MPA Weekly Update - 5/2/13

In This Issue Dates to Remember Middle School Dance Shop with Scrip Field Day Volunteers Boosters Election Crushers Game - Fun For All Embrace the World Extravaganza Event Title Parent Online Survey Shop with Scrip FYI: Dates to Remember May 5/3 - Friday - Middle School Dance 5/6-5/10 - 6th Mohican Trip 5/10 - Friday - Inservice Day, no school for students 5/11 - Saturday - Invention Convention Regional Competition 5/13-5/17 - Young Author's Week 5/18- Saturday - Soapbox Derby 5/23 - Thursday - Extravaganza, 4-7pm 5/24 - Friday - Power of the Pen Competition 5/27 - Monday - School Closed for Memorial Day 5/30 - Thursday - Field Day; Kindergarten Promotion 5/31 - Friday - 8th Grade Graduation    June 6/2 - Sunday - MPA night at the Crushers baseball game Volunteer Hours Please be sure to update your volunteer hours log. We will be celebrating our volunteers at the Embrace the World Extravaganza, and we want to be sure to recognize all of our parents for their helping hands! Middle School Spring Dance TIKI TIKI TANGO Friday, May 3 6:00-7:00 (7 & 8 Grade Only) 7:00-8:30 (5-8 Grade) The last middle school dance of the year will be held on Friday, May 3.  The students decided on a Hawaiian theme with casual clothing. Shop with Scrip Sunday by 7pm  Don't forget to purchase Scrips to support MPA at no additional cost to you!   Big news for families who use ScripNow products!  On May 20th, the company will be offering some of the highest rebates ever offered from some of your favorite ScripNow retailers.  This is a one-day event, so make sure to mark your calendar and have PrestoPay set up on your account before then!   The "top secret" list of participating retailers will be revealed at 12:01 am on May 20th.  But you don't have to wait until then to help support MPA!  To help out, shop at the Scrip site, and pay with Presto Pay for additional entries to the MPA gift card raffle every time you shop!  And don't forget to check their "What's New" page to see all the latest companies that support MPA with extra $$$ when you purchase their scrip cards.  A whole list of additional rebates goes into effect on Saturday, including increased rebates on Scrip from Home Depot, Buca de Beppo, LL Bean, Subway, Petco, and iTunes! Field Day Volunteers Needed Thursday, May 30 Our fabulous end of year field day is coming up.  This is a great way to fulfill numerous volunteer hours and have fun doing it.  Please complete the attached volunteer form and send it to school with your child.    FIELD DAY FORM   Boosters Elections    To be held Wednesday, May 8th at 6pm Remember, the final Boosters meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 8th @ 6pm. Officers will be elected at this meeting. If you are interested in either the President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer position, please submit your name for consideration to boosters@menloparkacademy.com MPA Night at the Crushers Game Sunday, June 2nd at 5pm The MPA afternoon with the Lake Erie Crushers is quickly approaching on June 2nd @ 5:05pm! Don't miss your chance to purchase tickets to celebrate the close of the 2012/2013 school year. Tickets are $9 each and can be ordered using this flyer.  All ticket orders are due by Monday, May 6th, in order to be guaranteed seats in the MPA section. Labels, Box Tops and Bottle Tops Keep on clipping - they really add up! THANK YOU to all of the parents who have sent in Campbell's Labels, Coke bottle tops and ink cartridges!!! Because of you we were able to purchase a TON of field day, recess and gym supplies as well as many necessities for the teachers lounge! The Box Tops competition has come to a close. Congratulations goes out to both Mrs. Curkowicz & Mrs. Nagy's classrooms! Mrs. Curkowicz's class sent in a total of 2066 Box Tops and Mrs. Nagy's class was close behind with 2034! Since these classes were so close, both will receive a popcorn party as a reward! Although the year is coming to a close, please continue to send in your Box Tops, we can use them for next year!  Recognition Corner Congratulations to sixth grader Olivia M., who won the Scholastic /Scopes  "Sit-In" Essay contest.      Also, Teresa S. (7th), Emily C. (7th) and Marika O. (8th) will be representing MPA at the state Power of the Pen Writing Tournament in Wooster, Ohio on May 24.  Best of luck, ladies! Weekly Update - 5/2/13 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) Inservice Day on Friday, May 10     No school - let the kids stay home and enjoy the weather while the teachers learn something! Embrace the World Extravaganza Thursday, May 23 from 4:00-7:30  Spring is in the air, and preparations for the first-annual MPA "Embrace the World" Extravaganza are well under way. This event will feature games, a student art show, crafts, tasty treats, music and fun for the whole family!   It's a way for our students to have fun while we honor the volunteers who have made this such a great year.  All families that have logged their volunteer hours online this year will be sent game and food tickets that can be used at the Extravaganza. We will also have some special recognition for volunteers throughout the evening.     Meanwhile, we need your help to make this fun event a success!   Bake Sale  The Boosters will be having a bake sale at the upcoming World Extravaganza event on May 23rd (4-7pm). If you are interested in donating baked goods for this event, please email boosters@menloparkacademy.com    Basket Contributions Thank you to everyone that has brought in contributions for classroom/advisory baskets! The deadline has been extended, since the baskets will be used at the Embrace the World Extravaganza. The new deadline is May 15, and students that contribute to their classroom's basket may dress down on that day. For specific details on your student(s)'s classroom basket theme, please *click here*     Carnival Games Please let Melissa Adell, Development Coordinator, know if you have any carnival games or crafts that can be used as booths for our carnival. Items that we are seeking to borrow include: Caricature artist (do you have skills or have a friend willing to donate?) Balloon animals (do you have skills or have a friend willing to donate?) Karaoke CDs Stamps shaped like kisses Large Plastic container (ex: bulk pretzel container) Snow cone machine Cotton Candy Machine Ring toss set Spin-a-wheel (like Wheel of Fortune) Magnetic or Velcro dart set Folding Tables Rubber Ducks Packing Peanuts Any other activities that would bode well for a school carnival! If you have any of these materials that you would like to lend or donate, please reach out to Melissa Adell (melissa.adell@menloparkacademy.com; (216) 539-0422) Please reach out to Melissa Adell if you have any questions or ideas to make this event a success- melissa.adell@menloparkacademy.com; (216) 539-0422) Seeking volunteers for Thursday, May 23 from 2-8 pm at MPA. Day-of volunteers will be helping with: Prize table Silent auction/raffle Serving food Various game and activity booths We also need help before the event with: Building games Classroom basket assembly Click Here:  Sign Up to Help    Student Performers We are seeking student musicians to perform at various locations throughout the Embrace the World Extravaganza. Students can sign up to perform at:    http://menloparkacademycleveland.bringit.bz/public/42b949. Please let Ms. Adell or Mrs. Padrutt know if you have any questions. Physical Education 2013-2014 Your Feedback Needed   Menlo Park has been parntering with the YMCA to provide Physical Education opportunities for your children.  Together we are reworking the course offerings to better meet student needs.  Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey.    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KJXo5SZhjZ4yhaMqtWz8HZhYCAZYLP0yF8tMUudBlhs/viewform    Boys' Basketball Results Congratulations to JV and Varsity teams for a great season! Last Saturday, the JV boys lost 19-13 to the Sonics in Lakewood. The team finished their Spring Season with a 6-2 record, good for a 2nd place finish and the boys will receive runner-up trophies.  Congratulations on a successful season, guys! The Varsity boys rebounded from 2 tough Saturday losses to win 2 exciting games on Sunday in the 2013 Midwest Spring Slam basketball tourney. In Game #1 on Sunday, the boys trailed 20-15 late in the second half, but used a 7-0 run to close out the game and win 22-20 over Geauga. The parents and family of the players jumped for joy as the buzzer sounded, but we quickly had a second game at the Rocky River Rec Center just 2 hours later. In Game #2, the Wizards jumped out to a 9 point lead in the first half, let the lead drop down to 2 early in the second half, but the defense stood strong and they beat Ridgewood 40-33. The win placed the boys in the Top 5 of the tourney standings, will receive medals for their accomplishment and will be remembered as the first MPA Basketball team to medal in an AAU tourney (which is a tough accomplishment for any team). Congrats Varsity Wizards on a huge effort!!!! MPA Students Bring Home the Brick Trophies! Congratulations to our 2013 LEGO OLYMPIAD WINNERS: OPEN PRE K - 1 Third Place: Faith A., Ssaanvi S., Robin K., Josie M. OPEN 2ND GRADE Second Place: Jake P., Aidan S., Will G., Lilian V., Ananya M. OPEN 2ND GRADE Third Place: Eitan E., Antonio R., Brenna L., Lewis F. OPEN 3RD GRADE First Place: Mary M., Alexander S., Alyssa T., Ian M., Connor K. OPEN 4TH GRADE First Place: Rahul S., Krish S., Suneal S., Andrew K OPEN 5TH GRADE Third Place: Dylan C., Miles M., Talon B. THEME GRADE 5 First Place: Sam P., Liya E., Joey C., Chloe V., Hazen D. PEOPLE'S CHOICE : Rahul S., Krish S., Suneal S., Andrew K    Thanks again to all the volunteers who helped the teams train, acted as chaperons, and cheered our builders on at the event!   If you borrowed Legos from the school to participate in this event, please make sure that you return them!  We're still missing a few tubs of bricks ... MPA Parent Online Survey   Your Insight Matters It has been a year of growth for Menlo Park.  We have come a long way but have much left to do.  Your insights on what has been successful and what should be a focus in 2013-2014 is incredibly valuable!  Please take a few minutes to complete the parent survey  posted online at the American Educational Consultants website.  The survey will be available for completion begining Thursday, April 18 and will remain open until Friday, May 3.  You may access it at:   http://www.edconsults.org   Annual Appeal Help us meet our goal of 100% family participation in this important fundraiser The 2012-13 school year is coming to an end, but it's not too late to make a tax exemptcontribution to the Annual Family and Friends Appeal. We would like to remind you, as a supporter of MPA that your contributions matter and play a significant role in helping us to provide challenging, rewarding educational experiences to all of our gifted learners: more than 335 students from over 40 school districts spread across 6 counties in Northeast Ohio - learning and growing together at MPA.   Please demonstrate your commitment to Menlo Park Academy by making a gift in support of the AFFA. Don't miss the opportunity to give a tax-deductible donation right now, or send a check to: Menlo Park Academy ATTN: Annual Fund 14440 Triskett Road Cleveland, Ohio 4411 Information can be submitted via email to: communications@menloparkacademy.com for review and inclusion in the weekly update. Submissions are subject to Director approval.