Fine Artist of the Week

Thank You to our JTF Parents

A BIG thank you to the parents that accompanied the MSA Junior Theater Festival team to Atlanta! We couldn't have done it without them! Shelley Padget, Amy Parsons, Laura Bear, Lynn Gioia, Jill Coco, and Meggie Velasco - You made the festival possible for these kids! We can't say thank you enough!

--Jamie Fambrough - Theater Director

President's Day

I continue to get a lot of questions about President's Day so I am addressing it here for everyone to know for certain.

WE DO HAVE SCHOOL on President's Day.

It will be a regular school day with classes, lunch and even some homework may be on the agenda. The President's went to school and we will too! We are looking forward to it!

Congratulations!

Congratulations go out to Jose Olivieri on his acceptance to Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Moms in Prayer - Won't you Join Us?

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

We will meet in the conference room in the Administration building at 8:15am every Tuesday for 60 minutes - February 20 is our next gathering. Although I hope we have people show up week after week, I know everyone is busy, so there is no long-term commitment. Come when you can. If you want more information, you can check out the Moms in Prayer website before you come.

God's word says where two or three are gathered together in His name, he will be there also (Matt 18:20. I know our school will benefit from the power of prayer.) I hope you will join me. Contact me if you have any questions.

--Michelle Weyant, Upper Mom, 770-377-4222

Looking For a Few Extra Hands

The MSA Booster Club is holding Pizza Friday on March 23rd. If you are able to help serve pizza, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Taniah Jones and she will be glad to get you plugged in to the Pizza Crew. She can be reached at tjones@millsprings.org or 678-893-7830.

100 Days of Loving School

Wednesday was a very special day. Not only was it Valentine's Day, but it was also the 100th day of school. Branigan's class celebrated this day with many fun, hands-on activities. The students counted to 100 by ones, fives, and tens. They made a pennant flag about how they are 100 days smarter, played BINGO, made an art project with 100 hearts, and sorted candy hearts into 10 groups of 10 to make 100. They also made edible necklaces out of 100 Froot Loops. To celebrate Valentine's Day, all of the Lower School students exchanged Valentine's Day cards. At the end of the day, we all gathered together to watch "A Charlie Brown Valentine's Day" movie and enjoyed some cupcakes. What a fun-loving day! Pictured are Lucas Hennings, Zac Johnson, Noah Mawad, and Jansen Jones wearing their necklaces and displaying their art work.

Author and Speaker coming to Mill Springs

In an effort to help teenagers make safe and informed choices, the Counseling Department is pleased to have author J. Tom Morgan come and speak to our students (grades 7-12) at 1:00pm, Tuesday, February 20th. J. Tom Morgan wrote the book Ignorance is No Defense: A Teenager's Guide to Georgia Law. Morgan is a highly respected former prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer in Georgia. His book provides straightforward information and valuable insights to help teenagers avoid violating the law and avoid being victims of crime. Through real-life examples Morgan's book explains Georgia laws to teens in an easy-to-understand language. With a primary focus on criminal laws, it not only describes what the law requires, but also teens' rights under the law. We are excited for our students to hear what will prove to be relevant, insightful, and educational information from this acclaimed speaker!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Counseling Department.

--Angela Davis, Counselor

NProject Birdman

Engineering class is designing a Bird Beak for a feeding frenzy. The class was challenged after learning about bird's beaks and adapting to their environment and how birds of prey eat. The students learned that the beaks were shaped in the way the bird needs to eat and catch food. The students had to pick a bird beak and think about how the beak tears, cracks, sips, drills, picks, probes, strikes and scoops. After picking the bird, the engineer student must then use materials to design their beak so that it picks up many items. The items are small pieces of straws floating in water, Nerds in small stones, buttons, marbles, and pasta. The beak that picks up the most items will win the special beak award.

Pictured is Eli Gelernter, Jacob Riggins, Andrew Buchberger, and Michael Rolka with the beaks they are about to try in the contest.

--Courtney Smith, PreUpper Instructor

Talking to Your Kids

In light of what has taken place this week in Florida our Counseling department found a wonderful article that gives parents some good information about talking with their kids and making them feel safe. The information is based on what mental health experts would say to their own children.

Always know that, if for any reason, your student would like to speak with a counselor, our Counseling department is here to help. Please feel free to contact them yourself if you have concerns as well.

Seniors Enact Death of a Salesman

As a part of preparing for their Senior Presentations in late March, Senior Composition instructor, Shilpee Kathuria wanted the Seniors to practice their public speaking skills, and if erstwhile learning a classic of American Literature, all the better! Arthur Miller's Pulitzer-Prize winning play Death of a Salesman examines the illusory and mercurial quality of the American Dream as interpreted in the post-World War II era. Set in Brooklyn, NY in 1949, Miller's "man of his time" and sympathy-evoking salesman, Willy Loman, speaks to us with almost as much resonance today than even nearly 70 years ago. Senior Nate Foster shares, "I find the play very interesting because it flows very well and it goes back into history, showing us a different time." Pictured: Jose Olivieri (Charley), Steven Slaymaker (Biff Loman), Paige "Jasper" Norris (Willy Loman), Trevor Bush (Happy Loman), and Jessica Kornheiser (Linda Loman) participate in acting out Death of a Salesman in front of a projection of the original Broadway set.

Conferences Continue

We have one last day of conferences next week. Then we are finished. Buses will run on their normal AM/PM schedule for those students that are here on conference days.

PreUpper/CommArts/Upper

NO SCHOOL

February 23

Your student will NOT have school on their conference day. All students ARE expected to wear uniforms to their scheduled conference.

Sign Up for Spring PM Program TODAY!

We are very excited to announce our Spring PM Programs! These programs begin on Monday, February 26th and run through May 17th. This is a NEW season which means that if you were signed up for any program from the winter season, you must register again for the spring season to continue in that program.

Young Engineers is offering a free trial class on Monday, February 26th featuring their Transportation and Aviation theme for Lego Engineering this semester! All students are welcome to attend before they sign up. Please send an email to Kaylee Simmons and your child's advisory teacher to let them know your child will attend.

Check out the additional information and register on-line.

Spring Line-Up

• Monday: e2 Young Engineers Bricks Challenge - Lego Club
• Tuesday: Chess Club
• Wednesday: Art Barn & Explorers' Club
• Thursday: KK's Club and KK's Mentor Program
  

Rockin' It in the Middle School

In Katie's Science class, we are learning about rocks.  Rocks are made of a mixture of minerals and other materials. Geologists observe a rock's mineral composition, color, and texture to determine what type of rock it is.  A rock's color can help with the mineral composition since there are about 20 minerals that make up most of the rock in the Earth's crust. Observing the texture of a rock is also helpful when identifying rocks.  Rocks are made up of particles of minerals and other rocks called grains which give rocks their texture. A rock's texture can be described as rough, smooth, glassy, or chalky. After observing the color, texture, and mineral composition of a rock, we can classify a rock according to its origin or how it was formed. The 3 major groups of rocks are igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks. These rock types may stay the same or slowly change over time. This process is known as the "rock cycle". We have been practicing observing and classifying rocks for the past couple of weeks. Next week, Katie has some fun lab activities planned to help us learn and better understand the rock cycle. Pictured are Temima Izenberg and Presley Hellriegel.

Steps to Success in College

Parent/Student Workshop

March 14, 2018

6:30 - 7:30pm

Upper School Great Room

Please RSVP HERE

Presented by the Counseling department.

Keeping Your Laptop Safe

Laptop safety comes in many forms. Physically, you need to keep track of your laptop, the charging cable and your backpack and keep them safe, dry and free from damage. Virtually, however, you also need to be careful with your laptop. I'll share a few ways to accomplish both.

Be careful to keep track of your laptop so it doesn't get lost or stolen. Don't leave your backpack on the back of a car, don't leave it unattended and unsecured and don't drop it. That's bad for them. If you do need to leave it somewhere, please make sure it's in a locked classroom or your locker. Not in the lunchroom for an entire afternoon or sitting in counseling when you go back to your school. As for maintaining and cleaning your laptop, especially with all the instances of flu and other sickness going around our schools, keeping your laptop clean and disinfected is very important. READ MORE

Valentines for Everyone in PreUpper

Students in Martha's Advisory worked together to make goody bags to hand out to everyone in PreUpper for Valentine's Day, along with a copy of a Mutts cartoon which quoted Family Circus author Bil Keane as saying, "They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything." Stapled to each bag was the statement, "Please consider this goody bag a hug from our Advisory."

During pre-lunch Values that day, Martha's Advisory discussed how much fun it was to conspire and then work to do something unexpected that brought smiles to everyone's face by doing this.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Here's a hug for YOU from Martha's Advisory (pictured).

Hello? Is it me Your Looking for?

If you are calling the school for something, most things can be solved by speaking with your principal, or another representative within YOUR School. If you have that individual's extension number you can get to them directly without going through another person. You can always use the directory lookup on the phone (by pressing 2), or you can look up anyone's direct dial number or extension on the school's directory (www.millsprings.org/directory). Thank you for your assistance with this, here is a list of certain extensions to help you:

• Lower - Laurie Jones - x1100
• Middle - Will Turner - x1200
• PreUpper - Susan Sanders - x1301
• PreUpper - Nina King - x1302
• CommArts - Chelsea Michelson - x1400
• CommArts - Taniah Jones - x1523
• Upper - Cynthia Traylor - x1530
• Upper - Jaime Gutierrez - x1525
• Upper - Lisa Imsand - x1550
• Counseling - Susan Day - x1730
• Bookkeeping - Patsy Beckwith - x1708

Have You Seen Me?

This past week students in Jodi's class worked on applying adjectives to their writing. They were given a picture of an unusual pet and asked to describe it in great detail for a Lost Pet poster. John Keeley Davis wrote about his pet possum Richey Rich (pictured).

Richey Rich as black and white, thick fur. He has round and black ears. He had pink skin on his toes, nose and long tail. His eyes are small and black. If you find him eating garbage, it is probably him. Please call if found.