Monday Message
May 2, 2022
Testing & Class Calendar for May 2022
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 or K-8 extracurriculars as all students in grades 3-8 will be taking the CAASPP tests. (There will still be 9-12 studygroups this week.) AP exams will also 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.
Please note:
There are multiple days scheduled for testing as students can work at their own pace. Some students may finish in as few as 2-3 days and will not need to attend additional days.
There are no cell phones allowed during testing.
Students should bring a water bottle and a snack.
Students should bring headphones if they have them. If not, the school will provide.
The full testing calendar can be found here. Thank you!
Oh, what a show!
The Mt. Everest Academy Talent Showcase & Silent Auction was an evening of amazing entertainment! Thank you to all the performers, stage crew, silent auction donators & bidders, organizers, and audience for helping to create such a special evening!
UPCOMING EVENTS
MEA Architecture for Kids
Thursday, May 12 & Thursday May 19 in the MakerSpace
Grades K-2: 12:30-1:15
Grades 3-5: 12:30-1:45
The MakerSpace is offering a 2-day Architecture Workshop on Thursday, May 12 and May 19 from 12:30 to 1:15 for K - 2 and 12:30 to 1:45 for 3 - 5. The workshop is facilitated by Jennifer Swedell - Architect, Artist, and mom to 1st grader Gia Forzani.
This 2-day workshop is limited so sign up ASAP.
Fill out a new form for each child you would like to enroll. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOUR CHILD CANNOT COMMIT TO BOTH THURSDAYS.
There will be lunch supervision for elementary students that are already on campus. For other students, please drop them off at the front office and they will be escorted to and from the MakerSpace.
High School Prom
Friday, May 13 / 6:00-10:00pm / Mission Bay Yacht Club
Tickets: $40 until 4/24, $45 from 4/25-5/8, and $50 from 5/9-5/12
Tickets are now available in our online school store for the upcoming High School Prom. No tickets will be sold at the door, so please use the SchoolCash Online system to purchase using Visa/Visa Debit and Mastercard/Mastercard Debit. New users will need to register for an account.
Permission Forms are required for all dance attendees:
- For MEA students, fill out the permission form online when purchasing tickets.
- Each MEA student can bring one guest. For non-MEA guests, download this guest permission form. Fill it out and have it signed by the guest’s school administrator. Then bring the form to the dance and turn it in at the door.
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)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thank you!!
The MEA staff were overwhelmed with an outpouring of love and support during teacher appreciation week. Snacks, sweets, flowers, and kind words filled a special week at our special school. A massive thank you to all the students and parents who made the celebrations possible and to their continued efforts to create a learning environment that the teachers look forward to being a part of everyday.
LCFF Data Collection for 2022-23
Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) data collection for the 2022-23 school year began Thursday, April 28, 2022, in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Explanation letter
The LCFF Form appears in the PowerSchool Parent Portal (https://powerschool.sandi.net) for all SDUSD school sites. The LCFF form is only available in the Parent Portal to parents, not students. A job aid is available for parents to assist with entering information for the LCFF Form. The LCFF Form will be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese in the Parent Portal.
For more information about LCFF, please contact Maria Ramos (mramos3@sandi.net).
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 has been extended to TUESDAY, MARCH 3.
Purchase and customize YOUR yearbook
School Passcode: 1013183679162246
C3 and Coop Group schedule changes
Please note these changes to Miss Shannon’s activities:
- Coop Group on Thursday, May 5 will be canceled due to CAASPP testing.
- The meeting for Chicken Coop Cooperative (C3) on Wednesday, May 18 has been rescheduled to Wednesday, May 25.
“Senior Shelf” Legacy Project
Dear Senior Class of 2022,
What is your favorite novel, play, or book of poetry? Why do you love it? Would you like to share this beloved book and your thoughts about it with the greater, and future, MEA community? Please consider donating a copy of your favorite book to our MEA library.
Your selection will be included on the "Senior Shelf" as a legacy project that you can visit when you return to visit your alma mater (which we hope you will do- a lot!). You will also be able to add a few personal comments on a bookplate that will be placed on the inside cover.
Guidelines: Please make sure the book's content is school-appropriate (high school and below). We will support anyone who needs help acquiring or purchasing the book. Funds are limited, so it would be first come, first serve. Please feel free to contact me by email, and include the title and author of the book (and particular edition, if that is important). It is also perfectly fine for you to donate a gently used, pre-read copy that you already own and are willing to share with your fellow MEA Wolves!
We would like your books to be brought in no later than Friday, May 27. Please send your thoughts via email to nmullen@sandi.net, and I will print them out and put them in your book selection. You can drop off any time before May 27th in the library, the main office (there will be a box labeled "Senior Shelf"), or room 1. Please put your name on the book somewhere so that we know it's from you.
Last year's Senior Shelf is on the bookcase near the reading carpet and comfy chairs by the window. Check it out for some inspiration, and to see what the Class of 2021 donated and said about their books.
Thank you for considering participating in this project. We at MEA all hope you will leave a little, "literal" piece of yourself in the small but mighty MEA Library!
Congratulations on reaching this amazing milestone- the end of high school!
Nancy Mullen
Senior Requirements Checklist
Upcoming graduation requirements:
- Friday, 4/29 - Complete MEA Senior Survey
- Thursday, 6/2 - Final schoolwork and work samples due. Textbooks returned. Acknowledge completion of all in Google Classroom.
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.
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.
GOOD STUFF
EXTRACURRICULARS
* * * Click box above for Elementary Extracurricular Schedule * * *
Daily Mindfulness & Meditation
Elementary Art
Music with Mr. Johnson
PALS
“C3” for grades K-5
Wednesday, MAY 4 / 12:30-1:30
Miss Shannon is offering the Chicken Coop Cooperative (C3) on the following Wednesdays from 12:30 until 1:30:
- May 4
- May 25
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.
Chess for Elementary Students
Every Thursday / 12:00-12:45 / Parent Room
The focus of this group is on elementary students, but older students are also welcome. Mr. Martin and MEA student, Sebastian, will be leading these sessions. Here are a couple of free websites for learning chess: (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.
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
There will be no music classes this Tuesday, May 3, due to testing.
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
Open Reading Event
The Heights open reading was a great success! Writers and literature enthusiasts of different ages came together to read their favorite poems and parts of scripts and novels they are writing. From the excerpts of novels students wrote, it is clear there is a great love of fantasy and the otherworldly among our students. Their descriptive language and luscious vocabulary demonstrate our students' passion for literature. As the editor-and-chief, I am proud to have students participate in our club's events that showcase how talented our student body is. For me, the success our club had this year surprised me. I thought interest would be low, but I was wonderfully mistaken, and a dedicated group of people attended our meeting every other Thursday and made our events and issues possible. I would like to thank the team of writers, editors, technological managers, and Mr. Nielsen and Dr. Rodenberg for their wonderful contributions and support. Best of luck to all of you in your future writing endeavors, and I look forward to next year's meetings!
Warm wishes from your editor-and-chief,
Jody Huege
Academic League
Last week our MEA Academic League team played against Academy of Our Lady of Peace tonight- the final match of the season.
MEA won all three matches: novice 315-140, JV 195-130, and V 260-160.
At the end of the night, the team honored graduating seniors Ajay and Jaime with gifts, notes and a round of applause.
"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!
Around Campus
Ping-Pong Tournament
Congratulations to Andrew B, 9th grader, who won the MEA Ping-Pong Tournament!
Thank you to everyone that showed up! There will be more events like this from ASB in the future, so get ready!
Lunch Concert
MEA students and staff were treated to a concert last week by 11th graders Nicole Lee and Petunia Rizo. Nicole also performed a piano duet with her teacher, Irina Bendetsky.
These were the pieces they performed:
- Bati l'Gani - Meira Warshauer
- Prelude and Fugue in A Minor - Dmitri Shostakovich
- Sonatina in G Major Op. 100 Finale - Antonin Dvorak
- Piano Concerto Op. 54 in A Minor - Robert Schumann
MEA GARDENS & CHICKENS
HELPFUL INFORMATION
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.
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
Chess Summer Camp 2022
June 20-24
Mt. Everest Academy
“Chess Minds in Motion”
MEA parent, Martin Nilsson, is offering this chess workshop. Mr. Nilsson is a USCF Life Master, USCF Professional Coach, and Swedish Cadet National Champion.
Link to Chess Summer Camp 2022 flyer.
SANDAG Youth Opportunity Pass - Pronto Cards
SANDAG has teamed up with MTS, NCTD, and the County of San Diego to connect youth to school, jobs, entertainment, and more! Starting May 1, anyone 18-years-old and younger can ride transit for FREE in San Diego County through the SANDAG Youth Opportunity Pass pilot program. Youth can get unlimited rides on the bus, Trolley, COASTER, and SPRINTER through June 2023 with a Youth PRONTO account. https://youthopportunitypass.sandag.org/