Lower School Archives

Lower School Division News April 20, 2023

April 20, 2023

from Ann Jurewicz, Lower School director

Important Dates and Upcoming Events

April 21: A Night of Pure Imagination Spring Auction, 6:30 PM, Intercontinental Hotel, St. Paul Riverfront
April 26: PA Cultural Diversity Day, 3-7 PM, Family Commons and Peacock Teaching Kitchen
April 28: No Classes, Professional Development
May 1-5: Lower School Sports Week
May 4: Middle School Family Dinner and Rising Grade Level Meetings, Grades 4-8
May 25: Senior Walk, 1-1:45 PM, MPA Campus, Spirit Wear Day PreK-12
May 25: MPA Retirement Gathering, 4-6:30 PM, Family Commons
May 26: No Classes, Professional Development
May 29: No Classes, Memorial Day
June 3: MPA Commencement 2023
June 7: Last Day of School, Early Dismissal 10:15 AM

As the daylight continues to grow longer and the days stay consistently warmer, we look forward to the many celebrations of spring and the close of the school year. We are delighted to be taking field trips again—grades three and four had a wonderful time at Orchestra Hall and grade three prepares to visit the MIA to view indigenous works of art as they learn about native cultures in the United States.

Social-Emotional Learning Camps for Boys and Girls This Summer
A group of talented counselors who work with students is offering SEL camps this summer for students in grades one through eight. Students will enjoy activities surrounding teamwork, social skills, conflict resolution, leadership, and building self-confidence. For more information and the link to register, please see the flyers.

Parents Association News & Events April 20, 2023

April 20, 2023

Cultural Diversity Day
Wednesday, April 26, 3-7 PM
Take a gastronomic tour around the world as we share sweet and savory delicacies from around the world and an international drinks bar. Sign up here to attend a cooking demonstration in our wonderful new teaching kitchen.

Go home with some cool body art from an expert henna artist. Try your hand at global crafts like French decoupage, Brazilian carnival masks, and Taíno petroglyphs. Enjoy musical performances by our talented MPA community! And chat with community members who will have booths set up to share their culture and/or offer samples of their cuisine.

Food and drink tickets ($1 each) will be sold at the event. Zabiha, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options are available.

If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here.

Panther Party
Friday, May 5, 3:45-5:45 PM
Come volunteer at the Panther Party, Friday, May 5, 3:45-5:45 PM. Interested in taking some time to welcome newly admitted families to MPA? We need your help. The Panther Party is looking for folks to welcome new families, answer questions, and socialize. Please sign up here, under the first item: Parent Volunteers to Welcome and socialize with new families in the Family Commons.

MPA Speech Sends 18 Students To State!

April 17, 2023

Congratulations to MPA’s Speech Team for an excellent performance at the MSHSL section tournament! Not only did they win triumphantly, but they will also be sending 18 students to the state competition as well.

Congratulations and good luck to the coach—Tanner Sunderman—and to Annika Binstadt, Lucy Schwieger, Max O’Connor, Frances Martin, Amal Sastry, Akshay Somayajula, Cynthia Ghannoum, Mari Minear, Nico Bergh, Guy Schwieger, Zainab Lodhi, Rowan Mulrooney, Zaara Nayak, Soumya Raman, Nabila Artan, Greta Hanson, Pahwa Yang, and Maggie Banks!

Cultural Diversity Day At MPA

April 14, 2023

Take a gastronomic tour around the world as we share sweet and savory delicacies from around the world and an international drinks bar. Attend a cooking demonstration in our wonderful new teaching kitchen, go home with some cool body art from an expert henna artist, and try your hand at global crafts like French decoupage, Brazilian carnival masks and Taíno petroglyphs. You will also be able to enjoy musical and dance performances by our talented MPA community! Chat with community members who will have booths set up to share their culture and/or offer samples of their cuisine. Please sign up to volunteer here.

Would you like to share your culture through cuisine, music, dance or art? We invite you to be a part of our cultural showcase—please email seema_anwar@hotmail.com.

Defined By Our Independence

April 13, 2023

from Bill Hudson, head of school

The independence of Mounds Park Academy is fundamental to who we are. I bristle when people talk about MPA as a “private” school, partly because of an implied privilege or elitism, but more importantly, because independence allows the school to be purely mission-driven and not beholden to a larger entity such as state, federal, or religious oversight.

Independent schools share certain fundamental characteristics of purpose, structure, and operation that define a school’s independence:

Independent incorporation as a non-profit 501(c)(3) institution with clearly stated educational goals and non-discriminatory policies in admissions and employment.
An individually developed mission and guiding principles as the foundation for the school’s program.
A self-perpetuating governing body whose role is to plan for the future, set overall policy, ensure the school’s financial sustainability and independence (primarily through setting tuition and generating charitable giving), and appoint and support the head of school.
An administration free to implement the school’s mission by designing and articulating its program, hiring and developing a capable and qualified faculty and staff, and admitting those students whom the school determines it can best serve.
A commitment to continuous institutional growth and quality manifested by participation in the ISACS septennial accreditation process.

Parents Association News & Events April 13, 2023

April 13, 2023

Upper School Parent Coffee, This Friday!
Friday, April 14, 8-9:30 AM
Join us for our quarterly Upper School Parent Coffee in the PCR. In addition to all Upper School parents, rising ninth-grade families are warmly invited to attend! Two topics will be covered: “If I knew then what I know now” and the scheduling/registration process and questions. Please join us!

Please note: Due to low turnout, the Thursday, April 13, 5:30 PM, Gluten-Free Cooking Class with Kate Thrane has been canceled.

PA LGBTQ+ Affinity Parent Group
Sunday, April 16, 1 PM at the Unity Cafe
Join other parents and caregivers at the Unity Café at 843 Rice St, Saint Paul, MN 55117. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Andretta at 651-329-4255 or email her at garbowmelissa5@gmail.com. Read More

Meet The Peterson Family

April 13, 2023

Middle School math teacher Chris Peterson has been a teacher at MPA for eight years, but became a parent to an MPA Panther himself this school year!

What’s the best thing about being part of the MPA community?
The people. It is a great feeling coming to a school where I know I have colleagues I can count on, families who are involved, and students who are engaged with their academics.

What is your favorite MPA tradition or event?
There are a lot to choose from, but I really enjoy going on the fifth and sixth grade canoeing trip.

In what ways has MPA prepared your child for life in the 21st century?
From an early age, teachers work with students to be independent and think for themselves. Students have to learn how to work independently and with other students of different ability levels and personality types.

Complete this sentence:
MPA teaches my child: How to be independent, work with their peers while also learning, and how to be respectful to one another.

What advice do you have for another family considering MPA?
MPA accepts students for who they are and works with them where they are at. If you want a school that focuses on the whole child, choose MPA.

Community Support For MPA’s Track

April 6, 2023

from Bill Hudson, head of school

You wouldn’t know it, but somewhere below several inches of snow lies the MPA track. While we wait for spring to arrive, our track and field teams and physical education classes make do, anticipating the day they can move outside. And yet, the track itself is in bad shape after many brutal Minnesota winters. Imagine what it would be like to have an outdoor track that reflects the excellence of our students and athletes. I believe that if we can imagine it, we can achieve it.

MPA athletic programs have enjoyed a rich tradition of success by providing student-athletes with the tools necessary to succeed on and off the field. MPA athletics are not simply extra-curricular programs; they complement our academic experience, provide balance to our students’ lives, and foster school spirit. Through inclusive teams and a no-cut policy, everyone can be an athlete at MPA.

For example, MPA student-athletes have won ten state championships in track and field events. And yet, we cannot host home events because of the condition of the track. We haven’t had an outdoor track worth of our students’ achievements and capable of hosting competitions. Click here to watch the 2023 Fund A Need video, and learn more about the impact of this project! Read More

Lower School Division News April 6, 2023

April 6, 2023

from Ann Jurewicz, Lower School director

Important Dates and Upcoming Events

April 28: No classes, Professional Development
May 1-5: Lower School Sports Week

There is nothing more joyful than watching children sing and dance, and what a pleasure it was to see MPA Lower School students shine at last week’s Art and Music Show. Students proudly walked the halls to find and show their families the beautiful artistic creations they have made this year before gathering in the Nicholson to perform unique and culturally important pieces celebrating the best of what humanity has to offer. My deepest thanks go to music teacher Ms. Mari Espeland and art teacher Ms. Ellen Scharfenberg for their wonderful leadership of students!

Pairing Assembly–Friday, April 7

Lower School students are excited to pair with their Middle and Upper School buddies to play different board games this Friday. The buddies did reading groups last fall. The tradition has been a great way to build community and come together as one school.

CHAMP Assembly–Wednesday, April 12

We are looking forward to the collaboration of our PreK and Grade 2 students at our next CHAMP assembly. The characteristic of the presentation will be COLLABORATIVE. Students have been taking pictures of all the ways children collaborate together in our Lower School.

Grades 3-4 Field Trip To Orchestra Hall—Tuesday, April 18

As a special event, third and fourth-grade students will spend the morning of April 18 attending a concert at Orchestra Hall. MPA has not been able to have this annual field trip for the past three years, and we are excited to bring this opportunity back for music appreciation. Thank you, Ms. Espeland! Read More

Parents Association News & Events April 6, 2023

April 6, 2023

MPA All-School Gluten-Free Cooking Class with Kate Thrane
New Date: April 13, 5:30-7 PM
Please join us in the Teaching Kitchen for some hands-on cooking, as well as learning about the joy of cooking gluten-free. You can learn more about Kate and her recipes on Instagram at @theglutenlessmaximus. Please RSVP to Staci at sbhehe42@icloud.com so that we can have plenty of ingredients prepared! Hope to see you there!

Cultural Diversity Day
Wednesday, April 26, 3-7 PM
Save the date for the Cultural Diversity Day celebration at MPA! Enjoy an evening of food, music and crafts from around the world. Get a henna tattoo from a very talented henna artist!

Would you like to share your culture through cuisine, music, dance or art? We invite you to be a part of our cultural showcase—please email seema_anwar@hotmail.com.

US Quarterly Parent Coffee
Friday, April 14, 8-9:30 AM
Join us for our quarterly US Parent Coffee in the PCR. In addition to all Upper School parents, rising ninth-grade families are warmly invited to attend! Two topics will be covered: “If I knew then what I know now” and the scheduling/registration process and questions. Please join us!