Mounds Park Academy

Middle School Division News January 13, 2022

January 13, 2022

from Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School Director

Our covid environment is a lot like a giant rollercoaster and that rollercoaster has highs and lows, twists and turns, each day and sometimes moment to moment. So, too, are our emotions and, most especially those of our young people. While we cannot control the environment around us, we can control our response to it—so I’m asking you all to help your students “buckle up” for the loops and bumps in the next few weeks as we navigate this surge and find our way back to the loading platform, all together!

For my younger middle families who are still on campus:

Please continue to be diligent about symptom monitoring. The omicron variant of this virus is sneaky and quick—watch for stuffy nose, scratchy throat, and headache.
More, do your best to limit high-risk activities and exposure points as best you can—not just for you, but for those around you. The key to our remaining on campus is limiting spread within our community and we need your help for that to happen.
Enjoy the time on campus with a little more room to wiggle.

To our big kids and their grown-ups:

Symptom monitoring, even at home, is critical! If your student or you are experiencing any viral symptoms, please us know. Tracing, tracking, and ensuring that exposed folks are quarantining for required amounts of time, help us to return safely.
Remember, as I shared on our Zoom the other night, please take some time to schedule in advance a Covid-19 test toward the end of next week ahead of our January 24 return date. While most sources are outlining this surge will soon pass, we don’t want to come back to school, together, and find ourselves right back in this spot.
Enjoy the time at home—I know that seems weird to say and virtual school is not easy, and not as fun or awesome as being on-campus, but there are some perks in the short term. More time to sleep, more snuggles with pets, better snack options, and, as we approach the end of the quarter, a long weekend to look forward to!

As we approach the long weekend, please note that we do not have school on Monday, January 17, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, nor on Tuesday, January 18, for a teacher professional development day. Grades 7/8 will remain virtual for the rest of next week, while 5/6 will resume classes, on campus, Wednesday, January 19. Read More

Lower School Division News January 13, 2022

January 13, 2022

from Renee Wright, Lower School Director

PreK–Grade 6 Students Remain On Campus
As you have already learned by now, Dr. Hudson and the Administrative Team have made the difficult decision to shift to virtual learning in grades 7-12 starting Wednesday. The intent is that everyone will return to campus on January 24. This change does not impact Lower School. Students in grades PreK-6 will remain on campus. We know our little ones learn best in person and I am grateful that we are seeing fewer cases in Lower School, in part because of their more recent vaccine eligibility. The shift of grades 7-12 to virtual learning will reduce the density and exposure risk on campus for Lower School students as well. We will continue to monitor cases in grades PreK-6 very closely and will shift on a grade-by-grade basis, if essential. Students who are at home due to choice or illness, are being provided personal learning plans so that they may continue to learn asynchronously. We are being very attentive to mitigation strategies to ensure the health and safety of everyone on campus. These strategies are listed below:

Mitigation Strategies in Place

Encouraging the use of N95 or KN95 masks. These masks are available on campus for our students.
Less mixing of classes will occur and group and partner work will be minimized.
More attention to keeping students 6 feet apart whenever possible.
Further enhanced cleaning of their classrooms will begin.
Scheduled handwashing and restroom breaks.

CHAMP Assembly On Wednesday This Week
The CHAMP theme for the school year is accountability. Part of being accountable is self-regulation and self-control. Making good choices and thinking before saying or doing something is an important part of self-control. First Graders shared a delightful message with everyone in Lower School about self-control. All students did follow-up activities in their classrooms to reinforce the concepts learned and will practice their self-regulation skills on a daily basis.

Myles Moore Joins Lower School
MPA has hired Myles Moore, an experienced paraprofessional, as an assistant teacher serving in Lower School classrooms. This added support for our youngest learners will help us provide more one-on-one attention to make up the progress students may have lost due to the impact of Covid-19. Myles came to MPA through the upper school basketball program. His most recent school experience has been in the Osseo School District. Upon reviewing his resume, we were intrigued by his experience. Myles will work in grades K, 1, and 2. His schedule will be determined based on the specific needs of students. Read More

Meet Retired Faculty Member, Jim Schwieger

January 13, 2022

Position while at MPA
Science teacher

How many years did you work at MPA?
26 years

What do you miss most about MPA?
The energy, the students and employees.

What have you been up to since leaving MPA?
Some volunteer work!

Connect With MPA Parents This January

January 13, 2022

Parent Education Night
Save the Date for a Zoom Parent Education Night! January 27, 6:30-7:45 PM, please join MPA families to learn about neurodiversity in our school community.

Attention Middle School Panthers and Parents
The annual Middle School Café is going tubular this year! Stay tuned and get excited. While we can’t unveil all the details just yet (sorry!), we can say, SAVE THE DATE, Friday, February 25th from 2:30-5:30 PM.

January Walks with Dogs
Join Michelle Mick Friday, January 14 for a walk in a local dog park. Bring your dog or not, we’ll meet at Battle Creek Dog Park, a lovely, big, off-leash dog park with 35 acres at 8:15 AM. Parking is off Upper Afton Road, in the parking lot next to the dog park. Look for Michelle and her dog (Rufus), near the entrance of the dog park.

For your GPS, the address is: 2350 Upper Afton Road, Maplewood, MN 55119. The contact person is Michelle Mick, and please feel free to SMS or call 651-328-7312 if you can’t find us!

Microfunding Grants
Looking for Microfunding for your club or classroom? It’s not too late to apply for these PA grants. Please send your applications to Natalie King, our micro-funding chair at natalieking10414@gmail.com. Applications can be found here.

Meet The Ruane Family

January 10, 2022

How many years have you been part of the MPA community?
Just this one!

What do you love about MPA?
We love how well the faculty and staff have truly gotten to know our children in just a few short months. The small class size has been a wonderful fit for all of our children. Both of our kids in the Lower School feel seen, known, and loved in their classrooms. Their teachers have been able to design goals and opportunities around their specific needs. Our Middle Schooler has been given the opportunity to explore a plethora of new opportunities this year, which has been wonderful. Overall, we just feel like our kids are in very good hands when we drop them off everyday!

What initially attracted you to MPA?
We love that MPA encourages our children to develop and explore multiple interests simultaneously. The strong triad of an education rich in academics, arts, and athletics really drew us towards MPA. Read More

Meet MPA World Language Teacher Kari Kunze

January 7, 2022

How many years have you been at MPA?
This is my 22nd year at MPA (32nd year of teaching).

What do you love about MPA?
I love how the school embraces all academic areas as “essential.” Our students are effortlessly interdisciplinary in how they understand the world around them. I see it in my students in class and in my children at home, and every time, I am amazed and impressed.

How does MPA inspire students who dream big and do right?
MPA students have opportunities to go beyond the MPA curriculum through programs like the Graduate Certificates of Distinction and the Malone Online Schools Network. The liberal arts curriculum builds from the solid foundation of the Middle and Lower schools to very advanced classes in the content areas. Students are able to achieve excellence in their passions that they can carry beyond our school. Read More

Innovating Our Future

January 6, 2022

from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Happy new year! I hope that you and your family had an enjoyable break, spending quality time with friends and loved ones.

It was journalist and author William Vaughan who said, “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” I suppose I am neither as I was in bed by 10:30 PM on New Year’s Eve. However, I do consider myself an optimist and while as a family we experienced tremendous loss in 2021, I do recognize the many good things that happened. As head of school of Mounds Park Academy, I am grateful that we were safely in-person and on campus for the majority of the year. The dedication and hard work of our amazing faculty and staff, a strong partnership with parents, and the resiliency of our students are certainly to be celebrated.

A new year brings new beginnings. A new year holds promise and opportunity. As a school, we begin the year with a new strategic plan, 2024ward. The new plan builds upon our former plan, Momentum 2020, and captures the energy to embrace the future with opportunity and enthusiasm. Strategic planning is one of the most important responsibilities of the MPA Board of Trustees.

Planning began in early 2019 by a constituent represented task force commissioned by the Board but was halted by the pandemic in the spring of 2020. Instead, the focus of the Board of Trustees and administration shifted from long-range strategic planning to the development a comprehensive scenario analysis and effort to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Given the demand on the school’s fiscal and human resources necessary to successfully navigate the ongoing pandemic, the board and head of school agreed to embark on an alternative, abbreviated approach. Read More

Meet Retired Faculty Member, Dan Ethier

January 6, 2022

Dan Ethier

Position while at MPA
Math Teacher

How many years did you work at MPA?
29 years

What do you miss most about MPA?
I miss my colleagues and my students the most.

What have you been up to since leaving MPA?
It’s only been a year, so not much yet. I hope to spend more time working out, reading books, doing some programming, and flying my drone.

Parents Connect: January Events

January 6, 2022

January Events

We are looking forward to connecting with MPA families in 2022! Upcoming events and opportunities to look forward to include Family Education Evenings, All-School Sno Daze activities, Lower School Valentine’s Day party, and Middle School Café. Keep your eye on the Panther Post for sign-ups and opportunities to volunteer!

January Walks with Dogs

Friday, January 7 and 14, join Michelle Mick for a walk in a local dog park. Bring your dog or not, we’ll meet at Battle Creek Dog Park, a lovely, big, off-leash dog park with 35 acres at 8:15 AM. Parking is off Upper Afton Road, in the parking lot next to the dog park. Look for Michelle and her dog (Rufus), near the entrance of the dog park.

For your GPS, the address is: 2350 Upper Afton Road, Maplewood, MN 55119. The contact person is Michelle Mick, and please feel free to SMS or call 651-328-7312 if you can’t find us!

Parent Winter Walk at 7 Vines

January 28, 5:45-9 PM, $55. Come enjoy a winter evening and snowshoe walk with other MPA Parents at 7 Vines Vineyard in Dellwood, MN! Ticket Price includes snowshoe rental (with help putting them on!) for a walk around the vineyard lit by twinkling candlelight ice luminaries, a complimentary beverage (mulled wine, kombucha, fancy coffee), four rounds of Bingo for prizes, s’mores, cocoa, and cider. 7 Vines will have exclusive pricing on food and wine that evening, as well. Attendance is limited to 100, and the Parents Association has reserved some spots for this event, but it does sell out. Please let us know if you are interested in joining in the fun by January 10. Contact Staci Banks, sbhehe42@icloud.com, or Venmo the cost of the tickets to @Staci-Banks-Hehenberger. Unfortunately, tickets are not refundable.

RSVP To Discover Something Remarkable

January 4, 2022

RSVP to discover something remarkable: life at MPA. We warmly invite your family to attend the MPA Preview on Sunday, January 30 at 2 PM. It’s the perfect opportunity to discover why you belong here!

Though virtual, this event will provide prospective families with an opportunity to truly discover the type of remarkable hands on learning that MPA students do each day. You will rotate among several classes taught by our expert faculty. These will be interactive, experiential sessions that are actually abbreviated versions of real MPA lessons, modified to be appropriate for all ages. Prospective families will also have an opportunity to take a virtual tour and experience 15 of our state-of-the-art spaces.

Lower School Sessions

Keep It Up with Tim Sheehan, Lower School physical education teacher
Improve your volleying and striking skills during the Keep It Up session. You will learn how to properly toss, catch, volley, and work through several challenges that are safe to do at home. You only need a balloon or two socks rolled up in a ball and any type of basket (laundry basket, bucket, paper bag) to participate!

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building with Tami Fisher, second grade teacher
After a quick tour of the Makerspace, Ms. Fisher will share a read aloud and lead a short lesson connecting math, literature, and critical thinking. Using the elements of design thinking and brainstorming, families will choose a structure or material they were inspired by from the anchor text and create their own structure. Families are encouraged to participate in the brainstorming and planning, so that they may build their structure at a later time.