Lower School Archives

January 13, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Annie Stewart ’11!

After attending MPA from grades 6-12, Annie Stewart ’11 went to St. Olaf College for four years and graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Theater. She worked at a number of theater companies in St. Paul and Minneapolis before finding her way back to MPA as a substitute teacher and PreK teaching assistant. She worked in MPA’s Lower School for a year before deciding to go back to school to pursue her K-6 teaching license and Masters in Elementary Education! Annie says that it was working at MPA that helped solidify her passion for teaching, and she is so thankful for all of the experiences that led her to where she is today.

“MPA was such an important place and community for many years of my academic career,” said Annie. “Now, as I am completing a license and Masters, I use the tools and skills I learned at MPA on a daily basis. Most importantly, I am excited to teach and that love of teaching comes from the teachers and community I had at MPA. I’m especially looking forward to teaching the next generation of students how to think, not just what to think.” Read More

The Impact Of Singapore Math At MPA

January 9, 2020

by Renee Wright, Lower School director

Editor’s Note: On the first Thursday of each month, you will find a guest Head’s Message here from one of MPA’s division directors. We hope you enjoy reading their thoughts and reflections about life at MPA.

Looking back over the past 30 years as a Lower School teacher, one of my most challenging subjects to teach was math. Some students were successful, and some were not. Some students loved math, while others didn’t care for it at all. How would I address these challenges? I knew it was my job to teach math concepts and make sure these skills could be applied. At the same time, I wanted students to love math and feel confident. I was not alone with these concerns.

Teachers often report that problem solving is one area that presents the largest challenge for students. It is not uncommon for students to feel anxious or frustrated when asked to solve challenging mathematical word problems. In fact, students often give up before even trying. Problem solving in math often causes students to feel incompetent and believe they aren’t good at math. This can lead to a negative mindset about math and becomes a huge barrier to future success in the subject. Six years ago, teachers and administrators at MPA started looking for a math program to address these challenges. After much research, the Singapore Math curriculum was selected and adopted in grades kindergarten through fifth. Read More

Save The Date For Maker Fest 2020

January 8, 2020

Join us on February 22 from 1-3 PM in the AnnMarieThomas Makerspace and cafeteria, where you can either host your own table or come as a spectator!

You can sign up here to share your Maker talents, either individually or with a group to have your very own display table at MPA Maker Fest. This is the perfect opportunity to “show and tell” something that you have created and share your accomplishments with the community. Maker Fest is free is open to everyone–students, parents, grandparents, alums, faculty, staff, etc. We can’t wait to see your creations!

If you have questions, please contact Ms. Koen at nkoen@moundsparkacademy.org.

Join Us For Pajamarama!

January 8, 2020

Wear your pajamas or comfy clothes and join us for Pajamarama 2020 on Thursday, January 30! This year at MPA, Lower School students will enjoy a short concert of their favorite Disney music, meet our musicians, and enjoy story telling in a new and imaginative way. Following the Disney performance, the children are led in interactive activities designed to spark excitement and curiosity about music. To finalize our program we will have a reading of a popular children’s book performed by a narrator while being accompanied by the MPA Upper School Orchestra. Students will receive a snack while they cozy up to hear this famous story come to life!

Invite A Friend To Experience MPA

January 8, 2020

Please extend our invitation to your friends and neighbors for the MPA Preview on Sunday, January 26 at 2 PM. Visitors will see what’s possible when students are inspired to dream big and do right at MPA! This event will allow families to truly experience the joy of learning that our students do each day by rotating among hands-on, experiential lessons taught by expert faculty. Between lessons, they will join student and parent ambassadors for an opportunity to see our state-of-the-art facilities.

Please have them RSVP here!

Seventh Graders Do Right Through Design For Change

January 8, 2020

“Design For Change” is more than a phrase that our students and faculty have become very familiar with this school year. It is an organization that functions on global and national levels, working with students and educators to “turn empathy into action.” More than one million students are involved in Design For Change and are positively impacting their communities worldwide. This movement has made its way into the minds and hands of MPA students through Ms. Koen, Makerspace coordinator, and Ms. Joyce, technology integrationist, as they work with seventh graders on MPA’s very own Design For Change global challenge.

In November, Ms. Joyce attended the I Can Children’s Global Summit in Rome, which featured students from over 40 countries and their Design For Change initiatives. Their solutions covered global issues including violence, gentrification, medicine, environmental issues, and teens and mental health. After an incredibly powerful experience, Ms. Joyce is helping the MPA seventh graders get their projects ready to submit to the 2020 I Can Global Summit.

“Attending the Summit was definitely a life-changing experience for me,” said Ms. Joyce. “Besides the individual impact of each of the students’ participation in their Design For Change solution, the group impact made possible by the global conference will resonate beyond anything we can imagine.”

The idea behind Design For Change is that there is no single one-and-done solution. The purpose is to spark curiosity, relationships, partnerships, and ongoing work that ripples into the community, and eventually, the world. The MPA students involved are currently focusing their efforts on the United Nations sustainable development global goal of reduced inequalities–specifically, quality education and school funding disparities. Read More

Bumpy Roads Build Skills

January 2, 2020

Empowering Students To Understand Stress And Navigate Anxiety
Feeling frightened has infiltrated everyday life. As a society, we worry about the future, and are unsettled about the unknowns. We’re stressed and we’re scared, with anxiety showing up among people of all ages.

While anxiety is increasingly common, learning how to manage—and even embrace—difficult emotions helps build resilience while cultivating individual and interpersonal skills. At Mounds Park Academy, Dr. Jules Nolan works with faculty, students, and parents to help families understand what stress means in context of overall well-being. As a licensed, nationally certified school psychologist and president of Minnesota’s association of school psychologists, Dr. Nolan brings expertise in child and adolescent mental health, behavioral issues, school performance, learning issues, and effective teaching and parenting strategies.

“We are seeing a spike in student anxiety (nationwide), driven by three key factors,” she explains. “One factor is that we have more sophisticated tools to diagnose anxiety. So, while the prevalence can seem greater, it’s tied to a better understanding of what anxiety is and what makes it different from other conditions. At the same time, we are seeing circumstances where anxiety is over-diagnosed. For example, in any given population we would expect one to three percent of people to meet criteria for generalized anxiety. However, in some schools we’re seeing as many as 20 to 25 percent of students with that diagnosis. The third, and perhaps most influential factor, is that our society often has a hard time grappling with stress and anxiety, and by trying to push it away, we are actually making it more difficult for children to develop coping skills.” Read More

Midyear Check-Ins With Your Middle School Student

January 2, 2020

As the school calendar approaches its midway point, and winter break offers a breather from the daily routine, it’s a great time for parents and their Middle School students to connect on where they are and what their goals are for the balance of the year.

Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School director, explains that in addition to sending home traditional report cards each quarter, MPA’s faculty provides substantive comments on a student’s progress along with posting grades. “Often times a report card is seen as a destination—a final outcome—and we are hoping parents join us instead in viewing an end to a quarter as an invitation to reflect,” she says. “More specifically, it is a moment to ask your student to reflect on their own effort, commitment, understanding of content presented, and growth as a student and human being.” She reinforces that “learning doesn’t happen in nine-week segments, or even academic years. Our role as a school is to help young people learn how they learn best, find their passions, refine their areas for growth, and develop a sense of self-confidence in who they are.”

MPA’s Middle School structure reflects the developmental process that students experience as they move from childhood to early adolescence. “Fifth grade is a bridge year between the Lower School and Middle School—for example, students have mile markers like no more uniforms, but their academic grading follows the Lower School model,” explains Robyn Kramer, Lower and Middle School learning specialist. “Sixth graders have expanded freedoms along with the according levels of responsibility. In seventh and eighth grade the bar is definitely raised, knowing that students have the skill sets to handle more personal accountability, and to prepare them for the expectations of MPA’s Upper School.” Read More

Panther Athletics Winter Break Recap

December 31, 2019

Several MPA athletic teams competed and had outstanding performances over winter break. Go Panthers!

MPA fourth and fifth grade soccer players teamed up and competed in the NSC Holiday Classic 5v5 Soccer Tournament, finishing 2-1 overall in the tournament! The team was coached by Mr. Scinto and Mr. Sheehan.

Congratulations to MPA junior Colin Simonson, sophomore Cullen Moore, and the entire Gentry Academy Stars Hockey Team! The Stars won the Herb Brooks Holiday Classic Silver Bracket Champions title when they defeated SPA 4-3 in the championship game at the Tria Center.

The MPA Boys Basketball Team also took a championship title. Congratulations to our 2019 Kreischer Holiday Tournament Champions! Read More

The Shortest Day Of The Year

December 19, 2019

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Saturday marks the official beginning of winter and is also the shortest day of the year. It marks an important moment in the cycle of life, the end of darkness and the re-emergence of light. Throughout human history, in many cultures and religious traditions, light holds significant meaning, often symbolizing the goodness in each one of us. For many, it represents the warmth of home and family.

These last few weeks before winter break at MPA have been filled with celebrations of light, warmth, and family:

The Founders’ Breakfast is a wonderful tradition and it was such a joy last week to see so many students and families celebrating the history and values that bring us together.
Maybe it’s the lack of sleep or the holiday spirit, but I had tears in my eyes during the Middle School Band, Orchestra, and Vocal Concert last week. The students did a magnificent job, creating such beauty and joy through their music. As I scanned the faces of our students, I reflected on how much they have grown and come into their own, regardless of whether they were new this year or returning.
As I entered school on Tuesday, I was greeted by the comforting smell of waffles and syrup marking the annual Upper School tradition of our Peer Leaders serving homemade waffles to students.
This afternoon, we celebrated the completion of our new library, with all students, teachers, and staff passing the final 100 books, one by one, along line bridging the distance between the old and the new.