Meridian Academy News

Hello Meridian Academy Community,

As we approach the holiday break and the end of the 1st semester (1/2 way through the year), I want to shout out our students' families for being so involved in our school. From the 95% attendance at parent/teacher conferences, to our parent-teacher organization (PTO), to those attending our recent STEM night, to the involvement on a daily basis with mentors, counselors, and myself. As it "takes a village" to raise successful children, it is these interactions that make Meridian Academy the "best school in Idaho". As we move into the last week before break, we will have another of our famous Pancake Breakfasts to ensure students have full bellies as they leave us. Remember we return on Tuesday the 7th of January and will be off to a great start as we enter the 3rd quarter of the school year. Finally, please take a moment to complete our community survey. We are in an "accreditation year" which means we are recertifying as a public school. Your input is a valuable part of this process!

Community Survey for Accreditation

Thank you for all of your support and have a great holiday season,

Principal Eian and the Meridian Academy Team

The West Ada School District creates a Podcast each month to give you some in depth information about specific topics that can help your student be successful. The podcast is all about informing and empowering our families. It will bring you guests and topics that will allow you to build trust with your kids and the passionate teachers that have a heart for educating them. At the podcasts core, it is about preparing today's students for tomorrow's challenges. The latest podcast is specifically geared towards the West Ada Academies and other Alternative Education opportunities in the District. Check it out when you have a chance! West Ada Podcast.

On the last day before Thanksgiving Break, Meridian Academy continued the awesome tradition of serving students and staff a pancake breakfast. It was another great success this year with everyone enjoying a delicious breakfast in the company of friends. Staff and students prepared the meal and it was a great time had by everyone involved. Check out the pictures below!

Friday, December 20th:

• Holiday Breakfast
• End of Semester 1

Monday December 23rd - Monday January 6th

• No School (Holiday Break)

The book for the Winter Book Bunch has been selected and will be starting after Christmas break but we wanted to start getting it on your radar now.The upcoming title will be Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (this was requested by Max and Tae!!) Here's a link to an interactive Canva that will allow students to explore the upcoming title a bit more: Winter Book Bunch Title . Winter Book Bunch will gather in the library at lunch, where students can eat their lunch and enjoy treats that I bring to our book bunch meetings. Students can see Chenin in the library for a permission slip or to find out more about this reading bunch!

Attention Juniors!

The West Ada School District College Career Counselors and Huntington Learning Center are offering a free practice ACT exam on Saturday, January 18, 2025, for Junior students (Class of 2026). Seats are limited, so Junior students are encouraged to register early!

Event: Practice ACT

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Place: West Ada School District, White Cloud Auditorium

Cost: FREE

Click HERE to Register

What is the ACT? The ACT is a College Entrance Exam that students can take to assess their college readiness and may be used by colleges/universities for admissions decisions. It is a multiple-choice exam that assesses the following academic areas: English, Math, Reading and Science. For more information on the ACT, please visit: https://www.act.org/

Many students have been asking about Driver's Education and how to start the process towards obtaining their Driver's License. The next Driver's Education session runs from January 13th - March 14th and the last day to sign up for this session is Monday December 16th by 3:00 p.m. Students must complete a Driver's Education course to obtain a Verification of Compliance form that is necessary to apply for a Driver's Permit from the DMV. VOCs may be requested by students, in the front office, using the VOC request form that can be obtained from Carlene. The following information will be required in order to process a student's request:

• Full legal name

• Birthday

• Current address

• Home phone

• Parent/Guardian cell phone

The ASVAB exam helps students identify their skills and interests and connect them to potential careers. All three academy schools will be offering the ASVAB to 10th, 11th, & 12th grade students who are interested in taking it. It is recommended for students who may pursue the military in their future to take the ASVAB since branches use this as their military entrance exam. The exam will take place at Meridian Academy on December 4th at 8:00 a.m. To sign up for the ASVAB, click HERE.

Thank you for supporting the West Ada Activities and Athletics Fundraiser! Your participation makes a huge difference in the lives of our students by helping fund their activities, athletics, and extracurricular programs across the district.

How It Works: Each middle and high school activity or athletic program has a set number of $50 tickets available for sale. When you buy four tickets for the same campaign, you’ll receive an extra ticket free! Best of all, all proceeds stay with the specific school or program that sold the ticket, ensuring that your support directly benefits the team, club, or activity of your choice. Tickets are available now online, where you can select the team, activity, or program you wish to support. All proceeds go directly to the designation of your choice! Ticket sales will close on December 31, 2024, so don’t wait—get your tickets today!

After 11 years working at the Elementary School level, Shari joins Meridian Academy as our Tier 3 Teacher and is very excited to continue her work with older students. Shari’s Grandpa lived in Mansfield, Missouri during the same time Laura Ingalls Wilder lived there and she would be her pick of any historical figures to share lunch with. Before Shari’s husband passed away, he gave her a mini poodle named Khloe that for obvious reasons is very near and dear to her heart. Once in High School, Shari started a cheer at a football game. A friend of Shari explained to her the cheer was inappropriate and told her to shut up which completely embarrassed her. Shari loves the fact Idaho experiences all four seasons of weather and she really likes the cool crisp mornings and mild afternoons of this time of year. Shari loves it at Meridian Academy because of the opportunities to build relationships with her students. She believes that all students can succeed if they are able to relate to others. We are so happy to have Shari on team Meridian Academy and look forward to many years of success in her classroom. Welcome, Shari!

If you are interested in showing your support for our teacher, mentors, and staff- sign up to join the PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization)

Click Here!

The Holiday Season is upon us and we are all looking forward to spending quality time with our friends and family. We want to offer some options to access additional resources during this time. If you or someone you know in the West Ada community is in need of holiday resources, please click the link below. There are several fantastic resources available to help take some of the stress out of the Holiday season so you can focus on what matters most.

Holiday Resource List 2024

Meridian Academy High School's official Facebook page is the newest way we will begin to share updates and celebrations. Follow our page if you are interested!

https://www.facebook.com/MeridianAcademyWASD/