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Parents Association News & Events: December 1, 2022

December 1, 2022

Pies for MPA faculty and staffPie Love
Right before the holiday break, the MPA Parents Association participated in our annual Thanksgiving Pie distribution to all staff. This year staff had a choice of apple, pumpkin or lemon meringue pie! Thanks to Chef Chris for ordering and Cherie and the Development team for helping with distribution.

Book Festival Is Almost Here! Support the Joy of Reading at MPA.
The annual MPA Book Festival arrives next Monday, just in time for Winter Break reading or holiday gifts! This year the book festival is in-person once again.

Ways to Support MPA’s Book Festival:

  1. Visit the Gallery to purchase new books and gift cards. During the week of the Book Festival, Usborne will be selling books in the Gallery, and Valley Bookseller gift cards will be available for purchase. A portion of the profits generated from those sales will be donated to our library.
  2. Help build a teacher’s classroom library. We will have the books our teachers requested for their classroom libraries available for purchase in the Gallery. Check or cashless payment only.  You can hand-deliver the books you select, or we can deliver them for you. Download the list here.
  3. Visit the Used Book Sale. LS used books will be sold in the LS Atrium at drop off and pick up. MS and US used books will be sold during lunch and recess outside the Family Commons. We have an excellent selection of books for all ages. All proceeds raised from the Used Book Sale benefit the library.

Book Discussions All Week!

  1. December 5, 8 AM in the Gallery: Book Festival Kick-Off Coffee with book recommendations
  2. December 7, 6 PM in the Library: Book Club with Dr. Hudson
  3. December 8, 3-4 PM in the Family Commons: Cocoa and Popcorn Storytime, Upper Schoolers will host a story time for Lower Schoolers. Sign-up here to attend.

middle school students reading in the libraryCan’t make it into school that week? Valley Bookseller is dedicating their bookshop.org/shop/valleybookseller affiliate link to our Book Festival. We must use this website, not the Valley Bookseller site, for the school to get a portion of our purchases. All books must be shipped to your home. Email PA@moundsparkacademy.org with questions. Happy Reading! Read More

Founders’ Day 2022

December 1, 2022

middle school students playing in the leavesby Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

I invite you and your family to our annual pancake breakfast next Wednesday, December 7, from 7-8 AM to celebrate Founders’ Day. Founders’ Day celebrates the official date that the school was established. This is a very special celebration, and what better way to mark the school’s founding than with a delicious pancake breakfast made by members of the MPA Board of Trustees?! This year, the day is being made extra special with an all-school pajama day in honor of the Book Festival.

My family spent a quiet Thanksgiving with my husband Ross’ brother and sister-in-law. We gathered for the annual Olson Family Lefse and Flatbread Making Day on Saturday. True North Dakotan Norwegians Willard and Vernita would spend a day making lefse and flatbread for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to enjoy over the Christmas holidays. Now that they have both passed away, we started a new tradition of getting together as a family to make the lefse and flatbread. It is a beautiful day of remembering, telling stories, arguing over which of Vernita’s lefse recipes we should use, working together to roll the perfectly rounded lefse, nurturing a shared identity, and sharing a meal. Read More

Eighth Graders Collaborate Their Way To State Future Cities Competition

November 30, 2022

first place future cities teamCongratulations to our eighth graders moving on to the Future City State competition, and to our All-Stars, who really went above and beyond working in their groups!

The Future City Competition combines a dedication to sustainability with a commitment to the project’s hard work. It requires a 1500-word essay, a 2’x4’ 3D model with working parts, a presentation to a group of industry experts, and a Q&A session with said experts. There are rubrics for each deliverable, so the top three teams are decided strictly on points.

The spirit of collaboration is strong within the Future Cities project, from students working together on a team to utilizing interdisciplinary skills among them. Mr. Milam notes that “one of the coolest parts of this project is that it is a collaboration between my class, Ms. Atchison’s class, Ms. MacPhail’s class, and with Mr. Braafladt in the Makerspace. Read More

Help Keep MPA Children Safe

November 30, 2022

Student entering school in the morningIt is MPA’s number one priority to provide the safest campus environment possible for you and your children. Lately, we have noticed an uptick in risky driving behavior in our parking lots and drive-thru lanes.

We ask that you share this critical information with all of the drivers in your home and others who may provide transportation for you. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

Drive-Thru Lanes
We realize it can be frustrating in the morning and afternoon as students unload/reload all of their things for the day and that many drivers are in a hurry to get to where they need to be. In the interest of safety, courtesy, and efficiency, we ask that drivers refrain from pulling in front of another car or “leap-frogging” to the front. To make the process as efficient as possible, please pull up all the way to the crosswalk to allow maximum space in the drive-thru lanes. Please help ensure no gaps are present in the drive-thru lanes, even if that means your child needs to wait or walk further to enter the vehicle.

Entering and Exiting the Car
Children should only be allowed to enter and exit the car from the right/curbside in the drive-thru lanes. If you need to leave the vehicle to help your children in or out, please do so with great caution. Additionally, if you park in a lot during drop off and/or pick up, please take extra precautions to ensure your child is safe and uses the appropriate crosswalks to enter the building. No Lower School student should cross the crosswalk into the parking lot without an adult caregiver by their side. Read More

American Choral State Honor Choir

November 30, 2022

American Choral State Honor ChoirCongratulations to tenth grader Rowan Mulrooney and ninth graders Truman Wilgocki and Warner Reid who auditioned and were selected to be members of the American Choral Director’s Association 9-10 State Honor Choir!

Rowan will sing in the soprano-alto choir under the direction of Susan Vollbrecht (University of Wyoming) while Warner will perform in the tenor-bass choir with Derrick Fox (University of Nebraska). Truman is in the mixed choir conducted by Merin Guice Gil from Bethel University. The daylong event will culminate with a concert at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis. Rowan and Truman are members of the MPA Concert Choir while Warner sings in the MPA Varsity Choir. Keep singing, Panthers!

Afterschool Activities and Care Canceled This Afternoon

November 29, 2022

Due to the weather, all afterschool activities, including games, practices, Panther Club/Den, Middle School study hall, and meetings are canceled this afternoon, Tuesday, November 29. MPA will remain in session until our regular dismissal time of 3 PM.

The families of District 622 and Minneapolis bus riders will be communicated with directly as soon as possible regarding modified bus schedules. All other buses will run as usual, although they may be running late.

PreK Panther, Panther Club, and Panther Den will remain open until all children are picked up; however, families are asked to arrive as quickly as possible after 3 PM so our faculty and staff can travel home as well.

Email communications@moundsparkacademy.org if you have any questions. Please drive safely!

RSVP Today For The PreK-12 MPA Preview

November 28, 2022

upper school student in a chemistry labThe PreK-12 Preview is the perfect opportunity to discover why you belong at MPA! You and your entire family are warmly invited to attend the PreK-12 MPA Preview on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 2 PM. RSVP here!

The PreK-12 MPA Preview is designed to introduce you to the faculty, students, and families who make MPA the exceptional learning community it is. You’ll hear from various perspectives, be engaged in conversation with academic leaders, and leave with a much better understanding of the MPA way. These events are designed for family members of all ages to attend together and will include division-specific time. Read More

Our Community Is Powerful And Strong

November 17, 2022

from Bill Hudson, head of school

Throughout the day, you have undoubtedly received multiple messages from MPA and other non-profits urging you to make a gift today. Give to the Max Day in Minnesota is a fun and exciting way to maximize your giving to make a tremendous impact on schools and non-profits. For instance, we have an opportunity today at MPA to unlock $100,000 in gifts if we raise $250,000.

In determining your philanthropic priorities, you may ask, “Why give to MPA? Why give philanthropically when I already pay tuition?” That’s a fair question. From one perspective, an MPA education is transactional. Families pay tuition and, in return, receive an excellent education. However, I would venture to say that the relationship between the students, faculty, staff, and families is much more than a simple business transaction. It is transformative, and that is what motivates me more than ever to give to MPA. Read More

Parents Association Book Festival & More

November 17, 2022

December 5-11
This year, the MPA Book Festival will arrive just in time for holiday gifts or Winter Break reading! Usborne will be joining us in the Gallery during the school day with a wide range of books. Come and peruse the selection, chat with Liz, and enjoy the books on display. Valley Bookseller, a local independent bookstore, will also be represented online and via gift cards. Teacher wish lists will be available soon. Come and share the love of books and reading with all of your family. Please contact Michelle Wessely, Michelle_wessely@yahoo.com, with any questions or for more information.

We are asking for donations of books for readers of all ages (hardcover and paperbacks). Carts are located at the Upper and Lower School entrances through December 9 for convenient drop-off. Sales of these used books take place during the Book Festival and the proceeds benefit the library.

December 7 at 6 PM in the MPA Library, the MPAPA will host a book club moderated by Dr. Bill Hudson. This year’s selection is The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. “A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Bella da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation.”

Sign up for the book club here
Sign up here to volunteer here Read More

Lower School Division News November 10, 2022

November 10, 2022

from Ann Jurewicz, Lower School director

Student Performance and Report Cards
As we come to the end of our first trimester, teachers are preparing report cards with scores in various subjects and thoughtful individual comments on student performance. Earlier this week, we sent home our early assessments on your child. These assessments help teachers with understanding each student’s readiness level for learning at grade level this school year. The assessments show both areas of strength in reading and math, as well as areas for growth. In combination with other performance indicators of student performance, if there are areas of concern, we are addressing these early to support students in their best success at MPA this school year. If you have further questions on the early assessments or the report cards when they arrive home on November 21, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher.

The Importance of Sleep for Children
Did you know that children spend as much as half of their early years asleep? Sleep promotes healthy brain and cognitive development according to a study from researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Additionally, children undergo significant changes in how they sleep over time, from sleeping up to 20 hours a day as infants to taking periodic naps throughout the day as toddlers. Children phase out of naps at different ages, from as young as 2 to as old as 8 years old. The age a child transitions out of naps is related to brain and memory development rather than age. This means that about 30 percent of children ages 6 to 11 do not get enough sleep. While MPA does not have a routine of napping beyond PreK, perhaps parents might consider an early bedtime as an option. This will support your child with the rich learning experience we have each day at MPA. A well-rested child is a happy and engaged child.

Fall Campaign: Forward Together
This year’s “Forward Together” campaign kicked-off on Monday, November 7, and lasts through November 18. During this time, we ask our community to help us meet the gap between tuition and the cost of an MPA education to help ensure students, families, faculty, and staff have the resources they need. Read More