Middle School Archives

September 26, 2019

Save the date for Culture Day at MPA on Wednesday, October 23 from 3-6:30 PM! Join us for a gastronomic tour around the world as we share sweet and savory delicacies from 10 countries 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 “worry dolls” from Guatemala and Origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding. You will also be able to enjoy musical and dance performances by our talented students! This day full of food, community, and fun is hosted by the MPA Parents Association. Read More

MPA PA Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week

September 26, 2019

Join us in thanking the MPA Faculty and Staff during All School Conferences! Conferences take place during week starting September 30, coinciding with the MPA Parents Association Staff and Faculty Appreciation Week.

Please consider participating in the long-standing MPA tradition of parents and families showing gratitude toward our wonderful staff and faculty by donating beverages, snacks or volunteer time, including during the evening meals provided by Sage and Chef Doug on October 3 and October 10. Please sign up to volunteer here!

Help Make Dreams Come True By October 1

September 26, 2019

If you haven’t already, now is the time to support Together, We Dream: The Campaign For MPA. Help us reach the $5 million goal by October 1 so we can fully fund each priority and finish the campaign strong. Thank you!

“The endowment is important for future students to have the opportunity to access a welcoming environment of learning regardless of socioeconomic class. This is vital for all in the community.” – Nancy and Dominick Driano, current parents

“The outdoor track will show MPA’s dedication to sports as well as academics. Our alumni daughter participated in track and our alumni son participated in soccer. The fields and track are in desperate need of renovation.” – Dan and Elizabeth Esch, current parents Read More

A Piece Of History Visits Middle School

September 26, 2019

Seventh and eighth grade students read “Refugee” by Alan Gratz this summer. The book follows the journeys of three different children, fleeing their home countries in order to save their lives. But one character in particular, Isabel, is a Cuban refugee in the 1980s, who told a captivating story that would follow the students from their summer reading and into Ms. Atchison’s classroom this year.

To enhance their class-wide discussion of “Refugee,” Ms. Atchison invited a special visitor to speak to students. Her next door neighbor, Carlos Espinosa, came to MPA to tell his story to them. Though he fled Cuba nearly 20 years earlier than Isabel in the 1960s, they were both escaping Castro’s rule. He arrived in the United States when he was just 13 years old–relevantly, the same age most of the students listening are now–as one of the children in Operation Pedro Pan. The students researched Operation Pedro Pan, learning all about the program Carlos grew up in after escaping Cuba’s communist government that limited the rights and freedoms of the Cuban people. Called “a leap of faith for the sake of freedom,” Operation Pedro Pan was reportedly the largest recorded exodus of unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere. Read More

Come Home To MPA

September 26, 2019

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

I am a sap when it comes to commercials around the holidays. I may be showing my age but some of you probably remember the Folgers Coffee commercial when the son surprises his mother by coming home from college unexpectedly, making a fresh pot of Folgers that awakens his mother. Tears, every time. There is something about coming home—feelings of love, safety, and acceptance—that stirs our emotions.

Our identities emerge in the midst of community, molded and shaped by our experiences. Our family, religious beliefs, neighborhoods, and schools are all important in introducing and reinforcing a shared set of values that nurture our identities. Schools in particular have a lasting impact not only on our academic development, but our social and emotional development in our most formative years. Read More

Invite A friend To Experience The Joy

September 25, 2019

Invite a friend to join us and experience the joy at MPA’s largest PreK-12 admission event, the MPA Preview! Community member referrals are the most important way that new families learn about MPA and we greatly appreciate you sharing your love of our school with you family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Held on Sunday, November 3 at 2 PM, this event will be a structured program that will allow prospective students and parents to get a sense of what makes MPA an exceptional place to learn and grow. They will rotate among several lessons, taught by expert faculty. These will be hands-on, experiential lessons that are abbreviated versions of the original, modified to be appropriate for all ages. Between lessons, they will be guided by student and parent ambassadors so that you have an opportunity to see our state-of-the-art facilities.

Kindly invite your friends and neighbors to RSVP in advance for this engaging program at moundsparkacademy.org/RSVP. If you have any questions, contact the Office of Admission at 651-748-5577 or admission@moundsparkacademy.org. We can’t wait to meet them!

Accessing MPA’s Online Directory In Schoology

September 25, 2019

Did you know you can access the MPA Community Directory in Schoology? The most current information will always be found online.

On Desktop

Visit https://app.schoology.com/login.
Login to Schoology using your parent login.
In the upper right-hand corner, using the drop down button, navigate to your parent profile. You are now viewing Schoology as yourself, not as your child.
Along the top navigation bar, click on Resources > Apps.
Click Approve then refresh the page. This is only needed the first time you open MPA Resources.
The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.

Happy Homecoming, Panthers!

September 25, 2019

Homecoming 2019 is here! Did you see the Homecoming chalk art at the north and south entrances on Monday? Thank you to the Upper School Student Council for kicking off the week of festivities!

We have been dreaming, playing, and sharing all week. We hope you can come celebrate with us at the All-School Pep Rally on Friday at 2:20 PM in the Lansing Center.

Please also join us for a day of fun on Saturday! It will be a perfect fall day for catching up with friends, watching a game or match, grabbing a bite to eat, and warming your hands by the fire. Read More

RSVP To Experience The Joy

September 20, 2019

You and your entire family are warmly invited to attend the MPA Preview on Sunday, November 3 at 2 PM.

New this year, this event will allow families to truly experience the joy of learning that our students do each day.

You will rotate among several lessons, taught by expert faculty. These will be hands-on, experiential lessons that are abbreviated versions of the original, modified to be appropriate for all ages.

Between lessons, you will be guided by student and parent ambassadors so that you have an opportunity to see our state-of-the-art facilities.

As you consider MPA and your options, please make plans to attend this event. It will be our only weekend, PreK-12 offering this year and it is one not to miss!

RSVP Today

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Let’s Be Friends

September 20, 2019

Gaining the Skills to Build Healthy Relationships
One of our most basic human needs is forming community by making friends. We’re social creatures, drawn to seek connections throughout our lives. While rewarding and fulfilling, building healthy friendships takes practice. It’s an important life skill for children to learn early—increasing their capacity to create friendships, be a good friend, and progressively cultivate and sustain strong relationships at all ages.

Open Discussions on Friendship
“The foundation of friendship is open communication, both in terms of among friends and about friendship itself,” explains Tara Keegan, Mounds Park Academy Lower School counselor. A licensed professional clinical counselor and parent, Keegan recommends beginning conversations about friends starting in PreK. “Ask your child who they sat with at lunch, who they played with at recess, what the group did that day,” she says. “Talk about the feelings around those interactions, and share how important it is to listen and learn within a friendship. That’s the beginning of empathy, being able to understand where another person is coming from, and is so important in building connections and friendships.” Read More