October 21, 2022
MECHS Families,
I am shocked that we are already nearing the end of the first quarter of the school year. The official end of marking period one is Friday, October 28. Individual gradebooks will reset when beginning the second marking period. MECHS does not mail home official report cards, however, we can send a printed copy home per request. Semester grades are calculated by the individual teachers as determined by the course syllabus. While courses are wrapping up final assessments and projects, encourage your child to finish strong! If students are in need of support, we will still be operating Focused Instructional Time (FIT) on Tuesday and Friday during 8th period. In addition, the after-school tutoring program is up and running from 3:05-4:30 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Transportation is available starting next week, but you must pre-register using the following link.
MECHS is proud to again host our Truck or Treat event on Thursday, October 27, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This student-led event will provide a safe trick or treating opportunity for elementary age students within the school building. The event is free to the public and concessions will be available for purchase. Students have been planning the event in their Advisory courses, and are encouraged to volunteer in the facilitation of the event.
Representative Judges of Midland County have requested that we share that they are offering a one hour presentation to parents on Tuesday, October 25, at 7:00 p.m., in the Jefferson Middle School Theater. The focus of the presentation is to provide families with information on the role the law plays in addressing criminal sexual conduct with regard to young people. No pre-registration is required. They are asking that parents attend without children. They will be delivering a student presentation to all 11th graders on November 4, in the Auditorium during school hours.
As a member of our school community, you are invited to attend a presentation, Suicide Awareness and Prevention for Caregivers and Communities to be held Tuesday, November 15, from 4:30-5:45pm (Eastern) via Zoom. The presentation is free and will be facilitated by TRAILS, a youth mental health program that is partnering with us to enhance mental health services for our students.
No registration is required, click here to join!
The presentation will include:
An overview of suicide and suicidal behavior in children and adolescents, including risk and protective factors.
Guidance on identifying suicide risks and warning signs and practical steps to address them, including safety planning in the home.
Recommended language to use when talking about suicide.
The presentation will be facilitated by Natalie Burns, LMSW, MA. Natalie leads the crisis intervention work at TRAILS and has expertise in the assessment and treatment of suicidal youth, psychosocial interventions with children and families, and suicide prevention in K-12 schools. Additionally, she has a background in infant mental health and perinatal mood disorders. Natalie also serves as a senior consultant for the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality where she trains mental health providers across the U.S. and internationally in suicide-specific assessment and intervention. If you have any questions about this training, please contact the TRAILS Trainings Team at trainings@trailstowellness.org.
There was a mistake communicated in last month's memo stating that the school is moving to fully digital ID cards. While digital ID cards are available to all students, this year we are additionally providing traditional plastic ID cards to all students.
As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you to ensure that we provide a quality education to all MECHS students.
Sincerely,
Scott LaFever
Principal