EVERY FAMILY, EVERY DAY NEWSLETTER |
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Update from the Department of Systemic Equity and Inclusion |
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Michael Morgan
Director of Systemic Equity & Inclusion
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Jody Catencamp
Administrative Associate for Systemic Equity & Inclusion
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Teran Peterson
Community Liaison
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The second cohort of the Department of Systemic Equity and Inclusion Community Cabinet has begun. This group meets monthly to learn, share, grow, and connect with the Director of Systemic Equity and Inclusion and process leads from across the system to cover a range of topic items the group selects. This month Michael Morgan covered the different celebrations of cultures in our District and asked for the Cabinet's input on how to lift and celebrate our diverse student body as a District.
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Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month |
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We observe, recognize, and celebrate the cultures, heritages, and contributions of Latinx and Hispanic people to our schools, communities, state, and country.
The Sun Prairie School Board passed a resolution in support of Hispanic/ LatinX Heritage month during their September meeting. The DSEI hosted a movie night featuring the Disney hit CoCo in both English and in Spanish (in two separate, adjacent rooms). The first-ever logo in Spanish debuted, and school sites proudly displayed it in classrooms and with buttons. Check out this great representation of flags at West High School, put up by the Latinx Student Leaders!
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Book Readings
The DSEI also curated book readings to be used in classrooms and online for families. Cynthia Bell, Principal at Meadow View kicked off this great program!
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Hispanic Student Union at Sun Prairie East High School
Our Hispanic Student Union Club, formally Latinx Club, at SP East HS has been collecting money to donate to victims of Hurricane Fiona. Our students cut fresh fruits and sold fruit cups from 10/3-10/7. We have raised $165 in our first week of sales/donations. At some SP East High School soccer games, they sold hot chocolate, Mexican corn (elotes), and horchata.
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This year's BSU HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) tour visited 9 colleges in three states with 50 scholars.
The tour includes stops at:
- National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis, TN)
- Edmund Pettus Bridge (Selma, AL)
- The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (Montgomery, AL)
- Alabama State University (Montgomery, AL)
- Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, AL)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (Atlanta, GA)
- Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)
- Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)
- Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA)
- Meharry Medical College (Nashville, TN)
- Fisk University (Nashville, TN)
- Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN)
- Lemoyne-Owen College (Nashville, TN)
This trip would not be possible without the generosity of American Family Insurance and the Department of Systemic Equity and Inclusion.
A huge thank you to our Chaperones: Renee Coleman, Pricilla Garner, Tenisha Winn, Felix Giboney, and Reggie Williams
Another huge thank you to our planning Team: Renee Coleman, Teran Peterson, Nikole Sconiers, Jen Ploeger, and Michael Morgan.
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Sun Prairie Multicultural Fair |
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Members of the District staff had a blast at the Sun Prairie Multicultural Fair on Saturday, September 17th. They met new friends and loved the food and entertainment too. The District was proud to be a sponsor for this community event. |
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Since the beginning of the year, over 60 staff members from 3 middle school sites and 3 elementary school sites have received training in Restorative Justice led by Dr. Tom Cavanagh, founder of RJEd. This training spanned over 4 full days of intensive work! Restorative practices help to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities.
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Meet Our Restorative Practices Coaches |
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Elizabeth Hardy
Restorative Practices Coach at Central Heights Middle School.
I am a former social worker, special education teacher and positive behavior coach. I have been formally learning and teaching about Restorative Practices for the past 10 years.I have been trained by the YWCA and Dr. Tom Cavanaugh. I believe that restorative justice is the most effective way to disrupt the school to prison pipeline, address equities in our current system and build strong, long lasting relationships.
I am fortunate enough to have worked with James Edison the last two years. He joined me and transferred from a Madison school to Central Heights this year. As a team we work with students and staff to repair relationships when harm has been committed. Together we have done over 60 Restorative circles or conversations this school year. We also create lessons for all of our students to experience restorative justice community building circles at least twice per week. Our guidelines and values are very important to us at Central Heights and we begin each circle making sure they reflect who we are and how we want to treat each other.
Besides working at Central Heights, I am a mom, a grandma, a dog mom and an avid card player.
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Dionte Prewitt
Restorative Practices Coach at Patrick Marsh Middle School.
I have 11 yrs experience in education in schools and over 20+ yrs working with youth in various capacities such as education/tutoring after school, coaching, directing a Boys & Girls Club unit, & mentoring formally and informally. Specializing in the areas of distributing positive energy and constant encouragement, relationship building, and supporting students in making better choices in order to be their best selves. Family is everything to me. I have a beautiful wife, Stephanie, two children, Origin & Demetria, & our dog Biscuit. I'm looking forward to continuing my journey & evolving in my new role here at SPASD.
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Kari Lundquist
Restorative Practices Coach at Prairie View Middle School.
This is my 8th year in the District where I have taught both elementary and middle school. When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, reading books, and watching movies.
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There are many benefits to regular school attendance!
These include:
ACHIEVEMENT – Students who regularly attend school are more likely to pass reading and math assessments than students who do not.
OPPORTUNITY – Being in school every day gives students a chance to learn about post-secondary opportunities, including colleges, apprenticeships or trade programs, and the military.
COMMUNITY – When at school, children learn how to become good citizens and develop social skills and a broader worldview.
(data courtesy of the Economic Policy Institute)
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Dr. Chai Lee
Dr. Chai Lee is an Associate Principal at Sun Prairie West High School. Dr. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech & Theater from Winona State University, a master’s degree in Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from St. Mary’s University, and is certified in English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education.
Before coming to Sun Prairie, Dr. Lee served as the principal of HOPE Academy, a K-8 Hmong Immersion School in Minnesota. Before his role at HOPE Academy, Dr. Lee served as an assistant principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and as a district director of AVID programming.
Dr. Lee is excited to bring his background, skills, and passion for ensuring student-centered education, equity, and deep levels of staff support to Sun Prairie West High School every day.
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Congratulations to the following AVID Students on being College Accepted! |
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Sun Prairie Alumnus Spotlight |
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Meet Zayvion
Sun Prairie 2021 graduate Zayvion was awarded a full scholarship from Morgan Stanley to attend Howard University (an HBCU) in Washington, DC. Only 5 students from Spelman, Howard, and Morehouse received the award. Congratulations, Zayvion! Sun Prairie is so proud of you!
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Partnership with 100 Black Men of Madison |
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The 100 Black Men, in partnership with Sun Prairie Schools, have been engaged in the Democracy Project as well as Saturday School. Saturday School used to be hosted by Northside Elementary and is now held at Creekside Elementary. Check out this great news article about them!
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The SPASD Equity Framework details and informs our equity work to help all students succeed. We will continue to use Our Equity Framework to guide how we apply strategies in a systematic manner across our departments and schools to authentic equity transformation. The Equity Framework informs the District Scorecard from which fixed strategies cascade to department and site scorecards that include the systemic action steps for equity. |
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November 8th Operating Referendum |
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As election day comes closer, we want to ensure you are informed before filling out your ballot. Learn why an operational referendum is needed and what's behind the District's financial challenges. We're also having events where you will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
We have several resources available:
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Q: What happens if the referendum doesn't pass?
If the referendum is not approved on November 8th, the District will develop a process for making significant staffing and budget reductions for the 2023–2024 school year and beyond. We will need to reduce our largest expenses, including salaries, benefits, and purchased services. Watch a 2-minute video that shows what the future of our schools could look like.
Avoiding this means that some of the tax savings projected for property owners for the next three years will be reinvested back into our local public schools. Schools are a people business, over 80% of the budget is people; consequently, that money is reinvested back into our local economy.
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In August and September, we hosted Grand Opening Events for Central Heights (formally Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School), Prairie Phoenix Academy (new location on the north side of the Central Heights building), Sun Prairie West High School, and Sun Prairie East High School after major renovations. |
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Central Heights Middle School |
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C. H. Bird
The Fly Birds after-school program is up and running again this year. Students are getting to know teacher other and are building their after-school community. They are excited to continue to learn and grow throughout the year together.
Shenika Moss has submitted her resignation from her position at CH Bird Elementary to pursue other opportunities. While our team and the CH Bird community are sad to see her go, we wish her the best of luck in her new endeavors. Her last day in her Community Schools role was Thursday, September 29th.
We are so grateful for the Community Schools work that Shenika has done over the past two years at C. H. Bird. The relationships and partnerships that she has built will continue to support the work of Community Schools and the CH Bird community for years to come.
We will work together to support this program in the interim while we recruit and train a new site coordinator.
We are now accepting applications in our search for the new CH Bird Site Coordinator. We ask for your help in spreading the word so that we can find a strong candidate to fill Shenika’s shoes!
Please reach out to either of us if you have any questions.
With gratitude,
Nicole Toepfer, Principal of CH Bird Elementary School
Lexi Vanden Heuvel, Substitute Program Coordinator for Sun Prairie Community Schools.
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Creekside
Katrina Collins is our new Site Coordinator serving at Creekside Elementary! Katrina has been working at Creekside for 10 years as a playground and teacher’s assistant and is very excited about this new role!
Over the summer, the Creekside community enjoyed a community picnic. The event was very well attended and included many community partners who made it memorable and fun for students and families. Kona Ice was a popular attraction, giving away over 200 free Kona Ice cups with the support of the Creekside CAFE and Community Schools. Face painting, dancing with a guest DJ, and free books from the Madison Reading Project resulted in many smiles throughout the evening. The event also welcomed families inside to drop off their supplies, visit their learning spaces, and get excited for the upcoming school year!
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Northside
Northside Elementary School’s Harvest Fest 2022 was a huge success! We had 300 in attendance to enjoy music by DJ Ree Maniac, Puerto Rican cuisine by Mrs. Dee’s Place, and festive games run by our community partners. Indoors we had our Scholastic book fair! Thank you to Northside SCO for helping plan and run this event! Thank you to I9 Sports, Boys and Girls Club, McKenzie Center, Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Department, Sun Prairie United Methodist Church, Kicks Karate, and Sun Prairie East Highschool’s National Honor Society for running our fun fall games!
It was truly a night of community and connection that will be remembered for a long time!
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Patrick Marsh
BSU is off to a great start this school year! Derreon Stewart came to speak with students at a recent meeting.
Mentorship Flag Football Program: This program was developed in March 2022 and ran through June 2022. We entered the national youth flag league called “under the lights.” In this program, we talked a lot about our future as young men growing up in Sun Prairie and what that means to them and for them. We also made it a place for our students to do homework before we went to practice every Tuesday and Thursday. This program will be revamped this school year, as well as other programs that will be coming to light.
Youth and Teen Mentorship Program: This Program was developed in June 2022 and ran through August 2022. This free program utilized sports, activities, and career exploration in a safe, supervised environment to develop resilience skills, fine-tune leadership skills, and provide positive role models and lifelong mentors for youth and teens.
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Prairie Phoenix Academy
The Phoenix PRIDE Pantry is open and ready to serve our community. Thank you to Sunshine Place, Kwik Trip, and our community partners for your support in keeping PPA’s refrigerator, freezer, and shelves stocked. The pantry is already seeing visits from PPA students and staff. Thank you to our staff for ensuring our students know it’s okay to use the pantry and helping them to feel comfortable using this resource!
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Westside
We are so excited to have the CEOs of Tomorrow program collaborating with our Westside Elementary After School Program this year. In our expanded and enriched after-school learning time, our 4th and 5th graders are working with our CEOs of Tomorrow coaches to learn about social entrepreneurship, including inspiring them to transform the world through business solutions that help people, the environment, and their own community. These Wildcats will be future world changers!
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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.
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Substitute Teacher - Learn more about becoming a substitute here.
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Substitute Support Staff - Learn more about becoming a substitute here.
- Instructional Assistants
- Special Education Assistants
- Custodians
- Learning Strategist - Horizon Elementary
- Community Schools Site Coordinator - C. H. Bird Elementary
- Elementary Cross-Categorical Teacher
- Cross-Categorical Teacher - Sun Prairie East High School
- 8th Grade Literacy Teacher - Prairie View Middle school
- Technology Integrator - Prairie View Middle School
- Music/Band Teacher - Prairie View Middle School
- Music/Choir Teacher - District-Wide
- Before and After School Program Coordinator - Prairie Phoenix Academy
- AVID Academic Coach/Tutor - District-Wide
- Lifeguard - Sun Prairie East High School
- Welcome Center Administrative Associate - Sun Prairie East High School
- Lead Administrative Associate - Meadow View Elementary
- Deaf/Hard of Hearing Interpreter - Meadow View Elementary
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HUMAN RESOURCES CONTACTS:
Chris Sadler, Human Resources Director
Isabel Simonetti, Employee Relations Manager
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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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