October 24, 2018
from MPA’s school nurse, Julie Koster, and School District 622
Many students and parents/guardians are frequently concerned about when students should stay home or attend school. The following information is intended to help with this decision.
General Guidelines:
If the student:
- Has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, the student should stay home for 24 hours after their temperature returns to normal (less than 100 degrees) without fever reducing medication.
- Has vomited or has had diarrhea two or more times, the student should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
- Has a rash that may be disease-related or the cause is unknown, check with their healthcare provider before returning to school.
If the student is ill, please keep them home and notify (your division office) daily to report the illness. Please notify the School Nurse, Julie Koster, at jkoster@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5509 if your child has a contagious condition such as chicken pox, strep throat, whooping cough, or influenza.
Read More
Four MPA alumni were featured in the news this week for a variety of accomplishments! From athletics to community engagement, and arts to cooking, we are so proud of these individuals for representing MPA!
Christian Holmen ’90, Teaching Head of School at Liberty School, speaks on how Liberty is shaping the way students who are dyslexic, gifted, or both, are taught. “The first goal for the teachers and administrators at Liberty is to break down the social and emotional barriers that many of the kids have because of similar experiences,” he said. 
Andrea Goldberg ’09 was one of the artists that contributed to the 5,000 carved Halloween pumpkins light up the Minnesota Zoo! Andrea was heavily involved in the arts at MPA, having work selected for the Best 100 Art Exhibition and the Tri-Metro Conference Art Exhibition while in high school. She graduated from MCAD and is now a professional artist. 
Matt Bander ‘11 was in the Mississippi Market’s magazine, “The Medley.” Matt is the Market’s Meat and Seafood manager and is featured on page 5 of the Fall 2018 edition in an interview called “Get To Know Your Co-Op family!” Matt is also currently back at MPA as an assistant boys’ basketball coach! 
Despite frigid, soaking conditions, MPA Sailing is excelling on the water this fall. With a team of three seniors, one sophomore, one freshmen, and one 8th grader, the team has constantly performed at or near the top in every regatta they have competed in, including the Great Oaks Qualifier at Hoover Sailing Center in Ohio. Because of their first place finish there, four members of the team are headed to the Great Oaks Invitational at Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans in early November.
More than 1.6 million high school students from about 22,000 schools nationwide take the PSAT in October of their junior year. Those with the highest PSAT Selection Index scores are recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their exceptional performance–and this year, that includes three of our own MPA students! Seniors Ajay Manicka, Henry Peterson, and Lindsey Baldwin were honored this fall by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, based on their scores on last fall’s PSAT.
The MPA Madrigal Singers are honored to be collaborating with professional musicians and singing in the beautiful House of Hope! MPA students have been practicing with the Oratory’s professional singers and conductor to prepare for the performance on October 14. 
Upper School Student council and the first graders teamed up this week to plan the Blood Drive! Together they created posters, stickers, signs, and thank-you cards preparing for another successful year. 
On behalf of the Parents Association, thank you to all of the parents and volunteers who generously donated their time, gift cards, and goodies during Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week. A special thanks to chef Doug Pittman and his staff at Sage for providing a delicious dinner and snacks throughout the week, and to Vern Kissner and the maintenance staff for all of the set-up and extra work they did. The faculty and staff were very appreciative of our efforts to thank them for all they do.
Today is full of Panthers competing in several different sports! We’ve rounded up all of the games for you, but make sure to 
Congratulations goes out to MPA Debate! The past two weekends have been excellent for both veteran and novice members of the team.
Congratulations to MPA cross country for a terrific State meet!