End of Marking Period 2 is January 22nd.
Meridian Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, January 12th due to icy road conditions.
Holiday Spirit Week, December 21st thru December 23rd. Check out the flyer for details!
December 7, 2020
Dear Meridian Mustang Families:
We learned this afternoon the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an extension of the pause for in-person learning for students in grades 9-12 and the continued stoppage in all athletic activities until at least December 20th. As such, students in grades 9-12 will return for in-person learning on Monday, January 4th.
As announced last week, students in grades K-8 will return to in-person learning on Wednesday, December 9th.
In conversation with the Midland County Department of Public Health this afternoon, our 3-week trend in Midland County continues to show a downward trajectory in the positivity rate. Thankfully, the spread that is taking place in communities is not taking place within schools. To date, there have been six outbreaks in schools in the county that have impacted 26 people and none of those have occurred in Meridian. The schools in the county will continue to work side-by-side with the health department and will continue to be aggressive with the quarantine protocols that have been very effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in schools. The quarantine period will follow the latest CDC guidance of 10 days with a possible return on day 11.
Your understanding is appreciated as we continue to make difficult decisions.
Sincerely,
Craig D. Carmoney
CLARIFICATION TO THE "NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY" flyer:
Students will not report to school on Friday, November 13th. Students will be assigned remote learning for that half-day. This will allow school staff to be provided with additional training on supporting students who are not in school for an extended period. We will also use this day to do an extended deep cleaning of all of our buildings.
No school on Friday, November 13th.
October 30, 2020
Dear Mustang Families,
This school year has presented all of us with some unique challenges, and I’m very proud of how our students and staff have responded. Our return to in-person learning has been successful. At the same time, the amount of COVID-19 cases in the community continues to increase and it is having a significant impact within our schools. We have had to quarantine well over 100 students and staff to date and closed multiple classrooms due to students and staff who have been required to quarantine. Thankfully, we have managed this very well with the support of the Midland County Department of Public Health. However, this has placed an extra burden on students, families, and staff who have been directly impacted. We are doing our best to support students while they are quarantined, but this is proving to be challenging due to the number of students and staff impacted.
Due to these circumstances, I am making a change to the school calendar. Students will not report to school on Friday, November 13th. Students will be assigned remote learning for that half-day. This will allow school staff to be provided with additional training on supporting students who are not in school for an extended period. We will also use this day to do an extended deep cleaning of all of our buildings.
I want to continue to emphasize that the choices that are being made, especially small group gatherings, are having a great impact on the community spread of COVID-19. Schools in the county remain very safe as there has only been one outbreak traced back to a school setting. The one thing that we really need help with is to have those that are exhibiting symptoms to remain home. While we have heard about many symptoms such as fever, dry cough, and the loss of smell or taste, there are some less obvious symptoms such as a runny nose. While I understand that staying home with mild symptoms such as a runny nose goes against what many of us think we should do, this is contributing to the increase in numbers.
The conversation around whether or not schools may close is certainly one that I’m well aware of. We are committed to remaining in-person and have the support of the health department. It is a certainty that students and staff will continue to be quarantined and that classrooms and/or grade levels may need to learn remotely for a period of time, so please bear with us as we work through those issues. Perhaps the biggest current threat to in-person learning is staffing levels as there is a shortage of subs for teaching, transportation, and cleaning. All decisions will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis in order to do what is best for students and staff.
Yours in Education,
Craig D. Carmoney
End of marking period 1 is Friday, November 6th.
REMINDER: NO SCHOOL Friday, October 23rd!
Meridian Elementary Families,
If you would like to view the notes from our Social Studies Curriculum Committee meetings that took place this summer, feel free to access them here: https://bit.ly/31ne3GC
Notes will also be posted on the website, and hard-copies can be requested from our office. The committee's notes outline the process the members took to investigate a core curriculum and a supplemental curriculum for social studies. The committee and the board of education ultimately approved a pilot program in order to more closely study these options. Results from the pilot program will inform the committee and the board of education's decision regarding whether it should be adopted. Please reach out to me if you have questions.
Josh Hook
989 687 3500
Please read the attached flyer on wearing costumes Friday, October 30th.
Halloween Spirit Week - October 26 -30. Check out the flyer for details!
Meridian Elementary Families,
On occasion, we get requests for additional learning-related activities that families can do with their children. We are happy to provide you with some options. Please feel free to access this link at your leisure. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1auKbsuIBgPSujCiYP3qG5Il-Fy2kR4Y_/view?usp=sharing). The link contains daily literacy activities for grades K-4, with some activities being more involved and "hands-on" than others. Have a great day!
Dear Meridian Elementary Mustang Families,
It’s finally here - the annual letter about morning drop-off you’ve all been waiting for! As the official observer of the morning drop-off routine, I’ve gained some great insights over the years. I’d like to share them with you so that you can be voted the most popular parent in the parking lot and avoid being the subject of Facebook posts. If we all chip in we’ll have a delightful drop-off experience. Okay, ‘delightful’ might be a stretch, but you get the point. Setting my poor attempts at humor aside, we now have more families dropping off their child than ever before and doing so within a shorter time span. This is causing some seriously long drop-off lines.
The following points stem from two broad ideas: 1) having as many cars as possible access the drop-off sidewalk at any given time, and 2) keeping the long drop-off line moving. For a world-class morning drop-off experience we ask that families please observe the following:
1. When you are in the drop-off line and the traffic flow has stopped, children can exit the car to the sidewalk at any point along the sidewalk curve (see the yellow arrows in the picture below). This allows about 10 vehicles to unload at once and keeps that long line moving.
2. Whenever possible, drive up ahead until you reach the next car, or if you are the front car pull up well ahead of the curve in front of our building (see image below). This maximizes the number of vehicles that can drop-off their child at the same time, making for faster lines.
3. Some families elect to park their car in the lot and then walk their child to the sidewalk or to the building - this is perfectly acceptable. While those on foot in the parking lot always have the ‘right-of-way,’ people on foot can help speed up the traffic flow by standing well out of the way and waiting for all moving vehicles to pass before walking across the driving lanes. Usually, in about 15 seconds the batch of moving cars will be gone and the new batch will pull up and park, creating a perfect opportunity to cross.
4. We ask families who need to get out of their vehicle to assist a child during drop-off to pull into a parking spot, assist the child, and then walk the child across to the sidewalk.
5. Lastly, please have your child ready to go when it’s your turn to access the sidewalk. Last minute reminders, hugs, kisses, and good-byes are all encouraged - but having this done by the time it’s your turn would be super helpful.
Calling your child's school? To reach the main office, call the numbers below:
Meridian Early College High School: 989-687-3300
Meridian Junior High School: 989-687-3360
Meridian Elementary School: 989-687-3500
Meridian Early Childhood Center: 989-687-3455
Meridian Transportation: 989-687-3249
Dear Mustang Families,
This morning I mentioned we would have an update to announce regarding the new Emergency Order issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. Today's consultation with our county health department clarified that we are indeed required to have K-4 students wear masks all day while in the building. This has been something we have been talking about already, but if you could please reiterate the message to your child that tomorrow we will wear masks full time, it would be greatly appreciated. These past several months have been quite a journey - thank you for your assistance and your patience.
Sincerely,
Josh Hook
Picture Retake Day is Thursday, October 8th in the cafeteria. Please remember to return your original pictures in the original envelope, undamaged. Thank you.
Dear Mustang Families,
Thank you for the patience you've shown as the district navigates the many changes due to COVID-19, and in particular, whether or not students in grades K-4 have to wear masks all day at school. Just yesterday I posted on our website and sent an email to families (please let the office know if you don't receive our emails) saying that K-4 students will not have to wear masks all day because the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the 9/25/20 Executive Order invalid. The latest word on this came last night, when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an Emergency Order stating that now students in grades K through 4 must wear masks all day. District officials from Meridian Public Schools will be meeting today (Tuesday) with the county health department to learn more about this. In the meantime, we will continue to follow our board-approved plan that we've used since the start of the school year until we can announce more definitive details from today's meeting. Once again, thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Josh Hook
Meridian Elementary Principal
Dear Mustang Families,
You may have heard that the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the Governor's Executive Orders are no longer valid after April 30th. However, as a school district, this will have no impact on our Board Approved "Return to Learn" plan. Every policy and procedure that we have been doing, we must continue to do. The only thing that will not take effect is the Governor's September 25th Executive Order that required all K-4 students to wear masks all day, starting today (Oct. 5). To reiterate, we will continue the same plan we have been using since the start of the school year. Our district will continue to consult with local health department officials in order to make the best decisions for the health of our students, staff, and community moving forward. Thank you. Josh Hook
Dear Mustang Families,
Meridian Elementary has a few important pieces of information for our families. The first is that on September 25th, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-185, which expands the requirement to wear a mask in the classroom to all students kindergarten and up. Previously, wearing masks in our elementary school was not a requirement, but beginning Monday, October 5th, 2020, it will become a state-mandated requirement. We will have no option but to comply with this mandate. Please join us in discussing this with your children so that they can be prepared for this change. Hopefully it won’t be long until our region progresses into Phase 5 of the MI Safe Start Plan and we can move beyond masks.
The second piece of information we would like to share with you is that our school will be having a Homecoming parade this Friday, October 2nd. Some high school students and the marching band will be participating in it and taking necessary health-safety precautions. Due to COVID-related health concerns, this parade is only for our students and staff. Meridian Elementary students may be viewing the parade through their classroom windows or in a specified zone on the playground. There will also be fire engines and police vehicles in the parade, likely making some noise as they participate in the celebration. I share this because last May many children in our community were roused from sleep to flee approaching floodwaters, were met with the sights and sounds of emergency vehicles, and devastation followed. If you think it might cause anxiety for your child to experience the sights and sounds of emergency vehicles in our Homecoming parade, please talk with your child in advance to help them prepare. If you don’t think it would be a good experience for your child to view the parade, please inform their teacher and we’ll have a different activity for your child during that time.
Joshua Hook, Principal