Parents Association News & Events September 21, 2023

Faculty and Staff Appreciation
Tuesday, October 10 – Friday, October 13
The school year is getting into high gear and the first round of Parent/Teacher conferences is coming up. The Parents Association and MPA parents and families are continuing the tradition of donating snacks and treats to help our staff get through conferences and to show our appreciation to all MPA employees. Please consider donating a beverage or snack for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week. Remember to adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Policy when choosing snacks. Suggestions can be found on Sign Up Genius. Thank you from the MPA Parents Association! (Contact Tara Lafferty tmattrn@aol.com for questions). Sign up here.

Volunteer in the MPA Garden!
We are looking for volunteers to help with the MPA garden before the weather gets too cold. No previous gardening experience is necessary. No long term commitment is necessary either. We typically meet either Thursday or Friday mornings after drop off, but can also meet at other times as well. If interested, please contact Sara Carroll at smtanaka@gmail.com or Tenia Kalogeropoulou at tenia2@yahoo.com to coordinate.

Volunteer for Homecoming!
Friday, September 29 – Saturday, September 30
The Athletic Department is looking for help during Homecoming Week. Whether you’re a new Kindergarten Family or Seasoned US Parent, we invite you to help our school this Homecoming. MPA needs parents and students to help run the concession stand during MS and US School athletic events. We’re also in need of help to register students at LS workshops, help students on the rock climbing wall, don the Panther Mascot costume, paint faces, and more. Upper School students can earn volunteer hours by participating. MS and LS students are welcome to work in the concession stand with parent supervision. Check it out here.

Lower School Quarterly Coffee
Tuesday, October 3, 8:15-9:45 AM
Meet the new Lower School Director, Ms. Le Varge! The LS Quarterly coffee will be held in the Gallery after drop off, from 8:15-9:45 AM.

Upper School Parent Coffee
Thursday, October 5, 8-9:30 AM
Join us for the first Upper School Coffee of the year. Talk with Mark Segal and other parents about the latest US happenings. We’ll meet in the Porter Conference Room (PCR).

MPA Parents Association Affinity Groups
As part of MPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, the MPA PA in collaboration with the Office of Equity & Belonging, will begin offering Affinity Groups for parents/caregivers of current MPA students. Affinity Groups help foster a sense of belonging by providing a space for parents and caregivers to connect through shared experience and shared identity. They can also offer group members affirmation, support, and a vehicle for advocacy, especially those identities and experiences which are generally under-represented or frequently misrepresented in dominant culture and discourse.

Who leads affinity groups?
Affinity Group discussions are led by parent volunteers who work closely with the PA DEI Committee and MPA staff to manage meeting logistics, support member participation and group cohesion, and provide periodic feedback and/or suggestions during scheduled MPA PA DEI Committee meetings. Parents who are interested in volunteering as a group leader can complete this form.

Who can join?
Participation in affinity groups will require that a parent/caregiver self-identify with specific affinities detailed in each group’s description. This also holds true for volunteer parent leaders.

When and where are group meetings?
Initial affinity group meetings dates/times will be scheduled at the discretion of the PA and MPA staff, and based on the availability of space. It is expected that meetings will take place at MPA or virtually when appropriate. Following initial meetings, changes to dates/times and location will be based on group consensus, while ensuring that maximizing participation remains the top priority.

How are groups created?
Affinity groups are established to meet specific needs within the MPA community. At any point, families can request the formation of a new affinity group using this FORM. All submissions for new affinity groups will be reviewed by the PA and Equity & Belonging Office and a follow-up meeting will be scheduled with the requestor(s) to learn more about the desired group. It must be determined that there is both enough interest within the community and that someone is willing to lead the group before final approval of a new group. Following approval by the PA, a new group will work with MPA staff to plan logistics for the initial meeting. Parent Affinity Group Form.


What Makes a Global Citizen?

Salmah and Ms. Murr talking togetherThis message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the September 21, 2023 issue of InsideMPA. Click here to get in touch with Admission and learn more!

At MPA, we are nurturing dreamers, doers, and right-makers. We are equipping students with academic knowledge to be change agents and world-shakers. In fact, in MPA’s Code of Ethics, our community acknowledges the responsibility of being a global citizen by advocating for social justice, caring for the welfare of others, and promoting human equality, among other pillars rooted in respect.

“Right-making is a seed that is planted in each student and cultivated as they journey through MPA. Not only do we teach character traits like inclusiveness and integrity, we promote a do-right attitude through our actions and words while we learn and grow together. This inspires us to dream big and impact others positively at home and in the world,” Kristine Petersen, MPA Kindergarten teacher says of global citizenship at MPA.

Through rigorous curriculum with meaning and purpose, and an educational blueprint with character education at its heart, MPA pushes students to realize that their identities are measured by the depth and decency of their impact on the world–our world. Perhaps Ms. Murr and Salmah ’21 could illustrate what this means.

Global citizenship at MPA is all about students discovering how to make a positive difference in our world, helping one another, and feeling connected. We emphasize character education. We require service projects prior to graduation. We support student-led clubs with cause-based initiatives. We partner with global organizations–The Red Cross and Seeds of Change, for example–for our students as young as first grade to realize their responsibility to positively impact our world. This is what makes a global citizen–and cultivating a service-based mindset in students is key to unlocking a larger worldview, while also preparing them for all that lies ahead.


Discover Something Remarkable

PreK-12 MPA PreviewDiscover something remarkable at the PreK-12 MPA Preview on Sunday, November 5, 2-4 PM–our largest PreK-12 admission event of the year!

MPA Previews are signature PreK-12 events designed to introduce you to the faculty, students, and families who make MPA the exceptional learning community that it is. These events are for family members of all ages to attend together and will include division-specific time.

You’ll hear from a variety of perspectives, be engaged in conversation with academic leaders, experience mini-lessons taught by expert teachers, and leave with a much better understanding of the MPA way.

The Taste of Ninth GradeFor families exploring ninth grade at MPA, we have a special pre-event immediately before the November 5 MPA Preview. The Taste of Ninth Grade is a lunch event for specifically for prospective ninth graders and their families. This event is your opportunity to learn more about MPA’s ninth grade program specifically. Students will engage in an activity to help them determine their school search priorities, while parents participate in an Upper School Leadership Q&A and hear from MPA’s school psychologist about parenting through the Upper School years.

RSVP today to experience the joy and discover why Mounds Park Academy is an exceptional place to learn and grow.


New Student Application is Opening!

MPA is delighted to announce that the admission application for new students to join us in the fall of 2024 will open on Friday, September 15!

If you, as a current family, would like to add any additional siblings to the MPA community who are not already here, please get started on the application process just as soon as possible. Space will be very limited in many grade levels. As a small token of our appreciation for your early application, current families are invited to use a $75 application fee waiver code 1982 for new student applications submitted prior to October 15. The deadline to complete the application process will be February 15, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact the admission team at admission@moundsparkacademy.org and we’ll be happy to help!


Homecoming 2023: Wild With Panther Pride

Homecoming is quickly approaching with festivities planned for September 26-30! We have several ways for you and your student to get involved in this year’s slate of events.

  • Sign up to volunteer on Friday at Middle School homecoming games or on Saturday throughout the day.
  • Sign up your Lower School student for one or multiple athletic camps on Saturday.
    • Soccer Clinic with Mr. Sheehan, 8-8:45 AM
    • Track Clinic with Mr. Pettipiece, 8:45-9:30 AM
    • Climbing Wall Lessons with Mr. Ryther, 10:30-11 AM or 1:30-2 PM
    • Volleyball Clinic with Ms. Kunze, 1:45-2:15 PM
  • Cheer on MPA athletes at football, soccer, tennis, volleyball games on Friday and Saturday.
  • Encourage your student to wear spirit wear based on their division, including their free Homecoming t-shirts on Friday across all divisions!

View the full schedule here.

For questions, contact Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, director of development and community engagement at jrogers@moundsparkacademy.org or Dan Haase, athletic director at dhaase@moundsparkacademy.org.


Everything That Is Good

from Bill Hudson, head of school

“Everything that is good in this country, everything that is worthy in this country, everything that is beautiful in this country, begins with a teacher.”
—Kurt Russell, 2022 National Teacher of the Year.

My heart was full Friday afternoon as I looked across the south lawn during our annual Ice Cream Social. Actually, it was bursting, and I likened it to what happened to the heart of the Grinch at the end of the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas”! It was our largest social ever, and seeing students playing with one another and parents and teachers talking with each other on a beautiful late summer afternoon was exceptionally heartwarming. The school year is off to a fantastic start, one of the best in my 11 years at MPA.

This past week, I made the rounds of Lower School classrooms to welcome new students and reconnect with returning students. My visits also allowed me to witness our amazing teachers in action. Watching them is like watching an orchestra conductor who seemingly effortlessly moves from one movement to another while keeping each musician playing in concert with the other. Considering the ages of Lower School students, that is quite an accomplishment! MPA is indeed fortunate to have highly qualified, experienced, and skilled teachers who are also very kind and caring people.

At my nephew’s wedding last May, I caught up with a childhood friend of my nephew’s, a middle school teacher in a suburban school district outside of Charlotte, NC. When I asked him how things were going for him, he casually said he “did a favor for the school” by teaching a class with 70 students because the school district could not find enough qualified teachers. The class is so large that it is held in the cafeteria, and while he has a teaching assistant, the TA spends most of his time dealing with student behavior. Read More


Parents Association News & Events September 14, 2023

Faculty and Staff Appreciation
Tuesday, October 10-Friday, October 13
The school year is getting into high gear and the first round of parent/teacher conferences is coming up. The Parents Association and MPA parents and families are continuing the tradition of donating snacks and treats to help our staff get through conferences and to show our appreciation to all MPA employees. Please consider donating a beverage or snack for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week. Remember to adhere to MPA Peanut/Tree Nut Policy when choosing snacks. Suggestions can be found on Sign Up Genius. Thank you from the MPA Parents Association! (Contact Tara Lafferty tmattrn@aol.com for questions). Sign up here.

Volunteer for Homecoming!
Friday, September 29-Saturday, September 30
MPA is looking for help during Homecoming Week. Whether you’re a new kindergarten family or a seasoned Upper School parent, the Parents Association invites you to help our school this Homecoming. MPA needs parents and students to help run the concession stand during Middle School and Upper School athletic events. We’re also in need of help to register students at Lower School workshops, help students on the rock climbing wall, don the Panther mascot costume, paint faces, and more. Upper School students can earn volunteer hours by participating. Middle School and Lower School students are welcome to work in the concession stand with parent supervision. Check it out here. Read More


Kindness

from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Daily, I am touched by the kindness of the MPA community. Most recently, the many cards and expressions of care regarding my mother’s death have helped my family and me through a very difficult time. In my experience over the last ten years, I’ve taken kindness for granted at MPA because I see it so often. I see it in the way members of the community greet one another, how students go out of their way to welcome new students, how they clean their tables after they eat, and the respect between adults and students, to name a few.

I’ve been thinking a lot about kindness or the lack of it in today’s society. People seem angrier, less patient, more rude, and sometimes cruel. At the grocery store, on TV talk shows, in line at a drive-through, on the freeway, or in restaurants, we seem to have lost our humanity. I worry about the direction our society is heading and have been struggling with what my responsibility is as both an individual and as head of school to counteract these troubling, negative trends. Read More


Upper School Division News, September 7, 2023

from Mark Segal, Upper School director

Looking Ahead

  • Friday, September 8: Make-Up Picture Day (for those who were not photographed at Back To School Night)
    •  Ice Cream Social, 3 PM, South Lawn
  • Wednesday, September 13: Upper School Student Club and Organization Fair
  • Thursday, September 14: Curriculum Night, 6-8 PM, MPA
  • Thursday, September 21: Senior Performances, 8-9:15 AM, Recital Hall
  • Monday, September 25: No Classes, Yom Kippur
  • Tuesday–Saturday, September 26-September 30: MPA Homecoming Week
  • Friday, September 29: All School Homecoming Assembly, 2:20-3 PM, Lansing Sport Center
    • Upper School Student BBQ and Bonfire, 5-8 PM, Benz Courtyard
  • Saturday, September 30: Homecoming Events @ MPA
    • Upper School Homecoming Dance, 8-11 PM, Upper School Commons
  • Tuesday, October 3: Senior Performances, 8-9:15 AM, Recital Hall
  • Wednesday, October 4: Class of 2024 Cum Laude Society Inductions, 7:30-8 AM, Recital Hall
  • Thursday, October 5: PA Upper School Parent Quarterly Coffee, 8-9:30 AM, PCR
  • Friday, October 6: Picture Retake Day
    • Senior Retreat & Dinner, 8-6:30 PM, Off Campus and MPA
  • Monday, October 9: No Classes, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
  • Wednesday, October 11: Grade 10 & 11 PSAT Testing
  • Thursday, October 12: All School Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences, 3:30-8 PM, MPA
  • Friday, October 13: No Classes, Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences, 8-5 PM, MPA

Earlier this week, I walked into a darkened first block Upper School classroom where the students sat silently. I was on “a mission” to deliver an item forgotten in a parent’s car at drop-off, and my interruption temporarily distracted the class from the task at hand—settling in for the day and the classes that lay ahead. The faculty member easily recentered the students and asked them to focus on the noises that they hear; conspicuous or inconspicuous. As a visitor to the classroom, I silently participated in this activity. I heard a door creak, a student shuffle in their chair, a locker close, and the shallow breathing of the student seated in front of me. Read More


Parents Association News and Events, September 7, 2023

Welcome to the PA, Panther Parents! Our goal is to enrich the MPA experience through community building, continuing traditions, supporting faculty and staff, and acting as a resource for all families. All MPA families are members of the Parent’s Association, and we would love to see you attend or volunteer at one of our events. We offer activities across all levels of the school community, and we want to connect with you. If you’re interested in learning more about what we have to offer, please email, PA@moundsparkacademy.org.

Upcoming Events
September 8: PA Board Meeting, 8:30 AM, PA Room at MPA
September 28: MS Coffee Talk, 8:15 AM, Porter Conference Room
October 9-13: Staff Appreciation, donation and volunteer sign-up coming soon!