From Slime to Slingshots:
Physics Takes Over Campus
Upper School Physics students wowed their classmates this week with interactive exhibits spread throughout the school during Community Time. Demonstrations included: Magnetic Slime, Soccer Physics, the Physics of Music, a Water Bottle Rocket, Slingshot, and more.
MS Students Join in the Physics Fun
Seventh- and Eighth-Graders in the Fab-Lab elective class learned engineering strategies by building slingshots out of PVC piping, duct tape, and rubber bands last week. They used the corner-connection technique to make two equilateral triangles and learned how the placement of the two support pieces affects the angle at which the slingshot shoots. After constructing the slingshots, the students went outside and tested them to see how far they could shoot a projectile, as well as how accurate they could be. Accuracy was measured by seeing if they could launch their projectile into one of the hula-hoops placed randomly on the ground.
Please watch this brief message from Head of School Dave McCusker.
Athletics note: The most-recent athletics schedule is always available through Schedule Galaxy and can be accessed on the MPH Calendar page or via the Schedule Galaxy mobile app. The schedule included below is subject to change after the date of distribution, so please check Schedule Galaxy before heading out to a contest.

Week Ahead | April 3-7

Monday | MPH Closed for Break
6:00 p.m. | Varsity Baseball (Bishop Grimes) @ CBA

Tuesday | MPH Closed for Break

Wednesday | MPH Closed for Break
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Baseball (Bishop Grimes) @ Bishop Ludden

Thursday | MPH Closed for Break

Friday | MPH Closed for Break

Saturday
1:00 p.m. | Varsity Baseball (Bishop Grimes) @ Port Byron
Week Ahead | April 10-14

Monday | Day 7
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Softball (Bishop Grimes) @ Port Byron

Tuesday | Day 8
4:30 p.m. | JV Baseball (Bishop Grimes) @ Chittenango
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Baseball (Bishop Grimes) @ Cato-Meridian
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Softball (Bishop Grimes) @ Cato-Meridian

Wednesday | Day 1
4:30 p.m. | JV Baseball (Bishop Grimes) vs. Cazenovia
4:30 p.m. | Girls + Boys Track @ Fabius-Pompey
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Tennis @ Pulaski
5:00 p.m. | Varsity Baseball @ Skaneateles

Thursday | Day 2

Friday | Day 3
Quarter 3 Ends
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Softball (Bishop Grimes) vs. Pulaski
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Baseball (Bishop Grimes) vs. Pulaski
4:30 p.m. | Varsity Tennis vs. Westhill
6:00 p.m. | Lower School Movie Night The Lego Movie
Lower School Movie Night April 14!
The MPH Parents' Association is sponsoring a Lower School Movie Night featuring The Lego Movie on Friday, April 14 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in The Phoenix.
SMARTTRACK College Funding Webinar April 27

MPH College Counseling understands that the financial piece of college planning is critical to your student’s options and starts much earlier than you might think.

We have arranged to provide our Grade 9-11 grade families with an important resource through the SMARTTRACK® College Funding High School Initiative. SMARTTRACK partners with more than 100 of the top independent schools nationwide.

The program begins with a free one-hour webinar: What Parents Need to Know Now about Paying Less for College on Thursday, April 27, 2023, 7:00 PM.

More details to follow in Mid-April including how to register for the webinar and schedule a free-personal financial assessment.

You may be surprised to learn that you can significantly lower out-of-pocket costs, maximize grants and scholarships, and pay for college in a more affordable way.
MPH Spring Gala | May 19, 2023
 
This year’s Red & White themed Spring Gala celebrates Manlius Pebble Hill School and our community. Plans are underway for a fabulous celebration on Friday, May 19, at Owera Vineyards in Cazenovia. Proceeds from this event will directly support strategic investments to our academic programs, facilities improvements, expanding scholarship assistance, and enhancement of resources to support our faculty and staff.  Here's a glimpse of last year's gala.
 
If you’d like to get involved in the celebration, here are a few ways you can support the event:
 
  • Donate a live/silent auction item. Gift cards, getaways, experiences, concert tickets, and more are always appreciated! MPH families are invited to contribute to the school level Gala Baskets – Click here for a list of themes. Basket items are due by May 5,
 
 

  • If you should have any Gala questions please reach out to Class Gala Ambassadors.  

If you’d like to become a sponsor, donate an item or experience, or get involved in planning the event, please contact Karen Belgrader.


Gold Sponsors
Cerio Law Offices, PLLC
Syracuse ENT Surgeons, PLLC
The Wildhack Family

Silver Sponsors
Dermatology Associates of CNY
Had Fuller ‘66A
KSP Painting of Syracuse
Lynn D’Elia Temes & Stanczyk
Mafrici Law Office, PC
The Murthy-Joshi Family
The Rubin Family
Mark and Diane Wladis & Family
Steven and Lexi Wladis

Bronze Sponsors
Brown & Brown of New York, Inc
FS Engineering, DPC
Ragan Real Estate Team
TAG Solutions
The Thomas-Antilus Family
The Ryan and Leann West Family

Pewter Sponsors
CBD Companies
Fallon Oral Surgery
L & J.G. Stickley, Inc
McClurg Remodeling
Northland Communications
Gala Ambassadors Needed

Plans are currently underway for this year’s gala with the generous help of our Gala Committee members. New for this year are MPH Gala Ambassadors. Ambassadors are parent volunteers who will serve as points of contact should you have event questions, such as babysitters, attire, ticket costs and deadlines, raffle basket ideas, etc.
 
Below is our current list of Gala Ambassadors and their contact info. We are still looking for a few more ambassadors for grade levels. If interested, please contact Karen Belgrader or Theresa Heath.

MPH Gala Ambassadors:
Pre-K: Melissa Marrone
Kindergarten: Alison Boyd
1st Grade: Kathryn Messenger & Lexi Wladis
2nd Grade: Gala Ambassador(s) needed
3rd Grade: Tania Green
4th Grade: Sarah Kiefer & Rose Antilus
5th Grade: Jaya Nemani
6th GradeMelissa Marrone & Sarah Kiefer
7th Grade: Diane Wladis
8th Grade: Gala Ambassador(s) needed
Upper School: Theresa Heath & Shelbi Pisciarino
New Faces at MPH
It's been a busy spring on campus as we've been joined by a number of new hires, as well as a student teacher. Our new Director of Admissions, Lisa Raney, was introduced in a previous edition of Snapshot, so check that out if you missed it.
Director of Finance and Operations

Matthew Carr, Ed.D., joins the team on May 22 as our new Director of Finance and Operations. With 20 years of experience in higher education, Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Manlius Pebble Hill School.

Throughout his career, Matt has consistently demonstrated an ability to build relationships, identify opportunities, improve efficiencies, and serve as a trusted and capable leader in an educational context. He has held roles within admissions, advancement, IT, facilities, and institutional research, serving most recently as vice president for information technology and associate provost at Utica University. His career path speaks to the current needs of MPH for an integrated approach to educational administration and leadership. His experience managing teams and resources will be instrumental in advancing our school's mission and goals.
 
Beyond his professional experience, Matt brings a passion for education and a dedication to student success. His mixed-methods doctoral thesis on tuition discounting and the factors that drive perceived value for students is emblematic of his thoughtful approach to understanding the unique challenges and opportunities of a school environment.
Front Desk Receptionist

Josh Harris '11 is a familiar face who joins the MPH team as a Front Desk Receptionist. Josh earned his B.A. from the State University of New York at Fredonia and has already started in his new role welcoming students, families, staff, and visitors into the building.
Coverage Teacher/Advancement Support

David Snyder joins MPH as a coverage teacher serving in classrooms at all age levels across campus. David will also provide support to the School's advancement team. He comes to MPH with a B.A. in Mathematics and Creative Writing from Hamilton College and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Kansas.
Student Teacher | History

A.J. Suslovic is a student teacher in the history department with Ms. Chhablani. A.J. has a B.A. from Tufts University and is studying for a master's at Syracuse University. He says that while his background is primarily in U.S. history, Ms. Chhablani is doing an excellent job of showing him the ropes in international studies.
Video and Photos of the Week
We will have complete coverage of the Great MPH Fire Engine Egg Drop in our post-break Snapshot featuring the full learning process and experience as directed by Ms. Reeve, but here are a few highlights from the event in the meantime.
(Spirit Week) Photo of the Week
Middle School students got in the spirit this week by dressing up like a well-known MPH teacher who has a distinctive sense of style, Mr. Curtis.
Musical Interlude of the Week
Keeping with the Mr. Curtis theme, the MPH Bluegrass Fiddle Club (minus Mr. Curtis impersonators) entertained students after Community Time with its weekly performance in The Phoenix on Friday.
Summer Programs Registration is Open!

The MPH 2023 summer brochure is now available for viewing and registration is open!

We are excited to offer a variety of programs this summer for entering grades PreK-12.

Questions? Please call the Summer Program office at 315.446.2452.
MPH Apparel Store
NOTE: The only option for delivery of these orders is shipping to an address customers provide. There will be no orders from this store delivered to the school.

The official Manlius Pebble Hill clothing store is now live with a wide variety of selections for all sizes, genders, and ages. A couple key points:

  • It's an online store, but it's open for the whole year
  • We have two designs available now - a script Manlius Pebble Hill School and an "MPH" option; you'll see the selections in the drop-down menus for each item
  • We'll be adding designs throughout the year, so keep checking back - and check Snapshot - we'll let you know when we've got new items
Grade 1 Enjoying a Celebratory March
First Grade has had a busy and fun month of celebrations: Students started by counting the number of days they have been in school daily using place value charts, ten frames, and hide-zero cards since the start of the school year. March 7 was the 100th day of school, and students celebrated being 100 days smarter with various activities, challenges, and math and literacy learning experiences based on 100. Students challenged themselves to count how many times they could touch their toes in 100 seconds. They played "Race to 100" by adding numbers in a dice toss math game, and in Literacy they wrote a piece for the bulletin board on what they thought they would be doing at 100 years old – with “exercising,” “sitting on the couch,” and “visiting Puerto Rico” among the answers. An aging filter was applied to students’ snapshots, showing what our students might look like at 100. 
 
For St. Patrick’s Day, mischievous leprechauns outsmarted the clever traps made by first graders and made messes in the classrooms. Ms. Meyer even treated the students to an impromptu lesson on Irish Dancing!
Exploring Ecology Through Literacyin Spanish!
This week students in Spanish Foundations (Grade 6) embarked on reading the novel El Capibara con Botas by Mira Canion, and for the first few chapters they have been completing literacy activities in small groups to demonstrate their interpretive reading skills.

This novel about a special capibara is set in the jungle of Ecuador. Besides following the adventures of the capibara, the students will have the opportunity to discuss and explore animal habitats and the effects of deforestation in Ecuador.
Zonta Club Raises Funds to Support Adolescent Mental Health
On Tuesday the Zonta Club welcomed Jennifer Janes of the Upstate Foundation and Dr. Rebecca Shields DO, MPH Class of 2009, to discuss adolescent mental health as well as hand over the funds the club raised through the recent Palentines Day candy grams. The club donated $620 to the Upstate Fund, specifically for adolescent suicide prevention efforts. The question-and-answer session around adolescent mental health with Dr. Shields struck the club members as informative and useful as Dr. Shields tapped into her experiences while a student at MPH, as well as her expertise in guiding her own clients through mental health challenges. The club members learned about certain language and strategies to employ when supporting a peer and or caring for their own mental well-being. 
C’est Cheese!
French National Cheese Day was on March 27, but Grade 7 French students celebrated Friday. They learned about different French cheeses, took a tour of a cheese shop in Paris and sampled Chèvre, Brie, and Gruyère. They cleansed their pallets between tastings with grapes and sparkling apple juice. It was hard to pick a favorite, as they were all quite délicieux!
Last Chance for Yearbooks! Order by April 1
The ordering deadline for MPH yearbooks is April 1, 2023, with each yearbook costing $75.

The process for preordering your 2022-2023 MPH Yearbook is easy. Please use this link at Jostens.com, and select “Order a Yearbook.” From there, select “Find My School Store,” and enter Manlius Pebble Hill School in the search bar. Next, select MPH from the drop-down menu and choose “Order Yearbook.” You will be prompted to create an account, and once that is complete you are able to purchase your yearbook(s).

If you need help with the ordering process, please reach out to Yearbook Advisor Amy Hogan at [email protected].
April Vacation Program
Grades Pre-K to 6
 
 
April 3-6 (Monday-Thursday)
Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. with extended hours 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Fee: $65/day plus $15-$22.50 day for extended hours
 
MPH is offering a coverage program during the April spring break. This program will be open to MPH students only.
 
Students need to bring a lunch (with drink) and snacks will be provided. Please ensure that lunches are nut-free and that no eggs or nuts come on to the campus. 
 
Age-appropriate activities are planned, and students will have access to the gym and playgrounds (depending on the weather). Confirmation of registration, along with details, will be emailed prior to the program.

MPH Community Programs
Spring Clubs Off to a Fun Start
Between Art Clun and Chess Club, MPH's spring after school clubs are off to a great start for the kids. There's still time to sign up below for Soccer Shots and the next session of Chess Club too.
MPH After School Clubs for K-8
April-May Offerings
 
 
Soccer Shots
Grades PreK-2
Wednesdays, 3:15-4:00 p.m.
April 12-May 31
Fee: $145
 
Soccer Shots is an engaging children’s soccer program with a focus on character development. The Soccer Shots caring team positively impacts children’s lives on and off the field through best-in-class coaching, curriculum, and communication. 
 
Chess Club
Grades 1-8
Wednesdays, 3:15-4:15 p.m.
April 19-May 24
Fee: $85
 
The MPH Chess Club is the most successful, award-winning chess program in Central New York. The MPH Chess Team has won no less than seven tournaments, with team members winning several individual chess championships. Chess also helps keep thinking and reasoning skills in shape throughout the school year.
 
Chess Coach: Bob Nasiff is a U.S. Chess Federation nationally rated chess master with over 30 years of instructional experience. Many of his students have won chess championship titles at the local, state, and national levels.
 
Questions? Call the Community Programs office at 315-446-2452.

Manlius Pebble Hill School | 315-446-2452mphschool.org