May 29, 2019
Thank you to those of you who voted for your new Parents Association Executive Board. The following slate was approved and will begin leading the Parents Association and serving the MPA community on July 1, 2019: Kim Jakway, president; Seema Anwar and Barry Madore, co-presidents-elect; Meredith Forgosh, secretary; Yuki Miyokawa, treasurer; Russ Purdy, Upper School division lead; Susan Knapp, Middle School division lead; Sally Richie and Andrea Dodson, Lower School co-division leads.
In addition, a special thanks to Tara Lafferty who is stepping down as Middle School lead but will continue to be involved in Parents Association events. Tara has dedicated many volunteer hours and her amazing contributions are much appreciated!
The Lower School Family Social is coming up on May 24 at 3 PM! The MPA Parents Association Lower School Grape Reps will be hosting this gathering outside of the Lower School entrance (the South entrance). Come enjoy popsicles, sunshine, and the opportunity to mingle with other Lower School parents. The popsicles served will meet MPA’s allergy aware policy as well as be gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. We can’t wait to see you there!
The MPA Parents Association is seeking volunteers for the 2019-2020 school year! Please consider getting involved. It’s a great way to meet the school community, show our appreciation to faculty and staff, enrich our children’s school experience, all while making new friends. A willingness to help is the only experience needed!
We invite the MPA community to attend the MPA Parents Association Open House on Friday, April 19 from 8-9 AM in the Porter Conference Room. Come enjoy coffee and a light breakfast as we discuss our accomplishments this past year and plans for the upcoming school year. Please attend as we would love to get your feedback and ideas. If you are interested in taking on a PA Board or Event Chair position for next year, come to the Open House for more information or contact Kim Jakway at 
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
Last week the Gallery became New York City with the help of many, many volunteers. We want to thank everyone who volunteered, whether you donated drinks/snacks, decor, time, or ideas and hard work on the planning committees. It was so wonderful to see the entire Middle School joyfully sharing the same space! An additional thank you to Vern and his facilities staff for helping with heavy lifting and keeping our space clean, as well as Chef Doug and his kitchen staff for providing additional food, NYC style. A special thank you to MPA parent Melissa Johnson and her son Oliver (MPA class of ‘18) for helping to create our vision of NYC, from Central Park to the Food Truck to Bill’s Bodega. It truly made the Gallery a special place last week. We hope everyone had a great time. A huge thank you to Susan Knapp and Tara Lafferty too! It took lots of planning and hard work to put it all together. Kudos to both! 
The Middle School Cafe is a week-long, beloved tradition at MPA, where fifth through eighth graders get a chance to come together and socialize with their peers. The Parents Association is looking for volunteers to help plan this event! If you would like to get involved, please join us for a planning meeting on Thursday, November 15 from 1:30-2:30 PM in the PA Room, and stay to enjoy the Give to the Max “Lip Sync” Assembly with us!
On behalf of the Parents Association, thank you to all of the parents and volunteers who generously donated their time, gift cards, and goodies during Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week. A special thanks to chef Doug Pittman and his staff at Sage for providing a delicious dinner and snacks throughout the week, and to Vern Kissner and the maintenance staff for all of the set-up and extra work they did. The faculty and staff were very appreciative of our efforts to thank them for all they do.