September 29, 2022
from Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School director
As we find ourselves in Week 5 together, we are learning more about each other and our needs, limits, and boundaries. As I have shared with all of you, it is important that middle schoolers feel safe to push boundaries and test limits (it often feels like it’s their job most days!) and it’s also important for them to realize that their actions, words, and habits impact those around them. This year, our Middle School faculty and staff spent some time reflecting on our mission to develop our new MPA Middle School Community Expectations. We have been teaching these, explicitly and implicitly, in all we do daily to help our young people find their way in relation to one another and to themselves.
Our MPA Middle School Community Expectations
BE KIND.
Demonstrate care, compassion, and appreciation for self and others.
BE PREPARED.
Bring all the necessary materials to class and a brain ready to learn.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF.
Learning is about taking risks, trying new things, and connecting with others. It’s okay to fail or make mistakes – we all do!
LANGUAGE MATTERS.
Choose your words carefully. Use language that is affirming, kind, and supportive to yourself and others.
CELEBRATE OTHERS.
Be inclusive and seek to honor the goodness in all humans.
Of course, we’ve all been through a tumultuous time the last two and half years and we are all so grateful to be back together in what feels as close to a typical school year as we’ve had since 2019! I hope my sharing these expectations with you helps you to see see and feel even more deeply our commitment to developing thoughtful, caring, emotionally intelligent, bright young people!
Space Princess Warrior—Congratulations To Our Cast and Crew!
We are delighted to begin rehearsals for our Middle School show and congratulate all who were selected as cast and crew members. Please work with your student to know the rehearsal schedule (available on Schoology), note it in their planners, prepare and have a plan for pick-up, and communication. Just like sports, students are responsible for arranging transportation, pick-up, and snacks with parents.
If you have questions or need information, please email Ms. Mastel (hmastel@moundsparkacademy.org) or have your student stop by to see her in her class.
Planners—Use Them—Check Them—Be Accountable!
Student planners were distributed last week, and we have been working diligently and learning to use them consistently, productively, and in a way that supports self-regulation, executive functioning, organization, and success. Please ask your student about their planner, ask them to show you their progress, and remember that their planner is their first line of organizational super-power!
Snacks—Please Send Them!
Middle Schoolers are always hungry. ALWAYS! And each day, most teachers take time, either during advisory or Block 3, to offer a snack time. For obvious reasons, we cannot provide snacks for all students (allergies, preference, preparation, etc.) but we welcome you to coordinate with your student a snack they can bring to school to give them just enough to make it to lunch.
On this note, eating breakfast is often hard for Middle Schoolers – they are tired, not awake enough to eat, are using every minute to sleep/snooze before coming to school. Especially if your student is not eating breakfast, their snack is ESSENTIAL!
Excellent ideas for snacks include, but are not limited to:
- Carrots and hummus
- String Cheese and Crackers
- Goldfish or pretzels
- Yogurt tube and fruit (already cut and prepared)
- Sliced apple and sunflower butter (no peanuts/tree nut butters)
- Celery and ranch dip
- Small half sandwich
On a related note, if your student is staying after school for sports practice, they also NEED an after-school snack that they may eat in preparation for an hour and a half of activity. NO ONE likes a “hangry” (pre)teen…it would be wonderful if students came prepared for their day not just academically, but nutritionally, as well.
We Do Recess! Dress for the Weather!
As the weather turns cooler, it’s important that your student dresses to go outside for recess. Unless it is raining or –11 degrees or colder, all Middle School students are expected to go outside at recess. Time outside, in the fresh air and sunshine, is great for mental health and well-being, especially in the colder months and the activity is important for growing bodies and brains!
Please take some time to sort through mittens, gloves, hats, headbands, and coats as the leaves start to turn and the cooler weather is upon us – it’ll be snowing before we all know it! It’s cool to be warm!
Parent Connection Opportunities—Coming Soon
We’ve had quite a full start to the new year with Curriculum Night, New Parent Dinner and now Fall Conferences. For most of us, this is in addition to already managing a very full family life, sports practices, private lessons, tutors, and social lives. I am working with our Parents’ Association representatives to schedule some informal gatherings of Middle School Parents, including but not limited to parent coffees, lunch break conversations, and possibly even a book study! If you have a particular interest or suggestion, I am happy to hear from you! I look forward to connecting with you all in a variety of ways!
Conferences begin TOMORROW!
We are really excited to welcome you to campus for our Fall Conferences beginning tomorrow, Thursday, September 29. Middle School students are expected and invited to participate as active members of the conference team. As a reminder, each conference is scheduled for 10 minutes, and we ask that you do your best to help us stay on schedule, recognizing that most teachers are scheduled back-to-back for several hours, and all MPA families are making their way through conferences.
Please be on time for your scheduled conferences and know that teachers have been asked to set a timer to help guide their use of time and maintain the flow of their schedule. If you have not scheduled a conference, please do not “drop-in” on a teacher as they have not prepared for your conference and have other families who are likely waiting. Please reach out to teachers, individually, to schedule a time either during or after the conference times, if you have not scheduled through Pick-A-Time.
Finally, once you begin your conference, if you find that you will need additional time to discuss your concerns or work through an issue, we ask you to schedule another time to continue that conversation outside of the conference window.
Be well and take care of each other!
IMPORTANT DATES AHEAD
September 29: All School Conferences (3:30-7pm)
October 6: All School Conferences (3:30-8pm)
October 7: All School Conferences (8am-4pm) – no classes
October 19: GPSF Day (morning), 11:30am early dismissal
October 20-21: Fall Break – no classes
October 28: HALLOWEEN at MPA! LAST DAY of Q1! NO STUDY HALL!
5/6 Halloween Carnival (3:30-4:45pm)
7/8 Dance (7-9pm)
October 31: GRADING DAY – NO CLASSES!
November 4: ISACS Conference—No Classes
