Upcoming Special Opportunity

Parents please watch your email on Tuesday for an important message from our Headmaster about an exciting, new opportunity for parents. We are really excited about sharing this with all of you.

SCHOOL CLOSED 

Monday, January 16, 2017
In observance of
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Feature Teacher

Kaylee teaches math and science in the Middle School and she is new this school year. Immediately before coming here she worked as a parapro in an elementary special education class. Prior to this she interned with the counseling department in 2014 as she completed her undergraduate degree. She has been inspired to get a Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education and should complete that this coming May. She has also been a substitute teacher and an applied behavior analysis therapist. She says that as an educator, "I aim to create a positive learning environment in which all students feel like valued members of the classroom community." She tries to build upon a student's strengths and help them overcome their challenges. Her goal is to meet the students' needs no matter what it takes and provide them with the support they need to be happy, successful, and independent. She likes the amount of support that is given in the community a month both teachers and students. She also loves how the small class sizes afford her the opportunity to really get to know her students and their needs.  READ MORE

Resolutions

These Lower School students are learning about making Resolutions for the new year. Each student wrote a paragraph about their own resolution for 2017. Pictured L to R: Caleb Donaldson, Neil Mukana, Sam Lesser, Max Young

My resolution is to make people happy. I want to make friends. I will make new levels for people to have fun. I will play with people outside. It is fun to make friends.

Caleb Donaldson

My resolution is to help other kids. I will help them with their homework. I will also help them with puzzles. I want to be a good person. I will make their day.

Sam Lesser

My resolution is to be good at reading. I like to read. I will help other people read. I can read a book. I feel happy when I read.

Neil Mukana

My resolution is to raise money. I will keep half of the money. I will donate the other half to hospitals. I will help hospitals for medicine. I love to help people.

Max Young

Reflections from the PoCC - 1 of 5

Public Open House

Wednesday, January 18

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!

What's the Difference

As parents, the tools we use may be a little confusing since you don't need to use them daily. But I want to shed a little light on them so you know what each is for. You hear us talk about RenWeb, the LMS, and MUSTANG. Here are the differences:

RENWEB is the school's database where we keep your student's information – address, phone numbers, grades, report cards, picture, relatives. All the basic demographics about the student and their family, all locked down by a password – you (and your student) access this via ParentsWeb. Each of you have your own personal username and password.

LMS is a generic term that stands for Learning Management System. This is where the student will find their homework, assignments, dates for tests, and resources they need to accomplish any of those things. Whatever information their teachers need to pass on to them.

READ MORE

It's History!

Reflections from the PoCC - 2 of 5

This was my second year attending a Diversity conference and it did not disappoint. What a truly moving experience. The most moving was a speaker whose father was a suicide bomber and he has chosen to live a life of peace and travel promoting peace. His message was if growing up the way I did, and I can chose a life of peace, anyone can chose a life of peace. This was just the starting place; each workshop, speaker, and event were equally as moving. Not only did the conference inspire everyone to want a better world, it also taught us tools on how to make change happen. I personally came back with models from other schools diversity programs for everything from small classroom activities to school wide events to help our student body meet the diverse world prepared.

Anyone who gets the chance to attend the SDLC/POCC conference should drop everything and go!

Bonnie Bergstresser - Communication Arts Teacher

PVA Monthly Meeting

Thursday, January 19th

7:00 pm

Leslie Gersack's Home

421 Cherry Hill Drive

Marietta, GA 30067

Fun Ways to Practice

In Ms. Kaylee's math class this week, we are working on using inverse operations to solve equations. We are trying to isolate the variable by getting it on one side of the equation and having a number on the other side. We are using addition and subtraction to solve for the variable. Some different strategies we are using for finding the variable are Guess and Check, Draw a Picture, or work backwards. The most important step is to always check your work by substituting the number for the variable in the original equation. To practice solving equations, we did a maze, where students have to solve for the variable correctly to move throughout the maze. This was a fun way to practice!

Join the Mill Springs PVA Today!

• Do you want to get to know your fellow MSA parents? YES
• Do you want to want to get more involved with your child's school? YES
• Do you want your child to know you're invested in their school experience? YES
• Would you like to see more Mustang spirit at MSA? YES
• Do you want to contribute financially to improved technology and outdoor activities this year? YES

Please consider joining your Parent Volunteer Association today! Members receive emails (and texts, if you like) with monthly meeting reminders and volunteer opportunities. PVA members decide how membership funds will be used to best benefit our school and our children. PVA members plan and organize fun and fabulous events on and off campus for your family and your child's teachers. PVA members deliver Chick-Fil-A lunch to your children every Monday. PVA members are VERY IMPORTANT PARENTS!

Thank you to those SUPPORTING FAMILIES that have already joined the PVA, we appreciate your commitment to our school.  If you haven't already, there is still time to join the PVA, just CLICK HERE!   

Thank you for all you do to make our school the best it can be! Contact Susan Lake, PVA President, today with your ideas and suggestions at millspringspva@millsprings.org.

Reflections from the PoCC - 3 of 5

This year the People of Color Conference (PoCC) Planning Committee welcomed over 5,000 participants from all across the country – and hosted an additional 2,500 Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) attendees. It was an amazing experience being a part of the initial planning committee. I learned that numbers were up in both the PoCC and the SDLC attendance from past years. I had the pleasure of working with some amazing educators and thinkers from all over the Atlanta area. In total there were about thirty of us. Under the leadership of the Vice President for Equal Justice, Caroline Blackwell, and as a member of the planning committee, I was at first intimidated by the wealth of knowledge that these Independent school leaders shared. However, after a while my intimidation turned into inspiration, power and amazement at what I was about to embark on. Of course this email does not provide enough space to compose what I learned. However, I can tell you that much of what I experienced was short of a miracle. READ MORE

Helping Parents Handle the Teen Roller Coaster

This parent workshop will be hosted by our Counseling Department. The speakers will be Dr. Kimberly Vay, EdD, LPC, NCC and Katie Alioto, LCSW

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Upper School Great Room

RSVP HERE

Swimming Seminar

This week I am working with Josh Hersko as we conduct a swimming conditioning seminar for the PreUpper Winter Learning Program. Daily we travel to a nearby pool to swim each morning. Our afternoon activities alternate between more swimming and outdoor conditioning on the track.  Outside of the physical activity, we are having the students set weekly and daily goals followed by a daily analysis of those goals. Pictured left to right are George Klein, Joshua Huiet and Jordan DeNardo.

Reflections from the PoCC - 4 of 5

During the month of December, I had the opportunity to attend the People of Color Conference (PoCC) which was held in the Georgia World Congress Center. I was astonished at the massive crowd the conference drew. Not only was the conference geared toward diversity, but also individuals that are involved with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). From the amazing opening speaker, Bryan Stevenson, to the affinity groups the conference was a wonderful experience. During the affinity groups individuals are grouped together by race and tough topics such as diversity, prejudice, etc. are discussed; most specifically in how our race changes our perception of the world. Personally, I had several eye opening moments at the conference in regards to prejudice and how I personally interact with my environment and the people around me. Furthermore, some of the sessions I went to that were more school related were amazing as well. READ MORE

All Lower & Middle School Dads are Invited

Donuts for Dads

Friday, January 27th

8:00 - 9:00am

In YOUR Great Room of the

Lower/Middle School Building

It's not all Fun and Games!

It has been a great week of Winter Learning in Communication Arts! Bonnie Bergstresser is running a history of film program, in which students are enjoying learning about cinema from the silent era through today's blockbusters. Erin Muehlhausen and Taniah Jones are having fun teaching students how to play board and card games, such as Uno, Scrabble, chess, Rummikub, Apples to Apples, Battleship, and more! Sam Adams is hosting an interactive robotics and programming class, and Jay Hudson has been taking students biking at different locations every day. Another group of students is on a week-long trip to a dude ranch in Arizona with Chelsea Michaelson and Michael Adams, and our community can't wait to hear all about their adventures when they return!

Erin Muehlhausen - CommArts Teacher

Reflections from the PoCC - 5 of 5

This was my first time attending the PoCC.  I was initially apprehensive about being white at a conference dedicated to people of color.  But I was immediately struck by how welcoming everyone was.  Everyone I met and spoke to had a smile and was truly appreciative that I was there.  Several times the question came up of what a white person's role should be in striving for equity and social justice.  And while the answer is not clear cut, it was evident that I am valued as a part of the solution.  From the speakers and presenters, to conversations over a turkey sandwich, I was really impressed with how much the focus kept coming back to what I can do to make a difference. READ MORE

Let's Be Social