Class of 2017

Congratulations to the following ladies:

• CommArts senior Corinne Davenport has been accepted to North Greenville University and Young Harris College.
• Elli Flagg from Upper has been accepted to University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Auburn University.
  

Thank you to Michael Carlson

Michael is the dad of Middle School student Matthew. He was activated on October 6th to leave immediately with the Army National Guard due to the hurricane. 

Thank you for serving. Our prayers are with you and the many in the same situation.

Margaret Brito, Middle School Principal

SCHOOL CLOSED

In honor of Columbus Day
Mill Springs Academy
will be closed
Monday, October 10

Johnny Appleseed

Each year Ms. Donna's students celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday, which is on September 26th. The students do a variety of apple activities and have even planted grass seed. They get to enjoy special apple treats such as apple juice and apple pie as they watch a movie on Johnny Appleseed's life and all of the contributions he made along the way. They learn that Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; as well as, the northern counties of present-day West Virginia.

Kangaroo and the Stingy Ogre 

A Fable by Harrison Gaitan, PreUpper

The stingy Ogre had just finished slurping syrup and making the swamp look dirty. The stingy Ogre went off to stare at baby donkeys when Kangaroo hopped by. Kangaroo had been searching far and wide for the perfect tree with which to satisfy his itch. He found a rough, dank, scratchy tree. The tree happened to be outside the stingy Ogre's living area. The tree was delightful. "This tree is an amazing tree to scratch my back on", he thought. Before he decided to rub up against the tree, he inspected it a tad bit more. READ MORE

Johnny Ray, MSA Class of 2016

The RA of Spring House at Savannah College of Art and Design has chosen Freshman, Johnny Ray as their first recipient of the year. The letter from the resident director states, "Being a member of, and having moved in early with, the SCAD ATL cross country team, Johnny Ray exudes politeness, courtesy, and helpfulness. During the hectic time of move-in, Johnny offered his assistance to family and staff alike, well beyond the athletic volunteer hours. Gracious, hospitable, disciplined...exemplary...enter Johnny Ray."

Congratulations!

Performing and Visual Arts College Fair 

October 10th

6:00-8:00 pm

Cobb Energy

Performing Arts Center

Register and see list of attending schools at

www.nacacnet.org

Big Sky Trip Overview

The PreUpper students who took part in the Big Sky Trip returned home late Tuesday night. The National Park trilogy ended with a beautiful rafting trip down the Snake River near Grand Tetons National Park.

The following day the students visited Fossil Lake. Today the area is a dry dessert, with harsh sun-baked days and cool windswept nights. 50 million years ago Fossil Lake flourished and was full of diverse animal and plant life. The students had the chance to examine fossils from organisms that lived in the lake long ago.

Our last activity consisted of visiting the Olympic Park training facility in Salt Lake City, Utah that continues to train athletes for the winter Olympics. The facility showed the history of the 2002 Olympic Games and allowed students to get a glimpse of winter competing sports like bobsledding and ski jumps.

Our travel guides from Outdoor Classroom were amazing and the students really got attached to them. Overall it was a very positive trip full of memories and new experiences!

--Bryan Sellers, PreUpper Teacher

Musician of the Week

Meet PreUpper student Colin Bechtel! Colin's positive attitude, awesome clarinet skills, and hard work this semester have earned him the title of Musician of the Week. Congratulations, Colin, and keep the jokes coming!

Winter Olympic Village - Big Sky 1 of 9

Guest Journalist - Ben Shlanta, PreUpper

Before we arrived at the airport, our guides took us on a little detour to the Utah Olympic Park between Salt Lake City and Park City in Utah.  The detour resulted to be a large mountain, looming over the park.  The ski jumps extended the relief of the mountain.  As a guide drove us to the top, we were able to see what ski jumpers would have seen in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.  It is hard to believe all the athletes were actually able to land on the ramp at the end.  We also were lucky to be able to watch the actual Olympic Athletes training for the next Winter Games!

Pictured: Hailey Lober and Caroline Skinner

Book Activities

Guest Journalist - Bella Chapman, Middle School

In Mrs. Gretchen's class this week, we have been completing activities on the last book we read, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We watched the movie and started a compare/contrast essay. We are also working on an alphabet book with each page representing a character, place, or event from the story. We have one for every letter except for "x" and so we are using "explorers" for that letter. We have been writing essays about each of these characters, places, and events and will illustrate the pages for each letter. In the next week or two, we will be dressing up as the characters from the book. Look for me as I will be dressed as Aslan, the lion!

Grand Tetons - Big Sky 2 of 9

Guest Journalist - Ethan Bell, PreUpper

The Grand Tetons are one of the many beauties of nature.  It is so natural that it almost doesn't look real. The mountains and valleys were formed by erosion. I can't describe how beautiful they were. When I was there, my eyes thought it was a picture. And it kind of looked like a picture but like 100 times better. At a certain point it started to even look man made. So many things had to go right for these mountains to form so beautifully. It took millions of years of erosion for them to be here. They didn't even have to be here, but they are. And we should all know how special that the Grand Tetons are to us and to nature. They are the home to many animals such as Bald Eagles, Red Tailed Hawks, Golden Eagles, Grizzly Bears, Otters, Foxes, Wolves, Elk, Deer, and Beavers.

35th Annual Founder's Day

• Lunch provided by Chick-Fil-A
• Rock Climbing Wall with Spider Jump
• Video Game Theater
• Outdoor Laser Tag
• Two Giant Hamster Balls
• Bounce House

NOTE: The event will take place near our athletic fields on the MSA Campus. When entering the campus that day, please follow all traffic signs down into the fields for event parking.

Glacier National Park - Big Sky 3 of 9

Guest Journalist - Channing Allen, PreUpper

Public Open House

Wednesday, October 19

9:00 - 11:00am

Student Activity Center

If you know someone that might benefit from attending MSA, please invite them to an Open House or better yet bring them! In case you haven't attended an Open House, it provides prospective parents with an overview of the school, a wonderful Fine Arts presentation, at least one parent and one student perspective, a tour of the school and an opportunity to speak with the principal. It's a great opportunity for them to get a feel for what we are all about. Word of mouth is by far the biggest way families find their way to Mill Springs and we know that you sometimes have the chance to be "Mill Springs on the Street", we thank you for sharing MSA!

Old Faithful - Big Sky 4 of 9

Guest Journalist - Taylor Mallady, PreUpper

I had so much fun on the trip. I was excited from the first time it was mentioned to me. I thought to myself that I wanted to go, and I got to. As soon as I got to the airport at 4 am, I was ready for what was ahead. My favorite part of the trip was Old Faithful. When I heard that we were going to Yellowstone, I literally jumped for joy thinking that I was going to see the Old Faithful Geyser. When we got at the park, I was sweating a little bit because I was so happy. Once we got our seats and waited for about 45 minutes, and that's when the little gushes of water came out. When the first one came and then immediately dropped, I thought that was it. A few more came and went, then the big one came. The Old Faithful Geyser can shoot water up to 185 feet into the air. I was luckily able to get the video right went it started. When it erupted I was off my seat and so excited.

Blackfoot Tribe Medicine Bag - Big Sky 5 of 9

Guest Journalist - Hailey Lober, PreUpper

The medicine bags were used by many Native American tribes. The bags would have things that were spiritual to the warrior along with one animal product, one mineral product, and one plant product. The warriors would use the bags for courage in war. Gregg, one of our guides, gave us all medicine bags. He gave us the plant, animal, and mineral items. He then let us fill the bags up with anything that was important to us that we found along the trip. He then let us have a closing ceremony and a sealing of the bags by waving burning sage over our bags. Pictured: Hiking in high elevations in 31 degrees and a misting of rain, took strength from these warriors!

Parent Volunteer Association Meets

Rafting on the Snake River - Big Sky 6 of 9

Guest Journalist - James Hurtsellers, PreUpper

The Feeling of Powerful white water splashing against the face, is a true wake up call to nature. Snake river was a very enjoyable experience to all scared, and exited. Everyone works on a team during this amazing attempt to conquer a great form of waves and life. Many different creatures came to us during the calm parts of this, river otters chasing after food, and powerful bald eagles hidden away at their nests or soaring through the sky before our eyes. When you function correctly as we did, it's a joy for everyone on the raft. The paddlers, the thrill riders, everyone was having a true 1 on 1 with nature with all the smiles, joy, and laughter that was shared through this day, all this made the Mustangs thrilled to be on such a great trip.

Numbers in the News

This week in Math we continued reviewing and learning about how to compare and round decimals.  My classes practiced comparing decimals and rounding decimals by playing jeopardy and completing a Kahoot.  Kahoot is a wonderful game based classroom response system.  My classes got very into the Kahoot on decimals and asked me the following: "I love this Ms. Katie! Can we play Kahoot daily?" What a fun way to learn Math! In addition, we worked on a "Numbers in The News" project.  Each of my students enjoyed going onto the time for kids website and picking an article of interest.  With the article, they had to explain how the authors used numbers to share information.  They remained enthusiastic and engaged throughout the week.   What another wonderful, productive, and successful week in my classroom! Pictured: Noah Velasco

--Katie Winokur, Middle Teacher

Fossil Butte - Big Sky 7 of 9

Guest Journalist - Luke McCoin, PreUpper

A place that we went during the Big Sky trip was the National Monument of Fossil Butte. Some facts from Fossil Butte are, that it used to be a lake, nowadays, they will find fossils in the valleys from when the lake was there. Some more facts are that it was established in 1972 and is also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the US National Parks. It is a national monument in Wyoming. It is Wyoming's newest national monument. it contains 8,198 acres and protects a portion of the largest deposit of freshwater fish fossils in the world.  The richest fossil fish deposits are found in multiple limestone layers, which lie some 100 feet below the top of the butte. its elevation is more than 7,500 feet above sea level.  At the base of Fossil Butte are the bright red, purple, yellow and gray beds of the Wasatch Formation. Some of the fossils they have are fish, crocodiles, and other small fish. Those are just some of the things we learned at Fossil Butte.

Time to Turn in Box Tops!

Turn in Box Tops by Friday, October 21st for our fall submission and drawing. Place in a zipped bag or envelope with your students name & grade on the bag to be eligible for the drawing. Drop in the collection containers in each school or office. Labels for Education, Tyson A+ labels and My Coke Rewards caps/codes should be turned in now too.

Fall drawing winners will be announced in November.

Each School will have a winner that can choose a $10 gift card from Barnes & Noble, Dick's, Target, or Toys R Us.

Contact Beth Kane at beth-kane@outlook.com with any questions.

Thanks for your participation!

Forest Fire in Yellowstone - Big Sky 8 of 9

Guest Journalist - William Goodhew, PreUpper

While in Yellowstone, I learned that forest fires are good for the ecosystem. They clean the dead debris on the ground and allow for new plants to grow. They also allow certain trees to release their seeds. The resin on the pine cones only melt in extreme heat. Forest fires are hot enough to melt that resin and help the seeds disperse. So that means the only way for the seeds to be planted, is by being released in a forest fire.  The most damaging forest fire is a crown fire, this is when the fire gets to the top of a tree, it can jump very far to the top of another tree. This is what allows the fires to cross roads.   

Looking for Donations of Dolls

The Art Studio is looking for donations of used baby dolls, Barbie dolls, and GI Joe action figures. ANY SIZE. Please send in next week to Janet Ford. Thank you.

They will be transformed for a project and not returned.

Fathers' Night with Robert

Review from an Upper Dad last year: "Fathers' Night was well worth my time and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to participate."

 Thursday, October 27, 2016

 7:00 - 9:00pm

Middle School Great Room

                      RSVP TODAY by CLICKING HERE

What is LD? What is ADHD?

Come to explore these issues with your host and Headmaster,  Robert Moore.

He will present the F.A.T. City Workshop video "How Difficult Can This Be?" by Richard D. Lavoie, a nationally known expert on learning disabilities.

In this video Richard Lavoie shows why the classroom can be an intimidating place for kids with learning disabilities. In the video he leads a group of parents, educators, psychologists, and children through a series of exercises that cause Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension … feelings all too familiar to children with learning disabilities. By dramatizing the classroom experience so vividly, Lavoie lets us see the world through the eyes of a child. 

At the end of the video, a casual discussion will take place on strategies for working more effectively with learning disabled children.

We will serve pizza and wings. This is a Dad's only event!

Please RSVP so we can plan for food by CLICKING HERE. 

ADHD Awareness Month

It's time to celebrate the gift and manage the challenges of ADHD. If you would like to learn more about ADHD please check out www.adhdawarenessmonth.org.

Watch this spot each week this month as we share additional information about the gift of ADHD.

If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to contact our counseling department.

Grandparents Day is Coming!

This special day is Friday, November 18th and starts at 9:00am in the Gym. Invitations will be sent by the end of October. If you did not provide an address for your grandparents during the admissions process, or if you can't recall, please send it to Leila and she will take care of it. If your child doesn't have a grandparent that can attend, tell us about a special person that can come instead.

Attendance at Grandparents Day has been growing every year and we often end up with no empty seats. Because of this, please know that this special event is for our grandparents only and we are not able to have parents and students attend the breakfast. Students will be able to be with their grandparents after the breakfast for visiting and pictures! We are looking forward to a wonderful event! If you have any questions contact Leila Smith at lsmith@millsprings.org

Life is like baseball; it's 95% mental and the other half is physical.

--Yogi Berra

Community Cares & Concerns

The Carlson Family

The Jones Family

The Vargas 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