November 9, 2023
from Jenn Milam, Middle School director
Mark Your Calendars
- Thursday, November 16: Give to the Max Day, Lip Sync Competition, 2:20 PM
- Friday, November 17: Bring-A-Friend to MPA Day
- Friday, November 17-Saturday, November 19: Middle School Show, Puss ‘N Boots
- Wednesday, November 22: Thanksgiving Holiday Break begins
- Monday, November 27: Classes resume, and Spring Musical Auditions begin
- Monday, December 4: MPA Book Festival Begins
- Tuesday, December 5: Middle School PA Coffee Talk, 6 PM
- Wednesday, December 6: Founder’s Day Pancake Breakfast, 7 AM
- Thursday, December 14: Middle School Band, Orchestra and Choir Concert, 7 PM
- Wednesday, December 20: Last Day of Classes before Winter Break
- Wednesday, December 20: MS Grades 5/6 Feed My Starving Children, 8-11:30 AM, Off Campus
- Wednesday, December 20: MS Roller Skating, 12-3 PM, Off Campus
- Thursday, December 21: Winter Break Begins
- Wednesday, January 3: Classes Resume
As the weather inevitably gets cooler, it can feel a little less motivating for all things–especially getting up early, maintaining consistent homework habits, and maintaining a pace we’ve set for ourselves since the start of the year. It’s more than OK to take some time to re-evaluate habits, commitments, and hurriedness as we move into the holiday season, which brings with it stress, too. Moreover, the end of one quarter and the beginning of the next should prompt some reflection about what is working and what may need adjustment.
A summative quarter-one grade report will be available to you next week in Schoology. You can expect to receive a letter from me with instructions on how to access them and some tips on using quarterly grades as a moment to teach growth mindset, goal setting, and self-reflection.
Again, Tardies Are Not Cool
As I have shared in many conversations, notes, and newsletters, tardies create an issue not just for your student but for others and the flow of instruction. All middle school students should be on campus between 7:45-7:50 AM, allowing for enough time to visit their locker, use the restroom, fill a water bottle and tend to any unfinished business before the school day. Please work with your students and family to make necessary adjustments that prioritize being on time and ready to learn daily!
Weather Is A Changin!
As a reminder, we have recess daily! We also go outside every day unless it is raining or the temperature is below -10 degrees. It is time for you to ensure that your middle schooler has a coat, gloves, hats, and all other weather gear to be outside–even if they won’t always wear them!
i-TERM 2024—Choose Your Own Adventure!
i-TERM 2024 will take place from Monday, March 4, through Friday, March 8. Mounds Park Academy’s i-Term provides Middle School students with a unique opportunity to embody MPA’s mission of thinking independently and learning joyfully by participating in a one-week enrichment experience. i-Term courses are designed to provide inquiry-based, experiential learning beyond the classroom in multi-grade week-long learning adventures! The project-based, focused nature of i-TERM offerings enables students to learn new skills, do things that are not possible within a normal school setting, and be exposed to things they would not be otherwise. Students venture into the community (and world!), interact with experts in a particular field, and create new friendships along the way during this signature experience.
i-TERM Travel and Adventures
This year, there are three big travel adventures being offered, which include, Costa Rica, National Parks, and French Immersion in Quebec City. If you are interested in learning more about a travel experience for i-TERM, please join us on Tuesday, November 14, 7 PM, on Zoom to hear about each trip, dates, payment details, and more! Join Zoom meeting here.
Meeting ID: 926 0514 9768
Password: iterm2024
NOTE: All forms are due by Tuesday, November 21 (before we leave for the November holiday break!). If you do not submit a form, your student will be assigned an i-TERM course based on availability.
We are excited about this year’s courses and hope you are, too! Please reach out if you have any questions!
Attention Class of 2028 (that’s you, eighth graders!)
Mr. Segal, Upper School director, and his team have put together some awesome opportunities for you to get to know MPA’s Upper School and all it has to offer you as you look toward ninth grade. The first of those is the “Feed Your Mind Dinner & Panel Discussion” on Wednesday, December 6.
Please complete this form by Wednesday, November 29, to RSVP for this special event, where a delicious MPA meal will be served while you hear from Upper School students, faculty, and administrators. Bring your questions, wonderings, and worries! You won’t want to miss this event designed especially for YOU!
Gratitude for our Middle School Community
As we make our way through this year, at what seems like lightning speed pace, I am reminded as we welcome November, we have SO much for which to be grateful. I am grateful for you, your choice to share your middle schooler with us at MPA, and your partnership in raising good humans. Now, more than ever, our world needs bright, driven, positive, forces for good, and I appreciate our team, our village, our work together as we find our way as grown-ups.
Be well. Take good care of each other.
