March 23, 2023
The pressure to end the quarter on the “right note” is frequently a focus for students and their families. Next week most third quarter non-elective classes will be offering final exams to 9-11 grade students; seniors do not take final exams. For the most part, these assessments are not the old blue book cumulative exams that many of us experienced when we were in high school. Instead, teachers do a wonderful job of asking students essential questions based on the material and discussions had throughout the quarter. Certainly, math and World Language courses have more cumulative assessments as those courses are based upon a sequential curriculum. According to the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University, “final exams remain one of the most common genres of cumulative assignments, set at the end of courses in order to give students (and instructors) the opportunity to synthesize and reflect on the full arc of the grading period.”
The schedule next week will provide students the opportunity to review the material on which they will be assessed and focus only on their exams on Thursday and Friday. Final exams are allotted 90 minutes of time and students take specific exams at scheduled times. The content covered on final exams is cumulative for the entire year, but the exam is worth up to 20% of the second semester grade. There is no averaging of the first semester and second semester grades as each grade earned goes into the GPA calculation separately. The first term grades are already finalized and have been entered into each student’s permanent record, so performance on the final exam has no bearing on the first semester grade and only affects the second semester.
The Schedule for Finals Week
Monday, March 27, through Wednesday, March 29, are “normal” school days. Students in Quarter 3 World Language classes will take their final exams on either (or both) Monday or Tuesday, March 27 and 28, during their regular class meeting time.
On Thursday, March 30, and Friday, March 31, there are no regular upper school classes – there are only final exams these two days. Upper school students may be on campus before and after their final exams and lunch will be available for those students on the MPA lunch plan 11:20-11:45 AM. Light breakfast and snack items will be available throughout the day to all upper school students outside of the upper school office. Please note that Middle and Lower School students will follow their regular class schedule all week and only Upper School has a modified schedule for final exams. Read More
WELCOME BACK! I hope you all had a lovely Spring Break and took time to relax, recharge, and maybe even read a good book. While many folks travel to escape the cold of Minnesota “spring,” some of us just took advantage of time a little less hectic and a lot less hurried. In whatever way your family spent their time, I hope it was fulfilling and just the break you needed to prepare for the sprint ahead.
It has been a pleasure welcoming everyone in the Lower School back from a wonderful Spring Break. So many students have lovely stories of their travels and I believe we have a couple of students who returned from Europe on the same plane as our very own Dr. Hudson!
What position will you be holding at MPA? 
We are in the final days before ticket prices increase April 1! Now that the snow is beginning to melt and we’re seeing signs of spring, plan to celebrate the joy and imagination at MPA by joining us for the auction. There are still many ways for you to join us in celebration of MPA through this year’s auction:
They’re champions again! The MPA Speech Team competed at Dassel-Cokato this past weekend, and came out as tournament champions. Five students won individual titles: Zoya Nayak, Zaara Nayak, Ash Klann, Meiran Carlson, and Greta Hanson. The team has had an incredibly successful season so far, which also includes a school record 22 entries qualified for the National Tournament.
MPA All-School Gluten-Free Cooking Class with Kate Thrane ’16
Cultural Diversity Day
What position will you be holding at MPA?
Did you know that MPA has a highly-competitive and successful sailing team? While sailing is not an MSHL sport, and it is run as a club, not as a sport at MPA, our sailors have gone on to compete at the regional and national levels annually for many years. No experience or boat is needed to join, and all are welcome from grades seven through 12. Sailing is a lifelong sport that is both technical and physical and it is a great way to make friends from other schools.
Ms. Le Varge comes to MPA from the Luanda International School in Angola, where she is the Primary School principal. Before that, she was the Seoul Campus principal at the Korea International School. For 12 years, she has served as principal at schools in Asia and the Middle East. Before that, she spent valuable time in the classroom teaching PreK and early elementary. She holds a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Boston University and a Master of Arts in anthropology (ethnography of education) from the American University of Beirut.