Traditions and Events
Throughout MPA Middle School, students look forward to participating in numerous traditions and events. As children progress from fifth through eighth grade, these experiences broaden their connection to MPA as they uncover new knowledge, make a wider circle of friends, and develop relationships with faculty who will follow them through Upper School and beyond.

Favorite traditions include SnoDaze Week, the snowtubing outing, the Homecoming Picnic and Games Event, and Pairing Assemblies with Upper and Lower School students. Highlighted events include 7/8 dances, the 5/6 Halloween Carnival, the Middle School Play, and the beloved Moving Up Ceremony.

Service Learning
Learning to be active citizens and giving back to the community are important components of the Middle School program. Each year students participate in a number of service projects, both on- and off-site, and sponsor drives for food, clothing, and emergency relief efforts. Middle School students are responsible for the school's recycling program and play a key role in maintaining the Middle School garden and the Family Commons.

Field trips
Field trips are a significant element of the Middle School program. Students participate in environmental education, activities integrated between subject areas, and team building exercises.

Overnight experiences include a fifth grade trip to Osprey Wild, a sixth grade adventure to Eagle Bluff, a seventh grade trip to Washington, D.C., and an eighth grade adventure at Eagle Bluff. Day field trips include traveling to Taylors Falls and canoeing on the St. Croix River, attending performances at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Physics Forces Day at the University of Minnesota, ice skating at Aldrich Arena, studying at the Minnesota Zoo, and much more.

Parent/Guardian Involvement
The MPA Middle School community is a friendly, eclectic group of families who seem to enjoy school as much as their students. As a parent or guardian of a Middle School student, your role changes a bit as your child becomes more and more capable of making decisions, navigating friendships, managing their own belongings, and learning how to manage time as they move through the Middle School experience. Still, your involvement at school, communication with teachers, and close attention to their needs is an important part of our partnership.

You will find numerous ways to become an active member of the MPA community. There are parent meetings, athletic activities, concerts, plays and performances. You can get involved in the Parents Association, and there are multiple functions that involve the entire school community which allow you to get to know parents of children from all grade levels. The beauty of involvement at MPA is that we offer many ways for you to stay involved as you are trying to allow your child to develop their independence.