Meridian High School

1. Principal's Message
2. Special Schedule This Week
3. Spring State Assessments
4. Bell Schedule for Week of April 25th
5. State Ag Mechanics
6. Sexual Health Education
7. Seeking Feedback for Budget Priorities
8. Meridian Family Support Center
9. Bellingham Parks & Recreation Scholarships
10. Hot Lunch Menu
11. National Holiday
12. Daily Bell Schedule
13. Requesting Transcripts through Parchment
14. Attendance Information
15. MHS Points of Contact

“To inspire and challenge active learners to positively impact a changing world.”

It was great to welcome the class of 2026 and their families last week as our leadership students put on a program Wednesday morning and students and their families attended 8th Grade Parents' Night on Thursday. Both events allowed participants to learn a little bit about what to anticipate next fall, the expectations of a high school student, and the new opportunities available to students at MHS as our current students highlighted some of the clubs and sports at the high school.

As I shared with families, we continue to look for ways to share more about what is taking place on campus to help you support your student as they complete their classes, participate in clubs or athletics, and satisfy graduation requirements. I hope the newsletter provides you with some of that information. Please contact me if you have questions about other things taking place on campus.

This week we have special schedules on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday are related to state testing and Thursday is an early release for our Senior Presentations. Please review the information later in the newsletter that includes the bell schedules for both this week and next week, which also has special schedules because of testing.

This week also includes our MSD Talent Show. We are excited to have this event back on campus to show off some of our amazing students from all of our schools. We hope you can attend. Thursday is our K-5 performance, Friday is our 6-12 performance and the finals take place on Saturday.

While activities and events continue throughout the spring, please be sure to check your student's progress in Skyward and contact their teachers if you have questions about progress in class. We want to see our students be successful and finish the final quarter of the school year strong.

Thank you for reading and Go Trojans!

- Derek Forbes

Spring state assessments will begin Tuesday at MHS.

Our 10th graders (and some of our 11th and 12th graders who have not met their graduation pathway) will begin testing at 7:55 am. Those 11th and 12th-grade households should have already received a robocall and email with this information. Students will also be contacted on Monday.

Our 9th graders will be starting their day at 7:55 am as well. They will be participating in various activities in their Homeroom class. These activities will help them finish this semester strong, and get better organized, while also having a little fun.

For this week, there are also some 11th and 12th graders who have Incomplete grades to make up that need to come in at 7:55 am. The time during these mornings will help them earn credit in classes needed for graduation.

If your student is not a freshman, sophomore, or junior/senior who needs to test or make up credits, they can get to campus at 9:20 am and be in their first-period class by 9:25 am those two days.

For additional information about state testing:

• Smarter Balanced and WCAS Test Overview
• Try an online Smarter Balanced practice test or WCAS training test
• State Testing Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions about the state assessments, please contact your student's counselor.

Congratulations to the Meridian FFA Ag Mechanics Team for placing 3rd at state this weekend. In the individual competition - Isaac Berschauer, placed 2nd and Drew Feller , placed 8th. Great Job FFA!

Sexual health education lessons will be delivered to sophomore and senior students in May and June. Sophomore lessons will take place in health and civics class periods May 24th to June first. Senior lessons will take place during English class periods May 20th and 23rd. Sophomore and Senior families should look for a communication early next week with information about how they can view the teaching materials. Families may choose to opt their students out of part or all of the sexual health lessons by completing an opt out form and turning it into the school office. Opt out forms will be available for those involved in the coming weeks.

We want to provide families, staff and students an opportunity to weigh in on our district budget before we submit our budget proposal to the school board for approval in June. Your input will be helpful in identifying priorities. Please take a few minutes to answer the question, "As we plan for the next school year, what are the most important things we should consider in order to support all of our students?"

We will share what common themes we heard from your feedback as we continue through the budget process. Thank you, in advance, for providing your thoughts by Tuesday, April 19.

We are excited to announce the opening of the Meridian Family Support Center! The Family Center is located at Irene Reither Elementary (954 E. Hemmi Rd) and will be open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday through Friday. The Family Center staff can assist with basic needs such as food, clothing, hygiene supplies, referrals to community resources and more. Families who would like to visit the Clothing Closet, which includes clothing for kids and adults, should make an appointment by contacting Alicia Roberts at 360-318-2486. Community donations of new and gently used clothing (kids and adult size), kitchenwares, linens, and small appliances that are still in excellent condition can be brought to the Family Center on Mondays during school hours. We look forward to welcoming you at the Family Center!

¡Nos complace anunciar la apertura del Centro de apoyo familiar de Meridian! El Centro Familiar está ubicado en Irene Reither (954 E. Hemmi Rd) y estará abierto de 8:30 am a 3:30 pm de lunes a viernes. El personal del Family Center puede ayudar con las necesidades básicas, como alimentos, ropa, suministros de higiene, referencias a recursos comunitarios y más. Las familias que deseen visitar el armario de ropa, que incluye ropa para niños y adultos, deben hacer una cita comunicándose con Elvira Rozen al 360-306-2886.
Las donaciones de la comunidad de ropa nueva y usada en buen estado (tallas para niños y adultos), utensilios de cocina, ropa de cama y electrodomésticos pequeños que todavía están en excelentes condiciones se pueden llevar al Centro Familiar los lunes durante el horario escolar. Esperamos darle la bienvenida en el Centro Familiar!

Bellingham Parks & Recreation has summer youth programs for kids ages 6-16. Registration is open now. Scholarships up to $200 are available for families with Bellingham addresses. For more information visit cob.org/parks-scholarships or register for programs at www.cob.org/ezreg

Monday - Rice Bowl

Tuesday - Nugget and Mashed Potato Bowl

Wednesday - French Toast with Sausage

Thursday - Grab and Go Lunch (Early Release)

Friday - Pasta and Garlic Toast

Other Daily Offerings May Include:

Pizza

Variety of Fresh Made Salads

Variety of Fresh Made Wraps

Deli Sandwiches

Yogurt Parfait

National Banana Day takes place on the third Wednesday in April — April 20 this year. Bananas are one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world. Bananas’ popularity spans across the world and there are thousands of banana varieties. Bananas are beneficial and versatile, and can be used in puddings, muffins, pies, sandwiches, bread, cakes, and more.

Meridian High School has partnered with parchment.com to fulfill transcript requests for current students and MHS alumni. Transcripts are securely sent electronically to colleges and universities across the nation, resulting in a reduction of lost documents at the financial aid offices. The service is free of charge to current students. Alumni pay a small fee. Please make sure that your intended college accepts electronic transcripts.

Please find the “Order transcripts through Parchment” link under Families & Students/Resources on the MHS website. Current students may call Mrs. Brinkman or Mrs. Waterman to receive their Parchment access code at the MHS office 360-398-8111.

Being present in class is vital to be successful in school. We want to encourage all of our students to be at school every day! If you are missing school, you are missing out on learning!

If your kids miss a day or even part of a day of school for whatever reason, please contact our attendance secretary, Mrs. McMains by either phone (360-318-2260) or email (tgmcmains@meridian.wednet.edu)with the reason for the absence. If they are going to miss because of an illness, please call or email in the morning and let us know! If there is a planned absence, please contact her and she will take care of notifying teachers. If she is unable to answer the phone right at that moment, please feel free to leave the information on her voicemail.

Website-www.meridian.wednet.edu/mhs

The homepage has access to recent news.

Meridian School District on Social Media

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/meridianschooldistrict505/

Instagram: @meridianschooldistrict505

Twitter: @meridian505

The Meridian School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Title IX, ADA, and Compliance Coordinator (RCW 28A.640/28A.642) Kurt Harvill, Director of Personnel, 214 W. Laurel Rd., Bellingham WA 98226. 360-398-7111. Section 504 questions

Derek Forbes, Principal: dforbes@meridian.wednet.edu

Shaun Doffing, Assistant Principal:

sdoffing@meridian.wednet.edu

Cheryl McBride, Counselor A-J: cmcbride@meridian.wednet.edu

Don McMains, Counselor K-Z: dmcmains@meridian.wednet.edu

Tami McMains, Attendance: tgmcmains@meridian.wednet.edu

Robin Brinkman, Registration: rbrinkman@meridian.wednet.edu

Chromebook Tech Support: chromebook@meridian.wednet.edu