Welcome Back Alumni!

/

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

Visiting PGIA IB Alumni

L to R on top:

  • Michael Emanuel 
  • PJ Chemont
  • Jenisha Stapleton 
  • Kendall Hebert
  • Kai Bartlette 
  • Kelsey Morrison 
  • Ariel Stolz 
  • Manal Hamed

L to R on bottom:

  • Tariq Davis 
  • VerNae Callwood
  • Noah Stolz 
  • Nathaniel Fuller
  • Erika Lowry 
  • Andrew Remeselnik

 

 

Congratulations to Carter and Max!

/

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.  

Veterans Day Remembrance

/

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.”
— John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Grit

/
“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.”
— Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth

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

PGIA 10th Grader Silas Wisehart about to cross the finish line at M2M

Behind the Curtain of College Admissions

/

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.

 

College Seminar 1 10.22.JPG

PGIA Reef Bay Field Trip

/

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.

Montessori Students Take Home Free Books!

/

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!

IB Learner Profile - Maya Ethridge

/

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 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!”
— Mrs. Elger, MYP Math Coordinator & College Counselor

Astronomy Night - Lunar Eclipse

/

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!

After School Program Registration Open to VIMSIA Parents/Students

/

After School Program online registration is now open for VIMSIA students.  Check it out!  We have the great programs we have so happily offered for many years, plus some great newbies!

New offerings include PGIA Drama Club with Ms. Pamela New; PGIA Robotics with Mr. Andy Palmer, Spanish Culture and Cooking with Senora Santiago y Senora Santana, Elementary Basketball with Mr. Stocking, Upper El and PGIA Martial Arts with Grand Master Edward Scott, MMUN Prep with Ms. Morrison and Ms. Batten.  Lots of great new offerings.

Some changes:  Gymnastics will be split into three levels instead of two, if there are enough signups.  Ms. Ferguson is picking up the Full Day Primary and Lower El Art Club, in addition to her Upper El and PGIA Art Club - look for great works!  Ms. Mary is taking the Jazz and Modern dance and it will be back to back with Adv/Intermediate Tap on Wednesdays.  Ms. Helen is back with our little ones for Wed afternoon Pre-Ballet for 3 and 4 year olds.  These students can come out of BEC, or for those of you that pickup at 11:30, feel free to bring them back for the class.

PGIA has added a plethora of new academic support options through their academic ATTACK program.  See the schedule for Spanish, Science, Math and Writing Attack offerings.  Ms. Butler continues her oh so successful Academic Circles for Math and Reading at the Elementary levels.

Ms. Ferguson's art clubs

Ms. Ferguson's art clubs

We also have some excellent new talent for individual music lessons.  In addition to James Anderson on guitar and Mike Barr for trumpet and brass, Ms. Luba Dolgopolsky is offering piano and voice lessons, Mr. Sheldon "attiba" Bernard is offering flute and bass lessons.  You can contact them directly to schedule:

Home school students over the age of 5 may be able to participate in our after school programs depending on space availability and instructor discretion.  Please contact Ms. Hunt or Ms. Huttel at VIMSIA - 775-6360 - if you would like more information.

Media-Smart Youth Video: Eat, Think, and Be Active!

/

Media-Smart Youth is an after school program that focuses on building skills in media analysis and media production to help young people ages 11 to 13  understand the complex media world and how this influences their health and decision making in regards to nutrition and physical activity. 

This video is our school's Big Production.   The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a part of the National Institutes of Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, created Media-Smart Youth to help empower young people to think critically about media and make thoughtful decisions about nutrition and physical activity.

This partnership was made possible by our sponsor WUVI AM 1090 Radio Station.  Huge thanks to our VIMSIA Teen Leaders Harsha Ramchand and Ca-Jani Fahie;  VIMSIA Staff Scott Williams and Erika Gomez; WUVI Radio Manager Christina Chanes.

Montessori Graduation

/

Twenty two very grown up looking pre-teens took center stage on Friday, June 12 for the Montessori Graduation Ceremony.  This marks the completion of these students' Montessori years and signals the "Move up the Hill" to the IB program next year.

Speakers Soren Gibbs and Haley Rogers spoke eloquently and articulately, citing special memories of their Montessori years and giving special thanks to all of their Montessori teachers.

Special recognition to Ms. Jeanette Feracho in honor of her 46 years of passion and dedication to the students of VI Montessori School.  A "Ms. Boyle and Ms. Feracho Child" from each grade level plus her youngest son Malik, representing the Alums,  presented Ms. Feracho with a red rose, ultimately creating a lovely full bouquet - and hopefully a nice start to her retirement. 

Drama End Session Presents "Peter Pan"

/ VIMSIA - Under the Awning/
Click to view photo slideshow of peter pan, created by karen gauriloff

Click to view photo slideshow of peter pan, created by karen gauriloff

The Drama End Session put on their performance of Peter Pan on Friday.  This was the first play to be done on our Solar Awning Stage.  It was a great venue!  We had over 200 people attend - there was plenty of space, the concession stand was open and worked well.   I sat in the first row of chairs behind all of the younger children, who decided to sit cross legged front and center.  While up and running about during set changes, they were quick to pop back in their seats when the curtain went up - and seemed mesmerized throughout.

Kudos to Ms. Bump and the cast and crew!   

Canada End Session - Women's World Cup

/

End Sessions are just swimming along.  Here is an email just received from Ms. Elger.  She and Mr. Elger have the Women's World Cup - Canadian Cultural Experience End Session.  Sounds like all is well and kids are happy!  

“Good afternoon, everyone,

I hope this finds you well. I apologize I haven’t sent an update. The WiFi at our hotel was a bit spotty the last two nights. We are currently on the train from Quebec to Montreal.

Short story, everyone is fine. A few of us are getting a little sick, but we’re managing it with Advil Sinus, EmergenC, fluids and rest. We think it has a lot to do with the temperature change. It’s been cold and we had rain today, so we’re all adjusting to Canada from our sunny STT. Since the last email, we have seen sights, shopped, ate, went to a hockey game, and ridden buses and trains.

Long story, your students are just amazing! Joey and I have been inspired by their abilities to take risks. Each of you would be very proud. On Sunday, we started our day with discovering a beautiful bakery. The food was just delicious! It was an inspiring way to begin our glorious day. We took the bus to Old Town, and students had a few hours to explore and shop on their own. We then took the funicular to a plaza where we were entertained by a street performer. We had breath-taking views of the St. Lawrence River and got to see the Chateau Frontenac, one of the most photographed hotels in the world and where Churchill and Roosevelt planned the D-Day invasion. We then ate poutine for lunch, while a few students went to a Creperie. We ventured back to the hotel, had some downtime, and left for the hockey game. The Memorial Cup was amazing! The students really enjoyed their first live hockey game. It went into overtime, and the ending was very dramatic! It was a great game. We had lights out when we returned to the hotel, and everyone was tucked safely and soundly in their beds. The following day, the group went to an amazing market. Many of the students enjoyed the fresh tomatoes! Our plan was to go to a museum about the French/Indian War, but the restoration that should have finished in April was still on-going. So, we just enjoyed playing in a huge field. A few students rolled all the way to the bottom. We got some great videos of this! Afternoon naps and downtime at the hotel followed. We then left for our “fancy” dinner. What fun!! Everyone looked so precious all dressed up. Our waiter was fantastic, and the food was out of this world. Our party ordered everything from steaks to pate to rabbit to liver to truffles to homemade sodas and several things in between. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and each other. We then returned to the hotel for downtime before lights out at midnight. We knew today would be cold and rainy, so we planned a day inside at a local mall. Students shopped to their hearts content and ate from all the options at the food court. Mr. Elger and I saw an IMAX film in French and gave the students Krispy Kreme doughnuts. We took a bus back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, took a bus to the train station, and boarded the train. We will arrive in Montreal around 6:00 and check into our hotel. Tonight will be an easy and relaxing one. Tomorrow, we will be sight-seeing and spectators at an MLS game. The next day, we will be at an amusement park.

Again, I cannot tell you how fantastic your children are being. They are so polite when we are on any form of public transportation, always offering their seats to locals. They open doors for each other. They’re just really great young people. I know y’all miss them, but thank you for letting us have this experience with them.

Please text or email if you need us.

Take Care,
Elizabeth”