EVERY FAMILY, EVERY DAY NEWSLETTER |
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District Administration Spotlight |
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Meet, Mr. Nehemiah Barrett, Associate Principal of Patrick Marsh Middle School
Mr. Nehemirah Barrett started this year as the Associate Principal of Patrick Marsh Middle School.
His focus on equity, family engagement, and supporting students post-pandemic makes him a great asset to our District and the Patrick Marsh Middle School community. He is looking forward to “empowering individuals to build on their strengths.”
In an interview with Madison 365, he said that “You know, I want all my students — especially my students of color — to have some academic achievement in literacy and math,” said Barrett. “I want all my students to be able to read and write. I told him I wanted us to figure out how we can meet the needs of our families, especially our Black families. They’re often marginalized, and they need to have a seat at the table.”
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Meet Ms. Nikole Sconiers, Principal of Alternative Programs and Prairie Phoenix Academy
Ms. Nikole Sconiers started this year as the Principal of Alternative Programs and Prairie Phoenix Academy.
Ms. Sconiers previously recently served as the Associate Principal of Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School and has years of leadership experience in various roles, including teacher, Dean of Students, Multi-tiered Systems of Support Facilitator, and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) coach in Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Inner City Studies Education from Northeastern Illinois University, a master’s degree in Urban Education from Concordia University, and a master’s degree in Supervision & Administration from National Louis University.
“I am impressed with the work Nikole has done in our District already, and I know that she will continue to provide innovative and positive learning experiences for all students in her role as principal,” Superintendent Brad Saron said.
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Update from Michael Morgan, Director of Systemic Equity & Inclusion |
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On October 21, 2021, Michael Morgan presented an equity and inclusion update that lifted five important priorities to the SPASD Board of Education. The priorities are shared below:
- Building Relational Trust among community members with a focus on historically marginalized populations.
- Increasing the presence of culturally responsive teaching and learning through the Ready for Rigor Adult Learning Framework (R4R ALF), the SPASD Instructional Framework, and the SPASD Curriculum Renewal and Design Process.
- Collaboration with the Human Resources Department to recruit and retain diverse staff.
- Facilitate and coach Race and Equity teams as they address identified problems of practice related to race and equity.
- Focus on the celebration of Black Excellence through Black History Month, Black Student Unions, and beyond to the SPASD Board of Education.
You can also learn more about action steps that are in progress for Michael, as well as his strategically planned next steps by visiting our equity framework page.
Mr. Morgan wants the community to know that this is a non-exhaustive list of important priorities and that the work is underway. He looks forward to increasing his capacity to focus on all marginalized populations including our Latinx, Asian, and LGBTQ+ communities.
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What does the Director of Systemic Equity and Inclusion Do?
The DSEI co-creates and assists 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. The DSEI 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. The DSEI collaboratively facilitates 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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Administrative Associate to the Director of Systemic Equity and Inclusion
Manuel Turrubiartes is a product of the Sun Prairie Area School District. He first came to Sun Prairie at the age of 7 and started attending Westside Elementary. Once finally getting to high school, Manuel had developed many passions and was involved in a variety of the clubs that were offered; some including French Club, Latinx Culture Club, Chess Club, Forensics, Academic Decathlon, bowling and theater productions.
Manuel went on to Madison College where he studied Administrative Professions. During his time in college, he started an internship at Sun Prairie High School which ultimately was the first step into being a full time employee at the high school. His goal was to one day work in the SPASD to give back to the community that helped him achieve his goals. During his time at SPHS, Manuel served as the Administrative Associate to the Principals and Deans of Students. He could also be seen working at many school sporting events.
Manuel became a voice for the high school's Equity Team in the 2020-21 school year. He knew that his voice could help so many other children and families who were once in his same shoes growing up in the district. In his new role as the Administrative Associate to the Director of Systemic Equity and Inclusion, Manuel strives for making a positive impact on the community to provide local and immediate attention to equity needs in our schools.
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Katina Maclin Interns with 100 Black Men of Madison
Sun Prairie High School Student Katina Maclin has been doing great things inside and outside of the classroom, which includes interning with 100 Black Men of Madison.
100 Black Men of Madison is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of youth in the Madison area, especially African American males, through mentoring, education, health and wellness, and economic development programs. Specifically, Katina is working in the Madison City Clerk’s office under the mentorship of Maribeth Witzel Behl, whose job focuses on coordinating local voting, voter registration, and voter licensing.
Katina’s day-to-day tasks include working on equity analysis and graphic design. She also has participated in a Voter and Registration Question and Answer and helped coordinate a National Voter Registration Day event earlier last month. Katina says that completing these tasks has helped her develop her social skills in the workplace.
“I have learned to be more assertive and to speak up, whereas before I have been much more passive,” said Katina. “This will really help me in the future in different career paths and opportunities. As an adult, you need to be assertive because most times there will not be someone else who will take care of your responsibilities for you.”
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An Inside Look at Our Nationally Recognized AVID Program
AVID is a college readiness system offered to students in grades 7-12. It is designed to increase school-wide learning and improve academic performance for students. AVID targets students in the academic middle who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These are students who are capable of completing a rigorous curriculum but can benefit from support.
- In 2020 100% of AVID Graduates were college accepted and over 4 million dollars were offered to them in scholarship funds
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Our Senior AVID scholars talked with our 8th and 9th grade AVID scholars |
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Our PMMS 7th grade AVID Scholars gave 60-second speeches and prepared one-page papers for Hispanic Heritage Month |
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Our Senior Scholars worked on college applications earlier this year |
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Senior Mateo Alvarado Venegas Breaks School Record in Cross Country
Congratulations to senior Mateo Alvarado Venegas for breaking his own school record, running a 5K time of 15:28! Way to go Mateo!
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Representatives of our School District including our Community Schools tabled at the Multicultural Fair. The weather was perfect and the community came out in big numbers! We had so much fun interacting with families and community members.
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Our Community Schools have had a very busy start to the school year! Read all about the great work being done by our talented Community Schools staff in partnership with members of the community by visiting their Facebook page.
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Get Involved in Our Strategic Plan Refresh |
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Our community is constantly changing and evolving. We want to make sure what we do today makes tomorrow better. Help us work towards our bright future by getting involved with our Strategic Plan Refresh! Learn more about the refresh on our website. We want to hear from you! Every Tuesday, we'll ask two questions to get feedback and advice from the community. We'll share the questions on social media and our website. You can answer this week's questions below:
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Stay Updated About Our New Boundaries |
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Sun Prairie West High School opens next Fall! That means beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, our district will have two comprehensive 9-12 high schools, three 6-8 middle schools, and our alternative learning school, Prairie Phoenix Academy, at its new location. We will also have new boundaries for which school middle and high school students attend in Fall 2022. Stay up to date on our new school boundaries by visiting our website. You can find the new boundaries approved by the School Board in February as well as the latest work from the task force creating new bell times for the district.
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We are seeking to diversify our workforce. To see all available positions including the positions listed below, please scan the QR Code or visit Frontline.
- Dean of Students - Sun Prairie East High School
- Dean of Students - Sun Prairie East High School
- Dean of Students - Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
- Dean of Students - Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
- Community Schools Instructor: Certified
- Community Schools Instructor: Non-Certified
- Cross Categorical Teacher (Elementary)
- 4th Grade Teacher - Creekside Elementary
- 6th Grade Literacy Teacher - Patrick Marsh Middle School
- School Psychologist (Secondary)
- Cross Categorical Long Term Sub - Royal Oaks Elementary
- 8th Grade Algebra Long Term Sub - Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
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HUMAN RESOURCES CONTACTS:
Chris Sadler, Human Resources Director
Isabel Simonetti, Employee Relations Manager
humanresources@sunprairieschools.org
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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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