Upper School

Guidelines For Bus And Traffic Safety

September 2, 2021

bus pulling up to MPAIt is MPA’s number one priority to provide the safest campus environment possible for you and your children. Please share this information with all of the drivers in your home, in addition to others who may provide transportation for you. Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

COVID-19 Bus Precautions
We have implemented these strategies to prioritize health and safety on MPA buses:

  1. Masks worn by all on board.
  2. One student per seat whenever possible (siblings may sit together).
  3. A seating chart for any bus with more than 22 students (there are 22 seats on a bus.)
  4. Four windows open one inch: the two in the last row on each side of the aisle and two in the front row on each side of the aisle.

Distracted Driving
Parents and students are asked to refrain from using cell phones (hands free or otherwise) while driving on campus, especially when children are present. This helps us all to be aware of the children moving around us and keep the traffic flow steady and uncongested. Read More

Connect With The MPA Parents Association This School Year

August 26, 2021

Parents Connect: Wednesday Morning WalksPA Photo
The Parents Association invites parents and guardians to get together Wednesday mornings after drop off. Mark your calendars, it will be fun! Wednesday, September 1 we’ll have a 30 minute walk with Michelle Mick. We’ll meet at the flagpole near the Lower School entrance. Lower School, Middle School and Upper School families are welcome. This week’s walk will include strolling through some of the grounds on MPA, including the prairie area. Chat with new parents and connect with friends. Younger children are welcome to walk with us.
After that walk if parents are interested, we can head over to the Farmer’s Market at Aldrich Arena, a short walk from MPA. They have a large variety of great produce and you’ll be supporting local farmers.
Remember to bring a mask to all events! Hope to see you there!
Monday and Thursday Mornings in the Garden
Get your hands dirty Monday and Thursday mornings after drop off, helping in MPA’s gardens. No experience necessary. Come and help weed, plant, dig, or sow, all are welcome. How long you stay is up to you. If Michelle Mick is not at the flagpole, go around the corner, in the Library gardens, next to Door #2.
Remember to bring a mask! Hope to see you there!

Picture Day Information For Families

August 26, 2021

Hello, families!picture day

Picture day is approaching! Our vendor is Jostens and you will receive flyers soon with information on how to order your pictures online.

Picture day is on:

Monday September 13

Retake day is on:

Monday, October 11

 All students should be in school uniform or dress code. Jostens asks that your child avoids wearing the color green!

Jostens, knows customers care deeply about privacy and data security. Customer trust is their top priority and maintaining this trust is an ongoing commitment. They strive to protect the privacy of customer data by the security policies, practices and technologies put in place. Jostens does not sell or rent directory information to third parties for any reason. Jostens does not use email addresses to market any other products or services.

Providing parent email addresses for each student is the best form of security. Student photos are automatically linked to their parent’s email address, and parents with multiple students will be able to see all of their students. If a parent’s email address is not provided, they must enter the school name, event code, exact spelling of the student’s name and another unique identifier (Student ID/Lunch ID/etc).

Parents will receive the following communications from Jostens:

  • Picture Day Is Coming–This will be a reminder email that is sent a few days before the scheduled Picture Day
  • Pictures Are Ready–This will notify parents that the photos have been uploaded and can be viewed on the website
  • Reminder Emails–If an order is not placed, we do send out one email per month letting them know the pictures are available

Jostens Condensed Privacy Policy >

Jostens Full Privacy Policy >

From your yearbook advisors,

Lauren Drake (ldrake@moundsparkacademy.org) and Sara Mohn (smohn@moundsparkacademy.org)

Accessing MPA’s Family Directory

August 26, 2021

DirectoryAs you make new connections at MPA, we warmly encourage families to connect with one another outside of school (safely, of course!). Here are instructions about how to access MPA’s community directory in Schoology.

On Desktop

  1. Visit https://app.schoology.com/login.
  2. Login to Schoology using your parent login.
  3. 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.
  4. Along the top navigation bar, click on Resources (top) > Apps (left).
  5. Click Approve then refresh the page. This is only needed the first time you open MPA Resources.
  6. The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.

On Mobile

  1. Download the Schoology app (if you haven’t already) in the Apple or Android App Store.
  2. Login to the app using your parent login.
  3. In the upper left-hand corner menu, select Resources > Resource Apps > MPA Resources.
  4. Click Approve then use the back button to get back to Resources. Click MPA Resources again.
  5. This is only needed the first time you open the MPA Resources app.
  6. The MPA community directory should fill the screen and be usable.

If you have any questions, please email Jay Springer, MPA webmaster, at webmaster@moundsparkacademy.org. If you have any changes to your directory listing, contact your division assistant:

Lower School: Denise Johnson, djohnson@moundsparkacademy.org

Middle School: Jolynn Lassonde, jlassonde@moundsparkacademy.org

Upper School: Jolynn Lassonde, jlassonde@moundsparkacademy.org (temporary)

Providing A Joyful Light

August 26, 2021

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of Schoolhead's message

Welcome home! I hope that you had a wonderful summer, filled with plenty of time with family and loved ones. Although I enjoyed the slower pace, I am thrilled to start a new school year. We begin the school year with 575 students, the highest enrollment in more than 10 years with 138 new students, several grade levels full, and others close to capacity. Our growing enrollment is surely an indication that “Dream Big. Do Right.” speaks resoundingly to the hearts and minds of a growing number of families in the Twin Cities. With confident humility, we acknowledge our place among the very best independent schools in the nation.

I love to read but find very little time during the school year to tackle a good novel while also staying abreast of journals, the most current educational research, and professional reading. During the summer, however, you can find me reading on the deck, the dock, the boat, or on long car trips (in the passenger seat, of course). Of all the books I read this summer, one stands out, the Pulitzer Prize winning “All the Light We Cannot See.” It is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read and is deeply, deeply moving.

As I was thinking about many reasons why MPA is a unique and special place and the tremendous growth of the school over the last several years, I was inspired by a line in the book:

“So how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?”

The mission of MPA over the last 40 years, as captured by our school motto, “Dream Big. Do Right.” is dedicated to bringing light to a world that all too often seems darkened. Each child holds within them immense possibility and potential. By igniting and nurturing the light within each student, our students are better able to bring that light to the world. Through cultivating critical thinking, creative inquiry, and social responsibility, we inspire and empower our children to improve an ever-changing and sometimes, challenging world. We do that by truly knowing each student and though a rigorous, yet joyful, education delivered by an exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to fostering caring relationships with their students.

Thank you choosing MPA and entrusting your children to us. It is going to be a fantastic year!

Upper School Division News

August 25, 2021

US News StoryUpper School Living, Learning, Thriving

Recently, I have spent time reflecting about some of the things that matter most to me. I am unsure if this is due to me getting older, my parents getting older, the start of a new school year, or the ever changing landscape of the education profession. My guess is that all of these things (and more) play a role in my thought process. As I think about this, one thing that I have realized is that I am rejuvenated by the thought of the upcoming school year and reconnecting with students, parents, colleagues.

Over the past week I enjoyed spending time with many of the new and returning upper school families. Hearing about summer journeys, seeing students return for the start of athletics, and hosting the upper school Back to School Nights and new family/peer leader BBQ has provided me with a sense of excitement about the return to “normalcy” and routine.

At the recent upper school Back to School Nights I shared, a la David Letterman, my Top 11 list of things to know for the upcoming school year. Recognizing not everyone was able to make it to these events, please find the list below: Read More

Top 5 Things MPA Student Council Wants You to Know

August 25, 2021

The MPA Upper School student council is reaching out to new students! To provide the latest members of our community with a current insight into our program, the council members have accrued a list of the TOP FIVE best aspects of being a new student at MPA:

  1. MPA is a warm and welcoming community.
  2. MPA offers amazing student resources outside the classroom.
  3. MPA has an endless number of clubs and organizations to join.
  4. Teachers and staff are friendly, supportive, and sociable.
  5. Students are constantly supported in discovering new passions and interests.
Follow the Upper School student council Instagram page @mpastudentcouncil on Instagram! Let us know of some more amazing things about being a new MPA student in the comments!

Interested in Theatre at MPA?

August 10, 2021

ChicagoInStory

Have you ever wanted to audition, but had a case of stage fright? You want to try working backstage, but have no knowledge of tools? That is okay–that is what this Theatre Info Meeting is for! We will cover the following in a brief zoom session with the MPA theatre teachers, Ann Frances Gregg, Emily Jaques, and Heather Mastel:
  • Can I play a sport and be in a play?
  • How much does it cost to participate?
  • What is the time commitment?
  • How do auditions work?
  • What jobs can I do backstage?
  • How do I get involved?

Join us next Wednesday, August 18 at 6 PM. We will cover all in this meeting for Middle School and Upper School families.

In addition, students are invited to join us Tuesday, August 31 for a Theatre Info Meeting just for students. Grab your lunch and meet us in the Black Box at 11:20 am (pending safety precautions, Middle School—grab your lunch at recess time and join us).

See you there—break a leg this year!

MPA Athletes Swept The Podium

August 4, 2021

MPA Student-Athletes/Lake Phalen Rowing Club take on the Iowa Games RegattaThe Lake Phalen Rowing swept the podium at the Iowa Games Regatta on July 31st with MPA student/athletes bringing home multiple victories. We’re so glad to see that our student community is remaining active in the summer months, and winning simultaneously! Please refer to the information below to see the results from this competitive regatta.

Men’s Novice 1x:
2nd place—Finn Zeruhn
3rd place—Alex Appleton

Men’s Jr 4x:
2nd place—Collin Steinberger ‘21, Grant Steinberger, David Steinberger, Matt Duerr

Women’s Novice 1x:
1st place—Sonia Olk
3rd place—Abby Appleton

Appleton siblings with their medalsMen’s Jr 1x:
1st—Grant Steinberger
7th—David Steinberger
8th—Collin Steinberger ‘21
16th—Alex Appleton
17th—Finn Zeruhn

Men’s Jr 2x:
Tied for 2nd place—Collin Steinberger ‘21, Grant Steinberger
5th place—Matt Duerr, David
10th place—Finn Zeruhn

Medal totals:
Gold—5
Silver—4
Bronze—2

A Night Of Panther Pride

August 2, 2021

Mason's Parents at the Watch PartyMason Ferlic ’11 Competes in Olympic Games 

MPA community members from alumni, faculty, and current families gathered to celebrate and support Mason’s olympic accomplishments. We launched the event with pizza and ‘Go Mason’ poster making, then concluded with a personal FaceTime from Mason after he crossed the finish line. The Ferlic family and the rest of the MPA community expressed their immense pride and happiness for Mason as we wished him a restful remainder of his evening. Enjoy this reflection piece written by Nate Bander ’09, one of Mason’s teammates and click through our photos from that night.

by Nate Bander, Class of 2009

Mason Ferlic ran a near personal best in the 3000m Steeplechase at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on July 30, placing 21st in 8:20.23, an exciting and historic day for MPA! Mason came to MPA in ninth grade and joined the track and field team in his first year. He found success right away, and his coaches and teammates encouraged him to sign up for cross country running. The problem was that he was already registered for soccer! But, with a little arm twisting, he decided to give cross country a try. The rest is pretty much history, he went on to win four MSHSL state championships, break three school records, and appear on MPA’s track and field top 10 list 11 times (though fun fact, Nolan, his younger brother, appears 13).

After graduating from MPA in 2011, Mason competed for the University of Michigan as the first of what have now become four MPA track and field athletes to compete at the Division I level in the last 10 years, all in the Big Ten Conference. He won the 2016 NCAA steeplechase championship and after graduating from Michigan with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering, he is now pursuing a PHD in Applied Statistics, which he does while training with Very Nice Track Club in Ann Arbor. Read More