December 1, 2022
Pie Love
Right before the holiday break, the MPA Parents Association participated in our annual Thanksgiving Pie distribution to all staff. This year staff had a choice of apple, pumpkin or lemon meringue pie! Thanks to Chef Chris for ordering and Cherie and the Development team for helping with distribution.
Book Festival Is Almost Here! Support the Joy of Reading at MPA.
The annual MPA Book Festival arrives next Monday, just in time for Winter Break reading or holiday gifts! This year the book festival is in-person once again.
Ways to Support MPA’s Book Festival:
- Visit the Gallery to purchase new books and gift cards. During the week of the Book Festival, Usborne will be selling books in the Gallery, and Valley Bookseller gift cards will be available for purchase. A portion of the profits generated from those sales will be donated to our library.
- Help build a teacher’s classroom library. We will have the books our teachers requested for their classroom libraries available for purchase in the Gallery. Check or cashless payment only. You can hand-deliver the books you select, or we can deliver them for you. Download the list here.
- Visit the Used Book Sale. LS used books will be sold in the LS Atrium at drop off and pick up. MS and US used books will be sold during lunch and recess outside the Family Commons. We have an excellent selection of books for all ages. All proceeds raised from the Used Book Sale benefit the library.
Book Discussions All Week!
- December 5, 8 AM in the Gallery: Book Festival Kick-Off Coffee with book recommendations
- December 7, 6 PM in the Library: Book Club with Dr. Hudson
- December 8, 3-4 PM in the Family Commons: Cocoa and Popcorn Storytime, Upper Schoolers will host a story time for Lower Schoolers. Sign-up here to attend.
Can’t make it into school that week? Valley Bookseller is dedicating their bookshop.org/shop/valleybookseller affiliate link to our Book Festival. We must use this website, not the Valley Bookseller site, for the school to get a portion of our purchases. All books must be shipped to your home. Email PA@moundsparkacademy.org with questions. Happy Reading!
Community Events
Holiday Gift Wrapping Event: Monday, December 12, 2022
Join the Parents Association for this beloved and festive holiday event in the Porter Conference Room (PCR). MPA faculty and staff bring in their unwrapped gifts. We wrap, decorate, and return them. MPA faculty and staff are truly grateful for this gift of time. And the atmosphere really gets everyone in the holiday spirit. Sign up for one hour or as many as you would like. Time slots at the end of the day may also be used for clean up and gift delivery. The PA supplies all wrapping materials, however, donations of gift wrapping, ribbon and bows are greatly appreciated. Send questions to Tara at tmattrn@aol.com or 201-563-4622. Sign up here: 2022 Staff Appreciation Grift Wrapping Event
Upper School Parent Dinner at India Palace: December 3, 8-10 PM
Looking for something to do while your student dances the night away? Come meet other parents and have dinner at India Palace in Woodbury! They will stay open late for us, so please come and enjoy delicious food and great company. RSVP to Staci at sbanksPA@moundsparkacademy.org so we can let them know how many will be coming.
Upper School Parent Morning Coffee: Wednesday, December 14, 8-9:30 AM in the Porter Conference Room
Chat with other parents, bend the ear of Mr. Segal, and hear his take on various Upper School happenings.
Snowshoe Evening at Seven Vines Vineyard: January 21, 6 PM
Back by popular demand! Enjoy a brisk evening snowshoe walk through Seven Vines Vineyard. Tickets are $55 per person and that includes snowshoe rental (and help putting them on), a drink ticket for a glass of wine or fancy coffee, several rounds of Bingo with prizes, and live music. It is a great evening out! To RSVP, Venmo @Staci-Banks-Hehenberger with the name of the event and number attending in the comment line.
Calling MPA families who work in Health Care!
A new student club, MPA HOSA, is in need of your assistance! This year, MPA was introduced to HOSA, an international student-led organization, which provides aspiring high school health professionals with an opportunity to learn and enhance their knowledge regarding the science and equity of the medical field. As a new developing club, we would love your support in helping our chapter and program flourish. It would be a wonderful opportunity for parents involved in any aspect of the medical field to come in during one of our scheduled meetings and share their experiences as healthcare professionals. We would greatly appreciate your perspectives, input, knowledge, and advice. Click here for a survey for any parent who is interested.
Parents of Neurodiverse Students Affinity Group
The Neurodiverse Affinity Group conveners, Upper School parent Stephanie Sommer and Middle and Lower School parent Jessica Flynn, invite all parents and caregivers of neurodiverse MPA students to participate in our inaugural meeting. Our agenda for this meeting is to introduce ourselves and establish goals for our group, including meeting locations, times, and frequency. We would like to convene this first meeting at MPA prior to Winter Break. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we ask that you email stephaniesommer@me.com to indicate your interest by December 1. Please include if you are interested in a virtual option, transportation and/or childcare for these meetings. On December 5, Stephanie will send out a survey to determine the date and time of our first meeting.
LGBTQ+ Parent Affinity Group
The LGBTQ+ Parent Affinity Group convener, Upper, Middle, and Lower School parent Melissa Andretta, invites all parents/caregivers who identify as LGBTQ+ or who have children who identify as LGBTQ+ to participate in our inaugural meeting. Our agenda for this meeting is to introduce ourselves and establish goals and a mission for our group. We will discuss meeting locations, times, and frequency. We would like to convene this first meeting at MPA prior to Winter Break. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, we ask that you email Melissa at garbowmelissa5@gmail.com to indicate your interest by December 1st. Please include if you are interested in a virtual option, transportation and/or childcare for these meetings. On December 5, Melissa will send out a survey to determine the date and time of our first meeting.
