Meridian Middle School

Updated Full Remote Learning Document & Schedule - https://5il.co/l1hd

Thank you for having patience with us while our teachers and staff members work hard to switch from our Blended Learning plan to our total remote learning plan. You will find the remote learning schedule we will follow starting tomorrow (Tuesday, September 15) attached to this email. If internet is an issue during this 2 week time period, please call the office at (217) 764-3367 with these concerns. At this time, we plan to return to our Blended Learning plan with the in-person instruction option on Monday, September 28. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office or the individual classroom teachers. If you have Chromebook concerns or issues, please email Mr. Stielow and stielowp@meridianhawks.net. https://5il.co/l0j0

Because of multiple positive cases reported over the weekend, Meridian Schools will be switching to remote learning for the next two weeks. MMS & MHS will be open from 8:00 - 3:00 for students to come in and get supplies from lockers, if needed. A remote learning schedule will be provided to students and parents tomorrow via email.

During this time of year, we typically welcome and encourage our parents/guardians to come in for the MMS Open House. This not only gives you the opportunity to spend a few minutes following your child's daily schedule, but you can also meet the classroom teachers and hear of our expectations and curriculum for each subject. We aren't able to host our traditional open house under the current guidelines, so the middle school teachers have put together videos/presentations for a virtual open house. Please take the time to "get to know" your child's teachers by clicking on the links on the attached document. Videos are also available on each teacher's web page and can be accessed at www.meridianhawks.net. https://5il.co/kscp

We had a great first week back at MMS with our students! Do you want to know what your child is learning about during the day or what the homework assignments are for each class? Planbook links are accessible on teacher web pages and can also be viewed here - https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/901719/MMS_Planbook_Links_2021.pdf

Tomorrow - Friday, September 4 - is an early dismissal. The Macon campus will dismiss at 11:10 a.m. All transportation arrangements should be made prior to the students arriving in the morning. Students should be picked up promptly at the dismissal. There is no school on Monday, September 7.

It was so great to be back! #wearemeridian

Remote Learning students should stop by the school today between 8-3:00 p.m. to pick up materials for the beginning of the school year! Supplies are organized alphabetically by grade level in the MMS cafeteria. Only one person needs to enter the building. There is no need to stop in the office. Please wear a mask! *In-person learners will receive supplies/materials on Monday!

To self certify your child each morning before he or she comes to school (OR gets on the bus): 1) Download the App 2) Login as a parent 3) Click on the yellow link (one per child in your household) 4) Answer the questions The self certify link is now live for you to practice. Thanks in advance for testing this out!

Here is the app you will need to download to self certify your child(ren) daily if they are in-person learners. Once you login, there will be an announcement highlighted in yellow telling you that it needs to be completed. This will look just like the prompt for online registration. The self certification portion will be live tomorrow for you to test it out!

Our teachers returned to the building yesterday and are busy preparing for students to return next week. We'd like to welcome the following new faces to MMS! Mrs. Erin Janvrin - Secretary Miss Maggie Comerford - Special Education Mrs. Alyssa Holsapple - Special Education Mrs. Aidan Perrey - 6-12th Grade Art Miss Gracie Brookens - Long-Term 7th-8th Grade Science Substitute Teacher Mr. Carl Jones - Custodian Mr. Andrew Novak - Social Worker Go Hawks!

Our 2020-2021 school year with updated dates has been posted on the webpage. The bell schedule that will be used for our daily 1:30 p.m. dismissal is also available.  To limit the number of students in the hallway at one time, bus riders will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m. and car riders/walkers will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m.  All car riders/walkers should be dropped off/picked up at the MMS main entrance. Bus riders will be dropped off/picked up at the MHS main entrance. Your child must have a mask on before entering the building (or school bus), and you will need to self-certify that your child is healthy before he or she arrives to school in the morning. More information will be provided on the self-certification process before school begins.   If your child is registered to ride a bus, you should hear from your child's bus driver by noon next Thursday, August 27.  Any questions can be directed to Paula Ray (rayp@meridianhawks.net or (217) 764-3896) at the Bus Garage or myself. It is very important that your child knows his or her bus number before reporting to school on the first day.  The first day of student attendance for all learners is Monday, August 31. On this day, students who are registered to begin the year in-person will receive Chromebooks, textbooks, and the student planner. In addition, we will use core periods to watch back-to-school "boot camp" videos created to communicate overall school expectations that may look a little different this year.  I have included the links to those videos for you to review and discuss with your child prior to the first day.   Arrival/Dismissal to School Procedures - https://youtu.be/J64ShauB66c Office & Nurse Procedures - https://youtu.be/QNOdy2PgwZQ Hallway & Restroom Procedures - https://youtu.be/KMslRdVnci4 Lunch Procedures - https://youtu.be/pbU6wzSgbak Library Procedures - https://youtu.be/h3DlIToOX44 We are really looking forward to having our students back - both in-person and remotely. As you take your "First Day of School" pictures, we'd love for you to share them with us to use as we document the 2020-2021 school year.  Please email your middle school student's First Day of School picture to mmsyearbook@meridianhawks.net.     Updated Upcoming Events -  August 28: Remote Learners pick up supplies (MMS cafeteria) between 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. August 31: 1st Day of School for In-Person and Remote Learning Students September 4: 11:10 a.m. Dismissal September 7: No School - Labor Day September 9: Virtual Open House - More Information will Follow September 25: 1st Quarter Midterm  September 29: School Pictures *Remote Learning students can come in for pictures between 1:45 - 2:45 p.m. in the auditorium. 

With softball & baseball seasons currently underway, our goal at Meridian is to provide a safe playing field for all athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators. To maintain that high level of safety and to ensure that we can proceed with these seasons and those that follow, our conference athletic directors met to establish universal guidelines that were communicated to all players and parents/guardians. From those guidelines, it is important to note the following: -Players, coaches, and spectators should maintain social distance by being 6 feet apart. To help with this, we have removed the spectator bleachers from both fields. -Spectators are limited to 2 people per player and all non-participants should wear a mask at all times. This includes athletes while on the bus and while sitting in the dugout. -If an athlete, coach, official, or spectator has any of the COVID-19 symptoms, is currently suffering from COVID-19, or has recently been in contact with someone who has tested positive, that individual (and those in the household) should not come to the game. If someone who attends a game tests positive for COVID-19, a roster with head of household contact information will be provided to the host team for contact tracing. We know our sporting events look different today because of these unprecedented times. We are hopeful, however, that our kids can successfully play ball under these guidelines. Thank you in advance for not only cooperating with these guidelines, but for also discussing them with your child.

Good luck to both our MMS baseball and softball teams as they kick off the season tomorrow against Monticello! Per conference guidelines, spectators should be limited to 2 people per athletes, must wear a mask, and should practice social distancing. Go Hawks!

Click the link for more Google tips for parents. Our 6th - 8th grade students will use their district provided email address to join Google Classrooms. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgqtCi7hdo

If your child is registered to begin the year as a remote learner, the Remote Learning Guidelines have been updated to reflect the change in our 2020-2021 school year. With this change, all students will begin school on Monday, August 31. Remote Learning students should plan to pick up textbooks, Chromebooks, and other materials at the school on Friday, August 28 between 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. If you have questions, please contact the school office at (217)764-3367. https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/848681/2020-2021_Remote_Learning_Guidelines_-_Updated_Dates.pdf

Our teachers will be using Google Classroom this year for both in-person and Remote Learning. While a lot of our students are familiar with Google Classroom already, this video may be helpful to our parents/guardians! https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3ZEMlXyGKkPoI_x1xAGAz9PpYVyL5RpHnIChAVZUb6SQq0yr6OA4FxufM&v=IgS-hoSIjnw&feature=youtu.be

With the school year quickly approaching, I know many of you have questions about back to school activities and how they may look a little different than in the past. Please know that our building is currently open Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If your child will be an in-person learner and would like to come tour the building before school starts and/or bring in supplies, he or she is welcome to do so. Your child's class schedule can be found using the SIS parent portal. The locker number and combination is also available on SIS under "Student Details" (left side of screen). If you are planning to come in during office hours and would like a printed copy of your child's schedule when you come, please call the office ahead of time or send me an email. Please remember that everyone who enters the school building must wear a mask at all times. To keep numbers down, it is also greatly appreciated if only those family members who need to come into the building do so at this time. Students who will be remote learning at the beginning of the school year may come in on Friday, August 14 between 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. to pick up textbooks and Chromebooks. If this time does not work, please contact the office to make other arrangements. Only one person should come in, and masks are required. Materials will be organized in the cafeteria for a quick pick up. Remote learners do not need to bring in school supplies until they return to in-person learning. Students who will be in-person learning at the beginning of the school year will receive textbooks and Chromebooks during homeroom/1st hour on the 1st day of school - August 17. The first few days of student attendance will be used for in-person student orientation to help students make the adjustment back on campus. Upcoming Dates: August 17: 1st Day of Student Attendance August 18: School Pictures August 25: Virtual Open House - More Information to Follow September 4: 11:10 a.m. Dismissal September 7: No School - Labor Day

If your child is a returning Meridian student, please complete online registration by August 7. Information being collected through the online registration is being used to help plan and prepare for the upcoming school year. Registration for NEW Meridian students will be held in person on Monday, August 3 from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Please bring proof of residency when you come. We are asking that only one family member enter the building. Please remember to wear a mask! If you have any questions, please call 217-764-3367.

If you think you have submitted online registration documents but have not received a confirmation email from the administrative team, your registration forms may be incomplete. If the page includes a link (free/reduce form, medical exam, etc.), you must click the link to verify that you have "viewed" the page. If you have questions, please email either mcguirem@meridianhawks.net or stielowp@meridianhawks.net.