Volunteer Information
Volunteers are what keep MPA an active, vital school - and now it's time for everyone at school to express their gratitude to all of these important helpers! If you've volunteered for the school this year in any capacity, drop by the gym on Friday, May 25th between 2pm and 3pm for some treats and a token of the school's appreciation. This isn't an hour-long sit-down program, just a chance to drop in and see all the ways our students appreciate your help. The kids are really excited to show you what they've been working on, so even if you feel humble and think "I didn't do that much," come by for the students' sake! See you there!
Field Day is next week - Friday, June 1st - and we need more volunteers! We need help setting up, running, and cleaning up games and lunch. Just sign up on the attached form to help with this fun event. If you find that you can volunteer or if you signed up but did not get a email confirmation, please email Tina Garlauskas at garlauskas@ymail.com. Please let us know if you are coming to Field Day. We need to order food and make sure we have enough people to run the games and help with lunch. Let's make this a great day for our kids! Thanks, and we'll see you there!
We are looking for a few more 50/50 raffle ticket sellers at the upcoming Menlo Park Academy's Afternoon with the Lake Erie Crushers . Volunteers will be paired with another person for a designated time during the game. The school will receive 50% of the money collected from the raffle ticket sales. If you are interested in helping, please contact Tanya Reno at 216-452-9070 or Tanya.Reno@MenloParkAcademy.com.
And one more volunteer activity - we're looking for three or four parents of kids who AREN'T in Kindergarten to help set up and put out refreshments for the Kindergarten moving up celebration on Monday, June 4th, at 5:30pm. We want to make sure all the parents of Kindergarten students have a chance to relax and enjoy the event, not rush around setting out cupcakes and chairs. If you can help, please contact Kelly Fortune-Somerville atkfortune@kent.edu. Thanks for your help making this a special event for our mini munchkins!
Student Information
As you know, earlier this month, the MPA Board engaged in a search for a new School Director. After a review of some excellent candidates, we are excited to welcome Mrs. Paige Baublitz-Watkins to our school community. Mrs. Baublitz-Watkins, or Mrs. B-W, has a B.S. in Special Education, her M.Ed. in Gifted Education, and an Ohio Principal’s license. Through almost 20 years of education experience. Mrs. B-W has consistently demonstrated her leadership abilities and passion for individualizing instruction. She prides herself on being a skilled communicator and believes strongly in building consensus to promote student growth. You will learn more about Mrs. B-W in the weeks to come as she begins her transition into our school leader. She will be visiting the school on Friday, May 25th to meet with the staff and visit the classrooms to get a feeling for our school community. She intends to be present at the Volunteer Appreciation event that afternoon at 2pm if you would like to meet her. We plan to schedule additional opportunities for the community to meet Mrs. B-W and learn more about how she intends to deliver on MPA’s mission of “developing the potential of gifted learners through unique and rewarding experiences that nurture the whole child”. Thank you for everyone’s support and trust as we work diligently over the coming months to integrate our new leader into our community.
Don't forget: STEM CAREER NIGHT AT MPA IS THIS THURSDAY, MAY 24! Science is fun, but can you make a career out of it? From 6:30 to 8 pm, more than 10 scientists and engineers will give brief presentations and lead discussions about their chosen fields. They will tell students what it's like to be a civil engineer, environmental engineer, geologist, chemist, rocket scientist, software developer, actuary, doctor, veterinarian, and more. This event is targeted at grades 5-8 but younger students, siblings and parents are welcome.
While you're at the school on Friday for the volunteer appreciation event, please check through the Lost and Found items for any that belong to your student. We will be donating to charity any items that remain after the last day of school, so make sure to claim your items before June 5th! You'll also need to make arrangements to pick up any medications you have on file with Mrs. Wilson. Please come in during the school day or make arrangements with Mrs. Wilson to come once school is done for the year. Any medications not retrieved by June 15th will be discarded.
Don't forget that Field Day is Friday, June 1st. The school will be divided into two teams, Blue and Orange. T-SHIRTS in team colors will be sent home just before Field Day. Please remind kids to wear their team shirt, comfortable sneakers and shorts. They should also bring a water bottle (label with student’s name) and apply sunscreen. Also, please encourage a healthy breakfast! LUNCH will be provided for students, teachers and volunteers. Please pack a lunch for your child if you have any allergy concerns.
Cue the Pomp and Circumstance - MPA year-end celebrations are fast approaching! On Monday, June 4th we'll begin at 2pm, celebrating our five graduating eighth graders. Parents and families are welcome to join the school to celebrate their accomplishments and wish them luck for the future. Then at 5:30pm the Kindergarten students and families will return to the school to celebrate their first year of school. Make sure you bring your cameras for that one, parents ... and maybe a box of tissues for Mrs. Timko, too! (She always "gets something in her eye" during these things ... )
Bullying is a community issue that requires a school/community/home partnership. MPA has learned of a FREE webinar that will introduce you to the issues of bullying, but more importantly help you understand how to bring some responsibility for bullying prevention back into the home. Bullying is not just a school issue. Parents and guardians are a crucial part of the bullying solution and must be included. Campus Impact shares methods to involve parents and whole communities to help reduce bullying. Attend one of their FREE webinars - MAY 31st, June 5 and June 7. To register for this FREE webinar go to: http://campusimpact.omnovia.com/register
And a final note about this school year: Did you know that all school fees must be paid before a student's final report card is released and sent home? That includes replacement lunch fees, material fees, and any other outstanding monies owed to MPA. To make payment arrangements, they should contact Rob at finance@menloparkacademy.com or call Mrs. Wilson with any questions. If your account is already paid and in order,you can expect to receive your child's report card by mail the week of June 18th.
Development Information
Why yes, thank you for asking - you can still purchase ticket vouchers and join us for the Crushers game Sunday, June 3rd. Vouchers will be sent home in Thursday folders and may then be redeemed at the Crushers box office during normal business hours. If you would like to sit with other MPA families, please request tickets in sections 114 or 115 when redeeming. Tickets are $9 each, and can be ordered using the attached form. You may also purchase tickets on-line at www.lakeeriecrushers.com and enter promo code MENLO (all caps please). Select select box office tickets and order in sections 114 or 115. A $1.00/per ticket surcharge will apply to online purchases. If you have questions, please contact Tanya Reno @ (216)452-9070.
The development team - and the whole school - would like to continue to express our thanks to the families who supported MPA's annual fund this year. This week, we send out a special "thank you" to the families who pledged AND DONATED in the Light Bulb and Phonograph categories. (Category descriptions can be found online at http://bit.ly/JNJDy5 ):
- Light Bulb - Beach, Crowley, Daugherty, Garlauskas, Harrington, Kiskorna, Klein, Lin, Love, McDonald, Mudra, Munro, Rotunno, McGillivray, O'Donnell, Saab, Shin, Sundaram, Thomas, Wenzel, Woods
- Phonograph - Masgras
Have you registered on www.goodsearch.com for their "Good Dining" program? If not, you're missing out on the chance to earn donations for MPA every time you eat at selected restaurants and bars. The best part? This program is FREE to you! To join, visit www.goodsearch.com/gooddining.aspx and register your credit or debit card. When you eat at one of more than 10,000 participating restaurants and use your registered card to pay, you'll earn up to 6% of your bill in donations for MPA. And if you join before the end of May, you'll even earn an extra $5 bonus donation for the school - sweet! Check out the site to learn more about this free-to-you way to earn money for our school - and thanks for your support!
Calendar Highlights
- May 24 (Thursday) - Middle School STEM career night, 6:30 pm; "Twin Day" for Spirit Week
- May 25 (Friday) - Volunteer Appreciation event, 2-3pm in the gym; "Crazy Hair/Clothes Day" for Spirit Week
- May 28 (Monday) - No school (Memorial Day)
- May 29 - June 1 - Eighth Grade Celebration Week
- June 1 (Friday) - Field Day at Lakewood Park
- June 3 (Sunday) - Crushers baseball game, 5:05pm in Avon
- June 4 (Monday) - 8th Grade Graduation 2-3 pm; Kindergarten celebration 5:30 pm
- July 23-25 - 2012/2013 MPA Enrollment forms will be due
- August 26 (Sunday) - Back to School picnic at Lakewood Park
If you've got something you'd like to share with the school - a need for volunteers for your school event, an exciting achievement your child has made outside of school, or anything else you think MPA parents should know about - send the information to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com. The submission deadline for the weekly newsletter is each Wednesday at noon.
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