Announcing The MPA PA Parent Press!

Welcome, MPA families!

We hope the best for you and your family at the start of the school year. To kick off this new year, we are excited to announce the MPA Parents Association Parent Press!

This new monthly newsletter will highlight opportunities for families to connect, get involved, and stay informed through the MPA Parents Association. All MPA families are part of the Parents Association and we are so pleased to represent our parent community.

We want to extend a huge thank you to all of you who completed our Reimagining The MPA Parents Association Spring Survey! The number of responses exceeded our expectations, and your thoughtful feedback has helped us invest in the events and initiatives you value most, while making changes to serve our community even better. 

These changes help us meet our mission: to enrich the MPA experience through community building, continuing traditions, supporting faculty and staff, and acting as a resource for all families. Below are some of the big takeaways from the survey and how we plan to implement them. 

The MPA Parents Association is 100% parent-led! If you want more information on how to get involved or have ideas to share, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to us at PA@moundsparkacademy.org at any time.

Sincerely, 

Amanda LeBlanc & Jasmin Stees

MPA Parents Association Co-Presidents

Reimagining The Parents Association: Survey Results & Changes

Communication: We heard from parents overwhelmingly that they wanted a standalone monthly email to highlight opportunities to get involved, upcoming events, and share what the Parents Association has been doing. You can expect to see the MPA PA Parent Press in your inbox at the beginning of each month, in addition to seeing important reminders in the weekly Panther Post. 

Parent Social Events: The most frequent request from parents throughout all divisions was more opportunities for parents to connect with other parents—particularly at their student’s grade level. We heard repeatedly how hard it is to build community when you’re only chatting in passing at events where your kids need your attention. That is why this year we are excited to partner with our PA grade reps to add a parent-only social event for each grade! These events are meant to be a low stress way for you to meet other parents, catch up with friends, and strengthen the community in your grade. More information will be coming about these events from your grade reps.

Division Level End Of Year Parties: While grade level events are one of the things families told us they value most, they also shared that it has been hard to juggle end of year parties for kids in different grades. It was equally hard for grade reps who serve multiple grades to plan multiple parties in a short window of time. So, we are keeping the tradition, but shifting to division-wide celebrations that simplify those already busy last days of school. Information on how to get involved in planning division level end of year parties will be coming in the second half of the year.

Volunteer Time Commitments: We didn’t need a survey to tell us that MPA parents are BUSY. We hear often that they want to be involved but are worried about taking on too much. In response, we have been working to make volunteer positions less of a time commitment. We’ve reduced the responsibilities on grade reps and are working to create more committees to support events, so that more hands are carrying the load and everyone has a chance to get involved.  

Upcoming Events

Please note: all Parent Association upcoming events are listed on the MPA Calendar.

DIVISION-LEVEL COFFEES

Lower School Family Forum | Friday, September 12: 8:15-9:45 AM, Martin Lenz Harrison Library

Meet and greet with James Ewer, Lower School director and fellow division-level parents as we set the partnership tone for the 2025-26 school year. 

*Please note these family forums will be monthly instead of quarterly. 

Middle School Quarterly Coffee | Tuesday, September 30: 8-9:30 AM, MPA Gallery

Meet and greet with Paul Errickson, Middle School director and fellow division-level parents! More details about the topic will be coming soon in an upcoming Panther Post.

Upper School Quarterly Coffee | Wednesday, October 1: 8-9:30 AM, Porter Conference Room

Meet and greet with Mark Segal, Upper School director and fellow division-level parents! More details about the topic will be coming soon in an upcoming Panther Post.

PARENTS ASSOCIATION MEETINGS

Grade Rep Meeting | Tuesday, September 16: 8-9 AM, Martin Lenz Harrison Library

At the start of each school year, our grade rep lead and select PA board members bring grade reps together to connect, share helpful tips, explain the grade rep budget and reimbursement process, and answer questions.

See who is representing your grade for the 2025-26 school year!

Answer The Call For Volunteers!

Show appreciation to our MPA faculty and staff! Join one of our in-person volunteer opportunities, or sign up to bring in a perishable food item for one of our upcoming events.

• Volunteer in the teaching kitchen on Friday, September 26, to help serve snacks and desserts to faculty and staff during lunchtime.
• Donate a perishable snack for staff to enjoy during conferences! Drop off will be Thursday morning on October 9, at Door 1.
• Help set up conference dinner and snacks for faculty on Thursday, October 9, right after school.
• Refill snacks and beverages for faculty and staff during conferences on Friday, October 10. Various slots throughout the day.

A Note About Grade Reps!

Grade reps are vital to the Parents Association, helping to build parent camaraderie and plan grade-level events. Thank you to these fellow parents who have volunteered to be grade reps for the 2025-26 school year!

LOWER SCHOOL

PreK:

• Jocelyn Cunha
• Jasmin Stees
• Janell Stanton Soderberg

Kindergarten:

• Nadia Lubeznik 
• Rachael Weber 

Grade 1:

• Andrea Goldstein
• Lee Neumann
• Leslie Todero 
• Christopher Siegfried

Grade 2

• Pamela Ganser 
• Laura Nicholson 
• Rachael Weber

Grade 3

• Andrea Goldstein
• Kelley Still 
• Sarah Charleston

Grade 4

• Sarah Cotter 
• Bethany Griffith 
• Sarah Cascino 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Grade 5

• Rhamy Magid
• Trish Hanson 

Grade 6:

• Sarah Cotter
• Leslie Todero 
• Jessie Lamb 
• Misty Tandon 

Grade 7:

• Tina Heidelberger 
• Jasmin Stees
• Kate Schneider 

Grade 8:

• Rhamy Magid 
• Samah Fahmy

UPPER SCHOOL

Grade 9

• Jason Moldan 
• Lisa Burton

Grade 10

• Nohemi Feltl 
• Katherine Maki
• Tibbe Luell 
• Masha Tivyan
• Kelsi Rahm

Grade 11

• Mira Norcross
• Pat Wyant

Grade 12

• Barbra Skubitz 
• Melissa Doffing

Parents Association Paw Prints

Here’s what the PA has been up to this back to school season!

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Donuts

To thank all of our faculty and staff members who were back to school before the students were, the Parents Association provided donuts from YoYo Donuts on August 22 to start their Friday off with a treat!

Back To School Parent Coffee

Our annual Back to School Parent Coffee on the front lawn is one of our favorite events of the year. Thank you to all of the parents who stopped by after drop-off to catch up with friends and welcome new community members!