May 2013 All-School Meeting Wrap Up

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Published on Thursday, 23 May 2013 11:01

After words of welcome and a moment of silence, Shelly shared this note sent by Todd Scholl.

Thanks again for allowing me to come and be a part of your school and community for a couple of days. You should all be proud of the culture you have built at Blue Mountain. Your friendliness and hospitality were very much appreciated.

Thanks for being a shining light in an all too often darkening educational landscape. My hope is that one day all students will be able to experience the freedom, compassion, and creativity exemplified by your wonderful school.

Todd works for South Carolina’s Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement, and he visited the school last month to learn about how we do things here at BMS. This year we’ve made many new friends as folks come to learn more about what we do here. Our most recent visitors are from the Davidson Green School, which is opening in the fall in North Carolina. It’s been fun to watch our school grow to a place where we are now able to serve as a model for others, and we look forward to continuing to build new relationships next year.

Next on the agenda were some brief announcements and calendar reminders:

• Please remember to register for summer camp and for next school year soon. We only have a few spots left in most of our classes, and current students who don’t enroll by June 1 may lose their places.
• The high school is on track for opening in the fall, and applications are due June 1. Please contact Joe Klein for more details.
• Keep your eyes open for two surveys, which will be arriving in your email soon.
• The Unknowns will have a puppet show at Dogtown on May 23 at 7pm.
• May 27: Memorial Day – No school
• May 30: Last Day – Half day; Celebration at 11:30 with potluck
• June 5: Parent conferences

Shelly introduced Board president, Kristan Morrison. Kristan reminded everyone that it’s time to vote for Board members. An email was sent out last week with the ballot, but if you need a new ballot contact Carol. In general, said Kristan, the Board is doing well, and in particular the financial status of the school is making good progress.

Kristan announced that Ezekiel Fugate has been hired as Administrative Manager/HS Teacher, and he’ll be starting July 1. In addition to teaching at the high school, Ezekiel will be working on administrative projects like accreditation. Towards accreditation, representatives from the Virginia Association of Independent Schools visited the school recently.

During a quick overview of the Board committees, Kristan announced a donation by CERC and shared that a group of Radford University graduate students will be working at Vintage Virginia Wine Festival to help raise money for our school. She also talked about the Advisory Board being developed to help connect more community members with the school. Finally, Kristan mentioned that all the Board committees are looking for more participation, and if you are interested, please contact her or any Board member.

Shelly took the floor again to update everyone on plans for the 2013-14 school year for the elementary school, and shared the calendar. Next year, there will be five classes, and we’ve hired Jenni Heartway to teach the new lower elementary class. Hari Berzins will be teaching the kindergarten class, and Ashley Morales will be the new teaching assistant in the early childhood class. Information about these teachers and their experiences in these areas are available in the office. No changes are planned for the middle elementary class, and the upper elementary class will be taught by Jonathan Vandergrift, Inge Terrill, and Corey Avellar. The scheduling and location for the upper elementary class are still being discussed.

Scholarship Forms Available

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Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 11:00

Scholarship forms for the 2013-14 school year are now available on the forms page of the website and in the main office. This form is for the high school and the elementary school.

Please note that the scholarship form will only apply to the household who submits the application. If more than one household is responsible for a child's tuition, only the household applying will receive the award. For example, if a child's tuition is being paid by Household A and Household B, and Household A submits an application for scholarship, only Household A will receive the award. If Household B also wishes to apply for scholarship, it would also need to submit a completed application.

The deadline for submission is June 1. Forms received after that date will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis and awarded as funds allow.

If you have questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in the main office.

Join us for camp!

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Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 14:03

Summer is almost here, so register now to save your spot at summer camp! This summer, BMS is offering three sessions of day camp for kids ages 3 and up. We have lots of great activities planned, and you won't want to miss the fun!

Each session runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The fee is $195 per week (Circus Camp is two weeks), and children must bring their own lunch. There is a 15% discount for additional children in a family, and scholarships are available. Payment is due in full by the first day of the camp session.

Mystery Camp: June 17-21

You and your detective team will solve small mysteries all week, leading up to solving a big mystery at the end of the week. They will participate in making footprint molds, fingerprinting, fiber analysis, evidence collection, informant interviewing, and intelligence analysis.

Old-Time Radio Camp: June 24-28

Students will explore local history and traditional crafts and skills, music, and storytelling, learning to express themselves in creative ways all week. They will also participate in developing and putting on a live ‘radio show’ at the end of the week.

Circus Camp: July 8-19

Students will have the opportunity to try all sorts of circus-related games and skills like juggling, clowning, and costume making, and will put on a real circus at the end of the session. For returning circus campers, this is a great chance to learn new skills or refine skills you worked on last summer.

Friday Enrichment Session 4: Greek Mythology

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Published on Friday, 29 March 2013 16:01