Mr. Posick's weekly newsletter

It was great to see our students and staff back in the building this week. Although there are new procedures and we're all wearing masks, it's been awesome being back in school. I've shared my new mantra with our students and staff- wear your mask, stay 6 feet apart, and wash your hands often- and they are following through. As with developing any new habit, it takes practice and reminders. Thanks for all that you are doing at home to help develop these habits with our students.

On Monday, August 31st, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is extending a nationwide waiver which provides free meals for students through the end of December 2020 or until funding runs out. Therefore, the Merton School District is offering free lunch to all students, in person and virtual, starting Tuesday, September 8th.

Students who are IN SCHOOL will be offered the same choices that have been offered in the past. These menus can be found here: Primary/Intermediate. All meals are free. All Intermediate School ala carte items will still be charged to the student’s lunch account. (Intermediate is here) Primary students will be charged if they choose a second helping.

Students who are VIRTUAL can also participate in the free lunch service by signing up via this link (one form per family, please). A new link will be sent home weekly on Friday in the Principal's updates. Here is the Virtual Learning Menu. Deadline to sign up is every Sunday evening at 10 pm for the entire following week. Lunch pick up next week is Tuesday 9/8 and Thursday 9/10 from 8:00-8:30 am. After that, we will have Monday and Wednesday pick up from 8:00-8:30 am All parents/guardians should come to the back of Merton Primary School, enter through Door D and go left towards the gym. A food service member will be waiting there. Please supply the student’s names and you will be given the lunches.

It has been great seeing you in the parking lot and even greater seeing your kids every morning. Please know that our building is open for student arrival at 8:30. Before that time students won't be supervised. When the doors open, students are going to their locker or cubby and then straight to their homeroom. If there is inclement weather, we will bring students in earlier than that and they will need to be masked up.

Many of our Intermediate students have cell phones. Most of them just keep them in their locker or cubby during the school day. From time to time, they might text you that they aren't feeling well and ask you to come pick them up. We need to ask you a favor. Please have your child come to the office whenever they aren't feeling well instead of texting you. If they do text you, please ask them to come down to the office and we will call you if they need to be picked up. We need to keep track of symptoms in the office and a surprise visit by a family member to pick up a student causes this process to break down. This may be a new procedure for you and your child, so please make sure to instruct them that they need to go to the office if they feel sick instead of texting you. We appreciate your assistance, and please reach out if you have any questions about this.

Thanks for calling in or sending an email to Mrs. Emmerich (emmerichb@merton.k12.wi.us) when your child is absent. Please contact Mrs. Emmerich if your child is attending in person or virtually. It is greatly appreciated. If your child is absent but well enough to attend virtually, please have your child connect with his/her teachers. You can do that as well. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out!

Due to COVID-19, we are no longer able to have students ride a bus other than the one to which they are assigned. Students wishing to go to a friend's house after school will need to make alternate arrangements. Thank you for understanding.

For our virtual students, our next material pick up is Friday, September 11th. More details will be provided next week.

This link provides lots of information about our district's plans for the upcoming school year. There are links to grade level schedules as well as frequently asked questions. If you have any questions that you can't find an answer for, don't hesitate to reach out.

Email: posickj@merton.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.merton.k12.wi.us/intermediate/
Location: N68W28320 Sussex Road Merton, WI 53056
Phone: (262) 538-1130
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MertonIntermediate
Twitter: @mertonint