Mr. Hurelbrink will be sending out an email this afternoon regarding sports physicals offered this summer at MHS for 7th & 8th grade athletes. Incoming 6th grade students do not need a separate sports physical. The health physical required for all 6th grade students will cover athletes this year (the athletic physical does not, however, count as the health physical). Physicals (athletic/health) must be on file before the student can participate in the sport season. Please email mcguirem@meridianhawks.net or call (217) 764-3367 with any questions!
A Remote Learning Parent survey was sent out last week by Mr. Pygott via email. Through data collected, we are hoping to gain as much information as possible regarding the implementation of Meridian's Remote Learning Day plan. If you are a parent/guardian of a Meridian student and haven't already done so, please complete the survey by Friday, June 5. If you did not receive the survey link, please email mcguirem@meridianhawks.net. Thank you in advance!!
Currently, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA), Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Health are working on guidelines allowing for student athletes and coaches to begin in person workouts. As these guidelines have become more clear, our district administrative team, athletic directors, and athletic trainer have begun framing the necessary procedures and protocols to be followed. Once these are complete, student athletes and parents will be provided a copy along with a sign off sheet. Ideally, we will have these in place and ready for a June 1 resumption of in person workouts/training. When these in person workouts/training begin, they will, undoubtedly, be much different than they were before. It will be up to the student athlete and coach to ensure all of the proper protocols and procedures are followed in order for us to be able to continue through the summer months.
Below, we are providing you with some preliminary information pertaining to these in-person workouts/training. This information has also been provided to coaches, as well.
-No team or individual, under any circumstance should be required to attend any workout or training. These will be strictly volunteer
-No team is to organize any workout or training until they have received consent from the proper district administrator. No workout or training should take place before June 1, at the earliest
-Every effort will be made to ensure social distancing and limited, if any, contact with others.
-There will be a symptom check component in place
Groups of student athletes/coaches will be limited to a maximum of 10 at any one time.
Once all procedures have been determined, these will be distributed amongst coaches, athletes and families. In the meantime, we ask for everyone's patience as we work towards this goal.
For the months of May & June, office hours are 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If you are planning to stop by the school, please call ahead to ensure someone will be in the office! We hope all our MMS families have a great summer!
We will be collecting Chromebooks, textbooks, & library books from MMS & MHS students again today and tomorrow. We are also offering extended times both days to help accommodate working parents/guardians. All students are reminded to used the high school entry.
Don’t forget - the deadline to turn in Remote Learning work is TODAY at 3:00 p.m. Today is also our last day for providing lunches.
The Meridian Middle School Volleyball Teams had successful 2019-2020 seasons. The 8th grade finished 20-6. The 7th grade finished 25-1 and were Meridian Round Robin Champions, Okaw Junior High Conference Tournament Champions, Okaw Junior High Conference Champions, and IESA Regional Champions. The 6th grade finished 12-1-3 and won the Argenta-Oreana Tournament. This was a great year to be a Volleyball Hawk!
All certificates, letters, pins, and trophies were given to the players on the Meridian Drop off/Pick up days. Congratulations to the following Lady Hawks who received individual awards:
Most Improved: Maggie Pritts & Madi Kapchinske
Best Teammate: Naomi Matich & Anya Ireland
Serve Award: Jolie Witts & Haley Hanson
Most Kills: Anabelle Nailer & Ella Woolington
Hawk Hustle: Kynzie Damery & Ella Woolington
Friday, May 8 is the last day for new Remote Learning instruction!
MMS students ~ Until then, work hard daily to get all work completed and submitted to your classroom teachers. If you have questions, please contact the appropriate teacher via email.
Meridian would like to thank Lowe's for their generous donation of the lunch bags that we have been using for the meal distribution program. David Ozier, the manager of Lowe's, contacted area schools in late March with the offer to provide bags. THANK YOU!
Documents were emailed this evening from the district and building levels to explain how Governor Pritzker's most recent school announcement will impact the remainder of the 2019 - 2020 school year at Meridian. Important dates, a question/answer document, and the schedule for drop off/pick up of materials were included. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email mcguirem@meridianhawks.net. Thank you!
4/9/20 - All field lights will be on at 8:20 p.m. (20:20) for 20 minutes to honor seniors and all athletes who have had their seasons postponed. If you drive through, please start at the baseball field and make your way around. PLEASE stay in your vehicles.
"Be the Light!"
IESA made the difficult announcement today that they will cancel all remaining IESA state series activities for the 2019 - 2020 school year. For our school, this includes both Scholastic Bowl and Track & Field. While this is very disappointing for all of us to hear, the health and safety of our students & families is much more important than the interscholastic activities. We are proud of all our Hawk athletes and look forward to watching them compete in 2020 - 2021!
5th Grade Parents - Please see the email sent regarding 6th Grade Orientation that was scheduled for April 22. The Orientation power point and school supply list was included as an attachment. The information is also available online - http://www.meridianhawks.net/o/middle-school/page/6th-grade-orientation.
Guidelines were provided today for how Meridian will proceed with Remote Learning Days. Please see our District website for this information along with other resources for COVID-19 and the school closure period.
Do you still need to order a 2019-2020 MMS yearbook for your child? The last day to order is Wednesday, April 8. Yearbooks can be ordered online at https://magic.collectorsolutions.com/magic-ui/Login/meridian-cusd-15 under "miscellaneous." Please put "MMS Yearbook Order" as the brief description. The cost is $15.00.
Change in meal distribution -
Beginning Monday, March 30th we will be adjusting our grab and go meal pick up schedule to fewer days in an effort to reduce the number of people having to get out. Our new pick up days will be on Mondays and Wednesdays. We will give out multiple days at each pick up day. The distribution sites will remain the same and the times will remain from 11:15-12:30. The pick-up sites are MES, MMS, Boody Post Office, and Hyde Park office. Meals are available to all students at any of the locations and are FREE for all students!
MMS students enjoy making learning fun during spirit week.
Let’s have another great week with an e-learning edition!
We can’t wait to see pictures of our students!
Thank you for all the support and encouragement this week! We are so proud of how our students (and teachers!) have handled e-learning during this time. After today’s announcement by Governor Pritzker, we will plan for school to be closed until April 8. During this time, we will continue to provide lunch. Students should continue to check email and Google Classroom daily. If you have subject specific questions, please email that teacher directly. We will continue to update you as information becomes available. Keep up the great work! 💚 #wearemeridian
Have you complete your 2020 Census? If not, it can be completed online by visiting https://2020census.gov/en.html. If you have a child at home, involve them in the process. Use this experience to explain the importance of completing a census every 10 years - other than the fact that it is required by law and in the Constitution! The results will determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and also helps to determine federal funding for schools hospitals, fire departments, etc.
https://2020census.gov/en.html?fbclid=IwAR2aP8vLwmJM-SzaN1Yjj1KelT0iPnJdzQf1zO-HqpggM-6-1tboDc4yRzk
Beginning today, March 18, the Meridian School District will be expanding its free lunch program during the mandated school closure. All students within the district may pick up a free lunch at the entrances of Meridian Middle School, Meridian Elementary School or the Hyde Park Office or Post Office in Boody. Pick up times are between 11:15-12:30 with "curb side" delivery to your vehicle. Those who are picking up lunches in Hyde Park or Boody should look for the Meridian School District bus which will be parked at each location. As a reminder, this free lunch is open to all students to take advantage of.
Stay Safe and Go Hawks!!!
A Grab and Go lunch will be provided tomorrow for school age children (snack provided for pre-k ages) as stated in tonight’s message from Mr. Pygott. Pull up to the entry of either MMS or MES between 11:15-12:30 for a sack lunch. An adult worker will meet you at your car to find out how many lunches are needed.
Starting Wednesday, we will also have 2 satellite locations with meals available. A bus will be parked at the office in Hyde Park and at the Post Office in Boody from 11:15-12:30 to best provide these lunches to our kids who do not live in Macon or Blue Mound. If you are interested in participating, we encourage you to call the office to let us know. We will, however, have plenty of lunches prepared, so this is not a requirement.