April 6, 2023
from Ann Jurewicz, Lower School director
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
- April 28: No classes, Professional Development
- May 1-5: Lower School Sports Week
There is nothing more joyful than watching children sing and dance, and what a pleasure it was to see MPA Lower School students shine at last week’s Art and Music Show. Students proudly walked the halls to find and show their families the beautiful artistic creations they have made this year before gathering in the Nicholson to perform unique and culturally important pieces celebrating the best of what humanity has to offer. My deepest thanks go to music teacher Ms. Mari Espeland and art teacher Ms. Ellen Scharfenberg for their wonderful leadership of students!
Pairing Assembly–Friday, April 7
Lower School students are excited to pair with their Middle and Upper School buddies to play different board games this Friday. The buddies did reading groups last fall. The tradition has been a great way to build community and come together as one school.
CHAMP Assembly–Wednesday, April 12
We are looking forward to the collaboration of our PreK and Grade 2 students at our next CHAMP assembly. The characteristic of the presentation will be COLLABORATIVE. Students have been taking pictures of all the ways children collaborate together in our Lower School.
Grades 3-4 Field Trip To Orchestra Hall—Tuesday, April 18
As a special event, third and fourth-grade students will spend the morning of April 18 attending a concert at Orchestra Hall. MPA has not been able to have this annual field trip for the past three years, and we are excited to bring this opportunity back for music appreciation. Thank you, Ms. Espeland!
Middle School Matters: A Community Book Study
Thank you to those who joined us for our first Book Study meeting! Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 19, 7:30 PM! Please join us, even if you didn’t the first time—there is a great discussion, fellowship, and affirming conversation with other parents!
Middle School is a time of rapid changes, new experiences, and sometimes, perplexing encounters in a new world in which we (parents!) did not grow up! In partnership with Ms. Cooper, our school counselor, and Ms. Meras, our new Middle School Dean, I will be hosting a community book study this spring. We will do a shared reading of Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond–and How Parents Can Help by Phyllis L. Fagell.
We invite you to have dinner with your family, put your feet up, pour a drink of something you enjoy, and meet us online, on the following dates at 7:30 PM, from the comfort of your living room!
- Wednesday, April 19, 2023: Social Skills
- Thursday, May 18, 2023: Learning and School
- FINAL SESSION—TBD: Empowerment and Resilience
We will have guest speakers and experts for each of the sections of the text and will share our own personal journey in raising spirited, well-balanced, resilient, kind, and good humans.
You can purchase the book in any format of your choosing, and in whatever way you’d like. Here are a few options:
Or you can check it out at your local library!
You can also just drop in for a listen, join the conversation, and build community. I am hoping with a later evening gathering time, and the flexibility of ZOOM, that we’ll have the opportunity to connect and grow our community in a way that makes space for the various family and scheduling demands we all juggle.
- Join Zoom Meeting
- Meeting ID: 332 737 0417
- Password: MSMatters!
