DATES TO REMEMBER
-NO SCHOOL,MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY: Monday, January 18th
-MS TERM 3 BEGINS: Tuesday, January 19th
-EARLY RELEASE TEACHER PREP & GRADING: Thursday, February 4th
-NO SCHOOL, PRESIDENT'S DAY: Monday, February 15th
-PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES: Wednesday, February 24th & Thursday, February 25th
-NO SCHOOL, TEACHER COMP DAY: Friday, February 26th
-MWMA/s 2020-2021 Calendar: https://www.mwmacademy.org/uploads/document/attachment/179/2020-2021_MWMA_AMENDED_School_Calendar__BOARD_APPROVED_7-23-20_.pdf
Ms. Angie
Covid-19 Vaccine
You may have heard that Utah’s educators are next in line to receive the Covid-19 vaccine—so many teachers are grateful and relieved that in the next several weeks they will have the opportunity to be inoculated against the virus which has disrupted our lives in myriad ways over the past ten months. It is a testament to the ubiquity and gravity of this pandemic that a vaccine has been developed so quickly, and a testament to the ingenuity of humankind that it is so effective. It is important for all of us to educate ourselves about these issues so that we can competently analyze risk and make wise decisions for ourselves and our families.
In today’s world, with google in almost every pocket, our challenge is not finding information, but sorting through a vast amount of information and misinformation. We each develop our own personal epistemology which guides us in our search for justified beliefs about the world around us.
You may be wondering how the Covid-19 vaccine works and how it is different from other vaccines. I created a PowerPoint presentation with voiceover in order to give some information about vaccination in general and this vaccine in particular. (Disclaimer: I didn’t have a lot of time, so it definitely isn’t perfectly polished; please be kind!) If you would like to view it, here is the link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14k36ZYk0rCcVUkYYuRprHx1eEb_sWPFl/view?usp=sharing
I would also like to share some information from one of our parents who has expertise in this area and has been kind enough to answer many of our questions. One of the most common is:
If I have already had Covid, why would I need to be vaccinated? Here is his answer:
The immunity after natural infection is highly variable and unpredictable….you could be someone with weak antibodies that don’t neutralize the virus and an immunity lasting only 90 days, or you might have a robust immune response with high level of neutralizing antibodies and 2 years of protection. You won’t know what kind of protection you have. On the other hand, the immunity after the vaccine seems to be more reliable/consistent, with neutralizing antibodies are on average 4 times higher. So, we are pretty confident that immunity due to vaccine is superior protection than immunity due to natural infection, on average.
I am also happy to attempt to answer, or to find answers to, any questions that you may have. Please feel free to reach out!
Thanks,
Ms. Angie
Ms. Sheri, Assistant Director
Did you know that "It Takes a Village" mural is now hanging in the front vestibule? The mural is a beautiful, unique, and tangible respresentation of the compassionate actions of MWMA's community members. Even further, the mural will welcome all who enter the school for years to come! As Coretta Scott King once said, "The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members".
Personal growth can be a painful road to travel. But it is this bumpy road that gives us our strength, our character, our talents, and the compassion we need to be our best selves. Still, traveling this road takes a fair amount of a growth mindset. In fact, mistakes, challenges, and learning new things can contribute to forging a growth mindset.
At Mountain West Montessori Academy we encourage all students to have a growth mindset. We encourage exploration, mistakes, fixing mistakes, and learning something new everyday. We believe that children are naturally curious and choose growth when given a chance. Unfortunately, often as we get older we fall into bad habits or use excuses to stand still in our progression. Phrases such as “I’m just not smart enough”, “I can’t do that”, and “I am not good at that” pop up in our student's vocabulary too soon and may contribute to a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset stops us from growing and learning. It keeps us from having the experiences that we need to be our very best selves.
The next time that a new experience comes your way or pops into the life of your child, please ask yourself how you can grow from the experience. Please don’t try to avoid new things. Growth can only come from diving in and learning all we can, even though it may be hard, there may be mistakes, and we may get tired along the way, we all have the ability to embrace a growth mindset.
I hope 2021 brings about changes for the good and lots of opportunities to use our growth mindset as new experiences come our way. Thank you for letting me take this journey with you and your family.
MEDIA MINUTE
Ms. Melissa
Dear MWMA Families,
Some of our favorite books are falling apart and so I'm reaching out to ask for your help. You may not know that as part of State budget cuts due to Covid-19, the State cut library funding to schools for this year. This meant I was unable to purchase replacements of popular items, as well as being unable to purchase new releases. I'm looking for gently used copies of the following series, if you can spare them. Any books in the series are greatly appreciated.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Harry Potter
Dog Man
Dork Diaries
Amulet
Baby-Sitters Club (graphic novel version)
I-Spy
Bad Kitty
Fly Guy
Elephant and Piggie
Thank You,
Melissa Zuckerman
Library Teacher/Assessment Director
Mountain West Montessori Academy
Ms. Traci, Behavior Support Interventionist
Ms. Traci has worked at MWMA since it opened in 2013. She assists students at MWMA who need help focusing, more one on one direction, guided or scheduled breaks, help calming down, or need behavioral assistance or intervention. Ms. Traci has a lot of experience with students that struggle with behaviors caused from lack of focus to more extreme behaviors caused from other extenuating circumstances.
Ms. Traci started working with children with disabilities when she was 15 years old, doing private respite care in her home. She graduated high school early and went to work at Jordan Valley School, a school that specializes in students with severe disabilities. While there, she worked as a teacher’s assistant. Then, Ms. Traci started her associates program at SLCC to get her para-educator’s certificate in special education. She worked at Jordan Valley from 1999-2008 and then at Kauri Sue Hamilton School, another school specializing in students with severe disabilities, from 2010-2013. She also continues to do respite care for people with disabilities when she is not at MWMA. Ms. Traci received her EMT certification in 2004 from Stevens-Henagar College. She also has her MANDT certification, her Registered Behavior Technician certification, and various other trainings and certifications that relate to her position at MWMA.
Traci has been married to her husband Chad for almost 4 years. She has a step-daughter Ryleigh (19), a son Tanner (14), a son Taylor (12), and dog, Leia. She also does respite care for a young woman that comes 3 days a week into her home. This young woman feels like a part of Ms. Traci's family as well. Ms. Traci's boys play baseball and as a family they love to be at the ball field and watch them play. They also love to go on adventures and road trips.
Traci loves the mountains and while there she likes to hike, sit by a fire, or just be in them (as long as she can be warm). She also loves the beach and the ocean. She doesn’t get the chance to go often, but if she does get the chance, she never wants to leave. She loves to travel and explore, and to be with her family as much as possible.
Ms. Traci enjoys working with children and students. She has always had a job in education and hopes that never changes. Children bring her joy, especially when she is able to help those who are struggling and those who have certain challenges. Ms.Traci is known around MWMA as the “official calmer downer”, which she believes, is the best job description ever earned.
MOUNTAIN WEST MONTESSORI ACADEMY
Email: admin@mwmacademy.org
Website: https://www.mwmacademy.org/
Location: 4125 Foxview Drive, South Jordan, UT, USA
Phone: 801-566-6962
