Save The Date: Parents Association Gift Wrapping
November 14, 2019
Save the date! The MPA Parents Association Gift Wrapping event is on Monday, December 9 from 8 AM-3 PM. This is another Faculty and Staff Appreciation event where members of the Parents Association and parent volunteers come together to wrap presents for MPA staff. Look for the Sign Up Genius coming next week!
Join Us For The Second Screening Of “Angst”
November 7, 2019
Mounds Park Academy invites you to the second showing this week of the documentary “Angst” with open conversation to follow. The MPA Parents Association is graciously sponsoring this IndieFlix original documentary designed to raise awareness around anxiety. The film includes interviews with children, teens, educators, experts, parents, and a very special interview with Michael Phelps.
Friday, November 8, 8-9:30 AM
Recital Hall | adults only
No RSVP is Required
Watch the trailer at angstmovie.com Read More
Thank You For A Special Culture Day At MPA!
October 30, 2019
Culture Day at MPA was made possible with help from our wonderful faculty, staff, parent, and student volunteers and participants. We are incredibly lucky to have such an amazing community at MPA! On behalf of the Parents Association, thank you to everyone who was involved.
Thank You MPA Faculty & Staff!
Language teachers Evelyn Johson, Maria Jose Johnson, Martha Castellano, Liz DesLauriers, Kari Kunze-Hoeg, and Marisue Gleason for providing artifacts, information and participation; Nicole Koen for crafts in the Makerspace; Jenn Milam for procuring volunteers and MCing; Sarah McFarland for planning and coordination; Hannah Lawson for preparing the musicians; Lauren Hernandez and Natalie Waters Seum for all the marketing materials and advertising; Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, Ashley Goetzke, and Ilse Larsen in Development for help with logistics and getting the word out; Jake Eibon for A/V logistics; custodial staff Vern Kissner, Thomas Connors, Andy Gilbert, and Pat McLees for set up, take down, and clean up; Sage Dining Services, Chef Doug Pittman, and his staff for the delicious food!
Thank You Parents!
Tina Jain for donating drinks; Melissa Tuura-Johnson for the awesome decorations; Sunderraju Ramachandran for the idli cooking demonstration; Lizabeth Lane, Yukiko Miyokawa, Gayane Manukyan, Chris Weimholt, Lucia Gray, Eliza Auyeung, Christine Daves, Deborah Crutchfield, Weijun Tanya Liang, Samrina Mapara, Anastasia Mastrogiorgis, Alan Troske, Kristin Gasteazoro, Jim Saliba, Raphael Coffey, Karlyn Peterson, Adrienne Risner, Fabiola Grubhofer, Amy Cowen, Christine Larson, Sally Richie, Mikki Williams, Susan Mercer, Anudeep Rahil, Marian Hassan, and Misty Tandon for help with the parade, decorations, serving food and cleaning up.
The Documentary “Angst” Comes To MPA
October 23, 2019
Mounds Park Academy invites the MPA and broader community to a showing of the documentary “Angst” and an open conversation to follow. The MPA Parents Association is graciously sponsoring two screenings of this IndieFlix original documentary designed to raise awareness around anxiety. The film includes interviews with children, teens, educators, experts, parents, and a very special interview with Michael Phelps.
Wednesday, November 6, 6:30-8 PM
Nicholson Center | students 10+ welcome
Friday, November 8, 8-9:30 AM
Recital Hall | adults only
No RSVP is Required
Mounds Park Academy
2051 Larpenteur Avenue, Saint Paul
Watch the trailer at angstmovie.com
Producers Scilla Andreen and Karin Gornick have one goal that Mounds Park Academy wholeheartedly supports: to start a global conversation and raise awareness around anxiety. Through candid interviews, they utilize the power of film to tell the stories of many kids and teens who discuss their anxiety and its impacts on their lives and relationships, as well as how they’ve found solutions and hope. In addition, the documentary provides discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, along with the help, resources, and tools available to address the condition.
We hope you will join us! And thank you in advance for helping spread this invitation throughout your community!
If you have any questions, please contact Jenn Milam, Ph.D., MPA Middle School director, at jmilam@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5598.
Travel 12,000 Miles At Culture Day!
October 14, 2019
Join Us For Culture Day At MPA! On October 23, 3-6:30 PM, travel 12,000 miles in one evening! Enjoy Peruvian, Armenian, and Korean-pop dances while sipping masala chai and munching on mini quiche. Try your hand at American graffiti art or relax to beautiful instrumental music while getting a henna tattoo.
You don’t want to miss this hands-on experience! Sign-up for a cooking demonstration in our new kitchen:
Learn how to make Gata–an Armenian sweet bread, 3:30-4 PM
Learn how to make Idli’s–savory Indian rice and lentil cakes, 4:30-5 PM
The kitchen can accommodate a maximum of 10 people, so please sign-up in advance by emailing seema_anwar@hotmail.com
Food and drink tickets ($1 each) will be sold at the event. Try drinks and delicacies from around the world, have fun making crafts, enjoy the cultural entertainment and fashion show, and learn about our world–bonus points if you can identify all the flags decorating the hallway!
Help make all this possible by signing up here.
Parents of alumni and alumni, we would love to have you on campus for Culture Day at MPA as well! Join us to experience the brand new commons, cafeteria, and kitchen on campus in an experiential, fun, and delicious way!
Be A Part Of Culture Day At MPA!
September 26, 2019
Save the date for Culture Day at MPA on Wednesday, October 23 from 3-6:30 PM! Join us for a gastronomic tour around the world as we share sweet and savory delicacies from 10 countries and an international drinks bar. Attend a cooking demonstration in our wonderful new teaching kitchen, go home with some cool body art from an expert henna artist, and try your hand at global crafts like “worry dolls” from Guatemala and Origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding. You will also be able to enjoy musical and dance performances by our talented students! This day full of food, community, and fun is hosted by the MPA Parents Association. Read More
MPA PA Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week
September 26, 2019
Join us in thanking the MPA Faculty and Staff during All School Conferences! Conferences take place during week starting September 30, coinciding with the MPA Parents Association Staff and Faculty Appreciation Week.
Please consider participating in the long-standing MPA tradition of parents and families showing gratitude toward our wonderful staff and faculty by donating beverages, snacks or volunteer time, including during the evening meals provided by Sage and Chef Doug on October 3 and October 10. Please sign up to volunteer here!
Faculty & Staff Appreciation And Culture Day With The PA
September 19, 2019
Thank you to our PA Neighborhood Coffee hosts Reema Anwar, Seema Anwar, Susan DeBruzzi, Amy Purdy, Kim Jakway, Lucia Gray, Juliana Bixby, Laura Hockert, and Lisa Vale! It was wonderful to gather with all of you last weekend.
Faculty and Staff Appreciation week is coming soon and that’s our chance to say thank you for all they do. Please sign-up to show your appreciation!
Also, coming up is Culture Day at MPA. Wednesday, October 23 from 3-6:30 PM. Please note date change from October 26 to October 23! Join us for a gastronomic tour around the world as we share sweet and savory delicacies from 10 countries. Learn how to make “worry dolls” from Guatemala. Master Origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding. Enjoy musical and dance performances by our talented MPA students. Go home with some cool body art from an expert henna artist.
We are seeking volunteers to make this happen: food servers, decoration and set-up helpers, performers, etc. We would like representation from as many countries and cultures as possible, including the United States. Sign-up here or email seema_anwar@hotmail.com!
Welcome From The Parents Association
August 29, 2019
A warm welcome from the MPA Parents Association! It was a pleasure to catch up with friends and meet new families at the Parents Association First Day of School Coffee.
The Parents Association is hosting a Meet & Greet on Friday, September 6 at 8 AM in the PCR. Come join us for a light breakfast and learn about who we are and what we do, meet this year’s grade reps and other parents, and share your ideas on how to strengthen our MPA community. Every MPA parent is a member of the Parents Association! We look forward to seeing you!
Your New Parents Association Executive Board!
May 29, 2019
Thank you to those of you who voted for your new Parents Association Executive Board. The following slate was approved and will begin leading the Parents Association and serving the MPA community on July 1, 2019: Kim Jakway, president; Seema Anwar and Barry Madore, co-presidents-elect; Meredith Forgosh, secretary; Yuki Miyokawa, treasurer; Russ Purdy, Upper School division lead; Susan Knapp, Middle School division lead; Sally Richie and Andrea Dodson, Lower School co-division leads.
In addition, a special thanks to Tara Lafferty who is stepping down as Middle School lead but will continue to be involved in Parents Association events. Tara has dedicated many volunteer hours and her amazing contributions are much appreciated!