All School

Be A Part Of The Middle School Play

September 2, 2021

students in the black boxAuditions are open for the Middle School Play! This year, the play is a series of Middle School One Acts, titled, “The Internet is Distract–OH LOOK A KITTEN!” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Middle School (but were too busy being stuffed in a locker to ask)!” Sign up audition to here!

All Middle School students in grades 5-8 are invited to audition. Auditions are held Monday, September 13 to Tuesday, September 14 at 3:15-4:15 PM or 4:15-5:15 PM. Thursday, September 16 will be callbacks from 3:15-4:30 PM.

Upper School students are involved in the Middle School play too! Upper Schoolers take on more of the advanced technical aspects, along with taking on leadership and mentoring roles.

Auditions will take place in the Black Box (Room #30, by door #4). You MUST sign up for one audition spot via Schoology. For specific information on rehearsals and time commitment, please visit the “MPA Theatre Info” Schoology page (access code KNJ7K-BF6D9).

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact Ms. Mastel at hmastel@moundsparkacademy.org or by stopping by her room (#21). Be sure to check out the crew opportunities, if you are interested on working backstage!

Guidelines For Bus And Traffic Safety

September 2, 2021

bus pulling up to MPAIt is MPA’s number one priority to provide the safest campus environment possible for you and your children. Please share this information with all of the drivers in your home, in addition to others who may provide transportation for you. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

COVID-19 Bus Precautions
We have implemented these strategies to prioritize health and safety on MPA buses:

  1. Masks worn by all on board.
  2. One student per seat whenever possible (siblings may sit together).
  3. A seating chart for any bus with more than 22 students (there are 22 seats on a bus.)
  4. Four windows open one inch: the two in the last row on each side of the aisle and two in the front row on each side of the aisle.

Distracted Driving
Parents and students are asked to refrain from using cell phones (hands free or otherwise) while driving on campus, especially when children are present. This helps us all to be aware of the children moving around us and keep the traffic flow steady and uncongested. Read More

Connect With The MPA Parents Association This School Year

August 26, 2021

Parents Connect: Wednesday Morning WalksPA Photo
The Parents Association invites parents and guardians to get together Wednesday mornings after drop off. Mark your calendars, it will be fun! Wednesday, September 1 we’ll have a 30 minute walk with Michelle Mick. We’ll meet at the flagpole near the Lower School entrance. Lower School, Middle School and Upper School families are welcome. This week’s walk will include strolling through some of the grounds on MPA, including the prairie area. Chat with new parents and connect with friends. Younger children are welcome to walk with us.
After that walk if parents are interested, we can head over to the Farmer’s Market at Aldrich Arena, a short walk from MPA. They have a large variety of great produce and you’ll be supporting local farmers.
Remember to bring a mask to all events! Hope to see you there!
Monday and Thursday Mornings in the Garden
Get your hands dirty Monday and Thursday mornings after drop off, helping in MPA’s gardens. No experience necessary. Come and help weed, plant, dig, or sow, all are welcome. How long you stay is up to you. If Michelle Mick is not at the flagpole, go around the corner, in the Library gardens, next to Door #2.
Remember to bring a mask! Hope to see you there!

Accessing MPA’s Family Directory

August 26, 2021

DirectoryAs you make new connections at MPA, we warmly encourage families to connect with one another outside of school (safely, of course!). Here are instructions about how to access MPA’s community directory in Schoology.

On Desktop

  1. Visit https://app.schoology.com/login.
  2. Login to Schoology using your parent login.
  3. In the upper right-hand corner, using the drop down button, navigate to your parent profile. You are now viewing Schoology as yourself, not as your child.
  4. Along the top navigation bar, click on Resources (top) > Apps (left).
  5. Click Approve then refresh the page. This is only needed the first time you open MPA Resources.
  6. The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.

On Mobile

  1. Download the Schoology app (if you haven’t already) in the Apple or Android App Store.
  2. Login to the app using your parent login.
  3. In the upper left-hand corner menu, select Resources > Resource Apps > MPA Resources.
  4. Click Approve then use the back button to get back to Resources. Click MPA Resources again.
  5. This is only needed the first time you open the MPA Resources app.
  6. The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.

If you have any questions, please email Jay Springer, MPA webmaster, at webmaster@moundsparkacademy.org. If you have any changes to your directory listing, contact your division assistant:

Lower School: Denise Johnson, djohnson@moundsparkacademy.org

Middle School: Jolynn Lassonde, jlassonde@moundsparkacademy.org

Upper School: Jolynn Lassonde, jlassonde@moundsparkacademy.org (temporary)

Lower School Division News

August 26, 2021

Off to a Good Start!LS news story

Lower School had a perfect start to the 2021-2022 school year! It is energizing to have students back on campus! Students and teachers are experiencing the joy of learning in classrooms as they get to know each other and launch into learning new concepts and skills. A huge thank you to parents and teachers for helping with the transition back to school.

At the beginning of the school year teachers work hard to develop a positive, kind, inclusive classroom culture and set the tone for a respectful and engaging learning environment of trust. This year lower school teachers will be using Responsive Classroom Morning Meetings periodically throughout the week as a way to build that culture.

Students, and even teachers, crave a certain amount of predictability and routine in the school day, especially at the start of the year. Morning Meeting merges academic, social, and emotional learning. They also enhance the sense of significance and belonging and provides an opportunity to have fun.

Morning Meetings teach necessary competencies and abilities to communicate ideas and information clearly, to collaborate, and demonstrate innovation and flexible thinking. In addition, Monday Meeting will reinforce CHAMP concepts and teach responsible citizenship. Social emotional Learning skills will also be practiced helping children develop life-long skills such as recognizing and managing emotions, developing care and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, and handling challenges constructively. Morning Meeting components also offer students endless opportunities and practice and review academic skills.

When we start the school day together, face to face, welcoming each other, sharing news, listening to individual voices, and communicating as a caring group, we make a powerful statement. We say that all students matter! We say that we are a team working together! We say our classroom culture is one of friendliness and thoughtfulness! We say that we can accomplish hard work and make discoveries together.

Morning meetings help create connections among all members of the classroom community. Students learn details about each other and build common bonds. Students learn that each classroom is a community of unique students and families. Teachers can take advantage of the diversity of the group to teach cross-cultural understanding and acceptance. The connection between students and their teachers helps students feel comfortable taking risks when they know they will be respected and valued, no matter the outcome. Read More

Middle School Division News

August 26, 2021

WELCOME to the 2021-2022 School Year! MS news story

Every other week my newsletter will come to you with highlights of upcoming events, information about what’s happening in our neck of the woods, the all-important list of dates for your family calendar, and usually a little about what I’m thinking about or what may be helpful to you as we do this parenting-of-middle-schoolers journey together. I hope you’ll look forward to the Middle School News & Notes and find them helpful.

Remember that this newsletter will always be in the Panther Post, along with archived issues, for you to review. ?

STUDY HALL and PANTHER DEN!
A few years ago, now we began offering a one-hour study hall immediately after school (3:15-4 PM). It was a huge success as it offers students a quiet, structured, and monitored place to get some work done before heading home for the evening. I have seen happy parents with less homework to manage at night and have heard students gleefully share the list of assignments or tasks they were able to finish in just the short 45 minutes with real focus and attention.

For study hall to be productive and helpful, we share the following expectations with students:

  1. No cell phones are allowed. The same rules that apply during the regular school day apply in study hall. Cell phones should be “off-and-away”.
  2. No earbuds/listening to music while working. I have explained to students that research and science on the brain and learning teaches us that when we focus on fewer things, even one at a time, we work more efficiently and more successfully. Music is a distraction to manage and 45 minutes with no music or distraction can make for a much more productive time.
  3. Games or videos on school computers are also not allowed – this is a quiet time to get homework finished or to read a book. The teachers supervising study hall can direct computers be put away completely if needed.
  4. Collaborative/group work is not ideal for this setting and students should be encouraged to work on independent tasks as much as is possible.
  5. Students may bring a quiet and not-messy snack to study hall, if they’d like.

I want to thank you, in advance, for reinforcing these positive strategies at home. As a faculty in the Middle School, we want to support positive study and self-management practices as they will well serve the students for the many years of education ahead of them.

Finally, you may pick-up your student at any door to the school. Please make arrangements and plans with your student where they will meet you at 4pm. If they are going to be picked up before 4pm, please have them let the study hall teacher know so they can meet you at the agreed upon place.

Study Hall will begin next week, Monday, August 30! Please remember that any student not picked up by 4 PM, will be sent to Panther Den and charged for after-school care. Read More

Upper School Division News

August 25, 2021

US News StoryUpper School Living, Learning, Thriving

Recently, I have spent time reflecting about some of the things that matter most to me. I am unsure if this is due to me getting older, my parents getting older, the start of a new school year, or the ever changing landscape of the education profession. My guess is that all of these things (and more) play a role in my thought process. As I think about this, one thing that I have realized is that I am rejuvenated by the thought of the upcoming school year and reconnecting with students, parents, colleagues.

Over the past week I enjoyed spending time with many of the new and returning upper school families. Hearing about summer journeys, seeing students return for the start of athletics, and hosting the upper school Back to School Nights and new family/peer leader BBQ has provided me with a sense of excitement about the return to “normalcy” and routine.

At the recent upper school Back to School Nights I shared, a la David Letterman, my Top 11 list of things to know for the upcoming school year. Recognizing not everyone was able to make it to these events, please find the list below: Read More

MPA Parents Of Alumni Annual Meeting & Social

August 16, 2021

The POA at their annual summer gathering“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” –Herman Melville

After a long COVID hiatus, 30 parents of MPA Alumni reconnected at the MPA POA Annual Meeting to elect new officers and to reconnect the parental fibers at a lively social hosted by Karla and Peter Myers in Saint Paul.

“We were very pleased to see so many parents attend from a wide range of years. There were big smiles on everyone’s faces as we reconnected,” said Mary Jo Thrane, outgoing POA Chair. “The current officers put in extra duty serving an additional year during the Covid shut down. The newly elected leadership is ready to launch us into a new season of connectivity.” Read More

Alumni Association Welcomes New Members

August 16, 2021

alumni association logo As the new year approaches the Alumni Association welcomes new members and changes in the Executive Committee. Join us in welcoming the new alumni board members and new positions! Please stay tuned for more about new members in future alumni news.

Immediate Past Chair: Mike Velin ’06
Chair: James Cordon ’97
Vice Chair: Kathryn Andersen ’09
DEI Officer: Sid Carlson White ’17
Treasurer: Kethan Dahlberg ’14
Secretary: Jessica Wong ’05

Members:
Annie Stewart ’11
Jeremy Drucker ’97
Nick Dugas ’11
Lindsey Kenyon ’08
Amanda Magistad ’12
Isaac Marshall ’11
Christopher Staral ’06
Katie Ditmore Sinaikin ’97
Hena Vadher ’13 *
Rex Hendrickson ’11 *
Adrienne Boeder Risner ’02 *
Abigail Kline-Duffine ’98 *
Izzy Meyer Mueller ’17 *
Leslie Kroupa ’97 *

*New Member

Interested in Theatre at MPA?

August 10, 2021

ChicagoInStory

Have you ever wanted to audition, but had a case of stage fright? You want to try working backstage, but have no knowledge of tools? That is okay–that is what this Theatre Info Meeting is for! We will cover the following in a brief zoom session with the MPA theatre teachers, Ann Frances Gregg, Emily Jaques, and Heather Mastel:
  • Can I play a sport and be in a play?
  • How much does it cost to participate?
  • What is the time commitment?
  • How do auditions work?
  • What jobs can I do backstage?
  • How do I get involved?

Join us next Wednesday, August 18 at 6 PM. We will cover all in this meeting for Middle School and Upper School families.

In addition, students are invited to join us Tuesday, August 31 for a Theatre Info Meeting just for students. Grab your lunch and meet us in the Black Box at 11:20 am (pending safety precautions, Middle School—grab your lunch at recess time and join us).

See you there—break a leg this year!