Third summer newsletter

Calendar correction

The original school year calendar listed a school kick-off program on August 25^th.  This program has been split and moved to August 28^th(during the school picnic) and August 29^th (during the open house/supply drop-off/Edison Club orientation/volunteer training).  We will NOT be holding any program on August 25^th – and you’re welcome for the newly open date on your calendar!

School picnic August 28^th – now with free food!

That’s right, MPA will be providing hot dogs, chips, and drinks at the back-to-school picnic on Sunday, August 28^th from 5-7pm at the Kiwanis Pavilion at Lakewood Park.  Stop by to sign up for volunteer teams, chat with the staff, meet other families from the school, and have a hot dog, all on the last weekend of summer break.  Make sure to claim your name badges when you arrive – they’ll be coded to help everyone meet families whose students are in the same grades.

Stop the presses!  Revised dress code policy for 2011-2012!

All students at Menlo Park Academy are required to dress in a manner that is comfortable, safe, and allows for vigorous play.  The school dress code helps MPA students and staff identify who “belongs” with the school, which helps with security on campus and during field trips. 

In order to offer our students more flexibility while maintaining a uniform look for the student body, the dress code has been updated and expanded as follows:
On regular school days:

·         Updated: Solid-color shirts with collars, long- or short-sleeved. Turtlenecks are acceptable.
·         Khaki, black or navy blue “dress-style” pants
·         Navy blue, black or khaki knee-length shorts may be worn in appropriate weather
·         Girls may wear navy blue, black or khaki knee-length skirts or jumpers
·         White, navy, or light blue sweaters
·         White, navy, or light blue turtlenecks may be worn under shirts or sweaters
·         “Dress-style” shoes that are not open-toed or backless
·         Athletic shoes
·         Boots may be worn to school in winter; if worn in the snow or rain, they must but be removed in school.
·         White, black, khaki or navy blue socks, leggings, or tights

The school has no locker room, so changing clothes completely is problematical. If gym shorts are worn on gym days, the student must bring regular school-day bottoms to put on over the shorts or change into quickly.  On gym days, students may wear the following:

·         Grey, white, navy, or light blue t-shirt or sweatshirt
·         Navy blue or black shorts, sweatpants or leggings  
·         White, black, or navy blue socks
·         Athletic shoes

Updated: Field trip days: light blue shirts with collars, long- or short-sleeved. In cooler weather, may top with a white, navy, or light blue sweater. White, navy, or light blue turtlenecks may be worn under shirts or sweaters.

In the spotlight: Edison Club

Edison Club, MPA’s before- and after-care program, is gearing up for another great year.  The safety and security of kids participating in Edison Club depends on parents understanding and following the club procedures.  That’s why we’ll be offering several sessions of orientation for Edison Club parents – both new and returning – on Monday, August 29^th.  Sessions will be held at 2:45pm and 7pm.  We’ll discuss attendance policies, billing, drop-off and pick-up procedures, as well as other important information.

If you have not yet registered your child for Edison Club but have decided to participate in the program, please visit the MPA website to download the registration form.  Please mail the completed form and registration fee to Katie Gerba, 1116 Richmar Drive, Westlake, 44145 BEFORE August 29^th.

And in the meantime, we’re still looking for someone to work the door of the Edison Club from 4-6pm every school day to admit parents and check out students.  This would be a great position for an MPA parent or older sibling (high school or college age) who would earn volunteer hours for their family while providing a valuable service to the school.  If you work as the Edison Club door person, your child can attend the club for free, so it’s a great deal, as well!  Anyone interested in the position can contact Katie Gerba for more information atedisonclub@menloparkacademy.com.

Singapore math

As many parents have heard, this year MPA will be implementing a new math curriculum for all grades.  Singapore Math is a program developed from the math programs used in the country of Singapore where the students consistently outperform the US and most other countries on the TIMSS ratings (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies).

Singapore Math is an approach that uses both drill and memorization, but also creative problem solving which is so important for our gifted learners. The program emphasizes depth and mastery before moving on to new concepts. In so doing, the Singapore approach moves along to more abstract math concepts in a very rational way and, depending on the student's pace, more quickly. Other positive feedback indicates that the Singapore approach encourages greater problem solving skills and creative thinking than the approach of traditional US-based math curriculum programs. 

The program has workbooks for students, textbooks, and relies heavily on the use of manipulatives to aid in visual, hands-on representation of what students are learning.  Teachers will be going through intensive two- day training on the program this month. Look for more information to come from your child’s math teacher as the year begins.

Random acts of awesomeness

MPA wouldn’t be the incredible school that it is without the support of our dedicated, talented parents and family members.  Our thanks go out this week to all the families who volunteered at the Browns concession stand last weekend, and the folks who showed up for the work day at the school last Saturday.  Way to kick off the year right!

Many  volunteers have been an invaluable help throughout the summer, as well.  They include Sandy Howlett, Kathy Thomas, Hal Daugherty, Shawn Watters, Kay Kibbey, Rachel Didytch, Julie Kovalik, Alexander Carman, Scott Carman and the "ever faithful" Bill Rudnickas.  Without these folks, we wouldn’t have as organized a facility, as smooth of an enrollment week, or as functional a building or IT system.  Thanks for all of your talent and hard work, folks!

Look for more information and links to sign-up for Volunteering for the 2011-12 School Year Early Next Week.

Basketball Camp

The Camp has many students signed up to participate and promises to be a great time for all involved.   Anyone still interested in signing up may do so by contacting Coach Willie Littlejohn wbl8305@sbcglobal.net or (216) 287-8786

Social butterflies

We all know that MPA has a website, but did you know the school also has a blog, and a presence on Facebook?  Download official school forms, read more complete information on some of the newsletter stories, or connect with other MPA families, all from your computer or cell phone!  Here’s a cheat sheet with all the pertinent links:

https://sites.google.com/site/menloparkacademy/Home

http://menloparkacademy.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Menlo-Park-Academy/47010059260?ref=ts

Second Summer Newsletter

Please note: The Menlo Park Academy school office is currently under construction.  Because the work stations in this area have been temporarily relocated, you may experience some delays in reaching MPA staff members during the construction.  Please be patient and rest assured that the staff is returning all voicemails and email messages as soon as possible.

As a community school, Menlo Park Academy is highly dependent on parent participation and involvement.  In order to maintain a lean cost structure, Menlo Park Academy does not employ a management company but instead relies on parent volunteers and occasional part-time professionals to execute the primary functions of the school.  These include but are not limited to daily operations, marketing, development/fundraising, information technology, and academic/curriculum development. 

Volunteer opportunities exist on many levels, both inside and outside the school and during many different hours.  Whether you actively participate on one of the school operating committees or volunteer in the classroom or office, during recess or lunch, or assist with other school activities, we deeply appreciate and rely on your help.

Descriptions of the various volunteer teams and responsibilities will be sent out to parents later this month, giving you plenty of time to choose how you’d like to contribute before we ask you to officially sign up in late August.  In the meantime, here are a few volunteer opportunities available this summer:

We Want You (and your cleaning supplies)!

This Saturday, August 6^th, is an excellent opportunity for Menlo Park families to come together to help make the school a little nicer for our students.  Starting at 8am, we’ll be washing windows until they gleam, getting lockers ready for a new year of backpacks and brown bags, and vacuuming up all the dust bunnies that have accumulated over the summer.  Many hands make light work – and many squeegees, shop vacs, rags, buckets, and paper towels make everything go faster, too, so plan to bring some cleaning supplies with you.  We’d like to know ahead of time how many workers to expect, so please sign-up here to let us know you’ll be coming.  And don’t forget to log your volunteer hours online when you’re done!  You can find the link online here.

Go Browns! Go Volunteers!

This year MPA will once again be working concession stand #148 at all Cleveland Browns football games.  This stand is a great way for MPA family adults to get some volunteer hours AND help earn some money for the school.  Our first commitment is Browns Family Fun day on Saturday, August 6^th.  You do not need to have attended the concession stand training to attend this event, so it’s a great opportunity to get "on the job" training working in the stand.  Please click the link below to sign up and work this fun event.

Family Fun Day - Saturday, August 6, 2011

After this initial event, volunteers at the concession stand need to have attended the appropriate training in order to participate.  Luckily, the Browns have added additional training dates.  Just click a link below to register for a training time:

Returning Volunteers

Tuesday, August 9th, 6pm (arrive by 5:45pm)

Thursday, August 11th, 6pm (arrive by 5:45pm)

NEW Volunteers

Tuesday, August 2nd, 6pm (arrive by 5:45pm)

Thursday, August 4th, 6pm (arrive by 5:45pm)

Wednesday, August 17th, 6pm (arrive by 5:45pm)

Thursday, August 25th, 6pm (arrive by 5:45pm)

Training sessions last between 2.5 and 3.5 hours.  Visit our Browns Concession Page here to see all the details and to choose which games you can volunteer.  Just contact our team lead, Chris Harrison at 216.375.2117 or by Email here if you have questions.

Volunteer School for School Volunteers?

That’s right – we’ll be offering training for all MPA family adults who would like to volunteer during the school day.  This training is designed for anyone who is interested in working during arrival or dismissal, helping out with lunch or recess, leading an elective or club, working on the Thursday folders, or helping out in the school office.  Basically, if you’re going to be at the school during school hours and want the volunteer credit, you should attend one of these training times!

All training will take place on Monday, August 29^th.  There are four sessions to choose from: 1pm, 2pm, 6pm, and 7:30pm.  More information on this training will be sent out soon, as well as information on how to sign up for your session of choice.

Party Time!

Want to meet other MPA families, have some fun, and get first crack at signing up for all the volunteer teams? Then Lakewood Park is the place to be on Sunday, August 28^th, from 5-7pm.  We’ll be meeting in the Kiwanis pavilion – conveniently located near both the playground and restrooms – for a picnic and all-school playdate.  Bring dinner for your family, meet MPA teachers and parents, and get primed for a great school year!  Click here for a map to the park, which is at the intersection of Belle and Lake Avenues in Lakewood.

Coming Soon …

More information will be sent out soon on volunteer team sign-ups, the open house/supply drop-off on Monday, August 29^th, and Edison Club orientation (also on August 29^th).  We’ll also be letting parents know what to expect from the new Singapore Math curriculum, as well as introducing some of the new teachers.  In the meantime, enjoy your summer, and we hope to see you at the school (or at the Browns Family Fun Day) on August 6^th!