Notice: First Positive Lab-Confirmed COVID-19 Test On Campus
In keeping with Meridian School’s procedures regarding responding to COVID-19 (page 6 of our Return to Campus Protocols), we are notifying parents, students, and staff that an individual who was present on campus was recently lab-confirmed to have the virus that causes COVID-19. Due to privacy laws, which prevent us from sharing personal information about students and staff, we will not release the name of the individual or details that may identify them.
This person was not in close contact with students. Staff who may have been in close contact have been notified, are not on campus, and are seeking testing, per their physicians’ recommendations.
Our custodial crew takes great care in cleaning our campus daily, and extra attention has been given to disinfecting the area occupied by this individual. We are also notifying the WIlliamson County and Cities Health District and the State of Texas, as per the law.
While we do not have reason to believe that those who were not in close contact with the infected individual have reason to be concerned, we ask that you, as always, watch for symptoms of COVID-19. If you begin experiencing any of these symptoms in a way that is not typical, we encourage you to contact your physician and notify our School Nurse Assistant, Karen Laywell.
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From the Nurse's Office
Please welcome Karen Schmidt, RN, to our nursing staff. She will be here a few days a month to help out, and you might be hearing her name if she were to call home from the nurse’s office. Welcome, Karen!
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IOWA Testing
After careful consideration, Meridian World School administration has decided NOT to offer IOWA make-up testing. If your student was unable to take all or part of the IOWA exam, there will be no implications or negative consequences.
Unfortunately, there were many issues with the test, and at this time we do not feel the benefits of makeup testing outweigh the drawbacks. As was announced last week, we will not conduct Iowa testing this year for 9th and 10th grades. The data we have collected for those who did test in Middle School will be made available to parents soon.
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Rebalancing Carlines
As was announced in last week’s Lions Share, those assigned to after school Orange / Blue carline have the opportunity to switch to the much shorter Green line. If you are interested in making this switch, please complete the survey.
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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.
We have a "hold" drill this week and a "secure-lockout" drill next week. A secure-lockout (formerly lockout) is called when there's an outside threat, and all outside doors are locked. No one comes in or out. (This would be enacted, say, if there were criminal activity in the immediate area and police asked us to stay inside).
After School families: we will notify you via PikMyKid before the drills happen; pick up will be placed on pause during the drills.
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Secondary Principals Coffee November 9
Join us Monday, November 9 at 9 am for our second Secondary Principals Coffee. 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. So please, before the meeting, make sure that you have created a Zoom account for yourself (Zoom.com), using your correct name.
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Dyslexia Resource Page
TEA Special Education Survey
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Meeting for Students & Parents of the Class of 2022 Nov. 19
Mrs. Holcombe, Coach Elbers and Mrs. Leandro (faculty sponsors for the Class of 2022) will host a Zoom meeting Thursday, November 19 from 6 - 6:45 pm for students and parents of the Class of 2022 regarding the Senior Trip scheduled for March, 2022. Our destination will be Rome & Greece!
We'll provide information about the trip and share how to register and begin making payments (if you desire to begin paying now). The Zoom link/calendar invitation will be sent directly to you by Mrs. Holcombe.
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From the counselors
The Child Mind Institute has partnered with Parents Magazine, the National Institute of Health, and other organizations to provide a space for people to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. You also have the ability to listen to other's posts and be a part of research that will help scientists determine how to best support families after these experiences. Categories are provided for the multiple roles that we may have: parents, teachers, students (age 16 and up), healthcare workers, and a general category entitled other. Consider adding your story to the CrisisLogger.
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Upcoming Events and Useful Links |
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Upcoming Holidays, Holy Days and Observances |
Veterans Day
Fighting in World War I ended with an armistice signed at 11 am on November 11, 1918. Since then, November 11 has been celebrated as “Armistice Day” in many countries that fought in the “War to End All Wars." Read on
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Student or Curricular Concerns
Principals
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Counselors
Additional Contacts
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