MSA Weekly News - August 24, 2018

What I Caught this Week

What a wonderful week we have had here on campus. Things are ramping up nicely, PM Program is back in session and sports are full on - Go Mustangs! We going through all the paperwork that has been turned in (see article below to get links or find out what is required). One Act Play auditions have taken place and the inductees have been inducted into the International Thespian Society.

This week I managed to catch students smiling all over the place, I caught an unexpected hug from a little blonde cutie, and I caught a teacher playing four-square with the students (pictured above). So week number two couldn't have been too bad. I know next week will be just as good and I am looking forward to it. I hope you are as well.

Happy Friday!

What YOU Did on Your Summer Vacation

Thank you for sharing your summer vacations with us - there were some really great trips taken this summer. Here is what you shared (pictured clockwise, beginning top left):

James Maichle U10 earned his Black Belt early in the summer
Joshua Nanney M5 went to Discovery Cove in Orlando and got up close and personal with dolphins
Owen Parker CA8 is pictured at the Coliseum in Rome, Italy
Shannnon Callahan CA7 went to New York City with her family
Braden Schiltz U9 and his mom took a tour of the west coast, here they are standing in Washington state with the Colombian River and Oregon behind them
Kale Dunlap M6 went to Yosemite National Park
Parker Borden M6 and his family saw South Africa and Mozambique where the REAL animals roam.

The Great Tennis Ball Stand Challenge

In my Earth and General Science classes, we began our study of the "Nature of Science" with a team building activity called the "Tennis Ball Stand Challenge." In each class, the students were divided into teams of 2 to 3 people. Each team was given a basket containing 5 sheets of paper, 4 Popsicle sticks, 1 foot of tape, 2 paper clips and 1 tennis ball. Each team had 15 minutes to work together to build the tallest tennis ball stand with the materials they were given. After their time was up, they had to test their stand to see if it could support the tennis ball for 10 seconds without touching it. At the end of the activity, each student was asked to fill out an evaluation form with questions regarding how successful their tennis ball stand was, which of their ideas did not work, and what they learned by working with their group. READ MORE Pictured Left: William Gaines, Kale Dunlap, and Joey Lenox. Pictured Right: Kamran Bahl, Maggie Erlacher, and Sydney Johnson.

Do You Have All of Your Forms Turned In?

We are in the process of checking to see who has turned in what and advising parents of anything that is missing.

Every student needs the following:

Emergency Treatment Form
Technology Policy
Immunization Form from their doctor (if there have been changes)
Substance Use Policy (7th - 12th graders only)

Student Athletes need to also include:

The Concussion Awareness form is something new, if you know your student is participating in sports, please go ahead and review it now, then I won't bother you later when I get down to that form.

I know paperwork is a drag, but it is helpful to us. I appreciate you taking the time to make it happen. THANK YOU! If you have any questions, please let me know.

--Cheri Harwood, Communications Director

The Plant Project

During the first week of my biology classes, periods 1, 2 and 3, each student was provided their own 4" plastic potted houseplant that were individually selected by the students through a class raffle. Students were also provided a 6" clay pot that they spent time in the first week labeling and decorating using paint pens. Once the pots were decorated, we went outside as a class where students were taught how to remove the plant from its plastic container and pot them in their clay pot. The students also decorated and planted Upper School principal, Cynthia, a plant for her office.

Students learned about how to re-pot a plant through loosening the root ball as well as adding and back-filling the roots with additional soil. They were introduced to the symbiotic relationship plant roots have with fungus, called the mycorrhizae. Once students had their plants in the clay pot, students brought them back in the classroom, where they're staying until the end of the year, placed on shelves under artificial lighting. READ MORE

Visiting Author

This week, Lower School students had a special guest come during their library time. Author Christine Fox (pictured with some Lower School students) came all the way from England to visit Mill Springs! As a child, Christine couldn't read well and struggled in school. She was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult. These experiences inspired Christine to write a book about a little girl, who doesn't read as well as her friends, that seeks the help of Fricklel the frog to learn how to read. This book sends a strong message empowering children to speak out, seek help, to believe in themselves, and to always follow their dreams. Thank you Ms. Brittany and the Drew family for arranging this wonderful opportunity for our students. And a special thank you to Christine Fox and her family for coming to share this inspiring story and giving each child a copy of her book, Frickel and the Golden Locket! We can't wait for her to visit again!

Dyslexia Dash Team

Saturday, October 20 at 8:30am

5K Run (timed or untimed) and 100-Yard Kids Dash

Register NOW for IDA-GA's annual Dyslexia Dash! It will be a fun morning for all, AND every registration means money going towards training teachers and educating parents and professionals about dyslexia.

"The impact IDA-GA funding has had on reaching public school readers through teacher training is not something I can properly put into words. After 5 years of partnership, I can only estimate that the number of readers directly impacted ... is well into the thousands." - Jennifer Rhett, Executive Director, Reading is Essential for All People (REAP)

Join the MSA Team by registering today.

Senior Day!

On August 17, the Class of 2019 Seniors had a golden time during the Senior Leadership Meeting & Luncheon. To start with, Seniors received free candy and played a couple of "icebreakers" to get to know the more unusual attributes of each other. In addition, Robert Moore, the Headmaster, gave a rousing speech, along with Jaime Guiterrez, Assistant Principal of Upper, contributing an extremely heartfelt one. The Principal of Upper School, Cynthia Traylor, even coined a new term: now no longer known as the malady "Senior-itis", call it "Senior-rises"!!! Also, Seniors proved to be true leaders in the Community as Shevy Hightower and Eli Musgrave led the charge for an extremely well-planned and fun Senior trip in April/ May 2019, and debates surged over the Senior Gift this year.

Once all business was settled, the Class of 2019 Seniors settled in for a fun lunch at the Golden Corral, and Senior Sam Horton shared,"Not only was the food tasty, but it was fun hanging out with friends outside of school." Senior Vijay Shah quipped, "The Senior Day was very productive, and I look forward to the many experiences that await the Senior Class!" Pictured are seniors: Allie Kogoy, Emily Hyman, and Maddie Hahn.

The Weekend Shirt!

This shirt was created for the sole purpose of getting the word out around town about Mill Springs Academy. That is why we call it our Weekend Shirt. The point is to wear it on the weekend, when you are out and about so people see you. Maybe they will stop and ask you questions about your shirt, the hashtag (#SuccessInSchoolSuccessInLife), or the logo, thus giving you a terrific opportunity to share information about the wonderful school your student attends. When this happens we get the word out in the community and the shirt is doing its job. Let's show our school pride all around town.

These shirts are available to you for $14 each! All you have to do is go to the website, order yours today, and then WEAR IT!

www.millsprings.org/ws (ws = Weekend Shirt)

This short sleeve tee shirt is 100% combed and ring spun cotton comes in gray with a large distressed logo printed in green on the front, Mill Springs Academy on the sleeve, and the hashtag #SuccessInSchoolSuccessInLife across the back in Mill Springs Green.

Oh and for those of you that already have one, you can wear it tomorrow because it's the weekend - no better time to wear your Weekend Shirt!

p.s. this is not just for students, but parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles too! .

1Telephone Extensions

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, your help is greatly appreciated, here is a list of certain extensions:

Lower - Laurie Jones - x1101
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

Technology - Thomas Berg - x1758

Be Social with Us

Would you like to know what's happening here on campus throughout the school year? 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 or like us on FACEBOOK where we spend most of our time. We sometimes post pictures on INSTAGRAM or videos on YOUTUBE. You might find something that doesn't make it to the MSA Weekly News so be sure to follow us on the Social Scene!