August 26, 2021
WELCOME to the 2021-2022 School Year! 
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:
- 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”.
- 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.
- 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.
- Collaborative/group work is not ideal for this setting and students should be encouraged to work on independent tasks as much as is possible.
- 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
Mason Ferlic ’11 Competes in Olympic Games 
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
New Family Orientations and Back To School Days will be held on campus throughout August. These will be small events designed for maximum safety.
Do you have room to spare? Space in your heart for another family member? A desire to expand your family’s perspective of the world? MPA is seeking host families for several international students for the 2021-22 school year.
Mounds Park Academy, including the building and grounds, business office, heads office, development, admissions, communications, athletics offices, and all division offices will be closed July 3-11, 2021. We appreciate your patience while employees spend time with their families. We will respond to emails and voicemails immediately upon our return!
This past year, our community volunteers found so many creative ways to stay connected and involved. Many found their time and love pouring into one of the newer additions to campus–our library gardens. Since the gardens just turned one year old this summer, this year is the first time that it has had volunteer tending to its plants and foraging its vegetables. While there are currently five dedicated parent volunteers, more recently, several Upper and Middle School student volunteers are spending their time taking care of our beloved outdoor space, too!
Due to the extreme heat advisory and air quality alert in place today, the Mounds Park Academy Class of 2021 Commencement outdoor event has shifted to Sunday, June 6 at 9 AM. This will help us ensure a safer and more pleasant graduation experience for our seniors and their families, as well as staff and faculty.