January 2, 2025
When parents are just beginning to explore early childhood and kindergarten programs for their children, many questions are at the forefront of their minds. Will their child be safe and nurtured but also challenged? At MPA, the answer would be ‘yes’ to these questions. However, parents also question what institutes the proper amount of academic rigor for five to six-year-olds and ask what this rigor should look like in kindergarten.
Mounds Park Academy, one of the top two private schools in Minnesota and one of the nation’s top STEM schools, serves students PreK through 12th grade and features both a PreK and a kindergarten program that deeply believes that play is, in fact, one of the most important components of a successful early childhood and kindergarten program.
Benefits of Play in Child Development
In Suzanne Bouffard’s book “The Most Important Year,” she discusses best practices for the earliest years of school. She explains that successful early childhood programs follow the research, which states “very clearly that children learn through play and this notion that you have to choose between play and academic learning is a false dichotomy.” She writes, “One study showed that you can give children building blocks and let them build whatever they want. Or you can give children building blocks with a goal–to build a landing pad for a helicopter, for example. In both cases, everybody ends up having fun and learning something, but the kids who had a goal actually used richer vocabulary, especially around spatial skills and building concepts.” Read More
from Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director 
from Paul Errickson, Middle School director
from Mark Segal, Upper School director 
Join us for the inaugural Panther Classic on Saturday, January 11, from 9 AM-4 PM in the Lansing Sports Center! This Middle School basketball tournament is a great way to showcase MPA athletes and facilities. All grade-level families are welcome to attend, 
from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school
This message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the December 21 issue of Inside MPA. 
Discover something remarkable at the PreK-12 MPA Preview on Sunday, January 26, 12:30-2 PM
Each year, the Governance Committee of MPA’s Board of Trustees identifies, considers, and invites a small number of people within the MPA community to become new trustees. In soliciting and evaluating nominees, the Board seeks to match the board’s needs with the nominees’ professional and leadership skills and broad personal, cultural, and experience backgrounds. Before becoming trustees, many members first served in various capacities at MPA, such as on school committees, committees of the Board, in the Parents Association, or in other volunteer positions where they have been able to demonstrate and share their capabilities, personal experiences, and leadership skills.
Cookies, Coffee & Connection! We would love to see you before winter break.