Meridian Newsletter

Para la traducción, presione el ícono de persona / accesibilidad a la derecha, luego seleccione "Translate Newsletter", y elija 'Spanish' u otro idioma en el que desee leer el boletín virtual. / እባክዎ በቀኝ በኩል ያለውን ሰው የተደራሽነት አዶን ይጫኑ ፣ ከዚያ ‹ Translate Newsletter › ን ይምረጡ ፣ ከዚያ ‹ጽሁፉን/መጽሔት› ን ለማንበብ የሚፈልጉትን ‹Amharic' › ወይም ሌላ ቋንቋ ይምረጡ ፡፡ / Please press the person/accessibility icon on the right, then select "Translate Newsletter", then choose your preferred language.

Dear Families,

Welcome to 2023! It is so great to see everyone back at school, and we hope that everyone had a restful, safe, and healthy break during the holiday season.

As we come into the second half of the year, I want to impress on everyone the importance of sending your students to school each and every day. We know that illnesses outside of COVID have been harder on our kids this year than in past years - sometimes it feels like my own kids are sick every day - but if students are healthy then we need to see them at school. We will be taking an extra focus to reach out to the families of our students with lower attendance rates than usual to create plans for support and accountability as the month goes on.

You may be wondering - what's an OK amount of school for my student to miss? While we certainly want them with us every day that we're open, we do recognize that appointments need to happen and sometimes they're sick. A good rule of thumb is that if they're missing more than two days a month, then they are missing too much, and they are likely falling behind in their classes.

If there's anything that we can do to support you in getting your students to school each day, please don't hesitate to reach out. Have a great week!

Picture Day is coming up for Elementary and Middle school students on Tuesday, January 17th. Please take time to review the information below so you know how to prepare students and order photos at v2.myproimages.com/freedphotography.

Click on the linked image below to expand the details.

Join us virtually on either Thursday, Jan 12th, or Friday, Jan 13th as we celebrate our scholars and their outstanding learning and attendance achievements in Trimester 1, please see the grade level schedule below. A reminder including the zoom information will be sent by text and email closer to the event.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS! The awards ceremony highlights students who have excelled, but who have also maintained stellar attendance. Students who attend school regularly improve their chances of being academically successful. As we enter Trimester 2, we want to emphasize the impact attendance has on the learning experience for each student and encourage you to revisit our Attendance Policy.

We realize the transition from Middle School to High School can be confusing and overwhelming for students and families, so we are here to help!

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 12th, we invite you to join our MS team for an important conversation about the High School transition process. The event will be from 5:30 - 7:00 PM in the MS gymnasium.

Our team will be there to guide you through the process of exploring high schools, share external resources to support this transition, and answer any questions you might have. You will also have the chance to meet the Safe Passage team. We hope to see you tomorrow!

Beginning on Tuesday, January 17th, cell phones will be collected by homeroom teachers and front office staff for students that arrive after 8:30 am. The cell phone cases will be housed in an administrator's office and will be returned by the teacher of the last class of the day. Students who refuse to submit their cellphones will need to have a parent meet with an administrator to further discuss consequences.

Next week, 1/17/23, Clubs are starting at both campuses. Please use this link to register for clubs!

ES: LINK (Span/ Eng)

MS: LINK (Span/ Eng)

Thank you for joining us yesterday at the Club Showcase. We loved seeing all of the performances from our club rockstars and are so proud of their hard work!

If you missed it, please watch the recorded Facebook live at fb.watch/h_FWnAQnbF/

There is still time to sign up for Elementary basketball which will begin on 1/24/2023. The deadline to register is 1/11/23 so register soon as spots are limited!

Students/families can do so here:

English: forms.gle/f9aHDEMEvJPUUxFCA

Spanish: forms.gle/7is6NvJnm98VcBMWA

Our friends at Hillcrest are hosting an 8-week virtual parenting series and would love to see you there on Mondays from 4-5 PM! Come together with other parents and guardians to share stories and learn from one another.

Our Kindred team (Cindy and Dana) has enjoyed getting to know the Meridian community this fall. For those still learning about Kindred, here's what to know ...

What’s Kindred? Their organization is all about holding real, open, and transparent conversations about how race and identity impact each student and family’s school experience. Their team is eager to hear your stories and discuss how you can get involved in their work to make Meridian Public Charter an anti-racist, liberated school space!

Meet Your Kindred Points of Contact Dana Mitchell (she/her) and Cindy Navarro (she/her) couldn’t be happier to walk along this liberation journey with you! Click on the links in their names to learn more about them.

We need YOU! Mixed Role + Multi-racial Dialogue Group: Kindred has been working to create a mixed role—parents, caregivers, staff, leaders—and multi-racial group to participate in conversations around how racial inequities impact our school community. Kindred will use what we learn from that dialogue to make sure what’s discussed lives on and allows every student to feel loved, respected, and successful.

Ready to participate? Want more info? Fill out this form!

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. King's dream and the I Have a Dream Speech which took place on Aug. 28, 1963, at the March on Washington during Martin Luther King Jr. Week 2023. Stop by your neighborhood library for engaging programs, check out recommended titles, stream documentaries, and research history related to the life and legacy of Dr. King, and the development of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday.

Calling all parents & caregivers! The responsibility of teaching children to read may seem daunting. The Reading League is offering a course, Introduction to Basic Reading Instruction. To learn more and register, visit thereadingleague.org/parent-courses/

Email: information@meridian-dc.org
Website: www.meridian-dc.org
Location: 2120 13th Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USA
Phone: 202-387-9830

Email: information@meridian-dc.org
Website: www.meridian-dc.org
Location: 770 Kenyon Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USA
Phone: 202-793-2667