January 8, 2025
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the January 8 issue of Inside MPA. Click here to get in touch with Admission and learn more!
The new year has arrived, and MPA’s office of admission is both reflecting on what went well in the past year and dreaming big about what else we can work on as we embark on the next.
Ask around the MPA community, and you’ll hear a recurring theme of our school’s warmth and welcoming, family-oriented atmosphere. We are a close-knit community of students, parents, and educators who believe that everyone thrives when we are inclusive, collaborative, and having fun together. Read More
When parents are just beginning to explore early childhood and kindergarten programs for their children, many questions are at the forefront of their minds. Will their child be safe and nurtured but also challenged? At MPA, the answer would be ‘yes’ to these questions. However, parents also question what institutes the proper amount of academic rigor for five to six-year-olds and ask what this rigor should look like in kindergarten.
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the December 21 issue of Inside MPA. 
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the December 11 issue of Inside MPA. 
What makes a strong kindergarten program? How do you know what will be a good fit for your child? Should you find a program that focuses on academics, play, or one that promotes both? Is a public school the right choice or a private one with small classes?
“I’m living the dream every day,” remarks kindergarten teacher Katie Roche. “Not only do I have the honor of helping our kindergarteners grow into readers, mathematicians, scientists, and historians, I have the privilege of helping them learn to love school and truly love learning. That is the feeling we want them to have walking in through the front door every day, and to be carried with them even as adults.”
One of the most frequent questions asked of our admission staff when families are first exploring our school is, “Tell me about homework” or “How much homework do students have at Mounds Park Academy?” MPA’s philosophy is that homework should always affirm and confirm what students have learned in class. In other words, homework should be about practice. When homework is designed this way, it leads to students taking responsibility for their assignments because they understand how to approach it. Our end goal is that students will find motivation within themselves to succeed. We also work to teach our students balance. We want them to be able to focus on their academic achievements, but also be in the musical, or play soccer, or participate in debate. It is important that students can handle the responsibility of homework without them drowning in it. Rigor at MPA is not the amount of homework you have or the number of hours you spend studying. Rigor at MPA is a deep and meaningful inquiry.
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the November 8 issue of Inside MPA. 
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the October 26 issue of Inside MPA. 
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the October 16 issue of Inside MPA.