Congratulations & Welcome Home!
We are overjoyed that you have been accepted to Mounds Park Academy!
You are a freethinker, a free spirit, a risk taker, a right maker, a dreamer, and a doer! You are the kind of student who will thrive at MPA. Celebrate. Thank your family. Hug your pet. Be proud of your accomplishments.
Families just like yours choose MPA for many reasons. They appreciate that academics are central, but that there's much more to an MPA education. Athletics, fine arts, and extracurricular activities—you will pursue it all here and discover your own unique amazing! You will find joy in learning and be able to apply your knowledge across disciplines in innovative ways. Learn more of the many reasons families choose MPA here.
The resources below are designed to provide you and your family with all of the information and tools you needed as you enroll and prepare to become an MPA student. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your contact in the Office of Admission.
Again, congratulations! You are a Mounds Park Academy Panther!
Natalie Waters Seum
Director of Admission and Communication
Email
651-748-5535
Alli Capasso
Assistant Director of Admission, Middle and Upper School
Email
651-748-5519
Hannah Smith
Assistant Director of Admission, Lower School
Email
651-748-5517
Jennifer Jasinski
PreK Program and Admission Manager
Email
651-748-5515
Next Steps Toward Enrollment
MPA partners with TADS to manage the enrollment process online. The parents/guardians of admitted students will receive an email from support@tads.com on behalf of Mounds Park Academy on Friday, March 29, 2024 with detailed information about how to enroll.
Through the link that TADS provides in that email, parents/guardians will confirm their children will be attending MPA, review and/or update important contact and emergency information, and pay the enrollment deposit. Through TADS, parents/guardians may also sign up for MPA's lunch program and transportation options. And finally, parents/guardians may also obtain and submit MPA's health forms. Health forms will not be due back to MPA until August.
If you have any questions about the TADS enrollment process or MPA billing, please contact Gina Wallraff, chief financial and operations officer, at gwallraff@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5501 and she will be happy to assist you.
Join Our Admitted Families Facebook Group!
MPA is providing a Facebook group for admitted families moderated by the MPA admission team. This will serve as a space for conversation between and among parents and families. We invite you to use this group to get to know each other, engage in conversation about choosing MPA and about the school selection process, and to share advice. Click here to join!
The onboarding process at MPA is thorough and fun!
April 12, 2024
Enrollment Deadline
Families are encouraged to complete their enrollment contract as soon as possible after making the decision to attend Mounds Park Academy. The onboarding process will begin shortly after and we very much look forward to welcoming your family home!
May 3, 2024
4-5:30 PM Panther Party
Panther Party is a celebration for newly enrolled students and their families at MPA. There will be an opportunity to explore our campus through an engaging scavenger hunt, participate in activities with current students, start your spirit wear collection with free MPA gear and swag, meet other families, and socialize over snacks!
Late May, 2024
You will receive your first mailing from the division office with important transition information.
June, 2024
Your buddy connection will come from Angie Gerstner, development coordinator, at agerstner@moundsparkacademy.org. We encourage you to make as many plans as possible with your buddy family as a way to get connected to the community.
Summer, 2024
The MPA Parents Association plans gatherings for both new and returning families. Watch for those invitations!
Early August, 2024
Back To School Packets Mailed
This final summer packet will contain the much-anticipated student schedule, policy information, New Family Orientation Agenda, and much more.
August 22, 2024
Back To School Celebration & New Family Orientation
We are planning joyful gatherings to celebrate Back To School, provide an orientation for new families, and introduce them to returning families. This will be a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with MPA and have any final questions answered before the first day of school. Invitations will be sent to families.
August 26, 2024
First Day Of School for new students PreK-9 and all students in grades PreK, K, 5, and 9.
August 27, 2024
First Day Of School for the entire school
Late September, 2024
Curriculum Night
This is a night for new and returning parents and guardians to come to school to meet their child’s teachers and learn about the school year ahead.
As a new student or parent/guardian, your go-to department will be your applicable division office. If you have questions about your schedule, need to report an absence, or want to get connected to a resource, these are the people who can assist you best.
| Lower School (PreK-4) Immediately inside door #1, also known as the south entrance. |
Office: 651-748-5562 |
Jennifer Le Varge
Lower School Director |
 Michelle WigerDivision Assistant |
| Middle School (5-8) In the main Middle School hallway, room 131. |
Office: 651-748-55652 |
 Paul Errickson Division Director Email coming soon! |
Ashley RiihiluomaDivision Assistant |
| Upper School (9-12) In the Upper School commons. |
Office: 651-748-5544 |
Mark SegalDivision Director |
Chanda WilliamsDivision Assistant |
Generally speaking, our division directors are considered the division principals. Parents/guardians should feel welcome to reach out to them with questions or concerns. Our division assistants can provide assistance with attendance, daily schedule questions, or help navigating life as an MPA parent/guardian. Division assistants are also your go-to resource with any contact information changes. If you need immediate assistance, please reach out via phone.
The names and contact information for every member of the administrative team can be found here. Please feel welcome to contact any of them for assistance with their applicable department.
MPA offers a comprehensive transportation program for families throughout the Twin Cities. Specifically, MPA offers busing to and from Minneapolis, Woodbury, North Oaks/Roseville, St. Paul/Highland Park, and throughout District 622. Sign up is available within TADS during the enrollment process. Find detailed information here.
We encourage new students and parents/guardians to take a little time to get to know MPA's website: moundsparkacademy.org. As you navigate to our homepage, please click on "Current Families" near the top right. On that landing page, moundsparkacademy.org/families, you will find all of the resources you need to navigate life at MPA including links to Schoology, the full online calendar, an employee directory, policy handbook, school news, and much, much more. As you explore the links on the left side of that page, you will see division-specific resources that will come in very handy. When in doubt, visit this page! If it doesn't answer your question email communications@moundsparkacademy.org and we will be sure to add it!
Schoology is where students and parents/guardians find assignments, grades, and teacher messages. PowerSchool is where parents/guardians access transcripts and view attendance records. Find both systems at moundsparkacademy.org/families. Logins will be provided by the division offices. If you have used Schoology in the past, you will need to reach out to your current school’s administrative assistant and/or IT office in June to have your new MPA student disassociated with their school. Schoology requires that the current school complete this.
MPA utilizes Schoology as its learning management system. New families will receive their Schoology login information in early August. For privacy reasons, MPA's online directory is located within Schoology and below are instructions regarding how to access it:
On Desktop
- Visit https://app.schoology.com/login.
- Login to Schoology using your parent/guardian login.
- In the upper right-hand corner, using the drop down button, navigate to your parent/guardian profile. You are now viewing Schoology as yourself, not as your child.
- Along the top navigation bar, click on Resources > Apps.
- Click Approve then refresh the page. This is only needed the first time you open MPA Resources.
- The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.
On Mobile
- Download the Schoology app (if you haven't already) in the Apple or Android App Store.
- Login to the app using your parent/guardian login.
- In the upper left-hand corner menu, select Resources > Resource Apps > MPA Resources.
- Click Approve then use the back button to get back to Resources. Click MPA Resources again. This is only needed the first time you open the MPA Resources app.
- The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.
If you have any questions, please email Jay Springer, MPA webmaster, at webmaster@moundsparkacademy.org.
In July, you will be added to MPA current parent/guardian and student communications. You will receive division-specific news from your division director and/or assistant, "Panther Post" with all-school news each Thursday during the school year from the Office of Communications, as well as periodic emails about special events and opportunities. In addition, we encourage you to follow MPA on social media to be inspired and informed:
