Meridian Public Schools
3303 N. M–30, Sanford, Michigan 48657
p. (989) 687–3300 f. (989) 687–3309
August 2023
MECHS Families,
I am reaching out to you with great excitement as we prepare for another school year at MECHS. Please review the following as it provides information pertinent to the start of the school year.
Welcome Back Event/Onboarding
Our summer mailings were delivered last week and included information about our August 24 “Welcome Back Event” and the back-to-school checklist. To provide additional explanation for new families, our “Welcome Back Event” is an open-house style event in which families are able to drop in from 4:00-7:00 p.m. to receive their items. Families can save time by updating their Skyward information and paying for laptop protection ahead of the event. Having updated Skyward information is crucial for our office to provide timely/accurate communication as well as communicate in the event of a student concern or medical issue arising. At MECHS students are permitted to take their school-issued laptop home, only if they have laptop protection. Please reach out to our office if you are unable to pay for laptop protection due to financial hardship. Also, note that a student must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive their school-issued laptop on the night of the event.
This is the first year that we are running this event for all grades in one evening. In addition to this event, we provide all students with necessary onboarding information in their first week of school during their Advisory period. Advisory is a course that meets three times per week for 25 minutes. During this course period, we provide students with information that contributes to healthy habits of mind and aim to make them more aware of the opportunities that are available to them to meet their career and college goals. Students do receive credit for the Advisory course and it is needed to meet graduation requirements. On the first day of school, we will hold a whole-school assembly during our Advisory period. In addition, on August 31, I alongside our Dean of Students, Mr. Mitchell Bohn will deliver a presentation about student code of conduct and handbook policies to students in the Auditorium.
Changes to NWEA Testing
Our students take the NWEA benchmark test in addition to mandatory state standardized tests. We use the data from the NWEA to help guide student placements and provide supplementary instruction and targeted support. We are changing our structures a bit this year when we deliver this assessment. New for this year, all 9-10th graders will take the NWEA Reading and Math test on September 5 and January 16. 11th grade students will take the NWEA in February if the data is needed to pursue Dual-Enrollment. 12th grade students do not need to take the NWEA. During our testing dates, our 9-10th grade students will report to a testing location in the school and take the test for the duration of the morning and continue with a typical afternoon schedule. Accommodations for this assessment will be provided to students to ensure we create an appropriate learning environment.
Safety/Security Update
Meridian Public Schools continues to provide outstanding upgrades to our facilities and security systems. We schedule all of our emergency drills prior to the school year and meet the state requirements for fire, tornado, and lockdown drills. We do not communicate with families after a drill is held at school. If the security system or lockdown system is initiated during school hours we will do our best to provide timely communication to families regarding the status or if a false alarm occurred. In addition to our recent security upgrade, we will be performing a security audit with an outside firm to ensure our buildings and procedures are aligned with best practices in school security.
Communication
To receive updated information on school events we recommended checking your email regularly. In addition, MECHS announcements are emailed daily. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter (X), or merps.org on our live feed. MECHS updates a digital public calendar on our website with updated information about upcoming events or event schedule changes.
We look forward to working in partnership with you to support your student during their high school experience. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns related to our school. Please stop me and introduce yourself in the community or at a school event so that I can put a face to a name.
Review of upcoming events:
Welcome Back Event- August 24 from 4:00-7:00 P.M.
First day of School- August 28 starting at 8:05 A.M.
9th-10th Grade NWEA Testing- September 5 from 8:05-11:00
Picture Day- September 13
Homecoming Week- September 18-23
Half Day for Students (AM Schedule)- September 29
Sincerely,
Scott LaFever
Principal