MEA Monday Message
April 24, 2023
CALENDAR
Tuesday, Apr. 25
- 8:00-9:20 Pactful Presentations - Auditorium
- 9:30-10:15 Coop Group
- 1:50-2:50 Fitnessgram (grades 7,9) - Blacktop
Wednesday, Apr. 26
- 9:20-10:20 Fitnessgram (grades 5,9) - Blacktop
- 9:30-11:30 PALS Tutoring - Auditorium
- 2:00-3:00 SSC and SGT - Room 1
Thursday, Apr. 27
- 9:30-11:30 PALS Tutoring - Auditorium
- 9:30-10:30 Fitnessgram (Makeups) - Blacktop
- 12:00-12:30 12 grade Student Panel: The college application process - Auditorium
- 12:30 Q and A with Oscar winning filmmaker, Aaron Matthews - Auditorium
- 2:00-3:00 Elementary Dance
- 3:15-4:00 Middle School Dance (click link to purchase tickets)
Upcoming Events:
May 4: Spring Art Show
May 12: Prom
May 16-June 8: Re-enrollment & Book Return (click here for more info)
It’s Administrative Professionals Week!
Please stop in the office and show your gratitude to our amazing Office Manager Mihoko. This has been her first year at Mt. Everest and she is doing an incredible job!
Announcements
MEA Online Auction
Teacher Features are available until Saturday, April 22nd. Tacos with Mr. Cate; Movie & Snacks with Ms. Battin; Dance & Karaoke Party with Staff; and SeaWorld with Mr. Spiegelberg & Ms. Mullen. Plus we have a few auction items without any bids. Take a look and get a great deal!! Thank you to all auction participants!
Deadline to Order Your Yearbook
The deadline to purchase and customize your copy of the 2022-23 MEA Yearbook and have it shipped to the school for free is May 1.
Books ordered after the May 1deadline will be mailed to the student’s home and are subject to an additional shipping charge.
For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/MEA-yearbook
Students who haven’t submitted a school portrait need to email it to Ms. Rice by this Friday, April 28.
ASB President for 2023-2024
Applications for 2023-24 ASB President are now open (other officer positions will be filled next fall). If you will be a senior next year and you have at least one semester of ASB experience under your belt, then you are invited to apply. Completed applications are due May 5.
This Week's Events
Middle School Dance
Get ready, the middle school dance for grades 6-8 is this Thursday, April 2th, from 3:15 to 4:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase through your School Cash account. $3.00 each, which includes a slice of pizza and a lot of fun. We must sell 20 tickets by tonight (7 more tickets) or we will be forced to cancel!
Elementary Dance
The elementary dance for grades K-5 will be from 2:00-3:00pm this Thursday, April 27th. It is free to attend. We'll have light snacks and games. A parent must attend this event with their student.
Pactful
Pactful teaches teenagers how to become social-minded, doing good-focused innovators in order to help build a better world. Starting at the Innovator’s Guide, students are introduced to the innovator’s mindset, the 17 UN Global Goals (or SDGs), and design thinking.
Students then form teams and identify a local or global problem that feels relevant to them. Teams work through a three-phase design thinking curriculum—Understand, Ideate, and Prototype—to create a solution to their identified problem. During each phase, teams:
- Explore – learn about the phase and how it relates to their project
- Do – complete activities
- Document – submit their activities to their teacher for review and feedback
Once completed, teams will develop a Pitch to share their solution with a larger audience. Using the Showcase feature, teams can see other projects from other classes and how they are aligned to the Global Goal.
MEA students have won this international competition two out of the last three years!
Next week, family and friends are invited to see the MEA 9th grade students as they present their Pactful projects next Tuesday, April 25th at 8:00 am, in the Auditorium. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.
12th grade Student Panel: The college application process
Please join us for a student panel during lunch on April 27 in the Auditorium. Current 12th graders will share advice and “what they wish they’d known” about the college application process. With the Class of 2023 being accepted into many top tier schools, this is something you do not want to miss! Open to all MEA students and parents.
Q and A with Oscar winning filmmaker
Thursday, April 27 12:30 Auditorium
Aaron Mathews, film maker/documentarian, will be visiting Mt. Everest Academy via Zoom during Mr. Nielsen’s Video/Multimedia Class to discuss the 2021 Oscar winning best short documentary, Colette. All interested secondary students and parents are welcome to attend. Please note, Colette is a very heavy film about a woman who was involved in the French Resistance during WWII and may not be appropriate for all viewers. Attendees should watch the film on their own prior to the Q and A.
SSC and SGT
Wednesday, April 26, 2-3:00, Room 1 and Zoom at https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/89056497845.
We will be reviewing the School Plan Student Achievement and revisiting the school's Mission and Vision for revision.
Fitnessgram
Fitnessgram testing is scheduled for the following days and times:
Tuesday, April 25 / 1:50-2:50 / Auditorium (Grades 7, 9)
Wednesday, April 26 / 9:20-10:20 / Blacktop (Grades 5, 9)
Thursday, April 27 / 9:30-10:30 / Blacktop (makeups)
The Fitnessgram is a state mandated exam, which public school students in grades 5, 7, and 9 are required to take. If you are in grades 10-12 and have not taken the Fitnessgram while in high school, you are also mandated to complete the exam this year. There are five parts to the exam, and students are encouraged to practice these exercises ahead of time.
Please remember to wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes!
MEA Zero Waste Challenge
In collaboration with Ally Action, Ms. Shannon is launching the first ever MEA Zero Waste Challenge, to coincide with the clothing swap and other Earth Month activities during the last two weeks of April.
Starting Tuesday, April 18 (and concluding Thursday April 27), each student may pick up and complete the challenge sheet, colored according to grade cohort:
- Yellow for K-5
- Orange for 6-8
- Green for 9-12
Do your best to complete the challenges on the sheet, have a parent or guardian sign off that you did indeed complete the challenges, and return the form to Ms. Shannon. If you’d prefer to take a picture of the form (be sure to include your name!) and email to Ms. Shannon (sstewart@sandi.net) that will work as well.
Once you’ve submitted the completed challenge sheet, you will be entered into a drawing for prize awards! There will be 3 awards for each grade cohort, so let’s see some Zero Waste impacts in our community!
6th Grade Fundraiser!
The 6th Grade class is holding a fundraiser to raise money for their class to go bowling at the end of the school year. They will be selling earrings, bracelets, succulents, origami, and more at the blacktop on Tuesdays and Thursdays from April 25th to May 11th! Any extra funds will be donated to the school.
Upcoming Events
Re-enrollment & Book Return
It is almost time to return your books and say goodbye to this academic year! In order to make the transition easier, we have linked below a schedule for families to come in to complete the necessary re-enrollment paper work and to return student's library & text books.
Spring Art Show
Thurs, May 4th 11:30-1:30
Serenity Garden
Come out and witness what our MEA students have created! Various forms of art will be on display, from students of all grade levels. There will be an abundance of fresh cut flowers for families to build your own bouquet. In addition, our own MEA Jam Band will be performing during the Spring Art Show. Light refreshments will be provided. This is an event you won't want to miss!
Prom Night in Old Hollywood
Mission Bay Yacht Club
May 12th, 6:30 - 10:00
All High Schoolers are invited to attend MEA's 2023 Prom Night in Old Hollywood! Mark your calendars for May 12th, and purchase your tickets now!
Each MEA student may invite ONE non-MEA guest and purchase a ticket for the guest online with your ticket's purchase. The guest needs to complete his/her own permission. The permission slip for your guest is available at the office.
How to purchase tickets?
Tickets are sold only online. No cash sale.
Please sign in to your account or use QR code to purchase the tickets for students and guests.
All tickets are non-refundable.
Please keep your receipt to show at the door. A screenshot of the ticket is acceptable.
No ticket will be sold after midnight on May 11th.
Garden Corner
Summer Coop Volunteers
Coop Group is calling volunteers to help care for the chickens during the summer! Signing up consists of coming to school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of a chosen week during the summer to clean the coop, feed and water the chickens, and give them some love and attention. The chickens still need care during the summer! All students must be accompanied by an adult. Please fill out the form below if you are interested!
Free Mulch
Complimentary mulch along Mt. Everest Blvd, near the fruit trees at the front of school! Please come take as much as you would like from the two mulch piles, leaving the smaller pile near the front garden gate untouched. This is clean mulch from a tree company and was delivered a few weeks ago. This mulch is great in your yard or surrounding your gardens, and helps with weed suppression, moisture retention, and quality soil building.
Mason Jars
We need and would greatly appreciate your unused mason jars—both small and large! We have several events in the next few months that will require flower adornments, and the mason jar donations will go a long way. Stay tuned for frogs to be offered with the jars and MEA garden flowers at the May spring art show, and the mason jars to be used as centerpieces at the 5th and 8th grade promotion luncheon! Please deliver them to the front office (stored on the floor to the right of the admissions desk) and Ms. Shannon will redistribute them.
Articulation
It is time for students, grades 5-11, to plan their classes for the next school year.
Students currently in Grades 5, 6, 7
Students will review articulation sheets/course options with Ms. Patterson during English class this month and parents should go over course options with their student(s) at home.
Students will receive and submit their articulation sheet, with parent approval, to Ms. Patterson, through Google Classroom.
Please contact your child’s supervising teacher or Mr. Rubin with questions.
Students currently in Grades 8, 9, 10, 11
All current 8th -11th graders must make an appointment to meet with Mr. Rubin. Please reserve a conference time at this link to discuss courses for next year, graduation and college entrance requirements, and community college courses.
Incoming 9th graders and their parents can meet with Mr. Rubin for a 4-year planning conference during the time of their articulation meeting.
Parents are encouraged to attend along with their student. If parents cannot attend, they should review the course options with their student at home.
Students do not need to return an articulation sheet, but should be prepared to share their course requests with Mr. Rubin during their appointment with him.
For questions, please contact Mr. Rubin.
Articulation Sheets:
Find all courses being offered next year here: Classes 2023-2024
Sign up for articulation meeting with Mr. Rubin (for next year's 9th-12th only).
If you would prefer to select courses over email, please download and complete the appropriate pdf above and email it to arubin@sandi.net.
Academics
Academic Support
There are many ways for students to get extra academic support at MEA, on either on campus or via Zoom. Students can receive the support they need by attending PALS Tutoring, meeting with our UCSD Tutors, and/or attending their teacher's office hours. Please refer to the link below for further information.
Transcripts for College
Attention Seniors: As college acceptances are coming in, please follow the directions on the linked Google Doc to request your final transcript through Xello for the college you will be attending. Some schools may want a mid-year transcript now and a final transcript after semester 2 grades are in. After requesting through Xello, please send me a follow-up email at arubin@sandi.net.
Counseling Corner
His door is always open, but to ensure he is available when you can meet, make an appointment at the link https://calendly.com/mt_everest_counseling/meeting
College/Career Opportunities
The link below has some great opportunities for students in grades 9-12.
https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/ccte/student-opportunities
Extracurriculars
School Site Wellness
Please check out these new wellness videos, made by MEA Student Wellness Ambassador Emma Baxter.
Elementary Wellness
Secondary Wellness
Monday Message Readers
If you think you may know the answer to this weeks riddle, find Ms. Keck.
MEA Esports Team
Help us get the an eSports team up and running!
An eSports Team at MEA is in its fledgling stages, we are still working on acquiring the necessary equipment. We had a family generously donate 2 Nintendo OLED Switches to the school, but we still need additional items, such as TVs, Games, and extra controllers. We have set up a DonorsChoose in order to garner the necessary funds to get this program up and running.
Please consider donating and sharing the link below, we need your help to get this program off the ground.
Calling all Artists
Hello, young artists at MEA. If you are looking to publish your work in a magazine, this is the place for you. Heights is MEA's literary magazine that offers a platform for young artists to amplify their voices and share their work. We are accepting submissions of original work for our winter issue now. We accept art, poetry, short stories, essays, short films, excerpts from novels, and more. For this issue, there is an Open Book section which has no theme, and a themed section called New Beginnings. Works in this category could be about new changes, starting over, new ideas and discoveries, and/or new chapters in one's life. Your work will featured in our issues on the Heights website.
Campus Highlights
Community Announcements
Family Engagement Workshops
The following Family Engagement Workshops are being offered by San Diego Unified School District:
- Cancer Prevention Series: Sun and Skin Safety 101 Zoom
- April 24th | 5:30pm - 6:30pm
- Project Ujima: Ethnic Studies - Workshop presented from a cultural perspective.
- Thursday, April 27th | 5:30pm - 6:30pm
- Location: Morse High School Auditorium, 6905 Skyline Dr
- Childcare and interpretation services provided. Light dinner 5:00pm - 5:30pm
- Bullying: What Families Need to Know - Part 1 Zoom
- May 1st | 5:30pm - 6:30pm
- May 4st | 10:00am - 11:00am
- Being Involved: New Arrival Workshop for Refugee and Immigrant Families
- Bullying: What Families Need to Know - Part 2 Zoom
- May 15th | 5:30pm - 6:30pm
- May 18th | 10:00am - 11:00am
- Contact: Pamela King Event Calendar
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Two MEA students (Adam Shaheen and Talia Shaheen) along with a couple of past MEA students will be taking part in a theatrical production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Please come to see them and give them your support.
As a reminder, this is a community run event, and not sponsored by MEA.
Please send any information for the Monday Message using the Google form by end of day Thursday for upcoming message. If you have any question please contact Mrs. Keck at mkeck@sandi.net.