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EVERY FAMILY, EVERY DAY NEWSLETTER
MLK BREAKFAST AWARD RECIPIENTS
We are so proud of our students who received an award at the 36th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Young Person Breakfast on Sunday, Jan. 19. The Outstanding Young Person Award acknowledges middle and high school students of color in Dane County for their academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and service to the community.

Congratulations to the following award recipients:
Patrick Marsh Middle School:
Akilah, Danye, Leon and Marquez

Prairie View Middle School:
Alexis, Anna, Arrianna, Donielle, Donye, Layla, Nevaeh, and Sarayu

Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School:
Aisha and Quinton
Sun Prairie High School:
Chastity, Cierra, Dante, Emma, Jamaal, Jamal, Jillian, Joy, Laurensia, Reena and ZaVeon

Prairie Phoenix Academy:
Janelle, Nahriah, Ta'Shon and William
Our School Board recognized all of the Martin Luther King Jr. Outstanding Young Person Breakfast attendees at the School Board Meeting on February 24, 2020.

Thank you to the students who attended this board meeting: Aisha (Grade 8, Cardinal Heights), Nevaeh (Grade 7, Prairie View), Joy (Sophomore, Sun Prairie High School), Layla (Grade 6, Prairie View), Jillian (Junior, Sun Prairie High School), Cierra (Junior, Sun Prairie High School), Anna (Grade 7, Prairie View), Alexis (Grade 6, Prairie View), Akilah (Patrick Marsh), and Sarayu (Grade 6, Prairie View).
BLACK HISTORY MONTH HIGHLIGHTS
At the board meeting on January 27, 2020, the Board of Education recognized February as Black History Month! In partnership with our African American Parent Network (AAPN), we had a full calendar of events to celebrate and learn more about black history. Don't forget to ask your child what they learned this month.

Here are a few highlights from the month:
Soul Food Dinner
In many African American families, Soul Food was a way for a multi-generational family to gather together and bond over a meal cooked with love and care. Our Black Student Union (BSU) took that concept and extended it to our community in hopes to bridge some of the cultural gaps in the school.

Soul Food night was an event where teachers, parents, administrators, cousins, aunts, community members, and students gathered together to learn about why soul food is so important, but most of all, what makes it SO DELICIOUS. Great job to the BSU students who put so much work into this event.
PPA Students Read to Elementary Classrooms
Every Wednesday in February, Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) students visited Elementary classrooms to read books in honor of Black History Month.

All of the students had such a great time sharing and listening to the stories.

Thank you to our Prairie Phoenix Academy scholars!
Read Your Heart Out at Westside and Northside
Every year we are amazed by our supportive community and family members who join us to celebrate the annual Read Your Heart Out event at Westside and Northside Elementary Schools. It is a great opportunity for our community to come together and for our students to grow their love for reading. Thank you to all of the volunteers who made this such a special day for our students!
AVID PROUD
AVID is an elementary through postsecondary college readiness system designed to increase school-wide learning and performances for students. Currently, in Sun Prairie, AVID is offered 8th through 12th grades.

AVID targets students in the academic middle who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These are students capable of completing rigorous curriculum but who are falling short of their potential. 
College Accepted
Congratulations to the students below on their college acceptances.
Brunella
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Momodou
Arizona State and NOVA Southeastern University
ZaVeon
UW Milwaukee
AVID Alumni Visit Current AVID Students
While some AVID Alumni were on winter break from college, they stopped in to talk with the current SPHS AVID classes abo ut their high school experience with AVID, and how the program has benefited them now that they are in college. The following students visited:

Damanique F. - UW Milwaukee
Breanne E. - UW Milwaukee
Thomas C - UW Madison
Yutzil C. - Madison College

We love when our students come back and share their experiences with other students!
NATIONAL SUMMIT FOR COURAGEOUS CONVERSATION
Superintendent Saron, Asst. Superintendent Stephanie Leonard Witte, School Board Members Bryn Horton and Steve Schroeder and Principals Keith Nerby and Cynthia Bell presented at the National Summit for Courageous Conversation with our Equity partner, The Pacific Educational Group.
CARDINAL HEIGHTS RESTORATIVE CIRCLES
Cardinal Heights was featured in the Wisconsin State Journal for their work with Restorative Circles. Read more about this work and what students are saying about it.
HBCU SEND OFF
On January 23, 2020, eighteen of our 11th-grade students traveled to Tennessee to visit three historically black colleges and universities. We are so thankful that our students have opportunities like this. This experience was made possible, thanks to funding by American Family Insurance.
DANE COUNTY EQUITY CONSORTIUM
Five students from SPHS and PPA were amazing contributors at the 2nd Annual Dane County Youth Social Justice Forum planning meeting. There were approximately 60 students present from 12 schools in the Dane County Equity Consortium.

The purpose of the meeting was to plan the forum, which will take place in April. The students decided to have youth keynote speakers in addition to an adult speaker. Twelve students stepped forward as speaker candidates, and we were the only District where all student reps went for it! After the votes were tallied, Lamareon and Jentarria were selected as the keynote youth speakers for the summit. Emma, Cierra, and Shauntel, who also attended, will be leading a student voice breakout session as well.

We are extremely proud of the voice and energy they brought to the work. Thank you to SPHS Associate Principal Chad Whalley for accompanying our students to this meeting. 
HOUR OF CODE
Over 2,850 students from Sun Prairie elementary and middle schools participated in an “Hour of Code” in December 2019.

Hour of Code brought parents, professionals, and students from area tech companies - including Google in Madison - college professors, college students, and high school students together to learn more about the importance of computer science in our daily lives as well as try their hand at coding. 

To learn more about Hour of Code and Computer Science in schools, please check out:
Computer Science for all in Sun Prairie
Computer science has changed our world. It’s essential to know how the devices we interact with work, how to use them responsibly, safely and ethically. Learning how to program computers to do amazing things is accessible to all students in Sun Prairie. Students in elementary school learn the basics of computer programming through fun and interactive programs (like Scratch) in the Library Media curriculum. Middle School students learn the importance of digital citizenship, access makerspaces and take courses in computer science. Students at the high school can choose to learn advanced skills in programming and cybersecurity.
B.E.A.M. AWARDS
Sun Prairie B.E.A.M (Black Excellence Achievement Makers) Award Ceremony will honor and recognize our African American students who are making achievements in our schools and community. Sun Prairie School District staff, students, families and the entire city of Sun Prairie are invited to attend.
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE
The Sun Prairie Area School District values the health and well being of our students, staff, and families. We work throughout the year to promote healthy schools. Safety is our number one priority.

You may have heard in the news this week about increased cases of seasonal influenza (flu) in Wisconsin. You likely also heard about the release from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), encouraging schools and communities to begin planning in the event that Coronavirus (or COVID-19) spreads locally.   

The COVID-19 situation is constantly evolving and changing. We understand there is uncertainty involved in this situation. We will continue to update families with new information or guidance as it is made available. We encourage you to contact a district nurse or the Public Health Department if you have further questions.
PRAIRIE VIEW CAREER DAY WITH STATE SUPERINTENDENT
Carolyn Stanford Taylor, State Superintendent, joined Prairie View Middle School students as they kicked off their Career Day with an assembly . Students asked her questions and she talked about her path in education to her role now.
SUN PRAIRIE ALUMNI WORKING TOGETHER AT SPHS
Dominique Johnson, Andre Wallace, and Manuel Turrubiartes all went to Westside Elementary School, Prairie View Middle School, and graduated from Sun Prairie High School (SPHS) in 2012.

After High School:
Dominique earned an Associate Degree In Video Production and Editing from Madison Media Institute. She is now a Youth Advocate at SPHS.

Andre went to UW Oshkosh and majored in Human Service Leadership with a minor in African American Studies and played Men's Basketball. He is now a Youth Advocate at SPHS.

Manuel went to Madison College for an Associate of Applied Science degree: Administrative Professional and is now the Administrative Assc. to the Associate Principals and Deans of Students at the High School. 
MSAN CONFERENCE
Four of our students attended an MSAN conference in Madison this past October. At the conference, they were able to hear speakers such as Mandela Barnes (Lt. Gov.) and Dr. Bettina Love. Such an amazing experience for our students!
Mission

Futures depend on us to inspire and prepare every child, every day by providing relevant, engaging, and innovative learning experiences in and out of the classroom.

Vision

To be a high performing district of choice that reflects the cultures of our diverse community.