EVERY FAMILY, EVERY DAY NEWSLETTER |
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Welcome to Sun Prairie, Ms. Renee Coleman!
The Sun Prairie Area School District is excited to announce, pending board approval on Monday, May 10th, Ms. Renee Coleman as our next principal of Sun Prairie High School. Ms. Coleman will officially begin her work as principal on July 1st, 2021, and will be working throughout the 2021-2022 school year to lead SPHS in collaboration with Terrell Yarbrough, our inaugural principal of Sun Prairie West High School, which will open in the fall of 2022.
Renee currently serves as the principal of Harlem Middle School in Machesney Park, IL, has held previous leadership roles of principal, assistant principal, and instructional facilitator in Freeport, IL, and has been a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fisk University, master’s degrees in Education, and Administration and Supervision, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Capella University.
Renee’s strong background in instructional leadership, her commitment to building and maintaining relationships with all stakeholders, and her experience leading for excellence and equitable outcomes for students makes her the ideal candidate to lead Sun Prairie High School with success. As we look ahead to the fall of 2022, Ms. Coleman will become the inaugural principal of Sun Prairie East High School as we reconfigure our secondary schools and welcome students in grades 9-12 through our high school doors.
The selection process included a rigorous, multi-round process, with a diverse group of stakeholders including students, caregivers, staff, and building and district administrators. We extend our sincere gratitude to the interview teams involved for their time, interest, and assistance with this incredibly important decision.
Please join us in welcoming Renee Coleman as our next principal of Sun Prairie High School.
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Meet More of Our District's Administrators! |
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Terrell Yarbrough
Incoming Principal
Sun Prairie West High School
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Michael Morgan, Jr.
Principal
Prairie Phoenix Academy
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Nikole Sconiers
Associate Principal
Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
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Cynthia Bell Jimenez
Principal
Meadow View Elementary
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Jeff Hattori
Associate Principal
Westside Elementary School
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PPA students joined in a live conversation with Jarvis Sam, Vice President of Global Diversity at Nike.
This inspiring conversation was around finding your true self, your true voice, and how to build a career and a life that aligns your passion and purpose. Students also had a chance to ask questions about Jarvis’s career, his life experience including his experience as a Black queer leader in a Fortune 500 company, and what his life and job are like.
Shout out to Quincy Neri, JAG Coordinator, for making this possible!
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Dayshia Wilson: Following Her Dream of Becoming a Pilot!
Prairie Phoenix Academy senior, Dayshia Wilson, is pursuing her dream to become a pilot. She has been logging hours (since her junior year) to get her pilot license. We can't wait to see the places you will go, Dayshia!
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Patrick Marsh Middle School Black History Month Bee
The winners of the 3rd Annual Black History Bee at Patrick Marsh received their plaques this week.
Congratulations to Ishaan (pictured) & Josie!
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Westside Elementary School Student Co-Created Mural
Check out this beautiful art which was funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant through DPI. We are grateful for Mike Lroy’s work with Westside students in co-creating a beautiful mural on three walls of the school! The mural was completed this week.
Shout out to Principal Nikki Burke and Stacy Darga, WS Site Coordinator, for their hard work to make this happen!
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Learning Together: Our Staff & Our Equity Work |
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District Book Study
Our instructional coaches recommended in the spring of 2020 that a book study using Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond would help move our school system forward in equity, and they were correct. All educators in our system have engaged in the study, discussion, and application of the concepts shared. In particular, educators will continue to focus on applying the "Ready for Rigor Framework that emphasizes awareness (of race, culture, brain science), learning partnerships that emphasize relationships between students and educators, information processing (intentional lesson design that helps students process new information), and community of learners & learning environment (a culture that fosters connections resolves conflicts and creates space for student voice). These important concepts are now common knowledge for all educators in the Sun Prairie Area School District, and with practice will be applied in ways that strengthen learning communities and impact students in positive ways.
"We are ALL seeing ourselves as part of the solution and exploring instructional practices and biases to best meet the needs of our Black and Brown students. Through vulnerability, honest and difficult conversations, and building a deeper level of trust within our building, we are committing to the ongoing work of addressing racial injustices in our educational system." - Amy Wiley, 4th Grade Teacher
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District Support Center
Race & Equity Team
Our District Support Center (DSC) staff heard from a panel of their colleagues: Jerreh Kujabi from Technology, Ramnique Mahal from Student Services, Kristy Thao from Teaching, Learning & Equity, and Chandu Vemuri, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent. Topics centered around how their identities (racial and otherwise) have affected them in their work and or personal lives, microaggressions that they experience, what their DSC colleagues can do to make them feel more supported at work, and what the District does well when it comes to equity work and what opportunities for improvement there are. The session was the third in a series of equity training geared towards our staff who have taken Beyond Diversity training.
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Staff Professional Development:
Recognizing & Preventing Curriculum Violence
On Tuesday, March 30, all instructional staff were required to engage in Recognizing and Preventing Curriculum Violence professional development as part of their workday.
“The three students were the best part of today's PD. Hearing about their experiences as SP students helped bring awareness to me what I should keep doing to build
connections with all of my students, but also what I need to START doing to build
stronger connections and to help students feel included and safe.” - SPASD Staff Member
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Teachers College Training at Elementary Schools
Staff developers from Teachers College worked with both C.H. Bird Elementary (grades 3-5) and Westside Elementary (grades K-2). At C.H. Bird they had an Anti-Racist Writing Workshop and Westside focused on Shared Writing vs. Interactive Writing.
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On Tuesday, March 30th over 1,000 employees received their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This includes bus drivers, substitute staff, tutors, and more. We thank our school nurses, COVID-19 Response Team, Facilities and Grounds staff, Technology staff and our partners at SSM Health. |
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Having excellent teachers for all students can be a challenge, so we have to grow our own with the great people already working in the Sun Prairie Area School District! Research supports growing your own teachers as a viable means of creating a continuous supply of quality, prospective candidates who are reflective of the diverse teacher workforce needs within a local school community.
Benefits of the program:
- Serve as a workforce development initiative to recruit and retain diverse teacher talent that reflects the diverse community of Sun Prairie.
- Partner with colleges, universities, and other certifying entities to meet the local teacher workforce needs by subject area specifically focused on social justice and equitable outcomes for all students.
- Offer financial aid/tuition to encourage support staff employees to complete a degree in education in shortage areas such as EL, Special Education, Math, Science, Family and Consumer Ed, PhyEd to name a few.
- Provide opportunities for career advancement and professional growth for people within the organizations.
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“My experience with the Grow Your Own program has been amazing. I have been able to find so many rewarding takeaways from this experience. If I were to leave you with a quote, I would say, to impact the lives of those we serve daily, we must continue to provide opportunities and experiences for all people in our system to grow. This shows students that learning is continuous, and we must continue to grow as people to impact the lives of many" - LaRon Ragsdale |
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NEW POSITION!
The district will begin the hiring process soon for a new position. The Director of Systemic Equity and Inclusion will be responsible for co-creating and assisting in the execution of short and long-range equity goals and strategies supporting the district’s strategic plan, mission, vision, and equity framework while specifically promoting a climate of equity and inclusion for all. This position co-creates and revises institutional policies, practices, structures, and programs fostering a climate of equity and acceptance that respects, values, and responds to the diversity of students, staff, parents, and the community. This person will collaboratively facilitate the District’s efforts in sustaining a culture of equity, inclusion, and anti-racism for students, staff, and families with a specific focus on the academic and social outcomes of systemically underserved populations.
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We are seeking to diversify our workforce. If you are interested in any of the positions listed below, please visit Frontline to apply.
- Financial Administrative Associate-High School
- Program Manager at Cardinal Heights
- Director of Systemic Equity and Inclusion
- Early Childhood Special Education (PK-4K)
- 7th Grade Literacy Teacher
- 8th Grade English Teacher
- Elementary Interventionist
- Secondary Math Teacher
- Cross Categorical Teacher
- Administrative Associate-Athletic Dept.
- Bilingual Assistant-Spanish
- Bilingual Assistant-Hmong
- Lead Food Servers
- Special Education Assistant
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HUMAN RESOURCES CONTACTS:
Chris Sadler, Human Resources Director
Isabel Simonetti, Employee Relations Manager
humanresources@sunprairieschools.org
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*NEW* Mobile App for Communications |
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We are pleased to announce our new mobile app designed specifically to keep our families better informed and connected to what’s going on in our schools. The new mobile app is available for both Apple and Android devices.
The app will deliver real-time school news to a smart device for fast, up-to-date access. The app includes the following:
- School and District Calendars
- Social Media/News
- Push Notifications
- Breakfast/Lunch Menus
The app is FREE and available for download today! To download, point your smart device’s camera at this QR Code above. OR from a smart device, go to the iTunes App Store® or Google Play®, Search “Sun Prairie Area SD” and then select the “Sun Prairie Area SD” app.
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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.
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