August 13, 2020
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
With the beginning of the school year less than two weeks away, I find myself increasingly excited to greet our returning students and ever so eager to welcome our outstanding new students. No matter how many years as an educator, the start of a new school year is as exhilarating to me as it is to a new teacher. This year is no different. And yet, the year ahead will be different and will present challenges that we will collectively need to overcome.
As I reflected on a guiding theme for this year, I kept coming back to the importance of resiliency. Perhaps I was influenced by the life and death of U.S. Representative and Civil Rights hero John Lewis several weeks ago. Like many, the depth of my sadness in his passing was buoyed by reflecting on the impact he had over the course of his life. Mr. Lewis suffered life-threatening setbacks and faced hardship that many of us cannot imagine. However, he developed the resiliency necessary to persevere and succeed. Read More
The MPA COVID-19 planning and implementation process is focused on risk-reduction with a multi-layered approach to reducing the risk of transmission when students and staff return to campus. Our planning process is grounded in a variety of quantitative and qualitative considerations as we consider moving our return to school dial. The quantitative metrics have been vetted by our MPA Community Advisory Group and outside professionals that have developed COVID-19 transmission and testing data in order to understand the local conditions and community spread.
MPA recognizes every community member holds a dual wish of continuing the high-quality educational opportunities families have come to know and expect, while also maintaining health, safety, and wellness for themselves and others. Our symptom and case response protocols are designed with these shared values and goals at the center of our approach. Some families have asked specific questions about what will happen if someone develops symptoms, tests positive, or is potentially exposed on campus. Like so many parts of this pandemic, there is not a one-size-fits all solution for each case. Through our team of medical advisors and the MPA Community Advisory Group, we have developed a detailed and multi-pronged approach to symptom response, contact tracing, and confirmed cases. We will deploy a swift, personal, and private response that is taken through our 49-point COVID-19 response flow chart, which helps our contact tracing and response team to effectively manage each step along the way. Our team will also partner and work hand-in-hand with the Minnesota Department of Health and other local officials should the need arise.
MPA seventh graders Teagan O. and Ida L. have been working together this summer to bring a virtual awareness to different problems that are impacting the environment. They are on a mission to generate change, and are currently building a website to mobilize others. With this platform, they plan to use their voices, connect with others, and make a positive impact on our community and world.
We recognize there are many details related to starting school this year that MPA families need to attend to.To help you stay organized, we are providing this handy checklist to ensure that you don’t miss any of the essential action items.
Just as they were this spring, Town Hall meetings will be used as an important way for our community to connect, learn, and get their questions answered, both PreK-12 and by division. The information shared in these Town Hall meetings will support the written communication being shared regularly. Recordings will be distributed afterward should you not be able to attend!
PreK Students
It was a long week in the gardens on campus, as our volunteer restoration crew discovered them flooded after heavy rainstorms. Covered in half a foot of water, they weren’t sure what could be done to recover the young seedlings and careful work that had been put in over the past few weeks. Luckily, several heroes came to the rescue. Ms. Johnson and Ms. P had encouraging words of support for the garden crew. Chef Doug helped with moving the excess mulch, raising spirits, and refocusing energy into the garden work. Facilities team members Andy and Josh were also essential in draining the flood with a silk net technique.
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Nap Chats are casual conversations over nap time around life for Lower School children and parents. Each discussion hosts a topic expert to answer your questions and offer a helpful perspective. Join us from anywhere