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UPDATES

The latest news & reports from MCOW... 

What a year!

6/23/2020

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The end of school traditionally is a time for us to recognize our partnership with Meeker Middle School. We wouldn't have been able to host our 2019 New Zealand students, send the 2020 Ambassador Team, or evaluate and adjust the 2020-2021 program year without the support of several staff members. Thank you Principal Patrick Kjack, Vice Principal James Van Stralen, Lindy Wells, Cathy Maui'a, Joann Glass, Carrie Splinter, Micah Haven, Sally McHugh, Rodney Olson, and Craig Warren! We look forward to our continued partnership in 2020-2021 and beyond! 

Wishing all our Meeker Middle School staff, students, and community a safe & fun summer! 
On Friday, June 19th, Meeker Middle School  8th graders culminated their middle school education with a modified celebration. Congratulations especially to the 17 graduates who are former MCOW Ambassadors: Kailey Baxter, Kellen Colglazier, Bella de Leon, Max Ellingson, Lauren Gintz, Erika Havard, Allison Howes, Amy Jansen, Sofia Jorgenson, Tristan Luxenberg, Seth Morrow, Beth O'Reilly, Sedona Person, Olivia Small, Morgan Taubenheim, Mason Tinsley, and Cloe Van Wagner! We are proud of each of you, and wish you the best as you move up to high school! 

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2020-2021 Important Notice

4/28/2020

 

An Important Notice to the
​MCOW Community & Our Friends:
 

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Out of an abundance of caution and in line with our guiding principle of Safety First in all we do, the MCOW Board of Directors has decided to call off the 2020-2021 exchange. A few days ago, the James Hargest College Board of Trustees canceled the trip for the New Zealand students and adults scheduled to arrive in September 2020. The MCOW Board voted this week to not have a group of Student Ambassadors, Teacher Leaders, and Parent Chaperones travel to New Zealand in February 2021.  

For 31 continuous years, we have taken students to New Zealand each February. This decision was not made lightly and is the result of a great deal of careful consideration given its significance in the history of the MCOW program. While frustrating and difficult, the Board believes canceling the February 2021 trip is the best course of action given the circumstances.  Since its inception in 1989, the program has changed lives because of the connections made and the discoveries encountered around every corner. Sending our Student Ambassadors on this Kiwi adventure has become a familiar and safe experience for us, and it will be again in 2021-2022. 

We find ourselves in the midst of a very unusual time, given the Coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having around the world. For most of us, life has changed in profound ways. Right now the only thing that seems certain is uncertainty. The simple fact is we don’t know what to expect or how this will continue to impact our daily lives in the coming days, weeks or even months.

While this message is somber, the MCOW Board of Directors is committed to make the most of this unique year and we invite you to join us.

Was your student planning to be an Ambassador or planning to host a Kiwi? CLICK HERE to let us know so we can consider fun, new ways of connecting these students during the next few months. (Note that the Board will discuss the potential to allow eighth grade students to participate in the February 2022 trip.) 

Are you interested in helping with the annual Meeker Holiday Bazaar in November? CLICK HERE to let us know that we can add you and/or your student to the list of volunteers for the Holiday Bazaar team. 

Do you love attending the MCOW Gala Dinner & Auction? While we won't have a traditional auction event this year, we are considering how to bring together our amazing MCOW Community in a gratitude event. CLICK HERE if you want to help us create an unforgettable evening in celebration of the MCOW program. 

While we have decided to forego the exchange trip for one year, we fully intend to make our 2020-2021 program year count. We plan to make this year central to the core foundation of this program -- connections with other people.

Let's stay connected. Let's stay safe. Let's make the most of the year ahead and work together to keep the MCOW program strong and vibrant for all the years to come. 

Allison, Amy, Annette, Charles, Liz, Louann, and Stephan 
MCOW Board of Directors 
www.meekernz.org

INFORMATIONAL MEETING - Monday, May 18, 2020

3/23/2020

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​A MESSAGE TO PARENTS ABOUT THE MEEKER NEW ZEALAND STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM 

Hello Parents. It seems the current TPS school closure has impacted almost everything happening in our community. We want and hope that everybody will be safe and stay healthy. 

Several weeks ago your sixth grade student may have brought home a flyer about the MEEKER NEW ZEALAND STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM, which has been part of our community for 31 years. Each year in March and April, we kick-off this program with our annual INFORMATIONAL MEETING. On the flyer, it showed the meeting would take place on Monday, March 23. We have changed the meeting to MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020.  

This 2-month delay was made in light of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and the response to this public health emergency. The MCOW Board of Directors has been working to revise many portions of our program timeline. We've taken a hard look and made numerous adjustments so that we can move forward in a way that makes sense in the current environment. We know its not a time for "business as usual" but rather a time that demands flexibility and "Plan B" thinking with a Safety First mindset. With recent revisions, we are ready to move forward with another fantastic year (our 32nd) of this incredible program. We invite you to learn more and consider joining us. 

ARE YOU READY TO LEARN MORE? We encourage you to complete this simple form to get direct updates from us once we release further details about the Informational Meeting >>  https://www.meekernz.org/2020-2021-form.html 

ARE YOU WONDERING WHAT THE TRIP IS LIKE? We invite you to explore the adventures taken by former Ambassadors and learn more about the trip >> 
https://www.meekernz.org/us-ambassadors.html 

ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK? You may want to scroll through or "Like" some of the recent posts on our Facebook page from our Ambassadors' trip to New Zealand in February 2020 >>    https://www.facebook.com/MeekerCitizensoftheWorld 

DO YOU WANT TO GET UPDATES? You can bookmark our blog and check back for updates as often as you’d like >>  https://www.meekernz.org/mcow-blog--updatesc

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? Click on the "Contact Us" page on our website and send us your question. If you've got questions, we've got answers. 

We are incredibly grateful to be part of this community. We know it is special because of the people who live here. Thanks for making a difference in all you do at Meeker Middle School and throughout the Northeast Tacoma Community. 

Best regards, 

Board of Directors 
Meeker Citizens of the World Student Exchange Program
Tacoma,  Washington USA
Website | www.meekernz.org 
Follow us on Facebook 

🇺🇸 🇳🇿  Celebrating 32 Years! 1989 - 2021  🇳🇿 🇺🇸

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A Message To Those Interested &    The Impact Of School Closures

3/15/2020

 
To our current and future friends, families, and alums:

This week Governor Jay Inslee ordered the closure of all K-12 schools in Washington State between March 16 and at least April 27. We understand the need to safeguard the health and safety of our teachers, students, families, and community. We support the steps being taken and the various initiatives being implemented to respond to this public health emergency. Nothing is more important than SAFETY FIRST, which is the highest priority of every MCOW activity. 

The school closure will have a direct impact on MCOW in several ways. 
  • TPS has notified us that we will not have access to Meeker and we will not be able to hold any meetings there (or at any TPS building) until the schools reopen. 
  • We will need to make adjustments to a number of meetings and activities that had been scheduled to take place at Meeker during March and April. This timeframe is traditionally the kick-off for our Hosting and Ambassador Programs, with many events on the calendar. 
  • Our annual Informational Meeting (scheduled to take place on Monday, March 23 at Meeker) will be changed. 
  • The MCOW Board of Directors is working now on a revised plan for our March and April meetings and activities. As soon as possible, we will announce details on our website and Facebook page. 
Thank you for your patience and understanding. For the most current updates, please check back at our website or Facebook page. If you have an urgent question and need an immediate response, please contact me. 

During this time, we strongly encourage you to follow recommendations from the CDC (cdc.gov), the Washington State Department of Health (doh.wa.gov), and other public health authorities. LET’S ALL DO OUR PART, STAY SAFE, AND KEEP WELL! 

Charles Jorgenson
​MCOW President on behalf of the MCOW Board of Directors 

Invercargill Changes Coming...

2/23/2020

 
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Fun fact for our Tacoma MCOW friends who have all been to Invercargill before! As you can see in these pictures, the downtown core is currently all prepared and partially started on demolition. Many shops have been closed or relocated temporarily. The plans for the new downtown mall are pretty incredible and will take 3-5 years to complete. Check out this 2018 article for a 3D video of the vision for this project: https://www.stuff.co.nz/…/1…/invercargill-cbd-plans-unveiled

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  • Home
  • About MCOW
    • MCOW Blog & Updates
    • 2020-2021 Form
    • Archive
    • Alummi Comments
  • US Ambassadors
  • Hosting a Kiwi
  • Teachers & Chaperones
  • Support
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Annual Holiday Bazaar
    • Annual Gala Auction