As part of her MYP Personal Project, a culminating event in year 10, Darby entertained an enthralled audience Wednesday evening with a Shakespeare performance including pieces from As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew and Othello.
Kudos, Darby. Very well done!
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
Congratulations to our VIMSIA chess players and Coach Allen. We had several students participate in the interscholastic chess tournament held January 16. Kudos to Amir, who took first place in the 12 and under category, Kinze who took second place in the 9 and under category and Keo who took third place in the 12 and under category. Go chess!
Bienvenido to the eleven 7th and 8th grade Spanish exchange students that joined us from Madrid last week. We are so excited that we have embarked on an exchange program with the Eurocolegio Casvi School just outside of Madrid, Spain. These 7th and 8th graders will be here at the PGIA for six weeks. In February, 13 of our PGIA 7th and 8th graders will travel to their school in Madrid for six weeks. The Madrid students are being hosted by the VIMSIA families whose children will travel in February.
What an amazing opportunity for these students to improve their foreign language development, immerse themselves in cultural interaction, and make international friends for a lifetime! As our Head of School often states...
“We don’t live on simply an island, we don’t live in simply the United States - we live in the world, and our students must become conscientious global citizens. ”
The weekends for these students and their hosts are filled with great island and Caribbean excursions, we are so proud to show off our island to these friends from Spain. Thanks to Mr. Williams for putting together this video of their trip to Coral World. Spanish friends, share this with your friends at home so they can see what you're up to!!
Students in Ms. Ferguson's Thursday Art Club experimented with mixing the primary colors, creating patterns and painting between the lines on canvas! Looks like they had fun creating these beautiful works.
VI Culture with Ms. Francis, Coding Plus Plus with Ms. Schlesinger and Mr. Fong, Organic Gardening with Mr. Berry, Shakespeare with Ms. New, Photography with Clay Jones, Yearbook with Ms. Tess, Martial Arts with Master Scott - Huge thanks to all of our enrichment instructors and to Ms. Helen for putting together such a great enrichment schedule!
Today we welcomed back graduates from our very first IB graduating class to last year's class. Huge thanks to Mrs. Elger for organizing an alumni luncheon today to bring our graduates back. The PGIA Juniors and Seniors were invited for a round table discussion about life after PGIA. We are so proud of all of our students and so appreciative to these alumni for taking time to share their stories. GO GRADS!
Visiting PGIA IB Alumni
L to R on top:
L to R on bottom:
The current 6th graders are working with Mrs. Elger, Mrs. Bump, Mrs. Morrison and Mrs. Batten to discuss their MYP expectations and homework packets for the spring.
Way to go UE-PGIA transition team!!
Carter had a very successful swim meet this weekend in Puerto Rico. She qualified to represent St. Thomas at the CARIFTA games as part of the USVI National Swim Team. Such a huge honor! Her time on the 50m free was 31.18 and the 200m free was 2.32.26. She dropped a total of 17 seconds from her personal best this weekend. Congratulations also goes to Max who won first place overall in his age-group. We are so proud of both of you.
Dive site Kennedy barge(1976)
PGIA students Skyler Anspacher and Andy Maccio, along with teachers Andy Palmer, Caroline Morrison, and Marc Corbeil (photographer) dove the Kennedy barge on Saturday.
Duane Hausch of Admiralty dive center pointed out some rare invertebrates. What a great physics and biology lab - right?!
Students at VIMSIA observed a moment of silence at 11:11 yesterday to honor our U.S. Military veterans. Staff members Barbara LaRonde and Kandeah Brooks, who are veterans of the Army and Air Force respectively, shared their thoughts with Montessori students and answered student questions about what being a veteran means and why it is so important for us to take time to honor those who have served.
Ms. Boyle's classroom made thank you cards for Ms. Brooks, and for Zian and Azaera's dad, Staff Sgt. Lazarus Toussaint.
PGIA students honored veterans by sending letters, poems and artwork to Private 2nd Class David Ortega and his unit, now stationed in Qatar. Ms. Weichman corresponds with Private Ortega through the Adopt a U.S. Soldier organization.
Librarian Kathy Schlesinger found a great video about Veteran's Day from PBS Learning which many of the teachers shared with their students.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in, day-out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Congratulations to all of the M2M runners. 64 PGIA students completed the 8 mile road-race from Montessori to Magens. Your hard work and tenacity in preparing for and running the race will be present in you always. M2M is not just a race.
PGIA 10th Grader Silas Wisehart about to cross the finish line at M2M
On Thursday, October 22, the PGIA College Counseling Department of Chris Teare and Elizabeth Elger held an informative and engaging evening giving parents and students a view behind the curtain of college admissions. Attendees were split into five different sub-admission committees for a fictional university. Everyone read four students' applications and were tasked with admitting two, wait-listing one, and denying one. A lively and spirited discussion ensued about the true tenants of a solid college application and how one determines the "best fit" for an institution. Interestingly enough, the student with the highest standardized test scores and highest grade point average wasn't among the ones accepted! Chris and Elizabeth would like to thank all of the attendees, and they look forward to another mock admission session in the spring! Any and all questions about college counseling, please direct to Elizabeth Elger at eelger@vimsia.org.
IB DP Dance Teachers Workshop
“The DP Dance Workshop was an amazing experience. I was able to network with 25 dancers from all over the country. I am so excited to share best practices with our entire IB family.”
Juniors and Seniors were sponsored for a scientific field trip to Reef Bay by Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. National Park Ranger and great friend of the school, Laurel Brannick was their guide for the day. Juniors and Biology Teacher Ms. Silva did a clean-up as a part of UVI's Coastweeks Cleanup. Ms. Zakers and her 12th grade Environmental Systems and Societies class did individual directed research in areas including biodiversity, soil toxicity and endangered species. Thanks to UVI, Friends of the National Park and Ranger Brannick. This was a great experience for our students.
Señora Santiago bringing Señora Serje's Lower Elementary class back from recess yesterday. Buy bien. ¡Estos niños están rodeados de lengua española a lo largo de todo el día!
The St. Thomas and St. John Rotary Clubs recently brought in thousands of gently used books to put into the hands of Virgin Islands children. These were distributed through the schools. Here at VIMSIA, toddlers through Upper Elementary students selected their own books to take home and keep forever. Ms. Schlesinger’s PGIA Library Mania Enrichment students assisted the younger students. Coming soon: Distribution of free books to the Middle Schoolers!
Congratulations to 9th grader Maya Ethridge, this month's IB Learner Profile winner. The IB Learner Profile Award is given to a student who embodies IB Learner traits on a daily basis.
Maya Ethridge and Ms. Elger
“Maya is bright, engaging, perceptive, inquisitive, judicious, thoughtful, spirited, and caring. She is a conscientious student, balancing academic and social commitments beautifully. Maya is reflective; she is mindful of her own actions, and she is mindful of how the actions of others impact her classmates. She sees the best in everyone, and she wants to do just in the world. In fact, one day, I am convinced Maya will make the world a much better place - she already has at the PGIA!”
8th grader Diego Zakers took this amazing photo on his iphone through the lens of one of the telescopes that was set up on the soccer field Sunday. Dr. David Morris of the Etelman Observatory and our own "bow-tie physicist" Mr. Andy Palmer were on hand all evening to share their knowledge and help us get a great view of the Super Blood Moon Eclipse . With Mr. Palmer giving mini-lectures in the planetarium and Dr. Morris on the field with the telescopes, our first Astronomy Night was a huge success. Many thanks, Dr. Morris for sharing your vast knowledge with us - it is always a pleasure. Kudos and thanks to Mr. Palmer for making it all happen. Looking forward to the next one!
Virgin Islands Montessori School and Peter Gruber International Academy - a Montessori and International Baccalaureate Toddler through grade twelve private school in the beautiful U.S. Virgin Islands. Ask for Admissions 340-775-6360.
VIMSIA 6936 Vessup Lane, St. Thomas USVI 00802 info@vimsia.org Phone: 340.775.6360 Maps and Directions Staff Portal
