Monday Message
1/27/20
* * * *
The challenges of Making & Following Rules in a Society
Mr. Spiegelberg's students read “Lord of the Flies,” a story about teenage boys stranded on an island who struggle to get along when they try to form a society.
The students were engaged in a group competition for which they had to make instructions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (however funny, difficult or even evil) for another group. Then the instructions were exchanged and the groups had to actually follow the instructions and make a sandwich!
Students were graded on: team work, group dynamics, creativity, participation, enthusiasm and afterwards had to reflect on the activity, and on how it might relate to the novel!
Here's a sample of instructions written by one of the teams that includes:
- "standing on one foot and hopping up and down"
- "shouting delicious, superstitious, nutritious, and fictitious"
- "5 sentences of another language must be spoken"
Supporting MEA at Yogurtland
Vet Visit
Students learned a lot about becoming and being a veterinarian from Dr. Wessel last Friday. Did you know that veterinarians attend college for eight years? Dr. Wessel shared some of the upsides and challenges that veterinarians can anticipate on the job, and answered student questions about pets and chickens. She then joined the Coop Group in a meet-and-greet with our sweet feathered friends, concluding with a reminder of the importance of washing our hands and rinsing off our shoes afterward. Thank you, Dr. Wessel!
**** UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES ****
CREW MEETING
Wednesday, January 29 / 11:30-12:00
Either by the garden or in Room 17-A
CREW WANTED FOR THEATRE PRODUCTION !!
Are you interested in being a part of crew for our school’s show, A Wrinkle in Time? Fill out this form to let Ms. Becca know what parts of crew you’re interested in. Whether it be backstage crew, costumes, advertising, set designing, or anything else MEATCO could use your help!
After you’ve filled out the form, please come to the crew meeting on Wednesday January 29th from 11:30-12:00 to discuss what you’re interested in doing with Ms. Becca. We'll be meeting either by the garden or in Room 17-A. If you’re not able to come to the meeting then feel free to stop by during lunchtime.
MEA Science Fair
Thursday, January 30 / 11:00-12:45 / Auditorium
Everyone is invited to our 6th Annual MEA Science Fair Open House! Please come, enjoy light refreshments, and learn from our young researchers. The students have been working hard on their projects exploring a wide variety of science topics and would like to let you know what they've discovered. We really appreciate your interactions with them and your support in their efforts.
Location Changes this Week
Due to the preparations and presentation of the Science Fair from Jan. 27 - Jan. 30, these activities will be moved to the following locations this week:
- All music classes with Mr. Johnson - Room B15
- Sphero & Coding - outside on the blacktop
- Rubik's Cube Club - tables outside
Donation Station Farmstand
Thursday, January 30 / 2:15-3:00 / Front of school
Once a month during the school year Good Neighbor Gardens will donate any extra harvest from their Gracious Neighbor residential gardens to Mt. Everest Academy as supplements for our student-run farmstand to serve our community.
Come and get your GOODs!
100% of the proceeds will go to the Mount Everest Academy Foundation to benefit the garden - it's a “donation station” so pay what you’d like to support the garden.
Academic League at MEA
Thursday, January 30 / 7:00 pm / MEA Auditorium
The MEA Academic League with Coach Cate will compete here at Mt. Everest with the Academy of Our Lady of Peace Academic League. Answering a series of questions for all core subjects, the contestants try to outwit and out-maneuver their opponents in a set of matches to reach the finals. Come out and support our team!
Winter Formal
Friday, January 31 / 6:30-9:30pm / Auditorium
All high school students are invited to the upcoming Winter Formal! "Snowflake" is the theme of the dance. Tickets are $15 the weeks before the formal and $20 the week of the formal. It is only for high schoolers and each high schooler can take one person from a different school if they get a permission slip signed by their parents and an administrator at their school. All the profits from the winter formal will go to getting a DJ for the prom.
If we don't have at least 30 tickets sold by Tuesday, January 28th the dance will have to be cancelled. So invite your friends to come, and buy your tickets early. There will not be tickets sold at the door. Hope to see you there!
Deadline to purchase tickets: Thursday, January 30, 3:00pm
Lunch Concert
Tuesday, February 4 / 12:00 / Auditorium
Aaron C., 11th grader, is the featured pianist at this Lunch Concert! Everyone is invited to this event; you can eat your lunch or just relax while listening to live music!
Any students who would like to perform in a future Lunch Concert, please contact Mr. Nielsen: enielsen@sandi.net / 858-627-7382 / room 6.
Senior Portraits
Thursday, February 6 / 11:30-1:30 / Auditorium
Lifetouch Photography will be coming to Mt. Everest Academy to take Senior Portraits. Seniors, you may choose what you'd like to wear; Lifetouch will supply Caps/Gowns and Tuxedos/Drapes, or you may wear your own clothes. Portrait packages will range from $24-$62. The portraits will be used in the yearbook. Please plan to be there!
Contact Linda Ele, lele@sandi.net, with any questions.
Whale Watching Meet-Up
Friday, February 7 / Arrive by 9:30am
H&M Landing, 2803 Emerson St.
Deadline to pay in the front office: FRIDAY, JAN. 31
We have these tickets available:
- (10) youth, $30
- (5) adult, $34
For questions please contact Ms. Mullen at nmullen@sandi.net
Tree Care Workshop Fundraiser
Saturday, February 8 / 9:00-11:00 / MEA orchard
Come learn how to care for your fruit trees while supporting school garden education!
Peaches, plums, apricots, apples, and pears! They all need to be pruned and organically sprayed while they are dormant between Halloween and Valentine's Day. Good Neighbor Gardens will tend to the school's trees while hosting a class at Mt. Everest Academy so everyone can learn. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Mount Everest Academy Foundation for the school orchard sustainability.
Spirit Week
The ASB is sponsoring the Spirit Days listed below. Express your creativity and show your school spirit!
- CHOCOLATE DAY - Tuesday, 2/11
- SAFARI DAY - Wednesday, 2/12
- CAREER DAY - Thursday, 2/13
Old Town Meet-Up
Wednesday, February 12 / 9:45-11:30
Please sign up in the front office by Thursday, Feb. 6
Meet at Seeley Stable, 2648 Calhoun St.
For grades 2-5
The cost is $8, payment is made at Old Town.
For questions, please contact Mrs. Brenna Battin at bkielty@sandi.net
Save the Date!
MEA 2020 Silent Auction and Talent Show: Friday, April 24, 2020.
**** ANNOUNCEMENTS ****
MEA & Good Neighbor Gardens
This month Good Neighbor Gardens is kicking off a 3-fold school garden fundraising campaign for Mt. Everest Academy:
- Donation Station Farmstand (in events above)
- Tree Care Workshop Fundraiser (in events above)
- Subscribe to the Harvest (below)
A little background...
In the Spring of 2019 Good Neighbor Gardens installed an edible container garden at Mt. Everest Academy by hosting a series of workshops with the students and parents. They collaborated to develop a design, pull weeds, build a vertical pallet garden, assemble a greenhouse, create a succulent lined rock path, micro-irrigate and cultivate 14 half wine barrels. Families worked in teams to plot plan and companion plant each barrel while GNG taught them how plants help one another grow too.
Our wonderful MEA garden coordinator, Miss Allie, came to us from Good Neighbor Gardens and she still works closely with them!
Subscribe to the Harvest
Subscribe to a bi-weekly share of the Good Neighbor Garden & MEA harvest, and GNG will donate 10% of the proceeds every month to the Mount Everest Academy Foundation to benefit our garden.
A.V.I.D. studygroups begin
A.V.I.D. (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a new subject that is starting here this semester. For students that are enrolled, here is your schedule with Mrs. Sink:
- Grades 6-8: Tuesdays, 1:50-3:05, Room 6
- Grades 9-12: Wednesdays, 1:50-3:05, Room 6
Copy Paper Wishes
COPY PAPER is an ongoing need, so any contributions of copy paper you can make to MEA will allow for more of our school budget to be spent on materials for the classroom.
ASB Book Drive
January 6 - February 7
Book drop off - Front Office
- Our ASB is sponsoring this Book Drive, which runs from Tuesday, January 6 to Friday, February 7. Please bring your donated books to the front office.
- The Book Drive will culminate in a Book Sale the week of February 4. All profits from books sold will be used by the ASB to support fun events for students.
MEA Foundation Update
The MEA Foundation is looking for assistance with our silent auction. We are also looking for parents to help organize a jogathon or color run.
If you are interested in helping with any of these events, please email Ms. Ramos in the front office at mramos3@sandi.net or let her know in person.
**** yearbook ****
Yearbook Cover Contest
All students are invited to enter their art in our yearbook cover contest! The winner will receive a yearbook and their artwork will be displayed on the front cover! Even if your entry is not used on the cover, it may still be used in other places throughout the book.
**** Extracurricular activities ****
Please find the most up-to-date extracurricular activities schedule on our website. This is a work in progress; we will continue to add to and fine-tune the schedule as needed.
If you have a talent to share and are interested in leading an extracurricular class or workshop series, please contact Principal Browne at cbrowne@sandi.net
Updated schedule
Rugby Club
Tuesdays & Thursdays / 12:00-12:30 / Blacktop
NON-CONTACT rugby is now being offered on TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS at lunchtime.
Come learn basic rugby skills, get exercise, and have tons of fun! This also counts towards P.E. hours. Everybody is welcome! Link to rugby flyer
Sphero & Coding
Tuesdays / 12:30-1:20
This Tuesday, Sphero & Coding will be held outside - on the blacktop to the right of the playground. Just look for an easel and Mrs. Sink!
Sphero and Coding is for grades 2-5 (K and 1 are welcome with a parent). Come and learn how to code the Sphero and eventually make your own programs! We will start with the basics and work our way up with more complex tasks.
Megawatts Electricity Workshops
Tuesdays / 11:00 / grades 4, 5
Tuesdays / 1:30 / grades 1, 2, 3
Megawatts electricity workshops will continue through February in the MakerSpace. Students learn how to connect various electrical circuits and make circuit drawings using standard symbols for electrical components like light bulbs, motors, switches and batteries. On Tuesdays, workshops for grades one to three are scheduled for 1:30 pm and grades four and five at 11:00 am. We are hoping to find a time slot that will work for middle and high school students. All participating families receive a copy of Mr. Richard's Megawatts workbook so that activities can continue at home.
MEA Hack Club ** NEW **
Thursdays / 10:30-11:30 / MakerSpace
The MEA Hack Club is a programming club where students of all experience levels can learn how to code. Whether you're new to programming or not, you can learn and work collaboratively with other students on projects in areas such as web and game development. The club will also be associated with the global Hack Club community, where students can connect with other student programmers around the world. In the future students may get a chance to connect with professionals involved in the computer science and engineering fields.
Library Challenge
Click for January library challenges
There are two choices this month: a “January challenge” and a “super challenge” but only one prize per student. The reasons for 2 challenges are 2-fold: a new decade to explore and one super challenge to learn a higher level of astronomy terminology.
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.
**** COUNSELING CORNER ****
Black College Expo
Wednesday, January 29 / 12:00-6:00pm
The San Diego County Office of Education welcomes the 3rd Annual San Diego Black College Expo to the MLK Center at Bayview. Students and parents meet one-on-one with HBCUs, also Cal States, UCs Community Colleges, and Internship, Career, Trade/Vocational Opportunities.
SD Chinese Women's Association Scholarship
Every year, the San Diego Chinese Women’s Association awards scholarships of $1,000 or $1,500 to selected outstanding students of Chinese descent who are graduating high school in San Diego County. Scholarships are open to both male and female applicants of at least one-quarter Chinese descent.
An application can be downloaded from the Association’s website at http://sdcwa.net/scholarships/. The deadline for submission is March 20, 2020. All eligible students are encouraged to apply!
SD Foundation Common Application
Seniors! Scholarship season is open!
Please complete the San Diego Foundation Common Application. The deadline is February 5th. Also, consider other scholarships offered through the San Diego Foundation. The San Diego Foundation Common Scholarship Application gives San Diego students access to more than 100 scholarships that comprise our Community Scholarship Program by filling out just one application.
Community College Dual Enrollment
11th or 12th grade students may take a community college course while being enrolled at Mt. Everest. There are many courses offered for dual credit, where students can meet high school graduation requirements while earning college credit. Now is the time to sign up for a spring semester course!
Spring classes begin at Mesa on February 3rd and students can register now by going to Mesa admissions with their photo ID and supplemental application. All students planning on taking a community college class in the Spring should see Mr. Zappala.
**** COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS ****
California King Tides Project
King Tides will arrive in California on February 8 and 9
The California King Tides Project helps people visualize future sea level by observing the highest high tides of today. You can help by taking and sharing photos of the shoreline during King Tides to create a record of the changes to our coast from sea level rise.
Go to https://www.coastal.ca.gov/kingtides/ to learn what time and how high the King Tides will be near you, and how to participate by uploading your photos via a web browser or with a free app.
During King Tides you can head out on your own, with friends and family, or join an organized event. As always, please be cautious and respect the power of the ocean.