The Meristem Monitor is a listing of activities and news items occurring at Meristem. This newsletter is a student-centered effort (with a parent advisor) to help students, staff, and parents stay updated on and involved in the Meristem community. For items to be listed or questions and comments, please contact Laura-Lynne Powell at lauralynne.powell@gmail.com, or Taylor Oide, Meristem Marketing Coordinator, at tayloro@meristem.pro.
March 3-7
Register for the 1st Annual Craft Conference
Join Meristem for a two day craft conference featuring instruction by experts in woodworking, metals, herbal arts, plant dyeing, and native plants. This event runs Saturday March 15 from 9am to 5pm followed by a dinner and open discussion through Sunday March 16, 9am to 1:30pm, followed by a closing session and lunch. Registration is open at the link here. Tickets are $180 for the weekend or $140 for Saturday and $60 for Sunday.
Farm Update
Late Winter Happenings on the Farm
Shea Smith gave family members who attended the monthly family Zoom meeting with Erin an update on a busy season that has begun on the farm. The Farm Program currently has 13 laying hens which are producing 8-13 eggs a day that go straight to the café. Given the price of eggs these days, the relatively recent program is proving that it’s paying off to have chickens. Shea reported on the status of two feral cats Meristem has that are doing a great job at keeping rodents at bay. They are, nonetheless, becoming less and less feral thanks to the attention the students pay to them. “The cats love our students,” Shea said. The campus also has installed three owl boxes in the hopes that nesting owls will contribute to keeping rodents away.
Students taking farm classes are harvesting broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, and lettuces for the café and they are preparing spring garden beds. Students are also preparing to install an orchard of 13 fruit trees.
She said Meristem is planning to launch a new flower CSA this summer. Similar to the Herbal Arts CSA the school has, it will be based on subscribers who pay in advance for flower deliveries. Those payments will cover the earnings of student interns involved in the program, hopefully making this a self-sustaining social enterprise.
Student Coordinators
Family Support Group Meetings Continue
Family support group meetings continue. Part of each session has been educational with discussions about setting up special needs trusts and conservatorship and caregiver self care. Those presentations are followed by group discussions and support. Meetings are confidential. To join or for more information, contact Shelby Takenouchi at st@meristem.pro. There are two groups, one meets Thursdays and one on Mondays.
Thursday support group meetings are 7:15-8:45 pm, by Zoom only, except as noted. Thursday meetings are held:
March 6
March 20
April 3, 6-7:30 p.m. *note the time change
April 17
May 1
May 15, 6-7:30 p.m. *note the time change
Monday meetings are a hybrid option with some Zoom participants and some in person. They are ALWAYS held 1:30-3 pm. Monday meetings are held:
March 10
March 24
April 7
April 21
May 5
May 19
Student Coordinator Helpline
A reminder that students and parents should use their SC as their primary contact and utilize the SC helpline if a quick response is needed (or to report absences, etc.) Perhaps text BOTH your SC and the helpline to be sure your message is received. The SC help line is 916.546.9422.
Cafe Updates
Cafe is Back Open and Serving!
In order to make the Cafe the best experience for our customers, we will be postponing our grand opening until late winter/early spring. We can’t wait to serve you as best as we can! Have questions? Email them to reservations@meristem.pro, or call us at 916.768.6390. We would be happy to answer any questions that you have.
Administration
Send RSVPs for Meristem Experience | March 13 & 14
The dates have been set for this year’s family experience, two days of talks and programming to help family members and caregivers get to see up close their students’ experiences at Meristem. The program includes presentations, social activities, and attending classes with your student. It is held the days before Spring Break (which is March 15-22) so family members in town to pick up their students can also attend Meristem Experience events. Please RSVP by replying to the email sent by Salina so that meals and snacks can be prepared.
Thursday, March 13
Appetizers and refreshments
Activity and snacks for day students who may be waiting for their parents (families are encouraged to take their student out to dinner at the end of today’s programming)
Speakers: Rhett Beal, of Van Hulzen Financial Services, specializes in legacy planning for families with special needs children; Matt Harmetz, DDS; Amy Schulz, Sierra College; several speakers from the Self Determination Program.
Friday, March 14:
7:30am – 8:30am Breakfast w/ Erin Schirm (Families only)
8:45am Morning circle
9am First session with your student
10:30am Snack
11am Second session with your student
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm Third session (Students only)
1:30pm Recreation (Families only)
3pm Afternoon circle
Meristem Monitor Also Available Online
This newsletter is now available online, which means its contents are available at any time (including such things as the school lunch menu, always a lot of interest in that!). This is part of an overall redesign of the Meristem website. One long-range goal is to have an archive of past newsletters online so folks can search past editions. For now, the current newsletter is online. Head to Meristem’s new landing page and hit the “Latest” tab. The Monitor will also continue to be emailed weekly to students, staff, families.
Next Family Zoom Meeting with Erin Will Be Held March 26
Monthly family Zoom meetings with Executive Director Erin Schirm are held the third Wednesday of the month. The next month, however, that falls in the middle of Spring Break. So the next family Zoom meeting will be held the fourth Wednesday, March 26, at 5 pm. Salina will email families a link prior to the meeting. A recording of the meeting is sent in the days that follow it for those who missed. Contact Salinas@meristem.pro with any questions.
Job Openings
The following job opportunities are available at Meristem: Independent Living Instructor, three positions: one the week day shift and two the weekend shift, and a Work Skills Program Specialist. Details on careers at Meristem are here.
