All School

The Evolution Of Our Science Curriculum

February 16, 2023

from Bill Hudson, head of school

In high school, science was not my strong suit. Although I did well, I was only really passionate about science in my senior year when I discovered physics. It was a watershed moment for me, and physics helped me to develop a genuine interest in and true passion for science. I only wish I had it earlier in my academic career. Forty years later, I’m happy that today’s students have opportunities I didn’t.

The Upper School science curriculum has undergone a well-planned, research-based evolution over the last four years. The new science curriculum is a comprehensive program that coordinates mathematics with science as a coherent whole with a distinct view of how each concept builds a framework upon previous learning. Physics, traditionally taught in twelfth grade, is now taught in the ninth-grade year. Biology is taught in the sophomore year and chemistry in the junior year. This new sequence now allows for a series of science electives to be offered in the senior year, building upon this new scope and sequence. The new electives give students a choice and the ability to go deeper into a particular field of science. Read More

Parents Association News & Events February 16, 2023

February 16, 2023

Thank You!
A big thank you to everyone who brought in snacks and drinks for this week’s Faculty and Staff Appreciation.

MS Snow Tubing Food Drive
Extended through Friday, February 24
Bring non-perishable food items to your advisory. The items will be donated to the North St. Paul Food Shelf. Since 1979, the food shelf has been dedicated to helping families in need of food. Food shelves have been especially strained with rising food prices. Let’s put our MPA values into action and support our local food shelf!

Calling all Cooks!
Thursday, February 23, 5:30 PM
Please join MPA Alum and Instagrammer Kate Thrane for an evening of Gluten-Free Cooking tips! Kate will share information about living gluten-free, and we will bake some delicious gluten-free cookies! Hope to see you in the MPA Teaching Kitchen on February 23, 5:30 PM. Please RSVP to Staci Banks, sbhehe42@icloud.com, so we can be sure to get enough ingredients for the event.

Dessert and Dialogue with Mr. Segal
Tuesday, February 28, 6:30-8 PM
Upper School parents, please join us in the Porter Conference Room for Dessert and Dialogue with Mr. Segal. In lieu of a quarterly parent coffee for US parents, Mr. Segal will be hosting an evening where he’ll update families on the latest happenings in US, and will open it up for questions and dialogue. Meet other parents, hear school updates and engage in great discussions. RSVP required. Please RSVP to: jbixby@me.com.

We’re Looking for a Middle School Division Lead
The MPAPA is actively seeking a Middle School Division Lead/Co-Leads to join the it’s Board of Directors through June 1, 2023. The MS Division Lead partners with the Board and Dr. Jenn Milam to support the PA’s mission as well as carrying out MS traditions through the end of this school year. This parent/guardian will be asked to contribute in the following ways:

  • Support MS Grade Reps in hosting grade level socials and End-Of-Year Parties (share ideas and coordinate efforts to maximize community building)
    Meet quarterly with the MS Division Director
  • Be an inclusive resource for MPA families seeking information about PA events and initiatives
  • Support faculty and staff during Conference Weeks and other special events as requested by the MS Division Director
  • Meet monthly for a PA Board of Directors meeting
  • Host monthly summer community gatherings of your choice

Interested in learning more? Please contact Staci Banks or Christine Larson, MPAPA Co-Presidents at sbankspa@moundsparkacademy.org or clarsonpa@moundsparkacademy.org.

Upper School Artists Receive Scholastic Recognition

February 15, 2023

The Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards were announced, and the following students had work recognized this year. We’re congratulating Upper School artists for their work being featured this year! Gold Key work will be featured in an exhibition at the Regis Gallery at the University of Minnesota, and the work will advance to compete at the national level. Silver Key and Honorable Mention work will be part of an online exhibition. Congratulations to Maxwell Spencer, Alexx Tolstad, Elise DeBruzzi, Tasos Dimopoulos, Aixa Kellermann, and Ema Santibanez for their excellent artwork!

Elise DeBruzzi (11)—Mixed Media Still Life Honorable Mention Mixed Media
Tasos Dimopoulos (11)—Bones Honorable Mention Drawing
Aixa Kellermann (11)—Berries Silver Key Painting
Ema Santibanez (11)—Colorful Spine Honorable Mention Drawing
Maxwell Spencer (12)—In Stasis 2021 Honorable Mention Painting, Wind Dragon Honorable Mention Painting, Cold Familiarity Gold Key Painting, Beware False Prophets Honorable Mention Printmaking, Cycles of Fire and Ash Silver Key Drawing
Alexx Tolstad (12)—Self Portrait Honorable Mention Drawing, Fall Leaves Honorable Mention Drawing

Kindness Is In Our DNA

February 9, 2023

from Bill Hudson, head of school

Several weeks ago, I spent over an hour on the phone trying to clear up an issue with the automatic payment for our cell phone. We suspected possible fraud and had canceled the credit card on file, but I forgot to update my payment method with the service provider. I like to think of myself as easygoing and patient. Still, my frustration grew to anger as I tried to navigate the online customer service portal. Later, after spending more time than I had on hold, I wasn’t very kind to the customer service representative I spoke with. It wasn’t my best moment.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Christine Porath of Georgetown University says there’s been a definite increase in angry, uncivil, and obnoxious behavior in many workplaces around the world, including businesses, hospitals, restaurants, airlines, hotels, stores, and schools. In a 2005 survey, about half of workers said they were treated rudely at work at least once a month. In 2011, the percentage rose to 55%, in 2016 it was 62%, and in 2022 it was 76%, with 78% saying they witnessed incivility in their workplace at least once a month. Incivility is harmful both physically and mentally.

The number one cause of incivility? Stress. In a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, complete with social and political divisiveness, it’s not a surprise. According to Porath, the antidotes to incivility in the business world are hiring well, training and coaching, empathy, recognizing and rewarding civility, and modeling. These interventions are similar to what might occur in a school community. It is my experience after working with, and in many different schools, the culture of kindness at MPA is the strongest I’ve encountered. I believe it is in the cultural DNA of MPA. Read More

Lower School Division News February 9, 2023

February 9, 2023

from Ann Jurewicz, Lower School director

When we think about learning to read, we think of it as something we learn in school. But did you know, there are very important ways parents can set the foundations for literacy, and these activities and simple and easy to work into your daily interactions with your child. Thank you to Mari Espeland for providing this relevant article on how parents can nurture children on their journey to becoming avid readers. The five big take-aways are: 

  • Verbally engage your child with reciprocal and dynamic interactions. This means ask questions, give directives, use your voice in enthusiastic and personalized ways, and use lots of words. 
  • Learning takes time and space. Children need lots of repetition to learn words, and they need periods of time between repeated sessions to absorb learning fully. 
  • Make lessons personal to the child. Talk about things the child likes. Give them a role in your stories and ownership of elements of the learning. 
  • Be a cheerleader. Praise a child for their hard work, determination and accomplishments. Be sure to offer specific and descriptive words to what they have done and how they have done it. 
  • Model how to find a answer when you don’t know one. It is OK to say you don’t know, and then show your child how to search for answers and use tools to learn what you don’t know

Enrichment opportunities 
The Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) is offering families of high potential, high achieving and intellectually curious students in grades 1 – 4 opportunities for enrichment learning this spring. Financial aid is available for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Spring sessions are listed at the bottom of this MITY website. 

If you are unfamiliar with Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY), they are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1967 to provide academic enrichment opportunities to gifted and talented students. Their Saturday morning elementary program draws roughly 100 students from over 50 different schools each session, bringing together a diverse group of kids in a welcoming and fun environment. They also host free speakers to help families navigate parenting a gifted child.  Read More

Middle School Division February 9, 2023

February 9, 2023

from Jenn Milam, Middle School director

This time of year can seem like a never-ending series of not-so-exciting repetitive routines and recurring tasks, especially when the weather is cold, we spend most of our days indoors, and schedules get busy. This is why we have strategically placed a good bit of our “fun” at this time of year. More, Middle school students, like their younger peers in Lower School, also need opportunities to play, even if that play looks different. One thing we all do, all students PreK-12, is have recess! Recess is important (and required!) part of your student’s day (think VITAMIN D and social time!) and I encourage you, to encourage them to bring appropriate outerwear to be outside. Students are not allowed to “opt out” of recess or choose to stay indoors.  
 
You can read about the importance of play for Middle School students in this great article from the Hechinger Report. 

We are looking forward to a few weeks of excitement in the Middle School as we get ready for our snow tubing event, look toward iTERM, and send our Minnesota State Future Cities champions off to Washington DC to compete in the national competition.  

Join Us! Middle School Matters: A Community Book Study!  
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 will meet four times, to align with the four major sections of the text, via zoom, to discuss, share, wonder, worry, ponder, and problem-solve alongside teachers, experts, and other community members the mystery and magnificence of the middle school years. We invite you to have dinner with your family, put your feet up, pour a drink of something you enjoy, and meet us online, the following dates at 7:30 PM, from the comfort of your living room!  

  • Wednesday, February 22, 2023 (Values and Integrity)  
  • Thursday, March 23, 2023 (Social Skills)  
  • Wednesday, April 19, 2023 (Learning)  
  • Thursday, May 18, 2023 (Empowerment and Resilience)  

We will have guest speakers and experts for each of the four sections of the text and will share our own personal journey in raising spirited, well-balanced, resilient, kind, and good humans.    Read More

Upper School Division News February 9, 2023

February 9, 2023

from Mark Segal, Upper School director

One of my favorite movies is the 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray. In the film he plays weatherman Phil Connors and continually relives (and relives) the celebration of the movie’s namesake holiday as he covers the “big story” of if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not. Throughout the movie Murray finds different ways to spend the famed day knowing that each morning he will reawaken to the same Sonny and Cher song, “I Got You Babe.” The film brings humor to the national “holiday” which dates back to 1886 in Punxsutawney, PA where it is determined if winter will continue or end early.

Many say that February is the longest short month of the year because, especially in Minnesota, we are tired of the cold and snow and are ready for the turn of the seasons. Students also experience the Winter Blues, and the Cleveland Clinic shares there are ways to address these feelings to help us feel better. According to a December 9 article found here, ”sunlight plays a big role in regulating our mood…So, when the winter months bring on gray skies, a little boost of sunshine can do our bodies and minds a world of good.” The past couple of weeks have been very cold and gloomy, but this week the temperatures have been more moderate, and the sun has been shining brightly. Students should find a way to take a break at the end of the day to get outside for some natural vitamin D. I have taken this advice and have found myself enjoying my time assisting with carpool more at the end of the day because of the sunshine.

The National Health Information Service of Scotland strongly suggests that we should be involved in daily activity. This does not need to be a physically intense activity, just something to get the body moving. Several students achieve this by walking on the indoor track at school during their lunch/recess time. It is great to see them use this time as a way to connect with their friends AND as a way to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. A Harvard University study actually suggests that “In colder temperatures your heart doesn’t have to work as hard, you sweat less, and expend less energy, all of which means you can exercise more efficiently.” Read More

Parents Association News & Events February 9, 2023

February 9, 2023

Thank You!
A big thank you to everyone who brought in snacks and drinks for this week’s Faculty and Staff Appreciation.

Show Your Love, Volunteer for the Lower School Valentine’s Day Party
February 14, 8:30 AM-2:30 PM
The LS Valentine’s Day party is coming up! This year’s festivities will take place in the Lansing Sports Center. Join us for the day or during your student’s assigned party time. Sign up to volunteer here.

MS Snow Tubing in 2023
Thursday, February 16, 2-4:45 PM
Additional guest registration is due February 13. All Middle School students and their families are invited to this year’s snow tubing community event at Badlands Snow Park, 772 Kinney Road Hudson, WI 54016. Outside winter gear is a must (no scarves). Bring a helmet if you’d like and cash for snacks.

Registration
Parents can meet us at the snow park for fun and fellowship. We ask that students begin departing at 4:45 PM. If you cannot meet us at the park, your student can return to MPA via bus where you can pick them up at 5 PM. Please indicate your additional ticket needs and
transportation plans here.

Additional Guests
All family members are encouraged to attend! The Parents Association is sponsoring the cost of MS students to tube. Adults and sibling guests are welcome to tube from 2-4:45 PM at $15 per guest. Please pay for your additional tubers: Read More

Celebrating The MPA Speech Team’s Success

February 9, 2023

The MPA Speech Team has recently won the tournament championship THREE times: at Mound-Westonka, Duluth, and Pequot Lakes. Twenty-five students have placed so far on the team, and MPA students won their categories a total of 28 times! The team has also shattered its previous National Tournament Qualifications Record in just one month, with a total of 16 entries (with two more months left to go). Outstanding!

This is the largest the team has been in a very long time, and there have been multiple occasions when MPA has swept the top three places in some categories. MPA has been competing against some of the best schools in the country, and the team is excited to share some of their performances with the community and public on Thursday, February 16 at 6 PM in the Nicholson Center. Join us!
Students who are qualified to Nationals at this moment are:

  • Lucy Schwieger (In Duo and Drama)
  • Frances Martin (In Duo and Extemp)
  • Paul Fertig (Extemp)
  • Amal Sastry (Extemp)
  • Zaara Nayak (Extemp and Oratory)
  • Maggie Banks (Humor)
  • Zainab Lodhi (Info and POI)
  • Rowan Mulrooney (Info)Akshay Somayajula (Oratory)
  • Max O’Connor (Oratory)
  • Meiran Carlson (POI)
  • Pahwa Yang (POI and Prose)
  • Greta Hanson (Prose)

Celebrating Our Retirees

February 2, 2023

Dear MPA Community,

We want to share with you that four of MPA’s longest-serving faculty members have decided to retire at the end of this school year: visual art teacher Lisa Buck, music teacher Mari Espeland, librarian Nancy Lage, and third-grade teacher Renette Stinson. Combined, they have served the MPA community for 140 years, and for that, we are exceedingly grateful!

Lisa Buck came to MPA in 1984 as a Middle School visual arts teacher. She co-created the MPA K-12 visual arts curriculum with founding teacher Karen Rossbach. Over time, they honed the program in depth and breadth, and Ms. Buck designed a multilevel ceramics program in the Upper School. She has taught drawing, painting, sculpture, fibers, design, printmaking, and ceramics.

From 1998-2000, Ms. Buck taught overseas at the American School in Casablanca, Morocco, and then returned to MPA. While teaching, she also built her career as a potter. Ms. Buck shares, “It has been a delicate balance of commitment, hard work, and passion. I have longed for a time when I could be full-time in my own studio, and now, that is exactly what I am going to do.”

She adds, “I have given my whole-hearted self to helping students see their beautiful potential as young artists and helped to build an outstanding program.” I am deeply grateful for the vision, creativity, and passion Lisa has brought to MPA over her long service to the school. Students have benefitted from having a gifted art educator and an accomplished working artist in the same person; she will be very missed.

Mari Espeland came to MPA in 1989 and built the Lower School music program upon the Orff Schulwerk approach. She established the Lower School Art and Music Show with Karen Rossbach and incorporated distinctly American music traditions, such as jazz, and world music through drumming.

Ms. Espeland shares, “This environment has allowed me to grow as a music educator and collaborate with colleagues to benefit students more than I could have ever dreamed possible when I began teaching at MPA in 1989. Music education has been much more than a job or even a career for me. Rather, it has been a calling.”

After 33 years of boundless passion for music and dedicated service to MPA, I have profound respect and deep appreciation for the program she built, the many, many children she has inspired, and the beauty she has brought to their lives and to MPA.

Nancy Lage became MPA’s librarian in 1986 and has served the school for 37 years. She developed the PreK-12 library program and managed an extensive 23,000-volume book collection, 30 academic databases, and a dynamic library website to support a diverse PreK-12 curriculum. She shares, “A joy-filled part of my job at MPA has been matching students and faculty with books and resources that inspire them to think, reflect and grow.” She is well-known for being able to find the perfect next book for readers of all ages. Read More