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.
February 24-28
Day Program
Donations Welcomed for Trip to Snow Country
Shea Smith, director of the Day Program, reports some wonderful donations are coming in for items to allow a day trip up to the Lake Tahoe area for a day in the snow. She needs more, fun in the snow kinds of equipment such as sleds, discs, inner-tubes. (No skis or cross country equipment will be needed). Items can also be loaned and will be returned. Also, the program could use unused or outgrown ski pants for men and for women, snow boots, gloves, and coats. Send these items in a bag with your student and have them drop the bags off in Shea’s office, across from the Cafe. The trip to snow country will be March 10.
One Parent’s Perspective on Staying Informed
“With so many new students at Meristem, I thought I’d share how I handled the challenge I faced when my student first began attending Meristem of staying informed on what is happening on campus. My student is now in their third year (day program) and these opportunities have provided me the best ways to stay up to date as well as to be involved and contribute to the Meristem experience:
– Perusing this weekly Meristem Monitor
– Attending the monthly Zoom meeting for family members with Executive Director Erin Schirm
– Participating in family support group meetings, organized by Shelby Takenouchi
– Visiting the campus for lunch at the Cafe on Thursdays and Fridays and bringing friends!
– Attending the Meristem Experience, which is coming up in March
– Attending opening and closing events each year: Welcome Orientation and the Year-End Celebration
– Attending or volunteering at Meristem fundraisers and community events, in particular the Feast of the Wreaths and Winter Faire
– Following Meristem on social media (Instagram: @meristem_ca, Facebook: meristem.pro)”
Meristem Craft Conference Coming in March | March 15 & 16
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 9 am to 5 pm followed by a dinner and open discussion through Sunday March 16, 9 am to 1:30pm followed by a closing session and lunch. Registration opens soon at the link below. Tickets are $180 for the weekend or $140 for Saturday and $60 for Sunday. Register here.
Student Coordinators
Family Support Group Meetings Updated Calendar
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 Serving, But Grand Opening Delayed Until Late Winter
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! The Cafe is open to the public on a soft opening basis with a new menu on Thursdays and Fridays. Come taste our new gluten-free, dairy-free, and natural sugar menu and enjoy some soup and other delicious lunch items made from produce harvested from Meristem gardens. Email reservations to us at reservations@meristem.pro, or call us at 916.768.6390.
Administration
Send RSVPs for the Meristem Experience | March 13 & 14
The dates have been set for this year’s Meristem 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 talks, 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. RSVP via the calendar invite that Salina sent out.
Thursday, March 13, 3-6 pm:
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. And a recording of the meeting is sent in the days that follow it for those who missed. Contact Salina at salinas@meristem.pro if you have 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. Details on careers at Meristem are here.
