Mounds Park Academy

A Sense Of Urgency On Give To The Max Day

November 19, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I am a procrastinator. A proud procrastinator, no less. It’s not that I am not productive or do not fulfill my responsibilities. I’m not lazy, but I do get distracted. There always seems to be a good article to read that pops up on my newsfeed, a post on Facebook I find intriguing, a conversation to be had with a friend or colleague, or a good book to read. Oftentimes, what helps me most is a firm deadline or knowing that people are depending on me to act.

Today is a deadline of sorts as our Fall Campaign winds down and we celebrate Give To The Max Day, both in support of the MPA Fund. If you haven’t yet made a gift, I strongly encourage you to do so. I feel a particular sense of urgency this year as we together navigate the uncharted waters of the pandemic. The urgency comes as we, the school and parents, join together to ensure our children have what they need to be safe, healthy, and continue to learn and thrive. What I know is that this endeavor costs more—more people, more technology, more infrastructure. Read More

The Foote/Nelson Family Gives Peace Of Mind

November 18, 2020

During the Fall Campaign, we are excited to share stories from our community about the impact the school has made on their children and their family. The Foote/Nelson Family shares the how their child grew more and more confident and comfortable, finding a home at MPA.

How did your family come to MPA?
We were looking at options for a new school for Odin and had a neighbor whose son had gone to MPA. Living in Minneapolis, it made an impression because they were willing to drive far but were so happy. That neighbor’s son became a literal rocket scientist. All of the conversations we had with them as well as Odin’s visit to MPA just seemed like a really great fit.

Our experience has been great. Odin has really transformed. He had been having a really difficult time and it had taken a big hit on his self-esteem. When he visited MPA he felt really welcomed by the students and teachers right away. He felt really supported to do the work in his class and enjoys being recognized for the work he was doing. It is a good balance for Odin – teachers pushing him to do more where they see it while also having a lot of respect for his boundaries and challenges. The biggest thing for us is seeing how the teachers are really empowered to do differentiated instruction. In our conversations with MPA’s teachers regarding past challenges Odin experienced, they listened and then shared that in some instances they may provide instruction differently for Odin and beyond that if they need to adjust, they just do. It’s made such a difference because in all of our previous conversations we didn’t feel heard. Now Odin has teachers that will overcome barriers. Read More

Shift To Dial Stop Three

November 13, 2020

a message from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
November 13, 2020

Last spring, when learning shifted to virtual, I made a promise to this community: We will all come together, as Panthers, and be our best—our most innovative, our most engaging, our most creative, our most kind, and our most hopeful, all the while prioritizing the community’s health and safety.

That’s exactly what we’ve done. And we’ve seen great success because of it. We have had no on-campus transmission. Our health and safety protocols are working. Internally, things are strong and stable, in large part because we have come together, as Panthers. Unfortunately, the external COVID-19 metrics that we monitor closely have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Projections indicate that there is no relief in sight.

In partnership with the administrative team and members of the Community Advisory Group, I have made the difficult decision to proactively transition our community to dial stop three: PreK on campus, K-4 on campus in cohorts, 5-12 in virtual school. Read More

Ms. Dale Gives Belonging

November 13, 2020

During the Fall Campaign, we are excited to share stories from our community about the impact the school has made on their children and their family. Middle School social studies teacher Marina Dale shares the joys and sense of home that MPA gives her and her family on a daily basis.

How did your family come to MPA?
I came to MPA when Hannah was a year old and I needed a change in my teaching career. Over my 20 years at MPA, I have seen the joys of all three divisions, and the sense of home that the faculty and community has created for my children. As a teacher and a parent, I can’t imagine our family being a part of any other community.

Hannah, my oldest, came to MPA in Kindergarten and she graduated as a “lifer.” Through those experiences, she had the freedom to be creative, be herself, ask questions, and fill her insatiable desire to have knowledge and know why. Because we had such a great experience with Hannah, Simon followed soon after in Kindergarten. Simon loved that he could do drama, plays, art, and read whatever he could get his hands on. My youngest, Aiden, followed suit, started at MPA in PreK. I knew we had found the right place for him when I walked into the PreK room one day and the teacher was rocking my three-year-old to sleep when he was having a difficult day. It reinforced once again that this was home for all of us. Read More

Rejoining The Community: Alumni Back At MPA

November 13, 2020

Rejoining The Community: Record Number of MPA Alumni Back on Campus as Employees

A record seven MPA alumni, from the class of 1998 all the way to the class of 2019, are working at MPA in the 2020-21 school year. Each has found joy in returning to MPA and rejoining the community that helped shape them into who they are today. Read their stories below!

Maddy Wolfe ’12, Middle School English Teacher

I never imagined working at MPA, although I do remember thinking that it would be a place I would enjoy working. Teaching was something that was in the back of my mind for a while, and because I enjoyed my time as a student at MPA so much, working here felt like a dream.

Not only that, but the adjustment has been seamless, mainly because my colleagues are so amazing! Their kindness, warmth, and willingness to help and collaborate banished any possible awkwardness. It’s even better that I’m familiar with the school culture, community, and values, and so those automatically fuel how I want to conduct my classroom and what I want to instill in my students.

Elizabeth Flinsch ’98, Visual Art Teacher

I never envisioned I’d be working at MPA when I was a student. While my MPA teachers had a huge impact on me, I didn’t think I was going to be an educator back then.

It has been so rewarding getting to know some of those who taught me as fellow professionals. Lisa Buck was a hero and mentor of mine since graduating and now we work together. How cool is that?
One amazing moment was during our accredidation review a couple years ago. Bob Cooke, who had been my history teacher and champion in Upper School, was on the visiting review team. He walked into my classroom of eighth graders and beamed with pride. We both started crying – a little awkward, but amazing for things to come full circle! I have also spend my fair share of time reminiscing over lunch about softball games long past with Mr. McGaha and Mr. Scinto.

My students are often surprised to hear that I went to MPA. I enjoy telling them stories about the teachers they have now who I had back then. Read More

Plan The Work, Work The Plan

November 12, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I benefitted from the guidance of a mentor whose mantra was, “plan the work, work the plan”. The constant drumbeat under his leadership helped me develop an appreciation for strategic thinking and long-range planning. Along the way I learned the necessity of looking ahead and the discipline required to achieve progress. Without an end in mind, as Alice learned from the Cheshire Cat, any road will suffice.

Mounds Park Academy has a long history of strategic planning designed to advance the mission of the school and to meet the emerging needs of students in an evolving and increasingly globalized society. Setting the vision of the school and establishing strategic direction are among the most important responsibilities of the MPA Board of Trustees. Our most recent plan, Momentum 2020, guided the MPA community through the last five years and came to an end last May. Momentum 2020 has been instrumental in setting forth a direction and providing strategic priorities that led to the incredible success and growth we’ve enjoyed over the last five years. Read More

Thanks For Kicking Off The Fall Campaign With Us!

November 12, 2020

Thank you to our generous community for joining us on Monday for our virtual 2020 You Give Fall Campaign Kick-Off. Thanks to our community’s participation and giving, we were successful in reaching our goals to receive a $10,000 challenge gift in support of the school! The Fall Campaign will culminate in next week’s Give to the Max Day, so be on the look-out for ways to give, participate, and help us during this important time.

When you make a gift, you ensure our students, faculty, and staff have the tools, resources, and support they need for today and tomorrow, especially during these challenging times. Tuition only covers 82% of the cost of an MPA education. Your gift will bridge this gap and help us to maintain our unique learning environment, top-notch facilities and resources, and small class sizes. Every gift of every size makes an impact. Your participation is what counts. By everyone doing what they can, we all can benefit and thrive.

Make A Gift

Back to Basics: A Health & Safety Pep Talk

November 12, 2020

Just like you, MPA is watching all of the COVID-19 metrics very closely. We continue to be incredibly successful with zero on-campus transmission and effective tracing. Because we are relying on both internal and external metrics to guide our decision making, we do not intend to make any changes to our dial position in the near future.

As cases continue to rise outside of MPA, however, now is a good time to get back to basics and refresh everyone’s memory about three of the most important health and safety layers that we have in place. It is our collective responsibility be safe, be smart, and be kind every single day.

AUX SAFETY APP: This needs to be completed twice per day, every single day. This includes weekends and days your student is not on campus. If the app indicates that you need to stay home, it activates our response protocols internally and you must stay home.
REPORTING: Any symptoms, close contacts, travel, or other vital information must be reported to covid@moundsparkacademy.org. And please follow the recommendations of the contact tracing team diligently. If your child is determined to be a close contact, you will hear from us immediately with information and instructions.
GATHERINGS: We strongly advise against in-person gatherings with extended families or friends. As Governor Walz announced yesterday, this is a primary source of the spread in Minnesota. It can be very challenging to say no to our children, but the more diligent we all are, the more access to campus our students will have.

Parents Connect With Recipe Sharing

November 12, 2020

In the spirit of sharing, the Parents Association is starting a recipe exchange. We’re all cooking a lot more and are sharing some of our favorite recipes to try and enjoy throughout winter! This first week we’re focusing on Diwali. More details will be provided in next week’s Panther Post.

A Recipe for Diwali
This weekend, many of our Indian friends will be celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Celebrations include decorating the house with lights, lighting firecrackers in the evening, exchanging gifts and eating delicious food and desserts. One sweet delicacy that is synonymous with Diwali is Kaju Katli. MPA parent Seema Anwar has graciously provided an old family recipe from her mother-in-law for this delightful dessert.

Kaju Katli

Ingredients: cashews, sugar, water, and butter, ghee, or coconut oil. (Optional: rose water or saffron strands) Read More

Meet Simone LaBonté ’06

November 9, 2020

Simone LaBonté ’06 is in her sixth year as the Director of Person Centered Practices at New Directions Inc. Under her leadership, New Directions Inc. partnered with local organization Woodbury Thrives to construct a community garden at a New Directions Inc. residential home in Woodbury, creating a resource for the home’s residents and the greater community.

Tell us more about your community garden project and your work with New Directions. How did the garden come to be?

I work for New Directions Inc., a small company that helps people with developmental disabilities lead fulfilling lives. People with disabilities are often isolated or segregated from their neighbors. The community garden is one of the ways New Directions is trying to change that and create connections with the local community.

Three of the men that New Directions serves and I partnered with Woodbury Thrives, a community building organization, and applied for a Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grant through Washington County. They ultimately funded the first year of a community garden project in the pre-Covid era (spring of 2019). The garden was hosted by the three guys–it was built and planted in their yard. We invited neighbors to a community get-together by going door to door to introduce ourselves and our idea. We also hung flyers and handwritten notes on people’s doorknobs. Read More