Parents Association Archives

October 12, 2017

Come meet new parents and catch up with old friends while hearing about educational topics from the MPA faculty! You’re invited to the Parents Association Lower School parent meeting on Thursday, October 26 from 5-6 PM or Friday, October 27 from 8-9 AM. In an effort to accommodate busy schedules, we are offering two meeting times with the same agenda. Both meetings will be hosted in the Porter Conference Room located on the north end of of campus.

If you choose to come to the afternoon meeting, your child is welcome to attend Panther Club at the expense of the PA.

The educational topic will focus on Schoology, presented by Ms. Kitch, PreK-12 Technology Integration Specialist. You will learn how to use this new tool effectively and the answers to questions you may be experiencing, like “What is the difference between the app and the website? Do you contact teachers via email or through Schoology? If you post a message, does everyone see it?” The faculty guest is Ms. Rossbach, founding faculty member and visual arts teacher. She will share the arts department educational philosophy. This meeting is brought to you through the collaboration of Ms. Wright, Lower School director and PA Co-Lower School division leads, Heidi Nelson and Christine Larson.

Suicide Awareness And Prevention

September 21, 2017

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this event on Thursday, October 5, 6:30-8 PM in the Recital Hall. Dr. Todd A. Savage, MPA parent and professor of school psychology at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Dr. Scott Woitaszewski, also a professor of school psychology at UWRF, will be sharing a research- and evidence-based presentation that will further inform and equip our community regarding youth suicide awareness. They will help us all to be proactive and to understand the issue better, provide tips on what to look for in students, and give tools and resources to utilize if concerns arise. The final 15 minutes of the time together will be open for questions and answers and will allow MPA to share the resources that exist on our campus. The presentation is geared toward Middle and Upper School families; however, Lower School families are more than welcome to attend, as well. Note: This presentation will be similar to the one given in May. No RSVP needed.

Volunteer At Homecoming!

September 14, 2017

We need your support to make all of this fun happen again! Sign up to volunteer at MPA’s Homecoming 2017! This fun-filled weekend has so many activities going on including fun runs, bounce houses, athletic competitions, alumni events, and much more.

This incredible weekend for every member of our community would not be possible without the generosity of volunteers who give of their time on Saturday, September 23. If you have an hour or two to spare, volunteering is a great way to get involved with the event and MPA!

Thank you in advance for your time! If you have any questions, please contact Susan Robertson, Development Manager, at 651-748-5531 or srobertson@moundsparkacademy.org.

Faculty & Staff Appreciation

September 7, 2017

Welcome back to another school year at MPA! Believe it or not, Conference week is fast approaching, September 25-28, 2017. One longstanding tradition at MPA is to provide nourishment for the 100+ faculty and staff during this week. Our faculty and staff spend extra hours at school during this week and one way to help support them is to provide food all day long. (Dinners on Tuesday and Thursday nights that week are provided by the Parents Association directly).

Contributions from families are essential! Please consider signing up for any item(s) you would like to contribute. We will be using Sign Up Genius this year. Please click here to sign up >

Items may be dropped off in the Parents Association Room in the Cafeteria on the designated day between 7:30 AM and 8 AM, or at your convenience. There is a refrigerator for perishable items. Please leave a note on any items left in the Parents Association room.

Contact Tara Matthews-Lafferty or Mary Messner with any questions. Thank you in advance for your support of MPA faculty and staff.

Yoga Calm Featured in MPA Lower School

March 13, 2017

MPA alumna and PreK teaching assistant shares her passion for yoga with her young charges

by Annie Stewart ’11, teaching assistant

Many yoga practitioners remember their first yoga class as the day their life changed. My first class was at the Heartworks Yoga studio in Northfield, Minn. when I was a sophomore at St. Olaf. I was living in the dorms and going through a challenging time. My friends suggested that I try a yoga class—a hot yoga class. I don’t know how I survived the 100-degree heat, the high humidity, and the crazy moves, but I was hooked.

Today I am sharing my love of yoga with the Lower School students at Mounds Park Academy. I think it’s vitally important for young children to experience yoga. They are experiencing a lot of emotions—and expending even more energy—during the course of the day. As teachers, we often expect them to sit still and listen, not move or chat with their neighbors. Few adults have that control!

I asked some of my students what they like about Yoga Calm. One said, “It calms me, and I just love time to be still.” Another shared, “If I am having a bad day, remembering these techniques really helps me calm down.” A young boy said, “I can get nervous before tests and this really helps relax me.” Another student said, ““I showed my mom how to do the yoga flow. She was really stressed about her annual meeting at work.”

From Dr. Hudson: Equity and Multiculturalism

November 3, 2016

I was very impressed with the turnout at our recent cultural celebration of Diwali last week. It was great visiting with so many of you and seeing the joy in the eyes of our students as they sampled the food, traditions, and activities of the Indian culture. More heartwarming was the pride our Indian-American students took in sharing their culture with others. It is a testimony to the diversity and multiculturalism of the MPA community. I am grateful for the work of our Parents Association and volunteers to make the celebration so meaningful.

From Dr. Hudson: Conferences for All

September 28, 2016

It has been great to see so many parents on campus for parent-teacher conferences. Ross and I were among you as well, sitting outside Mrs. Nagle’s classroom, anxiously awaiting our turn. I have been a teacher and administrator for more than 25 years and have taken part in hundreds of parent-teacher conferences. However, this was my first time as a parent in a conference about my child in the school I lead. As nervous as I was, I’m sure Mrs. Nagle was as well!

At MPA, both parents/guardians and teachers are united in a shared commitment that is focused on student growth, learning, and achievement. Families and teachers are parts of complimentary learning systems that place families as core partners in the learning process. Significant research exists that demonstrates that family involvement in education can lead to positive benefits for children and youth, such as increased school attendance, higher academic performance, enhanced social skills, and improved attitudes about school.