October 5, 2023
from Jenn Milam, Middle School director
A Look Ahead
- Friday, October 6: Picture Retake Day
- Monday, October 9: No Classes, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Thursday, October 12: All School Fall Conferences, 3:30-8 PM
- Friday, October 13: No Classes, All School Conferences, 8 AM-5 PM, register for K-8 Panther Care
- Wednesday, October 18: Middle School (PreK-4) Grandparents and Special Friends Day, 10:30 AM-2:45 PM, Family Commons, Gallery, register
- Thursday, October 19-Friday, October 20: No Classes, Fall Break, register for K-8 Panther Care on October 20 only
- Friday, October 27: Halloween at MPA including 5/6 Halloween Carnival, 3:15-4:30 PM and 7/8 Fall Dance, 7-9 PM
- Friday, November 3: End of Quarter 1
It’s hard to believe, but we have passed the midpoint of our first quarter of the year! Yes, here we are, and conferences are just around the corner. We are looking forward to seeing you on October 12 and/or October 13. The scheduling window has closed and if you missed it, you’ll need to reach out directly to teachers to see if they have openings (most do not) during conference time or you can schedule some time in the weeks after.
As a reminder, Middle School students are active participants in their conferences, and you should plan for them to attend with you. As young people, being active participants in their own learning is important. And just like during the school day, their active voice in the conference is important and valuable.
We are also offering sessions for support with Schoology. Please look for “Schoology” course to schedule time with Mr. Moran, our director of academic technology, or feel free to drop by the Middle School office and we can assist you, too.
Parent Education Opportunity
Our very own school psychologist, Dr. Jules Nolan, is offering a parent webinar this month! Please feel free to register as you are able—any time with Jules is full of insight and goodness.
October 24: Parents: Identifying Typical vs. Problematic Stress and Anxiety
Additionally, at our first Middle School parent coffee, I shared that the podcast by Dr. Lisa Damour is excellent. Look for “Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting” on just about any podcast platform – you’ll be glad you did!
Grandparents and Special Friends Day, October 18
We will welcome Grandparents and Special Friends to campus on Wednesday, October 18. Students may invite their grandparents and special friends to share in their MPA experience with some classroom time, a performance, and some fun! You can learn more about the special day and RSVP for your guests here! An RSVP is required to attend and helps to plan accordingly for the large number of guests on campus.
MAP Growth Assessment for Middle School
As many of you are aware, during and after COVID, MPA Lower and Middle School refrained from standardized testing as we were focused on supporting young people through an unprecedented time of unpredictability, various hybrid modes of learning, and holding at the forefront of our efforts keeping all safe and well. While we still feel the lingering impact of COVID, the Middle School faculty and I have determined that it is time to return to some standardized assessment to measure our student’s progress in formative ways that can inform our instruction and student support.
We have begun administering the NWEA MAP GROWTH assessments and we will continue for the next week to ten days. You can learn more about MAP GROWTH assessments in this short video. You will note that this computer-adaptive assessment is given three times a year to measure academic growth. We will be sharing both the first and second administration data with you during winter conferences in February.
If you have questions or would like more information, please let us know!
Athletic Practice and Game Schedules
As we are all in the midst of fall seasons, practices and games can be a challenge to keep track of. Please bookmark the MPA Athletic website to your computer and smart device so that you can regularly check the schedule. We do our absolute best to give families as much advanced notice as possible when schedules change, but it can be last minute.
Please bookmark the MPA Middle School Athletics website and select the sport for your student! You can also find Upper School Athletics schedules, as well, on our MPA website! ? Go Panthers! ?
Absences, Late Arrivals/Early Dismissals
As a reminder, if your student will be absent, arriving late, or leaving early, please notify the Middle School office at your earliest convenience. Our phone number is (651) 748-5565. You can also email Ms. Lassonde (jlassonde@moundsparkacademy.org), Ms. Meras (pmeras@moundsparkacademy.org), or Ms. Milam (jmilam@moundsparkacademy.org).
Please note, parents, that tardies do not only impact your student’s learning, but those of their classmates. Being on time, ready to learn, and in their classes by (or better, just before) 8 AM ensures they can start their day on the right foot. If you are struggling to get to school on time, I would urge you to have a conversation with your (pre)teen about working together, better, to meet this goal!
#IAmNotACostume: A Note about Cultural Appropriation
As our young people begin selecting costumes for this favorite October tradition, it is important that we are sensitive to issues of cultural appropriation. “Cultural Appropriation is the act of taking significant elements (symbols, dress, words, practices, etc.) from a culture that is not your own and removing all original context or meaning, usually with the goal of using these elements for entertainment, marketing, or exploitation.” Source: http://www.lspirg.org/costumes. When selecting a costume for Halloween, I would ask that you engage your student in a conversation about the purpose of their costume (Is it just for fun? Or is there an underlying message behind it?), ask them to consider if anyone may take offense to their costume and the representation it suggests (Is it possible that others may view the costume as a mockery of a particular culture? Does the costume seek to make a token of traditional cultural symbols not held by your family culture?) and encourage them to reflect upon the way that their costume may be experienced by those around them, thus seeking to build empathy and critical thinking–two values we hold dear here at MPA.
We want Halloween to be a fun, imaginative, and magical celebration of the fall season in a way that not only values the childhood experience but, so too, those cultures, (re)presentations, symbols, and traditions deeply held and honored by each of us in our unique lived experiences.
For more information on cultural appropriate and Halloween costumes, you might find some of these links helpful:
Halloween at MPA–Friday, October 27
The 5/6 Student Council has been busy planning for the annual Halloween Carnival. The carnival is for grade five and six students and is held immediately after school on Friday, October 27, from 3:15-4:30 PM. The cost to attend the event is $20. Your students may bring their money to the office or on the day of the event. The fee covers pizza, snacks, drinks, and goodies.
If you would like to donate items, snacks, or perhaps volunteer (limited volunteers are invited), please email Jess Powell, Student Council faculty advisor, at jpowell@moundsparkacademy.org. An email was sent home earlier this week for additional details, too.
The 7/8 Fall Dance is also being held on Friday, October 27, from 7-9 PM. More details are forthcoming!
NOTE: All Middle School students are invited to wear their costumes, if they’d like, to school on Friday, October 27. We ask that it limit distractions from learning and that “big kids” be mindful about our younger friends when selecting costumes. Students may not wear masks that cover their entire face or bring any type of weapon to school, even if it is part of a costume.
Be well and take care of one another!
