Menlo Park Academy Manuscript

MPA Newsletter 2/8/2012

2012-02-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to everyone who was involved in recruiting and enrolling students for next year. We have one seat available in fourth grade - every other class is completely full! That's a total of 343 students enrolled - can you believe how much we've grown in the past few years?!? So if you're speaking to friends or family about applying to send their kids to MPA next year, please let them know that we now have a waitlist for pretty much every grade.

Development Information:

There's still time to participate in the new New Box Tops reward. For every 50 Box Tops sent in from January 1st through February 13th, each family will earn one raffle ticket for the "From the Heart" concert and auction held on February 23rd! Sent some in already in January? No problem! You've earned credit as long as they were labeled with the student's name, grade, and teacher. Turned in more then 50? That's fantastic! You can earn a raffle ticket for every group of 50! Please remember, this is for Box Tops for Education ONLY. Campbell's Labels for Education, Coke Rewards, and Tyson labels do not count for this reward or the classroom competition. The deadline to turn Box Tops in to the collection bins at school for this promotion is absolutely Monday, Feb 13th! No exceptions can be made due to the time needed to tally and get the raffle tickets to those who earn them. Thank you for your support!

Speaking of the raffles and auctions at the concert ... want to know what's going to be available to win? Our donations include a Jason Aldean concert package, ceramics lessons with Mrs. Padrutt, trips to the aquarium - even a Mad Scientist birthday party! Keep your eyes peeled for more information in the coming weeks. And check your Thursday folder for information on the Kindle Fire raffle tickets, which are available for preorder.

Save the date: Saturday, March 31st, will be the first MPA parent quiz night! Fun! Food! Games!

Scrip card orders for February are due on Tuesday, February 21st, so get your orders in soon!

Student Information:

Real Conversations of MPA:

Me: "Seriously? Some MPA parents really think it's okay to bring their child to school 15 minutes late several times a week?"

Mrs. Wilson: "I know! Don't they realize that they're either making their kids miss important information, or making the teachers repeat themselves - and avoiding repetition is part of why parents send the kids to school here!"

Me: "Jeez. It's not like we've even had bad weather so the parents could legitimately claim they were stuck in traffic that often."

Mrs. Wilson: "Could you please remind parents in the newsletter that the kids need to show up at school on time?"

Me: "No problem. I won't even mention that some school districts actually criminally prosecute parents of habitually tardy students." (Whoops)

Mrs. Wilson: "And could you mention that the Lost and Found Box is turning into a Lost and Found Hallway of Doom?"

Me: "When are you getting rid of the items that aren't claimed? February 28th?"

Mrs. Wilson: "That stuff is out the door at noon on the 28th. That way parents can check through the bins when they're at school for conferences. So get the word out!"

Mrs. Fortune-Somerville: "Why don't I take pictures of the items, so parents can see what's there?"

Me: "And I'll put the pictures on the blog! I love it when a plan comes together!"

***The End***

So, whose kids have gone through a growth spurt and outgrown a bunch of dress code clothes? (raises hand) One of the parents has volunteered to collect CLEAN uniforms in GOOD CONDITION, then make them available to parents during the enrollment paperwork period this coming summer. What a generous offer! If you have dress code clothes you'd like to contribute, they can be placed in the labeled bin in the hallway outside of the school office. Please send in ONLY dress code clothes, no "dress down" outfits. Thanks for your participation!

All parents who registered their child for the Lego Olympiad should have received an e-mail confirming your child's information. If you registered your child and did not receive confirmation, please call Maryanne Hiti at 216-481-5695 or e-mail mhiti@sbcglobal.net. It is very important that parents review this info and e-mail any changes to Maryanne Hiti by MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13 so that we can register with LCCC. Once registration has been submitted to LCCC, no team changes or additions can be accepted. Thanks for your help!

Nominate your favorite MPA teacher for the Plain Dealer Crystal Apple award! Deadline for this period is February 17th, and nominations can be made online at nie.plaindealer.com - click on the "Crystal Apple Award" link and tell us why an MPA educator deserves this honor.

It's parent-teacher conference time! The February conferences are an opportunity to chat with the teachers about the program and your child's progress. Unless you get an email from a teacher requesting a meeting, the conferences are optional. Report cards will be given out at the conferences. If you do not come in for a conference, then the report card will go home in that Thursday's folder. We're making the parent-teacher conference scheduling process more streamlined by moving it online. Please refer to the separately sent e-mail on this subject for the links to schedule a 15- or 30-minute time slot to speak with your child's teacher(s). You can even get an e-mail reminder sent to you if you input your address in the appropriate place on the form! If you need to reschedule after you complete the online form, contact your teacher or Lynn.Wilson@MenloParkAcademy.com to handle the change for you.

Mathcounts is a national enrichment competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement. Students have been working on competition problems the past several weeks and are well prepared. The 28^th annual Mathcounts Competition will take place at Cleveland State University on Saturday, February 18^th.Congratulations and best of luck to the following students who will be representing Menlo Park Academy :

Quintin Kovach, John Antolik, Gannon Ingraham, Ojas Nadkarni, Mason Buchanan, Marshall Monnette, Alexander Whitman, Kehley Coleman, Nicholas Hiti, and Nora Kelley.

Don't forget, the student concert is on Thursday, February 23rd at Magnificat High School in Rocky River. The event will open at 5pm, which gives families plenty of time to view and participate in the silent auctions and raffles in the lobby. Please drop students off backstage at 6pm. Teachers will be chaperoning the students before and during their performance, which begins at 6:30pm. If you have any questions about the concert, please contact Mrs. Leib at Molly.Leib@MenloParkAcademy.com.

Do you have a student who is interested in learning a language over the summer? Concordia Language Villages (http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/newsite/) in Minnesota offers immersive language experiences for kids in grades K-12. They have summer sleepaway camps, summer day camps, and family camps throughout the year. Need-based scholarships are available, but the deadline to apply is February 29th.

Volunteer Information:

We need volunteers to teach electives for our students - please consider bringing your expertise to our school! Third trimester electives run from Feb. 29-June 1^st. Wednesdays we offer electives for Middle School (varies by grade between 8:50-2:40) and 3rd grade from 9:50-10:50. Fridays we offer electives for 4th grade (11:20-12:10), 2nd grade (2:20-3:00), 1st grade (1:40-2:20), and Kindergarten (1:00-1:40). If you need ideas of what to teach, never fear, we are overflowing with wonderful ideas. Just let Jenn Ingraham know! Please email asap if you can help: ji@zoominternet.net. Thank you!

Volunteers wanted! The Book Fair will be open on Monday, February 27th from 7:30am until 7pm, and Tuesday, February 28th from 7:30am until 2pm to accommodate the conference schedule. On Wednesday through Friday we will be open from 8:30am until 4pm to give parents and those in Edison Club time to shop after school. We will require at least two volunteers to be there at all times, especially when the lower grades are shopping. Volunteers will help run the cash register and assist younger students with their shopping. Check your Thursday Folder for the sign-up sheet and more scheduling information. Any and all help is appreciated!

Calling all scientists! We need at least 7-8 more judges for the CONSEF Science Fair on March 3rd at the Woodling Gymnasium at Cleveland State University. If your child is competing in the event, you may not judge in their division but you can judge in another division. To apply to judge this science fair or to learn more, you can go to http://www.consef.org/EssentialInformation/JudgeApplication.aspx. If you do apply, please be sure to say you are judging for Menlo Park and please let Janeth Eby know by emailing her at janeth.eby@menloparkacademy.com. Thanks for your support!

Thank you so much to all of the parents who have already volunteered for Math Night on Pi Day, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. We still need a few more volunteers who can manage activity stations during the event and/or clean up afterward. This will be a great way to help fulfill your volunteer requirement in March! Thanks to many pie-making volunteers, there will be plenty of pie to munch on while we contemplate pi; however, we could use maybe a couple more pies to round it out. If you can help, please contact Latha at LMS54321@gmail.com or call her at (216) 233-0162. Thank you!

Are you are available from 11:15 to 1:00 on a weekday, either regularly or every once in a while? Our current lunch and recess volunteers really could use your assistance. We have made it easy with a sign up for Volunteer Spot which is our online signup system for our volunteers to use. Click on the link on our volunteer page to sign up today. The calendar makes it easy to choose one day, two days or once a week to come and help us out. Reminders are automatically sent to your email inbox the day before you are set to volunteer. Remember, family and friends can also come to volunteer and that time will go towards your monthly volunteer hours. For those of you who come and help out with lunch and recess and are not using our sign up page, we encourage you to do so. This helps us greatly to know who is coming to help us out for staffing purposes. If you need help with getting on or using Volunteer Spot, please let Heather Syracuse know. She'll even go online and sign you up for the days you are interested in helping out! Also, we are always in need of people to serve as subs for lunch and recess as well as other activities such as electives - a great way to get in some volunteer hours if you can't commit to a schedule ahead of time. If you are interested in helping out and being placed on a sub list we could call you/contact you on an as needed basis. Please contact Heather Syracuse for more information: heathersyracuse@hotmail.com.

Did you know that we're using ecologically (and financially) friendly cloth wipes to sanitize the tables in the lunchroom every day? This saves us money and keeps 8 bajillion wipes out of the landfill ... but it does generate laundry (and MPA doesn't have a washing machine on site). We really need a volunteer who is willing to pick up the used fabric wipes/towels on Friday after lunchtime, wash them over the weekend, and return them to the school on Monday before lunchtime. If you're able to do this for us (and get volunteer hours for watching your washer spin!), please contact Connie.Lindemann@MenloParkAcademy.com.

We have an immediate need for volunteers to help with the Edison Club after school program on Wednesdays from 4-6. The volunteer(s) will control the door buzzer to let parents in for pick-ups, answer the phone, etc. If you are able to help with this, please contact Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com as soon as possible.

Calendar Highlights:

Feb. 9 (Thursday) - Basketball game 7:30pm at Midpark HS vs the Strongsville Knicks
Feb. 10 (Friday) - First Grade field trip to Severance Hall
Feb. 14 (Tuesday) - Fifth Grade field trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Feb. 15 (Wednesday) - Second Grade field trip to see Fish Face at LCCC
Feb. 17 (Friday) - Tenative Date for the Dads vs MPA Basketball Team Scrimage Game during practice
Feb. 18 (Saturday) - Basketball game at 2:30pm at Berea High School vs Columbia Ross; Mathcounts competition at CSU
Feb. 20 (Monday) - Holiday - school closed
Feb. 22 (Wednesday) - First Grade field trip to LENSC
Feb. 23 (Thursday) - End of second trimester; "From the Heart" school concert and fundraising auction
Feb. 24 (Friday) - No school for students
Feb. 25 (Saturday) - Basketball team dinner
Feb. 27 (Monday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 28 (Tuesday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 27 - March 2 - MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 3 (Saturday) - CONSEF science and engineering fair
March 8 (Thursday) - Fourth and Fifth Grade field trip to Hanna Theatre
March 14 (Wednesday) - Math Night from 6:30-8pm
March 19 (Monday) - Photo make-up, club and candid day; Strings and Band Concert at MPA
March 21-23 (Wednesday-Friday) - Fifth Grade field trip to Camp Fitch
March 31 (Saturday) - Quiz Night fundraiser
April 20 (Friday) - Lego Olympiad at LCCC
April 27 (Friday) - School-wide Spelling Bee
June 3 (Sunday) - Crushers baseball game
Sept. (TBD) - Golf scramble fundraiser

Did you know: The MPA Boy Scout troop was pictured on the front page of the Jan/Feb issue of the Trail Marker newsletter? Check out photographic proof on our blog here.

MPA Newsletter 2/1/2012

2012-02-08T21:30:00.002-05:00

Development Information:

The final deadline for all donations for each class's themed basket (to be auctioned off at the From the Heart concert and fundraiser on February 23rd) is Friday, February 3rd. Please make sure you mark your donation with YOUR name and your TEACHER'S name. Thanks to everyone who has already donated!

Speaking of donations, our thanks go out to the Costco location in Avon, which donated a membership for the auction. They also have shared a membership deal with us - see the attached form to learn more about it.

Please make sure that any time you send money in to school - for dress down day, a donation, teacher gifts or room party supplies, whatever - you mark it with your child's name and teacher. It's very difficult to make sure we're crediting the correct students with dress down funds, for example, when we're getting unlabeled dollar bills!

We've got a new New Box Tops reward! For every 50 Box Tops sent in from January 1st through February 13th, each family will earn one raffle ticket for the "From the Heart" concert and auction held on February 23rd! Sent some in already in January? No problem! You've earned credit as long as they were labeled with the student's name, grade, and teacher. Turned in more then 50? That's fantastic! You can earn a raffle ticket for every group of 50! Please remember, this is for Box Tops for Education ONLY. Campbell's Labels for Education, Coke Rewards, and Tyson labels do not count for this reward or the classroom competition. The deadline to turn Box Tops in to the collection bins at school for this promotion is absolutely Monday, Feb 13th! No exceptions can be made due to the time needed to tally and get the raffle tickets to those who earn them. Thank you for your support!

Student Information:

The deadline to register for the Lego Olympiad to be held at Lorain County Community College on April 20 has been extended to Thursday, February 2. You must Register Here by MIDNIGHT on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 to be guaranteed a spot. You will need the following info to register: child's name, grade, parent name, phone, e-mail, and division in which they will be competing (Theme Team - Grade 4-8; Open Individual - Grade k-8; Open Team - Grade k-8). See the attached handout for more information. If students are competing on a team, please list the team members or indicate if you would like them to be placed on a team. Note that parents are responsible for coordinating practices with the team members. An e-mail with the other team members names and phone numbers will go out next week so that parents can approve the list before it is submitted to Lorain Community College. For more info about the competition, please go to: LEGO OLYMPIAD or e-mail Maryanne Hiti at mhiti@sbcglobal.net

Good luck to our Power of the Pen competitors this Saturday! Seven students from grades 7-8 will compete this Saturday in Bay Village at the district tournament. Last year, two of our students advanced to regionals. Write on!

MPA is sending 21 students to CONSEF, a regional science and engineering fair, on March 3rd. That's six more students than last year. Good luck!

Wanted: colorful latex paint. Art classes are creating gorgeous painted furniture to be auctioned off at the February 23rd concert. Send in your leftover BRIGHT housepaint to Mrs. Padrutt as soon as possible!

Mrs. Eby will be holding an informational parent/student meeting about the 6th/7th grade field trip to Mohican School in the Out-of-Doors on February 6th at 6:00 pm in the Science Lab. All 6th grade students and parents are invited as well as the following 7th graders and their parents: Payton Crowley, Stefani Hayne, Sydney Hofstetter, Nora Kelley, Shannon Leimbach, Brennan McQuinn and Brian Mingus. Representatives from Mohican will be there to talk and answer questions.

A quick note from Coach Littlejohn - Basketball team, please remember that there is no practice this Friday, February 3rd, and no game this Saturday, February 4th. Our next game will be Thursday, February 9th, at Midpark High School at 7:30 pm. The tentative date for the Dads vs Team Scrimage Game will be Friday, February 17th during practice. Winner gets huge bragging rights at the team dinner on February 25th. All Dads are encouraged to attend practice that day and be dressed to scrimmage the team. We will play for about 20 minutes towards the end of practice in a half court game. All Moms are encouraged to film and take pictures!

Here are some details about the From the Heart student concert on Thursday, February 23rd at Magnificat High School in Rocky River. All MPA students will be performing in this event. The students' concert attire should be dressy - avoid jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. The event will open at 5pm, which gives families plenty of time to view and participate in the silent auctions and raffles in the lobby. Please drop students off backstage at 6pm. Teachers will be chaperoning the students before and during their performance, which begins at 6:30pm. If you have any questions about the concert, please contact Mrs. Leib at Molly.Leib@MenloParkAcademy.com.

The end of the second trimester is fast approaching, and report card time will soon be upon us again. Please read the attached message from Dr. Bouchard regarding the timing and distribution of report cards for this grading period, as well as the updates that were made based on feedback from teachers and parents.

Volunteer Information:

Our From the Heart Concert & Auction will take place February 23rd. We are looking for volunteers to assist the night of the event: selling raffle tickets, overseeing the silent auction, closing out the winners/high bidders. The event opens at 5:00 with the actual concert beginning at 6:30. We will need people there early 3:30ish to assist in set-up etc. Click here to sign up to volunteer for this event.

Calendar Highlights:

Feb. 3 (Friday) - First Grade field trip to see Skippyjon Jones at LCCC
Feb. 6 (Monday) - Fourth Grade field trip to see Freedom River at LCCC
Feb. 9 (Thursday) - Basketball game 7:30pm at Midpark HS vs the Strongsville Knicks
Feb. 15 (Wednesday) - Second Grade field trip to see Fish Face at LCCC
Feb. 17 (Friday) - Tenative Date for the Dads vs MPA Basketball Team Scrimage Game during practice
Feb. 18 (Saturday) - Basketball game at 2:30pm at Berea High School vs Columbia Ross
Feb. 20 (Monday) - Holiday - school closed
Feb. 22 (Wednesday) - First Grade field trip to LENSC
Feb. 23 (Thursday) - End of second trimester; "From the Heart" school concert and fundraising auction
Feb. 24 (Friday) - No school for students
Feb. 25 (Saturday) - Basketball team dinner
Feb. 27 (Monday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 28 (Tuesday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 27 - March 2 - MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 3 (Saturday) - CONSEF science and engineering fair
March 14 (Wednesday) - Math Night from 6:30-8pm
March 19 (Monday) - Photo make-up, club and candid day
March 31 (Saturday) - Quiz Night fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)
April 20 (Friday) - Lego Olympiad at LCCC
April 27 (Friday) - School-wide Spelling Bee
June 3 (Sunday) - Crushers baseball game (more info in future newsletter)
Sept. (TBD) - Golf scramble fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)

Did you know? The school-wide events calendar can now be found at Communication Central on our web site at https://sites.google.com/site/menloparkacademy/parent-central/school-event-calendar . Go check it out!

Let's get MPA teachers the recognition they deserve!

2012-02-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

There is an educator out there who has inspired you, challenged you, supported you and helped you realize your true potential. Take this opportunity to thank that extraordinary educator by nominating him or her for The Plain Dealer Crystal Apple AwardTM.

To nominate, visit nie.plaindealer.com click on the "Crystal Apple Award" link and tell us why your educator deserves this honor. Entries may also be mailed to: The Plain Dealer Crystal Apple Award, The Plain Dealer Plaza, 1801 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 or faxed to 216-999-4986. Each mailed or faxed entry must be between 175-350 words and include the educator's name, their subject/grade taught, the address of the school where the educator currently teaches, your name, your present grade (if applicable), your home address and phone number.

Each recognition period, an independent panel of judges will select three outstanding educators from the nominations – one from each of the following grade categories: K-5, 6-8 and 9-12, for a total of 12 Crystal Apple Award winners this school year. Each winning educator will be recognized individually at a surprise presentation at their school, and then will each receive their Crystal Apple at an awards banquet held at The Plain Dealer in May 2012.

This is getting ridiculous

2012-02-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

The Lost and Found area is turning into a disaster zone! Check out the pictures below to see if you can find any of your child's missing items ... and then come get them!

All unclaimed items will be donated to charity at noon on February 28th, so come and get your stuff soon!

Congratulations, MPA Boy Scouts!

2012-02-08T11:33:00.004-05:00

MPA's Boy Scout troop was pictured on the front page of the Jan/Feb issue of the Trail Marker newsletter. Way to go, boys!

MPA Newsletter 1/25/2012

2012-01-25T21:25:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Julia Bowler, winner of last week's "I actually read the whole newsletter" gift card drawing. Keep your eyes open and read the newsletters each week - you never know when we're going to run the drawing again!

Development Information:

A quick request from our room parents: When you bring in donations for your class's themed basket (to be auctioned off at the From the Heart concert and fundraiser on February 23rd), please make sure you mark your donation with YOUR name and your TEACHER'S name. We've received a few unlabeled envelopes of cash that ended up in Mrs. Reno's office, and we don't know which class basket to add them to. Check the information from your room parent to see when donations for your basket are due - all of the due dates are fast approaching. For information on what other themed baskets are going to be available, check out the MPA blog here.

Congratulations to Mr. Thompson's classroom, which just achieved 100% participation in the Annual Appeal! Way to go, first grade families! Mr. Thompson's students will receive a Young Audience program for their class as a reward for their participation. Still up for grabs: a bingo party for the first entire grade to reach 100% participation, and a Jungle Terry program for the whole school if we get 100% participation from all families.

Student Information:

Congratulations to our Gifted Coordinator, Sara Marino, who added baby Drake Michael Marino to her family on January 17th. Mrs. Marino says, "He is a happy, content, alert baby! Everyone is doing great and he is a great addition to our family." Congratulations, and best of luck to the Marino family in the coming weeks!

Mrs. Wilson would like to remind everyone that the preferred item to leave at the front desk when you check in is your ID, NOT your keys. Collecting IDs allows us to quickly determine exactly who is on school property at any time, which is especially important during things like emergency drills. We will accept keys if for some reason you must retain your ID (such as going on a field trip with a class outside of school property) or you have forgotten it. But please use your keys as a last resort, not an everyday choice.

Our thanks go out to Jenn Ingraham, the Academic Enrichment team, and all the volunteers who helped make last week's science fair a rousing success. We had some really great projects and innovative ideas; here are the ones judged to be the best of the best:

Explorers:

1st Kathleen O'Donnell

2nd Hector Cummings

3rd Sparsh Balabadrapatruni

HM Charlie Clausing

HM Patrick O'Malley

HM Isabel Veloso

Adventurers:

1st Liam Kovach

2nd Teresa Szczecinsky

3rd Delilah Stack & Sam Ammari

HM Emily Carroccio

HM Lily Mayle

HM Sophia Ross

Researchers:

1st Ojas Nadkarni

2nd Alexandra Harrison & Marshall Monnette

3rd Grant Gibeault & Sydney Hofstetter

HM Nora Kelley

HM Nicholas Hiti

HM Kehley Coleman

Investigators:

1st Aidan Harrington

2nd John Antolik

3rd Jason Hahn

HM Ashley Hofstetter

HM Quintin Kovach

Mrs. Wilson would like to thank everyone who donated the 10 blankets and quilts for use in our "sick room." We should be fully stocked for the rest of the cold and flu season!

Has your student visited Brain Pop recently? MPA provides all students with a license to access all of the content on BrainPop.com, an online learning site that's popular with kids in all of our grades. From the web site: "BrainPOP is used in numerous ways in classrooms, at home, and on mobile devices, from introducing a new lesson or topic to illustrating complex subject matter to reviewing before a test. Content is mapped to Common Core, aligned to academic standards, and easily searchable with our online Standards Tool. Uniquely suited for 21st-century learning, all products are fully compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs. No downloading, installation, or special hardware is required." To log in under the MPA license, click "Log In" and input username "MPA2011" and password "gifted247". This login also works for Brain Pop Jr, which is geared toward K-3rd grade students.

Calling all Lego Lovers! The Lego Olympiad at LCCC will be Friday, April 20th. If your student hasn't participated before, check out the attached flier for more information on the event. You can register your student for individual or team competition online here. All students must complete this registration process through Menlo by MONDAY, JANUARY 30 to be guaranteed a spot.

Volunteer Information:

Our art teacher is looking for someone who can demonstrate the art of henna hand art for a Middle School art class. If you can demonstrate or can refer us to someone who can, please contact Diane.Padrutt@menloparkacademy.com.

MPA's K-4 Math Night will be on Pi Day, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.! Activities will include fun and interactive math-related puzzles and games, including Math Jeopardy, and creative ways to calculate pi. We are lucky to have Math Monkey of Cleveland (www.mathmonkeycleveland.com) as a sponsor of some of our activity stations! Thank you so much to all of the parents who have already volunteered for Math Night, but we still are in need of additional volunteers who can manage activity stations during the event and/or clean up afterward. This will be a fun way to help fulfill your volunteer requirement in March! Thanks to many pie-making volunteers, there will be plenty of pie to munch on while we contemplate pi; however, we could maybe use a couple more pies to round it out. We are also still looking for parents who can donate printed T-shirts for the event, or provide them to MPA at cost. If you can help or need more info, please contact Latha at LMS54321@gmail.com or call her at (216) 233-0162. Thank you!

Calendar Highlights:

Jan. 28 (Saturday) - Game #7 at Midpark HS @ 12:30pm
Feb. 1 (Wednesday)- Kindergarten field trip to see Jack and the Beanstalk
Feb. 3 (Friday) - First Grade field trip to see Skippyjon Jones at LCCC
Feb. 6 (Monday) - Fourth Grade field trip to see Freedom River at LCCC
Feb. 15 (Wednesday) - Second Grade field trip to see Fish Face at LCCC
Feb. 20 (Monday) - Holiday - school closed
Feb. 22 (Wednesday) - First Grade field trip to LENSC
Feb. 23 (Thursday) - End of second trimester; "From the Heart" school concert and fundraising auction
Feb. 24 (Friday) - No school for students
Feb. 27 (Monday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 28 (Tuesday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 27 - March 2 - MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 14 (Wednesday) - Math Night from 6:30-8pm
March or April (TBD) - Walk-A-Thon fundraiser
March 19 (Monday) - Photo make-up, club and candid day
March 31 (Saturday) - Quiz Night fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)
April 20 (Friday) - Lego Olympiad at LCCC
April 27 (Friday) - School-wide Spelling Bee
June 3 (Sunday) - Crushers baseball game (more info in future newsletter)
Sept. (TBD) - Golf scramble fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)

MPA Newsletter 1/18/2012

2012-01-18T22:41:00.000-05:00

In this week's message: Stunning victories! Important forms! Pie! (and a hidden chance to win a gift card!)

Development Information:

So, do you ever buy gas? Shop for groceries? Eat at a restaurant? Of course you do! Wouldn't it be convenient if you could take care of those things and raise money for the school at the same time? You bet! That's why the Scrip gift cards are such a great idea. You order your gift cards through the school, MPA gets a percentage of the purchase price. Gift card Orders are due by January 25th, for delivery during the first week of February. You can find more information on the program here.

Another easy way to earn money for the school at no cost to you - check with your employer's HR department to see if they match employee donations to educational institutions. And don't forget that some companies have programs that match employees' volunteer hours with gifts of money to the program where they volunteer. Just get the form from your employer, fill it in, and return it to Tanya Reno at the school. Easy peasy!

A tisket, a tasket, have you donated to your (class's auction fundraiser) basket? You should have been contacted by your room parent to solicit donations for your class's themed basket. These baskets will be auctioned off at the From the Heart concert and fundraiser on February 23rd. They are a fun way to show your class's enthusiasm and raise some money for the school. Check the information from your room parent to see when donations for your basket are due - all of the due dates are fast approaching. For information on what other themed baskets are going to be available, check out the MPA blog here. And if you'd like to make a personal donation of items or services that don't fit with the theme of your class's basket, don't fret! Fill in the attached form and drop off the item to Tanya Reno at the school, and she'll make sure it's made available at the auction. Thanks for your generosity!

Student Information:

Important information for parents - there is a form that needs to be signed to acknowledge that your family has read and understood the MPA school handbook. This form also acts as a blanket permission slip for field trips - teachers will not be sending home permission slips for individual field trips, just the pertinent information about when and where the field trips will be held. *****Students who do not have a completed handbook acknowledgement on file will not be allowed to go on field trips until the form is completed - and we have field trips starting FRIDAY.***** (You can tell this is important because I figured out how to use the highlighter function in the e-mail system) You can find the form online here (it's also attached to this message).

Dust off those skates and mittens - our Community Building Team invites you to join MPA families at Winterhurst Ice Rink for a Family Skating Party! The party will be Sunday, January 22, from 1:30-3:30pm at Winterhurst Arena. See the attached flyer for more details. Hope to see you there!

Author Shelley Pearsall will be visiting MPA on January 24th to meet with students throughout the school. She's scheduled to have a writing workshop with our 7th and 8th graders, as well as lead assemblies for both the lower and middle schools. She'll also be signing copies of her book, which are available for pre-order before the event. Fill in the attached form and return it to school with payment as soon as possible to reserve copies for your family.

GOOOOOO, WIZARDS! The MPA boys' basketball team won their first game of the year this past Saturday with a 20-11 victory over the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs. Sixth grader Zach Peacock led the scoring with 13 points, while Jacob Love, Marshall Monnette, and Ojas Nardkarni also contributed points. Coach Littlejohn described the team defense as "amazing," and said, "The support from the stands is being praised as the best the league has seen in years and the other cities are amazed at how loud and excited the Westpark crowds are at the games. The Olmsted Falls crowd was suprised how loud MPA was at the game. [The league director] told me our support has been the best so far this season in any grade level and the best he has seen in years!" The team celebrated with a meal at BW3's, thanks to a donation from Sunnyside Audi. The team has two games this week - one Thursday night at 7:15 at Berea High school, and another this Saturday at 3:30 at Midpark High School. Stop by and cheer our boys to another victory!

We're nearing the midpoint in the trimester, and we want to make sure that all parents are aware of their students' progress for the term. Parents of 4th-8th grade students who are currently receiving a grade of "C" or below in any class will receive a printout of their Progress Book page in this week's Thursday Folder. This copy needs to be signed by parents and returned to the school so that we know you're aware of your child's grades. Students with grades of B or above in every class will not receive a Progress Book printout - but feel free to access the program on your own to see exactly how your student is doing!

If your child participates in the Boy Scout or Girl Scout troops associated with MPA, they are welcome to wear their troop uniforms to school (in place of standard dress code clothes) on the days of their meetings.

Two health checkup dates are coming up this month: on January 26 and February 2 we will be testing the vision and hearing of all students in odd-numbered grades, and any student new to the school. On January 30-31, we will be doing state-mandated BMI checks on grades K, 3, and 5. If you do not want your student to participate in the BMI screening, please fill in the attached form and return it to the office as soon as possible.

Volunteer Information:

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make our State of the School meeting a success! Whether you served refreshments, directed cars in the parking lot, added to the presentation, or just listened attentively - your help was appreciated.

Parent volunteer Rachel Didytch would like to thank everyone who assisted with the movie party our student council held for the lower school last week. Parents and older students helped show more than 100 students a great time on Friday after school!

Our From the Heart Concert & Auction will take place February 23rd. We are looking for volunteers to assist with the night of the event: selling raffle tickets, overseeing the silent auction, closing out the winners/high bidders. The event opens at 5:00 with the actual concert beginning at 6:30. We will need people there early 3:30ish to assist in set-up etc. Click here to sign up to volunteer for this event.

MPA's K-4 Math Night will be on Pi Day, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thank you so much to all the parents who have offered to volunteer at Math Night and who have volunteered to make food items for it! But we still are in need of additional volunteers who can manage activity stations during the event and clean up afterward. We are also looking for parents who can donate T-SHIRTS for K-4 Math Night, or provide them to MPA at cost. If you can help or need more info, please contact Latha at LMS54321@gmail.com. Thank you!

We are looking for leads &/or co-leads for a number of upcoming events. Please see below and let Tanya.Reno@MenloParkAcademy.com know if you are able to assist or lead any of these events.

Walk-a-Thon - We need a chair for this event! If you are interested, we have all the materials needed to run this event and volunteers will be there to help. The event is scheduled to take place in April, date TBD. We will also need volunteers to assist the day of the event: tracking laps, recording class totals etc.
Quiz Night - This event will take place Saturday, March 31st in Strongsville. Willie Littlejohn is already helping lead this event. We are looking for others to assist in the details (decoration, seating, invitations etc.) as well as assisting the night of: setting up, selling raffle tickets, check-in, scoring, etc.
If you read this message carefully, you deserve a reward! Send an e-mail to avonhokie@yahoo.com with the answer to the following question, and people with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing for a gift card of your choice from a supply the school has on hand: Question: What grades will be getting BMI tested at the end of this month? Drawing will be held January 25th at 10am, so get your entry in before then!
Crushers Game - The annual Crushers game will take place on Sunday, June 3rd @ 5:05pm. For those of you new to the school, this is an annual event that takes place at the minor league Avon Lake Crushers stadium. The students gather on the field & sing the National Anthem and we will be auctioning off first pitch at the upcoming From the Heart Concert. MPA sells tickets and keeps a profit from each ticket sale. We are looking for someone to assist in tracking RSVP's, selling 50/50 raffle tickets etc. This is a very easy event and is used more as a community building event.
Golf Scramble - We are just beginning to plan this event, which will take place in September, location & exact date TBD. If you are interested in being on the planning committee for this event, please let Tanya know. We will be planning our first meeting shortly.

Calendar Highlights:

Jan. 19 (Thursday) - MPA middle school science fair (open for viewing 12-2:30pm)
Jan. 20 (Friday) - Second grade field trip
Jan. 21 (Saturday) - Game #6 at Midpark HS @ 3:00pm, Game starts at 3:30pm
Jan. 22 (Sunday) - Family Skating Party at Winterhurst Arena, 1:30-3:30pm
Jan. 24 (Tuesday) - Author Shelley Pearsall will be visiting MPA
Jan. 25 (Wednesday) - Scrip gift card orders due
Jan. 28 (Saturday) - Game #7 at Midpark HS @ 12:00pm, Game starts at 12:30pm
Feb. 20 (Monday) - Holiday - school closed
Feb. 23 (Thursday) - End of second trimester; "From the Heart" school concert and fundraising auction
Feb. 24 (Friday) - No school for students
Feb. 27 (Monday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 28 (Tuesday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 27 - March 2 - MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 14 (Wednesday) - Math Night from 6:30-8pm
March or April (TBD) - Walk-A-Thon fundraiser
March 31 (Saturday) - Quiz Night fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)
Friday, April 27, 2012 for the School-wide Spelling Bee
June 3 (Sunday) - Crushers baseball game (more info in future newsletter)
Sept. (TBD) - Golf scramble fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)

Did you know ... more than 63% of families have pledged to the Annual Fund, for a total of more than $58,000? Remember, we're still looking for Annual Fund pledges of any amount, and you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form. If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, credit cards, or donations can be made via PayPal. Just click here to make a pledge.

MPA Newsletter 1/11/2012

2012-01-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

Development Information:

Time to make the baskets - auction fundraiser baskets, that is! You should have been contacted by your room parent to solicit donations for your class's themed basket. These baskets will be auctioned off at the From the Heart concert and fundraiser in February, and they are a fun way to show your class's enthusiasm and raise some money for the school. For information on what other themed baskets are going to be available, check out the MPA blog here.

We've had some questions recently about the "everyday support" programs in which MPA participates, including things like Box Tops and Campbells Labels for Education. Check out the blog here for an update on the coordinator of this program at our school. And remember - please, Please, PLEASE don't send in empty juice pouches - we do not participate in that program, since the hassle of dealing with the stickiness and bugs was not worth the return MPA received on the program.

Also, please remember that the Scrip gift card orders are due by January 25th, for delivery during the first week of February.

Finally, check the calendar at the end of this message for the dates of upcoming Development activities like Quiz Night and the Crushers game.

Student Information:

The annual State of the School meeting will be held Thursday, January 12th at 6:30 pm in the church hall. Parking in the church lot is limited, so please park on the streets surrounding the school if you are able. Limited child care will be provided in Mrs. Schroeder's first grade classroom; please use the school door near the gym if you are dropping your kids off there. Following the main meeting we'll be moving to the school gym for refreshments and a chance for families to meet in smaller groups to talk about some of the important topics for the school, including revising the tardy policy, modifying the volunteer commitment for families, and school testing. Please plan to stick around and contribute to one or more of these groups!

Mrs. Wilson tells me that the new system for paying on Wednesdays for dress-down days is going well. She especially appreciates that so many people have chosen to pre-pay for the rest of the year - it makes the bookkeeping so much easier on everyone! If you haven't pre-paid and would like to, the total is $18 for the rest of the year.

Parents, please remember that there is a form that needs to be signed to acknowledge that your family has read and understood the MPA school handbook. This form also acts as a blanket permission slip for field trips - teachers will not be sending home permission slips for individual field trips, just the pertinent information about when and where the field trips will be held. Students who do not have a completed handbook acknowledgement on file will not be allowed to go on field trips until the form is completed. You can find the form online here (it's also attached to this message).

If you've been in to school in recent weeks, you've probably seen that the little sick-room set up in Mrs. Wilson's office has been getting a lot of use. We're looking for donations of a couple of SMALL, WASHABLE afghans or throws to use so that the sick kids who are waiting for parents to pick them up have something a little more comforting than just the plain old cot that's there now. If you have any to donate, send them in to the attention of Mrs. Wilson, or contact her at Lynn.Wilson@menloparkacademy.com.

If your child is planning to attend the FREE movie after school for students in K-4th grade on Friday, January 13th, from 3:30-6pm, you must fill out the form here so we know you're aware your child will be staying after school that day. Students who stay without parents' consent will be sent to Edison Club and parents will be charged for their care. Fill in the form so your child can watch Mr. Popper's Penguins, munch on popcorn and pretzels, and hang out with their friends! We'll be meeting in the gym after school, so feel free to bring along a PillowPet or other comfy item to lounge around on.

Parking information - the MPA science fair will be Jan. 18-19, 2012. We'll be having TWO car lines for drop-off each day. The line closest to the school building will be for students who are bringing in science experiments for the fair, and the line farther from the building will be for students who are not carrying the extra stuff that day. If your student has a particularly delicate/unwieldy/fragile display that you feel you MUST help them carry inside, please do NOT do so during the regular car line times. If you're planning to park and come inside, you must do it BEFORE 8am or AFTER 8:30am. This will minimize the confusion in the parking lot and make the drop-off safer for everyone.

MPA is always looking for experiences the students might enjoy while learning more about other peoples and cultures. Currently, Mrs. Weber is trying to plan a field trip to learn more about Indian and Hindu culture. She was hoping to visit an Indian restaurant and maybe have someone there talk about the menu and how the foods fit into Indian culture. If possible, she'd like to include a visit to a Hindu temple as part of the trip. If any MPA families are familiar with a temple or Indian restaurant that might fit the bill, please contact Jennifer Ingraham at ji@zoominternet.net . Thanks for your suggestions!

Volunteer Information:

We have an immediate need for volunteers to help with the Edison Club after school program on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The volunteer(s) will control the door buzzer to let parents in for pick-ups, answer the phone, etc. If you are able to help with this, please contact Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com as soon as possible.

We're looking for photos of our parent/family volunteers to use on the "Caught Volunteering" bulletin board in the hallway downstairs at school. If you have any shots you'd like to share from the Browns concession stand, the summer picnic, or any other volunteer activities, please send them to Lynn.Wilson@menloparkacademy.com. Thanks, and check out the board next time you're at the school!

Are you doing double the work necessary to report your volunteer hours? If you sign in on the volunteer sheet at school, you don't need to also log those hours online - we have a volunteer who types that information in for us. If you accidentally log the same hours both places, it messes up our system and it takes time to straighten out. So log your hours on paper at the school office, or online here, but not both for the same volunteer work, please!

We're looking for a few good people to help out with the science fair. On Wednesday, Jan 18^th,from 8am-9am we need volunteers to get project boards and materials from students (3^rd and 4^th graders) at the car line and the buses, take the things to the gym and set on the table with coordinating name. After students are in classrooms, these volunteers will set the boards up. We'll need maybe six volunteers, three for the car line and three at the buses. From 2:45-3:15 we need volunteers help students get their project materials (not boards or reports) to take home, then take boards and reports upstairs and put in Mrs. Fredmonsky’s and Mr. O’Donnell’s room. We'll need maybe three or four volunteers to help with this. Then, on Thursday Jan 19^thwe need the same number of volunteers to help the students in 5th-8th grades. We will also need extra volunteers for lunchtime both days, to help supervise the students as they eat lunch in their classrooms (and we don't know whether we'll have inside or outside recess that day). If you can volunteer during any of these times, please sign up here.

MPA's K-4 Math Night will be on Pi Day, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Activities will include math-related puzzles and games, creative ways to calculate pi, and of course eating pie. Math Monkey will sponsor three activity stations. We are looking for volunteers to help out that evening, including setting up beforehand, managing activity stations during the event, and cleaning up afterward. We are also looking for parents who can donate PIES (get it?!) or T-SHIRTS for K-4 Math Night, or provide them to MPA at cost. If you can help or need more info, please contact Latha at LMS54321@gmail.com. Thank you!

Calendar Highlights:

Jan. 12 (Thursday) - State of the School meeting at MPA, 6:30pm
Jan. 13 (Friday) - Lower School after-school movie, 3:30-6pm
Jan. 16 (Monday) - Holiday - school closed
Jan. 18 (Wednesday) - MPA lower school science fair (open for viewing 10am-1pm)
Jan. 19 (Thursday) - MPA middle school science fair (open for viewing 12-2:30pm)
Jan. 25 (Wednesday) - Scrip gift card orders due
Feb. 20 (Monday) - Holiday - school closed
Feb. 23 (Thursday) - End of second trimester; "From the Heart" school concert and fundraising auction
Feb. 24 (Friday) - No school for students
Feb. 27 (Monday) - No school for students - Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 28 (Tuesday) - No school for students; Parent conferences scheduled
Feb. 27 - March 2 - MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 14 (Wednesday) - Math Night from 6:30-8pm
March or April (TBD) - Walk-A-Thon fundraiser
March 31 (Saturday) - Quiz Night fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)
June 3 (Sunday) - Crushers baseball game (more info in future newsletter)
Sept. (TBD) - Golf scramble fundraiser (more info in future newsletter)

Remember, we're still looking for Annual Fund donations of any amount, and you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form. If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, or donations can be made via PayPal. Just click here to make a pledge.

Menlo Park Academy

14440 Triskett Road

Cleveland, OH 44111

440-925-6365

Everyday Contributions

2012-01-11T11:34:00.000-05:00

Box Tops: There is currently a bonus program at Giant Eagle. Buy 10 of ANY product that has a Box Tops on it and get 50 bonus Box Tops. The bonus prints out at the register. If it does not, go to customer service to get it! Don't eat cereal? BoxTops are on many products, including non food items. Boise office/copy paper, Avery products, Ziploc, Scott, Kleenex, Brita filters are some non food lines. Other products are Land O Lakes Butter, Green Giant, Yoplait yogurt packs, and of course, General Mills foods.

Campbell's Labels for Education: Here are some products other than soup in the program: V8 juice (send in the cap), Bic pens, Post foods, Spaghettios, and Dannon kid's yogurts.

The GFS program only has 3 people registered for Menlo!! I think there have to be more people who shop there. Their program does not send a check unless enough money is earned with the Fun Funds in the quarter or half of the year.

Coke Rewards: Anyone looking to earn volunteer hours can contact Lynn Wilson in the office to get the log in information for Coke Rewards, pick up the many caps and package pieces, and enter them. They are accumulating in the collection bin.

Tyson Labels: Don't overlook Tyson Labels from the packages of Tyson chicken! They are worth 24 cents each! Send them in with the other labels.

Juice pouches: DO NOT SEND THESE IN!! Especially keep away from other labels so they don't get wet and sticky! Very messy! Menlo does not use this program due to the bug attraction of the sticky juice and mess they make.

From the Heart fundraiser auction baskets

2012-01-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

MPA's school wide concert, From the Heart, is quickly approaching and will take place on Thursday, February 23rd. With this event comes our need for themed classroom basket donations to be used as raffle and auction items. For those of you who are new to the process, here is a quick overview. Each class homeroom is assigned a theme in which the room parents work with parents within your homeroom class to compile donations ($5+) that fall under your class theme.

BELOW is a list of class themes which the homeroom baskets should represent. If you have another idea for a basket that you feel would work better, please let me know.

Mrs. Snyder (K)- Beauty Boutique: this can include any type of beauty items: make-up, gift cards for facial, hair styling or nails, make-up bag, make-up brushes, perfume, gift card for accessory store, jewelry etc.

Mrs. Timko (K)- Pet Pals: any item that pertains to caring for your pet: leashes, collar, grooming gift card, food bowls, PetSmart gift card, treats etc.

Mrs. Schroeder (1st)- Educational Avenue: items that contribute to educating our kids (gift certificate for a Young Audiences program has already been collected)

Mr. Thompson (1st)- Home Improvement: any item to beautify either inside or outside your home: gift cards to Petiti, Home Depot, Lowe's, Sherwin Williams, tools

Mrs. Nagy (2nd)- Music Mania: any items pertaining to music: cd's, iTunes gift cards, iPod speakers, iPod shuffle, headphones, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame tickets/pass, Hard Rock Cafe gift card

Mrs. Rokas (2nd)- Go Buckeyes!: OSU themed items, buckeye candy, autographed picture/football etc.

Mrs. Fredmonsky (3rd)- Lucky You: a variety of lottery scratch offs

Mrs. Tigue (3rd)- Feel Good: any items that make you feel good: lotions, massage, exercise video, vitamins, GNC gift card

Ms. Shuder (4th)- Wine & Dine: items that are associated with Wine or eating: wine, wine glasses, gift certificate for a winery, wine making kit, wine stoppers, cheese board, gift certificate to dinner

Mr. O'Donnell (4th)- Artsy Tartsy: any type of artistic items: Pat Catan gift card, Michael's gift card, paint supplies, chalk, pastels, stamps, pens, paper, gift certificate to any type of art lesson (ceramics, painting etc.)

Mrs. Theiss (5th)- Movie Night: items that contribute to a fun-filled family movie night: AMC or Cinemark gift cards, Netflix membership, portable dvd player, popcorn maker, popcorn, blankets

Mrs. Eby (6th)- Outdoor Adventures: anything involving having fun outdoors: geo-caching kit, Dicks gift card, camping materials, waterproof camera, fishing materials etc.

Mrs. Weber (7/8th)- Sweet Tooth: any items to satisfy a sweet tooth: ice cream making kit, candy bars, cookie mix, gift card to Malley's, Baskin Robbins etc.

Thanks for your help in advance. Please know that these items help to generate much needed funds for our school! Again, please contact the development team with any questions or concerns: jessicatonsing@hotmail.com or (440)885-9518. Tanya Reno can also be of assistance. She is in the office at school M, W, F all day. Her email address is tanya.reno@menloparkacademy.com.

MPA Newsletter, 1/4/2012

2012-01-04T22:03:00.001-05:00

Development Information:

We now have more than $48,000 pledged to our Annual Appeal from about half of our families. This money is vital to the continued operation of the school, and it benefits all of our students. So if you've already pledged, THANK YOU!!!!! And if you haven't, what's the hold-up? Remember, we're interested in donations of any amount, and you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form. If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, or donations can be made via PayPal. Just click here to make a pledge.

We're starting to plan a fundraiser golf scramble to be held in September - would you like to help? If you'd be interested in chairing the event, please contact Tanya.Reno@MenloParkAcademy.com. We have several experienced folks who can help with this event, but need someone to come forward and chair the event.

Also, please remember that the Scrip gift card orders are due by January 25th, for delivery during the first week of February.

Student Information:

Some notes on the updated dress-down day payment procedure:

Each Wednesday, parents should send $1 with each student participating in dress-down day that week. It will make things easier if the money is sent in via an envelope with the student's name on the outside. You are also welcome to send in $20 per child to cover all the weeks remaining in the school year.
Teachers will collect this money directly from students in class, so each student needs money for his or her own dress-down day (don't send in money with one student for all siblings).
Each week teachers will keep track of which students participate in dress-down day and whether they paid that week. We will be following up with the parents of students who dressed down without paying. Parents may be called and asked to bring in uniform clothes for students who repeatedly dress down without paying.
A portion of the funds from dress-down days will be used to support a charity chosen by the student council.
If you have any questions about the changes to the dress-down day procedures, please contact Lynn.Wilson@menloparkacademy.com.

Several MPA teachers are now using the power of technology to help parents keep in touch with what's going on in their classrooms. On Twitter.com you can follow @mpatech to see what's going on in the technology classrooms. Our first grade teachers are tweeting, too, using the names @MPA1A (Mr. Thompson) and @MPA1B (Mrs. Schroeder). Check them out!

Anybody's kids work on their dance moves over the break? That could be because the middle school dance is Friday, January 6th, from 6-10pm. It's open to students in grades 5-8, and admission is $2 at the door. Thanks to the student council for organizing this event!

Don't feel left out, lower school students! We're having a FREE movie after school for students in K-4th grade on Friday, January 13th, from 3:30-6pm. Come watch Mr. Popper's Penguins, munch on popcorn and pretzels, and hang out with your friends! We'll be meeting in the gym after school, so feel free to bring along a PillowPet or other comfy item to lounge around on. Parents, please fill out the form here so we know you're aware your child will be staying after school that day. See you there!

Mark your calendar - the annual State of the School meeting will be held Thursday, January 12th at 6:30 pm. It's a great time to check out the school's academic and financial progress, find out what the volunteer teams are working on, and connect with other parents. This is an event for MPA parents - most of our students and siblings will not have the interest or patience to sit quietly throughout the meeting. We are arranging to have limited child care available, but please make your own sitter arrangements if possible.

Want to help keep our enrollment strong in the coming year? Steer prospective families toward our Open House on January 8, 2012, from 1-3pm. After the preferred re-enrollment period ended last year, we still have openings in every grade except 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. So let your friends know - there's plenty of room for their gifted kids next year at MPA! Open enrollment for new families runs from January 8-20th.

Put your thinking caps on - the MPA science fair will be Jan. 18-19, 2012. We're holding the lower school and middle school events on different days, so please read the information below carefully to make sure your child's project shows up at school at the right date and time! If you would like to volunteer to judge either day but haven't contacted the school, please contact Rebecca.Fredmonsky@MenloParkAcademy.com to volunteer for the younger grades or Janeth.Eby@MenloParkAcademy.com for the middle school fair.

The K-4th grade science fair is Wednesday, January 18th. Please discuss the project requirements with your child's teacher - the youngest kids are doing group projects in class rather than individual projects. Parents and students can deliver individual projects to the gym during car line that morning. The projects will be open for viewing from 10am - 1pm, then will be judged in the afternoon.
The 5th-8th grade science fair is Thursday, January 19th. Students should dress in full school uniform or appropriate "business" attire to make their presentations to the judges. Parents and students can deliver individual projects to the gym during car line that morning. Judging will be held in the morning. The projects will be open for viewing from 12-2:30pm. The awards ceremony will be held at 2:30pm on the 19th.

Volunteer Information:

Friday, January 6th, we will be rewarding the students of all the volunteers from our Browns' concession stand - with a lunchtime pizza party! If you worked at the concession stand this year, your child will be able to enjoy a pizza lunch that day on us. Thanks again for all of your time and effort to make our school a better place! And a special thank-you goes out to the volunteers who braved the cold and crowds to work the stand on New Year's Day. You're awesome! Browns Hall of Fame Volunteers are: Browns Concession Stand Coordinator, Chris Harrison, Development Volunteer Team Lead Jessica Tonsing and Development Coordinator Tanya Reno, Parents of: Jack & Alexandra Harrison, Brian & Mikey Smith, Max Tonsing, Ella Kazazic, Taryn Ebright, Karthik O'Neil, Will Gonzalez, Louis Fetting, Erin Lavinder, Grant and Paige Gibeault, Hazen Dean, Ian, Kathleen & Megan O'Donnell, Mara Jane Somerville, Nicholas Doughman, Kris Payne, Teresa Szczenski, Jason Hahn, Nadia & Natasha Didytch, Hannah Mitchell, Brian Mingus, Katie Fritz, Alayna Wynne, Emily Atkins, Patrick & Deirdre O'Malley, Lilyana Gundayao, Isabel & David Veloso, Oona Beach, Olivia Schauss, Danny Alberts, Tyler Brooks. Faculty and staff who helped out: Courtney Timko (and husband Joe), Nancy Colby, Douglas Thompson and Ashley Schroeder (and husband Ryan). THANK YOU!

Calendar Highlights:

Jan. 6, 2012 (Friday) - Pizza lunch for children of volunteers from Browns' concession stand; Dance for students in 5th-8th grades, 6-10pm
Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
Jan. 12, 2012 (Thursday) - State of the School meeting at MPA, 6:30pm
Jan. 13, 2012 (Friday) - Lower School after-school movie, 3:30-6pm
Jan. 18, 2012 (Wednesday) - MPA lower school science fair (open for viewing 10am-1pm)
Jan. 19, 2012 (Thursday) - MPA middle school science fair (open for viewing 12-2:30pm)
Feb. 23, 2012 - "From the Heart" school concert and fundraising auction
Feb. 27 - March 2, 2012 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair

Menlo Park Academy

14440 Triskett Road

Cleveland, OH 44111

440-925-6365

Call for comments - help us revise the tardy policy!

2011-12-21T11:48:00.000-05:00

Dr. Bouchard is seeking your input to shape a tardy policy. We currently do not have a consequence for students who are frequently tardy. About 15-25 families arrive late for school two or more days each week, despite having a half-hour window from 8:00-8:30 to arrive. This creates extra office work, time away from the group for the teacher who needs to interrupt the morning lesson, and reduced time for learning and for building group spirit.

Here is our challenge question: How might we, the faculty and parents of Menlo Park Academy, reduce the incidence of chronic student tardiness (two days/week or more) so that all students can have a pleasant and organized morning transition into a supportive community of learners?

We are looking for ideas that will help the school to shape the tardy policy. Suggestions may include educating parents and students, incentives, or consequences that match the “crime.” We want to avoid solutions that require additional time/work for our faculty, that are punitive or shameful, or that are expensive.

Leave your suggestions in the comments below, or e-mail them directly to Lorraine.Bouchard@menloparkacademy.com. Thanks for your input!

MPA Newsletter 12/14/2011

2011-12-14T20:04:00.002-05:00

A couple of huge thanks are in order this week. First of all, the donors and bidders in our online auction raised several thousand dollars for the school - thank you so much for your generosity! Auction items are available for pick-up at the school starting today. If you are unable to pick up your item, please contact Tanya.Reno@MenloParkAcademy.com to make alternate arrangements.

Next, Mrs. Colby would like to thank all the families who sent in re-enrollment forms and fees for the 2012-2013 school year. We'll soon be sending out information on open enrollment you can share with prospective new families; for now, thanks for the great response rate and attention to detail on the forms!

Finally, Girl Scout Troop 854 would like to thank everyone who donated items for their service project. On Monday they delivered five big boxes, eleven Christmas cards, and four smaller boxes of donated items to the women and children at the center. The girls had a chance to sing holiday songs and meet some of the families at the shelter. Thank you, MPA, for your contributions to this worthy charity!

Development Information:

Ignore those annoying Giant Eagle commercials - get your gift cards here! For the month of December, Scrip gift card orders are due by Thursday, December 15th. These orders will be delivered/available for pick-up on Wednesday, December 21st. This is an excellent opportunity to support the school and get some last minute shopping done at the same time. Log onto www.shopwithscrip.com (MPA enrollment code is B1BFLA8B23626) to place your orders!

If you have already sent in your Annual Appeal pledge form, THANK YOU! Almost 40% of our families have responded so far, for a total of more than $35,000 pledged. If you haven't sent in your pledge form, please do so as soon as possible (pledge form is attached to this message, in case yours was misplaced). Remember, you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form. If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, or donations can be made via PayPal. Just click here to sign in and make your donation. Pledge forms are due at the end of this month, so if you don't want to receive "The Call" from our development team, get your form in soon!

Student Information:

Just a reminder that the last day of school for the year is Wednesday, December 21st. Holiday parties will begin in classrooms at 1pm; the school-wide sing-a-long will be in the gym at 2pm. Families are welcome to attend the sing-a-long, but please remember that bleacher seating will be limited. Also, we will not be sending home Thursday folders thatweek.

Congratulations to MPA's boys' basketball team on their first game. Coach Littlejohn says, "Well, the effort was there and we played hard, but too many turnovers led to a loss to Cuyahoga Hts. So proud of our MPA boys, and we will get better and be ready for this Saturday's game vs. Columbia Station! GO WIZARDS!!!!!!!"

The MPA Community cares! If you know one of our MPA families who might be in need of a get-well message, new baby congratulations, sympathy or other message from MPA please let us know. Or, you can contact Brenda Klein on the Community Building team at wandre_k@yahoo.com.

Mark your calendar - the annual State of the School meeting will be held Thursday, January 12th. This is an event for MPA parents - most of our students and siblings will not have the interest or patience to sit quietly throughout the meeting. We are arranging to have limited child care available, but please make your own sitter arrangements if possible.

Fourth grader Asia George-Huff will play one of Santa's Elves in the Rainey Play December 23rd. Break a leg, Asia! Also, second grader Dominic Mayhew attended the 2011 Ohio K-12 Grade Chess Championship at University of Akron. He won four out of five matches and was awarded the fifth place trophy on a tie-breaker. Congratulations on doing so well in this all-day event! We'd love to share other MPA students' accomplishments with the world. Send the information you'd like shared with the MPA community to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com and she'll make sure it gets in the newsletter or blog.

Volunteer Information:

Earn DOUBLE volunteer hours on January 1, 2012 for working at the MPA Concession stand at the Browns Game! Yes, that's right! Your family can earn double hours just by providing a volunteer to work at the January 1 game. And, if you're over 10 hours with the doubling, the hours can carry over into the next month. It's like double-over-time holiday pay! Don't miss this opportunity to help out MPA! Click here to sign up. Have questions? Contact Chris Harrison at chris@handyharrison.com or connie.lindemann@menloparkacademy.com, or Click here for more information.

Sunday, January 8, 2012 will be MPA's annual Open House for prospective families. We'll need lots of help to make sure our school is ready to be shown off - can you help? The morning of Saturday, Jan. 7th we'll be cleaning up the school and getting all the chairs/tables/displays set up. And from 1-3pm on Sunday, Jan. 8th we'll need parents to help check in visitors, conduct tours, and answer questions. If you can help with either of these tasks, please Sign Up Now or contact Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com if you have any questions. This is a great way to get some volunteer time in outside of normal business hours!

Have you ever mentioned MPA to someone, then come up blank when it was time to share the school's web site or phone number? Check your Thursday Folder this week for folded business cards the Communications Team has created - they're a great way to share information about the school when you're talking with friends and family members. Just keep one or two in your wallet, and you'll always be able to help our school with effective word-of-mouth marketing. Contact us for extras, too, when you run out! Thanks for your help!

Calendar Highlights:

Dec. 15 (Thursday) - Scrip gift card orders due; Kindergarten field trip to Cleveland Botanical Garden
Dec. 21 (Wednesday) - Last day of school before winter break; classroom parties and sing-a-long in the afternoon; gift cards ordered in December are delivered
Jan. 1, 2012 (Sunday) - Last day to volunteer at the Browns game concession stand
Jan. 4, 2012 (Wednesday) - School resumes
Jan. 5, 2012 (Thursday) - School board meeting at MPA, 6:30pm
Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
Jan. 12, 2012 (Thursday) - State of the School meeting at MPA
Jan. 18-19, 2012 (Wed-Thurs) - MPA science fair (details in a future message)
Feb. 23, 2012 - "From the Heart" school concert
Feb. 27 - March 2, 2012 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 14, 2012 (Wednesday) - K-4th grade math night
April 27, 2012 (Friday) - School-wide spelling bee

A final thought: Do you ever visit MPA's page on Facebook? It's full of timely updates, fun facts and enrichment opportunities, and interesting links. Don't miss it!

MPA Newsletter, 12/7/2011

2011-12-07T21:31:00.002-05:00

Deadline: The deadline for re-enrollment forms for the 2012/2013 school year is Friday!!!! So far we have received forms for about 200 students, so we know there are still a few procrastinators out there. We're serious - we can't hold a spot for your child unless the form and fee have been received by the school by December 9th. The enrollment forms (for returning students and their siblings) are available on the MPA web site here.

Development Information:

Bid: Our fundraising auction is live and runs through Dec. 13! There are gift certificates from local restaurants including Saffron Patch, Chipotle and Romeo's. Or if you prefer, a custom automotive pin-striping certificate and ski lift tickets are also featured. These and many other items can be yours, so check it out and start shopping for the holidays at www.biddingforgood.com/mpa.

Gift: Due to popular demand, we are offering one last chance to order Scrip gift cards before the holidays. For the month of December, Scrip gift card orders are due by Thursday, December 15th. These orders will be delivered/available for pick-up on Wednesday, December 21st. This is an excellent opportunity to support the school and get some last minute shopping done at the same time. Log onto www.shopwithscrip.com (MPA enrollment code is B1BFLA8B23626) to place your orders!

Pledge: If you have already sent in your Annual Appeal pledge form, THANK YOU! About one-third of our families have responded so far, for a total of more than $30,000 pledged. If you haven't sent in your pledge form, please do so as soon as possible. Remember, you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form. If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, or donations can be made via PayPal. Just click here to sign in and make your donation. Pledge forms are due at the end of this month, so if you don't want to receive "The Call" from our development team, get your form in soon!

Student Information:

Rally: Friday, December 9th, is the first Pep Rally of the year. We have a lot to recognize - the Lego First Robotics teams, the boys' basketball team, our math and science winners, etc. Students and teachers will be gathering in the gym at 2:40pm to celebrate our victories and root for our future successes. Go, Wizards!

Quarantine: Please, please, please - do not send your child to school if you suspect they may be sick. Students who have vomited or had a fever should wait at least 24 hours after their symptoms are gone before returning to school. Help keep all of our kids healthy and able to learn - keep the sick ones home!

Lunch: The voice of the people has been heard! Students, parents, and even the MPA Student Council all requested thatstudents have a longer lunch period, and now they do. The new lunch schedule is: 11:20-11:45 first lunch, 11:45-12:10 second lunch, 12:10-12:35 third lunch. Thanks for your input, and let's hope the longer lunch works out well for everyone!

Milk: Speaking of lunch, re-order forms will be going home soon for students who purchased milk for only part of the year. If you'd like to join the milk program and don't receive an order form, contact Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com.

Memories: Yearbooks for the 2010-2011 school year went home in last week's Thursday Folders. If you believe you ordered one last year but didn't receive one, please contact Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com.

Donations: MPA Girl Scout Troop 854 is still looking for donations for Laura's House. Suggested items to donate include: Pop tarts, cereal bars, crayons, markers, coloring books, construction paper, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gels, kids' soaps, pencils, pens, plain paper, reading books for adults and children, small chip bag snacks, and anything fun for the holidays. Collections will continue until Friday, December 9th.

Achievements: Parents have sent in a couple of student achievements this week. First, Grant and Paige Gibeault are appearing in Mrs. Bob Crachit's Wild Christmas Binge with the Medina County Show Biz Company. This is Grant's third production and Paige's second with the theater company. Shows run December 9-10. And secondly, one of our eighth grade students, Quintin Kovach, scored a 99.9% on the entrance exam for St. Ignatius High School. Way to go, Quintin! We'd love to share other MPA students' accomplishments with the world. Send the information you'd like shared with the MPA community to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com and she'll make sure it gets in the newsletter or blog.

Gifts: From Mrs. Marino, our Gifted Coordinator: If you're looking for some toy suggestions for the upcoming holidays, why not take a look at the list on the National Association for Gifted Children web site? And if you have any toy favorites you think would be enjoyed by other MPA students, why not share the idea on our Facebook page?

Volunteer Information:

Copier: Mrs. Lindemann is looking for a few good men and women to help out with some office tasks on Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesday afternoons we need help with copying materials for Thursday folders, as well as general office help and filing. On Thursday mornings we need help collating materials and filling the Thursday folders. We're also looking for volunteers to help with the front desk during the day. Occasionally Mrs. Wilson needs a day off, and we need someone to be on call to fill in for her during the day. The volunteer for this position will need to have a completed BCI on file and will need to sign a confidentiality agreement. If you can help with any of these needs, contact Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com.

Desk: We're also looking for a volunteer to help staff the desk during Edison Club in the afternoons. This volunteer would answer phones, help check children in/out of the club, and admit parents to the building. If you're able to assist with this during any days of the week, please contact Edison.club@menloparkacademy.com.

Tour: Sunday, January 8, 2012 will be MPA's annual Open House for prospective families. We'll need lots of help to make sure our school is ready to be shown off - can you help? The morning of Saturday, Jan. 7th we'll be cleaning up the school and getting all the chairs/tables/displays set up. And from 1-3pm on Sunday, Jan. 8th we'll need parents to help check in visitors, conduct tours, and answer questions. If you can help with either of these tasks, please contactConnie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com. This is a great way to get some volunteer time in outside of normal business hours!

Pie: MPA's K-4 Math Night will be on Pi Day, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at 6:30 p.m.! We will be looking for volunteers to help out that evening, including setting up beforehand, during the event, and cleaning up afterward. We are also looking for parents who can donate PIES (get it?!) or T-SHIRTS for K-4 Math Night, or provide them to MPA at cost. If you can help or need more info, please contact Latha at LMS54321@gmail.com. Thank you!

Calendar Highlights:

Dec. 9 (Friday) - Collection of items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter ends; all re-enrollment forms and fees due for returning students
Dec. 13 (Tuesday) - Bidding for Good auction ends
Dec. 15 (Thursday) - Scrip gift card orders due; Kindergarten field trip to Cleveland Botanical Garden
Dec. 21 (Wednesday) - Last day of school before winter break; classroom parties and sing-a-long in the afternoon; gift cards ordered in December are delivered
Jan. 1, 2012 (Sunday) - Last day to volunteer at the Browns game concession stand
Jan. 4, 2012 (Wednesday) - School resumes
Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
Feb. 23, 2012 - "From the Heart" school concert
Feb. 27 - March 2, 2012 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair
March 14, 2012 (Wednesday) - K-4th grade math night
April 27, 2012 (Friday) - School-wide spelling bee

A final thought: Do you ever visit MPA's page on Facebook? It's full of timely updates, fun facts and enrichment opportunities, and interesting links. Don't miss it!

MPA Newsletter, 11/30/2011

2011-11-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

Development Information:

Bid: Our fundraising auction on Bidding for Good is up and running! There are gift certificates from local restaurants including Saffron Patch, Chipotle and Romeo's. Or if you prefer, a custom automotive pin-striping certificate and ski lift tickets are also featured. These and many other items can be yours, so check it out and start shopping for the holidays at www.biddingforgood.com. The auction will run through December 13, 2011.

Pledge: If you have already sent in your Annual Fund pledge form, THANK YOU! Be on the lookout for an "I supported MPA" badge that you can wear with pride. If you haven't sent in your pledge form, please do so as soon as possible. We've got some fun prizes to encourage families to send in their pledges quickly:

The first CLASSROOM with 100% pledge participation will get a Young Audience program for that class**
The first GRADE LEVEL with 100% pledge participation will get a bingo party.
When the SCHOOL reaches 100% pledge participation, we will have Jungle Terry do a program for the school!

** Interested in the Young Audience program? You can learn more about the programs available here and here. Remember, you don't have to send in money at this point, just the pledge form. If you would like to send in money now, remember that MPA can accept checks, or donations can be made via PayPal. Just click here to sign in and make your donation. Pledge forms are due at the end of this month, so if you don't want to receive "The Call" from our development team, get your form in soon!

Student Information:

Enroll: Have you sent in your child's re-enrollment forms and fees for the 2012/2013 school year? Mrs. Colby has asked us to remind parents AGAIN that we can't hold a spot for your child unless the form and fee have been received by the school by December 9th. (Is there some way to make that phrase blink, too? That's the only thing it's missing!) The enrollment forms (for returning students and their siblings) are available on the MPA web site here.

Celebrate: Menlo Park Academy will receive a Constant Quality Award by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS) next week at the state conference in Columbus. The award is given to those charter schools that receive the Excellent rating for three years in a row. Way to go, Menlo!

Return: Please make sure you have signed your child's report card envelope and returned it to school. Mrs. Wilson will be calling all of the families whose envelopes have not been received, so please reduce her work load by returning yours soon. Thank you!

Pay: Please remember that if your student "dresses down" on Wednesday, you need to send $1 back to school in that week's Thursday Folder. And "dressing down" just means "not wearing dress code clothes," so your student is welcome to dress "up" or "down."

Rejoice: Yearbooks for the 2010-2011 school year are here! They're being sent home in Thursday Folders to families who pre-ordered one last year.

Donate: MPA Girl Scout Troop 854 would like to thank everyone who has donated items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter. We are still looking for donations of the following types of items: Pop tarts, cereal bars, crayons, markers, coloring books, construction paper, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gels, kids' soaps, pencils, pens, plain paper, reading books for adults and children, small chip bag snacks, and anything fun for the holidays. Collections will continue until December 9th.

Support: The MPA Kindergarten classes are running a service project called "Operation Warmth" to provide "warm" items to soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Check your Thursday Folder for more specifics on the types of socks, gloves, hand warmers, hats, scarves, and food items they're collecting to send overseas. The kids will also be writing letters to the soldiers and sending a blanket for Addyson Kuszma's uncle, who is serving in Afghanistan. Please bring all donations into school by Monday, December 5th so they can be mailed in plenty of time to reach the troops for the holidays. Thanks for helping support our brave men and women overseas!

Perform: MPA Kindergartner Emmy Rosbough will be dancing the part of an angel in Northern Classical Ballet's The Nutcracker on Sat, December 10th. We'd love to share other MPA students' accomplishments with the world. Send the information you'd like shared with the MPA community to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com and she'll make sure it gets in the newsletter or blog.

Schedule: Classroom holiday parties will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, December 21st, and will be followed by a school sing-a-long in the gym. Families are welcome to attend the sing-a-long, but be aware that seating on the bleachers will be limited, so please don't bring your entire extended family!

Welcome: There's a new face at MPA - Todd Gorius, our new Intervention Specialist. He'll be helping the school serve students with learning differences, designing and implementing interventions and specialized instruction. He'll also make sure we remain in compliance with all laws and regulations in this area. Welcome to the team, Todd!

Volunteer Information:

Thank: Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out with the Facilities team work day and the curriculum book sale, including Teri Ross, Sheila Buchanon, Mandy Czech, Sara Atkins, Kari Bast-Payne, Cathie Leimbach, Heather and Jay Keirn-Swanson, Racheal Seibert, Nicole Harrington, Tina and Vic Garlauskas, Kay O'Donnell, Peggy Kleckner, Deanna Campbell, Shelley Rice-James, Mason Boor, Jackie Rivera, Sid & Dan Stech, Ed Burwell, Ed Gundayao, Shawn & Laura Koski, Karen Ammari and Stacey Camera. We got the school spruced up, cleared out a lot of storage space, and raised some money for the school, too! And the MPA staff would also like to thank the volunteers who provided food during the days of the parent-teacher conferences, including Carol Ryan, Madeline O'Malley, Mandy Czech, Maureen Mingus, Rachel Didytch, Sid Stech, Natassa Pricscilla, and Collette Dalton. Thanks for helping make two very long days much more enjoyable!

Serve: The last Browns home game is Sunday, January 1st, 2012. Help MPA make its goal of 100% volunteer staffing of our concession stand - click here and select the January 1st game to volunteer!

Submit: Volunteers, if you purchase something for the school and expect to be reimbursed, please keep in mind two very important points. First, all purchases must be pre-approved by an MPA staff member. And second, receipts must be submitted to the school within 60 days of the purchase. Purchases that do not meet both of these criteria will not be reimbursed. Thanks for your understanding.

Calendar Highlights:

Compete: The MPA boys' basketball schedule is now available:

Game #1 December 10^th - vs. Cuyahoga Hts. @ 3:00pm at the Cuyahoga Hts. Rec Center

Game #2 December 17^th – vs. Columbia Coleman @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts.

Game #3 January 7^th – vs. Columbia Hershey @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts. (Also, Team Picture Day at 11:00am)

Game #4 January 14^th – vs. Olmsted Falls @ 11:00AM at Big Creek Elementary School in Middleburg Hts.

Game #5 January 21^st - vs. Berea Heat @ 3:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts.

Game #6 January 28^st - vs. Middleburg Hts. Cavs @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts.

Game #7 February 4^th - vs. Berea Hornets @ 12:30 at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts. (Note: This game may be rescheduled).

Game #8 February 9^th - vs. Middleburg Hts. Knicks @ 7:30pm at Midpark Sports Center in Middleburg Hts. (Yes, this is a Thursday night game!!!).

Game #9 February 18^th – vs. Columbia Station Ross @ 2:30 at Berea High School.

Game #10 February 25^th – vs. Fairview Park Warriors @ 1:30 at the Fairview Park Gemini Center.

Other dates to remember:

Dec. 2 (Friday) - 3rd grade trip to Severance Hall; 6th grade trip to Playhouse Square for A Christmas Carol
Dec. 3 (Saturday) - FIRST Lego League robotics competition at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights
Dec. 5 (Monday) - Collection of items for "Operation Warmth" ends; 1st grade trip to Shore Cultural Center for'Twas the Night Before Christmas; 2nd grade trip to Beck Center
Dec. 9 (Friday) - Collection of items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter ends; all re-enrollment forms and fees due for returning students
Dec. 13 (Tuesday) - Bidding for Good auction ends
Dec. 21 (Wednesday) - Last day of school before winter break; classroom parties and sing-a-long in the afternoon
Jan. 1, 2012 (Sunday) - Last day to volunteer at the Browns game concession stand
Jan. 4, 2012 (Wednesday) - School resumes
Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
Feb. 23, 2012 - "From the Heart" school concert
Feb. 27 - March 2 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair.

A final thought: Do you ever visit MPA's page on Facebook? It's full of timely updates, fun facts and enrichment opportunities, and interesting links. Don't miss it!

MPA Newsletter 11/16/2011

2011-11-30T10:06:00.002-05:00

Development Information:

Awesome Auction: Our fundraising auction on Bidding for Good begins Thursday. We've got donations from restaurants, golf courses, home improvement and garden centers, salons and spas! Make sure you look for the direct link to the auction in a message tomorrow, along with a more complete list of participating merchants. In the meantime, you can check out how the system works at www.biddingforgood.com.

Please Pledge Promptly: You should have recently received information in the mail about MPA's Annual Fund. Please, please, please - consider the level of commitment you'd like to pledge, and SEND IN YOUR PLEDGE FORMS ASAP. Even if you aren't able to send a check right now, please let us know how much you're planning to give so that we can plan our budget accordingly. We've got some fun prizes to encourage families to send in their pledges:

The first CLASSROOM with 100% pledge participation will get a Young Audience program for that class.
The first GRADE LEVEL with 100% pledge participation will get a bingo party.
When the SCHOOL reaches 100% pledge participation, we will have Jungle Terry do a program for the school!

Order Opportunity: Thinking about buying gift cards for holiday gifts? You need to place your order by Sunday, November 20th, to insure your cards' delivery in the December 1st Thursday folder. There is also the option to purchase electronic "cards" that are available instantly, which may be handier for some people than having to wait for physical cards to be delivered. By popular demand, we will have one more order and delivery in December before the holidays, but that doesn't mean you should procrastinate! Many merchants are offering bonus incentives for gift cards purchased this month, so be sure to check those out. Visit the MPA BLOG for detailed information.

Don't-Miss Donations: While we're talking about holiday shopping, please remember that MPA gets a percentage of purchases made online through GoodSearch.com. Simply go to their site, designate Menlo Park Academy as the cause to support, and shop online through their portal. It costs you nothing, and a percentage of each purchase is donated to MPA.

Coke Caps: Don't forget that MPA is collecting Coke Rewards points, which we can use to purchase sports equipment and other items for the school. So please send in your Coke bottle caps and 12-pack carton ends with the printed codes - they can be placed in the Box Tops collection bins at the school. And many thanks to the parent and student volunteers who have been entering all of the point codes into the system for us!

Student Information:

Practice and Preparation: Because we care about student safety, Menlo Park Academy will be conducting a lockdown drill before Thanksgiving break. The drill restricts student movement in the event of an emergency, such as a potential intruder. Students will be taught the procedures for the drills in their homerooms. It is important that students behave in a mature manner in order to be prepared in the event of an actual emergency. We will impress upon the students the importance of this drill and the serious nature with which it will and should be viewed by all involved. Please have a conversation with your child about the conduct that will be expected.

Early Enrollment: Here's an update from Mrs. Colby, MPA's student records and admissions coordinator: Did you know that only about half of our current students have sent in re-enrollment forms and fees for the 2012/2013 school year? Don't wait until open enrollment starts in January - we can't hold a spot for your child unless the form and enrollment fee have been received by the school by December 9th.

Lego League: On Saturday, December 3rd, MPA will be sending 3 teams of middle school students to compete in the FIRST Lego League robotics competition at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights. This year's competition theme is food safety. In the morning, each team will make a presentation to the judges on the food safety topic that they researched. They will also make presentations explaining their robot design, and how they worked together as a team. The afternoon will be filled with the excitement of the Robot Games. Each team has three chances to complete as many missions as they can in 2.5 minutes. You are invited to come and cheer the teams on during the Robot Games, which will start around noon and run until 3:00 pm or so. Parents and children who are interested in participating in the competition in the future are especially encouraged to come and experience the FLL event. Contact Carol Scheuer at carol.scheuer@menloparkacademy.com if you want more information about FLL or the event at Hathaway Brown School.

Yay, Yearbooks! Yearbooks for the 2010/2011 school year should be arriving at school in mid-December. MPA will notify the families who pre-ordered the yearbook when they arrive. Thanks for your patience as we finished this project!

Generous Girls: Don't forget, MPA Girl Scout Troop 854 is collecting items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter on Puritas in Cleveland. Children can bring in the following items to the marked Christmas boxes at Menlo: Pop tarts, cereal bars, crayons, markers, coloring books, construction paper, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gels, kids' soaps, pencils, pens, plain paper, reading books for adults and children, small chip bag snacks, and anything fun for the holidays. Collections will continue until December 9th. Many thanks from the Girl Scouts for helping them complete their service project.

Pretty as a Picture: Wednesday, November 30th will be school picture makeup day. If your student missed the first photo session or you are unhappy with the results of their pictures, please make sure they attend this one so they will appear in class pictures and the yearbook! And be sure to wear clothes that meet the usual dress code - don't dress down that day!

Calling all Cans: Please bring in as many CLEAN aluminum cans as you can before December 10th so we can take them in to get recycled. MPA has been doing this as a part of the Great American Can Round-Up sponsored by the Can Manufacturers Institute. We can win prizes for bringing in the most cans and we get money for recycling them.

Celebrating Successes: Has your child achieved something notable outside of school - won a competition, participated in a contest, or given a concert? We'd love to share your child's triumphs and accomplishments with the world. Send the information you'd like shared with the MPA community to Gretchen Woods at avonhokie@yahoo.com and she'll make sure it gets in the newsletter or blog.

Volunteer Information:

Helping Hands: This is your last chance to volunteer at the MPA textbook and curriculum sale at the school on Saturday, November 19th, from 9am to 2pm. We'll need people to help set up the sale the day before, work during the event, clean up afterwards, and transport any leftover books to the recycling center. This is a great chance for working parents to accumulate a few volunteer hours on a weekend! Click here to sign up to help.

Can You Clean? We also still need volunteers for the Facilities work day on Saturday, November 19th, from 8am to 3pm. You can sign up for the work day here. Please note that we will not have any supervision available that day for younger children and there will be many non-MPA people in and out of the school for the book sale, so please make sure you only bring older, responsible (and helpful!) children along to the work day.

Bargain Books: The Scholastic Book Fair is looking for volunteers to help with their Warehouse Sale. For every volunteer hour you donate, you will receive $10 of free books and 50% off any books you wish to purchase. This event fills up fast so if you are interested, contact them immediately. If you are willing to donate the books you receive to MPA, please check with your child's teacher for any books they may need for their classrooms. Visit the MPA Blog for more details on dates/times and how to volunteer.

Calendar Highlights:

Save the Date: December 21st is the last day of school for the year. Classroom parties will be held that afternoon, and there will even be a sing-a-long at school!

Nov. 18 (Friday) - End of trimester
Nov. 19 (Saturday) - Facilities Team work day (8am-3pm); school curriculum and textbook sale (9am-2pm)
Nov. 20 (Sunday) - Gift card orders due for December delivery
Nov. 21 (Monday) - No school for students; parent-teacher conferences
Nov. 22 (Tuesday) - No school for students; parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled; Lost and Found items donated to charity
Nov. 30 (Wednesday) - School picture makeup day
Dec. 3 (Saturday) - FIRST Lego League robotics competition at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights
Dec. 9 (Friday) - Collection of items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter ends
Dec. 21 (Wednesday) - Last day of school before winter break; classroom parties and sing-a-long in the afternoon
Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
Feb. 23, 2012 - Save the date! "From the Heart" school concert
Feb. 27 - March 2 - Save the date for the MPA Scholastic Book Fair. This will be during Parent Teacher Conferences so people will have opportunity to purchase books during non-school hours.

A final thought: Did you know that the time you spend driving to and from MPA for volunteer activities counts toward your required volunteer hours? Make sure you record them so you get all the credit you deserve!

Scrip gift card program - now with an extra delivery for the holidays!

2011-11-16T14:29:00.000-05:00

Have you checked out the Scrip gift card program? It's convenient and hassle free - and includes more than 700 retailers nationwide! It's a great way to purchase teacher gifts, thank-you gifts for clients, and holiday gifts. Not to mention, a way to earn money for the school while doing your regular shopping at grocery stores and home improvement centers.

Visit shopwithscrip.com and use enrollment code B1BFLA8B23626 for Menlo Park Academy.

November orders are due Sunday, November 20th, and will be delivered in the December 1st Thursday folder.
December orders are due Friday, December 16th, and will be delivered Wednesday, December 21st.

Scholastic Book Fair Warehouse Sale - volunteers needed

2011-11-16T13:39:00.000-05:00

The Scholastic Book Fairs December BIG Event Warehouse Book Sale is quickly approaching.
This BIG Customer Appreciation Warehouse Sale will be held
Friday, December 9 through Wednesday, December 21, 2011.

The December Warehouse Sale hours are:

Weekdays 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday December 10^th, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saturday December 17^th, 8:00 a.m. - Noon

Closed Sundays, December 11^th & 18^th

As always, our volunteers are a much needed and greatly appreciated part of our success. We are in need of volunteers that are able to help during sale hours. We’re asking for a commitment of a minimum of 4 hours per shift. Some jobs you may be assigned to include: cashier/bagging, customer registration, and help desk.

Please check your calendar for availability & forward your reply by November 18^th with your available dates/times toVolunteerCLE@scholasticbookfairs.com (preferred) or fax (440-572-8522). We will be in touch to inform you which of your available hours match our staffing needs.

*DATE*	*SALE* *TIMES*	*HOURS YOU’RE ABLE TO WORK*
Friday, December 9	11am-7pm
Saturday, December 10	8am-4pm
Monday, December 12	11am-7pm
Tuesday, December 13	11am-7pm
Wednesday, December 14	11am-7pm
Thursday, December 15	11am-7pm
Friday, December 16	11am-7pm
Saturday, December 17	8am-Noon
Monday, December 19	11am-7pm
Tuesday, December 20	11am-7pm
Wednesday, December 21	11am-7pm

As a volunteer, you will be “compensated” for your time with a certificate voucher worth
$10 per hour volunteered in Scholastic Book Fairs merchandise. The certificates must be redeemed by the last day of this sale.

Please, also contact your own Friends & Family who might be interested in joining us as volunteers and receiving books! Keep in mind, we occasionally have more volunteers than available opportunities.

If you have any questions, email Gail Fader at VolunteerCLE@scholasticbookfairs.com .
We are looking forward to seeing you in December.

Thank you!

Gail Fader

Scholastic Book Fairs

ClevelandBranch Admin.

12850 Darice Pkwy., Suite A

Strongsville, OH 44149

(440) 572-4880, x225

gfader@scholasticbookfairs.com

Nominate a teacher today!

2011-11-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

From the Plain Dealer:

RECOGNITION PERIOD #2 — Deadline November 18, 2011

There is an educator out there who has inspired you, challenged you, supported you and helped you realize your true potential. Take this opportunity to thank that extraordinary educator by nominating him or her for The Plain Dealer Crystal Apple AwardTM.

To nominate, visit nie.plaindealer.com click on the "Crystal Apple Award" link and tell us why your educator deserves this honor. Entries may also be mailed to: The Plain Dealer Crystal Apple Award, The Plain Dealer Plaza, 1801 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 or faxed to 216-999-4986. Each mailed or faxed entry must be between 175-350 words and include the educator's name, their subject/grade taught, the address of the school where the educator currently teaches, your name, your present grade (if applicable), your home address and phone number.

Each recognition period, an independent panel of judges will select three outstanding educators from the nominations – one from each of the following grade categories: K-5, 6-8 and 9-12, for a total of 12 Crystal Apple Award winners this school year. Each winning educator will be recognized individually at a surprise presentation at their school, and then will each receive their Crystal Apple at an awards banquet held at The Plain Dealer in May 2012.

The Plain Dealer | 1801 Superior Ave, Cleveland

MPA Newsletter, 11/9/2011

2011-11-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Paperwork Reminders:

Did your family remember to return the 2011/2012 school handbook acknowledgement page, which can be found online here?
Have you sent in your child's re-enrollment forms for the 2012/2013 school year? Don't wait until open enrollment starts in January - we can't hold a spot for your child unless the form and enrollment fee have been received by the school. Seriously - do you want to explain to your child that they are on the waiting list because you missed the deadline?

Student Information:

Bowled Over: Many thanks to Bridget Ryan and Dawn Watson for organizing the family bowling event last weekend. What a great way for families to get to know each other and have a little fun! If anyone who attended the event has photos they'd like to share for possible use on the website or yearbook, please email them to Connie.Lindemann@menloparkacademy.com.

Locked Down: Because we care about student safety, Menlo Park Academy will be conducting a lockdown drill before Thanksgiving break. The drill restricts student movement in the event of an emergency, such as a potential intruder. This drill is required annually by the state. Many steps have been taken to accomplish our goal of ensuring student safety. The Cleveland Police Department has helped plan and will be present at the drill to help assess the procedures. Any parent volunteers in the building will be asked to participate in the drill. Students will be taught the procedures for the drills in their homerooms. It is important that students behave in a mature manner in order to be prepared in the event of an actual emergency. We will impress upon the students the importance of this drill and the serious nature with which it will and should be viewed by all involved. Please have a conversation with your child about the conduct that will be expected.

Stocking Up: Beginning this week, MPA Girl Scout Troop 854 will be collecting items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter on Puritas in Cleveland. Children can bring in the following items to the marked Christmas boxes on 1st and 2nd floors at Menlo: Pop tarts, cereal bars, crayons, markers, coloring books, construction paper, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gels, kids' soaps, pencils, pens, plain paper, reading books for adults and children, small chip bag snacks, and anything fun for the holidays. Collections will continue until December 9th. Many thanks from the Girl Scouts for helping them complete their service project.

Going Down: Mrs. Wilson is getting swamped by a tsunami of found items. If your child is missing any hats, gloves, jackets, sweaters, pants (!), or bags, please come and take a look through our extensive collection of orphaned items. All unclaimed items will be sent to charity on November 22nd.

Meeting Up: Check this week's Thursday folder for parent-teacher conference assignments. If you requested a conference but don't receive an assigned time in your folder, please contact the teacher directly to schedule a meeting.

Making Up: Wednesday, November 30th will be school picture makeup day. If your student missed the first photo session or you are unhappy with the results of their pictures, please make sure they attend this one so they will appear in class pictures and the yearbook! And be sure to wear clothes that meet the usual dress code - don't dress down that day!

Volunteer Information:

URGENT REQUEST! With the trimester ending next Friday, it's time to send out our many, many thanks to all of the volunteers who have helped enrich our curriculum by leading electives this fall. We had an amazing variety of topics covered, and the kids all seemed to have fun with them. Now it's time to plan what electives the kids will be offered this winter - and we need your help! If you are interested in leading an elective on ANY topic - Shakespeare for Kindergarteners, Lego-mania, Dance Party, whatever - please contact Jen Ingraham at jj@zoominternet.net with the following information: What grade would you like to teach, a short description to explain the elective to the students, what times and days you are available, and the best contact information to reach you. We need this information ASAP so that we can get the electives scheduled and ready to go for the next trimester. Thank you for your time and effort on this - we can't wait to see what topics parents suggest this term!

Marking Down: We're still looking for volunteers to work at the MPA book sale at the school on Saturday, November 19th, from 9am to 2pm. We'll need people to help set up the sale the day before, work during the event, clean up afterwards, and transport any leftover books to the recycling center. This is a great chance for working parents to accumulate a few volunteer hours on a weekend! Click here to sign up to help with any of these events.

Cleaning Up: We also need volunteers for the Facilities work day on Saturday, November 19th, from 8am to 3pm. Jobs we'd like to accomplish include cleaning and repairing some of the tile in the bathrooms, placing the memorial for Michael Sparkman, and many more jobs. You can sign up for the work day here. Please note that we will not have any supervision available that day for younger children and there will be many non-MPA people in and out of the school for the book sale, so please make sure you only bring older, responsible (and helpful!) children along to the work day.

Development Information:

Step Up: Now is your last chance to donate items for the 1st Annual Holiday On-Line Auction, which will take place November 17 - December 13, 2011. This auction will feature donations from local and national businesses, as well as items generously donated by MPA families and friends. Please ask for a donation from your favorite local businesses - your hairdresser, local store, favorite restaurant, friend who owns a business, etc. Or think of something you can donate yourself - maybe a pizza party or decorate-your-own-cupcake party for a classroom, bringing in a special speaker or event for a classroom, or even something like "I'll paint one room in your house for you"... everyone has skills and ideas they can contribute to the auction! All donations for the holiday auction must be at school by Friday, November 11th, but later submissions are welcome and will be used in later fundraising events. The class which has the highest percentage of students who submit donations will receive a hot cocoa party, courtesy of Dr. Bouchard! Please contact Tanya.Reno@menloparkacademy.com if you need copies of the forms or have any questions.

Count Down: Thinking about buying gift cards for holiday gifts? You need to place your order by Sunday, November 20th, to insure your cards' delivery in the December 1st Thursday folder. This will be the last delivery before Christmas, so don't procrastinate! Go online today to sign up for the program, and to see the list of hundreds of participating merchants. Many merchants are offering bonus incentives for gift cards purchased this month, so be sure to check those out. Visit the MPA BLOG for detailed information.

Calendar highlights:

Nov. 11 (Friday) - Holiday Auction donations due at school; 4th grade field trip to Hale Farm
Nov. 18 (Friday) - End of trimester
Nov. 19 (Saturday) - Facilities Team work day (8am-3pm) and school book sale (9am-2pm)
Nov. 20 (Sunday) - Gift card orders due for December delivery
Nov. 21 (Monday) - No school for students; parent-teacher conferences
Nov. 22 (Tuesday) - No school for students; parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled; Lost and Found items donated to charity
Nov. 30 (Wednesday) - School picture makeup day
Dec. 9 (Friday) Collection of items for Laura's Home Women and Children's Shelter ends
Jan. 8, 2012 - Open house for prospective families, 1-3pm
Feb. 23, 2012 - Save the date! "From the Heart" school concert
Feb. 27 - March 2 - Save the date for the Scholastic Book Fair. This will be during Parent Teacher Conferences so people will have opportunity to purchase books during non school hours.

A final thought: Did you know you can now find back issues of the e-mail newsletters online? Check out the archives on the blog here.

Menlo Park Academy

14440 Triskett Road

Cleveland, OH 44111

440-925-6365