A message from Director of Middle School, Ilse Norris:

Dear Visitation Middle School families,

On Sunday, Jan. 15, the Micro Bows, the Middle School Robotics Team, participated in their last FIRST Tech Challenge tournament of the season. This massive event, comprising 25 teams, was held at Burnsville High School. I was happy to arrive in time to witness the team’s interview with the judges. Our young ladies were poised, well-spoken, and confident, and answered all the judges’ questions in stride. They highlighted their very successful STEAM toy drive earlier this year to benefit the patients of Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. The judges pointed out that rookie teams usually do not engage in community outreach because they are too busy getting their robots off the ground. Speaking of the robot, the team shared with the judges that they completely overhauled their robot after the first tournament, adding a linear slide and a claw to better grip the cones and score points by flipping the cones over some of the higher junctions. To the question, “Why did you want to start a Robotics team in Visitation Middle School?," the team members answered: “We wanted to focus on building confidence in ourselves and inspiring other young girls to do the same!” The interview was a perfect run-on to their performance that day: the Micro Bows placed in the top 20, an incredible feat for this rookie team. I am incredibly proud of their accomplishments and can’t wait to see what they have in store for next season! A special thanks to the coaches, Mr. and Mrs. Koehn, the mentors, Sydney Benz and Mairin O'Shaughnessy '23, to the parents, and to all who supported and sponsored the Micro Bows!

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, and Thursday, Jan. 19, the rising 6th-grade girls will have the opportunity to spend time in the Middle School classrooms. They will visit classes and meet the Middle School teachers and students on one of these afternoons. Additionally, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, there will be an informational meeting for parents of 5th-grade girls to learn all that Visitation Middle School has to offer. The meeting will take place from 8-8:45 a.m. in Ain Karim. Hospitality will be provided. I will address the Middle School schedule, program offerings, enrichment and intervention supports, leadership opportunities, sports, and extracurricular activities, before and after school clubs, and so much more. RSVPs are encouraged for the parent meeting on Jan. 18. I look forward to meeting all of the rising 6th-grade parents!

This Wednesday is our mid-tri grade check-in. Teachers will have all grades and progress reports updated as of this morning, Jan. 18. As always, if you have any questions about your daughter’s progress, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your daughter’s teachers. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

On Thursday, January 19, the GRIT girls will go on their first field excursion. They will visit Arctic Wolf and learn first-hand how this company handles Cybersecurity. They will join other teams nationwide via Skype in the company’s conference room and enjoy lunch before returning to Visitation School, where an ePlus team will facilitate de-briefing and recap all they learned during the day. This promises to be an exciting and rewarding experience for the GRIT girls!

Looking ahead: STA Middle School will host three ski nights for Saint Thomas Academy and Visitation School Middle School students at Afton Alps. See details here.

It is my privilege to partner with you and work with your daughter in this excellent school!

Gratefully,

Ilse Norris
Director of Middle School