January 16, 2025
from Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director
Mark Your Calendars
- Monday, January 20: No Classes, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Monday, January 20: Panther Club Closed
- Monday, January 20, PreK Closed
- Tuesday, January 21: No Classes, Grading & Professional Development
- Tuesday, January 21: Panther Club Closed
- Tuesday, January 21: PreK Closed
- Wednesday, January 22: MS G4 to G5 Transition Parent Meeting, 8-9 AM, Family Commons
- Thursday, January 23: HeadSpace: Meeting Our Educational Promise Through A Competency-Based Approach To Education, 7-8 PM, Thursday, January 23: HeadSpace: Meeting Our Educational Promise Through A Competency-Based Approach To Education, 7-8 PM, Virtual Meeting, Check Email For Link
- Friday, January 24: LS PreK to K Transition Parent Coffee, 8:15-9:15 AM, Martin Lenz Harrison Library
- Friday, January 24: PA Family Trivia Night, 6-8 PM, Family Commons
- Wednesday, January 29: January Uniform Sale, 8 AM-3:30 PM, Atrium
- Wednesday, January 29: LS CHAMP Assembly, 8:15-8:45 AM, Family Commons
- Thursday, January 30: January Uniform Sale, 8 AM-3:30 PM, Atrium
- Friday, January 31: Returning Family Re-Enrollment Agreements Sent
- Friday, January 31: January Uniform Sale, 8 AM-3:30 PM, Atrium
- Thursday, February 6: LS Duty-Free Lunch with Parent Volunteers, 11:40 AM-12:40 PM, Playground and Family Commons
- Thursday, February 6: LS/MS Evening Conferences, 3:30-8 PM
- Friday, February 7: LS/MS Conferences, 8 AM-3 PM
Welcome back to the Lower School, and welcome to 2025! I trust that you’ve had a restful and rejuvenating winter break and are enjoying seeing your children back in the thick of learning at school. Even amidst freezing temperatures, things are heating up as we explore new units and concepts. Read on for more updates on some exciting events and important reminders!
Winter FastBridge Assessments: January 15-24
All kindergarten students will engage in the FastBridge assessment for reading and math with learning specialist Mrs. Ross from January 15-24. Students in first through fourth grade who are currently in intervention groups for reading, writing and/or math will complete FastBridge assessments for the subject(s) in which they are receiving intervention. Your child’s results will be shared with you at Winter Conferences.
PreK to Kindergarten Transition Parent Coffee: Friday, January 24
To support our PreK families, we warmly invite the parents of our youngest learners to the Library on January 24 from 8:15-9:15 AM to meet the kindergarten teaching team, learn more about the MPA kindergarten program, and get any questions answered about the next step in your PreK children’s journey. All PreK families are welcome to attend, even if your child will enjoy another year in our PreK program! Kindergarten faculty Ms. Katie Roche and Ms. Kristine Petersen along with Ms. Jennifer Le Varge and Ms. Jennifer Jasinski are excited to collaborate with you! If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director, at jlevarge@moundsparkacademy.org.
PreK-12 MPA Preview: Sunday, January 26, 2025, 12:30-2 PM
Invite a friend to experience MPA! The MPA Preview is the perfect way to share MPA with a friend, neighbor, or family member. If you know someone who is exploring schools or interested in MPA, please share the following information and link to RSVP.
MPA Previews are signature PreK-12 events designed to introduce families to the faculty, students, and families who make MPA the exceptional learning community that it is. Visitors will hear from a variety of perspectives, be engaged in conversation with academic leaders, and experience learning the MPA way. These events are for family members of all ages to attend together and will include division-specific time. Families can RSVP here!
Semester 1 Reports: Sent Home on January 28
Report cards for semester 1 (September through January) are hitting inboxes soon! Please check your email on Tuesday, January 28, to read about how your child has grown since the start of the year and their next steps in learning.
CHAMPs Celebrating Lunar New Year With Upper Schoolers: Wednesday, January 29
We are excited to partner with a group of Upper School students who are planning a special event for the Lower School to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake. The event will take place on Wednesday, January 29 as part of a special afternoon CHAMP assembly from 1:45-2:50 PM in the Family Commons. Children are invited to wear their CHAMP shirts and/or any red top for the festivities!
Express Yourself Friday: Friday, January 31
It has been so fabulous to see our students express their passions, interests, and amazing personalities on the last Friday of each month! Our next Express Yourself Friday will take place on January 31.
Lower and Middle School Winter Conferences: February 6 and 7
Lower and Middle School Winter Conferences are coming up on the evening of February 6 and the day of February 7. The conference sign-up window will open next week. Please look out for more information coming soon to families via email, including directions on how to sign up for conferences with our teachers.
Please Make Sure Your Child Has Winter Gear Available at School
Kind reminder, if you haven’t already done so, to send your child to school with a heavy parka, hat/earmuffs, a scarf, and gloves/mittens daily to school. You may also wish to send snow boots and snow pants to school to keep in your child’s cubby/locker for those freezing recess times. We will be outside most days unless the weather (including windchill) is –10 degrees or colder. Students must wear snow boots and snow pants to participate in sledding during recess. We are still seeing children at school without heavy coats, snow pants, hats, mittens, etc. Please encourage your child to look in their backpack and locker/cubby to make sure they have all the gear needed for a safe and enjoyable recess time outside!
