| Congratulations!  The following students have been accepted at the indicated schools:
Lauren Crisp - Kennesaw State University Jessica Lublin - Berry College Ethan Reish - Reinhardt University and University of West Georgia Maritza Silva - Young Harris College and Reinhardt University Such AWESOME news ... Congratulations to all of you!
Newest Mustang ...
Isabella Ruth Kaiser November 4, 2014 2:22pm 8 lbs - 12 oz 21" long Congratulations to Karen Kaiser, PreUpper teacher and her beautiful newborn!
Artwork of the Week  Upper School Student Noah Terpstra created this Color Study Painting of the ALS Bucket Challenge.
What is all this Talk about LMS?
MUSTANG = Multi-User Scholastic Tool And Networking Groups
By now you have gotten login information to MUSTANG (if not let us know). MUSTANG is our learning management system. A place where you can go to find out calendar related information and assignments for your student(s). You just go to the Mill Springs website and click LOGIN at the top right - you use the same login credentials that you use for RenWeb. While you are on that LOGIN page, you will see some additional information and a brief video about the capabilities of this system. Please take advantage of this information to help your transition. I took lots of pictures at College Day today and if you LOGIN to MUSTANG and Click on the tab labeled "Mill Springs Academy" you will find the Mill Springs Facebook feed and it will allow you to see all the pictures I posted on Facebook. We are all just beginning to get our feet wet in the MUSTANG water. Let us know what your questions are by CLICKING HERE. Or you can call the school and ask for either Paul Barkley or Cheri Harwood. Come on in the water is fine!
20 Cans for Six Tons  November 7 – December 1, 2014
Did you know that . . . The Atlanta Community Food Bank distributed 34% more food to partner agencies than in the prior fiscal year. - 72% of households served by ACFB do not always know where they will find their next meal.
- 73% of households have to choose between payment for medicine or medical care and food.
- An estimated 1.4 million Georgians receive emergency food from partner agencies of Georgia food banks.
The food we collect will be distributed among 700 not-for-profit agencies with a variety of feeding programs in 29 counties in metro Atlanta and north Georgia. Some help seniors on a fixed budget make ends meet. Others provide groceries for the working poor. Still others provide meals to the homeless. FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP
Fall Training  Congratulations to our students who completed the Fall Training Program with MSA Strength & Conditioning Coach John Hanrahan. Participants increased strength, cardiovascular capacity and improved flexibility. They worked really hard this season. Pictured with Coach John (top left): George Klein, Max Shelton, Jake Martin, Nolan Waits and Marshall Stoddart (Collins Losson is also on the team, but not pictured).
Public Open House 
Mill Springs Academy is holding an Open House! Wednesday, November 12 9:00am Student Activity Center Did you know that Word of Mouth is by far the largest way families find their way to a Public Open House at Mill Springs Academy? So if you know someone with a child that might benefit from attending MSA, please invite them to our Open House or better yet bring them. If you haven’t attended one, an Open House provides potential parents with an overview of the school, a Fine Arts presentation, a parent perspective and a student perspective, a tour of the school and a chance to speak with the principal. It’s a great opportunity for them to get a feel for what we are all about. THANK YOU for sharing MSA!
Indigo ... it's to Dye For! 
Chelsea Michelson's Communication Arts U.S. History class bid adieu to their Colonial America unit with a tribute to one of the earliest cash crops for the Southern colonies: indigo. Students from her 6th period class mixed a traditional indigo dye bath, and invited students from CommArts to tie-dye t-shirts, socks, scarves, and even shoes using indigo. The students had a great time, but they found that a traditional indigo dye bath has one major drawback: it smells awful! Students compared the odoriferous effusions to "burning rubber," and "really bad B.O." Their work paid off in the end, and over 25 students created beautiful shirts using the shibori technique. Thank you to the students who worked so hard (and braved the stinky dye) to educate us about this historically important crop! Pictured: students sporting their tie-dye wear.
Special Art Gallery  WHAT: Special art gallery opening of Senior Upper Student Chase Watson
WHERE: DaVinci's Donuts in Alpharetta WHEN: November 15th from 2:00-4:00pm (although her work is on display ALL MONTH so you can go see it anytime!) WHY: For awesome art (some for SALE) and conversation DaVinci's Masterpiece donuts and beverages will be available to create and purchase too!
Mock Election in Upper School  This week we finished the Mock Election in Upper School. We used the Youth Leadership Initiative National Mock Election. Teaching students civic engagement and voting especially in non-presidential election years is vital to our nation's future. To follow are the main results ... READ MORE
Book Fair Coming! 
Our annual Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be here soon! This year we will celebrate our brave students in their quest to become great readers with a medieval theme. Look for more details in the coming weeks. We can't wait to see you there!
Hours of the Book Fair: - Mon-Thur 8am - 4pm
- Fri 8am - 1pm (Grandparents' Day)
Looking for Some Green 
We have begun to fill in the thermometer for the Capital Campaign with green so we can see where we stand in pledges. As you know from Founder's Day it was mentioned that we were at the $1,000,000 mark, that is where the thermometer is set. Let's add some green to the thermometer by adding green to the campaign. Our Development ladies, Leila Smith and Mary Ramirez are standing by the sign just waiting for pledges to come in so they can move up the thermometer. Watch for your pledge form to come soon. We thank you and the future Lower/Middle School students thank you!
Club Visits Booth Museum 
Communication Arts students learned that you don't need a time machine to learn what life was like for Lakota Indians hundreds of years ago. The Native American Club members were treated to an exhibition of Native American dancing and singing by Jim Dunham, a famous Western historian, at the Booth Western Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. Mr. Dunham was surprised to discover that the students already spoke Lakota, and he and the students exchanged greetings in that language. Eighth-grader Alana Green was treated to a dance lesson from a traditional Oglala Lakota ceremony (pictured). Mr. Dunham, dressed in full Lakota regalia, described ... READ MORE
Early Dismissal Grandparents' Day Friday, October 3, 2014 12:15p – L/M Carpool 12:30p – PU/CA/U Carpool 12:45p Bus Departs SCHOOL CLOSED: Thanksgiving Holiday November 24-28
Getting the Words Out 
We want to get the words out - by that I mean the words in the MSA Weekly News! If there is someone in your extended family that might be interested in receiving the Weekly News, I would love to add them to the distribution list. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa are looking for a way to learn more about the school their grandson attends? Or Aunt Jane wants to know what her niece does at school. It could be a conversation starter for them. Possibly someone has a vested interest in MSA? If you send me their name and email address I will be glad to add them to the distribution list. Let's get the words out!
 Don't let your student fret over holiday gift giving! Come to Mill Springs' Annual Holiday Store, open December 2nd to 4th in the CommArts Great Room! Students will find a great selection of new and old favorite gift items, plus every purchase comes wrapped and ready to give, thanks to our volunteer parent-elves! Kids love to shop for their own gifts, so let them experience the spirit of the holidays and visit the Holiday Store!
The PVA is always looking for a "few good Elves" to help out, please email Kathy Espinosa at sknosa@bellsouth.netand she will send you the information.
Bookshare 
As you may know, Mill Springs Academy uses a resource called Bookshare (www.bookshare.org) to get accessible digital books and reading tools for school. This service is free through an award from the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education. Members can also use Bookshare at home for free, getting access to hundreds of thousands of titles and free reading tools to assist with homework or independent pleasure reading.
This year we are enabling individual student memberships to Bookshare for all students. As virtually all our students are minors, parents are required to apply online or via mail and accept provisions of the membership. If you want to sign your child up for their own Bookshare account email Claire Christerson, cchristerson@millsprings.org, and she will send you an individualized form with activation ID for your student. For other questions, contact Paul Barkley, 770.360.1336 or pbarkley@millsprings.org.
PM Registration is in Full Swing!  The Fall PM Program has begun! If you haven't signed up yet, do it today. To see the latest offerings, go to the registration page and add your student by clicking the plus sign (if you log into MUSTANG -the LMS- it will fill in some of the blanks for you). Once you click the "Register Students" button you will be able to see the sessions, and descriptions, that are available for your student during the winter program. Some of these sessions have a limit to the number of students that can participate so ... REGISTER HERE TODAY!
This Day in History  Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected president of the United States for a record third time, handily defeating his Republican challenger, Thomas Dewey, the governor of New York, and becoming the first and only president in history to win a fourth term in office. READ MORE
Community Cares & Concerns
Please keep the following from our Community in your thoughts and prayers. Unemployed Families
Please email me at any time with individuals you would like to include on our list as their needs arise. For privacy, I will only list names and claim ignorance if you ask me for details.
Character Quote of the Week 
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. --Alexander Graham Bell | 
