Meridian Message [8-9-24]

Dear Meridian Families,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! We hope you have enjoyed an incredible summer that was

filled with opportunities to reconnect with family and friends! Soon we will come back together and

welcome new students and families to our building learning communities, while also reconnecting

with familiar faces.

We wanted to start by sharing some recent changes in the Meridian Office. Long time building

secretary, Mrs. Bloniarczyk is leaving Meridian School. With her departure, we are excited to welcome Mrs. Jenny Share. Mrs. Share will join Mrs. Sari Feldstein, Secretary, and Mrs. Dale Furnish, School Nurse. Mrs. Share has served as a classroom teacher in a nearby school district and is from the Buffalo Grove area. She is excited to make this transition from teacher to building secretary . Please be sure to say hello and welcome Mrs. Share when you see her.

We are excited that your child will be joining Meridian School for the 2024-25 school year. School

will begin on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 with a half day of school.

Meridian is a school that values relationships, communication, and perseverance. It is our

intention to offer the most engaging and quality learning experiences for all of our 4th & 5th grade

students! Our students will read, think about, talk about, and write about texts that are

differentiated and support learning. Our students will also continue to grow their math skills

working on differentiated material that is impactful and relevant. Additionally, students will grow

socially and emotionally, forming positive and meaningful relationships with peers and teachers.

On an exciting note, please look for your child's Meridian teacher placement on August 13, 2024.

Registered families will receive an email with the homeroom teacher name along with additional important information.

In closing, we hope that each of you have had an opportunity to relax, enjoy family, and catch your

breath this summer. We continue to work hard to get Meridian ready to welcome our 4th and 5th

grade learners.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us or any member of the

Meridian Office.

Thank you for your continued support. Stay safe and be well!

Gregory I. Michels, Principal

Nicole Milewski, Assistant Principal

Meridian Office Information

Office Phone Number: 847.955.3500

Fax Number: 847.634.4229

Office Hours: 7:15am - 3:15pm

Student Hours: 8:00am - 2:30pm

Health Office

Mrs. Dale Furnish, RN

Attendance Line: 847.955.3503

If your child will be absent from school because of illness, doctor appointments or vacation,

please call your school’s attendance line, see above by 7:30am. Please state your name, your

student's name, the reason for absence and homeroom teacher when you call. Keeping track of all

students every day is an important task and we greatly appreciate your assistance.

Lunch

On August 13, 2024, you will receive your child's student ID number that will also be used for purchasing lunches. To access the Food Service Lunch page, and the monthly Quest hot lunch menu, please click HERE. Ms. Annette Giegoldt is the Food Services Director for our school district should you have additional questions regarding the lunch program. You can reach Ms. Giegoldt at 847.353.5512 or email her at agiegoldt@d102.org. Please see below for some important documents (Lunch Menu, Quest Information, MySchool Bucks).

Transportation

Please look for transportation information in the District letter that will be emailed home on Tuesday, August 13th.This will contain your child’s bus number. More information about routes and pick up and drop times can be found HERE. To check the status of your child's bus, please call First Student Bus Company, at 847-634-0868. If you have a busing question or would like to report a problem, please call our Transportation Coordinator, Denise Koto at 847-353-5680 or email her at dkoto@d102.org.

Drop Off & Pick Up

If you are driving your child, please note that students will not be able to enter the building nor exit

their vehicle prior to 7:50am. We will have staff present out front in the east parking (Meridian main

entrance) lot every morning. Each day students are dismissed at 2:30pm.

Families should plan to pick up their child in the east parking lot. Please know the west parking lot

(Early Learning Center) is strictly reserved for our school buses.

**Please see below for our morning and afternoon drop off/pickup map.**

Our annual Meridian Meridian Meet & Greet will take place on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.

We look forward to seeing you on August 20th for the Meridian School Meet & Greet for fourth

through fifth grade families, 3:00pm - 4:30pm. Meet & Greet provides an opportunity for students to

see the classroom, drop off supplies, and check out the building prior to the start of school.

September 5th is our Parent/Guardian Only Open House for all fourth and fifth grade families. This

event is scheduled from 6:00pm to 7:30pm with staff. There will be a session with Mr. Michels & Ms. Milewski starting at 5:30pm. Specifics about this evening will be shared the week of

August 26, 2024.

Welcome to the After School Program (ASP) at Meridian! Each trimester, ASP provides 4th/5th grade students with a variety of courses that focus on specific areas of interest. Classes for the fall session will run on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays after school from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. between September 10 and November 7, 2024.

Students may enroll in a different course on Tuesday and/or Thursday as long as it does not conflict with chorus or the Meridian Musical. Click this link to read all about the exciting classes offered this fall at Meridian and how to register. Registration is now open and available on a first come, first serve basis so register and pay early to secure your spot!

If you have specific questions, please reach out to either of our ASP Sponsors:

Stacey Hanson (shanson@d102.org)

Kelly Jarava (kjarava@d102.org)

5th grade Chorus is scheduled to begin on September 24th.

Registration opens on Thursday, September 5, 2024 and is limited.

For more information please see the link below.

Meridian Chorus Information.

August/September Upcoming Dates

August 13: Families emailed teacher placement & transportation (District #102 email)

August 20: Teacher Meet & Greet for 4th & 5th grade families (3:00pm - 4:30pm)

August 21: Half-day of school for 4th & 5th graders (11am dismissal)

August 22: First full day of school for 4th & 5th grade!

August 28: Early Release (1:00)

September 2: No School

September 5: Adult Only Open House

September 10: Picture Day

September 10: PTO Meeting (7pm)

September 11: Early Dismissal

September 20: Meridian Team Day

September 25: Early Dismissal

Please click on the buttons below to access the 24-25 school supply lists.

In an effort to curtail poor bus behavior, First Student has implemented a new bus monitoring system called FIRSTacts. This system quickly and efficiently captures inappropriate behavior and instantly shares it with Mr. Michels and Ms. Milewski. Students who are reported will receive communication through email regarding their child's misconduct. Various disciplinary measures will be issued including suspension from riding the school bus.

To ensure the safest transportation possible for all of our students, please take a moment to review the following bus etiquette with your child:

• Follow our (3) rules: Be Safe, Be Respectful, & Be Responsible
• Use expected behavior
• Keep hands/feet to self
• Use kind words/language
• Do not play with school issued iPads or personal technology devices
• Remain seated, facing forward
• No eating or drinking on the bus
• Use inside voices

If you have specific questions about FIRSTActs please reach out to our Director of Transportation, Ms. Denise Koto (dkoto@d102.org) or First Student.

For example, if your child takes the bus every day and you are picking up for a doctor's appointment at 2:30 (dismissal) please send a note that morning. In an 'emergency' situation you can send an email to Mrs. Share or Mrs. Feldstein via email. Unfortunately we will not be able to honor any emails/calls after 2pm.

Team Day is a long standing tradition at Meridian School.

The purpose of team day is to build strong relationships with fellow students along with the Meridian Teachers. Students will engage in trust building activities, problem solving, and effective communication.

As part of the Team Day tradition, each Meridian student will receive a Meridian t-shirt. There is no cost for the shirt and students will wear the shirt on Team Day as well as on school spirit days.

Please look for an important link to order your 24-25 Team Shirt in an upcoming communication.

**The deadline to order a team day shirt is August 23, 2024.**

Health Office

Dale Furnish, CSN, RN, TNCC

Attendance Line: 847.955.3503

Medication Information

Welcome to the new 24-25 school year! I am looking forward to seeing all of your kids. My name is Mrs. Furnish and I am the nurse at Meridian School. Please do not hesitate to call or email me with

any health concerns or questions; dfurnish@d102.org, 847.955.3508.

If you have a child with life threatening food allergies who requires epinephrin, an inhaler for

asthma, a seizure disorder, or a daily medication, please reach out to me ASAP to help with the

necessary steps to have these medications in school. Mrs. Furnish, dfurnish@d102.org,

847.955.3508.

Just a reminder, children may not bring prescription medications or over the counter medications

to school without a medication authorization form completed by the parent and doctor. I have provided the link from the D102 website where you can download this form.

https:/ /sites.google.com/d102.org/d102-health-services/home. This also includes immunizations,

physical, dental, and vision forms that you can download if needed.

Please remember ALL medications must be in the original bottles or boxes. Prescriptions must

have the prescription label on it for me to be able to keep them in the health office and administer

them.

I am looking forward to a happy, safe, and healthy school year with your children.

Dale Furnish, CSN, RN, TNCC

Dfurnish@d102.org

847.955.3508 - Phone

Transportation

Information about routes and pick up and drop times can be found here: https://www.d102.org/page/transportation

To check the status of your child's bus, please call First Student Bus Company, at 847.634.0868. If you have a busing question or would like to report a problem, please call our Transportation Coordinator, Denise Koto at 847.353.5680 or email her at dkoto@d102.org.

Email: gmichels@d102.org
Website: www.d102.org/meridian
Location: 2195 Brandywyn Lane, Buffalo Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 847.955.3500

Email: nmilewski@d102.org
Website: www.d102.org/meridian
Location: 2195 Brandywyn Lane, Buffalo Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 847.955.3500

Meridian Office Information

Office Phone Number: 847.955.3500

Fax Number: 847.634.4229

Office Hours: 7:15am - 3:15pm

Student Hours: 8:00am - 2:30pm