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MPA Parents Association Is Seeking Volunteers!

April 25, 2019

PA puts on a wonderful party!The MPA Parents Association is seeking volunteers for the 2019-2020 school year! Please consider getting involved. It’s a great way to meet the school community, show our appreciation to faculty and staff, enrich our children’s school experience, all while making new friends. A willingness to help is the only experience needed!

If you are interested in taking on a Parents Association Board or Event Chair position for next year, let us know so we can can add your name to the list of candidates on the 2019-2020 ballot. Contact Kim Jakway at thejakways@gmail.com. Thank you!

CHICAGO: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

April 24, 2019

PosterMake plans to attend the fabulous CHICAGO: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION this weekend!
April 25, 26, & 27, 7 PM
Nicholson Center

Ticket Prices:
$10 – Adults
$5 – Students/Seniors

Tickets may be purchased here or at the door.

In roaring twenties Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap…until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another “Merry Murderess,” Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune, and acquittal. (source: samuelfrench.com)

The show is most appropriate for ages 13 and older.

See photos from the show at moundsparkacademy.org/chicagophotos!

Yahya Madar Qualifies For Hamline Elite

April 24, 2019

Yahya Madar doing the high jumpCongratulations to MPA senior Yahya Madar on qualifying for the Hamline Elite Meet! The Hamline Elite Meet, Minnesota’s most prestigious high school track and field competition, features a small number of elite qualifying athletes from both Class A and AA. Yahya is one of only a handful of MPA athletes to ever qualify for the invite only meet. He placed 4th at the 2018 MSHSL Class A Track and Field Championships, has a personal best of 6’6, and holds the IMAC Conference and Section 4A high jump records. Though undecided on his college choice, Yahya plans to compete in track and field at the collegiate level. He competes this Friday, April 26 at 7 PM at Klas Stadium, Hamline University. Good luck on Friday, Yahya! Go Panthers! 

Upper School Grandparents and Special Friends Day

April 24, 2019

There were some extra visitors on campus on Wednesday, April 24, as grandparents and special friends visited with their Upper School students throughout the morning. The day started with visitors enjoying breakfast and coffee in the Gallery, while students finished up their first block classes. Afterward, grandparents and friends visited their students in class, and saw a preview performance of this year’s Spring Musical, CHICAGO: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION. The event finished up with a group lunch in the Gallery, provided by SAGE Dining.

Thank you to all the grandparents and special friends who attended the event! It was so nice to have you visit campus. Click here to see more photos of the event!

An Exciting Together, We Dream Update

April 18, 2019

color palette and cafeteria furniture for our new spaceby Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, Director of Development and Community Engagement

A lot of exciting improvements are beginning to take shape for our new commons, cafeteria, kitchen, and library! This week, we are sharing the work of several teachers, staff members, and students who have been working hard to help pick our new furniture and fixtures for the spaces! Here is a sneak peek of our color palette and cafeteria furniture for our new space.

Generous families have helped us to reach $3.8 million toward the Together, We Dream initiatives! Thank you to everyone who has helped us to reach this milestone! Our goal is to raise $4 million by May 1 in order to begin construction on the library this summer. Thanks to the generous spirit of our community, we are 76% of the way to our overall goal of $5 million for improvements to our school. Learn more at moundsparkacademy.org/together.

Participate In Screen-Free Week

April 18, 2019

Lower schooler playing outsideThis spring, families around the nation will voluntarily turn off their TVs, computers, and other screens to rediscover that life can be more rewarding with less screen time. MPA is challenging Lower School students and their families to participate in Screen-Free Week by leaving your screens off the week of April 29-May 5.

In the course of a year, American children spend more time in front of the TV and other screens than in school. We think that Screen-Free Week 2019 is a great way to jumpstart our kids into more reading, learning, and active play. It’s also a lot of fun!

We encourage your child and family to participate in Screen-Free Week. We understand that technology is part of the educational and work process, but ask you set the goal to refrain from using screens for entertainment. If interested in participating, return your pledge card to the Lower School office by April 26!

If 45 MPA students and families sign up and “survive” the entire week with no TV, computers and other screens, Mr. Purdy has agreed to color his hair neon pink at the Lower School Monday Morning Meeting in May.

If you have any questions or would like to receive additional information about Screen-Free Week, contact Russ Purdy at rpurdy@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5571.

Thank you for making Screen-Free Week a success!

MPA Spring Auction Preview: Seven Nights In Paris

April 17, 2019

The LouvreWe are excited to announce a 2019 MPA Spring Auction live auction item: seven nights in Paris! Stay in the heart of the St Germain neighborhood in an elegant, light and airy three bedroom pied-de-terre encompassing the entire third floor of a lovely 19th century building.

Located at Rue du Four, you’ll be in the heart of the historic, intellectual and fashionable area of Paris. Steps away from the Musée d’Orsay, The Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower and so much more! Sleeps up to six and includes a fully stocked gourmet kitchen. Read More

Join Us For The Annual Retirement Celebration

April 16, 2019

karen Rossbach teaching lower school artWe are celebrating three long-time faculty and staff members as they retire at the end of this school year. Please join us in showing your appreciation for Karen Rossbach, Dave McGaha, and Laurie Foss, by attending the annual Retirement Celebration on Thursday, May 30 from 4-7 PM at Keller Golf Course. An invitation will follow. Mounds Park Academy extends its sincere gratitude for all they have done for our students and community.

“It sounds so cliché, but I will miss the people the most. I could have never imagined working with people who were so supportive and philosophically on the same page about education. And the children brought me so much joy each day,” says Karen. Read More

Food Allergy Aware Change For The 2019-20 School Year

April 11, 2019

pretzels are a nut-free snackBeginning last school year, MPA made a commitment to becoming an even more Food Allergy Aware School and has been guided in part by the voluntary guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We defined guidelines for our school community, enhanced procedures, and provided additional training and resources for faculty and staff related to all food allergies.

Due to the rising number of students at MPA with life-threatening peanut and/or tree nut allergies, and the rising rate of food allergies in general, MPA will prohibit foods with peanuts and/or tree nuts throughout the school and at all school events beginning July 1, 2019. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern that affect an estimated 4%–6% of children in the United States. One in five children with a food allergy will have a reaction at school. It is important to note that in the United States, fatal or near fatal reactions are most often caused by peanuts and tree nuts.

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A Momentous Day For Our Alumni Community

April 11, 2019

MPA alumni board membersby Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, Director of Development and Community Engagement

Tuesday, April 9 was a momentous day for our MPA alumni community! Our school’s dedicated alumni and parents of alumni joined together to meet the 2019 Alumni Challenge by giving more than $92,000 in support of MPA. This total exceeded the $75,000 goal for this annual day of giving.

Alumni and their parents were given the chance to give for now by supporting the MPA Fund, to give for the future by supporting Together, We Dream, or both! This was a record year for the Alumni Challenge and 139 generous donors from our alumni community made this possible. Thank you to all of the MPA grads and their families who joined in to pay it forward to support MPA students now and in the future. Read More