August 19, 2016 | Vol 10, Iss 1, No 325
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| Well we have an entire week of school under our belts and it seems that most of us have fared well. This seems to be the year for change. We are still interviewing prospective students so you may see a few more friendly, but new faces in the coming weeks. CommArts is welcoming a new principal, Upper and PreUpper both have new assistant principals. The Lower and Middle Schools are getting used to their new classroom and playground space. Band, Counseling, and Technology have all moved into different buildings. We have new faculty in almost each school this year. Finally, the MSA Weekly News got a new look! So we all have something new in our school year to get used to.
We hope you all have had a fabulous summer, I know we did as you will see in the next story, so let's get to it! Welcome back to school and have a terrific weekend. | |
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| How I Spent my Summer Vacation Guess what? Teachers take a vacation in the summer time as well. You might not know that, but it does happen. Below are some of those great adventures. Left to right from the top: Courtney Smith (PU) had a huge surprise from her son who is a Marine visiting on leave from Japan. They had not seen him for a year and a half! Brenda Smith (FA) and her family spent time exploring New York City and the New Jersey coast. They are pictured at the top of Rockefeller Center. Angela Davis from Counseling visited Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas where she had a run in with The Hulk. Elke Silva (U) and her husband visited Seville, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal and Portuguese Algarve for their 25th wedding anniversary (Congratulations!). Patrick Rose (FA) spent part of his summer playing SHREK in the play performed at the Holly Theater in Dahlonega. Judy Norris (U) visited Salt Lake City where she participated in her graduation from Western Governors University. Claire Christerson's (Tech) family traveled to the corny plains - 13.1 million acres - of Iowa. They are in front of the Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Kate McElliott (FA) went on a Dolphin tour at Jeckyl Island with her 5 kids and husband Don. Maria Gonzalez (U) spent a month in Colombia, South America visiting with her mother and siblings. She tries to do that every summer. Last but not least, Brittany Emge, Librarian, hiked some of Glacier National park in Montana with a college friend, she also visited Harry Potter World with her sister - AND she got a dog, you can meet Kayso in the library ... AND a good time was had by all! | |
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| Sign Up for PM Programs!
Our Fall PM Programs begin this coming Monday, August 22nd. We are offering Archery, Minecraft Lego Club, Chess Club, Art Barn, KK's Club, Arts and Crafts for Scottish Rite, and more! If you are interested in more information about these after school programs, please visit www.millsprings.org/PM for program descriptions and online registration details. | |
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| Class of 2017 Gets Accepted! Please congratulate Rachel Fisher on her acceptance to Savannah College of Art and Design! | |
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| One-Act Play Auditions
Auditions for this year's One-Act Play will be held this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 12:20 to 1:00pm, in the Drama Studio. Auditions are open to grades 8-12. Interested students should come see Jamie Fambrough ASAP to sign up and get a copy of the audition script. The script does not need to be memorized for the audition, but students should have read it several times to familiarize themselves with it. if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email Jamie. | |
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| Feature Teacher Meet Angela Davis - Counselor. Angela has been on staff full-time at MSA since February, but she interned and subbed with prior to that. She loves the students and how diverse they are, the mission of the school, the Level System, everything! Before she came to MSA she worked in dental insurance, was a trainer and has even been a teacher and mentor. Her work philosophy is to encourage the students to do their very best. She teaches from a strengths-based perspective, focus on what you can do and try to improve on the things you find challenging. Outside of school she likes to cook and bake, sing, travel and work with the children at her church. She is currently reading an autobiography of a female percussionist Sheila E. She shared some interesting facts with me. First she sang in a gospel group and recorded a CD. She played the violin in grade school. She can not ride a bike. Lastly,she loves the ocean but cannot swim. Angela thank you for what you do! | |
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| School Portraits to be Taken Here are the dates for each school: - Monday, August 29 - Lower School
- Tuesday, August 30 - Middle School
- Wednesday, August 31 - PreUpper School
- Thursday, September 1 - CommArts School
- Friday, September 2 - Upper School
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| Is Art School in Your Future? Studio Arts will be hosting a meeting for students interested in preparing for and attending ART SCHOOL after graduating from MSA. Join Art Teachers Janet/Brenda and College Counselor Brandi on Tuesday, September 13th at 12:15 in the art studio! | |
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| Why Join the Parent Volunteer Association (PVA)? The Mill Springs Academy Parent Volunteer Association plays an important role in supporting our school by working hard to provide the "extras" that enrich our children's educational experience. Everyone in the MSA community is invited to join us. Last year, your PVA contributions made possible our new amphitheater, and we are so grateful to you for your financial support and gracious volunteer efforts that made our dream a reality. We are excited to contribute to our school in a new and meaningful way this year. We can make it happen, with every family's support. It is your participation and support that ensures a great MSA and builds our sense of community for our students, parents, families, faculty, administrators and staff. There are many ways for you to get involved, big and small! Our next PVA meeting will be held on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at 7:00 P.M. at the home of Michelle and Rodger Weyant ... READ MORE | |
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| From the Oceans of MSA . . . Coral Lab students kicked-off the first week of classes by getting an up-close introduction into the life cycle of one of the most feared and misunderstood creatures in the ocean- the shark. The MSA Coral Lab has been selected to participate in a program where it will attempt to incubate (and subsequently hatch) a banded cat-shark from an egg case (pictured). The shark's growth and overall health are then tracked for a period of several weeks by our Coral Lab class before the shark is returned to Southern Aquatics, where it is then housed in an appropriate habitat. MG and the Coral Lab students will keep everyone updated with the latest news on the little critter who now has developed the nickname of "Dr. Bob" and hopefully, we will have the opportunity to observe this amazing creature discover its aquatic environment within our very own reef tank. More news to come as it unfolds . . . In the meantime, always remember . . . The Ocean's Awesome! | |
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| How YOU Spent YOUR Summer Vacation We have shared with you how some of our faculty spent their summer vacation. NOW it is your turn! Show me how you spent your summer vacation, before Thursday (8/25) evening, and I will share it with the community in next week's MSA Weekly News. Email me your best photo and a caption, and I will include it. I look forward to seeing your photos! | |
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| Musicians of the Week This year, we're kicking off the school year right by naming OURSELVES, Elizabeth and Eva, Musicians of the Week! Also known as E & E Music Factory, we love creative expression, coffee, sarcasm, and our BRAND NEW SPACE! We have worked tirelessly to transform the former Middle School 2 building next to Administration into (drumroll, please!!!)... BAND LAND! If you haven't had a chance to check out our musical wonderland yet, then you're missing out! Come on by and Experience the Experience!!! | |
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| New Laptops! One of the great things about fourth grade at Mill Springs is introducing the students to their new laptops. In class this morning, the students learned how to set up a Microsoft Word Document and use it to create their "daily journal." This is a picture of Lauren Scobee and Parker Borden writing about their first day of school at Mill Springs. We love using technology in class to become a better writer! | |
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| Performing Arts Meeting Recap This week, we had our big PERFORMING ARTS MEETING for students in grades 7-12 to announce this year's musical, share information on auditions for the One Act play, and discuss all other details of music and drama opportunities at MSA this year. If you missed it, no problem! Just email Kate McElliott at kmcelliott@millsprings.org to find out the details and to ask any questions! (One Act auditions are August 22-24 so students in grades 8-12 that are interested should email Jamie Fambrough at jfambrough@millsprings.org immediately for information!) Pictured are our Performing Arts teachers being funny! Kate McElliott, Patrick Rose, and Jamie Fambrough | |
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| Support MSA PVA Every Time You Shop at Kroger Make Mill Springs your choice for Kroger's Community Rewards program then present your linked Plus card or enter your alternate ID at checkout every time you shop. A percentage of eligible purchases will be donated to our school. Sign up at www.kroger.com. Go to Community Rewards, select Mill Springs Academy, Inc. and click "Enroll". IMPORTANT: Annual enrollment required every August or your selection will default to no election. Questions? Contact beth-kane@outlook.com | |
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| Summer Learning This summer our own Scott Collins from MSA Upper School went to Downtown Atlanta to learn more about the Stock Market. Scott had the opportunity to meet other High School aged students and learn the ups and downs of the stock market. This event was put together by Georgia Tech Business School. The game gave each student a million dollars to invest. There were about 40 participants in this week-long summer camp. Scott finished roughly in the middle of the investors. He was happy to experience this event. Scott recommends this to anyone interested in the Stock Market. | |
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| All of the tools and machinery used to create fabulous sets for the Fine Arts Department are now housed in the old Band trailer! Patrick Rose now has an awesome "Shop" where all of his Technical Theater classes are held! | |
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| It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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| Community Cares & Concerns The Hurtsellers Family The Smith Family
If there is ever a care or concern you would like to share with the community, please just email me at any time, I will be glad to include either names or situations. For privacy, I will only list names and claim ignorance if anyone asks me for details. Cheri
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| UPCOMING EVENTS
August 22
One Act Play Auditions Begin
Drama Studio • 12:20pm August 22
Fall PM Program Begins
All Around Campus • 3:30pm
August 25
Girls Volleyball
Atlanta Girls School • 4:00pm
August 25 Boys Soccer Howard School • 4:00pm | |
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