A Message from Superintendent, Dr. Dana Monogue
Greetings!
April showers, cold, wind, and snow will hopefully lead to May flowers, sunshine, and warmth!
We are in that tricky time of year when we try to stay in the moment and enjoy the present while also thinking about the next school year and all of the planning that entails. Part of my daily conversation with myself is a reminder to be present - to focus on the wonderful things happening all around us each day in our schools. The details associated with the next school year will work themselves out. They always do.
Take notice of a colleague's work and tell them how amazing they are. Let a student know how much they have meant to you this school year. Acknowledge and honor yourself and the excellent work you have been doing!
Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect.
Nichole Carlisle named 2020 School Social Worker of the year!
Nichole Carlisle won the social worker of the year award in 2020 but was officially recognized for her hard work at the recent Wisconsin School Social Workers Association Conference in Oshkosh
This is Nichole's 5th year at Kromrey and 8th year in education She was nominated for the award by 10 of her colleagues She won the award during COVID and remembered being in her dining room when she got the call that she was the finalist
"I just cried, laughed, and was overjoyed that I won," said Nichole
Nicole advocates at multiple levels to ensure that our systems are more racially and socially just. She goes above and beyond making connections with students and families
Nichole will not stop working until she knows that our most marginalized students are getting what they need to find success academically, socially, and emotionally
Congratulations, Nichole!
New Asst. Superintendent of Operations Jerrud Rossing Wins School Business Manager of the Year award
Congratulations to Jerrud on his recent recognition by the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO)
This award is in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Monona Grove School District, the local community, and the business management profession He will be officially honored at the State Education Convention in January of 2023
Click here to learn more
Emma Becher Receives Herb Kohl Fellowship
Our district is thrilled to share that Emma Becher has been selected as a 2022 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellow
Emma works in the Special Education & Social Studies Departments at Middleton High School We are so proud and lucky to have Emma and her leadership at MHS.
Teacher Fellowship recipients are educators who have been chosen for their superior ability to inspire a love of learning in their students, their ability to motivate others, and their leadership and service within and outside the classroom
100 Wisconsin teachers were selected and will be awarded a $6,000 grant
Mercedes Martin Wins Teacher Of The Year Award
A big round of applause for Kromrey Middle School bilingual resource teacher Mercedes Martin! She has recently been recognized as "Teacher Of The Year" by the Wisconsin Association for Bilingual Education (WIABE)!
She was nominated for her tireless efforts as an advocate for her students and their families, as well as for building the capacity of her colleagues and aspiring teachers
She will be formally recognized at the Educator of the Year and President's Reception at the WIABE Conference on Friday, April 22 Congratulations once again Mercedes!
11Years
9Years
We want to wish Park Elementary Principal Monica Schommer and Director of High School Education Laura Love a happy Retirement!
Love has been with our district as a Director for 9 years, with almost 30 years in Education
Schommer has been with our district for 11 years as Principal of Park Elementary. She has been in Education for 32 years
Thank you for all the hard work and sacrifice you have given to our district and our students, families, and staff!
Their last day with MCPASD will be June 30, 2022 The Board of Education will recognize both at their upcoming meeting on May 9th.
I have an incredible career to cherish Thirty-two years of good and bad, ups and downs, triumph and defeat, love and loss, growth and achievements, and more learning and reflecting and laughs than I can count
9Years
There is so much I have learned in my time here Students have taught me that they are capable of much more if we make space for their ideas and actions
Teachers have taught me that they are constantly learning and trying new ideas Support staff has taught me to stop, listen, and show support for the whole staff community Colleagues have taught me to collaborate toward greater possibilities for students and families
Laura Love
Monica Schommer
Stacy Sanders
Thomas White
Kathy Rauman
John Burdick
Laurie Johnson
Tami Bowker
Jane Hinrichs
Shirley Haack
2021-2022 MCPASD Staff Retirements
Speaking of Retirement, we want to thank the following staff members for all their hard work and years of service We appreciate your leadership, knowledge, and dedication to our district This year, we will honor these staff members at the district-wide retirement event.
David Allen
Michael Talley
Ellor Wilson
Dawn Troyanowski
Deborah A Hoskins
Marilyn Sharrow
Vicki L Shaffer
Elizabeth Schulz
Ann O'Rourke
Michel Meeteer
Patrick A Keeler
Ruth Frawley
Julie Bohmsach
Jay T Redders
Kelly J Rawson
Jeannine Rae Griffith
Colleen Schmidt
Kristin E Wilson
Anne L Solie
Anne M. Smith
Dennis J Neylon
Rick K Evans
William Eberhardt
Louisa Downey
Clark Street Community School Recognized In A National Study On School Innovation
Hooray for Clark Street Community School! They were recently recognized by the Mastery Transcript Consortium in a national study on school innovation called the Canopy Project. Clark Street now has the opportunity to:
Be identified on a national database of innovative K-12 learning environments
Receive a customized report to see how they compare to other schools across the county Network with other innovative school leaders
Clark Street Community School hosted this month's episode of the "Monthly Update With Monogue" Check it out here!
Keeping you up to date
New Entrance for District Services Center
New signage has been installed near the right side of the building, where the old gym and our community garden are located.
Everyone that enters the building must sign in at the front entryway table. Employees can still access the old entrance with their badge if they know how to navigate the DSC building We will have a sign-up sheet at the old entrance, as well
Betsy Buechner will be moved to the new area and will continue to greet visitors and employees
DSC Staff, if you have an appointment and your guest(s) comes to the DSC office, you will need to meet them at the new front desk location We will not be sending non-staff guests throughout the building unattended As a reminder, the new mail station will also be located in the new office area.
MCPASD COVID - 19 Updates
MCPASD COVID-19 will be closing our district testing sites on Monday, May 30, 2022, for Memorial Day
MCPASD COVID-19 testing sites will close after the last day of school on Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Per DHS and PHMDC recommendations, proof of a negative PCR test will no longer be required to return to school after testing positive for COVID-19, experiencing illness symptoms, or having close contact with someone with COVID-19. MCPASD will now accept a negative lab-based antigen test to return to school after experiencing illness symptoms or if unvaccinated and in close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. PCR tests remain available at our district testing sites for those who want this test, but the PCR test result is no longer required. Lab-based antigen tests are available at our district testing sites. Labbased antigen test results return in less than 1 hour instead of the 24-72 hours required for PCR results Our goal is to reduce waiting times for test results in order to keep our students and staff in school
Please visit our MCPASD COVID-19 Health and Safety webpage to view our updated COVID-19 documents If you have any questions, please contact MCPASD’s Coordinator of Health Services, Kendra Deja, at kdeja@mcpasd.k12.wi.us.
Important Reminders
District Service Center Summer Hours
June 10th- August 5th
Office is open 7am-4:30pm (M-Th)
Friday is open to staff but open to the public by appointment only
Staff cannot work before 6am or after 5pm
Closed July 4th
Staff Survey Deadline Coming Soon
Every voice is important! If you have not already, please participate in this year ' s staff engagement survey.
Deadline: 10am April 21st
Click here to view the survey
Save The Date
Learner-Centered Summit
Beginning June 21-23, we will be hosting our first Annual Learner-Centered Summit. This is an excellent opportunity for staff to collaborate with colleagues and share innovative ideas and best practices. Please keep an eye out in the coming weeks for more information about the event and how to sign up.
If you have any questions, please contact: Sherri Cyra | scyra@mcpasd k12 wi us
A MESSAGE FROM BARB A MESSAGE FROM BARB
April is a time for Spring processes and a kick-off to our Summer hiring season. The employee services department will be sharing information about next year ’ s teacher contracts and letters of reasonable assurance for support staff. The benefits team continues to monitor the health risk assessment (HRA) process, so if you have not completed your Personal Wellness Plan or submitted your Preventative Health Form, please look for the March 21st email that you received from the benefitsmailbox@ for more information
Read more
Enjoy the transition into Spring and ask yourself, what is your favorite sign of Spring and feel that appreciation and gratitude when you see it
Spring into Summer
The end of the year oftentimes feels like a crash landing, so this opportunity will help create a softer space to land. Join us for a series of six walk/jog/runs on Wednesdays at either 3:15 or 4:15 (choose which works best with your schedule) Routes are located in Middleton, Cross Plains and in-between. There will also be a Facebook group so if you can’t participate in all the events, you can still have accountability and encouragement through the group. Click here for more details.
Wellness Survey Results, Summary and Future Direction
Thank you to all 467 of you who participated in the Wellness Survey! Click here to view results from the survey, what we ’ re working on for the future, the purpose of wellness and our 22-23 Wellness Goals.
Get $150 from Dean/SSM Living Healthy Rewards - It’s easy!
By completing simple activities, adults on our health insurance plan can earn up to $150 in gift cards (including to Amazon). Complete the online Health Assessment (10-15 minutes) for $50. Click here for directions on Living Healthy Rewards
Employee Services
APRIL APRIL
WELLNESS CHALLENGE WELLNESS CHALLENGE
Sign Up for the READY TO ROLL Team Wellness Challenge
This four-week physical activity challenge based on the game, Yahtzee™, encourages your team to take charge of your health rather than letting it be up to chance. You will be challenged to make little changes throughout your day. Throughout this team challenge, you will track your physical-related activities to earn points, while encouraging or involving your team too! The challenge begins April 25. To join, click here.
COLOR RUN COLOR RUN IT'S BACK! IT'S BACK!
CLASSES CONTINUE CLASSES CONTINUE
Yoga & Zumba Classes
Yoga will continue to be offered on Thursdays at Elm Lawn and Saturday Zumba classes will continue through April
View the sign up here and specific classes below:
Restorative vinyasa yoga on Thursdays from 3:154:15pm @ Elm Lawn Zumba on Saturdays from 10-11am virtually through April
Sign up for the Family Fun Run/Walk
Family Fun Day is on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at Kromrey Middle School. Family Fun Day is a free event. Non-perishable food for Middleton Outreach Ministry will be accepted. The Family Fun Walk/Run will start at Kromrey Middle School at 9:00 a.m. The focus of this color run/walk is to get outside and enjoy movement with family, rather than competition. The course will be about 1 5 miles - the perfect distance for all families! To sign up for the event, click here
CARE PACKAGE CARE PACKAGE
View The Wellness Care Package
Take a look at upcoming events as well as new Living Healthy Rewards activities in the April Wellness Care Package.
Employee Services Articles
Point Of Service Plan - Be Aware of Balance Billing
Please be aware of balance billing. It is when a provider bills you for the difference between the provider’s charge and the insurance company ’ s allowed amount For example, if your UW Health provider’s charge is $100 and Dean’s allowed amount is $70, the provider may bill you for the remaining $30. This balance bill amount does NOT count toward your deductible or max out of pocket. Read More
Teacher Contracts For The 2022-23 School Year
This is a reminder that teacher contracts for the 2022-2023 school year will be electronically sent through Skyward sometime after May 5th and they would need to be signed by May 9th. Teacher contracts were approved on the Feb 28th board agenda for approval and the contracts cannot be sent out until after that date Read More
Letter of Reasonable Assurance for Support Staff (10 Month Contract)
If you hold a support staff position which has a 10 month calendar (Para Educators, Food Service, Bus Drivers, some PSSP staff, etc ), you will electronically receive a Letter of Reasonable Assurance on or before the last day of this school year, 6/8/2022. Again, these will be electronically sent through Skyward sometime between May 30th and June 8th. Read More
Letter of Reasonable Assurance for Support Staff (11-12 Month Contract)
If you hold a support staff position with the district which has an 11 month or a 12 month calendar, you will receive a Letter of Assignment prior to July 1, 2022 This will be sent to you through Skyward, meaning at some point prior to 7/1/2022, when you sign into your Skyward account you will be prompted to view your 22-23SY Letter of Assignment. This will be your copy only, and another copy will be placed in your personnel file. No signature is required.
Wellness Articles
REALiving Monthly Newsletter and Friday Facts
April EAP Newsletter: Get Clean and Dirty this Spring
Friday Fact: Benefits of Spring Cleaning
Cleaning for Calories
Spring Cleaning Hacks
Ready, Set, Dirt!
Growing is for you, too
Click here for past REALiving articles
Try Slow Movement Qi Gong for More Energy and Mind-Body Connection
According to the NIH, “Qi Gong, pronounced ‘chi gong, ’ was developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being Qigong has both psychological and physical components and involves the regulation of the mind, breath, and body’s movement and posture.” Try out this ten-minute, beginner Qi Gong routine for increased energy.
Wellness Perks
Discounts, resources, and recipes oh my!
There are so many great resources and discounts available to all staff
Click here to see the full list
Staff Spotlight
PURCHASING/FINANCE SPECIALISTS PURCHASING/FINANCE SPECIALISTS
Please join us in welcoming Shameka Price & Kelsie Perez as our two new Purchasing & Finance Specialists!
Meet Kelsie
Read more
She has worked in accounting and bookkeeping for 10 years and comes to us from her previous position as a staff accountant Kelsie grew up in Shawno, Wisconsin and is happily married with two children ages 2 and 4 In her free time she enjoys ice cream, volleyball, and the beach
Meet Shameka
She has worked for the District since 2017 and is switching over from her previous role in Student Services Shameka is part of a big and loving family In her free time she enjoys reading, relaxing and exploring nature
You deserve a shout!
Lastly, we would like to show our appreciation to Special Education Teacher, John Wozniczka.
Director of Elementary Student Services, Dr Sally Kellman had this to say about you!
We made a difficult decision to move a student to Park based on need and John stepped up and took the parent on a tour, met with the student and parent before the student started and has done an amazing job regaining trust with the parent and helping the student be successful in his new placement
Dr. Sally Kellman