MCPASD
Must Know On The Go
On a time crunch? Check out this page for all your 'need to know' information this month. We invite you to read further when you are able to check out all of the awesome things happening within our District!
Key Dates
Support Staff | Retirement Notification
If you are considering retiring from the district at the end of this school year, please notify Employee Services by March 15, 2024. Learn more on page 10.
Teachers | Retirement Notification
If you are planning to retire during the 2023-24 school year, please notify Barb Buffington by February 1, 2024. Learn more on page 13.
Summer School hiring applications
Due before February 24, 2024
Learn more on page 9.
Staff Wellness Clinic Now Open
The clinic is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To make an appointment, please call 608-829-9009
Learn more on page 14
Additional Retirement Information
If you are planning to retire during the 2023-24 school year, please view more detailed information regarding retirement qualifications and procedures on page 16.
Staff Stars
Recognizing Excellence in Education
Prepare to be inspired as we shine a spotlight on two exceptional staff members from Clark Street Community School. At Clark Street, learning is revolutionized and purposefully designed to ignite curiosity and drive success. For more than a decade, Clark Street has boldly led the charge in transforming education, consistently pushing the boundaries to craft an unparalleled learning environment.
Their unwavering determination to achieve equity goals has not only been acknowledged but celebrated on a national scale. Additionally, Clark Street takes immense pride in the fact that their students consistently secure admission into their desired first-choice schools, a testament to the school's exceptional educational framework
To nominate a future Staff Star, we invite you to fill out a simple form, and they will be featured in our next newsletter
Heather Messer
Meet Heather Messer, one of our outstanding staff members at Clark Street Community School As a National Board Certified Science Teacher and a Kohl Teacher of the Year nominee, Heather's passion for teaching science shines through in her innovative approach to education.
Heather firmly believes that teaching science in context enhances students' understanding of complex concepts. By creating community partnerships, she introduces students to seminars like "Music and Memory," exploring the impact of music on the brain and memory. In seminars like "Ethics, Race, and Poverty," she dives into science and ethics through readings on Henrietta Lacks Additionally, her seminar "Colonize or Rehab" challenges students to consider sustainability and the future of our planet.
Heather's dedication and ability to engage students make her an invaluable asset to our school community. We are proud to have her on our Clark Street staff, and we know she will continue to inspire and empower students through her passion for science education.
Staff Stars
Recognizing Excellence in Education
Robyn Acker
Robyn Acker, a Middleton High School Alumnus with 20 years of teaching experience in our district, is an exceptional member of our Clark Street staff. Passionate about integrating the arts as a primary vehicle for learning and change, Robyn believes in promoting acti t d citizenship among her students.
She also values education that connects to the local community and has developed powerful partnerships with Taliesin, Dane Arts Mural Arts, and local artists. Additionally, Robyn brings the richness of The Pheasant Branch Conservancy into her seminars, enhancing student experiences
By designing a student-centered and relevant curriculum, Robyn fosters a sense of belonging and deepens understanding of identity, including community, values, culture, perspective, race, gender, and social impact With 20 years of teaching excellence, Acker has positively impacted her students and our community. Clark Street is privileged to have her as a valued member of our staff.
Three facts you didn’t know about Clark Street Community School
Did you know CSCS students continue to outperform the state average for ACT scores?
CSCS Average Score: 21.9
State Average Score: 19 4
*Data provided from the 2022-23 CSCS annual report*
Did you know that Clark Street has been featured in many research studies and was featured in a research journal last year titled “Schools Of Opportunity; 10 Research-Based Models Of Equity In Action?”
Did you know CSCS is a member of the Mastery Transcript Consortium? A Mastery Transcript offers students the opportunity to provide a wide scope of their abilities and sense of self to prospective colleges. Over 300 colleges across the U.S. accept MT applications, including a majority of colleges in Wisconsin
Invest In Our School Communities | MCPASD Education Foundation
The Education Foundation supports our district’s efforts to improve student achievement across all demographic groups by focusing on equitable practices Every year, they provide staff grants and student scholarships, as well as funding programs like the weekend food program and personal hygiene initiatives for students who require assistance. This past year they also donated over $15,000 to the Grow Your Own program and raised $65,000 for the Caring Closets. The Education Foundation team was also proudly awarded over $17,000 this year in Inspiration Grant funds that supported staff initiatives.
For those interested in donating to the MCPASD Education Foundation, the following options are available: One-time payment
Click here to view the donation page Recurring deductions from your paycheck
Please contact the payroll department for more information.
Celebrations
Years Of Service Honorees | 5-10 Years Of Service
We are incredibly grateful to our staff members who have bolstered the success of our district with their talent and dedication over the years. We are honored to celebrate the same staff who have reached a milestone year during their MCPASD career at our upcoming Years Of Service Event in April.
In preparation for the event, we are excited to highlight our milestone staff members in our staff newsletter! This month we kick off our celebration by introducing you to our staff members who have worked at MCPASD for 5 and 10 years!
We cannot thank you all enough for the hard work and passion you bring to your teams and our school communities!
5 Years
ABBY HELMINICK
ABIGAIL BOYCE
ALMA LARA
ALYSSA HOYMAN
ANASTASIA SAPH
ANDREW SMITH
ANDREW WASHICHECK
ANNAMARIE KLEIST
BARBARA WESTBROOK
BRIAN ADAMS
BRIANNA CARROLL
BROOKE FELCKOWSKI
CAITLIN CAREY
CARLOS MACHADO
CARMEN JANECKY
CARMEN KLASSY
CASEY BRZESKI
CELIA SCHOENING
CHASE CONNORS
CHRISTINE DAVIS
CODY BRATTON
DANA MONOGUE
DANIA SHOUKFEH
DANIEL PERKINS
DAVID WIENS
ELISABETH SLOTTEN
ELIZABETH LEGLER
EMILY HUTTENBURG
EMILY MILLER
ERIC SOLBERG
GABRIELA SCHLOESSER
GREGORY MANSON
HANNAH LEE
HEIDI DERIDDER
HILARY NGUYEN
JACALYN ANHALT
JAMES RAUCH
JAMIE PITT
JARETT PETERSON
JENNA WERLA
JENNIFER ESSER
JENNIFER VOSBERG
JESSICA RIPP
JESSICA TAYLOR
JOEL PHILLIPS
JOSEPH FAREN
JULIA PECKHAM
KABAO THAO
KAITLIN BRIL
KARL BERNHARD
KATELYN MEVES
KATHARYN WIERSMA
KATHERINE SHARP
KELLY JULIAN
KENDRA CERNIGLIA
LEAH DURTSCHI
LORI HELLENBRAND
LUE YANG
MACKENZIE MCDERMIT
MADONNA BODMER
MARGARET VOSS
MARIA PITTNER
MARISA FIORITO
MARK JACKSON
MASON KELLS
MICHAEL KELENY
MOLLY NELSON
NATHAN ROSIN
NICHOLAS WASMUND
NINA POHL
NOELLE SEELEN
PEGGY SHOEMAKER
RACHEL GILBERTSON
ROBERT CORDAY
ROBERT REINHART
SAMANTHA CHASE
SARAH PONGRATZ
SASHA WILLIAMSON
SOPHIA SKALERIS
STEPHEN WILKINS
THERESA SENFT
TREAVOR LENZ
TYLER HEISE
TYLER STONE
ABBIE HANNAM
AISHA LAUFENBERG
ALEJANDRA ADAME BARCENAS
ALICIA RIPPL
AMY GRINDLE
ANN CARR
BENJAMIN SHRAGO
CHELSEY OBRIEN
CYTRUE YA
DANIELLE DIXON
Celebrations
10 Years
ELIDA SENN
ERICA KALLIES
ERIN LETTAU
HAROLD CARSON
HSSAINE EL HASNAOUI
JAYNE ROSANDICK-GILLESPIE
JENNIFER ZART
JULIE RICHARDS
KAREN MURPHREE
KELLY ASPESLET
KIMBERLY CHRISTIAN
KIRSTEN HAAG
KRISTIN KUHLMANN
LAUREN SELL
LEIGH AZKOUL
LYNN BROSIOUS
MATTHEW JURASEWICZ
MELISSA BURGOS
MELISSA SCHWENN
MICHELLE KRUSE
MINDY SABOL
PETER DIERCKS
RACHAEL WANTA
RAYE LAFAVE
SARAH ALLISON
SARAH HORST
STACY KAY
STEPHANIE AMANS
STEPHANIE MAYER
TINA MILLER
Reminders
Summer School/ Summer Academy Hiring Process
We are excited to announce the launch of our 2024 summer school hiring process! This year we ’ re recruiting internal staff, MCPASD student teachers, and “Teachers On-Call” for both the Summer Academy and High School summer school programs at the same time! There are many positions available
For the Summer Academy, you can glance through our “Position Descriptions” document to determine if there is a position for you; for High School, we are collecting your interest at this time (at the closing of the Interest form, a staff member will reach out to you to arrange next steps in the process). Here are the details of our 2024 summer school programs:
Staff PD Week: June 17-20th
First day: June 24th
Last day: August 1st (Thursday)
July 4th off (Thursday)
Summer School Times: 8-12pm Monday-Thursday weekly
Interested educators can apply for positions in two ways For internal and returning staff, please complete the MCPASD Interest form before February 24th, 2024.
We STRONGLY encourage MCPASD Student Teachers to apply (Summer Academy placement can offer new teachers recommendations for future MCPASD placement). All other applicants must visit WECAN and complete the application form We understand that unplanned absences are bound to occur, but for staffing purposes, we ask that you withhold from applying if you have two or more planned absences
Please direct any and all questions to Dr. Silvia Romero Johnson, Summer Academy Director, at sromerojohnson@mcpasd.k12.wi.us.
Reminders
Retirement Reminder | Support Staff
If you are considering retiring from the district at the end of this 2023-2024 school year, please notify us by March 15, 2024. You can simply email your intent to retire to your principal/supervisor and to employeesevicesmailbox@mcpasd.k12.wi.us.
By doing so, you will be included in the retirement recognition program taking place in the spring of 2024. This is a wonderful ceremony where you will be recognized for your dedication and commitment to our district.
If you do not notify Employee Services by March 15, 2024, please know Employee Services will still accept your notice of retirement, but you will not be included in the retirement celebration.
Event Reminder | Annual Candlelight Hike
Join us as we light up the H.M. Zander Nature Park trail and boardwalk on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 4:30 - 7pm for the annual Candlelight Hike and Bonfire! Details can be found in this flyer.
Reminders
Snow Day Time Off Requests
This weather has felt more like a winter whirlwind than a wonderland! Here is a quick reminder on how to make an inclement weather request on your Skyward time sheet during snow days:
1) Skyward \ Time Off \ add a Time Off request
2) The Time Off Code is ECL (Emergency Closure of School)
3) The Reason Code: A999 (Emergency Closure)
4) The amount of time is your daily contracted hours You can see this amount on the time off request screen in lightly shaded text
5) You will NOT click on the box "Always check here to go to Frontline"
6) Save, and it will go to your supervisor/principal for approval
7) Before you can submit your timesheet, this request will need to be approved by your supervisor/principal
8) Once approved and you are reviewing your timesheet before submitting, make sure your total time for today is your total contracted daytime.
9) Reminder: As you view your time off balances, the accumulated time will be negative (since it starts with a zero balance and deducts with each use) The balance for this time off can be ignored
10) ALSO, if you already had an approved time off request for the snow day (reimbursable leave, personal leave, etc.), you will need to REVERSE that request by submitting another time off request, which will look exactly like the original EXCEPT you will:
Put a negative sign in front of the hours (so it will net to 0 hrs
Example: Original 8hrs, the second one -8hrs = 0hrs)
Do NOT check the box "Always check here to go to Frontline"
Insights from Soly: Multilingual Support
retation Request Form Reminder
This is a friendly reminder to please utilize the translation/interpretation form when submitting your request. This helps us collect valuable data regarding our translation/interpretation needs district-wide.
A few quick tips to note when submitting your request:
Please make sure Soly has access to edit your Google document You DO NOT need to click the ‘notify’ tab when sharing.
Please submit one request per student or activity.
Please be mindful of our district interpreters time and request their services as much in advance as possible.
EmployeeServices
Teacher Round Tables
We held our first roundtable meeting on December 21, 2023. We had 12 participants. We asked for feedback on district-level communication and discussed future roundtable topics. Some of the feedback shared regarding district-level communication was as follows:
Appreciate the district newsletter and having information in one place Notice and appreciation to the Communications team as it is evident that attention and focus are spent on the district newsletter
A table of contents with links would be helpful School websites could be refreshed and updated as well Roundtable shared that they would like communication resources spent on student, family, and community communication rather than staff. Therefore, a simple format would be just as valued.
The next roundtable meeting will be on February 22, 2024
Teacher Compensation
The latest teacher compensation meeting was held on January 16, 2024. During that meeting, Assistant Superintendent Rossing presented a working draft and costing of the compensation model with feedback from the December meeting, and Dr. Buffington presented a draft process for determining “high-demand” positions.
Teachers, are you thinking about retiring at the end of this year? Please email Dr. Barb Buffington by February 1st if you plan to retire
The MCPASD Employee Wellness Clinic Is Now Open
The clinic is temporarily located at the District Operations Center (DOC) | 2130 Pinehurst Drive, Middleton. The clinic will continue to use this location until the permanent clinic at West Middleton Elementary is ready Virtual appointment options are also available.
Clinic Hours:
Monday | 8:30am-6pm
Wednesday | 8:30am-6pm
Friday | 8:30am-1:30pm
Patients can be seen for:
Construction is well under way at the West Middleton permanent site!
Preventative services like annual exams
Health care services like prescription management, immunizations and labs
Acute care services like any urgent care needs
Healthy Lifestyle coaching on nutrition, stress reduction and physical activity
Disease management for diabetes, heart disease, allergies and more
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call 608-829-9009.
For details on the clinic, check out the information on the wellness website located in the staff portal.
"Justleftthestaffclinicandhad suchawonderfulexperience!!!!!"
“JenatthewellnessclinicisAMAZING! [Mychild]ishappyasaclam.[Child] saysshe'snevergoingtoseea differentdoctor(she's6)."
[Jen]discoveredwhyI'vebeen havingissueswithsleep-something thatI'vehadseveralspecialiststryto figureoutforfouryears."
MCPASD Wellness Policy Committee Update
The Wellness Policy Committee met the second week of January to begin discussing a new wellness policy. The committee is charged with drafting a comprehensive and inclusive district wellness policy that meets and exceeds federal requirements while helping support the well-being of all MCPASD students and staff The committee is made up of 24 people, including parents, students, teachers, nutrition services, school health professionals, a school board member, administrators, and community health professionals. This committee will be working on recommending a policy to the administrative team this spring after it gets discussed at the MHS Student Senate.
Dean Health
Dean Living Healthy Rewards:
The new cycle started on 1/1/24
Take some time to get your $150 rewards started! Here’s a handout to help guide you through the process.
Monthly Challenge Winners
Congratulations to the following winners from the December 31 Days of Mindfulness Challenge! Your prizes will be mailed this week If you’d like to participate in upcoming challenges, sign up here.
Krista Rossing | Sunset Ridge Elementary
James Russell | Elm Lawn Elementary
Madonna Bodmer | Park Elementary
Liz Noak | Glacier Creek Middle School
Dean Health Plan Wellness Care Package
Click here to view the January 2024 edition
Employee Benefits
Thinking About Retirement?
Our benefits team held a virtual meeting to discuss Teacher Retirement information on December 19, 2023. The recording is available here: Teacher Retirement Information 12.19.23, or you can find more information on our webpage.
You can also review our presentations:
MCPASD Retirement Information for Teachers
MCPASD Retirement Information for Support Staff
Teachers, please email Dr. Barb Buffington by February 1st if you plan to retire by the end of the school year.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our benefits team!
Winter Weather Reminder | It Is Slippery Out There!
Winter is definitely here, and with it comes the ice and snow.
Please watch your step when walking in the parking lots and on sidewalks. But if you slip, trip or fall, it’s important to complete an accident report: Report an Accident The accident report is the first step to opening a workers compensation claim if you need medical treatment. Even if you don’t, an accident report could bring attention to a slippery situation.
Employee Personnel
State/ Federal Tax Witholdings
Do you need to change your federal and/or state tax withholdings?
If you had any recent major life changes, such as marriage, divorce, babies, or children who are no longer considered dependents due to their age, you may seriously want to consider submitting a new W4 Federal withholding and a new WT4 State of WI withholding.
Next steps:
Open Skyward
Go to Employee Information > Personal Information > Payroll > W4 Information
Review your status, and if you need to make changes, complete a new W4 and/or WT4 and send the form to Payroll - DSC.
How do you obtain a new W4 or WT4 form?
Click here to view the W4 form
Click here to view the WT4 form
For assistance, please email employeeservicesmailbox@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Skyward Tip Of The Month | Online Form Message
When you sign into Skyward, are you receiving a message that there is an online form waiting for you to review? If so, this means we have sent you a request for information (ex: asking you to update your emergency contact information), or we ’ ve sent you something to review (such as a contract or letter of assignment regarding your salary/hourly rate). It is easy to click on “complete later,” but know that you are ignoring important information Next time you access Skyward, please take a minute to complete the online form message(s)
Licensing
If you received an email from Employee Services regarding the expiration of your Wisconsin Educator Licenses, please follow the directions in the email and take action with DPI to renew your license(s).
Student Services
TouchingBaseWith TeachingandLearning
Every three years, MCPASD participates in the Dane County Youth Assessment (DCYA). The DCYA is provided to youth in grades 7-12 throughout Dane County (it began in 1980!) DCYA collects anonymous data from our middle and high school youth around relationships, habits, experiences, decision-making, and health (both physical and mental). The data provides a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of Dane County youth and subsequently informs resource allocation, program development, policy-making, and grant applications. DCYA project partners include: United Way of Dane County, Public Health of Madison & Dane County, Dane County Department of Human Services, City of Madison, and Dane County School Districts.
The next DCYA will be facilitated in MCPASD the week of February 12th, 2024 Our middle and high schools each have a contact who will be working with your school teams to ensure a smooth DCYA administration period. For additional information on the DCYA and for previous years ’ data (2000-2021), please visit this link on the Dane County Department of Human Services website.