Panther Club Parents’ Night Out

upper school student doing stem activities with lower schoolersWhether you have holiday errands to do or would like a night to yourself, Panther Club and MPA Robotics has you covered. Drop off your children and enjoy the night! Parents’ Night Out is Friday, December 13 from 6-9 PM. Activities will take place in the Family Commons. All Lower School Students are welcome! With the help of Upper School Robotics, the group will play with Lego Robotics, Minecraft, the Robotics Team’s robot, and watch Big Hero 6. Feel free to bring a pillow to get comfy for movie time. Milk and cookies will be served with the movie.

Panther Club Parents’ Night Out is $10 per student. To sign up, please contact Russ Purdy, extended day coordinator, at rpurdy@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5571.


MPA’s Final Regular Season Debate Tournament Of The Year

mpa debate at the last regular season tournament of the yearCongratulations to the MPA debate team on an excellent performance at the final regular season tournament of the year! At the Mankato East Classic Debate Tournament, the team amassed a record of 40 and 24, and seven teams won awards.

In Novice B, Freya Rahm and Emilia McLaughlin were third. In Novice A, Jenna Sherwood and Dhruv Muppidi continued their undefeated streak of 16-0 and finished second behind another 4-0 team, and the team of Lily Gasterland-Gustafsson and Elissa Frankel received medals for a 3-1 finish. In Junior Varsity, the teams of Fiona Blank and Anna Gaudio and Kaija Kunze-Hoeg and Misk Khalif received awards for their 3-1 records. Finally, in Varsity, the teams of Ryan Ghose and Elli Carlson and Garrett Hollihan and Charlie Galicich received awards for 3-1 records. MPA’s 80th debater also competed this weekend to confirm the team’s status as a true juggernaut. Go Panthers!


Coming Together To Create The MPA Alma Mater

Upper school choir practicing the alma materMPA Music Teachers, Mari Espeland and John Habermann, have been wanting to create an Alma Mater for MPA for years. But as the 2019-20 school year began, our campus went through many changes, Mr. Habermann gained more experience composing music, and MPA entered its 38th year; the timing just felt right.

As a founding faculty member and renowned English teacher, John believed Anne Atchison was the perfect candidate to write the lyrics. From the heart, she wrote and drafted the words to perfection, leaving the rhythmic lines comprehensible enough for our Alma Mater to be sung by everyone, from our littlest Panthers in PreK to our entire alumni community. Mr. Habermann said that the song’s tune came quickly after the lyrics were written. The arrangement was basically finished after an inspiring MPA Homecoming. Read More


Join The Parents Association For Gift Wrapping

PA wrapping gifts for faculty and staff appreciationJoin us in a long-standing tradition at MPA! To show appreciation for faculty and staff during this busy time of year, the PA lends a helping hand and volunteers to wrap their holiday gifts for them. Please sign up to help wrap holiday gifts for our faculty and staff on Monday, December 9 in the Porter Conference Room.

During this Faculty and Staff Appreciation event, teachers bring us their unwrapped gifts which we wrap and return to them by the end of the day. This is a fun and festive event with coffee, snacks and holiday music provided by the Parents Association. All wrapping materials are also provided by the Parents Association. Sign up for one hour or more–such as one hour at drop off and one hour at pick up–to still free up your day. We appreciate your help and hope this event gets you into the holiday spirit!


Notes From The Nurse

child doing work in the classroomWith the cold and flu season upon us, please keep the following guidelines in mind when deciding whether to send your child to school. This will help to control the spread of infectious diseases at school and allow your student to be available for learning.

Students should remain home for the following reasons:

  • If your student has had a fever of 100 degrees or more, they should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal and remains normal without fever reducing medication.
  • If your student has vomited or had persistent diarrhea, they should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
  • If diagnosed with a strep infection. Students need to be on an antibiotic for a minimum of 24 hours, fever free, and feeling well before returning to school.
  • If your student develops a heavy, moist, productive cough, chest congestion, or discolored nasal drainage.
  • If your student has moderate red eye(s), crusty discolored drainage (especially upon waking), possible itching, possible sensitivity to light, and blurry vision but clears upon blinking. It could be “Pink Eye.” Your student should be evaluated by your health care provider.

Read More


Save The Date For The Founders’ Breakfast

students enjoying the pancakes at the breakfastSave the date for the MPA Founders’ Breakfast! On Wednesday, December 11 from 7-8 AM in the Family Commons, come and celebrate MPA’s 38-year history with us while enjoying a community breakfast served by the Board of Trustees. There will be homemade pancakes fresh from the griddle, a variety of delicious toppings, savory sides, coffee, and juice. Come early to visit and avoid the long lines!


MPA Students Selected For State Honor Choir

Elissa and jackCongratulations to MPA sophomore Elissa Frankel and freshman Jack Peterson, who auditioned and were selected to be members of the ACDA-MN 9-10 State Honor Choir! Elissa will sing in the Soprano-Alto Choir under the direction of Brandon Dean from Gustavus Adolphus College while Jack will sing in the Mixed Choir conducted by Aimee Beckmann-Collier from Drake University.

Elissa and Jack will prepare their Honor Choir music for a day long festival in February culminating with a performance at Central Lutheran Church. Jack is a member of the MPA Varsity Choir while Elissa sings in the MPA Concert Choir and Madrigals Singers. Best wishes to our musicians!


Save The Date: Parents Association Gift Wrapping

parents association wrapping gifts for faculty and staffSave the date! The MPA Parents Association Gift Wrapping event is on Monday, December 9 from 8 AM-3 PM. This is another Faculty and Staff Appreciation event where members of the Parents Association and parent volunteers come together to wrap presents for MPA staff. Look for the Sign Up Genius coming next week!


Thank You From Coach Kunze-Hoeg

girls volleyball team at the state tournamentby Jeff Kunze-Hoeg, MPA Varsity Volleyball Coach

I want to thank the entire MPA family for your overwhelming support of the MPA volleyball program this season–especially at the 4A Section Final where we beat New Life Academy to advance to the State Tournament for the first time in school history. The cheering was electric and there is no doubt that it helped push our team to victory. Winning that match will be a long-time memory for us. I was blown away, not only by the number of students in the stands, but the number of MPA faculty and families who took time out of their weekend to show their Panther Pride at Kennedy High School. Read More


Invite A Friend To Lunch At MPA

upper schoolers working together in the commonsInvite your friends and neighbors to join us on campus for lunch on Thursday, December 12 at 11:30 AM! This small-by-design event includes a casual lunch with students and administrators and opportunities to see inside classrooms, where students and teachers are in action during a regular school day.

Kindly have them RSVP in advance for this engaging program at moundsparkacademy.org/RSVP and contact the Office of Admission at 651-748-5577 or admission@moundsparkacademy.org with any questions.