Monday Message
April 11, 2022
Principal's Message
It is hard to believe that spring is already here! We have many important events coming up including the silent auction (starting tomorrow), talent show, state testing, community mural paint days and our annual family picnic at Mission Bay. For those of you who have never experienced an in-person MEA talent show, you are in for a treat. For our awesome performers who have yet to submit an application, please do so ASAP as it won't be the same without you. We want to see you!
Please be sure to look at the school calendar (or sync it to your personal calendar) to be sure that you do not miss anything. State testing (CAASPP) is extra important this year as we must meet a 95% participation rate or we will be penalized on our ratings. This includes the CA Dashboard site (and all other sites like Greatschools, Niche, etc. that pull their data from the Dashboard.) Student participation cannot be stressed enough.
During the week of May 2 - May 6 there will be no K-8 studygroups as all students in grades 3-8 will be taking the CAASPP tests. AP exams will be taking place May 2-May 13. The last day of studygroups will be May 26. From May 31 - June 3, 11th and 12th graders will take the CAASPP. High schoolers can earn community service hours for taking part in the exams.
The full testing calendar can be found here.
Thank you to everyone who has met with Mr. Rubin to discuss high school plans and course selection for next year. This has helped us expedite the building of our class schedule for next year which can be found here. We have done our best to consolidate 9-12th grade classes so that students enrolled in a standard grade level program have classes over 1-2 days as opposed to 3 days. Please note, this schedule is subject to change until the first day of school, however, we always try to limit changes once it has been published.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding as we have worked through many iterations of Covid-19 procedures. I am very much looking forward to seeing you all at our upcoming in-person events!
Courtney Browne
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fitnessgram
Fitnessgram testing is scheduled for the following grades and times:
GRADES 7 & 9: Tuesday, April 12 / 10:40-11:40 / Auditorium
GRADES 5 & 9: Wednesday, April 13 / 9:20-10:20 / Auditorium
The Fitnessgram is a state mandated exam, which public school students in grades five, seven, and nine are required to take. There are five parts to the exam, and students are encouraged to practice these exercises ahead of time.
For 9th graders, passing the Fitnessgram cannot be stressed enough. Students are required to take 2 years of PE to graduate high school. However, if you do not pass the Fitnessgram test, you are REQUIRED to take PE additional years.
Please remember to wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes!
Pictured below, Ms. Patterson's students practice the Curl-Up and Trunk Lift exercises.
ONLINE SILENT AUCTION is open for bidding
Our MEA Online Auction starts Tuesday, April 12th and closes Friday, April 29th between 10:00pm and midnight. It is an eBay style auction of goods and services that have been donated by merchants and businesses to help us raise money for our school. Some items will be at the Talent Show and all items will be accepting bids.
Families, friends and the general public can shop online and get some great deals. Share the link, the more bidding the more funds generated to benefit all students at Mt. Everest Academy!
AUCTION TIPS
Bidding: To bid, you will need to register here, enter username and your email address. A registration link will be sent to your email address to complete the process and enter a
password.
Enter Auction Site: Enter the Auction Site once you have registered and are logged in to view all the items.
- Staggered Closing Times: Each item closes at a different time. Plus the time remaining for any item is always displayed.
- Higher Bid email notifications: Auction site automatically emails you when you have been outbid.
- Winner: The winner will receive an email with the happy news and a link to follow to provide payment information and complete the transaction.
- Issues: Contact us at Auction@MEAFoundation.org if you have any problems.
Our online auction is open to the public and all items purchased can be picked up the week of May 9th or we can mail them to you (unless noted). Register and start bidding!
Clothing Swap
Clothing Swap days: April 19 - 21 / 12:00-12:30
Join Ally Action and support our sustainable clothing swap for Earth Day! Our clothing swap will take place April 19th through the 21st during lunchtime on the blacktop.
We will start accepting clothing donations this Monday, there is a designated box in the office where you can drop off clothing. Feel free to donate clothing and not exchange any or shop for clothing without having donated any. Our goal is to increase sustainability and decrease the support for fast fashion! All extra clothes that aren't taken home will be donated to the Monarch School. Feel free to email cmoyaspc@gmail.com or theo@themartiens.com with any inquiries.
Blaze Pizza Fundraiser
Thursday, April 21 / 5:00pm - 10:00pm
5604 Balboa Ave.
FIFTY PERCENT!
The MEA Foundation has partnered with Blaze Pizza for a school fundraiser with 50% of sales donated to MEAF. It’s a win-win; help MEAF and enjoy pizza with made-from-scratch dough, artisanal ingredients, and fast-fire’d to crisp perfection.
Simply PRESENT THIS FLYER (printed or on your phone) to the cashier upon ordering.
Open Reading Event
Thursday, April 28 / 12:00-12:30 / Room 2
Students in grades 6-12 are invited to come to Dr. Rodenberg's room with a piece of their own writing or an excerpt from their favorite poem/novel to read for this open reading. This event is hosted by the MEA Literary Magazine group.
(To see the newly published first issue Literary Magazine, log in to "Heights" with a sandi.net account, and then click on the “Issues” tab.)
Talent Show / Silent Auction
Day: Friday, April 29
Time: Doors open at 5:00, Show starts at 5:30
Location: MEA Auditorium
Tickets: $5
Snacks: $1 each (pizza, cookies, water)
TALENT SHOW APPLICATIONS
Students, if you have a talent that you’d like to showcase, please SUBMIT AN APPLICATION as soon as possible. If your talent cannot be performed live on stage, then you may enter a video as your act. The deadline for applications has been EXTENDED TO APRIL 15.
Daily Mindfulness and Meditation
These daily sessions will include about 10 minutes of mindfulness and meditation as well as other activities to foster health and wellness and connectedness in our community. All MEA Community members are welcome!
Zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/88599896023 Passcode: MEA!
- When: Monday through Friday (holidays and scheduled school concerts/events excluded!)
- Why: Optimum Health, Wellness, and Well-Being!
- Who: The whole MEA Community
- Time: 12-12:30 (You must login by 12:00)
YEARBOOK
Vote for the 21-22 Yearbook Cover
We had nearly 30 yearbook cover entries this year, and several of those were encouraged by our teachers! Let us know which covers are your favorites. Voting is open to all grades, and votes must be cast by April 11.
Student Standouts
It’s time to vote for this year’s High School Student Superlatives! Winners will be featured in the 2021-2022 MEA yearbook. All students in grades 9-12 are allowed to vote, and all votes must be cast by APRIL 11.
Senior Quotes & Baby Pictures
Hello Seniors,
This is YOUR year to submit quotes and baby pictures for the yearbook! Readers will ponder your memorable sayings and try to guess who's who in the pictures.
Please send these in by APRIL 12; here's the submission link.
We have questions ... you have answers!
Want to add your voice to the yearbook? Then please take a few minutes to answer some of the lighthearted questions found in the survey below. Responses due by April 15.
Passions
Our students are an incredibly talented and passionate bunch, and we want to showcase that in our yearbook! If you have photos of you “Pursuing Your Passion” (music, art, dance, athletics, philanthropy, advocacy, cooking, and so on), please email them to Ms. Rice (lrice@sandi.net) or Ms. Ele (lele@sandi.net). You could also upload them directly to the folder entitled “Pursue Your Passions” in TreeRing. Please add a caption that provides some information for the readers.
Order Your 2021-22 Yearbook
It’s time to order your yearbook! The deadline to purchase (and customize) a yearbook and have it shipped to the school for free is APRIL 22.
Purchase and customize YOUR yearbook
School Passcode: 1013183679162246
ANNOUNCEMENTS
"Heights" is now published!
After months of preparation and creative initiative, the MEA Literary Magazine has finally published its first issue of Heights!
Please log in to "Heights" with a sandi.net account, and then click on the “Issues” tab. Enjoy this thoughtful compilation of student work!
Elementary Art Month 9 Sign Up
If your elementary student would like to participate in the month 9 art classes on April 26 and May 10, please SIGN UP HERE.
Fill out a new form for each child you would like to enroll. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOUR CHILD CANNOT COMMIT TO THE ENTIRE MONTH.
There are limited spaces available. If the class is full, please email Mrs. Sink (vsink@sandi.net) to get on the waitlist.
Class schedule for 2022-2023
For your planning purposes, the class schedule for 2022-2023 is ready! We have done our best to consolidate 9-12th grade classes so that students enrolled in a standard grade level program have classes over 1-2 days as opposed to 3 days. Please check it out here. Please note, this schedule is subject to change until the first day of school, but we always try to limit changes once it has been published.
Supply drive for the homeless population
Students in Mr. Spiegelberg’s History class have formed groups to do different community outreach projects. One of the groups is focusing on the Homeless population, and are asking for donations of toiletries and clothing. The donation drive will begin 4/11 and end 4/22. Boxes for donation will be placed in the front of the school. On 4/25, there will be a school event to donate all of the items to Urban Street Angels. More details about the event will follow in later weeks. Below is a list of requested items:
Hygiene items
Hand Sanitizer • Wet Wipes • Deodorant • Toothpaste/Toothbrush Kit • Comb/Brush • Period products (pads, tampons) • Travel size shampoo and conditioner • etc
Clothing items
Socks • Knit cap • Scarf • Gloves • Business clothing • Shirts • Jackets • other clothing items
Vaccines
Implementation of the student vaccine mandate will begin in August 2022 for the start of the 2022-2023 school year. The vaccine mandate will apply to students who are 16 or older by August 29, 2022, or for those enrolling after that date who are 16 or older on the date of enrollment. Younger students will be required to be vaccinated when full FDA approval is granted for their age group.
Vaccine Clinics within SDUSD are ongoing- with the focus on high schools at this time. Vaccine events hosted by our high schools are open to all. Here is a website with more SDUSD vaccine information.
WACAC College Fair
Saturday, April 23 / 1:00-3:00 / Scripps Ranch High School
Over 160 different colleges from California and all over the world will be attending this fair for families to learn about and meet with their admissions counselors.
- Suggested audience is grades 10 and 11
- The list of attending colleges is on the flyer
- RSVP is suggested using the QR code on the flyer
AmazonSmile
MEA Foundation is fully registered with AmazonSmile as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon.com will donate to MEA Foundation at no cost to you,
If you haven't already, log on to smile.amazon.com and designate Mount Everest Academy Foundation as your charity of choice.
- Don't forget to bookmark smile.amazon.com for all of your Amazon purchases.
- Amazon will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases made via smile.amazon.com to the Foundation.
Senior Requirements Checklist
Upcoming graduation requirements:
- Friday, 4/22 - Turn in Community Service Form (optional) for volunteer hours
- Friday, 4/29 - Complete 2 Senior Surveys
- Thursday, 6/2 - Final schoolwork and work samples due. Textbooks returned. Acknowledge completion of all in Google Classroom.
Articulation Meetings for 2022-2023
There are still a few students who have not yet met with Mr. Rubin to plan their classes for the upcoming school year.
Please set up your appointment ASAP.
Grades 8, 9, 10, 11
All 8th -11th graders must make an appointment to meet with Mr. Rubin between February 9 through March 25. Please reserve a conference time at this link to discuss courses for next year, graduation and college entrance requirements, and community college courses.
Incoming 9th graders and their parents can meet with Mr. Rubin for a 4-year planning conference during the time of their articulation meeting.
Parents are encouraged to attend along with their student. If parents cannot attend, they should review the course options with their student at home.
Students do not need to return an articulation sheet, but should be prepared to share their course requests with Mr. Rubin during their appointment with him.
For questions, please contact Mr. Rubin.
Articulation Sheets:
Find all courses being offered next year here: Master Course List 2022-2023
Looking for semester service hours?
Look no further than our multiple garden spaces. We have tons of weeds… And tons of mulch.
The hour sessions go by quickly when you’re having fun in the gardens!
Please reach out to Miss Shannon to schedule a time.
GOOD STUFF
Programming Certification Passed!
Since 5th grade Charlie has participated with The League Of Amazing Programmers. He has made apps, passed the AP Computer Science exam with a perfect score, volunteered to teach SDUSD middle school children programming during the summer, collaborated on projects to help community needs and on March 30th during spring break he passed the Oracle Java SE 8 Programmer I exam - an exam challenging for even professional programmers with years of experience!
EXTRACURRICULARS
* * * Click box above for Elementary Extracurricular Schedule * * *
Daily Mindfulness & Meditation
Elementary Art
Music with Mr. Johnson
PALS
Chess for Elementary Students
Every Thursday / 12:00-12:45 / Parent Room
Second meeting: Thursday, April 14
Thank you everyone for participating in our first Elementary Chess Club last week! We had Mr. Rubin fill in at the last minute to supervise and everyone had a great time. Hope to see you all again this Thursday, 4/14, 12pm.
The focus of this group is on elementary students, but older students are also welcome if interested in learning or having an additional venue to practice. Mr. Martin and MEA student, Sebastian, will be leading 45 minute sessions every THURSDAY 12-12:45. There will likely be many different levels, but to make the most of this short once-a-week session, it is highly recommended to help your kids get familiar with pieces and how they move. There are a couple of free websites online that can definitely help (Lichess.org and Chesskid.com). Practice, practice, practice!
Sign your elementary child in at the front office at 11:55 (unless they are in 2nd or 4th grade and already on campus). Students will be walked back to the front gate for parents to pick up at 12:45.
Impressionist Spring Landscape
In elementary art, Mrs. Sink’s students learned a little about Claude Monet and Impressionism and created a landscape scene by double loading the paintbrush and creating layers to design an impressionist painting with acrylic paints.
“C3” for grades K-5
Wednesday, APRIL 20 / 12:30-1:30
Miss Shannon is offering the Chicken Coop Cooperative (C3) on the first and third Wednesday of every month, from 12:30 until 1:30.
This hour is designed for the K through 5 students to spend some time getting to know the chickens, and hanging out with other students. We will occasionally harvest greens growing from the gardens to offer them as well. We will be mindful of washing hands after interacting with the chickens: food for kids first (if eating on campus), then food for chickens.
Please sign in at the front office and the students can be sent directly to the chicken coop. Students will be walked back to the front office at 1:30.
Mark your calendar for these upcoming Wednesdays!
April 20, May 4, May 18
PALS Tutoring
Wednesdays & Thursdays / 12:30-1:45 / Room 6
Trained tutors are ready to help you get your classwork done. All students grades K-12 who would like some extra help can come to room 6 every Wednesday and Thursday during 4th period (12:30-1:45pm). All grades are welcome, as we have tutors for all grade levels. PALS is a great way to build community and academic skills!
Parents, K-5 students attending PALS must arrive with a check-in form so tutors know what to work on with your child and you receive a report on how things went. (Extra forms will be available when you drop off in case you forget or can't print one at home.)
- K-5 students attending studygroup and PALS on the same day should be signed in when parents drop off at 9am. Parents must indicate if their student is staying for supervised lunch and PALS
- K-5 students attending ONLY PALS on any given day should be signed in outside the front office.
- 6-12 students can report directly to Room 6.
Music classes with Mr. Johnson
These classes are held every Tuesday. Please sign your child in at the front office and note which class(es) they will be attending.
- 8:05- 8:55 - Beginning Band
- 9:05- 9:55 - Choir
- 10:05- 10:55 - Advanced Band
- 11:05 - 11:55 - Music theory (for upper grades)
- 12:30- 1:20 - Advanced Strings (open to secondary)
- 1:35- 2:25 - Beginning Strings
* * * Click box above for Secondary Extracurricular Schedule * * *
Academic League • Ally Action • Anime • Chess • Coop Group • Daily Mindfulness & Meditation • Gaming • German • GSA • Literary Magazine • MathCounts • Mental Health • Music with Mr. Johnson • PALS • Rubik's Cube • Sherpa’s Jam Band • Spanish Conversation • Sports Club • Young Investors Club
AROUND CAMPUS
Vibration and Waves
Mrs. Yacob's physics students did experiments on Vibration and Waves. In this lab students were determining the affect of length, amplitude, and mass on the period of the pendulum (the time it takes the pendulum to make one full back-and-forth swing). To figure the affect of the amplitude, students used different angles and they figured that amplitude does not affect the period of a pendulum. They also used objects with different masses and figured that mass also does not have an effect. However, when they were using a different length, they realized that the shorter the length the shorter the period and the longer the length the longer the period.
More Fashion Photography!
Mr. Nielsen's photography classes focused on fashion photography for month 6 and this is some of their work. A group of 9th graders was their models and we wanted to share some of their excellent work. Thank you so much to Jody, Adriel, Loretta and Liberty for their assistance!
MEA GARDENS & CHICKENS
"Hello" from Chris
HELPFUL INFORMATION
School Spirit Store
Parents are now able to use SchoolCash Online to buy and pay for items using Visa/Visa Debit and Mastercard/Mastercard Debit. We are currently selling school spirit wear and other fundraising items like lanyards, water bottles and DVDs. Simply order online and then come pick up your purchase in the MEA front office.
Please create an account to access our online catalog.
Meet with School Counselor
For students and parents that would like to meet with Mr. Rubin, our school counselor, please sign up for an appointment.
community announcements
ArtReach Charity Art Auction
ArtReach, a San Diego non-profit supporting arts education for youth primarily in schools that don't have the funding or preexisting arts programs, is holding their yearly charity art auction, this time artists were given records to use creatively.
Here’s a video of some of the record art pieces.
- ArtReach is the company responsible for our lovely welcome mural!
- Chloe Moya (MEA 11th grader) who works with ArtReach's mural team created two records for the auction and Nicole Lee (MEA 11th grader) created one as well.
The Auction opens on April 15th with all auction proceeds benefiting ArtReach. You can register to bid & begin bidding at this link. The works will also be on display at the Mission fed Artwalk April 30th-May 1st. Take a look at some of our student's work and consider supporting ArtReach in its goal to bring arts education to all children within the San Diego community!
Problem-Solve Like an Expert
June 20 - July 15 / UCSD Envision MakerSpace
This summer program for high school students is offered through the Jacobs School of Engineering and UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. It is open for all students interested in different technical career paths--including but not limited to those planning to pursue trade school, community college, or a four- year university.
Students will learn to apply advanced problem-solving techniques to hands-on projects and real-world case studies, as well as expand critical thinking skills and engage in challenging problem-solving exercises. No prior experience required!