At Meridian, Community Service Day is a meaningful tradition that encourages us to think globally while acting locally. This year’s Community Service Day helped us live out our commitment to the principles of 子午线关怀: caring for oneself, caring for others, and caring for our place. These projects help us learn about what it means to be part of a community and why it’s important to help and care for one another.
We would like to give a huge thank you to all our parents, caregivers, and community members who volunteered their time and effort to help make this day a success! We could not have done it without you!
学前班
PreK Monarchs had the opportunity to care for our shared spaces by picking up apples that had fallen from the trees in Meridian Park and by helping prepare an area in their play yard for a new playhouse. These small acts of service help children see that caring for our community starts right where we are. A big thank you to the parent volunteers who joined and supported! Through these experiences, children are learning that their actions make a difference, planting the seeds for a lifelong sense of responsibility, empathy, and global citizenship.
As PreK prepared for these Community Service activities, they talked about what it means to be part of a community and why it’s important to help and care for one another. The students were so excited to put on their gloves and fill their buckets with as many apples as they could! They even kept a tally of thirty bucketfuls collected! In the afternoon, the enthusiasm continued as the class helped move dirt, dig, and paint to get the backyard ready for a new-to-us playhouse. It was a wonderful day of teamwork, care, and pride in contributing to something bigger than ourselves.
幼儿园
Kindergartners had an opportunity to spend time with our local community at the Good Shepherd Center. They worked to support Megan Stanek, the gardener of the GSC, to mulch some of the garden beds by the North Annex. Mulching isn’t just about making our garden beds look neat (though they do look fantastic!); it helps keep weeds down, holds in moisture for the plants, and improves soil health. By working together to mulch the beds, we’re not only caring for our environment but also teaching our students about stewardship, teamwork, and the importance of taking pride in the places we share.
First Grade
First graders continued their Community Service Day tradition by partnering with the Wallingford Senior Center, located right here in our own Good Shepherd Center! Several seniors joined our classrooms, where students and seniors worked together on fall-themed art projects. They painted leaves, created colorful corn cobs with pipe cleaners and beads, finger-painted autumn trees, and decorated leaves by dipping them in paint. It was such a joy to watch our students connect with the seniors through creativity and conversation. As part of this day, we also took time to reflect. Throughout the week, students discussed why being a good community member matters, explored the many ways we can support our community, and recognized who makes up our community.
Second Grade
During Community Service Day, second graders focused on two activities: one connected to future classroom learning and another connected to our community partnership. Last year, our second graders (who are now third graders) planted two bins with beans to begin an ongoing learning garden for our grade level. This year’s second graders got to pick up where they left off!
The first activity was to plant new bulbs for the second grade learning garden. They harvested the beans from the previously planted bean plants. Then, we composted the plants to make room for new additions. Lastly, they took turns planting garlic and tulip bulbs into the bins that we will be able to study in the spring when they bloom!
The second activity was built on a previously established community partnership with the Senior Center in our Good Shepard Center. Second graders have been practicing folk dancing during their music and movement classes with Coach Caroline and Ms. Majerus. Second graders will then perform their folk dancing routines for our Senior Center neighbors! As part of that performance, second graders created programs with information for the residents about the music and dances connected to their performance. Each second grader made a program, so each program is unique to the students’ creative design! Monarchs had a great time during Community Service Day and look forward to more learning opportunities with community partnership and learning garden!
Third Grade
During Community Time, third graders rolled up their sleeves and got to work making our campus a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful place.
Third graders focused on weeding and tidying up the area in front of the gym and near the art room entrance, helping to make that space more welcoming for everyone. While working on the task, our third graders showed incredible kindness, teamwork, and care. Their efforts truly made a difference!
Third grade also celebrated Jane Goodall and her dedication toward making this world a better place through her tireless life’s work as an environmental and human rights activist.
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. – Jane Goodall
Fourth Grade
During Community Service Day, our fourth graders made fleece blankets, snuffle mats, kennel tags, and durable toys decorated with feathers and bells, which will be sent to the Seattle Animal Shelter, along with gathered donations of needed items. Our fourth graders also worked to show their appreciation for our human friends at the Seattle Animal Shelter, writing thank-you cards for all of the volunteers who help keep it running!
With compassion being an important attribute and goal for fourth grade, learning about animals is a great way to reinforce application in the real world. It was such a gift to see students’ hard work pay off when Ken from the Seattle Animal Shelter visited with a dog from the shelter, who helped test out one of the blankets students made! It was rewarding getting to hand off their hand-made donations in person.
Fifth Grade
This year, fifth grade is partnering with Seattle Children’s Hospital to support long-term patients who live in the hospital. The class officially launched their partnership on Community Service Day by brainstorming about ways to help and get involved.
In the past, fifth graders have created craft kits to entertain patients and handmade tie-blankets to brighten hospital rooms and bring comfort. This year, they are also planning to hold a toy drive in November to bring some cheer to their community this winter.
