{"id":12010,"date":"2019-01-17T14:01:14","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T20:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/?p=12010"},"modified":"2019-01-17T14:44:06","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T20:44:06","slug":"a-sense-of-direction-for-mpa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/2019\/01\/17\/a-sense-of-direction-for-mpa\/","title":{"rendered":"A Sense Of Direction For MPA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MomentumImgWP-1024x898.png\" alt=\"Graphic with globe, heart, pennant\" class=\"wp-image-9332\" width=\"305\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MomentumImgWP-1024x898.png 1024w, https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MomentumImgWP-342x300.png 342w, https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MomentumImgWP-768x673.png 768w, https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MomentumImgWP-624x547.png 624w, https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MomentumImgWP.png 1872w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you don&#8217;t know where you are going, you&#8217;ll end up someplace else.\u201d \u2015&nbsp;Yogi Berra<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week I wrote about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/2019\/1\/10\/realizing-our-resolutions\/\">new year\u2019s resolutions and the basic human drive for continuous improvement and growth<\/a>. Having a goal in mind and a sense of direction helps us make small decisions and choices along the way to accomplish what we have set forward. As Alice found out from the Cheshire Cat, without an end in mind any road will suffice. Equally as profound, Yogi Berra reminds us that without an idea of where we are going, we will end up someplace else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we mark the mid-way point of the school year, it has been my\ncustom to provide an update on <em>Momentum\n2020<\/em>, our school\u2019s long-range strategic plan. Approved by the Board of\nTrustees in January of 2015, <em>Momentum\n2020<\/em> is the result of nearly a year of research, conversation, visioning,\nand strategic thinking that involved hundreds of students, parents, faculty,\nstaff, alumni, and parents of alumni. Together, we\u2019ve made incredible progress\nover the past four years. <\/p>\n\n\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Part operational and part inspirational, <em>Momentum 2020<\/em> has provided the direction necessary to realize our vision\nand meet our mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>That vision is to \u201cprovide an exceptional \u2018whole-child\nfor whole-life\u2019 education that is collaborative, experiential, and\ninterdisciplinary, which values the assessments of broader aims, those skills,\ndispositions and mindsets most necessary to live, learn, and thrive in today\u2019s\n21st century globalized society.\u201d <\/li><li>That mission is to \u201cteach students to think\nindependently, communicate effectively, and act with respect and integrity in a\ndiverse community that models intellectual ambition, global responsibility, and\nthe joy of learning.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/StrategicPlanUpdate-1.17.19.pdf\">Click here to review the progress made in the last four years of <\/a><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/StrategicPlanUpdate-1.17.19.pdf\">Momentum 2020<\/a><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/StrategicPlanUpdate-1.17.19.pdf\">.<\/a> And find below a brief overview of progress made so far this school year in addressing our annual goals and priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Priority\nOne: Empower Students to Live, Learn and Thrive in the 21st Century Globalized\nSociety<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MPA achieved an important milestone this fall by successfully\ncompleting the re-accreditation process. Our Visiting Team from ISACS\n(Independent Schools Accreditation Association of the Central States) affirmed\nthe direction of the school and the accomplishments made. In recommending full\nre-accreditation, visiting team chair Kevin Breen said, \u201cThat sense of purpose\npermeates everyday life and informs each new initiative\u2026 The community\u2019s shared\nvalues are known, understood, and enacted at an extraordinary rate.\u201d Moving\nforward, the school will fully leverage the commendations and recommendations\nto launch our next round of strategic planning this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Progress continues to be made in engaging students in creative and\ninnovative learning experiences. The Makerspace continues to be a wellspring of\n21st century learning. For example, our kindergarten&nbsp;and first\ngrade&nbsp;classes read \u201cThree Billy Goats Gruff\u201d and then came to the Makerspace\nto design a bridge to carry a goat and cargo across the bridge. Students worked\nthrough the design thinking process by defining the problem first, sketching\nideas, and then building and testing their bridges. They were given one\nconstraint: bridge length. They worked in pairs, one kindergarten and one first\ngrade student, while collaborating, problem solving, and&nbsp;iterating. At the\nend of the lesson, they discussed growth and fixed mindset, terms they have\nbeen using with their teachers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Middle School students are being challenged as well, integrating\ntechnology in new ways and utilizing the Makerspace in creative ways. As quarter\nthree begins, eighth&nbsp;graders will create&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdbraintechnologies.com\/hummingbirdbit\/\">Hummingbird Robot<\/a>&nbsp;projects.&nbsp;The\nHummingbird is an incredibly flexible robotics board that can be used with a\nwide variety of materials. It incorporates sensors, servos, and motors to allow\nstudents to build and program robots extremely creatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Upper School, two new courses have been added: a computer science\nclass and a Makerspace class. In computer science, students learned Python\nprogramming and created their own text-based games and projects using that\nknowledge.&nbsp;As a final project, students have been working with the\nprogramming environment&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/py.processing.org\/\">Processing<\/a>&nbsp;to create\ninteractive visual works with code.&nbsp;They also studied several well-known\nalgorithms, along with discussing how computer scientists measure the\nefficiency of algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Priority Two:\nInspire and Affirm Our Exceptional Faculty and Staff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our faculty and staff continue to be our greatest asset. Parents and students alike recognize the incredibly talented teachers who prioritize knowing their students well and personalize the teaching-learning dynamic. One parent described it this way. MPA teachers are \u201cimmensely talented in their profession, true life-long learners, passionately dedicated to the growth, health, and well being of all of the children they serve, and live and breathe the mission of MPA each day in authentic and positive ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I couldn\u2019t agree more. Know that in partnership with the Board of\nTrustees, I am doing all I can to ensure we continue to recruit, reward, and\nretain this amazing faculty and staff. Approximately 75 percent of our\noperating expenses are directed to compensation. As a parent and as a head of\nschool, I strongly believe this is a key priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new initiative that has been introduced this year is directed at helping faculty and staff find balance in their lives. Once a month, time is set aside to \u201cunconference,\u201d facilitating opportunities for employees to build relationships with one another, both personally and professionally. Driven by faculty and staff themselves, individuals volunteer to share their interests and passions with one another and faculty and staff then choose the \u201cunconference\u201d they find most intriguing. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Priority Three:\nEnhance Institutional Capacity to Ensure MPA\u2019s Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Growing enrollment continues to be a major focus of our\nschool-wide efforts, from the classroom to the boardroom. Our Strategic\nMarketing and Enrollment Plan developed as a result of <em>Momentum 2020<\/em> is evaluated and enhanced each year. We were\nextremely pleased to welcome 86 new students and their families this year, the\nhighest number in the last eight years. A new initiative designed to lower\nattrition is now in place and faculty and staff from across divisions and\noffices are working together to better meet the needs of our students and\nfamilies in a focused effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enhancing our institutional capacity to ensure MPA\u2019s future also\nrequires that we provide the resources and facilities necessary for students to\nsucceed and flourish. Over the past several years, the partnership between\nparents and the school has resulted in significant enhancements, from the\nMakerspace to the Black Box, from the renovated bathrooms to the refreshed\nplayground. We continue to implement our master facilities plan and look\nforward to sharing some very exciting news with you soon about the immediate\nfuture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am incredibly pleased with the progress we have made and\nyet there is always more to do. Over the last four years, the direction\nprovided by <em>Momentum 2020<\/em> has\nresulted in incredible success and dramatic improvement in many, many areas.\nKnow we will continue to push forward, challenge ourselves, and see ongoing\nimprovement. I am excited about what lies ahead for our community and thank you\nfor entrusting your children to Mounds Park Academy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School \u201cIf you don&#8217;t know where you are going, you&#8217;ll end up someplace else.\u201d \u2015&nbsp;Yogi Berra Last week I wrote about new year\u2019s resolutions and the basic human drive for continuous improvement and growth. Having a goal in mind and a sense of direction helps us make small decisions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":12014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,26,28,24,14,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admission","category-blog","category-current-families","category-featured-posts","category-heads-message","category-homepage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12010"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13617,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12010\/revisions\/13617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}