Lower School

Lower School Division News December 14, 2023

December 14, 2023

from Jennifer Le Varge, Lower School director

Mark Your Calendars

  • Wednesday, December 20: Last Day of School before Winter Break 
  • Thursday, December 21-Tuesday, January 2: No Classes, Winter Break 
  • Wednesday, January 3: Classes Resume 
  • Wednesday, January 10: CHAMP Assembly 

I hope everyone is staying warm and gearing up for the winter break that lies ahead. As the winter festivities may be ramping up for some families, please read on for more information to share: 

Trimester 1 Reports Sent Home 
On Monday, December 4, your child(ren)’s Trimester 1 report cards were sent home via email. Please feel free to contact the Lower School office with any questions or help needed and/or your child’s teachers regarding the content of the report(s).  

Missing Mittens, etc 
We still have several students visiting the Lower School office lost and found cabinet on the search for mittens, gloves, and hats during recess. Please help ensure your child has the appropriate winter gear for a chilly but refreshing playtime.   Read More

Parents Association News and Events December 14, 2023

December 14, 2023

Thank You!
Thank you to all MPA community members who volunteered to wrap gifts for MPA staff on December 11. This is a beloved tradition at MPA where volunteers wrap the personal gifts of MPA Faculty and Staff, giving them the gift of time during the Holiday season. This Monday, we wrapped 229 gifts for 25 staff members! We took 0 lunch breaks and had 0 reported paper cuts. It was quite a day! Thank you again from Tara and the MPA PA!

Book Festival Success
Last week, during the 2023 Book Festival, the MPA community celebrated our love of literature in a big way! We raised money for the library, supported student literacy, and discussed so many wonderful books with each other. Thank you to our community for participating in this effort, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to our amazing volunteers who helped make the MPA Book Festival a success.

Dr. Hudson’s Book Club
February 12 at 6 PM
One more announcement for our parent readers! Dr. Hudson’s Book Club will return to the MPA Library on February 12 at 6 PM. We will be reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James Baldwin. Childcare will be provided. Sign up here to get your copy of the book.

Nominations Sought for School Committees and Board of Trustees 

December 13, 2023

Each year, the Governance Committee of MPA’s Board of Trustees identifies, considers, and invites a small number of people within the MPA community to become new trustees. In soliciting and evaluating nominees, the Board seeks to match the board’s needs with the nominees’ professional and leadership skills and broad personal, cultural, and experience backgrounds. Before becoming trustees, many members first served in various capacities at MPA, such as on school committees, committees of the Board, in the Parents Association, or in other volunteer positions where they have been able to demonstrate and share their capabilities, personal experiences, and leadership skills.

The Board continuously seeks to broaden the diversity of experience and background of its membership. In addition, this year, it seeks to identify, among other things, those with professional capabilities in development, facilities, the arts, HR and personnel management, finance, education, and strategic planning. If you know someone who might be a strong candidate for the board or other school committees, or if you are interested, please submit a simple nomination form. The Governance Committee of the Board will be reviewing and vetting nominations during January and February and bringing a slate of candidates to the full Board for consideration at its spring meeting.

A detailed explanation of the Board’s work and a description of the Board’s active committee’s work can be found on the Board of Trustees MPA webpage.

Feel free to contact Board Vice-Chair and Governance Committee Chair Jeremy Drucker ’97 at Drucker.Jeremy@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Please complete this form to nominate yourself or someone else.

Transformative Initiatives And Compassionate Support

December 11, 2023

As Mounds Park Academy continues its commitment to providing a holistic and supportive learning environment, the recent addition of Jeanne Doyle as our Lower School Counselor brings forth a wealth of experience and fresh perspectives. In a recent interview, we explore Jeanne’s initial impressions of MPA, her unique insights, and the innovative programs she has introduced to enhance the Lower School experience.

In your experience, how is MPA different from other organizations you’ve worked for?

“One amazing, unique quality I noticed about Mounds Park Academy right away is that Dr. Hudson truly knows every child’s name! He knows and cares about each student and each MPA family. His love for the children is so genuine. If I were a parent of a child at MPA, this depth of care from the top would be so reassuring to me. As a counselor, I appreciate that feeling seen, known, and loved can foster a strong sense of self-worth in children. Everyone wants to belong in their community. This level of care is echoed throughout the teaching faculty and the staff at MPA, and that is truly a hallmark of our school. Read More

The Evolution of Digital Environments

December 7, 2023

from Bill Hudson, head of school

Next week, MPA will celebrate “Hour of Code,” an international movement of schools dedicating one hour to coding activities for students to introduce them to computer science. Instead of just one hour, MPA will dedicate the entire week of December 11-15 to activities designed to de-mystify “code” and demonstrate how anyone can learn the basics. The idea came from our Technology and Innovation Committee, comprised of our technology team and teachers from all divisions who meet regularly to better leverage technology to advance and enhance student learning and prepare students for college and life.

In keeping with our mission and values, technology is a critical aspect of a college-prep, progressive education that centers hands-on, experiential learning at the core of all we do. At MPA, our philosophy is that since technology surrounds us, its knowledge and skills are best learned through active participation. Our charge is to prepare our students to meet the challenges of this continually evolving digital environment with new ideas and new ways to use it that are spiraled throughout our curriculum.

I recently came across a quote that said that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t yet been invented. In a world of disruptive technological change with ever more rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence, I believe there is an urgent need for what Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, calls “citizen developers,” those who will be able to design work even if they lack formal programming skills. Likewise, director of academic technology Michael Moran shares, “By no means do we expect our students to become computer programmers; however, it’s our responsibility as educators to approach computer science and coding as a literacy.” Read More

Parents Association News and Events December 7, 2023

December 7, 2023

Holiday Gift Wrapping
Monday, December 11
Join the MPA Parents Association for this beloved holiday event. Give the gift of time to our staff by wrapping their gifts while also putting yourself in the holiday spirit. MPA teachers and staff bring in their unwrapped gifts; we return them wrapped and decorated. All supplies and snacks will be provided. Sign up here for one hour or more! See you in the Porter Conference Room (PCR), which is located in the Upper School above the Lansing/North entrance.

Middle School Pre-Concert Community Dinner—Last Call!
Thursday, December 14, Family Commons
The annual MS Dinner is here, and we want to welcome you and your entire family! Please join us next Thursday, December 14, from 5-6 PM before the MS Concert. A complete taco bar will be served in the Family Commons, along with beverages and dessert (allergies have been taken into account!). Please RSVP by sending $5 per person to Molly Oliver, PA MS Lead, via Venmo (@Molly-Oliver-7) or email Molly (moliverPA@moundsparkacademy.org) to make other arrangements. We need your RSVP by THIS SATURDAY, please!

Who We Are and What We Do

December 7, 2023

Who We Are And What We Do 

The Mounds Park Academy Board of Trustees is a self-generative body of approximately 20 to 22 trustees (plus the Head of School in an ex officio capacity) who guide the school’s strategic direction and protect its mission. Critical functions of the Board include hiring, supporting, and evaluating the Head of School, establishing the school’s mission and strategic plan, supporting the school’s development efforts, and safeguarding the school’s financial stability.

The Board’s purview is strategic, not operational (which is the responsibility of the head of school and his or her administrative team). Specifically, the Board does not hire or terminate employees or establish policies for doing so.  It does not make line-item budget determinations, including those on faculty salary; it does not establish the academic scope and sequence of classes. Rather, the Board collaborates with the Head of School to ensure that the school’s larger strategic goals are met, including accreditation, legal compliance, and other requirements.

MPA’s current Board Chair is Tiffany Scott-Knox, an experienced MPA trustee, completing her second year of a three-year term. Trustees serve up to two three-year terms. MPA’s Board meets 5-6 times a year and follows a ‘decentralized” model where the bulk of its work is accomplished through its five standing committees:  Read More

STEAM, The MPA Way

December 4, 2023

MPA 8th graders building their future cityThis message is from MPA’s Office of Admission from the December 9, 2023 issue of InsideMPA. Click here to get in touch with Admission and learn more!

At MPA, we wholeheartedly embrace STEAM. From utilizing Design Thinking in the Makerspace, to challenging students to find reliable information from reputable sources for research projects, rigor in STEAM takes place PreK-12. Across all of the STEAM fields–science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics–MPA teachers are using their disciplines to provide academic challenges to students seeking it out.

As society increasingly focuses on STEM subjects, many of the careers of our future may in fact be in those areas. The National Science Foundation is reporting that STEM careers jumped from 21% of the workforce to 24% in just ten years, between 2011-2021. But how do STEM subjects in school apply to everyday life? Through rigor with purpose and the holistic approach to education in which MPA was founded. This is what truly prepares our students for the future. Read More

Parents Association News And Events November 29, 2023

November 29, 2023


US Parent Dinner During the Winter Semi-Formal
Saturday, December 2, 8:15-10:30 PM
Family Thai, 2303 White Bear Ave N, Saint Paul
If you are looking for something to do during the Winter Semi-Formal, consider coming to the parent dinner at Family Thai. While the kids dance the night away, parents can have dinner and socialize with other US families. Family Thai has agreed to stay open late for our group, so please join us! RSVP to sbanksPA@moundsparkacademy.org.

US Parent Quarterly Coffee: College Planning
Thursday, December 7, 8-9:30 AM, PCR
Lisa Pederson and Dr. Quam will be presenting information relevant to all 9-12 US families regarding testing, colleges, and the college planning process. They will be hosting a Q&A session as well during this time. This is a popular session that you won’t want to miss! Coffee and breakfast pastries will be served.

Holiday Gift Wrapping
Monday, December 11
Join the MPA Parents Association for this beloved Holiday event. Give the gift of time to our faculty and staff by wrapping their gifts while also putting yourself in the holiday spirit. MPA teachers and staff bring in their unwrapped gifts and we return them wrapped and decorated. All supplies and snacks will be provided. Sign up for one hour or more! See you in the Porter Conference Room (PCR) which is located in the Upper School above the Lansing/North entrance. Read More

The Joy (and Challenge) of Calling A Snow Day

November 29, 2023

from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Of all the decisions I must make as head of school, there is one that I dread the most: calling a snow day. As a child, nothing was more magical than awakening to heavy snowfall, racing to the TV, and anxiously awaiting the name of my school to scroll across the bottom of the screen. While I still consider a snow day magical, deciding to close school is difficult and complicated. Someone once told me that if a leader tries to make everyone happy, they are not doing their job. This is particularly true in making weather-related decisions. Inevitably, someone is not going to be happy.

The decision to cancel school for an inclement weather-related event (which could be snow, ice, or sub-zero temperatures) is made by the head of school in consultation with the administrative team. The most important criterion is the safety of our community, which has 580 students and more than 100 employees who live in 82 different zip codes in six counties throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The second criterion is to honor in-person learning. The number of school days is based on our mission and values, on what we believe best supports student learning, and on the needs of our community. Snow days are an interruption, and we would prefer not to have any interruptions.

Whenever possible, my goal is to decide by 6 AM at the latest. If a snow day is called, it is communicated by text, phone, email, the school’s website, and local television stations. Because MPA draws from such a large geographic area, it is not uncommon for the weather to vary, sometimes significantly. School closing or delay decisions are based on a number of factors:

  • Weather forecast
  • Timing of the event (morning or afternoon drive time)
  • Road conditions (MDOT traffic cams)
  • Feedback from First Student (our bus company), District 622, and peer schools
  • Feedback from Admin Team members (who live in areas across the metro)
  • Areas affected (we draw students from 82 zip codes)
  • Building conditions
  • Parking lot conditions

Read More