🏐Congratulations to our MJHS 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams on wrapping up their season this weekend at the Rt. 72 Conference Tournament in Oregon! Our 8th grade girls earned 4th place, and our 7th grade girls finished 5th. Great job, Cardinals!
2 months ago, TARA JEPSEN
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Spirit week this week as we approach the big homecoming game Friday night "Go Cards". All information went out in the parent newsletter Friday for Monroe Center, but just to be safe, we wanted to share out!
2 months ago, Deana Simpson
spirit week
Meridian Families,
Highland Elementary School is preparing to host their annual Scholastic Book Fair! This is a perfect time to start or grow your family's home library.

For more details and to create your eWallet, visit our school's Book Fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/highlandelementaryschool3
2 months ago, MCUSD 223 Libraries
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Book Fair Save the Date Spanish
Thank you, Lucas, for helping us kick off Challenge #2 for One Book One School. Your reading nook looks like a great one.
Week 2: This week, get to know Vita and the characters in the book. Consider your team and imagine if you could choose a team of four people to accompany you on an adventure. Who would you select and why?

This past weekend, we witnessed a fantastic team coming together with the Village of Stillman Valley, the Meridian School District, Fire Departments from all over, and many wonderful groups that contributed to a very successful Fall Festival. Thank you so much! That was teamwork! They say teamwork makes the dreamwork!

MC Students, feel free to draw a picture or write a story about your great team of 4, and we'll hang them in the hallway this coming week.
2 months ago, Deana Simpson
Lucas reading
Remington and Hattie, from third grade, took a moment to demonstrate their leadership by joining Mrs. Simpson in a video to share with parents how to play Blast Off from Bridges Math Workplaces. They did a great job and earned a book from the vending machine. Way to go you two!!
3 months ago, Deana Simpson
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🏀 Last Call for MJHS Boys Basketball Registration!

Practice kicks off next week for boys in 6th–8th grade!
Check last Friday's Cardinal Chronicle for specific practice times by grade level.

📅 Spiritwear orders are due by Wednesday, October 1st — don’t miss out!

✅ Register now at: https://schools.snap.app/StillmanValley

Let’s get ready for a great season! Go Cardinals! 🏀🔥
3 months ago, TARA JEPSEN
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🌱 A big thank you to the SVHS Environmental Club and their advisor, Mrs. Rogers, for volunteering their time to pick up debris after the Stillman Valley Fall Festival parade yesterday! 🎉

Your efforts to keep our community clean and beautiful are truly appreciated. 💚

👏 Way to go, Cardinals!
3 months ago, Heather Alderks
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🌟 STEM Challenge: Build the Tallest Tower! 🌟
Our science students took on an exciting engineering challenge this week! Using only 10 sheets of paper, tape, and scissors, teams worked together to design and build the tallest free-standing tower possible.

This hands-on activity encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork while giving students a chance to apply engineering design principles in a fun and engaging way. Each group experimented with shapes, folds, and structural supports to see which design could stand the tallest without tipping over.

🏗️ The results? Towers of all shapes and sizes—some wobbly, some strong, but all built with determination and innovation.

👏 We are so proud of our students for their collaboration, perseverance, and out-of-the-box thinking!

#STEM #ScienceClass #HandsOnLearning #FutureEngineers
3 months ago, TARA JEPSEN
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🌍✨ Imaginary Country Projects in 7th Grade History! ✨🌍

Mrs. Salo’s 7th grade history students recently put their creativity to the test by designing their very own imaginary countries! 🗺️

Using the 5 Themes of Geography—location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region, students created maps and detailed descriptions to bring their countries to life. From unique landforms to amazing tourist attractions, each project showed off both imagination and geographic thinking.


👏 MJHS is so proud of the effort and originality the students poured into this project!
3 months ago, TARA JEPSEN
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What's a person to do when they are going to their brother's football game and all they want to do is read? Well, just ask Hattie from 3rd grade for advice. Take your beach blanket, a sun umbrella, and grab your book on the go, and enjoy your time reading.
3 months ago, Deana Simpson
Hattie
Our Flu Shot Clinic hosted with the Ogle County Health Dept. is tomorrow from 2:30-4:30pm at MJHS! Open to the entire Meridian 223 community.
3 months ago, Kayla Richolson
flu shot
Addilyn decided that not only could she read in a great space, but she was also going to be an entrepreneur at her very own lemonade stand. Talk about innovative thinking. Way to go!
3 months ago, Deana Simpson
addilyn
Caleb has a pretty cool reading nook, and it looks like a great book, too. Thanks for sharing. Look for this week's challenge coming soon from Monroe Center, as we receive the final shipment of books, thankfully.
3 months ago, Deana Simpson
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In case you were wondering, according to most 3rd graders, Mr. Toad is not at all responsible. Thank goodness our 3rd graders could not only recognize that but show evidence to support that statement.
3 months ago, Deana Simpson
Mr toad
Students in garden club picked apples on property, cleaned them and prepared them to make Crock-Pot applesauce. Quite an adventure during drop everything and lead at MC.
3 months ago, Deana Simpson
apples

We’re Hiring Paraprofessionals!

Meridian Elementary & Jr. High Schools are looking for caring, dedicated Paraprofessionals — including a Spanish-speaking paraprofessional — to join our amazing team!
Apply at https://www.meridian223.org/

What does a Paraprofessional do?

Paras work alongside teachers to support students in the classroom, provide extra help when it’s needed most, and make a HUGE difference in young people’s lives every single day.

Summers off to enjoy time with your family

School-day hours that align closely with your kids’ schedules

The chance to be part of a supportive school community

Daily gratification knowing you’re helping students grow and succeed

If you’re looking for meaningful work that fits your lifestyle AND lets you give back, this is it!

Apply today and become part of a team that’s shaping the future — one student at a time.

3 months ago, Micki Hoefle
Paraprofessional
🍂✨ The Fall 2025 District Newsletter is here! ✨🍂

As we kick off the 2025–2026 school year, there’s so much to celebrate and share:

📖 A warm welcome from Superintendent Dr. Michael Plourde
🚌 Transportation updates + My Ride K-12 bus tracking app
🍎 Food service reminders and meal program info
🏫 Highlights from Highland, Monroe Center, MJHS & SVHS
⚽ Fall sports schedules & important dates
🔧 Building improvements and back-to-school tips for families

Stay connected, informed, and ready for an incredible year ahead!
👉 Read the full newsletter here: https://www.meridian223.org/documents/district-information/newsletters/285020

#MCUSD223 #BackToSchool #DistrictNews #CommunityStrong
3 months ago, Elaine Nicholson
Newsletter
🏀 MJHS Boys Basketball Registration is Now Open! 🏀

Registration is open for all 6th–8th grade boys interested in playing basketball this season!

📍 Register online: https://manage.snap.app/register/stillmanvalley

📋 Requirement: Players must have a current sports physical on file to participate in practice and games.
📅 Practices begin: The week of October 6th
👕 Warm-up shirts & spiritwear: Order now at https://t-topshop.com/product-category/sv-boys-basketball-2025-orders-due-by-october-1/

🗓 Orders due by: October 1st

Let’s get ready for an exciting season — Go Cardinals! 🏀
3 months ago, TARA JEPSEN
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Meridian CUSD #223 is seeking Paraprofessionals for our Highland Elementary School (5 days per week) and Meridian Jr High School (Job Share: 2-3 days per week). We are also looking for a Spanish Speaking Para for our Jr High and High School Students. These are wonderfully rewarding positions working either one-on-one with students or in a classroom setting, assisting the teacher. Please apply on our website: www.meridian223.org

3 months ago, Micki Hoefle
REading interventionist (3)