School Board Meeting

We invite you to a School Board Meeting on Monday, November 7, 2022, being held at District Support Center (Room 100), 501 S Bird Street at 6:00 pm.

Key Words at Key Times

DISTRICT NEWS

Empty Bowls Dinner at Sun Prairie West High School

Wednesday, November 16th, 5:00-8:00 PM

Come and support the ProStart, Marketing, Art, and orchestra students at Sun Prairie West! Our culinary students are making over 10 soups and homemade rolls for you to eat. The Art department is making 150 Bowls from scratch Marketing students putting together all the research and planning.

The Orchestra will have live music that night.

• $15.00 for all-you-can-eat and to take home a homemade bowl
• $7.00 for just the food and using one of our department bowls

Proceeds will pay the two departments back and the rest will go to a charity here in Sun Prairie.  

Email if you have any questions: jahanse@sunprairieschools.org

Just a friendly reminder . . .

Make sure you set your clocks back. You would be disappointed if you came in to work an hour early.

Sun Prairie Education Foundation Fall Grant

With the end of Quarter 1 fast approaching, the SP Education Foundation Grant committee chair, Terry Twedell, has asked me to remind everyone of the upcoming due date of the fall grant cycle: Thursday, November 8. 

SPEF trustees are hoping that many grant requests are submitted as this organization's motto is "It's All About the Kids."  

There are several very generous donors who have set up accounts with SPEF for initiatives centered on specific areas such as bullying, helping kids in poverty, the arts, social studies, literacy, a speaker series, early childhood, etc. PEF's general fund, however, supports grants in all other areas. When writing a grant, be as specific as you can for the budget portion; e.g., $5,000 for supplies is not enough information.  If you want to bring in a speaker, donors usually ask what are the activities before the speaker comes in and what are the follow-up activities. Grants asking for "one and done" activities are usually not funded.

SPEF's grant committee prefers sponsoring experiences for kids, rather than "stuff."  SPEF does not pay for salaries nor does it pay for items that should be covered by the school district.    

Grants that are awarded out of this cycle will have the grant amount available on February 1. In addition, grant winners have two years to spend their grant amount.  

The goal of SPEF is to provide extraordinary opportunities/experiences for kids that the School Board would normally not fund. If you have an idea but want to run it by someone before you actually write the grant, please reach out to Terry Twedell at 837-2184.

Good luck.

PS: Late applications will not be considered for this cycle but will be considered in the third quarter cycle of 2023-2024. 

PPS.  The grant application and additional directions can be found at:  https://www.sunprairieeducationfoundation.org/apply-for-grant-sun-prairie-education-foundation-sun-prairie-wisconsin

Open Enrollment for 2023 (REMINDER)

Open enrollment through Frontline Central begins October 27, 2022, and runs through November 10, 2022. This is the time that you can make changes to your health, dental, and vision plans. ALL benefit eligible employees must complete the open enrollment process by completing the Open Enrollment form in Frontline Central. This includes new employees and employees newly enrolled in district insurance. If you need to familiarize yourself with the benefits offered by Sun Prairie Area School District, prior to completing your benefits elections, please click here to review the 2023 Benefits Guide.  We also have two short videos: one explaining the three medical options the district will be offering in 2023 and one providing information about the dental, vision, and flexible spending plans for 2023.  

• Health Insurance Informational Video
• Dental, Vision, and Flex Spending Informational Video
• We understand that this can be a big decision for you and your family and want to assist if you have questions. We have scheduled open office hours starting October 27, 2022, in 15-minute increments via Zoom. Please use Signup Genius to schedule a time to get your questions answered with Heather and Jen from our HR team. 

Holiday Wellness Bingo Challenge: Although the Holiday Season is a time for celebration, family/friend connection, and joy, it can also be filled with overwhelm. Let your Employee Wellness Department assist you in fostering some "me" time to stay healthy! Our Holiday Bingo Challenge focuses on several different dimensions of well-being. To participate, simply complete as many of the activities as you can on THIS bingo sheet between November 14th and December 31st. At the end of the challenge, participants will be requested to complete a brief google form to be entered into the drawing. One winner will be randomly selected from each building.

Employee Wellness Clinic Magnets, Cards, and Brochures: Every employee should have received an updated Employee Wellness Clinic magnet, business card, and trifold brochure along with THIS cover letter in your mailbox. If you did not receive it, please email Karyn Richmond at klrichm@sunprairieschools.org. Please call 608-834-6977 (MYSP) to make an appointment!

Chef Kimberly helped us kick off the month of November by teaching us how to cook with kabocha. Kimberly demonstrated how to prepare kabocha soup, pasta, and salad. Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin readily found in most grocery stores, but butternut squash or sweet potatoes can be substituted. Click HERE to view recipes. Missed the class? No worries! Click HERE to view the recording! Click HERE to learn more about Chef Kimberly! The photo featured is the actual image of the three dishes Kimberly created! YUM!

Walking Club: Join Adam Mumm & Patti Lux on the indoor walking track at SP West beginning Wednesday, November 9th from 4:15- 5:00 pm and repeating weekly through December 14th. Get those steps in and socialize with colleagues while exercising in a temperature-controlled environment! Please bring indoor walking shoes to change into onsite to keep our new track beautiful! Click HERE for more information! Pictured L-R: Adam Mumm, Michele Vollmer, and Patti Lux walking on the outdoor track since the weather was beautiful last week. Stay up-to-date with all of our FREE employee wellness classes and events by adding the Employee Wellness Calendar to your calendar!

November is Homelessness Awareness Month: Our very own Catherine Reierson was featured on NBC 15 News spreading awareness about this important issue. You can assist others in need by donating the following new/gently used adult/youth items: waterproof gloves, winter hats, snow pants, winter jackets, and/or winter boots. Donations can be dropped off at the C.A.R.D.S Closet donation box on 1632 W Main Street from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and/or at the District Support Center at 501 South Bird Street Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m for the entire month of November.

Mammogram Event: Dean is hosting a mammogram event exclusively for SPASD staff and their spouses who are enrolled in our health insurance.

When: Tuesday, November 15th from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Where: Dean East Clinic, 1821 S Stoughton Rd, Madison.

How: RSVP: 608-250-1560 to reserve your spot View THIS flier for details.

Our EAP, REALiving offers FREE counseling and coaching sessions, including financial, legal, management, and crisis. Counseling sessions are available to employees and immediate family members. Click HERE to view the full menu of services. Click HERE to view counseling affiliates.

EAP November 11th Friday Fact Free Data Breach Scan: Stay worry-free by running a free ID breach scan provided through REALiving.

Did You Know?  Healthcare Consumerism Campaign: Did you know that when an insurance company pays out in claims more than they take in, in premiums, that leads to premium increases  Claims paid versus premium received is called a Medical Loss Ratio, or MLR. A favorable MLR is right around 88%. That means that for every dollar an insurance company collects in premiums, they are paying out 88 cents for claims. It’s not even 100% because there is administration, overhead, etc. that insurance companies have to pay as well. The 88% refers to ONLY the amount of premium that is paid out in claims costs.

This graph shows where SPASD claims have been, compared to a 100% MLR and also the targeted 88% MLR.  As you can see, we have been above both lines since January 1st, 2016.

We know that healthcare can be consuming and confusing so we will be sharing simple tips that reduce your healthcare spending, saving money for both you and the district.

Tip #1: Prescription Drug Savings: Did You Know that the exact same prescription can cost vastly different depending on what pharmacy you use to fill that prescription?  Check out the tips below:

1. Use Mail Order for Maintenance Medications: Medications are conveniently delivered to your home!

• Dean Health Plan uses Costco for its Mail Order Pharmacy Program
• You do not need to be a Costco Member to take advantage of this program
• For Tier 1 and Tier 2 maintenance medications, you can get a 3-month supply for only 2 months’ copays
• For Tier 3 maintenance medications, you can still get a 3-month supply, but it will cost the full 3 months’ copays
• You can order through traditional mail order or order online
• To set up online ordering, simply click HERE and Click on “Sign in / Register”
• You will also need your provider to submit a new prescription to Costco.

To find out what Tier your prescriptions fall under, you can click HERE to access the Dean formulary or drug list. 

2. Use a Dean Affiliated Pharmacy: If you don’t want to utilize the mail order pharmacy or have prescriptions that don’t qualify for that benefit, please click on THIS link to locate the nearest Dean network pharmacy. Please note, Dean pharmacies will not be listed in the link provided, but they provide the same cost-saving benefit.

3. Use Dean’s Tablet Splitting Program: Through tablet splitting, you can pay less of your usual copayment by purchasing a higher dosage of the medication and then splitting the tablet to get the dosage you require. To find out what prescriptions qualify for this program and how to learn more about it, click on THIS link.

4. Use Pharmacy Cost Compare Tool in DeanConnect: Did you know that the same prescription can cost more money depending on the pharmacy you use and if you use a generic vs. name brand prescription? DeanConnect Tool allows you to find a pharmacy, view medication history, find information about drugs, and calculate pharmacy copays. Click HERE to find out more.                        

5. Use GoodRx Cost Comparison Tool: Did you know that purchasing your prescription using GoodRx may cost you less money than your copay? Click HERE for a cost comparison.

Purchasing

SPASD has a fully operative purchase order system as a means of budgetary control. This means that staff members must get a purchase order for all purchases and cannot make purchases out of pocket and receive reimbursement.

Each teacher is given a budget amount. The Principal and Lead Administrative Associate at each school are in charge of the budget and are the main point of contact for budget and purchasing questions. When you are ready to purchase supplies for your classroom, please touch base with your building Lead Administrative Associate and they will be able to help you.

Please refer to Purchasing Resources for information on purchasing procedures, forms, etc.  For security reasons, these resources are only shared through your district email address. You will not be able to access the link from your personal email. 

If you are unsure who to contact for specific questions, please refer to our Business Services Directory. 

On November 2nd, the 4K-12 Social Studies department met, and we:

• Reviewed the recently revised curriculum renewal and design process
• Previewed the work of the Social Studies steering committee this year
• Reviewed the intersection of curriculum renewal and design and the SPASD Instructional Framework
• Previewed the process, timeline, future goals, meeting times, and expectations of steering committee members and processes
• Reviewed our new course offerings/alignment at middle school and high school.  
• Assessed the need for professional development currently and in the future.
• Middle school reps discussed the new Geography curriculum. They will gather feedback on its implementation from staff, and 6th-grade educators in particular, as Geography will remain within 6th grade exclusively next year and beyond.  
• High school reps acknowledged challenges with students in varying courses and will be gathering feedback from their department about recommended course sequencing, particularly around World History, US History, Psychology, Legal Studies, and Diversity Studies.
• High school reps expressed the need for more professional development on teaching Reconstruction and other sensitive topics, not only on the content, but also on how to teach/pedagogy around hard topics/how to navigate those hard topics (example: lynching, stereotypical political cartoons, etc.), and don’t want to “sugarcoat” or skip topics. 
• All committee members continued curriculum mapping of standards and reviewing content with an equity lens to prevent curriculum violence.

On November 2nd, the 4K-12 Physical Education (PE) steering committee met, and we:

• Streamlined our curriculum documents, folders, and District website
• Reviewed the PE budget and acknowledged two new buildings.  TLE/Operations directors need to review the budget to see if an increase in overall funds is possible
• Discussed technology equity across our schools, including sound systems and microphones
• Reviewed the new curriculum renewal and design plan and instructional framework
• Discussed professional development needs for PE staff this year
• Reviewed the field trip form and the challenges staff face in using it.  The steering committee is requesting a review of this form for improved usability by staff.
• Reviewed course offerings post-reconfiguration at secondary to check in on how the year is going with the new classes/levels.

Carroll College

Professional educators who are interested in pursuing a degree in Educational Leadership, please consider the upcoming cohort launching on January 14, 2023, through Carroll University. We have a partnership established with them which will provide you with a 15% tuition discount for the program's entirety. Please read this link for more information.

Edgewood College

Edgewood College is holding a Language and Literacy Information Session on Monday, Nov. 14th, during which you can meet with program coordinators to learn about pathways in Reading, ESL, and Bilingual Education.  During this meeting, you will learn about Edgewood’s approach, courses, and steps to license endorsement. Time will be provided for questions.  Please RSVP by Wednesday, Nov. 9th using this link.

If you participate, remember to enter this event into your Frontline Professional Growth account and get proof of attendance to attach when you mark it complete.

Reminder

Phonics Assessment Reminder for K-2 teachers: Please refer to the Literacy Overview to identify which assessments need to be administered and entered into Educlimber at the end of each unit. Connect with your instructional coach or me if you have questions.

Big 8 Conference

Boys Soccer:

The Big 8 Conference released their All-Conference Team for the 2022 Boys Soccer season. Sun Prairie was represented well, Congratulations Sun Prairie East and West. Here are the results:

1st Team All-Conference:

Riley Stevens from Sun Prairie West, Midfielder

Carsten Ganter from Sun Prairie East, Goalkeeper

2nd Team All-Conference: 

Daniel Worrell from Sun Prairie West, Forward

Lucas Albright from Sun Prairie East, Midfielder

Landon Holmen from Sun Prairie East, Defender

2nd Team Honorable Mention: 

Ethan Correa from Sun Prairie East, Forward

Eli Thao from Sun Prairie East, Midfielder

Tyler Hodges from Sun Prairie West, Midfielder

Carson Schmoldt from Sun Prairie West, Midfielder

TJ Ganter from Sun Prairie East, Defender

Tyler Dom from Sun Prairie West, Defender

Ian Nelson from Sun Prairie West, GoalkeeperA

Athletics & Activities LINK

Sun Prairie East

Please click HERE to view the Cardinals athletic schedule for next week.

Click HERE to purchase tickets for Sun Prairie East High School athletic events.

Sun Prairie West

Please click HERE to view the Wolves' athletic schedule for next week.

Click HERE to purchase tickets for Sun Prairie West High School athletic events

Check out this folder if you missed a Tech Tuesday Training Session: Tech Tuesday Trainings Resource Folder. 

Upcoming Professional Development (aka Tech Tuesday Trainings):

• November 22: All Things Tech in your 6-12 Classroom
• November 29: Snap & Read for Elementary (new date)
• December 13: Universal Accessibility Tools Available NOW (K-12) 

Looking to get better with Google? The Google Workspace Learning Center is an amazing resource, check it out here! 

Check These Out!

Data and Assessment Drive Folder

Data and Assessment Website

Please take 10 minutes to check the appropriate job alike landing page for weekly updates from Janet and Jennifer.

Sun Prairie Trunk or Treat 

Site Coordinators enjoyed connecting with students, families, and community groups to offer a fun, safe trick-or-treating experience last weekend at the Aquatic Center. Our theme was Hotel Transylvania, which took 2nd place this year! 

Winter Drives

Our team is working with our pupil services teams and community resources to ensure that our students and families have what they need for winter gear and upcoming holiday meals. Site Coordinators are partnering with and connecting families with local resources like The Boys & Girls Club, Sunshine Place, and YMCA, as well as our very own East High School student council helping with project Toasty Toes (a winter clothing drive that will serve all community schools).

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