Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts

Monday, November 25, 2013

Plenty to Be Thankful For




With Thanksgiving this week and December starting Sunday, it feels as if the holiday season is moving us quickly from one sale to the next.  I propose we slow down, breathe, and simply enjoy the present moment for what it is.  Thanksgiving is a holiday designed to allow us to appreciate what we have, be thankful for those around us, and extend this gratitude to those who support us the most.  An article from the Huffington Post invites us to add some extra “feel good” to this holiday by showing some “old school” gratitude.  How do you do this?  Send kind words to your friends and family in a hand-written letter, write a thank you note to your teachers, let your study buddy know you appreciate their support, or perform a Random Act of Kindness for a stranger.  Remember to take time for yourself.  Start a Gratitude Journal to write down and remember all of the little things you have in life that make it fantastic.  Life is not always peachy perfect, but learning how to appreciate and find joy in little moments will help overcome the road blocks and frustrations.

So take some extra time this holiday week and reflect on what you are thankful for.  Discover, if you haven’t already, what in your life brings joy and happiness.  You can then share these thankful thoughts, or keep them to yourself.  Make sure to pass on your gratitude to others.  Consider doing something “old school” for the VIP in your life.  This little exercise will help show you everything that is good in your life.  Wishing you, your family, and your friends a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!


Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/m-shannon-hernandez/got-gratitude-give-it-awa_b_4298151.html

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Season of Giving With Metro East


It’s November.  The days are getting dark earlier, the storms have arrived, & Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away.  Celebrating the holidays marks the beginning of the "Season of Giving."  This year, Metro East is excited to partner together with SnowCap Community Charities, the Service Learning Club, and the Volunteer Club to sponsor a canned food drive!  Our drive will run through November 22nd and we have a large collection barrel in our school lobby for donations.  Foods such as canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, dry pastas and grains, soups, stews and chili, canned meats, tuna fish, shelf stable milk, breakfast cereals, soups and sauces, baby food and formula are much needed in our community and are appreciated.  All non-perishable donations can be brought to the school.  For every item donated, students will receive a ticket for a chance to win a $10 iTunes gift card.  The more you donate, the higher chance of winning the iTunes gift card!  Contact Ms. Hathaway with any questions.

About our partner, SnowCap Community Charities:
SnowCap Community Charities is a philanthropic organization created to provide food, clothing, advocacy and other services to the poor.”  The organization began in 1967 when members of the East Multnomah County Community noticed many of the needs of the residents were not being met.  SnowCap (which stands for Suburban Neighborhoods Operation Witness Community Action Program) originally set-up three centers from which the community was served.  By the organization’s 40th anniversary it had served over 1.4 million people, had a staff of 7 and a budget of $500,000.  With this, SnowCap was able to implement new programs including: English language instruction, community gardens, and home delivered food boxes for seniors.  For more information about SnowCap visit: http://www.snowcap.org/Home.aspx.  We at MEWA are proud to be partners of this organization and a member of the community at large.  Thank you for your generosity and participation in our canned food drive!

Important Announcements…

Tomorrow is a sequential calendar date!  “Each century contains twelve such sequential number calendar dates, the first being 01-02-03 and the last one, 12-13-14. So, December 13, 2014 will be the last such sequential calendar date in the 21st century” (Aziz S. Inan, Ph.D., Professor, Electrical Engineering, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon).

MEWA Student Leadership Club.  This club is open to all students with a focus on building leadership skills for those who join. If you are interested in joining, please attend the next meeting on Thursday, November 14, 1:30 PM at MEWA.  You do not have to be present to participate.  Contact Ms. Norrander for more information: Julie Norrander <norrander@mewebacademy.org>
Our Parent Booster Group will have the next meeting November 20th at 6:00 PM at MEWA.  Participation in this group is open to all MEWA parents, grandparents, guardians, and staff members.  The focus of this group is to organize and support activities that promote our school and provide enrichment and growth opportunities for students and staff.  Snacks and refreshments are provided.
College Bound Students: Take a Free ACT/SAT Practice Test! Warm up for the test and find out how you would score.  Get realistic practice and try your hand at the types of questions you’ll face on the actual exam.  You’ll receive a personalized score report pinpointing your strengths and weaknesses.  Princeton Review Assessment:  1-888-578-8378 ext. 1030. The dates for the 4-hour test are 11/16 – 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM or 12/8 – 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM.  They are located at 421 SW Hall St., Portland.  You can check them out at: PrincetonReview.com.  The test and results are free – this is a for-profit company and they will offer students the opportunity to take prep classes at a cost.
Field Trip Opportunities…Our school is scheduling a field trip for November 26th to the Portland Art Museum to see the Samurai exhibit. We plan to take the kids there via MAX.  Please contact Mr. Kennedy or Ms. Powell if you have an interest or questions.  Join us December 4 as we tour the new Portland-Milwaukie Lite Rail Project! Fill out the permission form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uMUH-gpVorp3hCGy4JUujeCNG2QwEYfNX_UxnOivjYU/viewform
Stay Active! We have many incentive programs right now including: a drawing for (2) 16GB iPod Touches, weekly drawings for Drop-In Lab goal achievements, & Student of the Month awards.

Remember the ME in MEWA; at Metro East you come first.