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

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 

Thank you, James Hargest community for everything you've done for us over the past few weeks. If we’ve learned anything about the town of Invercargill, it's that it is a city built on people, on connections, and on community. We've laughed together, shared meals together, and made memories that will last a lifetime. We’re so grateful for all those we’ve met here and for this amazingly transformative experience.
A huge thank you to Katrina & Mel for their leadership. A huge thank you to each and every host family who gave us a taste of NZ life for the last month; we’ve been so grateful for your time, effort and connections! And a huge thank you to our families & friends at home who worked hard to make this trip possible. 
Our students wrapped up their last day with time spent at James Hargest today. And, the teachers & chaperones met individually with the 15 students & 6 adults coming to Tacoma in September 2020. As we assimilate back to home & Meeker, a new year for MCOW will begin and the COTW team will ramp up their preparation. It is all about connections and it truly takes a village of many talents to make this program continue into its 32nd year. 
Thank you! Until we meet again friends! 🇳🇿
Chloé, Daneen, Liz & Pam 
Audra, Ava, Ray, Lavinia, Ashley, Aspen, Owen, Ben, Julia, and Ryder