We hope you'll join us for our second Secondary Principals Coffee of the year Monday, November 9 at 9 am. We have five of these each year, and they are an opportunity for parents to get updates with what is going on in the Middle and High Schools and ask any questions they might have. As with other meetings, the Principals Coffees will be held via Zoom. So brew yourself a nice coffee or tea, grab a pastry, and log in!
Meeting ID: 881 9809 3865
Passcode: 685891
Note: In order to prevent “Zoom bombing”, the meeting is set so that “only authenticated users can join.” You must log into Zoom on your device prior to trying to join. Before the meeting, make sure that you have created a Zoom account for yourself (Zoom.com), using your correct name.
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Report Cards
Quarter 1 grades for each class can be viewed in Ascender, but in order to view Timely Work Completion comments for each class, you need to look at the Report Card.
Report cards are now available to be viewed in Ascender. To view your child’s report card:
- Click on Summary on the left-hand menu, and then select the child you want to look at (if you have more than one)
- Under Published Grades, you should see a green button that says Report Card.
- Click this Report Card button to see your child's report card, which will show
- Quarter 1 grades (under Cycle 1 Grade), and
- Timely Work Completion comments (under Comment Codes in the section underneath the grades).
Note that, though there is a key for each of the comment codes on your child’s report card, Ascender only allows an abbreviated descriptor to be shown. To see the full descriptor for each of these codes, please look at the Timely Work Completion rubric.
If you have a question about your child’s progress in any particular class, please email the teacher! If you would like to schedule a meeting with several of your child’s teachers at once, please contact the grade level team lead.
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Rebalancing Carlines (A Trick!)
You have likely noticed that Orange/Blue line (the line that loads in front of the primary building) in secondary after school carline has many more cars and students in it than the Green line (the line that loads on the north side of the high school building, by the courtyard exit).
We would like to rebalance the car lines, and are asking for volunteers interested in moving from Orange / Blue line to Green line. Please complete this survey if you are interested in this move.
Morning Carline Options (A Treat!)
You also have likely noticed that in the morning the yellow line (the line that drops off in front of the primary building) is much longer than the blue line or green line. Note that only kindergarten and first grade students are required to be dropped off in yellow line. Students of all other ages may be dropped off in any one of the lines.
So, unless you have kinder or 1st grade students in your car, simply choose the morning carline that is shortest!
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Iowa Testing & PSAT
Our middle school students participated in IOWA testing Monday and Tuesday of this week. This assessment will assist us in identifying strengths and areas for growth in student learning. Test results will be shared with families once available.
However, due to difficulties in test administration, both on campus and with distance learners, our testing data is incomplete. We are assessing whether we are able to offer makeup testing.
The Iowa test is for informational purposes only. It is not required by the state, and does not count for a grade in any class.
9th and 10th grade had been scheduled to take the Iowa test next week. However, due to the difficulties of test administration and the non-mandatory nature of the test, we have decided to cancel the administration of the Iowa test to 9th and 10th graders this school year. Next Monday and Tuesday our 9th and 10th grade students will have their regular classes.
11th grade and On-Campus 10th grade students took the PSAT today (October 29). The College board has set a national date for a makeup test for January 26, 2021. Meridian School plans to offer a makeup on campus for those who were not able to test on October 29.
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Safety Drills
Meridian follows the Standard Response Protocol for emergency procedures, and we are conducting safety drills over the next few months. Not all drills will be announced in advance. Each drill will be repeated during After School activities.
Our next drill takes place the week of November 2.
It will be a "hold" drill, where students and teachers stay inside the classroom for a few minutes while we clear hallways. After School families: we will notify you via PikMyKid before the drill happens; pick up will pause during the drill itself.
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After School Opportunities
Registration is now open for additional virtual Mandarin Chinese classes, with scholarship opportunities available. Email FLIEC for more information.
Spring Martial Arts registration begins on November 2, 2020 for returning Martial Arts participants and November 10, 2020 for new Martial Arts participants. Click here for more information.
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TEA Special Education Survey
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Proposed 2021-2022 Meridian School Calendar
The proposed 2021-2022 school calendar will be presented to the Meridian Board for approval on November 5, 2020. The proposed calendar is almost identical to this year’s calendar.
Teachers, staff, and administrators have had the opportunity to see the calendar and report any concerns or to ask any questions. We would like to offer this same opportunity to our parents. If you have questions or concerns about the calendar, please send them to headofschool@mwschool.org before November 5, 2020.
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From the counselors
Speaker Presentation: Coping with Family Stress during the Time of COVID with Jenna Fleming
Our Speaker format changed to a pre-recorded presentation that can be accessed at your convenience. Coping with Family Stress during the time of COVID is timely, and it also addresses the understanding that our stresses during this time are complex and multilayered.
Families many need a few extra tools or words of encouragement to help support each other. Below is the recorded talk by the wonderful, returning Jenna Fleming.
Enjoy at your leisure ( Access Passcode: teachthem2love!). We plan for our next speaker to be "live" via Zoom, but these are complicated times, and so flexibility is our motto.
Additional Resources
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Reminder: Freshman Conferences with High School Counselor
9th grade parents, don’t forget to sign up for a conference with High School counselor Carrie Proctor. We will complete a Freshman Conference Form during the small group conferences and a parent-signed copy should be scanned and sent to the counselor.
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Upcoming Events and Useful Links |
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Upcoming Holidays, Holy Days and Observances |
Mawlid, or Prophet’s Birthday
Muhammad is viewed by Muslims as the last of God’s prophets. According to the Time and Date website, some Muslims “see the Prophet’s birthday as an event worthy of praise [and] others view the celebration of birthdays as contradictory to Islamic law.” And both groups cite Islamic sacred writings to support their views. Read more
Reformation Day
October 31 commemorates the date in 1517 AD when Martin Luther nailed his “95 Theses” on the church door in the city of Wittenberg (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany), the event that is seen as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Read more
Halloween and All Saints / Souls Day
Halloween is commonly seen as having its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, occurring at the end of October. ... Read more
Native American Heritage Month
November is national Native American Heritage Month, a time for recognizing the history of American Indians and their contributions to the United States.
Daylight Savings Time Ends Sunday
Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday. If you happen to be awake Sunday morning at 2 am, set your clocks back to 1 am and go back to sleep. Most of us, though, will sleep through this and just enjoy the extra hour of sleep!
Election Day
According to History.com, the United States originally allowed states to hold elections in a 34 day period in late fall. ... Read more
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Student or Curricular Concerns
Principals
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Counselors
Additional Contacts
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