From pumpkin painting to witch-hat ring tossing to face painting, mummy wrapping, tattoo applying, and more, Fall Fest 2022 had it all throughout the MPH campus Monday. The gym was a focal point of festivities, with Halloween music pumping through the speakers, plenty of snacks, teachers dressed up along with kids, and a couple face-painting stations along with games. Other activities took place in the Bradlee Lower School classrooms and the Center for Early Learning, where kids painted pumpkins, did scratch art, and played Halloween Bingo.

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.

4 p.m. 7/8 Volleyball @ Bishop Grimes

4:30 p.m. 7/8 Basketball @ Fabius-Pompey

4:30 7/8 Volleyball vs. Southside Academy Charter School

NO CLASSES | In-Service Day for Staff

4:30 p.m. 7/8 Basketball @ Weedsport

CAMPUS CLOSED | Veterans Day

Juniors are welcome, in order to attend, in advance of the meeting you must register by sending an email to Mrs. Cappelletti ([email protected]) and Mr. Cardamone ([email protected]). 

1:30 p.m. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Join the MPH Parents' Association this Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 8:30 a.m. via Zoom.

Mark your calendars, encourage your friends, and double the impact of your donation! Our annual Two for Tuesday giving campaign kicks off Tuesday, November 8, and occurs each Tuesday this month: November 8, 15, 22, and 29.

Our goal is to raise $75,000 in the month of November. Stay tuned for details on how you can help us match dollar-for-dollar or donor-for-donor each Tuesday to support student access and scholarships through The MPH Fund.

To participate, make your gift online by visiting our Two for Tuesday donation page. You can also call our office at 315-446-2452, Ext. 117, or mail a check with Two for Tuesday in the memo to "Manlius Pebble Hill School" at 5300 Jamesville Rd., Syracuse, NY 13214.

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:

You'll find the weekly lunch menu here in Snapshot every Friday, but it also lives on the MPH website (you can find it through the direct link or on the left column of myMPH). And this week we welcome the return of Nutrislice, which lets users sort menu items by nutritional data, ingredients, and allergens.

Past MPH parent Suzanne Mettler, Ph.D., the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University, visited MPH this week to discuss the United States' institutional election arrangements and also to discuss voting age gaps and why voting matters for young adults. Students in Grades 7-12 attended the assembly, and were engaged and optimistic about their role in the country's election process following the presentation. One example: Among the juniors, nearly the entire class told Dr. Mettler they believed voting was an essential way to exercise one's political voice.

Dr. Mettler is the author of six books, most recently, Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy, co-authored with Robert C. Lieberman, and her work been featured in the New York Times, Washington Monthly, and Los Angeles Times, and she has been interviewed on several National Public Radio programs and CBS Good Morning. She is also the parent of two MPH alums.

Students in Ms. Trouyet's Grade 6 Spanish class celebrated El Día de los Muertos this week by creating ofrendas, altares, and learning a song.

Middle School and Upper School Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, November 21 (Zoom only), and Tuesday, November 22 (in-person only). Conferences provide an eight-minute time slot for parents to meet with each of their child’s teachers and their advisor. Please check your email for additional details including instructions on how to sign up for a conference via Blackbaud. Meeting slots are available during the following times:

Please reach out to Juhee LaHaye at [email protected] with any questions. 

Kindergarten Was Buzzzzing This Week!

Amy Critz, executive assistant to the head of school, joined the Kindergarten class this week to share her firsthand knowledge about the importance of — and roles played by — pollinators in nature, specifically honeybees. In her spare time, Miss Critz is a beekeeper. She displayed enlarged photos of her apiary and garden, as well as several beekeepers’ tools for the students to see. Miss Critz described the process from which honey is derived — from the bees' first taste of nectar to the extraction of honey from the hive — emphasizing along the way how important these special “pollinators” are to sustaining our food supply, in addition to creating (and then sharing with us humans) the naturally sweet treat many of us enjoy so much. Perhaps the most critical takeaway from Miss Critz’s presentation was, at least with regard to honeybees: “let them be(e)!”

On Wednesday, November 16, the Manlius Lions Club will be coming to campus to complete vision screenings for students. This is primarily aimed at Lower School students but is available to Middle and Upper school students as well. This is a non-invasive, painless, and quick opportunity that requires no medication or preparation. Their equipment offers technology that can diagnose many vision problems an eye chart would miss, particularly in our youngest students. For more information go to www.lionskidsightusa.org.

The vision screening does require parental permission. We ask you to complete and return the consent form if you are interested in having your child screened. Please return it in your student’s folder or to the Health Office no later than Monday, November 14. Questions may be sent to our school nurse Christine Civello.

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