Lower School Archives

Supporting The Class Of 2020

April 30, 2020

Members of the MPA Class of 2020 are all in our hearts and minds as we approach so many milestones that they should be celebrating in person but are sacrificing in order to keep our local community members safe from COVID-19. One of the joys of graduation is hosting a graduation party for families and friends, whose contributions help graduates gather the necessary supplies for their journey to college in the fall. Since these parties and gatherings may no longer be possible given the realities we’re facing, MPA student representatives had a great idea for a meaningful way the rest of the MPA community can support them during this time.

Please consider a donation that is right for you to help us provide resources to seniors and their families through the Community Care Fund to purchase any items that will be needed for their journeys to college campuses around the country this fall. Help us ensure every MPA graduating senior has access to the funds they need. Consider this your graduation gift to the amazing MPA Class of 2020! You can even make a gift in honor of a student or graduating senior as a special way to commemorate this incredible class. Make a donation today.

Celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week!

April 30, 2020

The MPA Parents Association feels incredibly lucky to be part of the MPA community and in honor of National Teacher Appreciation week, May 4-8, we are asking our community to show us who you feel lucky to have at MPA! Instead of a pot of gold, who, or what, is at the bottom of your MPA Rainbow? Take a picture of a poster or sidewalk chalk drawing that shows your MPA Rainbow and what you love at the end! It could be a teacher, staff member, an entire department, team, club, or a special space on campus that makes you thankful for MPA. Share your photos with us by emailing them to communications@moundsparkacademy.org and using #ThankATeacher on social media!

Connect With Us Through MPA’s Virtual Playground

April 29, 2020

Join us to connect, play, and create With MPA’s Virtual Playground! So far we’ve played virtual games together, created with our Fiber Friends, and met at NASA scientist, a physicist, and a professional chef, and more! Join via Zoom from 3:30-4 PM Wednesdays-Fridays for the following sessions:

Wednesdays: PreK-4 Playground
Thursdays: All Ages Guest Speaker
Fridays: All Ages Fiber Friends

Students age 13 and under must join with a parent. MPA Virtual Playground is facilitated by Tracey Joyce, Technology Integrationist and Nicole Koen, Makerspace Coordinator.

Preparing Children For A New World Amidst COVID-19

April 29, 2020

How we work, and therefore, how we prepare students for their future careers, is changing rapidly in the time of COVID-19. A meteoric rise in telecommuting, virtual learning, and video conferencing has reinforced the tremendous speed at which the work world changes in the 21st century. In fact, the nature of jobs themselves are transforming as antiquated job models are being phased out and new approaches are taking center stage. The fundamental change in career paths and professional expectations, brought on by globalism and technology, and accelerated by COVID-19, is shaping and illustrating how progressive independent schools like Mounds Park Academy prepare students for life beyond the four walls of a classroom.

Alison Kay, global accounts committee chair at Ernst and Young, outlines the key skills that will help students prepare for jobs in this new marketplace that does not yet exist:

Embracing risk. Kay encourages parents to “…fight against (children’s) fear of failure and embarrassment—and stop ourselves from overprotecting them. It’s important for them to ask, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’, because that process of identifying risks and thinking through consequences will be useful throughout their lives and careers.”
Nurturing resilience. “We all make mistakes,” says Kay. “We all make bad decisions. But if you have resilience, you don’t give up. You learn from your mistakes. And you do it better the next time. Those are the kinds of people that we need in an age of disruption, where established rules are overturned. We need creative thinkers who know how to dig deep and keep trying.”
Instilling self-belief. Explains Kay, “Possibly the most fundamental of all is self-belief. I really believe self-belief is one of the most important qualities we need to foster in the next generation. There’s something incredibly powerful that happens when the people who you look up to tell you, ‘Of course you can do it.’”

MPA is preparing students for the new marketplace by modeling and facilitating innovation, adaptability, and resilience, especially during this complicated era of quarantine and social distancing. It starts with great teachers, says head of School, Dr. Bill Hudson. “Teachers are like conductors of an orchestra. They are attentive to the needs of and draw the best from each individual, but also blend together the various sounds into a magnificent whole.”

Innovative educators employ a variety of methods and pedagogical techniques, intermingling different activities to complement the lesson and the situation. Hudson adds, “I’ve said it many times over the last several weeks that great teachers make great online teachers because the core elements of virtual learning happen all the time in MPA classrooms.”

Kindergarten teacher Kristine Peterson saw an opportunity to incorporate a digital component to her lesson on weather. She created an activity in which kindergarteners recorded a clip of themselves doing the weather, just like a like on the local news, and then as a class, they had the opportunity to watch each child’s performance.

Meet Isaac Marshall ’11

April 28, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Isaac Marshall ’11!

After MPA, Isaac attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he closely studied health care delivery systems. He discovered a passion and interest that were key in making his career decisions later on. “I am inspired by professionals who have found mentors to engage their passions and expand their impact,” he said.

Isaac chose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board because he wants to help shape the future of MPA. Since graduating from MPA, he’s experienced the impact that his MPA education has had on his life. “From the first day of college and being prepared to write lengthy papers, to having professional confidence in my strengths, I can trace back several important traits to MPA and the learning that I engaged with there,” Isaac said.

Isaac sees himself supporting MPA both financially and in his role on the board. The “theme” of his support is directly related to MPA’s mission. Issac deeply believes that education is fundamental to growth and life-long success and life-long learning, and that MPA teaches these life-long skills in a way that produces learned and passionate students as each graduate goes out into the world and forges his or her own path. “I want to return to that organization that has impacted my path.”

Virtual Learning Extended And Refined

April 23, 2020

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

With the health and safety of all members of our community in mind, and in keeping with our commitment to follow the recommendation of the Governor and public health officials, I can now confirm that MPA will remain in virtual school through the end of the school year. This wasn’t an easy decision, as you might imagine. However, it is clear that it is not possible to return to on-campus school while maintaining the necessary social distancing and safety standards. I believe MPA is positioned to successfully navigate this crisis and emerge better and stronger than before. The strength of our community, the durable relationships we enjoy, our dedicated and exceptional faculty and staff, and our history, mission, and values will power us through what lies ahead.

Virtual School
As I said in the beginning, “first different, then better.” Modeling the resiliency we inspire in our students, we have been engaged in an ongoing process of designing, implementing, assessing, and adapting teaching and learning to meet the needs of our students. As we look ahead at the next eight weeks, modifications and refinements are necessary. The administration and faculty have taken to heart the advice of a seasoned head of school from New York City who successfully led his school in the aftermath of 9/11. He said that the ability to adapt is more important than the plan itself. I am so proud of our teachers for continuing to grow and evolve in this new environment. Read More

Virtual Learning Extended: Lower School Update

April 23, 2020

by Renee Wright, Lower School director

It is with a growth mindset that the Lower School faculty have collaborated on the next iteration of virtual school. As we reflect on the first five weeks, we celebrate our successes, but also know that we need to put the emerging needs of our students first. We must pay attention to the fact that student engagement may wane as we finish the rest of the school year off campus and away from the excitement and joy of being together as a community.

Starting the week of May 4, we will be instituting a new weekly schedule with Fridays designated as “Finish-Up Fridays.” Feedback from families shows that managing workload can be challenging at times. Fridays will allow families flexible time to complete assignments and access specialist lessons that were posted earlier in the week. Research shows that young students thrive on structure and need the security of a routine, so Lower School teachers will continue to meet with students for Zoom check-ins and lessons according to the current schedule. The major difference will be that homeroom teachers will not be assigning new work on Fridays. Read More

Spring Athletics And Summer Sports Camps Update

April 23, 2020

Consistent with the Executive Order issued on April 23, 2020 by Governor Walz that schools will remain closed through the end of the academic year, Mounds Park Academy is canceling spring sports for the 2020 season. This is not the information we hoped for. We are holding our students and their families in our minds and hearts, as we recognize the deep loss many are feeling.

To ensure the safety of campers and counselors, we are canceling summer sports camps scheduled for June (soccer camp and basketball camp). We are exploring the possibility of rescheduling the June sports camps to dates later in the summer. We plan to start scheduled summer sports camps on Monday, July 13 and continue them through Friday, July 26.

If you have any questions, please direct them to athletic director Dan Haase.

Thank You For Lighting Up The Night

April 23, 2020

Thanks to our incredibly generous community, the first-ever MPA Virtual Spring Auction: Light up the Night was a huge success! Our community joined together to raise nearly $230,000! MPA families, alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, and friends joined together as a community to dream big, do right, and light up the world. Thank you for being part of the most successful auction in several years!

In case you missed our incredible live program featuring student performances, guest speakers, and exciting announcements, you can view a recording by clicking here.

Thanks to our community, we have gotten a jump start on our Community Care Fund. These flexible funds will allow us to respond to emerging needs, including:

financial assistance for MPA families in need;
technology access for teachers to continue enhancing virtual learning;
employee support funds for wellness and emergency resources; and
the cost of additional supplies to ensure a whole child education can continue, including art supplies, books and e-books, software and hardware, and devices for families without access to adequate technology or wi-fi for virtual learning.

Middle School Earth Day Celebrations

April 23, 2020

MPA Middle School students were enthusiastic to celebrate the 50th Earth Day on April 22. Dr. Milam challenged students to go outside to be in nature and take photographs, and students in Ms. Atchison’s class wrote poems honoring Earth. Get lost in their beautiful writing and enjoy a few of their poems.

“The Lilac” by Zain A.
The lilac that grew from the rocks,
did what it had to do
to grow its stalks.
Do you know what it went through
to accomplish that?

It had to work.
It pushed and pushed.
Till it became a plant.
Then it soaked and soaked in nutrients,
and with all that effort,
it was beautiful.

It wasn’t easy.
There were rocks piled on it.
and then some snow,
and then some drought.
It should have died.
There was so much to overcome,
but it stayed alive with its will to grow
and be beautiful.

And because of that, it grew.
It grew and grew until the winter came.
Afterwards, it pushed and pushed,
and soaked and soaked,
and became beautiful again. Read More