May 11, 2020
Find all of the details you need for the Virtual Parents Association Book Festival here!
A Message From The Parents Association
The MPA Book Festival is a beloved tradition and the Parents Association is looking forward to making it possible virtually!
The annual Book Festival provides our MPA community with opportunities to participate in reading activities, purchase great books, and support our local booksellers. The MPA Library will use the donations from the booksellers to purchase books for teachers, for the classrooms, and the Library. It’s so important in our MPA community to support one another and our extended community. That’s why this year the MPA Library will also donate books to Breakthrough to support their summer literature program. Let’s help spread the joy of reading!
As in years past, you may purchase books from Valley Bookseller and Usborne Books. Since our event is online this year, you have the ability to purchase any books available through their distributors—bonus! You can even purchase a gift certificate for a teacher—double bonus!
If you have any questions, please contact Erin Dimopoulous, Parents Association Book Festival chair, at erin.dimopoulos@gmail.com.
Valley Bookseller Online Ordering Information
Please use this link to Valley Bookseller with information exclusively for MPA.
Valley Bookseller will donate back to us 10% of all sales! Orders must include “MPA” in the notes section when placing the order so they can track those orders for the donation. Books will be shipped via the USPS: Priority Mail costs $7 and arrives in just 2-3 days after books arrive in their store. Media Mail is only $4 and will take 5-7 days.
Usborne Books Online Ordering Information
Please use this link to Usborne Books with information exclusively for MPA.
Usborne Books will donate back to us 50% of all sales! Books will be shipped from the Usborne warehouse. The cost of shipping is $6 up to $75, then 8% of the order after that.
Book Festival Special Events
In addition to the opportunity to shop for and purchase books 24/7, we have something fun scheduled each day of the week for MPA families and students alike …
Monday, May 11
12 PM: Facebook Live with Usborne Books watch >
6:30 PM: Lower School Story Time led by Middle School students (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
Tuesday, May 12
11:30 AM: Lower School Story Time led by Middle School students (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
Facebook feature of Valley Bookseller read >
Wednesday, May 13
12 PM: Facebook Live with Breakthrough watch >
6:30 PM: Lower School Story Time led by Middle School students (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
Thursday, May 14
11:30 AM: Lower School Story Time led by Middle School students (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
3:30 PM: Carly Ciarrocchi Presentation (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
Be engaged by Carly Ciarrocchi, a performer, writer/creator, producer and musician. Her mission is to invite audiences of all ages and collaborators of all kinds to play, investigate, and bounce. Her work is grounded in joy, curiosity, and resilience.
6:30 PM: Lower School Story Time led by Middle School students (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
Friday, May 15
1 PM: Lower School Get Caught Reading Event (please see Sunday’s email to join via Zoom)
Lower School students will gather for a Zoom meeting from 1-1:30 PM. We will put students in breakout rooms to share the book they are reading. Next, students will curl up and read. We ask parents to take a photo of their child reading and submit it to communications@moundsparkacademy.org and we will create a collage.
Wednesday, May 27
7 PM: Virtual Book Club
Upper School students and Panther parents from all divisions are invited to leave your screens for a bit, travel to France as World War II wanes, and meet two of the most courageous and endearing characters in literature. Join us to read the novel “All the Light We cannot See” by Anthony Doerr in the recently launched a book club for all Upper Schoolers and now extended to a parent edition. Get your copy of the book during the Book Festival and join us for lively discussion on May 27. Student discussions will be at 2 PM and parent discussions will be at 7 PM. Join our Schoology group for more information and other reading suggestions. Access code: K7T6-DD2D-5FWJH
Supporting Our Community
MPA’s Library is thrilled to be partnering with local nonprofit Breakthrough Twin Cities for this year’s Book Festival! This partnership will support Breakthrough students by providing books for their summer literature experience. Breakthrough Twin Cities offers a six-year college access program to highly motivated, yet under-resourced students and families in the Twin Cities. With a campus housed at MPA and several MPA Alumni teaching fellows, we are proud to work closely with BTC to help provide books to their students. Learn more at breakthroughtwincities.org.
If you have any questions about this year’s Virtual Book Festival, please contact Erin Dimopoulous, Parents Association Book Festival chair, at erin.dimopoulos@gmail.com.
We are excited to partner with Valley Bookseller and Usborne Books for the annual MPA Book Festival—Virtual 2020! The MPA Book Festival is a beloved tradition sponsored by the MPA Parents Association, and we are looking forward to making it possible virtually. As always, the proceeds from the Book Festival sales (10% of sales from Valley Bookseller and 50% credit of total sales from Usborne Books) support local bookstores, MPA teachers, classrooms and library. New for this year, proceeds will also provide books to Breakthrough Twin Cities to support their summer literature experiences. Breakthrough is the amazing college access program that operates at MPA on Saturdays and throughout the summer, to support highly motivated, yet under-resourced students and families.
The MPA Parents Association feels incredibly lucky to be part of the MPA community and in honor of National Teacher Appreciation week, May 4-8, we are asking our community to show us who you feel lucky to have at MPA! Instead of a pot of gold, who, or what, is at the bottom of your MPA Rainbow? Take a picture of a poster or sidewalk chalk drawing that shows your MPA Rainbow and what you love at the end! It could be a teacher, staff member, an entire department, team, club, or a special space on campus that makes you thankful for MPA. Share your photos with us by emailing them to 
Since we transitioned to virtual learning, parents and guardians are no longer able to connect with one another on campus, at events, or at activities. We know that your relationships are just as important to our school community as your children’s relationships, so we have created a virtual way for you to continue fostering them.
The MPA Parents Association invites all parents to gather 
Save the date and spread the joy of reading! The MPA Book Festival is April 20-22 and is open to all students and families. Book Festival Family Night will be held April 22, 3-6 PM. Come join us for an evening of crafts, activities, dinner, and of course an opportunity for book buying! Our theme is “MPA ComicCon.” What that means is that in addition to having a wide variety and assortment of books for sale, we will also have a specific focus on Graphic Novels and Comics. Did you know that a Graphic Novel won the Newberry Awards for the 2020 for the first time ever? And we chose our theme way back in 2019!
Save the date! The MPA Book Festival is April 20-22 this year, and is open to all students and families. Book Festival Family Night will be held April 22, 3-6 PM. Come join us for an evening of crafts, activities, dinner, and of course an opportunity for book buying! Our theme is “MPA ComicCon.” What that means is that in addition to having a wide variety and assortment of books for sale, we will also have a specific focus on Graphic Novels and Comics. Did you know that a Graphic Novel won the Newberry Awards for the 2020 for the first time ever? And we chose our theme way back in 2019!
Mounds Park Academy is sponsoring the workshop “How to Listen to Your Kids: Learn skills that encourage your kids to tell you everything” to help parents create better communication with their kids. Led by life purpose coach 
A huge thank you to everyone who made the MS Cafe possible last week. Thanks to all of our tireless parent volunteers, Sage for the wonderful food, our fantastic custodians and MPA’s faculty and staff that helped out in many ways. It was a joy-filled week for students and parents alike. Thank you to everyone who helped out, in big ways and little. It certainly takes a village to make the Cafe happen and MPA’s is the best! View photos from the magical week here.
MPA Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week is coming up, February 3-7! This week is an opportunity to show thanks and appreciation to our wonderful faculty and staff during Lower and Middle School Conference week.