there is much to do as we wrap up!
MHS Graduation
It is hard to imagine that graduation is upon us! More than anything, given the uncertainty we faced this school year, we happy to be able to honor our graduates together tomorrow evening in the MHS gym at 6:30 pm. We are proud of what they have been able to accomplish during their entire academic career – and look forward to recognizing our graduates. Due to the guidance placed on in-person graduation ceremonies, space is limited so we are also providing a live stream of the ceremony. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdvAL-rCSrIpuT4_0LQjMQ
8th Grade Promotion Message
From the Meridian Middle School 8th Grade Team: This year we are creating a Wall of Hope, with messages from teachers, students, and families for our 8th-grade students to read as we celebrate their 8th-grade year! If you cannot attend the promotion on Monday, you can fill out this form, https://forms.gle/zHRwpYo2xoEPNBsv7 and we will write your message on the window for your student. If you are attending the promotion on Monday, there will be pens available for you to write on the windows.
Pride Month
June is LBGTQ Pride Month. We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion here in the Meridian School District. Every student, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves fair and equitable educational opportunities. Here are some LGBTQ resources at OSPI. We recognize we can do a better job of being more inclusive and supportive of all our students and also understand we have much to learn from our community and families. Through our Equity & Access Committee, we have begun the important work of examining access, diversity, and inclusion for all of our students and families here in the district. There is more information about our Equity & Access committee here.
Portable Classrooms
As we recognized the end of the pandemic starting to materialize, we sought ways to address potential issues with classroom space at IRE and MMS if we are held to specific social distancing measures for the Fall. One way we are going to support learning is to prioritize smaller classes for our youngest learners and to address limited space.
In March we worked with the Federal Way School District to acquire 7 double-classroom portables and one office portable for our district. These were donated to our district in April at a value of approximately $500,000! These portables built in 2008 and 2010, in great shape, and are planned to be delivered and placed at Meridian Middle School and Irene Reither Elementary School this summer. One additional portable will be stored and added to the MP3 campus next summer. We will increase our classroom spaces by 12,500 square feet. We will also gain a Family Resource office to serve our district, which will be located on the campus of Irene Reither Elementary School. These portables will alleviate current classroom space needs in the district and represent a tremendous opportunity to allow for creative student groupings while delaying the need for capital projects for more classrooms.
Registration
Meridian School District is actively processing registrations for new students to all of our schools for the next school year. We are planning to be back to our full-day school schedules, five days a week, for Irene Reither Elementary, Meridian Middle School, and Meridian High School. MP3 will be able to offer some level of a campus program – depending on the social distancing guidance in the Fall – and the full remote option. To register your student(s) please access this web page: https://www.meridian.wednet.edu/new-students/. For additional questions, call the district at (360) 398-7111.
Thank you for your continued support and grace this year.
James