MPCS Back to School Newsletter

2023-2024 School Year

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Letter to Elementary School Families

Dear Elementary School Families,

Welcome back! I hope this letter finds you refreshed and excited for the upcoming school year. As your Elementary School Principal, I am thrilled to welcome you back to our beloved Meridian Public Charter School.

We have missed the lively energy of our students navigating the hallways, the thoughtful questions raised in the classrooms, and the enthusiasm showcased on our playgrounds. These are the things that make our school a bustling hub of learning, and we can't wait to see it all come back to life!

Our dedicated team of teachers and staff have been working diligently throughout the summer to prepare a meaningful, engaging, and safe learning environment for all of our students. On behalf of the Elementary School leaders, we look forward to making this a successful year full of learning, growth, and fun. We will be there every step of the way to guide, support, and celebrate your children as they navigate school.

Please know that we are here to support not just our students, but our parents and families as well. We believe in the power of partnership and know that together, we can make this a fantastic year for our students. Together, let's make the 2023-2024 school year the best one yet!

Best Regards,

DuRay Stevens

Elementary School Principal

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Letter to Middle School Families

Dear Middle School Families,

I hope this letter finds you rested, rejuvenated, and ready for the exciting year ahead. As Principal of Meridian Public Charter Middle School, I cannot wait to kick-off the 2023-2024 academic year on Monday. Our hallways and classrooms have missed the energy and enthusiasm that our brilliant students bring.

We have a year filled with rich, engaging, and fulfilling experiences planned for our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Our dedicated teachers and staff are eager to work with you to create a supportive, nurturing environment where students can thrive.

Our mission is to ensure that every student feels valued, challenged, and prepared to face the world beyond our school's walls. We will continue to implement innovative and challenging instructional programs that promote problem-solving, critical thinking skills, and respect for one another's ideas and perspectives.

This year, as outlined in the Meridian EL Work Plan, our focus will be to build Mastery of Knowledge and Skills through Checking for Understanding in Daily Instruction. We will commit to effectively checking for understanding in daily instruction using multiple methods so that we can meet all students' needs and so that students are leaders of their own learning. We will build a strong culture of crew by placing an emphasis on creating school-wide Habits of Character that build ethical people and effective learners. Our final big rock for the year will be to identify attributes of high-quality work which will guide our planning and delivery.

We look forward to a year of partnership and collaboration. We are incredibly excited to welcome you back to school and kick off this year in person.

Let's work together to make this school year one of growth, achievement, and joy. See you soon on Monday!

Best wishes,

Nicole Blair-Barzey

Middle School Principal

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

First Day of School Arrival: The first day of school will be on Monday, August 28, 2023, for students in grades K-8. Please ensure that your child arrives on school premises by 8:00 am. Staff will be stationed at the front of the school to welcome everyone and guide them to classrooms. PreK students will have a different schedule during the first week of school, see below.

Wednesday, August 30th will be the first Early Release Day for all students. ALL students will be dismissed at 1 pm.

For PreK Families Only:

Monday, August 28th - Family Open House from 8 am-12 pm
Tuesday, August 29th - Half day (Dismissal at 12 pm).
Wednesday, August 30th - Early Release day - ALL students will be dismissed at 1 PM
Thursday, August 31st - First full day for PreK students

SY23-24 Family Calendars

2023-2024 SY Family School Calendar (English)
2023-2024 SY Family School Calendar (Spanish)

You can also stay up to date with all school events by joining our public Google calendar by clicking one of the links below:

The daily schedule for each campus is below. Please note, our Early Release Day will be on WEDNESDAYS--ALL STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED AT 1:00 PM. Afternoon Extended Learning will be available on Wednesday afternoons (see information below).

ES and MS Daily Schedules

Student Shuttle Service

Meridian PCS is excited to offer an internal shuttle service for students' arrival and departure between schools. This shuttle is designed to help support families that have students attending both campuses. Each route will be supervised by a Meridian PCS employee to ensure students remain supervised during each commute. Below you will find the estimated times for the shuttle service for the AM and PM services.

Schedule - AM

7:55am - Departure Elementary School

8:00am - Pick-up at Columbia Heights Metro (Corner of 14th Street, NW and Irving Street NW-Pick-up will be at the shuttle pick-up on Irving Street NW)

8:05am - Drop off at Middle School

8:15am - Departure from Elementary School

8:20am - Pick-up at Columbia Heights Metro (Corner of 14th Street, NW and Irving Street NW- Pick-up will be at the shuttle pick-up on Irving Street NW)

8:25am - Drop off at Middle School

Schedule - PM

4:05pm - Departure Middle School

4:10pm - Drop Off at Columbia Heights Metro (Corner of 14th Street, NW and Irving Street NW - Drop-off will be at the shuttle pick-up on Irving Street, NW)

4:15pm - Drop off at Elementary School

4:25pm - Pick-up at Middle School

4:30pm - Drop off at Columbia Heights Metro (Corner of 14th Street, NW and Irving Street NW - Drop off will be at the shuttle pick-up on Irving Street NW)

4:35pm - Drop off at Elementary School

*Please note that students should arrive at least 5 minutes early for the AM shuttle pick-up times listed above.

Any family interested in participating will need to complete a permission slip that will be available during parent-student orientation or at the front desk of each school. If you have any questions, please reach out to Delontay Garner, Manager of Auxiliary Services, Director of Operations at 202-876-4669.

Technology and Cell Phone Use Policy

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Meridian's cell phone policy prohibits student use of cell phones and other electronic devices during school hours. Cell phones in classrooms have a negative impact on academic performance because they distract students from being fully engaged participants in the learning process. Cell phone use during school hours can also increase instances of cyberbullying and inappropriate posts on social media websites.

Students will not be permitted to have cell phones while in class. Student cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off before entering the school building and placed inside their locker or turned in to school administrators. Visible cell phones and other electronic devices will be confiscated and only returned to a parent or guardian. Repeated violations will result in additional consequences. Cell phones will be given back to students prior to dismissal daily.

Students and their parents should read the cell phone policy and return a signed copy to the office when sent home at the beginning of the school year. Signing the policy acknowledges acceptance. Students will not be permitted to have their phones at school until the signed policy is returned.

If students need to place an emergency phone call during the day, they should request to go to the main office to use an office phone. In case of emergency, parent/guardian(s) are asked to contact the Elementary School at 202-387-9830 or the Middle School at 202-796-2667.

For Pre-K Families - Meridian's Toileting Policy

Meridian Public Charter School does not exclude children based on toilet learning ability. Teachers should be sensitive to parent concerns and offer open communication with parents concerning Toilet Learning, as it is developmentally appropriate for young children to be engaged in toilet learning activities.

To support children, families, and teachers with toilet learning, Meridian implements procedures to support all parties and help children achieve age and developmentally appropriate self-help skills. To achieve success in this process, all parties must maintain open, honest, and supportive communication so that children feel comfortable and can be successful. Please remember that toilet learning has to be reinforced at home as well as at school. No child will be forced to sit on the toilet. To read our Toileting Policy in full, please visit bit.ly/3KSmUqo.

Uniform Policy

Meridian Public Charter School’s uniform policy is designed to give students a sense of professionalism and community and therefore is strictly enforced throughout the school year. By abiding by our uniform policy, students show a willingness to be a part of our school community and accept the responsibility of taking ownership of their education, actively promoting a school culture of pride, unity, discipline, and safety. Students out of compliance with the uniform policy will be subject to disciplinary consequences as per the Student Handbook.

All students must wear:

Solid navy blue, light blue, or white collared shirt
Solid navy blue pants or shorts no shorter than the student’s longest finger when standing upright and hands down at their side
Closed-toed shoes

Students may elect to wear:

Navy blue or light blue skirt or polo-style dress, no shorter than the student’s longest finger when standing upright and hands down at their side
Meridian spiritwear t-shirts (purchased from or given by the school)

Students are not permitted to wear the following items:

Coats, jackets, and hooded sweatshirts (hoodies) are all considered outerwear and cannot be worn in class or around the building
Open-toed shoes and sandals are prohibited; they are not safe and may cause injury to the student.
Hats are prohibited. However, Meridian respects and protects students’ religious, ethnic, and cultural expression. Students may wear any religiously, ethnically, or culturally specific head coverings or hairstyles, including but not limited to hijabs, yarmulkes, head/hair wraps, braids, dreadlocks, and cornrows.
Leggings (form-fitting garments that cover the legs and sometimes the waist) may only be worn underneath skirts/shorts of the appropriate length. Leggings CANNOT be worn in place of pants.

Any article of clothing, accessory, or markings on clothes or skin that

exhibits curse words or slurs,
exhibits graphic or violent images, or
displays emblems, symbols, signs, or other things which are clear evidence of affiliation with illegal drugs, alcohol, violence, or criminally motivated organizations.

Immunizations must be up to date

One of the most important things you can do to ensure a healthy and safe return to school is to consider getting yourself and your student vaccinated. To attend school, families are required to submit their student’s up-to-date immunization records.

If your student does not have up to date childhood immunizations, they may not be allowed to attend school. You can access the Universal Health Certificate (exam date not older than 1 year ago) to be completed by your child's medical provider here, and submit the completed form to enroll@meridian-dc.org.

Please check the graphic below for grade-specific vaccine requirements.

To support you in ensuring your child is up to date with their immunizations, we will be hosting a mobile unit vaccination event on Oct 3rd in partnership with Children’s National at our Elementary School campus. Stay tuned for more information!

School Meal Program

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Meridian Public Charter School is committed to serving healthy, nutritious, and quality meals to children, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and fat-free or low-fat dairy, within the calorie requirements for school children. Meridian partners with Luncheras Di Si to offer breakfast, lunch, and snacks free of charge to all students through the School Breakfast Program (SBP), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program (FFVP).

The school menu provides nutritious, fresh, and healthy choices to our students. All menus are prepared monthly using USDA-approved recipes with nutritious ingredients. Check out the September menus with the button below.

September Menus

Kids Ride Free SmarTrip Cards

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The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus, Metrorail, and the DC Circulator while traveling within the District to get to school and school-related activities.

To be eligible for participation in the KRF program, each student must be:

A resident of the District of Columbia, and Ages 5 through 21
Enrolled in an elementary or secondary public, charter, private or parochial school located within the District or youth in the care of the District.
The first card is free. Any subsequent replacement cards are also free.
There are program administration costs; however, students never have to pay for the card or any associated fees.

Families should complete the SY23-24 Kids Ride Free Card Request Form at bit.ly/23-24MPCSKRF.

An initial supply of SY23-24 KRF Cards will be delivered to schools for School Administrators to assign to students upon request.
SY22-23 KRF cards will be valid through September 30, 2023.
Assigned KRF Cards will be delivered to the student’s classroom if the parent selects the card to be given to the student.
If the parent selects to pick it up, the family will receive a call from the ID Administrator to pick up the card from the Family Center on either campus between the hours of 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM on Wednesday’s.

School Supplies

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We will provide EACH student with all the traditional supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.) needed for the school year, so there are no school supply lists this year! Please know this does not include backpacks. Families are welcome to purchase any additional supplies they would like to have for their students, should learning from home be necessary due to a prolonged physical absence from school for any reason.

Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students should come to school each day with 2 full changes of clothes (including underwear and socks; changes of clothes do NOT need to be uniform compliant) and a blanket for naps each day.

Letter from the Family Engagement Team

Out of School Time Programming

Meridian offers morning and afternoon extended learning programs to keep children engaged and safe outside of normal school hours.

This year, Meridian will offer Out-of-School Time (OST) programs before and after school (before school/clubs/tutoring) in addition to sports to keep children engaged and safe outside of normal school hours. There are fees associated with the two OST programs. Fortunately, one of our providers at the Elementary School (YMCA) accepts vouchers and we encourage parents to seek financial assistance through DC’s childcare voucher program as soon as possible. For registration support, please contact ostteam@meridian-dc.org or the front office at the Middle School.

AT THIS MOMENT, REGISTRATION FOR MORNING EXTENDED LEARNING AND THE YMCA ARE THE ONLY PROGRAMS OPEN FOR REGISTRATION.

To register/express interest in the above programs, please complete the following:

Morning Extended Learning: Fill out the form at bit.ly/morninglearn2023

YMCA’s After-School Programming: Fill out an interest form at bit.ly/3KC006E