Monday Message
10/8/18
Club Fair
**** UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES ****
PSAT
Wednesday, October 10 / 8:15-12:00 / Auditorium
All students that will be taking the PSAT on October 10 need to sign up in the front office. All 10th graders can take the test for free, but you MUST sign up. For all other students, the cost is $16, payable by check or cash (EXACT CHANGE PLEASE).
PSAT practice booklets are available in Mr. Zappala's office and the front office.
Helpful links:
SD Int'l Film Festival
Friday, October 12
This field trip has been cancelled due to a low response.
For anyone interested in attending the San Diego International Film Festival, information about the events and ticket prices can be found here: https://sdfilmfest.com/
MakerSpace Meeting
Tuesday, October 16 / 9:00am / MakerSpace (room 7)
Parents, please come share your ideas for the MakerSpace this year!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Please sign up and pay by Friday, Oct. 12 in the school office.
Friday, October 19 / 9:45am / Lawrence Family JJC
On Friday morning, October 19, come watch some of our MEA students perform in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the La Jolla JCC!
- 10th grader Brendan Dallaire is the star of the show!
- 7th grader Neelu Nemati and 5th grader Neeku Nemati are also in the show; they spend 30 hours a week in rehearsals to prepare for the upcoming 10 shows!
Transportation is on your own; meet at the Lawrence Family JCC on 4126 Executive Drive by 9:45 am. Students must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Tickets are limited and must be prepaid by cash or check for $8 each. Tickets will be distributed on site before the show
Make-Up Picture Day
Tuesday, October 23 / 8:30-12:30 / Auditorium
Lifetouch is offering this make-up picture day for students and staff that were not able to come to Picture Day on September 20.
Spirit Week
Tuesday, Oct. 23 - Thursday, Oct. 25
The ASB is sponsoring the Spirit Days listed below.
Students (and Staff!), start planning now for your creative attire!
- MARVEL vs. DC DAY - Tuesday, Oct. 23
- BLACK TIE DAY - Wednesday, Oct. 24
- COSTUME DAY - Thursday, Oct. 25
School Dances
Thursday, October 25 / Auditorium
ALL students are invited to a school dance! Come join in and have a great time hanging out, eating, and dancing. More info to come, and here's the schedule:
- 3:15-4:15 - Elementary dance
- 4:30-6:00 - Middle & High School dance
Fall Festival
Wednesday, November 7 / 12-2:30
Please mark your calendars for our annual Fall Festival! The ASB is planning this event and there will be a fun time for all!
**** ANNOUNCEMENTS ****
Impact Aid Program Survey Forms
All families should have received an Impact Aid Program Survey Form in the mail. Please fill yours out and bring it to your supervising teacher right away and no later than Thursday, October 11. If you didn't receive a form, there are blank forms available in the front office, library or from your supervising teacher. We know this seems like yet another form, however, it is VERY important for our funding.
As a special incentive to help meet this important deadline, the students of the first supervising teacher that gets 100% of their forms turned in will get an Ice Cream PARTY! The district is also offering us $1,000 if we have 100% participation schoolwide!!
Sometimes we get questions on why the impact aid program survey form needs to be filled out every year. Each year our district receives over $10million in Impact Aid funding. This is not automatic – we must apply for it each year and we need the information from you. Thank you for getting this done and helping funds come to our school!
Below, students help seal envelopes for last week's mass mailing of the survey forms.
New SSC/SGT Parent Reps
Thank you to all the parents that came out and voted for SSC/SGT parent representatives. We're happy to announce that your new parent reps are Niki Ahrens and Ataur Rahman Shuman. Remember that all Mt. Everest Academy parents and secondary students are invited to attend the SSC/SGT meetings on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00:
- October 24, 2018
- November 28
- January 16, 2019
- February 13
- March 20
- April 24
- May 22
National Honor Society
Congratulations to our newest inductees to the Mt. Everest Academy chapter of the National Honor Society. We are proud of their accomplishments and welcome Hanfei (Selina) L. and Jacob B.
The next application window will begin in January with a deadline of February 22.
Summer Germany Trip info: 7/13/19 - 7/28/19
Registration for the trip and Language Adventure Camp is now open!
Deadline for deposits to reserve a spot is 11/1/18.
Price is based on a Minimum of 15 participants; Maximum is 30.
***If we have more than 20, 25 or up to the maximum going – the trip price will be reduced! Reserve your spot as soon as possible. See additional information below:
- https://etadventures.com/customerweb/signin
- Login: mteverest19, PW: txltrip19
A $400 deposit is due by 11/1/18. You must pay on the site to reserve your spot.
- Additional payments will be due on 3/15/19, and 5/15/19.
- Current cost is based on 15 participants. If we have more then 20, 25, or up to 30 sign up – then the overall cost will decrease.
Chaperones will be Mr. Spiegelberg, Mr. Nielsen, and Ms. Finney
Also see PDF for the Munich Adventure Language Camp.
- Students going on the trip without parents will be required to attend the camp.
- The camp starts on 7/21/19 and goes until 7/27/19.
- We fly home from Munich on 7/28/19.
- Total cost for a week – all expenses included is approximately $1,100.
A $280 deposit is due for the camp by 11/1/18. Please make checks out to Daniel Spiegelberg. Mr. Spiegelberg will be attending the camp, and will need to make a payment to Cactus Language Training -the organization that has reserved this opportunity- for our group. The remainder will be due around May 21, 2019 - 3 months before the camp starts.
For students with no German knowledge who are going on the trip must join the 2019 Germany Trip DUOLINGO class. Mr. Spiegelberg will be creating a few monthly beginning German assignments there!
- Go to: https://www.duolingo.com/o/hnwegg; parents and staff may also join!
- Use this link and then enter code: HNWEGG
If you have any questions or concerns please email Mr. Spiegelberg at dspiegelberg@sandi.net.
Thank You Letter
Here is a thank you letter to Mt. Everest Academy from Erin Spiewak, Chief Executive Officer at the Monarch School. Your donations were delivered to the school and much appreciated!
MEA Theatre Company
The MEA Theatre Company is back for the 2018-2019 school year! There will be a show in late winter as well as a special Shakespeare program in the spring. Exact dates for audition workshops, auditions, and the show schedule are forthcoming. However, the Theatre Company NEEDS YOUR HELP. Attached here is a letter from Adira Rosen, the MEA alum that started the company. In order to continue to offer this program, we need financial support. If every family involved gives what they can, anything from $10 to $500 or more, the MEA Company will be able to continue to thrive and bring joy to our entire community. Thank you!
Link to the production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from Spring 2018
Box Tops for Education
Submission date October 22
We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week –- or more. Now turn those shopping trips into easy cash for our school, and encourage friends to do the same! Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios, Hamburger Helper and Kleenex, in almost every aisle of the store. All you need to do is clip and bring them in to the front office or the family study room - each one is worth 10¢ for Mt. Everest Academy.
Ms. Pachon's Travel Blog
Here are just a few of the things Ms. Pachon has done on her safari in Chitwan:
- Crossed a river on a tree trunk bridge
- Cooked jungle ferns for dinner
- Got bit by a leech
- Canoed down a river with crocodiles in it
- Saw elephants provide tiger-safe transportation
Check it out at http://gtherewego.com/
**** EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ****
Please find the most up-to-date schedule on our website, This schedule is a work in-progress; we will continue to add to and fine-tune the schedule as needed.
Schedule Updates:
NEW: Improv Club on Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30, starts this week
NEW: Rubik's Cube on Wedesdays, 12:00-1:00, start date Oct. 17
PALS will be starting up the week of Oct. 22; more details to follow!
If you are interested in offering an extracurricular class or workshop, please contact Principal Browne at cbrowne@sandi.net. We are looking for folks wanting to share talents in science, technology, robotics, and the arts! All required district volunteer paperwork must be submitted in order to lead a class.
Welcome, Mr. Richard!
Mt. Everest Academy is thrilled to announce that Mr. Richard Choquette, who has been helping our school as a volunteer for almost 2 years, is offically hired! He will be leading the MakerSpace, PALS, and teaching music classes.
Mr. Richard has had a long and varied career in education starting when he was twelve, working as a teachers’ assistant in a summer school program. He now has thirty-four years’ experience in Colorado, Kansas, and Arizona. One of his most memorable positions was ten years as a middle school librarian where he brought unusual activities into the library including many music classes and performances and, before it became a trend, he outfitted a room next to the library as a Makerspace. After retirement from public school he spent a year teaching in an American school in Morocco.
A speaking engagement at a conference in Encinitas brought him into contact with Ms. Mech, who encouraged him to make the move to San Diego. He has a daughter who is married and does architectural work in Seattle.
Mr. Richard feels right at home in the Makerspace at MEA and hopes that all students will come in to take advantage of the many projects that are available there.
Wednesday Morning Music Classes
Wednesday, October 10 / 8:05-11:20 / Room B15
Due to the PSAT being held in the Auditorium, this Wednesday morning music classes with Mr. Johnson will meet in Room B15: Beginning Band, Choir, and Beginning Orchestra.
Improv Club Begins
Tuesday, October 9 / 12:30 / Auditorium
The MEA Improv Club is starting this week! It's a great opportunity to improve social skills and thinking on your feet. Improv is also just a cool way to have fun. Here's a few pictures from last year's performances:
Rubik's Cube
Club start date: Wednesday, Oct. 17
Learn how to solve the Rubik's cube in a few seconds here! If we have enough people we can join a competition to beat other schools!
Whoever learns to solve a cube in under 1 minute and 30 seconds first will earn a free speedcube!
Starting October 17, we'll be meeting on Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00 in the cafeteria. Email cubershz@gmail.com to borrow a Rubik's cube or for some resources.
**** COUNSELING CORNER ****
Meeting with Juniors on Oct. 3
Mr. Zappala met with the junior class on Wednesday, 10/3 to review timelines and areas to focus on for this year. Not all juniors were able to attend. If your student did attend please speak to them about the meeting and have them share the handouts they were given. If they did not attend, please encourage them to come see Mr. Zappala. If you would like to meet with Mr. Zappala to discuss what was covered during his meeting, please e-mail him to schedule an appointment. rzappala@sandi.net
SAT
Here are the links your student can use to begin practicing for the SAT. All juniors should sign up to take the SAT or ACT during their Spring semester.
https://studentscores.collegeboard.org/home
Students can check their PSAT score report along with answer explanations, but first students must establish a College Board account. You can establish one here.
https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
Go here to create a Khan Academy account and link your College Board account to receive an individualized SAT study plan based on how you did on the PSAT
Appointments for Seniors
From October 1-30
Choose a 1/2 hour appt. between 8:00-2:30
All seniors need to schedule an appointment with Mr. Zappala to discuss their college plans, including financial aid. This meeting will allow Mr. Z. to answer your questions in order to determine the resources available to you so that you can make the best decisions for yourself in a timely manner.
**** LIBRARY ****
October: Did You Know...?
Did you know that the Statue of Liberty opened on October 28, 1886?
Come to the library to learn more!
October Library Challenge
Click here for the puzzle, or pick one up in the library. Turn your completed form into the library by Thursday, October 25, 12:30 pm to receive a prize!
BOOKIT!
Grades K-6: Sign up for BookIt! in the library.
Read books and earn FREE PIZZA!
All students need to do is come in to the library, sign up and receive a reading log. At the end of each month, turn in the completed reading log. You will then receive a coupon for a FREE personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut! Pick up your new reading log and begin again for the next month.
**** COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS ****
Give Kids the World
Each year, about half of all critically ill children eligible to have a wish granted choose to visit Orlando and its world-class theme parks. When they do, Give Kids The World is their host. The Village provides accommodations, transportation, theme park tickets, and much more. It gives these kids and their families a week where they can laugh, play, and just be together – and it’s all free of charge.
MEA 5th grader Amaya and her mother will be running in a 5k fundraiser to support Give Kids The World. To learn more please see:
DEARCHO Performance
Tuesday, October 8 / 7:00pm / Fast Times
Two of our very own MEA staff members, Deborah Mech and Richard Choquette (the DeArcho Duo) are performing at a local restaurant, Fast Times. It is located at 3065-A Clairemont Drive. Come enjoy their beautiful music and sublime harmonies!