Monday Message
12/16/19
The teamwork of ants
Elementary Art with Mrs. Sink
See more of these adorable owls at the Garden Art Show on Thursday!
**** UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES ****
Winter Spirit Week
The ASB is sponsoring the Spirit Days listed below.
Express your creativity and show your school spirit!
PAJAMA DAY - Tuesday, 12/17
The ASB will serve hot chocolate in the auditorium during the Elementary Music Lunch Concert. The beverage is FREE for pajama wearers, and $1 for non-pajama wearers.
SWEATER DAY - Wednesday, 12/18
Students are encouraged to wear their coziest, warmest, and ugliest sweaters.
CANDY CANE DAY - Thursday, 12/19
During lunchtime, the ASB will give out candy canes to students wearing red and white.
Elementary Music Lunch Concert
Tuesday, December 17 / 12:00-1:00 / Auditorium
Come enjoy performances by Mr. Johnson's music students in Beginning Orchestra, Beginning Band, Choir, Advanced Orchestra, and Advanced Band. A few of the selections will be:
- Linus and Lucy
- Christmas Time Is Here
- Ice Skating
- Hark the Herald (jazzy version)
Elementary Music Evening Concert
Tuesday, December 17 / 6:30-7:30pm / Auditorium
If you missed the Lunch Concert, there will be another performance in the evening!
Pieology Pizzeria Fundraiser
Tuesday, December 17 / 11am-9pm
Pieology at 5575 Balboa Ave. #310
Support our school and enjoy designing a custom pizza at Pieology Pizzeria. You can choose the crust, sauce, cheese, meat, toppings, and after-bake sauce for your personal creation.
On Tuesday, December 17 from 11:00am-9:00pm, Pieology Pizzeria will donate a portion of all sales made by Mt. Everest Academy customers to our school. Here's the flyer, although you don't need to bring it when you order food; just let the cashier know that it's for the MEA Foundation fundraiser.
For a meal AND a musical performance, include the Elementary Holiday Concert on your day's agenda at either 12:00pm or 6:30pm!
Intercultural Club
Wednesday, December 18 / 12:00-12:30 / Room 1
The Intercultural Club is open to all students in grades 6-12 who have an interest in learning about other cultures and sharing about their own cultures. (In general we meet monthly on the first Wednesday of each school month.) We will decide on our mission, determine the celebrations we want to hold, and delight in some delicious food!
Audition Workshop
Wednesday, December 18 / 12:00 / Auditorium
Calling all students that are interested in participating in this year's theatre production, "A Wrinkle In Time!" Come to the Audition Workshop on Wednesday, December 18 at 12:00 in the Auditorium.
Here is a letter from our MEA Theatre Co. Director, Becca Myers. This information will help you prepare for the Audition Workshop. A sign up link is included in this letter for the actual auditions, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 6 and Tuesday, Jan. 7.
For students that are interested in working behind-the-scenes, feel free to attend this Dec. 18 Audition Workshop also, to meet Miss Becca and see how the process works.
NOTE: Due to the audition workshop, Story & Craft Time this Wednesday will start at 1:00 instead of 12:30.
Below is a picture from last week's Meet & Greet with Miss Becca.
Garden Art Show
Thursday, December 19 / 1:00-3:00 / MEA Garden
Please join us in the MEA garden on Thursday, December 19th, for a site-specific art show and garden expo. The show starts at one and runs until three. We'll have snacks, music, art and a shop that will be selling succulents and student art! We hope you can make it to celebrate our wonderful artists and garden!
FOR ELEMENTARY PARENTS:
If you'd like to include pieces of your elementary student's art in the Art Show, please contact Mrs. Vivian Sink ASAP (vsink@sandi.net / room 1). The submission deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 1:30pm.
- This Thursday, Dec. 19, Elementary Art will be cancelled.
- Story and Craft Time on Wednesday, Dec. 18, (at 1:00 this week) will still be happening!
Shop at the garden art show
- Student art
- MEA-made succulent arrangements
- Fresh produce
Mia Vaughnes, founder of Good Neighbor Gardens, is donating fresh fruits, veggies and herbs from local yards they farm in San Diego. The produce donated will be used as a donation based farm stand at the Garden Art Show.
- Bring your own bag to take home your veggie loot in!
- All proceeds from the farm stand will go into our MEA garden program!
Winter Break
School will be closed for winter break from December 23 - January 3. School will re-open on Monday, January 6. Enjoy!!
Auditions for "A Wrinkle In Time"
Monday, January 6 / 12:00-2:00 / Auditorium
Tuesday, January 7 / 2:30-4:00 / Auditorium
* * Sign up for auditions here * *
Please come to auditions prepared with 1-2 minutes of a monologue, poem, children's book....any language that you can emote and show Miss Becca your acting chops! Miss Becca would also love to see a short song, dance, or any talent you'd like to show her (if you want)!
"Mamma Mia!"
Friday, January 10, 2020 / 9:30am / JCC
"Mamma Mia!" is a mega-hit that has audiences dancing in the aisles! This school performance is presented by the JCompany Youth Theatre. Tickets are $8 per person; payment is due to the front office by Tuesday, January 7.
For questions contact Ms. Nancy Mullen at nmullen@sandi.net
Mission Trails Field Trip
Friday January 10, 2020 / 9:45am / Mission Trails Visitor Center
One Father Junipero Serra Trail
- Meet at Mission Trails Visitor Center at 9:45am.
Guided trail hike and informative presentation on life of Kumeyaay Indians. Allow 2 hours and bring a lunch to stay for a picnic after. - This is a free field trip but we must have a minimum of 15 so please sign up in the office to attend.
- All ages are welcome. Please wear closed toed shoes comfortable for hiking and bring water.
The Kumeyaay Indians are the indigenous people who once lived in the area that is now Mission Trails Regional Park. One of the more obvious dwelling sites used by the Kumeyaay includes a granitic bedrock area that has several depressions worn into the surface from hundreds of years of grinding acorns and other foods. This outdoor education program takes students on a one-mile roundtrip interpretive walk to the historic Grinding Rocks site at the edge of the San Diego River. Along the way, Kumeyaay usage of native plants and wildlife resources will be discussed. The cultural and social customs of the Kumeyaay, and their basic way of life, will also be covered. This program begins and ends at the Visitor Center, where students will also get the chance to view an educational video or storytelling presentation about the Kumeyaay, and participate in a Kumeyaay Scavenger Hunt through the museum.
Winter Formal
The Winter Formal for high schoolers will be on Friday, January 31. More details to follow!
**** ANNOUNCEMENTS ****
Candy & Coffee orders
There are still a few See's Candy and Desert Sun Coffee orders that have not been picked up yet. They are waiting for you in the front office!
* * THANK YOU * *
Just a final thank you to ALL of you who participated in our See’s Candy/Desert Sun Fundraiser. Without every one of you, our school events could not take place.
Toy and Gift Card Drive
We're collecting the new toys and gift cards until December 18.
Mt. Everest Academy is sponsoring a toy and gift card drive this year for the San Diego Center for Children. The SD Center for Children provides services to children and teens struggling with mental, emotional and behavioral health challenges. You can help make their season brighter by giving a new unwrapped item from this Wish List.
A donation bin is located in the front office. Thank you in advance to this beautiful MEA community!
Upcoming Book Drive
If you find yourself in a clearing out mood over the Winter break and want to find a new home for books you no longer read, please set them aside for our upcoming Book Drive. The ASB will be collecting books from January 6 - February 7, which will then 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.
Succulent plant arrangements for sale
Looking for a gift for someone for the holidays? Purchase a succulent plant arrangement made here at MEA. Students will be creating them until winter break. They come in all sizes varying in price from $5 - $20 and can be purchased in the front office. All proceeds will go towards the chicken coop and garden upkeep.
Hygiene Kits for the Homeless
Please bring your donations in by Wednesday, December 18.
Mt. Everest Academy is offering support to the Monarch School, a K-12 public school for homeless children in downtown San Diego. We are mostly looking for small travel toiletries that we can make into hygiene packages to distribute to the children. (Hotel samples work great!)
Other items that could be donated are: glasses, umbrellas, spray bottles, water, perfume, vitamins, gloves, matches, tissues, and clothes. Go together to the Dollar Store to "pay it forward" and buy things for those who are less fortunate!
Drop off boxes are located in the front office and in Room 1.
For any questions, contact Ms. Nancy Mullen at nmullen@sandi.net. Thank you for having a big heart for children in need!
**** 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
MEA Hack Club
(Fill out the form below to determine meeting time)
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. If you are interested, let us know when you will be available by filling out the form so we can quickly finalize a meeting time.
Racing Circuits
This month, come to a Racing Circuits workshop in the MakerSpace and learn about the technology behind a slot car race track. Then use your knowledge to make the slot cars go faster. So far, the quickest unconfirmed time for a three-lap race is 16 seconds. All students, kindergarten to seniors, are welcome.
Suggested one-hour workshop times:
- Tuesdays 12:30
- Wednesdays 2:00
- Thursdays 11:00
Story & Craft Time
Elementary Art
Library Challenge
The December library challenge is a fun mini-research project.
Turn your completed form into the library by December 18 to receive a prize!
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 ****
Elementary Counseling Corner
Mr. Zappala met with elementary students to talk about recognizing their own feelings as well as the feelings of others around them.
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.
FAFSA information & handouts
Mr. Zappala met with the seniors last Thursday to review the college financial aid process. If you were not able to attend, please see Mr. Zappala with any questions you have.
Also, pick up handouts from the presentation.
Community College Dual Enrollment
11th and 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 in person at Mesa beginning the week of January 27th. All students planning on taking a community college class in the Spring should see Mr. Zappala.
**** COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS ****
Coastal Art & Poetry Contest
California students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme to the annual Coastal Art & Poetry Contest.
- Let the coast and ocean inspire you!
- Win great prizes!
- Have your work featured online and exhibited throughout California!
For questions, please email coast4u@coastal.ca.gov
Entries must be postmarked by January 31, 2020 to be eligible.
Interfaith Mandalas and Music at the North Clairemont Library
Thursday, December 19 / 10:00-11:30am
North Clairemont Library - 4616 Clairemont Dr.
The MEA Interfaith Group, headed up by Ms. Deb Mech, is sharing information about this interfaith community event. There will be music and a simple mandala art project (materials will be provided). They will share quotes and prayers about SPIRITUAL GIFTS from many spiritual traditions. The intention is to create a space where people from all faith backgrounds can come together to understand and support each other.
Free and open to the public!
For questions please contact Ms. Deb Mech at dmech@sandi.net.
Females in Gaming e-Sports event
The San Diego County Office of Education is partnering with the Microsoft Store in Fashion Valley Mall to host their first Female eSports event geared towards female gamers. The night will be an opportunity to Network and have an information dinner with females in the gaming community, ask questions to female gamers, creators and influencers, and free play on League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch and Mine Craft. All are welcome to this free event. Families, educators and friends are encouraged to come. Dinner and beverages provided.
Date: Friday, December 20, 2019
Time: 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Microsoft Store Fashion Valley (2nd Floor)