Monday Message
March 1, 2021
Community Kindness Event
Day: Wednesday, March 3
Time: 12:00-12:30
Zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/87001766096
Calling all MEA students! The MEA Mental Health club is hosting a lunchtime event on Wednesday, March 3rd from 12:00-12:30. This event will include ice breakers and self-kindness activities! Earn spirit cup points for your grade by attending.
Science Presentation
Day: Friday, March 5
Time: 1:00 pm
Zoom: https://ucr.zoom.us/j/93054863171
Passcode: insects
Sponsored by MEA Foundation
Calling secondary students! UCR Entomology (ranked No. 2 in the world by Center for World University Rankings in 2017) is hosting exciting presentations exclusively for our MEA students. The previous elementary presentation was really fun and we learned so much!
If you missed the primary presentation, feel free to join that secondary one, keeping mindful of the presentation differences gearing towards the designated grade groups. Hope to see you there!
Let’s Kahoot!
Day: Tuesday, March 9
Time: 12:00-12:30
Zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/83484978513
All grades are invited to join in on the fun at this Kahoot event hosted by the ASB. Make sure to bring your quick fingers!
* * SPIRIT POINTS * *
Students can earn three Spirit Points for participation in an event, as well as additional Spirit Points that might be awarded from the event (e.g. Extra Spirit Points might be earned from placing in the top three in a schoolwide kahoot). To earn these points, students must fill out a short form sent out during the event.
Deadline extended for Talent Show Application
Friday, March 5th is the revised deadline for turning in your talent show applications.
Students, your appreciative audience is waiting!
* * * * * *
First Ever Bunny Hop Zoom
Traditionally Ms. Patterson's 6th graders celebrate the end of reading the novel “Stargirl” by joining Stargirl in the 1950s dance, The Bunny Hop. Here's a video from last year.
This virtual year the Bunny Hop continued, over zoom!
Winter Art Show Re-Run
If you missed the art show presentation or just want to feel uplifted again by amazing student art…CLICK HERE…and then click the icons to take the Thinglink tour.
Art below by Mackenna S.
OPINION ESSAYS
Last week, 3rd and 4th graders shared their Opinion essays during a Zoom Publishing party. A wide range of topics was shared, but the most popular opinion was that "Dogs are the best pet!"
"I watched these 3 student presentations and I came away agreeing with each of their opinions... very persuasive reasonings! ~ Linda Ele
* * * * * *
Art Club Fundraiser for Black History
Several student created art pieces have already sold, but a few pieces are still available for sale in the Black History Month fundraiser. Start your shopping here.
If you'd like to purchase one or more of the pieces, email Linda Ele at lele@sandi.net with the Number and Name of the piece. It's first come-first served, and will be based on the time your email was sent.
This fundraiser is sponsored by the MEA Art Club and all proceeds will be donated to the organization Detour Empowers.
Thank you to all contributing artists and to all purchasers!
Spirit Cup Leaderboard
Congratulations to the tenth grade class, which is at the top of the leaderboard for this month's Spirit Point tally! But the points are close, and the year isn’t over yet! Get dressed for Spirit Weeks and attend events so your class can win the Cup, and the associated prizes! And remember that whichever student has the most points at the end of the year wins an Amazon Gift Card!
To help out the scorekeepers and to make sure your class comes out on top, please fill out this form: Spirit Cup Points Form; and don’t forget to upload your photos of your Spirit Week outfits to Treering! For instruction on how to, go here.
Staying at MEA in 2021-22?
To let us know if you will be returning to MEA next year, please fill out this Enrollment Plans 2021-22 form
Please submit this form by March 16, 2021 in order to guarantee your spot for next year.
If you have any questions, please contact Maria Ramos in our office at mramos3@sandi.net
Mental Health Resource Survey
Have you utilized mental health resources that Mr. Zappala has made available either through teacher websites or in Monday Messages?
Please answer ONE or TWO questions in this anonymous Mental Health Resource Survey. Thank you.
Preview of Book Fair
Hello MEA families,
Mark your calendars and get ready for some fun! We are hosting an ONLINE BOOK FAIR!
Book Fair Dates: March 15-26th
We are so excited about this book fair and wanted to share some highlights with you:
- Shop from the comfort and safety of home! And you can shop using any major debit or credit card – no cash needed!
- Direct-to-home delivery! Every purchase from our online book fair will be delivered straight to your door. You can also shop teacher wish lists and those books will be shipped directly to our school.
- Books starting at $5! Most books in our online fair will be hardcover and first edition with library-quality binding. Well below market price, books start as low as $5—and shipping is FREE for all orders over $30.
Our library receives a percentage of every book fair purchase, and we can use these funds raised as JLG credit to add more quality books to our collection or receive funds in cash for other needs. Your support is so appreciated!
Watch for teacher wish lists to be posted closer to March 15th and keep an eye out for any updates. We hope you will enjoy finding new books for your families and thanks very much for supporting MEA’s library!
UCSD STEAM/Training Opportunities
Brought to you by MEA Foundation
MEA Foundation is partnering with UCSD PIB to bring an interactive, hands-on STEM/engineering workshop to our students (grades 5-12)! For more information and to sign up, please fill out this form so we can get the appropriate headcount for the accurate amount of kits to order.
UCSD Sally Ride Science
USCD Sally Ride Science is also partnering with us to bring more STEAM opportunities and training to our school. Some of these opportunities also provide pre-college credits from UCSD upon completion.
Applications are open for a FREE scholarship (limited to one per student, first come, first serve, no other eligibility requirements) for a UCSD's Sally Ride Junior Academy summer workshop for students grades 3-12. This is also open to the general public, so apply ASAP here to secure a spot while availability lasts (a $175 value). Refer to this page for workshop options for the scholarship application.
One of the courses, Exploring the Science of Harry Potter, from Junior Academy can be offered as a complimentary condensed workshop for MEA students. In addition, UCSD can provide free training courses in various topics for parents and other high school student workshops. For more information and to sign up for/express interest in any of these workshops/courses, please fill out this form. If there is enough interest, the foundation will arrange for these opportunities and details will be provided later.
(If you'd like to register for additional Junior Academy courses at cost outside of the scholarship, promo code UCSD4SRS1 will provide a $25 discount until 3/21/21.)
Choosing classes for 2021-22
Articulation Meetings for 2021-2022
From February 2 - March 19, students in grades 5-11 will have the opportunity to plan their classes for next school year.
Grades 5, 6, 7
Students will review articulation sheets/course options with Ms. Patterson during English class this month and parents should go over course options with their student(s) at home.
Students must submit the articulation sheet with parent approval to their Supervising/PE teacher through Google Classroom during Month 6.
Please contact your child’s supervising teacher with questions.
Articulation Sheets:
Grades 8, 9, 10, 11
All 8th -11th graders must make an appointment to meet with Mr. Zappala between February 2 through March 19. 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. Zappala 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. Zappala during their appointment with him.
For questions, please contact Mr. Zappala.
Articulation Sheets:
Find all courses being offered next year here: Master Course List 2021-2022
Material Checkouts
For pickups/returns/exchanges please come to the North facing door of the auditorium on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:00 and 1:00 p.m.
Please contact Suzie Wilson at swilson3@sandi.net if you have any questions, or reach her at 858-627-7381 on Tuesdays through Thursdays. There is no need to email in advance. However, when there are special distributions ready for check-out, they will be noted here in the Monday Message.
BOOK RETURNS
Want to return MEA books that you no longer need? There will be a drop-off box underneath the Marquee sign (sunny days only!) on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9:00-3:00.
YEARBOOK
Only you can save us all from a yearbook full of blurry zoom screenshots!
Link to ALL THINGS YEARBOOK
Below: MEA 5th and 3rd grader doing a science lab at home
Do you want your student to be included in the yearbook?
We may not have been able to take school pictures on campus this fall, but that’s no reason for your student to be left out of the yearbook! Please provide us with a head-and-shoulders shot of your student by March 12th. . . PORTRAIT INFO
Yearbook Cover Contest
All students are invited to enter their art in our yearbook cover contest! The winner will receive a free 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.
2021 Yearbook Theme:
This year’s book doesn’t have a specific “tag line,” but the cover art should reflect the uniqueness of this year, which is unlike any other.
All Entries Due By: March 26, 2021
* * Celebrating Women's History Month * *
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and is observed annually in the month of March in the United States.
Letter from MEA 5th grader
Dear Mt. Everest Academy,
My name is Lillian Rawlins and I am a 5th-grade student at MEA. My grandmother gave me a book about women erased from history and I decided to do my research essay on one of them, Ellen H. Swallow Richards.
Once I did more research into her I was distraught to discover how badly men and MIT, the university she dedicated her life to, treated her. One of the worst things was that she did the requirements for a Ph.D. in chemistry and they refused to award their first Ph.D. in chemistry to a woman. She founded Ecology and also was the #1 international water scientist. I would name all the accomplishments she did but there are way too many.
I wrote a letter to the president of MIT asking them to award her a posthumous Ph.D. and also asking if they would rename their laboratory after her. I have not heard anything back so I made a petition. Please sign this petition so that this wonderful woman can finally get the credit she deserves. Thank you!
~ Lillian Rawlins
* * THE GOOD STUFF * *
Please send in your Good Stuff!
We're bringing back the Good Stuff! We know MEA students and families are involved in so many things outside of school. Do you have something fun or interesting to share? Please send your stories and images to share for "The Good Stuff" in upcoming Monday messages to Linda Ele at lele@sandi.net. We want to hear from you!
** Extracurricular Activities **
CLUBS
- Academic League - led by Kate Papen
- Ally Action - use this Google Classroom code to join: 4pkxv2a
- Art Club - led by Ava G, Renee D, Alexis A.
- Cooking Club - led by Katherine B.
- Drama Club - led by Gabriella Martien
- Engineering Club - led by Matthew S ... Zoom link .
> Mondays, 1:30-2:30 (not turn in) - Film Club - led by Petunia Rizo
German Club – led by Meredith A., Sam M.
GSA – Google Classroom link…GC code to join: wtg4opf
- Hack Club - led by Yusuf A.
- Horror Club - led by Toki
- Mental Health Club - led by Leena Iwamoto
- Musicing Club - led by Malyvn Lai
- Rubik's Cube Club - led by Shawn Zhuang
- Year Enders
- Yoga/Meditation Club - led by Chloe Lutosky
ASB Students sharing their work
- Link to ASB Website
- ASB Instagram: @mea.asb
- Link to School Site
Mental Health Workshops Interest
UCSD School of Medicine students and residents are partnering with schools to increase mental health literacy among youth. They will be offering a few 45- minute workshops to address mental health stigma and increase knowledge and awareness of specific mental health wellness topics. It will allow medical trainees to interact with their communities, specifically students, and better understand their perspective and learn from their experiences. This workshop will be run through the MEA Mental Health Club.
Please fill out this form to show your interest in participating in this mental health workshop. (Note, topics covered may be sensitive, age range directed towards highschoolers). Email leenayumi1@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
THE MEA SPIRIT CUP
ASB is hosting an ongoing school-wide competition, henceforth titled the Spirit Cup! Each grade level/group will compete with each other for a prize (for the sake of fairness, K - 2 and 3 - 4 are combined into groups). Students can earn Spirit Points towards their class's total in the following ways:
SPIRIT DAYS - Through TreeRing, students can submit pictures of themselves in their spirit day costume. They will receive one Spirit Point per spirit day for which they send in a picture demonstrating participation. Here are instructions for submitting photos through TreeRing (use the spirit day folder).
EVENTS - Students can earn three Spirit Points for participation in an event, as well as additional Spirit Points that might be awarded from the event (e.g. Extra Spirit Points might be earned from placing in the top three in a schoolwide kahoot). To earn these points, students must fill out a short form sent out during the event.
Other ways to earn Spirit Points may be revealed through the year.
The points earned by each class will be tallied up and displayed in the Monday Message at the beginning of each month. Members of whichever class has the most points at the end of month 9 will win the Spirit Cup and associated bragging rights. They will also be rewarded with certificates for 5 oz of free yogurt from YogurtLand, and the student with the most Spirit Points earned will earn a $10 Amazon gift card, which will be distributed at the beginning of month 10.
Humans of MEA
MEA Ally Action will be starting their first project for high school students! Based on "Humans of New York", they will be interviewing teachers and students to learn their story. The interviews will be shared on the Monday Message. The goal of this project is to help show that we all have our own stories!
If you are interested in participating, please fill out this Humans of MEA form.
** COUNSELING CORNER **
Community College Pre-Enrollment Zoom workshop
Friday, April 16 / 12:30-2:00
SENIORS:
Here is an opportunity for all seniors interested in attending Mesa, Miramar, or City colleges in the Fall. Attendance at the Pre-Enrollment workshop is required in order to pre-register for the Fall. Once pre-registered, seniors will automatically be scheduled to receive assistance from a college counselor on academic advising, and educational planning for their first year at community college.
If you plan on attending the workshop, please e-mail Mr. Zappala as soon as possible and no later than April 2nd. Mr. Zappala will need to let Mesa College know who will be attending in order to resolve any problems before April 16th. A Zoom link for the meeting will be sent out to you soon. Please also have your social security number available for the April 16th meeting. Mr. Zappala will also be sending out to each senior a digital copy of their transcript for the meeting. And lastly, please complete the Promise application.
California Retired Teachers Association Scholarship
This Foundation’s objective is to recognize and reward outstanding academic achievement and leadership. Awards are made to graduating seniors from High Schools in San Diego Unified School District who intend to pursue an education at an accredited four-year college or university.
Endless Possibilities
Your guide to majors and programs of interest at the San Diego Community College District. They offer endless possibilities for your career journey with a wealth of opportunities for pursuing your education. The SDCCD strives to make their students successful by dedicating their resources to quality instruction and stellar support services.
Class of 2021
Seniors, this Counseling & Guidance Resources webpage was designed with you in mind. From the page you will find helpful resources to support your senior year: understand the college application process, cope with the stressors of transitioning to college and navigate the challenges of senior year.
* * COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS * *
2021 Wellness Together Series
LINK: Wellness Together Spring Event Series
This 4-part webinar series, hosted by Wellness Together School Mental Health and the California Department of Education, equips educators, parents, and guardians to promote mental wellness for students at home and in the classroom.
Join in to hear from leading voices in the student mental wellness movement, with presenters from across the country increasing mental health awareness, advocacy, and access to mental health services for our students. At the conclusion of each webinar, presenters will participate in a live question and response.
Women In Water Symposium and Water Industry Scholarships
High School Juniors and Seniors interested in learning more about career opportunities in the water industry are encouraged to attend the fourth annual Women in Water Symposium in March. New to Career sessions will be held virtually every Thursday, 11:00 -12:30 from March 4-18, 2021. Registration is completely FREE for students. Any students interested in learning more about careers in the water industry are encouraged to participate, not just women.
Korean Essay Contest
To foster the understanding and appreciation of Korean history and culture, the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project (KSCPP) is hosting its 14th national essay contest. The Essay Contest is open to Middle and High School students. The entrants are required to read Chung Hyo Ye, Tales of filial devotion, loyalty, respect and benevolence from the history and folklore of Korea published by KSCPP (available online for free). KSCPP Essay Contest