Parents Association

Parents Association News & Events May 5, 2022

May 5, 2022

Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who set up, baked, decorated and delivered cookies to all MPA staff on Tuesday, May 3. The Teaching Kitchen was full of volunteers and the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies in celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Day. All employees could grab a cookie or two during lunch and sign up to get a small box delivered to them later in the day. Most boxes had a heart shaped window to go with the National Teacher Appreciation theme, “Teaching is a Work of Heart”. Again, thank you for joining the Parents Association in this event giving back to our MPA staff. – Bakari, attached are a couple of photos if you can use them

Gardening at MPA is Back!
Thursdays at 8 AM
Calling all those who want to spend some time outside, at MPA, in the gardens! You’re invited to spend time in the gardens tidying up, building, sowing, and spuddling around in the dirt. Come for a few minutes or stay for an hour or two. All are most welcome. We’ll meet outside under the flagpole at the Lower School entrance, with gardening tools in hand!

Vote for Next Year’s PA Board
The Parents Association (PA) is an organization formed by and for the MPA parents. Every family is automatically a member and eligible to vote. Please vote for the Executive PA Board for 2022-23 here!

We are also seeking volunteers for the 2022-23 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 and seeing old ones. A willingness to help is the only experience needed. New families are especially encouraged as it’s a great way to get to know your fellow parents. If you are interested in getting involved or have any questions, please contact Staci Banks Herberger (sbhehe42@icloud.com).

Ballot
Co-Presidents: Christine Larson and Staci Banks
President Elect: Michael Soto
Secretary: Seema Anwar
Treasurer: Adi Boeder Risner
LS Division Lead: Michelle Mick
MS Division Lead: Michelle Mick
US Division Lead: Julie Bixby
Communications: Susan Knapp
Community Development Lead: open

Parents Association News & Events

April 28, 2022

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day
Tuesday, May 3
Do you like to bake? Smell freshly baked cookies? Make people happy? Thank a teacher or MPA staff member on National Teacher Appreciation Day, May 3. Sign up to come to the Teaching Kitchen and bake some sweet treats for our staff. The Parents Association will provide everything necessary. Sign up here.

Please adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Awareness for Beverages and Snacks. No peanuts or tree nuts please. Refer to the MPA Food Allergy Guidelines for more information.

Questions? Please contact Tara Matthews Lafferty, TMattRN@aol.com.

Gardening at MPA is Back!
Thursdays at 8 AM
Calling all those who want to spend some time outside, at MPA, in the gardens! You’re invited to spend time in the gardens tidying up, building, sowing, and spuddling around in the dirt. Come for a few minutes or stay for an hour or two. All are most welcome. We’ll meet outside under the flagpole at the Lower School entrance, with gardening tools in hand!

Birdhouse Gourds Return
If you followed our gardening posts from last year, you’ll know that our accidental planting of birdhouse gourds was a huge success. We’ll be planting them again this year. For the full story, click here.

Parents Association News & Events

April 21, 2022

LogoBook Festival Update
A huge thank you to all who contributed to this year’s Book Festival. Thank you to the vendors, Valley Bookseller in Stillwater and Usborne Books & More. Valley will donate $775 to our library; they sold 170 books ($3877 total). Usborne sold 79 books ($1046 total) and will provide MPA with a $523 credit to purchase new books. The gently used book sale raised approximately $400. The total raised this year for the library is $1698!

Thank you to all the students, faculty and staff who contributed their time and talents to the reading of stories and poems. Thank you to the many people who made and distributed bookmarks, decorated the library, and coordinated events. Thank you to the IT department, and a huge shout-out to Bakari in Communications, who was instrumental in bringing our ideas to life.

Finally, a whole-hearted and deep thank you to all those who contributed by purchasing books, for their families and for our teachers. It is by your generous contributions that the Book Festival was a great success, even in the virtual format. A sincere and heart-felt thank you from the entire Book Festival committee! Read More

Parents Association Book Festival Details & More

April 14, 2022

LogoLast Chance for Book Festival 2022
Tuesday, April 5-Sunday, April 17
Just a few more days of MPA’s beloved annual Book Festival! The goal is to promote the joy of reading and connect with the MPA community through our shared enjoyment of reading. Every purchase you make helps support our wonderful library, a great resource for both students and families.

  • Make a Teacher’s Wish Come True: Look at your teacher’s wish list and buy books to donate to the classroom.
  • Add to Your Library: To buy books from Valley Bookseller visit this link to place your order. Mention MPA in the order comments or when purchasing in person and 20% of the order will go back to the MPA Library. Visit this link to place an order with Usborne Books & More. Based on your purchases, the MPA Library will earn 50% of the sales back in FREE BOOKS!
  • Library Poem: Enjoy this short poem by MPA third graders, written to express gratitude for our amazing library. Please download or stream the video here.
  • Stories, Songs and Poems Read by the MPA Community: Our many fun book-centered activities include stories and songs to help unwind in the evening. MPA community members have recorded stories, songs and poems, including a new poem by the third grade! You can find the stories and poems here, and the bedtime stories and songs here. Download these stories and poems for easier viewing or to watch later on, or stream them.
  • More Fun Activities: Check out how to draw a superhero here and then draw your own on the back of your Book Festival bookmark. Liz from Usborne Books gives a sneak peak of a wide variety of books including fiction, non-fiction and activity books here.
  • Share your Favorite Books: We created a padlet board for sharing your favorite read. To add to the padlet board click here.

Read More

Parents Association Book Festival & April Events

April 7, 2022

LogoBook Festival
Tuesday, April 5-Sunday, April 17
MPA’s beloved annual Book Festival is here! The goal is to promote the joy of reading and connect with the MPA community through our shared enjoyment of reading. This year we have a hybrid model with some on-campus events and online book purchasing from our booksellers, Usborne and Valley Bookseller. If you have any questions, please email michelle_wessely@yahoo.com.

Proceeds from the used book sale and purchases made through the booksellers benefit the MPA library so every purchase you make will help support our wonderful library, a great resource for both students and families. Read More

Parents Association Book Festival Announcement

March 31, 2022

LogoBook Festival
Tuesday, April 5-Sunday, April 17
MPA’s beloved annual Book Festival is almost here! We’ll have many fun book-centered activities, including stories to help unwind in the evening, and our padlet board for sharing your favorite read. Click here to add to the padlet board. The Book Festival’s goal is to promote the joy of reading and connect with the MPA community through our shared enjoyment of reading. This year we have a hybrid model with some on-campus events and online book purchasing from our booksellers, Usborne and Valley Bookseller, more details coming soon.

Used Book Sale
The Book Festival Committee is asking for donations of gently used books and music that will be available for sale (25 cents for paperbacks, $1 for hardcovers) during the Book Festival. Look for donation carts at the North and South entrances from March 24-April 15. We welcome books for all ages!

Proceeds from the used book sale and purchases made through the booksellers benefit the MPA library so every purchase you make will help support our wonderful library, a great resource for both students and families. 

MPAPA One Book, One Community: Book Club with Dr. Hudson April 14, at 6:30 PM
Please join us for a lively discussion of Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel! The PA will be purchasing books for those who would like to take part. Let us know if you plan on attending the book club, and whether or not you would like a copy of the book provided to you. Please fill in this google form to order the book and sign up for the book club.

Parents Association February Events & More

February 10, 2022

Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in and donated to Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week! This is always a fun week for all staff as they stop in the Peacock Teaching Kitchen to satisfy their cravings. Offerings included healthy choices, salty snacks, dark chocolate, and that infamous Twinkie! Tara and Shari included a Good Riddance box, celebrating Harry Styles’ 30th birthday (with Twinkies and Hohos), and regional results of Groundhog’s Day. Thank you again from Tara Lafferty, Shari Jacobus and the MPA Parents Association.

Lower School Valentine’s Day
This year in lieu of a party, the PA Valentine’s Day committee will be handing out gift bags. We’re sad to miss our beloved tradition but have to keep our kiddos safe!

February Walks
February 11, 18 and 25, 8 AM
Join Michelle Mick Fridays starting February 11 for a little brisk walk around the MPA grounds. Look for Michelle and her black Suburban with the MPA sticker on the rear window, in the lower school parking lot, just after drop-off at 7:55-8 AM. Read More

Parents Association February Events

February 3, 2022

Parents Connect

Middle School Café Reimagined—Together We Tube Pre-Event Fun
The Parents Association is hosting an afternoon of family fun for Middle Schoolers at the Badlands Snow Park on Friday, February 25 from 2:30-5:30 PM. It will be a totally tubular experience complete with a dinner option offered in partnership with the Vikings Table food truck. In an effort to raise awareness of our event and the Minnesota Vikings Foundation mission we’re organizing a non-perishable food drive. Students will be asked to bring in canned goods to their advisories. The advisory that collects the largest quantity of items will be acknowledged at the Badlands on February 25! To learn more about the Vikings Table mission and community work click here.

Food Drive Details
Who: All MS students during their advisory
What: Non-perishable food item drive
When: Monday, February 7 through Friday, February 11
Where: Student Advisories

Volunteer Options at the Badlands Snow Park
We appreciate your interest in helping and need adult volunteers to keep our kids safe on the hills. Click here to sign-up for an hour shift during our totally tubular event.

Lower School Valentine’s Day
This year in lieu of a party, the PA Valentine’s Day committee will be handing out gift bags. We’re sad to miss our beloved tradition but have to keep our kiddos safe!

Concessions Stand Volunteer Opportunity
Our sincere apologies for the starts and stops related to the concessions stand volunteer opportunities. In the interest of safety, the stand was not opened when we were hoping due to COVID. It looks like we’re now ready for launch!

Traditionally, Upper School families have volunteered to run the stand. Since many families are looking for a chance to get into school and connect more with MPA, we were wondering if ALL families would like to help. Lower or Middle School students are welcome to participate with a parent/guardian. Upper School students can earn Service Hours. Thanks for considering this fun volunteering opportunity! Spots are limited so sign up today.

Volunteer shifts are available on February 8, 11, 12, 14, 22 and 25. You can learn more details and sign up here.

February Walks
Join Michelle Mick Fridays starting February 11 for a little brisk walk around MPA grounds. Look for Michelle and her black Suburban with the MPA sticker on it just after drop off.

SnoDaze All-School Nature Walk, Dodge Nature Center, February 22, 3:45-5:45 PM,
Let’s kick off the week of SnoDaze, and celebrate the joy of winter in Minnesota! Bundle up the family and meet at Dodge Nature Center after school on February 22. Their naturalist will take MPA Families on a winter exploration of the grounds. We will end with some free time to gather around the bonfire to chat, as well as kick-sled across the frozen ponds. This is an all-school event, so if your students are busy with other activities, parents are welcome to come and enjoy winter’s splendor without kids in tow. RSVP to Staci Banks, sbhehe42@icloud.com.

Microfunding Grants
Looking for Microfunding for your club or classroom? It’s not too late to apply for these PA grants. Please send your applications to Natalie King, our micro-funding chair at natalieking10414@gmail.com. Applications can be found here.

Keep the Spring Break Vibes Alive, March 25, 1:15-2:15 PM, Yogafresh
Save the date for some self-care and community connection! In March, Yogafresh, yoga-fresh.com, will offer a tailored class experience for MPA parents that weaves gentle movement, breathing and meditation into the practice with some additional tools and resources to tap into when things feel stressful at home (or work). There will be more details on this event as we get closer to March, as things are COVID-situation dependent.

MPA Parents Association Events & Updates

January 27, 2022

Parents Connect

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week
The school year is flying by and the second round of conferences is coming up for Lower School and Middle School. This coincides with the second Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week, January 31-February 4 for all of MPA. Please consider donating a beverage or snack. Teachers have reported increased thirst and cravings during conference week and we can help! Contact Tara Lafferty with questions, TMattRN@aol.com or 201-563-4622. Thank you from Tara, Shari and the Parents Association!

Donations can be dropped off at PA Carts located inside the Lower School, Middle School or Upper School Entrances. Please adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Awareness for Beverages and Snacks. No peanuts or tree nuts please. Refer to the MPA Food Allergy Guidelines for more information.

For snack ideas, please click here
To sign up, please click here

January Walks with Dogs
Due to doggie health—or lack thereof—we will be meeting in the Lower School parking lot at Michelle Mick’s black suburban. We’ll start right after drop off for a little brisk walk around the MPA grounds to get a little exercise, Friday, January 28 around 8 AM. We look forward to seeing everyone and trying to spot the sounds of spring, optimistic as that may be!

SnoDaze All-School Nature Walk, Dodge Nature Center, February 22, 3:45-5:45 PM,
Let’s kick off the week of SnoDaze, and celebrate the joy of winter in Minnesota! Bundle up the family and meet at Dodge Nature Center after school on February 22. Their naturalist will take MPA Families on a winter exploration of the grounds. We will end with some free time to gather around the bonfire to chat, as well as kick-sled across the frozen ponds. This is an all-school event, so if your students are busy with other activities, parents are welcome to come and enjoy winter’s splendor without kids in tow. RSVP to Staci Banks, sbhehe42@icloud.com.

Attention Middle School Panthers and Parents
The annual Middle School Café is going tubular this year! Stay tuned and get excited. While we can’t unveil all the details just yet (sorry!), we can say, SAVE THE DATE, Friday, February 25 from 2:30-5:30 PM.

Keep the Spring Break Vibes Alive, March 25th, 1:15-2:15 PM, Yogafresh
Save the date for some self-care and community connection! In March, Yogafresh, will offer a tailored class experience for MPA parents that weaves gentle movement, breathing and meditation into the practice with some additional tools and resources to tap into when things feel stressful at home (or work). There will be more details on this event as we get closer to March, as things are COVID-situation dependent.

MPA Connecting for Understanding: An Open Dialogue about Neurodiversity

January 20, 2022

The MPA Parents Association invites you to Connecting for Understanding: An Open Dialogue about Neurodiversity.

Do you think there is a “normal” brain? What does that mean? Or does having a “normal brain” simply mean having a brain that functions well within the given structures of our current systems? As parents, how do we talk with our students, when they, or their classmates, don’t have brains that fit within the parameters of “normal” learning or “normal” classroom behavior? What does it mean to be neurotypical vs. neurodiverse? How do we discuss these topics with accurate information and compassion to create understanding within our school community?

Please join us as we welcome Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Dr. Jonathan Miller, on January 27, 6:30-7:45 PM for an interactive dialogue about neurodiversity and the many ways in which our children learn. This event is for Lower, Middle, and Upper School parents.

This is the first in a series of community-building open dialogue events hosted in partnership between the Parents Association and MPA. Upcoming webinars will cover issues around race and LGBTQ+ topics. Please join in the conversations!