March 22 - April 2, 2021

IGDVS Newsletter
Mar 22, 2021
8 min read

Updated: Oct 19, 2021

Introducing... our wonderful team of editors and designers!! We are students at DVGS and want to appreciate everyone for the support and enthusiasm!

Dear Families:

Happy Spring! The K-6 girls have been at the satellite campus for two weeks now. It brings so much warmth and joy to our staff to have the students in school again. Colorful posters and student artwork line the walls, laughing and playing during recess, and the sheer joy of being in the classroom again. We hope they have enjoyed returning to school! We now have social media!! Follow @igdvs_newsletter on Instagram for more information and details about events :)

Sincerely, IGDVS

Meet the Team!

Rita Yee

Hello Everyone! I currently teach 2nd - 4th graders at IGE. I taught kindergarten for 11 years in Texas before making the big move to teach at IGE. I am so excited about the direction of the newsletter. I love collaborating with these amazing girls!

Katherine Wang

Hi, I’m Katherine and I am a freshman at DVGS. In my free time, I like reading, watching movies, and hanging out with my friends. I hope everyone enjoys reading our newsletters!

Kaitlin Harness

Hi, I’m Kaitlin, a junior at DVGS! I enjoy watching Marvel movies, dancing, reading, and making my friends laugh. One of my favorite pastimes is doing crosswords and making them for the IGDVS newsletter :)

Rachel Blythe

Haloo, I’m Rachel Blythe and I am currently a junior at DVGS! I enjoy taking pictures of the people and the environment around me, love listening to R&B and 80s songs, and also enjoy watching movies to escape reality.

Tessa Jahnke

Hi, I’m Tessa and I am a freshman at DVGS. I enjoy photography, art, and cooking.

Katie Finnegan

Hi I'm Katie :> I write the environmental article for cool beans, I'm a freshman at DVGS and enjoy drawing and dance.

COVID-19 Education

Have you ever experienced the symptoms of COVID-19? Have you ever known anyone who had COVID-19? COVID-19 Survivor Diaries is a site in which people who had COVID-19 share their experiences in order to spread awareness about this terrifying disease. Below is a shared experience by Joanna Hoffman, who is a poet and runner living in Brooklyn, New York. BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: "I didn’t have any pre-existing conditions. I was healthy. I was preparing for the New York marathon. I always keep up a certain level of mileage because I do races all the time that are shorter like half-marathons, 10ks, 5ks, etc. I used to run five to seven miles three days a week, and then a ten to fifteen mile run on the weekends. At first, COVID seemed distant. Then it was like a freight train coming right at us. I had a lot of anxiety about the pandemic looming over everything, like a nightmare come true. I had so much fear about getting it that once I got sick, I felt as if I surrendered. I started having symptoms on Tuesday, March 17th. I had gone for a run with a friend and as I was coming back, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I had acute muscle pain. I felt feverish. I texted my friend who is a nurse and told her about how I felt. She immediately asked me to check my temperature and I found out I had a fever. She told me to isolate myself as if I had COVID. I can’t remember being that sick since I had strep throat in my early twenties. The fever was like a roller coaster going up to 101 and crashing down over and over. I had it from Tuesday- Saturday with intense body pains, so bad they kept me up at night. I also had chills, shivering, headaches, a scratchy throat, stuffy nose, coughs, and basically lost my voice for several days. I gradually developed respiratory symptoms too. I felt congestion and tightness in my chest. I never had a telltale dry cough that people had with COVID. Mine was much more phlegmy. It wasn’t until the fever went away and I had that day of constant shivering that I felt like I couldn’t breathe well. The congestion got worse. I freaked out and called my friend. She noticed my breathing and told me I should go to urgent care to get my lungs checked for pneumonia. I went to CitiMD and had an x-ray. The doctor said I didn’t have pneumonia but I did have some inflammation from coughing. He prescribed an inhaler. It was definitely scary, and the fever made me feel delirious all the time. I don’t have a primary care doctor because I changed my insurance. I tried asking my insurance company but they didn’t know how to help me. I called 311, told them that I thought I had COVID and they were clueless. The doctor I spoke to over a virtual consultation thought I did have COVID and referred me for testing but then someone from HHS called and said I shouldn’t get tested unless I needed hospitalization. It wasn't until three months later that I got an antibody test that was positive, and then I knew for sure I had it. I lost my mother last July to breast cancer. She was fighting it for over fifteen years. In the last eight years of her life, it was stage four and spread into her skin. We were very close to each other. Losing her was a huge loss for me. I think grieving her while living through a pandemic and being socially isolated was really difficult for me and for my family. There's something about being that sick that makes me want my mom, which I think is common for a lot of us. I thought about her the whole time. I talked to her a lot especially when I was very feverish. I was imagining her, my aunt, and my grandma — all of whom are deceased — standing around my bed giving me advice. I think I was hallucinating rather than dreaming because I was awake but it felt so real. Once I told my mom I was scared of dying alone. She said, “Listen to me: you are never alone.” My grandma asked me to eat something, which is something she would definitely have said. My aunt told me that I was going to be fine. It was actually very comforting. Hearing these women who nurtured me my whole life talking me through this difficulty gave me tremendous relief. I don’t have any lingering symptoms. I feel really lucky about that. I waited for 72 hours after my symptoms went away and then went for a run. I definitely was a little out of shape but was able to run three miles and I felt fine. Especially compared to some of my friends who had COVID and after months of recovering, they still can’t go for a run. I am very fortunate that I had a relatively mild case." - Joanna Hoffman Resources: Stories — COVID-19 SURVIVOR DIARIES For more information and more stories of COVID-19 survivors, visit the site Stories — COVID-19 SURVIVOR DIARIES.

Senior Spotlight: Vy Nguyen

Vy is a senior at DVGS.

Question: What was your inspiration for coming to this school? Vy: My parents. Question: What has been your most memorable experience here? Vy: My most memorable experience would probably be going on a field trip with my English for Junior year where we were able to analyze and admire art in San Francisco. Question: What is your favorite part of IGDVS? Vy: Our sense of community and friendship because of how small our school is. Question: What is your favorite subject? Vy: My favorite subject would be math because our teachers are always willing to tutor us when we don't understand the material. Question: Do you have any advice for students? Vy: Don't be afraid to ask for help and make sure to use your time wisely!! Procrastination is an inner evil that we can all overcome :)

Environmental Article

Please submit your photos and videos this Monday, March 22nd. The following themes will help you out: Try going outside during sunset and finding a good spot to take some pictures. You also could enter a photo or video from any time in the past if you really like it. This is just for fun, so be creative and have some fun! Don’t forget about the prizes; there are 2 winners! :> For any questions and submissions please email katie.finnegan@igdvs.org

Vegan Recipes:

Vegan Pizza

Ingredients: 3 large leaves of kale 1 tsp olive oil pinch of salt 8oz vegan chicken style seitan roasted tomatoes 8oz vegan mozzarella cheese 3 10oz ball of pizza dough Instructions:

One hour before you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 550 ºF, or as hot as it will go. Place a rack in the middle of the oven, and place a baking stone on that rack. You want the oven to saturate with heat for 1 hour before baking pizza for best results.
At this time also remove the pizza dough from the fridge so it can come to room temperature and the gluten can relax.
Wash the kale thoroughly, remove the stems and roughly tear the leaves into pieces. Put the torn kale in a bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Massage the kale and then set aside to rest for a half hour.
In a skillet over medium heat, fry the vegan chicken in a teaspoon of oil until it's lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
When the oven is nice and hot, prepare your pizzas one at a time. Stretch (don't roll!) your dough to around 12" diameter and place on a lightly floured pizza peel. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the vegan mozzarella. Add 1/3 of the massaged kale and some roasted tomatoes.
Transfer the pizza onto the baking steel or pizza stone and bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch the kale for burning towards the end. Drizzle on a little extra olive oil to protect it from burning if needed.
If baking on a baking sheet, assemble the pizza straight on the metal and place directly in the oven.
Repeat the pizza assembly and baking with the remaining dough.
Let the pizza cool for a couple minutes before cutting and enjoy while hot!

Recipe from The Curious Chickpea https://www.thecuriouschickpea.com/crispy-kale-roasted-tomato-and-vegan-chicken-white-sauce-pizza/

Women's History Month Crossword!

This March is Women's History Month, a month to celebrate the contributions of women to society and to the world. Enjoy this month's crossword created by Kaitlin Harness! https://crosswordlabs.com/view/womens-history-month-crossword-5

Crafts To Do at Home:

In times of happiness or stress, labeling emotions and acknowledging these events have proven to give a positive effect on people. Journaling is a form of mindful and self-care practice, so here are a few steps to help you with your journaling!

Experiment and find what works for you. Your journal does not have to be full of words, it can also be filled with pictures, drawings, or even cutouts from magazines.
You do not have to journal every day. Journaling should be a pleasure and a treat – not a chore you knock off your daily list. So, you can fill in your journal whenever you feel like it and the process should be stress-free.
Start small and keep your goals realistic. It is important to make sure your expectations are not set too high, but are reachable so you can be motivated to achieve them. Remember, small steps make big changes!
Make it yours. You don’t have to obsess over your handwriting or your drawings, just feel free to make it as messy as possible.
It’s okay if a form of journaling isn’t working out for you. Just know that there are many different ways to channel out your emotions, and maybe another technique, other than journaling, might help you ease your mind.