Nurse's Notes: COVID Guidance

As you know, we have had a lot of COVID discussion this week on campus, at the Town Hall, and even a Testing Event. It's been a busy week as we try to support our families and staff in staying well! Here are a few links that I thought would be helpful to you be up to date on the latest guidance and information from the CDC regarding Covid prevention, and particularly with respect to infection in children:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/protect-children.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mis-c/index.html

We're in this together - thank you for your support and have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Yours in Health,

Nurse Sally

Elementary Students Participate in Hour of Code

This week, the elementary students participated in the global week long event “Hour of Code”. Ms. Peggy and Mr. Jobsis facilitated students working through coding exercises found on the hour of code website. The students loved these, so feel free to let them show you what they learned by accessing the hour of code “learn” page - https://hourofcode.com/us/learn. All of the students coded using the “Beaver Achiever” and “Space Adventure” apps. But, if you go to this page with them, there are so many great options! Take your pick.

For the Lower Elementary students, we were also able to work with our little Cubetto - the adorable codable robot that you can program to trek along his/her colorful floormat. This was also a big hit. This little guy lets you program using a coding board and multifunctional tiles - which provide the inputs.

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Hour of Code Website and Info

Excerpt:

The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide.

Nurse's Notes: Bubbles...and overlapping Bubbles...what does this mean in a Covid world??

Bubbles...and overlapping Bubbles...what does this mean in a Covid world??

By now, we have all heard of the term “bubbles” to refer to our own personal pods of household members or close friends whom we consider to be “safe” to interact within close quarters. 

But here’s the thing about Covid Bubbles...We all have multiple bubbles, and they can overlap with each other.  Think about this: Adults have a home bubble, a social bubble, and maybe a work bubble, even a gym bubble.  Kids have a home, social, and school bubble.  Maybe some kids from school are also in their home/social bubble, but there are other kids in that bubble who are NOT in the school bubble.  Same with the grown-ups.  

The other thing is that, like real bubbles, Covid bubbles are penetrable.  They can “pop” easily. And all it takes is one overlapping bubble to pop a multitude of other bubbles.  This is what we see right now happening in our community.  And it does pose a threat to our ability to maintain a Covid free campus at VIMSIA.  

Holiday time in a Covid world is proving to be tough to navigate.  Nobody wants to miss visiting our loved ones or missing out on celebrating an event.  It is our human nature to desire to gather together and socialize.  Parents, teachers, students are all being forced to consider their actions within the community, knowing the consequences that could arise and affect others in their various bubbles.  At VIMSIA, we care for our entire community's wellbeing but have a special obligation to our “School Bubble.”  It takes commitment from ALL of us to prevent our school bubble from being “popped.”

So please - do your part, play your role in protecting ALL of your Bubbles.  Comply with mask-wearing, sanitizing, social distancing, and don’t get lax, even if you think you are safe.  Because as we are finding out, Covid-19 knows how to break all the rules.  We are all going through many disappointments this year. As someone said to me today, “There is nothing about Covid that doesn’t suck”!  Let’s support each other to get through these times to continue to provide on-campus learning, stay healthy, and be together next year for the celebrations that we all love.

Yours in Health, 

Nurse Sally

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

PGIA/Montessori Collaboration

Ms. Kessler (Science Teacher in the PGIA) visits Ms. Satter’s class to give a lesson on how to use the compound microscope.

Toddler Concentration

Ronan focuses on a picture book in the classroom.

Video shared from Ms. Stocking’s classroom. Ronan demonstrates the concentration capabilities of toddler age students.

Pinhole Photography - 8th Grade Design Class

Ms. Jamie Truax shares a project her 8th graders are embarking on in their Design Class.

“The 8th graders began a pinhole photography project this quarter. The class started by studying the science of seeing and understanding how pinhole photography works. Basically, you need a black box with a pinhole and a shutter. When the shutter is open, light enters the pinhole and projects an image upside down and left side right on the opposite side of the box. Using special resin-coated photo paper, the image will "stick" on the paper once developed.

I knew it would be difficult to find a developer/fixer on the island, so we made our own using natural ingredients like mint tea, vitamin C tablets, baking soda, and lemon juice. I created a darkroom by finding a very dark closet on campus and a red lightbulb because the photo paper is insensitive to red light.

The students load their cameras with one piece of photo paper in the darkroom and then go outside to shoot their subject. They only have one shot per film session, so they know they have to keep the camera very still. We played around with different exposure times, concluding that the best photos came out at about a 4-5 minute exposure time.

After that, they come back to the darkroom and put their photos face down in the developer for 2-4 minutes and hopefully begin to see an image. They put it in the fixer for 30 seconds, which seals the image in place. Then we start the whole process all over again!

This is a perfect Design class project because they really get to experiment with different exposure times, lighting, distance, etc., and reflect on what works and what doesn't work for the next photograph.”

VIMSIA Students Compete in Cybersecurity Competition

On Sunday, a socially-distanced, masked, and temperature-checked VIMSIA CyberPatriot team met in the library for their first round of the annual competition. Lindsay Barr, Mireille Boumedine, Ian Gutierrez, and Amelie Zucker competed actively for over 5 hours. The team members worked together, and they worked extremely hard. They fixed vulnerabilities in three different computer systems (Windows 10, Windows Server, and Ubuntu Linux), answered digital forensics questions, and completed a networking quiz.

The VIMSIA CyberPatriot team ended with a base score of 232, placing in the top 50% of their division according to unofficial results. Half of the VIMSIA team is competing for the first time this year, and this is the second time the school is participating in this event. The team benefited from free online training provided by Sandia National Laboratories.

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA) that inspires K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. One of their main programs is the annual National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, which places high school and middle school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing a small company’s network. The top teams in the nation earn all-expenses-paid trips to Maryland for the National Finals Competition, where they can earn national recognition and scholarship money.

Team coach Rebecca Hoffart said, “I am extremely proud of our team's achievement today! I extend a special thanks to the parents of team members for allowing them to compete, providing transportation, and offering enthusiastic support.”

Team members:
Lindsay Barr (Grade 10)
Mireille Boumedine (Grade 11)
Ny’Kel Emanuel (Grade 12)
Divina Kamra (Grade 9)
Ian Gutierrez (Grade 9)
Amelie Zucker (Grade 9)

Thank you to Our Veterans - VIDEO

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

Virgin Islands Montessori School Students in Ms. Joie Byrd’s music classes perform “Thank You to Our Veterans.” Her students worked throughout the past few weeks to learn and perform the song within their pods. These students are in our Primary and Elementary programs and are ranging from ages 3 through twelve.

In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, her students have prepared, "Thank You to Our Veterans." To work within our social distancing policies, she filmed each group's performance and edited them together for the final product.

Ms. Byrd is not only our music teacher; she also serves as Staff Sergeant Byrd in the Virgin Islands National Guard 73rd Army Band.

“Last month, when we began preparing this song, I asked our students if they knew anyone who had served in the military. Hands were raised excitedly as students took turns sharing about their family members who have served. Seeing the pride on the students' faces and hearing the voices of 90 students singing together made this tribute especially special,” said Byrd.

This story also appeared in the Daily News on Veterans Day.

Welcome to Ms. Ojuwa Lewis.

Ms. Ojuwa Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in St. Thomas. She attended All Saints Cathedral School. After high school, Ms. Lewis attended the University of the Virgin Islands. She then transferred to Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, where she received her Bachelor's degree in History and Education grades 7-12.  Now that she is back home, Ms. Lewis is currently working on her Masters in Educational Leadership. She is happy to be joining the VIMSIA  community.

VIMSIA Participates in National School Lunch Program

Each day 93 VIMSIA students are fed by the National School Lunch Program. Students receive both breakfast and lunch through the program. The food arrives on campus between 9:30 and 10:00 and the distribution is over by 11:30.

VIMSIA Completes Earthquake Drills

On Thursday, VIMSIA students and staff practiced a “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” drill along with an Earthquake Evacuation Drill. School Nurse Sally Kiser coordinated this event for the entire campus today at 10:00 am. VIMSIA held these drills utilizing the new COVID mask and distancing protocols. 

The first drill consisted of "Drop, Cover and Hold" at the outset of a tremor which Nurse Kiser announced over the PA system, and then an all-clear to proceed to their safe areas. Students and staff gathered in two locations in an orderly fashion. 

By holding these drills, VIMSIA participates in the Earthquake Country Alliances annual "Great ShakeOut" program for earthquake preparedness. 

Nurse's Notes: General Updates

Good Day VIMSIA families! A reminder to keep up your hand-washing and mask-wearing! Colds and Flu are transmitted the same way Covid is - let's stay vigilant to keep ourselves and families safe and healthy! PLEASE be sure your child/ren's masks are clean and fit well when coming to school. Last but not least, be sure you get your Flu Shots - 'Tis the Season!!

More news:

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. Did you know that diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in school-age youth in the United States, affecting about 193,000 youth under 20 years old? You can find out more from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Fall Wreaths & Spooky Scary Skeletons

Check out this video with some of our Elementary classes celebrating the Fall season!

Ms. DiFrancesco and Ms. Donastorg’s class created a fall wreath out of paper leaves!
The Upper Elementary classes requested to learn this song on their Orff percussion instruments. Each class learned the melody and an ostinato pattern and put both parts together in just 3 class periods.

Governor Bryan and Lieutenant Governor Roach Meet with Rhea and Deja-Marie

Governor Bryan and Lt. Governor Roach visited VIMSIA on October 23rd to meet with Rhea, Author of the Runaway Watermelon, and Deja-Marie, Illustrator. It was a wonderful morning celebrating books, reading, and the hard work of the students. Rhea and Deja-Marie were inducted into the “Kids Cabinet” of the Governor’s Office.

This story has been covered by the CBS affiliate in the US Virgin Islands, here.

Please see all photos from the event here.

Photos Courtesy of Clara Freeman/Government House USVI

Mangrove Matter! - Petition by Ana Pia, Chantel and Marissa

Submitted by Ana Pia, Chantel and Marissa:

What are Mangroves?

        Mangroves are home to hundreds of marine and terrestrial species. Birds call their branches their home and fish live within their long roots in the brackish water. Aside from small fish, birds, and other species, mangroves play an important ecological role in providing a shark nursery. 

       Mangroves are key to protecting our shores from rising waters and storm surge. When we experience a hurricane, storm surges can be very damaging. If you walked down to a marina right before a hurricane, you would see more boats than usual. Why? Because mangroves act as a “hurricane hole” that protects boats from strong winds and seas. They also act as a buffer to rising water. They also help protect our shores from the effects of climate change. Our waters are rising. Without mangroves, water could flood our coastlines and damage our infrastructure. Finally, they efficiently capture carbon from our atmosphere. More mangroves can decrease the number of greenhouse gases that are driving climate change.   

        So why are we talking about mangroves? After Hurricanes Irma and Maria, many local mangrove populations were unable to survive due to damage within their habitat. Development and pollution have not helped either. The government has policies in place that are meant to conserve our mangroves. The policies dictate that all new development in mangrove populated areas must go through a commissioner and that any tree that is taken out, must be replaced. However, there is no enforcement of these policies. Some mangroves are never replaced and if they are, there is no system to ensure they continue to grow. This petition is meant to show our local government that this is a cause worth noting.

        Please help us raise awareness about the need for the enforcement of mangrove conservation by signing this petition.   

Petition Link

Nurse's Notes: Mask Compliance and Safety!

Good Day Parents!  We at VIMSIA are very proud of the efforts by all to keep our campus safe and COVID-free.  However, it is of utmost importance that we do NOT let down our guard!  We have seen some students on campus recently with ill-fitting and/or vented masks, even Buffs.  We are following CDC guidelines for our mask policy that can be found at this link.  We ask for your cooperation to help us maintain a safe environment for our students and staff by following these guidelines:

• Be sure the mask fits!  If the mask cannot stay above the nose or cover the chin, or the ear loops get loose, please replace it with a better fitting mask!  

• Carry a Spare!  Kids get sweaty running around - please send a spare mask just in case it is needed.

• NO Vented Masks and NO Buffs - this is our policy per CDC guidelines

Students arriving on campus without a compliant mask will be given a disposable, approved mask to wear - however, we expect and appreciate your cooperation to provide adequate facial coverings for your child(ren).  For those of you with little ones, disposable child size masks can be purchased at Medicine Shoppe in Havensight.  Thank you for doing your part for a safe and healthy VIMSIA campus.  

And don't forget - get your flu shots too!  'Tis the Season!

Yours in Health, 

Nurse Sally

Rhea James publishes award-winning children's book!

Rhea James, 4th Grade, was recognized this week in the Virgin Islands Daily News for publishing her children's book that was illustrated by Deja-Marie Simon, 12th Grade. Congratulations to these two young ladies for their hard work in achieving this project!

From the VI Daily News Article:

The attention, while gratifying for Rhea, is only the beginning for the Montessori student, who said she has no intention of stopping now.

“I like writing because you get to express your feelings,” she said. “I’ve been sketching stories and would like to write about treating people the way they are supposed to be treated, being nice instead of bullying each other.”

Trisha James said she was proud of her daughter and her newfound passion.

“I’m happy that she’s utilizing her time reading and writing,” she said. “Two things children should learn and be excellent at are reading and math.”

A book signing was originally scheduled in May but was postponed due to COVID-19. In the meantime, anyone interested in purchasing “The Runaway Watermelon” can go online or call 340-244-0446.

Nurse's Notes: Great Shake Out

Hello VIMSIA Families and Staff!  The entire school will have education and drills for our Safety and Emergency Preparedness Week scheduled for the week of October 26.  In addition to fire safety and drills, we are participating in the Earthquake Country Alliances annual "Great Shake Out" program for earthquake preparedness.  We encourage families and staff to visit www.ShakeOut.org for more information and be ready to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" to support our school's response and recovery efforts in the event of a major earthquake! 

Guest Speaker Fahie on Domestic Violence with Diploma Programme Students

The Grade 11 and 12 DP Global Politics classes virtually welcomed Mrs. Kalyn Risker Fahie to speak on the topic of domestic violence. The students are studying the topic in relation to our unit on Peace and Conflict.

Mrs. Risker Fahie has many years of experience working in this field, even starting her domestic violence non-profit organization in Detroit, Michigan, called Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment (SAFE). She currently works for the VI Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council (VIDVSAC) as their Program Liaison.

Mrs. Risker Fahie explained the evolution of this conflict within our society and the Duluth Model, which covers various power imbalances that can occur in relationships. The students were also able to understand how groups work in coordination with government agencies to help address severe problems within communities.

For more information, please visit: https://www.vidvsac.org

A Week in Photos - Upper Elementary