Fine Artist of the Week

Meet Jack Buckley, Upper School 11th grader! Jack is part of our mighty Clarinet section. He was the sole Clarinet player to represent MSA Bands at our Open House performance this week, and he completely rocked it! His attention to detail while playing music, his hard work, and his super awesome positive attitude have earned him Fine Artist of the Week! Way to go, French Fry! :)

Thank You Parents!

Thank you to all the parents that helped out with the Halloween Party - especially Beth Hellriegel, Presley's mom, who spearheaded the party, decorating, and clean up.

We would also like to thank Monica Stokes, Isa's mom, for bringing in coffee and donuts, it was a welcome surprise. Thank you also for the Halloween goodies that you brought for EVERYONE: students, faculty, and staff!

We appreciate both of you very much!

PreUpper Staff and Faculty

Congratulations

Congratulations go out to Jack Hurtsellers who has been accepted to Toccoa Falls College! Way to go!

Make a Note - CHANGE in Early Dismissal Times

There is a change in the times for Early Dismissal transportation. So for those of you that use the spiral-bound, paper calendar you received at the start of the year, make this change to it:

12:15pm - Carpool for all

12:30pm - Bus Departs

That means the bus will leave 15 minutes EARLIER than posted, which also means you will need to arrive 15 minutes EARLIER than you have in the past. Listed below are the dates that will be effected:

• Friday, November 16 - NEXT WEEK
• Wednesday, December 19
• Friday, March 29
• Thursday, April 18

The school's calendar has been updated to reflect those changes as well. Early Dismissal on May 24th will not be effected, that will remain as posted. 

Skeleton Says...

The fourth graders have been learning about a creepy subject in science, bones! For Halloween the students put together skeletons and displayed them on their lockers. To better learn about the major bones, we played a game called," Skeleton says" (like Simon says) and learned the song, 'Dem Bones'. Before we started to learn about bones, Lower School Instructor, Jodi asked students to guess how many bones were in the human body. Ethan Cohn (pictured with his personal skeleton) was the closest guess in the class at 200. He was 6 bones away from the correct answer!

The Game Plan

The fall of 2018 was one of adjustment and perseverance.  With our Gym Floor under construction, PE was held outside a majority of the semester.  Never the less, the Mustang Community rallied and produced one of their most successful terms.  Sticking to the Game Plan of Having Fun, Exercise, Team Building, and Fellowship, the students participated in various two week activities such as running, gym games, basketball, kickball, softball, football, pickle ball, Frisbee, team handball, and  the introduction of our new strength and conditioning class.  Game basics, fundamentals, rules, and strategies were taught. 

As we head towards Grandparent's Day, Thanksgiving, and final exams, the students will revisit past units and prepare for our Class Final Mile Run.  We, Katy Kane - Director, James Sampson, Phil Hanson, and John Hanrahan, truly appreciate our students flexibility and willingness to learn throughout the Semester.  With our beautiful new gym floor intact, we look forward eclipsing our efforts in 2019.  We the PE Department wish you a very happy and prosperous Holiday Season.  See you next semester!

Learning Comes to Life

In US History students have been discussing slavery. Students have learned where in Africa slavery actually began, items that were traded for slaves, and how advanced the civilizations of Africa were prior to the slave trade. We have also discussed the experiences that slaves had on slave ships and what life was like on a plantation. Students have had the opportunity to compare the lives of slaves to the lives of slave masters. Slaves lived in small one-room cabins made from logs that were not well built and slept on rags or straw. However, slave owners lived in large plantation homes with many rooms and beautiful furniture. On a recent field trip to Stone Mountain students were able to have what they have been learning come to life as they were able to see slave cabins and tour a plantation home. In the photo Jack Wallace is in front of the parlor of the Davis House. The parlor room of a plantation house was used for daytime guests and/or small parties.

--LaToyia Armstead, Middle School Instructor

 Simply a Math Teacher

At our annual GISA Conference held on Monday, November 5th I was pleased to attend the workshop, "High School Mathematics: Engaging Students through Technology", led by our own Judy Norris. I must say, this literature teacher knew absolutely nothing about the subject. However, I was familiar with many of the resources and tools that Judy presented to the packed room of Mathematicians. Yes, these were some Math Wizards. And Judy was phenomenal with her Smartboard Pointer, that acted like a Wand from Harry Potter. As usual as the attendees entered the room that Judy had prepped seven hours earlier, they were greeted with a variety of assorted candies – in dishes to remind us of the upcoming Thanksgiving season. I later learned that these real-looking dishes were made of plastic materials.

Judy first engaged us in a game of KAHOOT. I even played under an assumed name. As we played this fun game, Judy recited various terms and phrases that were only familiar to the Math Wizards...READ MORE. Judy is pictured giving the presentation.

--Nellie Jackson, Upper Literature Instructor

Plethora of Algebraic Vocabulary

This week in PreAlgebra class, via the Saxon math program, we have continued working with converting fractions to decimals. We have also explored calculating percents. In addition, we've applied the real world functionality of percents when it comes to tipping at a restaurant or figuring out how much a discounted price is. Also, this week in PreAlgebra we have been brushing up on our math vocabulary. The students used BrainPOP, the internet, and their glossary in order to define a plethora of algebraic vocabulary. Once the kids defined their terms they created a Quizlet or a Kahoot! (their choice) in order to help them prepare for their upcoming quiz next week. Wish them luck!

Pictured is Isabel Stokes working on her Quizlet for the PreAlgebra Vocabulary quiz Tuesday.

--Nina King, PreUpper Asst. Principal and Instructor

Who is Rube Goldberg?

In Communication Arts, students began working on their Rube Goldberg project in preparation for the technology festival. In the project, students have been researching the cartoonist Rube Goldberg and Rube Goldberg machines. This week, the students began constructing their Rube Goldberg machines from their blue print/drawing. Who will create the most complicated way to ring a bell? Pictured are Chris Carey and Lilliana Coco testing the first three energy transfers of their Rube Goldberg machine.

--Michael Adams, CommArts Instructor

Many Parts to a Body

Guest Journalist - Avery Terpstra, 10th Grade, Upper School Student

If you're interested in the body and the many parts of it, then you should think about taking anatomy with Vaidehi. You will learn so much and have many hands-on experiences. October was cancer month and it just so happened that we learned all about cells and cancer cells. We learned how cells form and that tumor cells grow at a rapid rate, which is why cancer spreads. We just got done with the integumentary (skin) unit. It was a lot of fun; we learned about the different parts of the skin and what makes it up. We made 3-D models of the skin to show the different parts and pieces that make up the skin. When you get a third degree burn, you lose feeling and cannot feel the pain because the nerves get damaged. Did you know that there are three parts to a single piece of hair, the cortex, the cuticle, and the medulla? READ MORE...  Avery is pictured third from the left with her classmates and their 3D skin models.