The Meridian School Parent Association is hosting a parent education event!
Screen Time: How it affects your child and what you can do about it.
Wednesday March 24th 2010 – 7:00pm more details
Villa Academy is proud to celebrate the outstanding academic achievement of two special Villa alums, Christian Vanderwall (‘06) and John Osborn (‘06). This February, both students received notice that they will advance to Finalist standing for the coveted National Merit Scholarship Award.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition that recognizes academically talented high school students based on their Preliminary SAT score. Winners of Merit Scholarship awards are all selected from the Finalist pool based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments and become eligible for a number of educational scholarships.
We wish these young men the best of luck throughout the rest of the competition and in their higher educational pursuits as they continue to prepare for college.
On March 26th the seventh grade will be going to the Museum of Flight to participate in a Challenger Mission to the Moon. Students will spend half of the day touring the Museum of Flight, and the other half on the Challenger Mission to the Moon.
Preparations will begin a week prior to mission day. Students will work on activities designed to prepare them for their moon exploration including the development of a “Mission Patch” that will be worn in space.
Villa’s budding astronauts will return to the Moon for the first time since 1972 to gather information relevant to the selection of a site for the new moon base. This very realistic simulation will allow students to experience the actual tasks and activities of a real space expedition. Students work collaboratively in teams, from space and from the mission control center, to conduct experiments and successfully choose a location for the new base.
Occasionally, unpleasant aspects of our students’ social lives are brought to my attention. Recently, I have seen a string of missives among our students and their friends from a new social networking site called “Buzz” that works through Gmail. While it is not surprising to find inappropriate language and topics bandied about on these sites, every once in a while a topic is raised to which we should pay close attention.
One such topic appeared in the string I have seen recently. A young person—unknown to me and NOT a Villa student—mentioned suicide as a result of feeling very bad. The responses from our students and others were very heartfelt, positive, and supportive of the young person. That is good news. It seem our students know that suicide is a serious topic and are kind in response to those who mention it.
Nevertheless, a conversation with your child about the topic generally and how to respond to feelings of hopelessness and depression in themselves or others may be in order. It may also help to discuss with your students who they can go to if someone they know expresses feelings of hopeless or depression.
Middle school is often the first time when deep feelings assert themselves in a student’s life; talking with your youngsters, before it is an issue, can help them and their friends manage their feelings better and potentially avert a serious situation.
Thank you very much for your attention and support.
Pat Preib
This spring Villa Academy’s fifth grade students will take their science studies outdoors on an environmental adventure to the Olympic Park Institute: Wednesday, April 21st through Friday, Friday April 23rd
The Olympic Park Institute is an overnight camp and field science facility outside of Port Angeles. The field science education program encourages students to make a personal connection to the natural world and become good stewards of the environment. Activities are inquiry based and focused on the scientific process.
This three-day fieldtrip will coincide nicely with the fifth grade spring science curriculum. Just prior to their trip, students will participate in a simulation, called “Environmental Detective,” that explores the mystery of why fish are dying in the “Gray Area.” Then at camp, students will test the health of Barnes Creek and Lake Crescent.
Classroom activities coupled with the Olympic Park Institute field exploratory will help students understand how our actions positively and negatively affect the environment.
Click here for more information on 5th grade’s trip to Environmental Camp
