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| September 13, 2013 Newsletter |
FYI: Dates to Remember
September
9/13 - Friday - SDS Volunteer Training (7:30am)
9/16-9/18 - Camp Fitch
9/16 - MPA Magazine Fundraiser begins
9/18 - Wednesday - Boys' Basketball Info Meeting (5:15pm); Boosters meeting (6pm)
9/19 - Thursday - Curriculum Night; Parent Book Club (5pm)
9/24 - Tuesday - Pizza Day!
October
10/2 - Wednesday - Girls' Basketball program info meeting (6pm)
10/6 - Sunday - Boosters' Bowl-A-Rama at Fairview Lanes, 3pm
10/25 - Picture Day
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 One Call Now!
Automated Alert System Comes to MPA
One Call Now!
Menlo Park is going to utilize One Call Now to alert MPA families of late breaking news, school cancellations, and special invitations. If you would like to update your information, please visit: MPA Emergency Alert System You will have the option to opt-in to receive text messages, and also the option to opt-out of all communications, at the end of the message.
Please contact Lynn Wilson if you have any questions about the One Call Now emergency alert system.
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Curriculum Night
Thursday, September 19
Let's kick the new school year off right! 
Come meet your child's teachers, find out what's on the curriculum for the year, and meet other parents in your class. Thursday, September 19 is the day - the schedule is below:
Grades K-4
6:30-7:00 Curriculum Overview/General Meeting in Cafetorium
7:00-7:45 Class Visitation
Grades 5-8
7:15-7:45 Curriculum Overview/General Meeting in Cafetorium
7:45-8:45 Class Visitation
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K-4 Electives 
Begin Next Week
This year, MPA is offering elective courses to K-4 students that revolve around a new theme each trimester. This trimester's theme is PERSPECTIVE. Sign up forms should have come home with your child this week but you will find one attached here if it did not. Forms are due Friday September 12, 2013.
Volunteers are needed to assist with running these courses. They are already designed and materials will be provided. Parents may volunteer for one day or the entire trimester. Please contact schooldaysupport@menloparkacademy.com.
For those parents who are still interested in sharing their passions in the classroom, Menlo Park Academy will be offering a Speakers Bureau for just such opportunities. Look for upcoming information from the academic enrichment team.
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GRADE Reading Diagnostic Test
Next week students in grades K-3 will be taking the GRADE reading diagnostic test as part of Ohio's third grade reading guarantee. The results will help teachers identify student strengths and weaknesses.
Testing will be held Monday through Thursday for Kindergarteners; students in grades 1-3 will be tested on Tuesday and Wednesday. Testing takes approx 30 minutes per session. This is not a standardized test and no score reports will come home.
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Sports Updates
Boys' Basketball
There's a slight change in the schedule for tryouts, thanks to the gym being resurfaced the week of September 16th. Here is the new tryout schedule:
- Wednesday, September 11th
- Friday, September 13th
- Wednesday, September 25th
- Friday, September 27th
These tryouts will be for both JV (grades 4-6) and Varsity (grades 6-8). All tryouts will be held from 3:45 - 5:15pm at the Westpark YMCA on Lorain Road. Anyone wishing to try-out should attend as many of the tryout sessions as possible.
Also, we will have the Boys' Basketball Info meeting on Wed Sept 18th from 5:15-6:00 at MPA. The basketball schedule for the school year will be discussed as well as practice schedules, possible costs, meeting the coach and any other questions about the program. Parents wanting to know more or anything about the Boys program are encouraged to attend.
Final rosters will be announced on Saturday Sept 28th and parents (and the school) will notified by E-mail.
Girls' Basketball
An informational meeting for the MPA Girls' Basketball program will be held at MPA on Wednesday, October 2nd, at 6pm.
Parents of girls in grades 4-6 who are interested in learning more about the team are encouraged to attend.
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Chess Club Starts Next Friday
Come join the fun!
Menlo Park Academy is pleased to offer students in grades K-8 the exciting opportunity to learn and play the game of chess. No previous experience necessary - students start at their own level.
Instruction provided by Progress with Chess, a local non-profit organization with chess programs over 40 area schools and recreation centers. Sessions will include interactive lessons and structured open play in a supportive environment. Come join the fun! The session begins Friday, September 20, and runs through December 13 (10 weeks).
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Lost & Found 
Is now located outside of the gym doors. Items from the Lost and Found will be donated the last school day of each month.
Please make sure to ask your student to check for missing items! |
Carpool Connection
Commute to school got you down already? Maybe you can carpool!
MPA hosts families from over 40 school districts, and we know that the drive to and from the school each day can be a long one. But what if you could split the driving with a family (or two) who lived in your town?
The Carpool Connection website is a way for interested MPA families to connect and leave their information to be contacted for possible carpool options. We ask that you please only leave information you feel comfortable sharing with the public community.
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MPA Bowling Event
Get to know the MPA community
Don't miss the upcoming Bowl-a-Rama at Fairview Lanes on Sunday, October 6th from 3-5pm, sponsored by the MPA Boosters. Cost is $5 per person and includes 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, snacks, beverages and tons of fun.
Please send in your form and payment (cash or check) made payable to MPA Boosters in an envelope labeled MPA Bowling. Registration deadline is end of the school day on Friday, October 4th. Clickhere for the full flyer and reservation form. Space is limited and will fill on a first come first serve basis. |
OAGC Parents' Day Event
Sunday, 9/22 from 3-6pm
The Ohio Association for Gifted Children will be hosting an event on Sunday, September 22nd, from
3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (doors open at 2:30 p.m.). It will be at the Hilton Easton, 3900 Chagrin Blvd., Columbus, OH 43219 This event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Colleen Boyle, who will speak on "Defying Expectations: The Social and Emotional Reality of Gifted Children." Registration is $5 - please see the attached flyer for more details.
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Boosters Updates Everyone in the MPA Community is an MPA Booster!!
I'm a Booster, You're a Booster, He's a Booster too!
We, the MPA Boosters, are a community building team made up of all who support Menlo Park Academy. We work as one to implement activities that build up the spirit of the MPA community and show appreciation to students, volunteers, parents, faculty, and staff. We urge you to participate in Boosters activities as well as serving on volunteer teams.
If you would like to hear about the community building events being planned for this year, and possibly help with them, please join us for the first MPA Boosters meeting on Wednesday, September 18th at 6pm in the school gym.
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Volunteer Teams Unite!
Thank you for your cooperation!
Coordinating 300+ volunteers in support of MPA is a complicated yet necessary endeavor and your support is very much appreciated.
Thanks to all who completed the Volunteer Survey!
Team leads are being identified and they will be contacting you based on your survey preferences over the next few weeks.
The first face-to-face team meetings will be held right after the November Boosters meeting.
Come and hear about MPA community events and meet with your teams!
Volunteers Teams that are currently being mobilized include:
- Academic Enrichment
- School Day Support
- Facilities
- Informational Technology
If you signed up to volunteer in the areas of Fundraising, Legal, or Marketing you will be contacted on an as needed basis, so let's keep those lines of communication open!
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Vote for MPA now and every week until September 21st here!
Share with your family and friends!!!
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It's Box Top Season! 
Who will support MPA most - the boys or the girls?
We hope you were clipping those Box Tops over summer vacation! The 2013-2014 MPA Box Tops Collection has begun. This years theme is "Who rules the school? Boys vs Girls". The Minions from the movie Despicable Me will be helping us keep track of who sends in more labels. Be sure to check out the Minions poster in the halls to see who is in the lead each month. Please send clipped Box Tops in a Ziploc bag or sealed envelope with your child's name, their teacher's name and grade. It would also help if you wrote "Boy" or "Girl" as some children have gender-neutral names. Make sure that the Box Tops you send in are not expired and have been trimmed.
Our goal for this school year is $2,000 which is 20,000 Box Tops Labels. Please see the attached informational flyer which lists the details of the Box Tops for Education program and the Box Tops for Education product list.
MPA Boosters are also collecting:
- Labels For Education, which earns items for MPA
- Tyson Project A+ Labels, which gives MPA 24 cents per label
All labels can be put in the Box Tops for Education collection bins located on both floors at MPA.
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| Hot Lunch Forms Due Today! Hot Lunch Orders Due Today! Many thanks again to our MPA Boosters and hot lunch volunteers who make these occasional days without packing a real treat to parents and students. |
Chicken Strips, Fries and Cokes - Oh My!
Volunteers needed for upcoming Browns games
Now that the Browns season is underway, please consider signing up to help out at the MPA concession stand! You can sign up to volunteer here. Questions? Please contact Chris Harrison, team leader, for more information at 216-375-2117 or cjharrison68@gmail.com.
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Calling all Photobugs!
If you have taken any photographs of the first day of school, special school events/picnics, field trips or parties - Please share them with us! We may use them for school projects, such as the 2013-2014 MPA yearbook! Please email them to:
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Kudos "Korner"
Celebrating MPA Students 
Congratulations to MPA student Kristen E., who just earned her blue belt in Tae Kwon Do. She has been participating in Tae Kwon Do for two years, attending class two days a week.
Let's congratulate her on her hard work and dedication to an activity that expects respect and patience.
If you have a student who should be recognized in the Kudos "Korner" send your information here.
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Coming Soon ...
Check this space in future newsletters for for grade level classroom updates. Teachers will write a brief newsletter that will be attached here. This will be a great way to keep parents informed about what all of the students are learning, as well as get our students excited about what's in store for them in future years!
In the meantime, we're pleased to announce that Ms. Eby is working with our lower school teachers to enhance science education. They team teach in the lab on Fridays and are working on curriculum together.
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