Monday Message
February 22, 2021
Celebrating Black History Presentation
Day: Wednesday, February 24
Time: 12:00-12:45
Zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/82217720493
Dr. Jerry “Rafiki” Jenkins will be putting on a presentation for MEA students about Black History Month. He will speak on the importance of celebrating black history. All students and parents are welcome to attend! It will happen on February 24th from 12 to 12:45. The plan is a 30 minute presentation and then 15 minutes for questions.
Professor Jenkins is Professor of English and Multicultural Studies at Palomar College. He teaches courses in critical thinking, literature, African American Studies, and Multicultural Studies. His research focuses on African American speculative fiction and film. His articles have been published in Screening Noir and African American Review, and he is the co-editor of Authentic Blackness/Real Blackness: Essays on the Meaning of Blackness in Literature and Culture.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to further educate ourselves, so please consider attending if you can!
SSC/SGT Meeting
Date: Wednesday, February 24
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm
Zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/89056497845
All parents are invited to attend the School Site Committee (SSC) meeting. The SSC is a shared decision-making body composed of parents, staff, and students. Our Council identifies needs for academic programs and sets budgets to support these programs. More information, agendas, and minutes can be found on our SSC/SGT webpage. For questions, please contact Principal Browne at cbrowne@sandi.net
Coffee with the Principal
Date: Thursday, February 25
Time: 9:30 am
Zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/83580220751
Bring your own coffee or tea and join Principal Browne to discuss school happenings. This is an informal opportunity to hear about school planning, ask questions, and provide suggestions to improve our program. Hope to see you there!
Work due for Month 6
Friday, February 26 by 3:00 pm
Mt. Everest Academy must follow strict Ed Code policy regarding independent study. We realize turn-in and work samples can be a hassle, however, they MUST be done correctly in order for our program to stay in existence. So, please carefully follow instructions for turn-in and audit. If you are not sure you are doing something correctly, ask your supervising teacher. (And DO NOT write "audit" anywhere on a work sample or subject title.)
We strongly suggest completing audit samples on Tuesday or Wednesday this week so it is not a rush to get it done on Friday!
- Work must be submitted online to all of your content area teachers by 3:00 pm
- Work (Audit) samples must be submitted online to your supervising teacher by 3:00 pm
- Campus remains closed. Everything is done online!
Community Kindness Event
Wednesday, March 3 / 12:00-12:30
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. Zoom link coming in next week’s Monday message.
Science Presentations
Friday, March 5 at 1:00pm:
Zoom link to follow
Secondary Students (Grades 6-12)
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. We just had the elementary presentation today and it 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!
Talent Show Applications
Students, if you'd like to showcase one of your talents, turn in your application by Friday, February 26!
* * * * * *
The MEA Podcast
Enjoy this podcast hosted by MEA seniors, Toki and Toler!
In the third episode of the second season, we have Aaron Cate come on and talk about parenthood, friendship, and private schools.
Now on Spotify!
The MEA Podcast has just been added to Spotify! It might take a day or two to update, but here are the links:
Humans of MEA
In this second episode, Aaron Chizhik (grade 12) is interviewed by Petunia Rizo (grade 10). Watch on our youtube channel, or read the transcript. If you're interested in being interviewed, fill out the form too!
Winter Art Show Thinglink
Link to Winter Art Show Thinglink
Mt. Everest has some incredible student artists! Students from elementary to high school submitted work to the Winter Art Show. Take a few minutes to click around on the Thinglink to see student artwork and hear students describe their process. The show also includes videos, music, and even a couple of staff members contributed! Enjoy!
Art Club Fundraiser for Black History Month
The MEA Art Club is doing a fundraising project for Black History Month, and all proceeds will be donated to the organization Detour Empowers.
ALL students are invited to participate in this project! The more students that participate, the more that can be donated to Detour Empowers.
,Here are some guidelines to get started on creating a piece of Black History Month artwork. To be included in the fundraiser, please send in an image of your completed piece, along with the requested information and price, to Linda Ele (lele@sandi.net) by Thursday, February 25.
Starting the week of March 1st, the BHM art will be made available for sale to MEA families.
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.
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.)
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.
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
National Honor Society
Students who are in grades 10-12 are welcome to apply for the Mt. Everest Academy Chapter of the National Honor Society. Applicants must have been enrolled for a full semester at MEA prior to the application deadline and have a current GPA of 3.5 or higher. There is no cost to apply, but students who are inducted may gain access to scholarship opportunities through the NHS.
Applications are on Dr. Rodenberg's website and are due to her by Friday, February 26..
Virtual Calming Room
Welcome to the SDUSD Virtual Calming Room, created by the Counseling and Guidance Department. This has been created to be a safe space where students and families can find various tools to help with managing their emotions, feelings, and stress.
This link can also be found on the MEA home page.
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.
NOTE: The construction calendar has changed, so material can now be picked up this week on Tuesday, Feb. 23 and Thursday, Feb. 25.
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.
Multimedia Class Created Websites
Multimedia students have been working on websites for our school over the first semester and they are now officially live! Here are the two main sites:
YEARBOOK
Only you can save us all from a yearbook full of blurry zoom screenshots!
Link to ALL THINGS YEARBOOK
Staying Active
Christopher Hansen (grade 8) has been meeting with his Black Belt Instructor and another student for six months practicing self-defense, weapons, and karate defense moves on Saturdays at the park.
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
* * 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 Instagram
MEA's ASB Instagram account is running again this year! Follow us to get updates on school events, spirit weeks, and more! Account Handle: @mea.asb
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.
What I Wish My Teachers Knew
Created by the MEA Mental Health Club, this initiative will try and improve the mental health of students by giving us problems to solve. As a completely anonymous form, we ask students to answer questions relating to the topic of “what I wish my teachers knew”. As we get feedback on the emotional health of students, we will try and create programs alongside staff that help lift stressors relating to school. Please fill out the form below, no matter your grade level. You feedback will help our club immensely!
Form: What I wish my teachers knew
Email leenayumi1@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
PALS HANGOUT
Grades K-5, come hang out with each other!
From now on, PALs will be a place where elementary students can come to hang out and do work together! If they need help, they'll be able to go to a breakout room to get help from a tutor.
Same day: Thursdays
Same time: stop by sometime between 12:30 – 3:00
Same zoom: https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/85258186771
TUTOR INTEREST FORM
Middle and high schoolers who are looking to tutor, please fill out this PALS Interest form.
Ally Action
MEA is continuing our anti-bullying campaign this year! Due to concerns surrounding many of the ideals that ADL stood for, we are no longer associating ourselves with them, and we are officially Ally Action. We are starting the campaign by encouraging all students to sign this pledge to make our school a more welcoming place. Throughout the year, we will host events for all ages to build our school's community. If you're interested in joining our team, you can also tell us that on the pledge. Anyone in 6th-12th grade is more than welcome!!
** 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.
SD County Citizens’ Scholarship
San Diego County Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation (SDCCSF) has scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000. Seniors must have a demonstrated financial need and plan to attend college in San Diego County. Complete the application that is found at www.sdccsf.org, by March 2.
SD Chinese Women’s Association Scholarships
The San Diego Chinese Women’s Association would like to invite graduating high school seniors of Chinese descent to apply for merit or need based scholarships of $1500 if attending a 4-year college program or $1000 if attending a 2-year community college.
Eligibility information and application forms can be found at http://sdcwa.net/scholarships/
Future Seniors Information
JUNIORS!
Getting ready for your senior year and preparing for college applications starts now. Here is some valuable future seniors information for you and your parents.
San Diego Foundation
SENIORS!
The San Diego Foundation Community Scholarship program provides scholarship opportunities for local students to help pursue their educational goals and achieve their higher education dreams. Here are:
All of the San Diego Foundation Scholarships, in addition to their Common Application Scholarship.
Tips for completing applications for scholarships offered through the San Diego Foundation.
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 * *
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
Black History Month Library Card
The San Diego Public Library will release a Black History Month library card. The special edition card was designed by 15-year-old Scripps Ranch High School student. You can pick up the library card at the 25 San Diego Public Library locations offering limited in-person or contactless pickup services.
The SDPL also has a full schedule of events this February to celebrate the rich and diverse history of Black Americans through storytimes for children, book discussions, author talks and take-home craft kits.
Black History Read-In
The Black History Read-In is a celebration of books, authors, and reading by gathering people together in community to read together and celebrate stories. The San Diego Unified School District is featuring special events including 28 days of Read Alouds with community leaders, interviews and readings with local Black authors, and book give aways for teachers.
California Parent and Youth Helpline
Emotional support for families challenged by the pressures of COVID-19
Having someone to talk to or communicate with when you or your student is struggling is more important now than ever. Here is a helpline set up by the State of California to support you and your family.
Emotional Well-Being Activities
Find resources for balance and well-being. Build inner strength, navigate difficult feelings, and get support with this collection of videos, games, books, and more. For families with students K-12.
Library NExT
Library NExT (Network of Education x Training)
This is a series of workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students on topics including robotics, circuits, and other STEAM subjects. This San Diego Public Library program is a collaboration with UC San Diego Extension and Sally Ride Science.
See 2021 schedule of Virtual Library NExT Programs