MPA 11th Grader Honored in MSP Magazine’s 2012 Volunteer Hall of Fame
October 23, 2012
MPA Upper School student Michael Guggenheim is the youngest person featured in Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine’s 2012 Volunteer Hall of Fame. Michael, an 11th grader, was honored in the October issue of the magazine for his work tutoring homeless children. This is another great example of the amazing work MPA students do in the community. We’re proud of you, Michael!
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
October 16, 2012
October 11, 2012
Your response to donations has been amazing. We have over 150 donated items at this time and we are still accepting a few more as we get ready to formulate the catalogue. We do not have any tickets to sporting events so if anyone could help us out there it would be great. We can always use bottles of wine for the wine toss.
Now the important part. We need all of you to come to the event to make it fun and exciting! The food is terrific, the bar is open and there are games to be played. There are also a variety of items for you to bid on. If your family would like to cut down a Christmas tree on the Krikava’s property and then join them for cookies and hot chocolate – you can bid on it. If you like to play games of chance and skill you can sign up for the Casino night, Fantasy football with Kordo or the Texas Hold’em event. if your tastes lean towards good food – learn some tricks from a BBQ chef, or join other women to learn about clever drinks and appetizers for the holidays. Bid on a dinner made and served by the board at the Etzwiler-O’Neill home, attend the Raclette and wine party at the Devens’ home or the wine dinner at the DeBellis’ home.
Prefer getting outdoors? we have a biking trip, cross-country skiing party, snowboard lesson, golf, guided tour and lunch at the Arboretum or a spring 1.5 hour Hidden Bog Tour with the Boyles.
Join us for a spectacular evening and go home with something new to look forward to.
If you have questions or are interested in helping, contact Nansee Greeley at 651-748-5530 or by email at ngreeley@moundsparkacademy.org.
“Election 2012” Event at MPA Provides Pre-Debate Expert Insights
October 4, 2012
Mounds Park Academy hosted former U.S. Representative Tim Penny and University of Minnesota professor Wy Spano yesterday for a discussion about the 2012 presidential election. MPA students in grades 7 through 12 provided thoughtful questions for the speakers, who offered their expert opinions on election issues to help prepare the students for the first presidential election debate held Wednesday evening following the assembly. To find out what the students asked and what Penny and Spano had to say, watch this video of the full event:
MPA Mid-Autumn Festival Set for October 1
September 27, 2012
Zhōngqiū Jié kuàilè!
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Next Monday night, October 1, we’ll again be celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival at MPA, starting at 6pm and going until 8pm or later, in the space outside the cafeteria (or inside the cafeteria if the weather isn’t good). Please enter MPA via the north door and then come through the cafeteria.
There will be moon cakes, special guests, lantern riddles, crafts, poetry and more! Bring picnic-style food if you can (this is traditionally a holiday celebrated outdoors, looking at the full moon), and stop by for a few minutes or the whole time.
This event is open to all MPA students and families, not just Mandarin students.
Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the biggest holidays of the year, made even bigger this year because it falls right before China’s National Day. Come celebrate it with us!
— Ms. Kronick
Mandarin faculty
View the event flyer
Annual Required Asbestos and Pesticide Notification
September 20, 2012
Each year, Mounds Park Academy is required by law to update families on the presence of asbestos in the building as well as the use of pesticides on school property.
Please find those updates here:
2012-2013 Annual Asbestos Notification
General Pesticide Notice for Parents and Guardians
September 12, 2012
Each year yearbook staff can only get to so many games, events, practices, and more. We LOVE getting photos from students, families, and friends–candids, posed, and action shots all work their way into the book. Even events that students are involved with off-campus (An outside sport? Activity? Hobby?) can sometimes be used. We’re looking for technically strong photos (not blurry or off coloring) that are in high enough resolution for print, and we’d like a lot of them!
The best way to send us your photos is through Replay It. ReplayIt is a free web site (and an app) that allows parents, friends, coaches, and teachers to upload photos directly onto our yearbook creation site. Just go to www.ReplayIt.com where you can register, download the smart phone app, see other photos that have been uploaded, and more.
Beyond giving us access to more community photos, ReplayIt locks and becomes a Time Capsule at the end of the school year. On the last day of school, each student who has purchased a book will get a personal code that will allow him/her to see yearbook photos and photos uploaded through ReplayIt. The Time Capsule does not allow people to upload photos to the site, but every pre-existing photo can be viewed forever online.
Thank you for participating in this venture; we look forward to seeing your photos!
KaTrina Wentzel, yearbook adviser
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NOTE: As a safety precaution, we have a moderating service that looks at every photo and makes sure that any inappropriate photos aren’t uploaded. Students can also flag photos of themselves to be removed from the site.
Marshmallow Challenge Helps MPA Students and Teachers Become Better Thinkers
August 30, 2012
In K-12 assembly on Wednesday, August 29, Mounds Park Academy’s students, faculty and staff experienced the “Marshmallow
Challenge.” This design thinking exercise is aimed at further developing innovative
thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills.
Teams of four had 18 minutes and the following supplies:
20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one
marshmallow. The goal for each team is to build the tallest freestanding structure that can support the
marshmallow on top for at least 10 seconds.
While most classrooms at MPA use design thinking as a process
for problem-solving already, this assembly further emphasized to students
and their teachers that there is great value in collaboration, failure and
revision, putting forth effort and having a growth mindset. MPA administrators
Renee Wright, director of professional development and third-grade
teacher, and Renette Stinson, director of admissions, recently participated in a design thinking training for
educators at Stanford University Institute of Design. See https://dschool.stanford.edu/ and https://designthinkingforeducators.com/ for more
information about design thinking. MPA parents Jim and Pam Toole introduced faculty to the Marshmallow Challenge last year as part of a faculty workshop. See more photos of the MPA Marshmallow Challenge here.
MPA Grandparents and Special Friends Day Information
August 29, 2012
Mounds Park Academy is once again planning a great day for grandparents and special friends to visit our PreK-6 students. In order to make this event a success, we need a little help. We may not have your family’s grandparent/special friend’s current address. Please fill out this online form or print, fill out and return this form to the Development Office or by email to Bry Nagan by Friday, September 21, 2012.
PLEASE NOTE: Turning in this form does not register your grandparent or special friend for the event. They must register for the event once they receive the invitation.
Opportunity at Alum-owned Dance Studio
August 23, 2012
Attention
all dancers, actors and actresses! Pas de Deux Dance Studio, which is
owned by MPA alumni Zachari Wetz (Class of ’99), is holding auditions
for an upcoming production of The Nutcracker. The studio is looking for
teens and adults for the Party Scene. The part includes acting and some
easy dancing.
Rehearsals
will be on Saturdays, September 8 through November 17 from 12:15 – 2:00
p.m., at the studio’s Larpenteur location (1899 Larenteur Avenue W,
corner of Larpenteur and Tatum near the State Fair grounds). Tech and
Dress Rehearsals will be on Friday, November 30 (late afternoon/evening)
and performances on Saturday, December 1st (1:30 and 4:00 p.m., dancers
arriving at noon) at the St Paul U of M Student Union Theater.
Auditions
will be held during the first fall rehearsal, September 8, at 12:15
p.m. Dancers interested in auditioning should email Pas de Deux Dance
Studio at studio@pasdedeuxdance.com.