MPA Weekly Update - 12/13/12

In This Issue Awards Assemblies Office Communication Dates to Remember Shop with Scrips Sunday by 7pm - Update Re-enrollment Deadline Winter Concert Roundup STEM Career Night Science Fair Schedule Annual Fund Winter Policies Board of Directors Pages Log your volunteer hours online  Your time is appreciated! Please log your current volunteer hours online, either on the netbook near the sign-in at school, or at home.  We are not using the paper logs to record your hours anymore - all hours MUST be entered into the computer if you want credit for them! Any hours you put in the paper log over the summer or earlier this year WILL be entered for you - you just need to enter your CURRENT hours. Middle School Dance   January 11, 2013            Student council is planning a new years dance for grades 5-8 on January 11 from 6:30-8:30 pm.  The theme is "Wishes for a New Year."   Light refreshments will be served.  Ticket price is $2.00 at the door.  These funds will support student council initiatives and allow for an end of year dance that will be free of charge.   Girl Scouts Thank you to MPA for their Support of Scouting.  The girls have had a great start this school year, working on badges and learning about the community.  A few quick updates and reminders for members of Girl Scout Troop 70029: 12/17 Last meeting until the New Year 12/21 COOKIE SALES Start--- An order sheet will be in the teacher's lounge for those wanting to order. $3.50 box, same flavors as last year. First meetings next year will be held 1/7/13 and 2/4/13. Any 4th or 5th Grader interested in scouting can contact Sara George at gs.troop.mpa@gmail.com. Academic Excellence and Student Recognition Assemblies                      Congratulations to all of our students on their performance during our first grading trimester.  If you were unable to attend the assemblies held Monday to recognize specific achievements, you can find a list of the Honor Roll and Merit Roll students here. School Communication Or, "What do we do when Mrs. Wilson is on maternity leave?!?"   While the MPA community has been waiting with breathless anticipation for the arrival of Mrs. Wilson's baby, she's been training her fabulous replacement. Here are the important facts you need to know about communicating with the office while Mrs. Wilson is on maternity leave (which could be any day now): - Ms. Julie Kovalik will be filling in at the front desk.  She can be reached at  julie.kovalik@menloparkacademy.com Please don't forget to include/copy her on information Mrs. Wilson would normally receive.   - Please remember when e-mailing or leaving voicemail for Mrs. Kovalik that you'll need to include YOUR name, your CHILD'S name, your child's GRADE and TEACHER, and a PHONE NUMBER where you can be reached.  This will help make sure she's got all the information she needs for things like sick days, absences, etc.   Your help in being thorough in relaying information will make the transition easier.  Thank you in advance for your patience as we adjust to the transition.     Boosters Meeting  Our next Boosters Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 20th, at 6pm at MPA.  Come by to help plan some of the fun events we coordinate for the school! FYI: Dates to Remember December 12/13 - Thursday - Board Meeting at MPA, 6pm 12/20 - Thursday - Boosters Meeting at 6pm 12/21 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school; MPA Basketball Team vs. Parents game, Westpark YMCA, 4:45pm 12/24 - 1/1 - Winter Break   January 1/2 - Teacher Inservice - No school for students 1/7 - 1/18 - Open Enrollment for incoming new students 1/9 - Wednesday - STEM Career Night for grades 5-8 1/11 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school; MS dance 6:30-8:30 pm February 2/8 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school 2/22 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school 2/23 - Saturday - Menlo Park Family Night/Monsters Hockey Game Shop with Scrips Sunday by 7pm  This Sunday, December 16th, is the deadline for submitting orders for actual gift cards to be delivered this year.  ScripNow! and gift card reloads can be purchased and redeemed at any time, but you MUST order those stocking stuffers and thank-you gifts by 7pm on Sunday to have them sent home before break.  Make sure to check the Scrip program website to learn about the current offers that earn additional funds for our school.  Participating right now in the bonus program are stores like Home Depot, Build-A-Bear, Applebees, L.L.Bean, Red Robin, Starbucks, and many, many more! Mohican Trip    Grade 6, May 6-10, 2013 Our 6th Grade Mohican trip was scheduled last spring due to  popularity of the program. There is a conflict with the last day of this adventure which ends, Friday May 10 at 11:00 am.  It so happens this is also a teacher inservice day.  We know that sometimes parents use inservice days to plan family trips and other activities, so we wanted to assure you that parents may pick their child up early from Mohican if they have made plans for that day.  Please contact Janeth Eby, if you need to make alternative arrangements.   Weekly Update - 12/13/12 Quick Links Menlo Park Academy Website MPA on Facebook Shop with Scrips by 7pm on Sunday Report your volunteer hours School calendar  Classroom Websites (click on Classroom Websites tab) Re-enrollment and Sibling Enrollment Deadline - Dec. 14th, Complete the paperwork before priority enrollment ends!   If you have not yet re-enrolled your current MPA student for next year, time is running out!!! Here are the links you'll need: Re-enrollment form Deposit The $100 material fee deposit can also be submitted by check - just make sure you note on the check that it's for the 2013/2014 school year, and the name of the student(s) for whom you are paying - and put it in an envelope marked "Nancy Colby - Admissions." If you would like to newly enroll the sibling of a current student, please contact Nancy.Colby@MenloParkAcademy.com to get the 2-page form that must be submitted with qualifying test scores and the material fee deposit by December 14, 2012.  Any classroom slots that are still available after re-enrollment ends on December 14th will be open to the public at large during Open Enrollment in January. ** Please note that MPA has been piloting the online enrollment process during our re-inrollment period. This link will be removed when re-enrollment ends on 12/14, so that we may gauge its effectiveness.  When open enrollment begins, a link to the new student enrollment forms and procedures will be made available. Winter Concert Roundup Thanks for making this such a success!   Last Friday, December 7, Menlo Park Academy's Winter Concert Fundraiser raised $7,413 for our operations budget. A special thanks to Cathy Aldrich, Amanda Ross, Ramona Boggins, Willie Little-John and Melissa Adair for helping to make the event a success!  From program layout to organizing the baskets, this team made it happen.   Also, a HUGE thank you all those who helped facilitate the pasta dinner, organize intermission snacks, and provide spirit wear! What a wonderful addition to be able to eat before the show.  None of it could have been done without Jessica Tonsing and the Boosters team.  They truly made the events go off without a hitch: Thanks to: Pam Elliot Mary Carroccio Rachel Didytch Edith Hess Christina Johns Renee Krohn Kathleen Dillon Janie Zell Students: Emily Carroccio, Kaela Ryan & Alexandria Harrison Obviously an event such as this takes a huge amount of individuals (before, during, and after) to make it work.  If you contributed in anyway to making this night memorable for students, MPA thanks you! Girls' Basketball  The schedule for our new Girls Basketball team is now available.  Make sure you stop by to cheer on the Wizards! schedule Scholastic Art Awards  Four Students Submit Work The Scholastic Art Awards are a National Exhibition of student artists in grades 7-12.  Four of our Menlo artists have submitted artwork to the exhibition this year.  If selected, their works of art will be on display at the Cleveland Institute of Art, with the chance to be awarded a national prize, moving their art to NYC for the National Exhibition.  We will know next week whether any work was selected. The artists are: Emily Carroccio, 7th grade Alex Whitman, 7th grade Nick Hiti, 8th grade Lexi Harrison, 7th grade Visit the MPA Blog to see the works they submitted.  Best of luck to them all in the competition! STEM Career Night The second annual MPA STEM Career Night will be Wednesday, January 9 from 6:30-8 pm! STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. We have a great panel of speakers lined up representing a wide range of science-related careers. There will be a series of short presentations followed by free-form Q&A sessions.  Science-related goodies will be available for students who are active participants in discussion. Career Night is an informal way for students to discover the promise of a technical career and steps to get there.  Please join us for a fun AND educational evening. Science Fair and Invention Convention Schedule is in place This year's fair will be held in St. Mel's hall on Friday, January 25th. Both middle and lower school fairs will be held on the same day. Below is the schedule for the day: 8-8:30      Students drop off their boards  8:30 - 2    Students go to regular classes  9 - 1:30    Students walk through in shifts and look at projects 1:00         Judges for both lower and middle school arrive. Separate judges meetings with Mrs. Eby (middle school) and Mrs. Fredmonsky (lower school) 1:15 - 2    Pre-judging of projects by judges 2 - 3         Students stand by their boards and talk to judges 3:15         Lower school students go home, middle school students participating in science fair attend science show in gym 4 - 4:45    Awards ceremony for middle school science fair students (parents welcome)    3rd Grade Students will receive awards in a smaller class ceremony the following week. Please contact Jim.Kennedy@MenloParkAcademy.com if you'd like to volunteer to help unload students in the morning, set up and watch over the fair during the day, or clean up once the event is over.  This is a wonderful opportunity to complete volunteer hours and be a part of an exciting educational activity.  Please consider volunteering. Annual Fund Have you made a donation yet? What You Do Matters and what your funds do, matters as well.  The annual fund allows Menlo Park Academy to address the diverse learning needs of our gifted students.  It helps MPA provide high quality teachers, allows access to technology, increases creative programming and so much more.  Please consider contributing to our annual fund. With your help we can achieve our goal of 100% participation! Please note that many businesses offer employer match donations to educational nonprofits. Be sure to check with your human resources representative to see if your company has a donation matching program in place. Winter Policies   Just a couple quick reminders for parents as we enter the season of slightly chilly weather at recess: Students play outside at recess unless conditions warrant the need for indoor recess.  Recess will be outdoors at 25 degrees and above. Children may only stay inside during recess due to illness or injury with a doctor's note.  Please remind your children to bundle up in the cold! If they can't zip or button their jackets practicing at home can be helpful.  They can also ask an adult for help at school.  And please make sure your child is wearing weather-appropriate clothing (i.e. tights or leggings under skirts, warm pants) when they come to school. PLEASE - remind your children to keep their coats on during recess! Regarding "Snow Days," our policy is this:  If the Cleveland Metropolitan School District schools are closed, Menlo Park Academy will be closed. We may also close at other times if the School Director deems it necessary. All parents should exercise their judgment regarding transporting their children to school. If you feel the weather is too severe, or road conditions too dangerous, please keep your child(ren) at home. The school recommends that parents monitor iAlert onwww.wkyc.com (Channel 3) or Fox 8 (Channel 8) for school closings. There may be special circumstances under which the school needs to be closed and we need to contact the families. We will send an URGENT email message and post the information on our web site in these circumstances. Weekly Website Highlights  Board of Directors pages This week's website highlight is information that can be found at http://menloparkacademy.com/about/board-directors.If you've ever wondered who is on the board, what they do, when the meetings are held, or what is discussed at the meetings, this is the place to check!    If you have any specific questions or feedback about the new site, please contactCommunications@MenloParkAcademy.com.   Be sure to bookmark the new site and delete your old link. Information can be submitted via email to: communications@menloparkacademy.com for review and inclusion in the weekly update. Submissions are subject to Director approval.

Congratulations Honor and Merit Roll Students

Congratulations to the following MPA middle school students whose first trimester grades landed them on the Honor Roll (4.00-3.50 gpa) or Merit Roll (3.49-3.00 gpa).  Way to go, Wizards!

Grade 4 Honor Roll:

Jackson C.

Nicholas D.

Ella K.

Maeve K.

Andrew K.

Karis L

Charlotte M.

Katherine M.

Anna R.

Krish S.

Bryce S.

Shay T.

Sophie V.

Leanne W.

Grade 4 Merit Roll:

Stavros-Richard  A.

Cameron B.

Nadia D.

Audrey D.

Alexandria E-W

Katy F.

Kiernan K.

Valerie L.

Lillian R.

Hannah R.

Suneal S.

Emma S.

Heaven S.

Grade 5 Honor Roll:

Rhiannon B.

Hunter C.

Aidan D.

Timothy D.

Jacob D.

Joseph H.

Aidan I.

Melissa K.

Marlee K.

Vincent L.

Hannah M.

Milana M.

Aria S,

Ryan S.

Alexandra S.

Claire S.

Olivia W.

Grade 5 Merit Roll:

Talon B.

Dylan C.

Natalie C.

Logan C.

Carter E.

Heckel, Taylor H.

Rehema K-Z

Jacob L.

Samantha M.

Miles  M.

Manus  M.

Sam P.

Nathan S.

Kelcey W.

Alexandra W.

Jenna W.

Grade 6 Honor Roll:

Hector C.

Natasha D.

Carolyn H.

Jordan H.

Grace K.

Dylan L.

Olivia M.

Miles M.

Kathleen O.

Kaela R.

Ethan S.

Isabel V.

Grade 6 Merit Roll:

Thomas F.

Stephanie J.

Clement L.

Sarah M-M

Jaylon O.

Hannah W

Grade 7 Honor Roll:

Emily C.

Claire F.

Gannon I.

Owen K.

Lily M.
David M.
Marshall M.
Julia M.
Deirdre O.
Zack P.
Sophia R.
Lily S.
Nell S.
Delilah S.
Alexander W.
Dylan Z.

Grade 7 Merit Roll:

Alexandra H.

Katharine J.

Cory K.

Kenneth M.

Ian O.

Teresa S.

Grade 8 Honor Roll:

Wayan C.

Nicholas H.

Shannon L.

Brian M.

Marika O.

Grade 8 Merit Roll:
Stefani H.

MPA Weekly Update - 12/06/12

In This Issue Box Tops for Education Dates to Remember Shop with Scrips Sunday by 7pm - Update Re-enrollment Deadline Winter Concert Info PJ Party Awards Assemblies Science Fair Workshops Meet Mr. Burton Chess Club and Team Basketball Browns Fundraiser Ski Club Parent/Student Handbook Log your volunteer hours online  Your time is appreciated! Please log your current volunteer hours online, either on the netbook near the sign-in at school, or at home.  We are not using the paper logs to record your hours anymore - all hours MUST be entered into the computer if you want credit for them! Any hours you put in the paper log over the summer or earlier this year WILL be entered for you - you just need to enter your CURRENT hours. Book Fair Results    More than $2,000 earned!             Congratulations and a big THANKS go out to all the volunteers who helped make our Book Fair such a success.Thanks also to all of the parents and students who purchased items at the fair. We earned more than $2,000 in credit toward books to add to the leveled reading room we're creating to support our classrooms.   Divorce Discussion Group We are trying to gauge interest in having a student discussion group around coping with divorce.  Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Rakow would facilitate the meetings.  If you believe your student would benefit from such a group, please contact Jim.Kennedy@MenloParkAcademy to get more information. Lunchtime Parents are welcome to occasionally come visit their children at school and eat lunch with them.  However, we do need to keep track of who is on campus each day, so please let the Director know a day ahead of time if you intend to join your student at lunchtime.  You can contact her at Paige.BW@MenloParkAcademy.com. Support MPA as you do your holiday grocery shopping! Free Funds information cards are going out in this week's Thursday folder.  Look for the bright orange card and spread the word to friends and family to continue supporting Menlo Boosters! Box Tops update!  Have you noticed the Box Tops display for the classroom competition?  Keep saving and sending them in!  Many Box Tops for Education labels expire December 31, 2012 so get those in as soon as possible!   Every student who sends in at least 25 Box Tops for the time period of Nov thru Dec will earn a Menlo Park Academy pencil.  Please remember to label your envelopes, bags, or collection pages with student and teacher name and grade.  For students who earned a dress down day from the October reward (50 or more), a coupon is being sent home.  It is printed on orange paper, expires Feb 1,2013, and is not replaceable.  Thank you for your continued support!   It's a girl!  Congratulations to First Grade Teacher Doug Thompson, who is the proud father of a beautiful baby girl! Jane Ellen Thompson was born Tuesday; mom and baby are both doing well.  Best of luck to all of you - we'll think "easy baby" thoughts for you, Mr. Thompson! Lost and Found    Our lost and found has grown considerably.  In an effort to more easily return your items, we will have a table set up in the lobby at the concert.  Make sure you stop by and look for any missing items! Any items not claimed by December 21st will be donated to charity, so don't wait - come stake your claim today! STEM Career Night January 9, 2013      The MPA STEM Team is seeking additional speakers for Grade 5-8 Career Night, tentatively scheduled for January 9. If you are in a science or technology career and would enjoy talking to MPA students for a few minutes, please contact Grant Henson atgranthens@gmail.com. Career Night is an informal way for students to find out what it's like to be in a technical career and how to get there.   FYI: Dates to Remember December 12/7 - Friday - chess class after school; MS Science Fair workshop after school; pasta dinner from 4:30-6pm, followed by school concert from 6:30-8pm 12/10 -  Monday - Student Academic Excellence Assembly, 2pm 12/12 - Wednesday - Meet new math teacher Mr. Burton at MPA, 6pm and 6:45 12/21 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school; MPA Basketball Team vs. Parents game, Westpark YMCA, 4:45pm 12/24 - 1/1 - Winter Break   January 1/2 - Teacher Inservice - No school for students 1/7 - 1/18 - Open Enrollment for incoming new students 1/9 - Wednesday - STEM Career Night for grades 5-8 1/11 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school February 2/8 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school 2/22 - Friday - MS Science Fair workshop after school 2/23 - Saturday - Menlo Park Family Night/Monsters Hockey Game Shop with Scrips Sunday by 7pm   Have you started earning "free" money for our school yet?  Get started at www.shopwithscrip.com - Create an account using code B1BFLA8B23626 for MPA to receive the revenue.  Even if you're not an Internet shopper, there is a way we can order cards for you! Contact Ramona Boggins at 216-832-6666 or fundraiser@menloparkacademy.comif you have any questions. Shop for Scrips every Sunday by 7pm and be entered in the weekly and monthly prize drawings.  You will receive your cards in the Thursday folder each week. Weekly Update - 12/06/12 Quick Links Menlo Park Academy Website MPA on Facebook Shop with Scrips by 7pm on Sunday Report your volunteer hours School calendar  Classroom Websites (click on Classroom Websites tab) Re-enrollment and Sibling Enrollment Deadline - Dec. 14th, 4pm Complete the paperwork before priority enrollment ends!   If you have not yet re-enrolled your current MPA student for next year, time is running out!!! Here are the links you'll need: Re-enrollment form Deposit The $100 material fee deposit can also be submitted by check - just make sure you note on the check that it's for the 2013/2014 school year, and the name of the student(s) for whom you are paying - and put it in an envelope marked "Nancy Colby - Admissions." If you would like to newly enroll the sibling of a current student, please contact Nancy.Colby@MenloParkAcademy.com to get the 2-page form that must be submitted with qualifying test scores and the material fee deposit by December 14, 2012.  Any classroom slots that are still available after re-enrollment ends on December 14th will be open to the public at large during Open Enrollment in January. ** Please note that MPA has been piloting the online enrollment process during our re-inrollment period. This link will be removed when re-enrollment ends on 12/14, so that we may gauge it's effectiveness.  When open enrollment begins, a link to the new student enrollment forms and procedures will be made available. Winter Concert Information  Please have students to Magnificat by 6pm Here is some additional information you may want to know about our holiday concert THIS FRIDAY, December 7th: Magnificat is located at 20770 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River.  The general schedule of events for our concert evening: 4:30-6:00 - Pasta Dinner; 6pm - students need to arrive backstage; 6:00-6:30 - Auction Viewing & Open Seating; 6:30-8:00 - Concert.  We have streamlined the transitions between performances this year and hope to end on time. Children should wear either standard school uniform clothes, or dress clothes of your choosing.  It's not a black-tie event, but it IS fun to see the kids all spiffed up. There will be signs up on the backstage rooms to let you know where your student(s) should gather before the show.  Please check in with the teacher(s) in charge of that room when your child arrives.  Students must be backstage by 6pm. The entire school - grades K-8 - will be performing. The auditorium at Magnificat is nice and large, so feel free to bring family and friends to the concert!  No tickets are required - but bring your checkbook or credit card so you can bid on all of the cool auction items we'll have available! Students will remain backstage during the concert, with the exception of the K-1 students.  K-1 students will be seated in a special section of the audience after they perform during the first half of the concert. If you remove your child from their waiting/seating area during intermission, you need to return them to the same area (K-1 seating in auditorium, everyone else in backstage rooms). If your child needs to leave the concert early, you must contact the teacher supervising your child to let them know the child will be leaving.  There will also be a sign-out sheet in the lobby - please make sure to sign your child out there, as well, so we can keep track of everyone and keep them safe. PJ PARTY  K-3 and Mrs. Shuder's Homeroom Wear your Pajamas tomorrow - Thursday December 6! Bring a sleeping bag or pillow for comfy movie viewing.    Screening of Polar Express and a hot chocolate treat. Thanks to ALL of our students and families for donating to the Penny War.  The Salvation Army will be attending our Winter Concert to receive the check.  PS  Do you have a large coffee pot to heat water for hot chocolate?  We would love to borrow it!  Academic Excellence and Student Recognition Assemblies                      Monday, December 10th Our first celebration of student achievement for the year will be held on Monday, December 10.  We will recognize academic excellence as well as numerous other skill areas.  In order to make sure there's plenty of seating for families who would like to attend, we're splitting the assembly into two parts: Grades K-3 will assemble from 1:45-2:15pm Grades 4-8 will assemble from 2:15-3pm Feel free to come cheer the accomplishments of all of our students! Science Fair and Invention Convention Middle School Workshops to be held after school Workshops will be held for anyone in grades 5-8 who would like to get extra help with their Science Fair or Invention Convention projects from 3:15 - 4:15 on the following Fridays: 12/7, 12/21, 1/11, 2/8, 2/22. Several adults including a retired professor from Case Western Reserve University and a NASA scientist will be available to consult with students. Both Mr. Kiddey and Mrs. Eby will there to supervise.    Students must have a signed permission slip to attend. The permission slip can be accessed from Mrs. Eby's Science Fair Forms and Doc's page -  and from Mr. Kiddey's page.  Please have your child bring the slip in at least one day before the workshop date.    If you are interested in helping out or know of a someone who would like to come in a give our children a hand, please contact Chris Whitman at cmw61@hotmail.com.  Meet Mr.Burton Wednesday, December 12 at 6pm Mr. Frank Burton recently joined us as the middle school mathematics instructor. Parents, please join us for an overview of Mr. Burton's classroom practice and get a chance to meet our newest addition (6th grade from 6:00-6:45 and 7 & 8 grades from 6:45-7:30).  Mock Trial Competition Informational Meeting Wednesday, December 12 at 6:45pm & 7:30    Recognizing how busy MPA families are, we are offering a back to back opportunity with meeting Mr. Burton, for 6-8 graders to learn about participation in the state Mock Trial competition.  This club will be advised by practicing lawyers and experienced coaches.  An information session for Sixth Graders will be held at 6:45 pm, and a session for 7th/8th Grade will begin at 7:30.  Chess Club and Team    For something that did not exist a few months ago, the MPA chess team is doing really well!  Eight MPA students have participated in tournaments over the last month, including last week's GCSCL tournament in Solon where several won trophies in their section (k-5 U-1000): Sophie Van Duin, 2nd; Young Kim, 3rd; Dominic Mayhew, 8th.  Also participating, and contributing points toward the MPA team's cumulative total for the GCSCL series, were Firat Begen, Dae San Kim, Joe Henson and David Henson; Ishita Kopparapu has also participated in tournaments.  The next tournament in the GCSCL series is at Rocky River Middle School on January 26th.  It would be great to see even more MPA students at that one, so if your child is interested, visit progresswithchess.com for more information. Chess class will be held next Friday, December 7th, which is also the day of the MPA concert.  Due to the wonderful response, chess will continue after winter break. Boy's Basketball  From Coach Willie Littlejohn:  What great effort both boys showed on Saturday's games!  The varsity played so great even though we lost 25-23. The defense played on their 6-6 center was unbelievable and we actually had an 8 point lead. Again, strong efforts from everyone including Zach Peacock's 8 points and 8 rebounds, Brain Mingus' 6 points and 7 rebounds (including 2 three pointers) & Marshall Monnette's 5 points (including one three pointer) and 8 rebounds. And a big round of applause to Jaylon Ortiz, who after being fouled hard and being hit on the side of the face, got up and made both of his free throws. We may be 1-3 so far this season, but this team is growing up right before our eyes. The JV team also played, but since the other team did not show in full, we won the game via forfeit to move to 1-2. I am arranging to move the JV team to a more established league next season so that we don't have these frustrating forfeits. Winter Concert Auction  Bid Items Share in the holiday spirit when you support MPA at the Four Seasons Winter Concert. There will be live auction items, silent auction items, raffle baskets, and the coveted American Girl Doll limited raffle. A list of all of the items - donated in support of MPA - can be found here. BROWNS Need You  Support MPA and Have Fun!   Attention Browns Volunteers. Last 2 chances to volunteer this season! Sign up links below. WE NEED YOU (really, we do) to sign up for one of these final two home games of the season - Sunday, 12/9 and Sunday, 12/16. *** Remember - your child(ren) can participate in the pizza lunch celebration if you work even just ONE GAME! And they can use their dress down certificates ANY DAY they choose! *** Thank you to those who have already signed up (listed below for both games). Come on down, cheer on the home team, earn a dress down day, get in your volunteer hours, have some fun, and earn some money for MPA!! We're in the final stretch! Just contact our team lead, Chris Harrison, at 216.375.2117 orcjharrison68@gmail.com, if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued support of MPA! Sunday, 12/9 Game - still need 7 volunteers - sign up here: Ski Club If you are interested in joining Ski Club, please send an Email to Kari Basiewicz at kbasiewicz@yahoo.com.   We need to choose a day, so please click HERE and indicate the days that could work for you. We are hoping to finalize group membership by 12/19, so even if you are not sure, let Kari know so you can remain updated on the plans.  Details: Begins the first week in January and runs for 5 weeks. After the 5 weeks you can keep skiing during our time/day for the rest of the season at no additional charge. There for four hours each time, with the first hour being instruction (great for newbies). Costs are $139 if you have your own equipment and $199 if you need equipment. $80 for Summit pass holders.    Weekly Website Highlights  New 2012-2013 Parent/Student Handbook We have reworked the Parent/Student Handbook and are excited to share it with you at our new website. http://www.menloparkacademy.com/sites/default/files/Parent-StudentHandbook-Nov2012-FINAL.pdf     If you have any specific questions or feedback about the new site, please contact Communications@MenloParkAcademy.com.   Be sure to bookmark the new site and delete your old link. Information can be submitted via email to: communications@menloparkacademy.com for review and inclusion in the weekly update. Submissions are subject to Director approval.