IMMEDIATE INFORMATION
MPA wants students to enjoy leisure time before school and at recess. In this effort we provide games and sports equipment. We would appreciate it if students would not bring personal toys to school. The opportunity for them to be lost or broken is high. Thank you for supporting us in this endeavor.
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Basketball tryouts began today – but don’t give up if your son missed the first meeting! Additional tryouts will be held September 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28th 4:30-6:00pm at the Kamm’s YMCA (down the street from the school) for all Boys 4th thru 8th grade. The more tryouts you can attend, the better chance you have at making the team. Please contact Coach Littlejohn at mpahoops@yahoo.com if you have any questions about the teams or tryouts. Good luck!
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Every Tuesday starting September 25, you can receive a break from packing a lunch and your child can eat a hot lunch of pizza, mac&cheese, spaghetti, or a taco bowl. You may purchase one, two, three, or all four menu options, which will be offered on a rotating schedule. All lunches must be prepaid for the year – so plan ahead now to make Tuesday mornings easier for the rest of the year! The firm deadline for payment is Tuesday, September 18. If you haven’t signed up yet, please return the bottom of the attached hot lunch form, and make checks payable to MPA Boosters. Please contact Pam Elliot (pgarner674@gmail.com) if a payment option is needed.
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We’re planning to have Progress Book – which is being re-named Gradebook this year – up and ready for parents to access next week. This program will be a major channel of communication between our teachers and parents of students in all grades. Parents will be able to track grades and homework assignments via Gradebook … no more wondering how that spelling test went last week! And students in grades 4-8 will be able to use Gradebook to check on assignments and grades. We hope this will help instill a sense of responsibility, which is the current focus of character education at MPA. Student passwords will be sent to parents, who will be able to decide whether to allow their students to access the program.
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Check your Thursday Folder for information on the Magazine Sale fundraiser MPA will be conducting September 14-24, 2012. It’s a great way to give the gift of reading and help support our school! The catalog includes over 700 magazine titles like National Wildlife, Kids Discover, and BBC Knowledge— and MPA receives 40% of each order. In order to encourage participation, we’re offering a variety of incentives to students who sell subscriptions, including dress down days, the chance to win lunch with the student’s favorite teacher, and free magazine subscriptions!
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A couple of quick requests from Mrs. Wilson:
· If your child is going to be absent from school (regardless of the reason), you must call the school attendance phone number and let us know.
· Any student who arrives at school at 8:35am or later is considered tardy, and must be signed in by their caregiver. If you arrive after car line closes at 8:30, please be prepared to park and accompany your child inside.
· We all understand that sometimes emergencies arise that require last-minute transportation changes. These same-day transportation changes must be communicated by telephone, not e-mail. However, we cannot guarantee that any transportation change requests received after 2pm will be communicated to students in time for them to take effect. Ensuring a safe departure for all of our students depends upon timely communication from parents, so please - call before 2pm!
· If you know ahead of time that your child will require an alternate form of transportation, please send in one of the pink sheets that went home in last week’s Thursday Folder. Extras copies are available in the office, so you or your child can pick some up whenever your home supply runs low.
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We are pleased to offer students in grades K-8 the exciting opportunity to learn and play chess after school every Friday we are in session. No previous experience necessary – students will start at their own level. Instruction will be provided by Progress with Chess, a local non-profit organization with chess programs in more than 40 area schools and recreation centers. The cost will be $70/student for ten weeks of meetings, which takes us through the end of December. Check your Thursday Folder for more information and the sign-up sheet.
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We are planning to offer Mrs. Billey’s violin classes during each grade’s regular elective slot in the second and third trimesters this year. This first trimester the classes will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays. Mrs. Billey will be sending class times home with students next week.
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Celebrate the fall season with your friends from MPA - at the Boosters Family Fun Fest at Patterson Farm. On Saturday, 10/20/2012, from 11am-4pm, we'll be playing in a huge hay barn and tree house in the woods, sliding down a 50-foot double slide, trying to conquer the corn maze, and hiking through the ravines and hills of Geauga County. All this, plus a wagon ride and light refreshments, for only $5 a person! See the flyer in this week's Thursday Folder for more details, and the sign-up sheet. See you there!
ONGOING INFORMATION
MPA’s Junior Girl Scout Troop 70029 will be meeting on the first and third Mondays of each month. This activity for girls in 4th and 5th grades begins on Monday, 9/17/2012, with a meeting from 3:30-5:30 at MPA. Registration forms for girl scouts will be available at the meeting; adult volunteers must also register if they plan on attending meetings or events with their children. It costs just $12 for volunteers and $12 for girls to join for the year! If you have any questions or would like to join for the first time, contact leader Sara George at gs.troop.mpa@gmail.com.
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CUB SCOUT PACK 110 would like to apologize for the communication timing in last week’s newsletter. Let's try this again: There will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, September 18th at 7:00 PM. for parents with boys in the 1st- 5th grades. We will be discussing Cub Scout plans, meeting times, participation requirements, dues/ fees, and fundraising projects. This will be the 3rd year for our Pack and we would like to make it the best ever! If you are unable to make the meeting but would like more information about the pack, please contact tom.doughman@sherwin.com. Hope to see you there!
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We are not quite at full enrollment, but we can see it from here! There’s one spot still available in 4th grade, and 5 spots available in 5th-8th grades. So don’t delay if you know a family whose child might like to join MPA – have them contactnancy.colby@menloparkacademy.com right away!
RECOGNITION
A new feature of this newsletter is going to be the Volunteer Spotlight. If you know a volunteer who's going above and beyond the call of duty, send their name and a brief description of what they've done to paige.bw@menloparkacademy.com. We'll recognize these incredible volunteers in future newsletters! In the meantime, our thanks go out to the dozens and dozens of volunteers who have helped kick off the school year. You've helped with lunch and recess, manned the parking lot for car line, stuffed Thursday folders, started organizing volunteer teams, taught electives, helped keep the school sparkling clean and organized, and so much more! Our hats are off to you - the faculty and staff couldn't keep MPA running smoothly without you!
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The following folks volunteered at the Browns concession stand recently, and in thanks we’re giving their children a dress down day on Friday, 9/14/2012: Chris Harrison, Jessica & Shawn Tonsing, Fraser Hewson, Valerie & Steve Garcia, Jessica Pinter, Adrian Beach, Neil Evans, Stephanie Boyd, Kari Basiewicz, Neil Veloso, Adnan Kazazic, Brad Dean, Joseph Coleman
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CALENDAR
Wednesday, 9/12/2012 Basketball try-outs at YMCA, 4:30-6pm; Curriculum Night for grades K-3, 6:30-8pm
Friday, 9/14/2012 Basketball try-outs at YMCA, 4:30-6pm; Magazine fundraiser begins
Monday, 9/17/2012 5th grade visits Camp Fitch (through 9/19/2012); Girl Scout meeting, 3:30-5:30pm
Tuesday, 9/18/2012 Cub Scout meeting, 7pm
Wednesday, 9/19/2012 Basketball try-outs at YMCA, 4:30-6pm
Thursday, 9/20/2012 Boosters organizational meeting and election, 6:30pm
Friday, 9/21/2012 Basketball try-outs at YMCA, 4:30-6pm
Monday, 9/24/2012 Magazine fundraiser ends
Wednesday, 9/26/2012 Basketball try-outs at YMCA, 4:30-6pm
Friday, 9/28/2012 Basketball try-outs at YMCA, 4:30-6pm
Saturday, 10/20/2012 Boosters event - Fall Fest at Patterson Fruit Farm in Chesterland
Friday, 10/26/2012 School photo day
Friday, 10/26/2012 School photo day
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