| | Quicklinks MSA Home Page Construction Blog School Calendar Athletics Schedule Parent Volunteer Assn Current News Upcoming Events MONDAY, JANUARY 11 » Middle Boys Basketball
3:30pm, vs. AASD TUESDAY, JANUARY 12 » Varsity Boys Basketball
5:00pm, vs. Brandon Hall WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13 » Varsity Boys Wrestling
6:00pm, @ Pinecrest Academy THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 » Volunteer Breakfast
8:30am, PreUpper Great Room FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 » Donuts for Dads (L/M)
8:00am, in your School » Varsity Boys Basketball
5:00pm, vs. Center Academy MONDAY, JANUARY 18 » School Closed
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day » Board Meeting TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 » Classes Resume (PU/CA/U) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 » Public Open House
9:00am, Theater, SAC Social Media   
 
| | Art of the Week 
PreUpper student Nya Lewis works in the art studio during Artistic Expression week of Winter Learning.
Feature Teacher 
Meet Eric Khong from the Upper School. Eric teaches 9th grade composition and 10th grade American literature and has been here since August. He said, "This is my first year and I just finished my first super fun (and crazy) first semester!" Before coming here he taught 9th grade language arts at a high school outside of Augusta. His teaching philosophy revolves around the fact "that everyone, no matter their background or individual struggles, has a right to pursue the best version of themselves. It's up to teachers to help students realize their potential as citizens, community members, scholars, and individuals." Eric really feels that this school is a community, and the support he receives from everyone helps him give his all when he comes to work, because that is important. Additionally he mentioned, "We are also all super weird, and that's very awesome." ;) Outside of school, he enjoys reading and writing. But he also likes to hike, spend time with his dog Travis, read about current events,, watch and critique films, AND eat. His favorite food is something called Ayam Panggang. He told me, "It's this Indonesian barbecue chicken that I eat whenever I visit home." Currently he is reading The Martian because, "I enjoyed the Ridley Scott movie so much." A little known fact about him is that he enjoys going to conventions, "and so far I've run into one or two students while wandering around!" Thank you for what you do Eric and welcome to Mill Springs!
College Acceptances  Congratulations to the following Seniors on their acceptances at the indicated schools:
Mike Schneider, CommArts Parent Thank you to Mike Schneider. Your enthusiasm, your guidance, and your generosity have all contributed immensely to making our "Good Vibrations" Winter Learning program something very special. Michael "MG" Griffeth - PreUpper Teacher
 Musician of the Week
Meet Matthew White, he is a 6th grader in the Middle School. Matthew is a percussionist who also loves fishing and hanging out with his friends. He is pictured demonstrating the traditional way to hold drumsticks while playing a drum set. Matthew is our Musician of the Week. Awesome job Matthew!
Where in the World - WLP 
During Winter Learning, Upper students have the opportunity to learn the locations of the countries in the world, as well as the capitals, without forgetting the states in the United States. Students practiced on the SmartBoard locating, placing, and recognizing the countries and then took a written test to show their newly learned skills. The seminar lasts the two weeks of Winter Learning and students who complete both weeks receive a social studies credit on their transcript. Pictured are seniors Drew Dickerson and Tom Cheek as they practice learning the locations of the countries in South and Central America. --Carolina Ayerbe
 Autobiography of a Student
Fourth Grade students in Lower School completed their autobiographies. Students learned to write with verbs in the past, present, and future tenses. We enjoyed getting to learn about each other. --Jodi Easter-Smith
Lower/Middle Dads Only  Friday, January 15
8:00am YOUR School's Great Room This event is for Lower and Middle Dads ONLY. Thanks!
2015-2016 Annual Fund Update  Thank you to all the families who have already made your gift to this year's Annual Fund. With your help, we are closing in on our $250,000 monetary goal.
If your family has not yet made a gift, please consider helping us achieve both our participation and monetary goals by making a gift today. For your convenience, you can make your gift online by CLICKING HERE. Remember, "participation" means a gift of ANY SIZE.
Urban Escape Guest Journalists - Sam Franco and Zach Burns, 5th Grade 
Before Winter Break Mrs. Gretchen and Mrs. Courtney took the Level Rs and Level Ls to Urban Escape Games which is a phenomenal place to go if you love mysteries. At Urban Escape Games we were “locked” into a room that simulated a robber’s old home. The goal was to find a precious gem (we can’t tell you which in case you want to go and try it!) and figure out the escape door code before an hour ran out. To escape, we needed to find many clues and solve challenging puzzles. There was a timer on the wall of the room and a special phone that we could use to ask for hints. We were occasionally given a surprise hint by The Urban Escape Room monitors outside of the room, but the phone let us call in for three special hints. It was fun every time we solved ... READ MORE
SCHOOL CLOSED
 Monday, January 18, 2016
In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Enjoy the long weekend!
Unique and Exciting - WLP 
The first week of Winter Learning in PreUpper found students participating in a multitude of exciting seminars. In Ham Radio, students have been working on acquiring their radio operator licenses and in Coral Lab, they’ve been propagating coral and learning what it takes to maintain a stable reef environment within a lab. In “Around the World”, they have been creatively building-up knowledge of our world’s cultures and the current events that surround them, while students in “Video Game Design” have been, you guessed it, learning what it takes to program their very own video games. In the “Get Fit with Coaches Josh and Victoria”, students have enjoyed a variety of healthy activities ranging from working on their swimming to conquering their fear of heights with rock climbing. Students have also learned relaxation and stretching techniques with their daily yoga lesson, and the week was capped off with ... READ MORE
Let's be Social
 Wanna know what's going on here on campus during the week? Join us on the Social Scene. We have a few Pinterest boards with helpful and/or interesting information for parents, students and teachers. You can also follow us on Twitter (@millspringsacad) or LIKE us on Facebook (Mill Springs Academy). Post pictures with Instagram (MillSpringsAcademy) or watch videos on YouTube. We'll post some things through the week that might be of interest to you. So let's get together on the Social Scene!
Public Open House Wednesday, January 20
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!
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away 
This week the students in Lower School worked hard to earn a Star Wars themed Fab Friday. There were three fun rotating stations. At the first station, students played "Pin the Light Saber on Darth Vader's Hand". The next station had space drink cups. Students wrote "May the Force be With You" with silver markers and then filled them with Star Wars treats. At the last station students were given the opportunity to share their favorite Star Wars toy and play with them. During carpool we ate some snacks and watched Lego-The Yoda Chronicles. What a great first week back from the Winter Break. --Jodi Easter-Smith
Uh Oh ... 
Community Cares & Concerns 
Please keep the following from our Community in your thoughts and prayers: -
The Barkley Family -
The Carlson Family -
The Clayton 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
Quote of the Week I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends. --Walt Whitman | |
