September 15, 2022
from Mark Segal, Upper School director
I am sure that you, like me, have been in an in-depth conversation with another person when, out of the blue, their attention became distracted and they, instinctively, reached for their pocket or purse to examine the notification that arrived on their cell phone. Urgent or not, the buzz or ring distracted the person you were speaking with enough to significantly shift the direction of your interaction. Similar to Pavlov’s classical conditioning experiment with the ringing of a ball and dog salivating, large percentages of individuals have become conditioned to act as soon as our cellular phones ring or buzz.
This became far more noticeable with students when after they had spent long periods away from peers, activities, and social interactions due to pandemic driven shutdowns. For many students the weeks and months of isolation was difficult emotionally and psychologically as they endured months without almost everything that they valued – sports, theatre, music, friends, etc. Thankfully, students returned to school and their activities, but returned to normalcy “out of practice” when it came to social graces, meeting expectations, and the expected give and take of everyday life.
Prior to Covid, psychologist Jean Twenge had been studying teen mental health, and in her 2017 book, iGen, she shared, “the historic downturn in the well-being of young people coincided almost exactly with the dramatic rise of the smartphone and social media.” English teacher and author Tyler Rablin shares in a recent EdSurge article that, “when students pick up their phones, they are immediately bombarded with notifications and noise, which doesn’t support learning.” He continues that there are creative tools and apps that are beneficial to learning, “but these tools and apps are not actively reaching out to them. Instead, it’s TikTok, Instagram and games that are causing distraction. Their phones are actively and intentionally working against the goals of learning.”
For these reasons, the upper school faculty unanimously chose to require their students to keep their cell phones in their backpacks or in a provided “cell phone parking lot” while in class. Recent history has shown that if a student had their phone out, there was an endless stream of notifications flooding their home screen from social apps telling them they’ve been tagged in photos or videos, game notifications letting them know they’ve been challenged by a friend, or text messages from parents reminding them about after school commitments. Twenge found that “some students are able to control their phone use, but as they have become more ingrained in everything we do, that number is dwindling.” We know that the decision to “stow away” cell phones is a significant paradigm shift for our students and their families. Thank you for working in partnership as we do all we can to build (and re-build) the interpersonal relationships that are valued aspects of our community.
I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.
Important Information
- Upcoming this week are two special Upper School-centric Homecoming events. The Upper School student BBQ and bonfire are scheduled for Friday 5-8 PM. Burgers, veggie burgers, and other BBQ food will be provided to upper school students free of charge. There is a chance of rain Friday evening and as this is an outside event, we will communicate by 4 PM should we need to cancel. Then, Saturday night we will host the Homecoming dance. It will be held in the Upper School Commons 8 -11 PM. Students will not be admitted after 9:30 PM, so please plan accordingly.
- Fall Conferences will take place in-person, on campus, on Thursday, September 29, from 3:30-7 PM, Thursday, October 6, from 3:30-8 PM, and Friday, October 7, from 8 AM-4 PM. In the Upper School, parents and families may schedule to meet with up to three of their student’s teachers for a 10-minute conference. Once the initial sign-up window closes, families may elect to go in and schedule up to two additional 10-minute conferences.
- Upper School students participate in their conferences and are required to attend. All conferences should be scheduled during conference times slotted. As a reminder, there are no classes on Friday, October 7.
- MPA will once again be using Pick-A-Time for conference registration. You will need to schedule your students’ conferences between noon on Friday, September 16 and noon on Wednesday, September 21. Families with two or more students at MPA may sign up a day earlier, starting at noon on Thursday, September 15, to help you secure back-to-back conferences for your children. Once the system re-opens at noon on Thursday, September 22 families can schedule up to two additional conferences, for a total of five conferences. The scheduling window will close completely at noon on Friday, September 23.
- The Upper School Parent’s Association will hold its first meeting of the school year Friday, September 30 at 8 AM. The meeting will be held on the Porter Conference Room (PCR) located in the Head of School suite. Beyond sharing information about the first month of school and getting to know new Upper School Assistant Director Jay Dean, a conversation will be had about the “appropriate” roll of a parent in an upper school student’s education. We look forward to seeing you for light refreshments, connection, and camaraderie.
- If your student will be absent, late, or needs to be excused early from school, please reach out to the upper school office on msegal@moundsparkacademy.org.
Looking Ahead
Friday, 9/16: Homecoming Assembly, 2:20-3 PM, Lansing Sport Center
Friday, 9/16: Upper School Student BBQ and Bonfire, 5-8 PM, Benz Courtyard
Saturday, 9/17: Homecoming Events @ MPA
Saturday, 9/17: Upper School Homecoming Dance, 8-11 PM, Upper School Commons
Monday, 9/19: Upper School New Family Dinner and Curriculum Night, 5:30-8 PM, MPA
Wednesday, 9/21: Senior Performances, 8-9:15 AM, Recital Hall
Wednesday, 9/28: Senior Performances, 8-9:15 AM, Recital Hall
Thursday, 9/29: Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7 PM, MPA
Friday, 9/30: Upper School Parent’s Association Meeting, 8-9:30 AM, Porter Conference Room
Thursday, 10/6: Cum Laude Induction, 7:30-8 AM, Recital Hall
Thursday, 10/6: Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences, 3:30-8 PM, MPA
Friday, 10/7: No Classes, Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences, 8-4 PM, MPA
