May 19, 2022
by Jenn Milam, Middle School Director
13 DAYS TO GO!
This issue of Middle School News & Notes is a “need-to-know” look at the last few days of school! Grab your planners, family calendars, and get to looking forward to summer!
SPRINGTIME BLUES AND SUMMER SLIDE
It is not unusual at this time of year for students to act-out, push boundaries, and make some poor choices. They are tired, just like we are as parents, and they are acting out for any number of reasons–exhaustion, lack of motivation, frustration, overscheduled activities, friendship blunders, and more. It is also not acceptable for these behaviors to be disruptive to class (we are still learning!), disrespectful to teachers and other adults or to their peers, or hurtful to other people in our community. While we can explain, we cannot excuse.
Today, during lunch announcements, I reinforced my expectations and I also let students know that if they make bad choices that are obviously out of line per our community expectations and standards, and hurtful to others, that they would be calling you to share why they felt it acceptable to be less than their best self at school. Simply, we cannot tolerate disruption and deliberate defiance of our community expectations, regardless of the reason. And we are at a point in the year where those expectations have been reinforced often, and clearly.
I hope you’ll take some time over the next few days to reinforce YOUR expectations and values and the reason why it is important to show up at school, each day, even in the last few days, to learn, contribute positively, and grow. As members of our MPA community, each of us has committed to a shared culture of kindness, respect, and diligence–even in the last 12 days of school! If we all do our part, we can finish joyfully!
GRADE 6 OVERNIGHT
As I wrote in my email yesterday, we made the decision to postpone the seventh grade class trip to the fall. We have rescheduled the trip for September 26-28, 2022. Please have your seventh grader attend school, as usual, next week, Monday through Wednesday.
We remain optimistic that the sixth grade class will be able to have their trip in just a couple of weeks. The sixth grade class will leave on Wednesday, June 1 and return on Friday, June 3. We will send more information as the dates get closer! If you have not completed the MEDICAL RELEASE FORM for participation, please do so at your earliest convenience by clicking on the link below. Any student who does not complete the release form, will not be allowed to travel.
GRADE 6 EAGLE BLUFF RELEASE FORM
NOTE: If you do not wish for your student to participate in this class overnight, they will need to remain at home during the trip, as all sixth grade teachers will be away, too.
SPRING CONCERTS AND PERFORMANCES
Our final concert this evening, Thursday, May 19, for all bands, grades 5-12. We look forward to welcoming you to campus for an evening of great music. Please note that all members of the audience are required to wear a mask. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided to you upon arrival! The performance begins at 7 PM. Students should report to rehearsal and performance prep by 6:20 PM.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITION MEETINGS
I, in consultation with the Middle School faculty, have decided to not reschedule the Transition Meetings that we had to cancel alongside the family dinner a few weeks ago. We evaluated the remaining events and calendars and there simply wasn’t an evening that we could select amidst all the other spring events. Christine Larson has refunded all dinner monies submitted via Venmo and otherwise.
We will look forward to sharing grade level curriculum, projects, expectations, and special events with you at Curriculum Night in the fall!
CLASS OF 2028 WASHINGTON, DC TRIP (MAY 2023)
If your student is a member of the class of 2028 (current sixth grader, will be in seventh grade next year!) we are in the planning and registration phases for the seventh grade class trip to Washington, DC, May 22-26, 2023. I will be hosting an INFORMATIONAL ZOOM Meeting for all parents and families on Thursday, May 26, 7:30 PM.
Please plan to join us for the Parent Meeting to learn more about the trip, payment options, and for the chance to win a $250 scholarship toward the cost of the trip! There are early registration discounts and payment plans available!
EIGHTH GRADE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH SHOWCASE
Friday, May 27, 8-9:15 AM, in the Family Commons, the students in Mr. Milam’s eighth grade Science and Design class will share the results and findings from their Independent Research project. They will also share their English projects composed in English 8 with Ms. Atchison! Please join us for coffee and to celebrate the interesting, incredible, and insightful work this class has done as they pursue knowledge in an area of interest to them. You don’t want to miss this!
FIFTH GRADE INVENTOR’S FAIR
Our fifth graders have been designing, inventing, and prototyping some awesome ideas! Come check them out the afternoon of Friday, May 27, 2:20-3 PM (immediately after our Senior Walk). The fifth graders are dreaming big and their inventions prove the future is both bright and clever!
ADVENTURE DAY!
On Monday, June 6, the entire Middle School will be away from the building, enjoying our beautiful state of Minnesota and the sunshine! Our 5/6 students will spend a day canoeing Taylors Falls while our 7/8 students will raft down Cannon Falls. It’s a great way to share one last adventure for the year and enjoy the warmth and sunshine together. Students will need to prepare a lunch to take with them, bring a water bottle, and apply sunscreen. Swimsuits can be worn as there is often time to swim, play, and wade into the water! We’ll spend the day on the water, have lunch in a nearby park, and then return by 3 PM for dismissal.
Please be on the lookout for release forms and more information. If you do not wish for your student to participate, they will need to remain at home as the entire Middle School faculty will also be out.
PASSION PROJECT GALLERY WALK 2022
Just prior to our Moving Up Ceremony on June 7, the eighth grade class will share their Passion Projects with the community. As the capstone project of 8TH grade, the Passion Project is a unique revealing of an eighth grader’s journey of self-discovery, coming of age, and learnings through Middle School. Projects will be displayed in the Middle School hallways and common areas for you to enjoy, interact with students, and to share in the celebration of their middle school years. The projects this year are as varied and unique as the class members are themselves.
Please join us for this special time on Tuesday, June 7, from 12:30-1:30 PM. You can then join us immediately after for our Moving Up Ceremony in the Nicholson Center.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MOVING UP CEREMONY!
The treasured tradition of celebrating our eighth graders moving on to Upper School, each grades completion of another year, and the welcoming of our rising Middle School students from the fourth grade, will take place on Tuesday, June 7, from 1:30-3 PM. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
ATTENTION PARENTS OF GRADE 8 STUDENTS: Please visit our Schoology Class of 2026 group for details on submitting photographs for the much-anticipated-slide show! If you have questions about this, please reach out to Christine Larson (chrisandmatt@hotmail.com).
Be well and take care of one another!
IMPORTANT DATES
- May 19: Middle School/Upper School Band Concert, 7 PM
- May 26: Washington DC Trip Parent Meeting, Class of 2028, 7:30 PM (ZOOM)
- May 27: Eighth Grade Independent Research Showcase, 8-9:15 AM, SENIOR WALK, 1 PM, Fifth Grade Inventor’s Fair, 2:20-3 PM
- June 1-3: Grade 6 Overnight, Eagle Bluff
- June 6: Middle School ADVENTURE DAY!
- June 7: PASSION PROJECT Gallery Walk, 12:30-1:30 PM, Moving Up Ceremony, 1:30-3 PM
- June 8 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, Early Dismissal 10:30 AM (No afterschool care available)
