{"id":29982,"date":"2026-03-26T09:37:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/?p=29982"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:37:23","slug":"middle-school-division-news-march-26-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/2026\/03\/26\/middle-school-division-news-march-26-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle School Division News March 26, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-29989 alignright img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MSfeat.png\" alt=\"A student painting a project.\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/>from Paul Errickson, Middle School director<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Springtime brings with it change and renewed growth. It can be one of the most exciting and hectic times in our school year as we work to wrap everything up by the end of the school year and reflect on the growth and achievements of our year of learning together.<\/p>\n<p>It is often during these days in early spring, as a science teacher and naturalist, that I like to share the story of a child and a butterfly. You\u2019ve probably heard it before (I even shared it with our students last year). The short version is that there\u2019s a man who watches a butterfly struggle to emerge from its cocoon and, thinking he is helping, cuts it free\u2014only to discover that without the necessary struggle, the butterfly\u2019s wings never strengthen, leaving it unable to fly. What he didn\u2019t realize is that the difficult process is what prepares the butterfly for life, and the story reminds us of those challenges and obstacles, rather than being burdens, are often exactly what enable us to grow, gain strength, and ultimately soar.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, we have many, many opportunities for growth (and potential discomfort) for our Middle School students. Next week brings the end of our third quarter, and I know that students and teachers are working to finish the quarter strong! In April and May, we have book battles and science fairs, concerts and musicals, MAP testing, and field days fast approaching. Please keep a close eye on our calendar here in Panther Post and communications through your child\u2019s Schoology account for updates and information on all that we have going on.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>2026 MPA Spring Auction: Rooted In Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Join us for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/connect.moundsparkacademy.org\/auction\">the 2026 MPA Spring Auction: Rooted In Purpose<\/a><\/strong>, on Friday, April 17, at the Lowlands in St. Paul! We will gather in celebration of the people and purpose that make Mounds Park Academy such a special community, while raising critical support for our students, staffulty, and programs. Sponsorships and tickets are available NOW! Family Sponsorships can be purchased <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/connect.moundsparkacademy.org\/auction\/view\/family-sponsorships\">here<\/a><\/strong>, Business Sponsorships can be bought <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/connect.moundsparkacademy.org\/auction\/view\/business-sponsorships\">here<\/a><\/strong>, and tickets can be\u00a0bought <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/connect.moundsparkacademy.org\/auction\/view\/tickets\">here<\/a><\/strong>. (Ticket prices increase to $125 after March 15.)<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Help Make the Evening Unforgettable<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nWe are seeking exciting contributions to elevate the event, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>MPA Exclusive Silent Auction items<\/li>\n<li>Live Auction Experiences<\/li>\n<li>Spirits and Wine Donations<\/li>\n<li>Curated Gifts and Experiences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your support helps create a joyful, meaningful evening while making a lasting impact on MPA.<br \/>\nVisit the event website or contact Ashley Goetzke, director of development and community engagement, at <strong><a href=\"mailto:agoetzke@moundsparkacademy.org\">agoetzke@moundsparkacademy.org<\/a><\/strong> to learn more or get involved.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let&#8217;s make this a night to remember.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mark Your Calendars\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday, March 31: MS G5 Science Fair, 2:30-3 PM, Family Commons<\/li>\n<li>Friday, April 3: End of Quarter 3<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday, April 8: MS Meeting, 10-10:30 AM, Recital Hall<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday, April 8: Cultural Celebration Day, 3:15-5:30 PM, Family Commons<\/li>\n<li>Monday, April 13: No Classes, Professional Development, Panther Den Closed<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday, April 15: MS Meeting, 10-10:30 AM, Recital Hall<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday, April 15: ISACS Parent Series \u2013 Happier Parenting: Evidence-Based Strategies for Improving Parent Happiness, 6:30-7:30 PM, Virtual, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/events.zoom.us\/ev\/ArwUv887sdwOEQY0PDh263cERPixT6beenY5Q0-L9JqVLNPfCDtW~AnfVdb0kZ3mIWtIC-OJxkLuXBWmMc0xLzwd2d1-8_kwBrW8nQiX7-rHkVg\">Register &gt;<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Thursday, April 16: Book Club With the Head of School, 6-7:15 PM, Martin Lenz Harrison Library, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.evite.com\/event\/00E9IIAE4SKDAADPAEPRCKDXIV65KY?utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&amp;utm_source=evitelink&amp;utm_medium=sharable_invite\">RSVP &gt;<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>from Paul Errickson, Middle School director Springtime brings with it change and renewed growth. It can be one of the most exciting and hectic times in our school year as we work to wrap everything up by the end of the school year and reflect on the growth and achievements of our year of learning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":29984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,28,24,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-school","category-current-families","category-featured-posts","category-middle-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29982","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\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29982"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30032,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29982\/revisions\/30032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}