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
Non-Work Day
December 23, 2024, is a non-work day and can be treated like a weekend day
Learn more here
Free Skin Cancer Screening Clinic
January 27 | 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
February 25 | 8:30 a m - 4 p m
Learn more here
Have A Wonderful Winter Break | December 23 - January 3
Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and the positive impact you make every day. We hope the break brings you time to relax, recharge, and connect with family and friends. We can’t wait to see you return refreshed and ready for all 2025 has in store Have a joyful and peaceful break!
Staff Stars
Recognizing Excellence in Education
Julie Remily
District Services Center
Join us in sharing a big shout-out to Julie Remily, Administrative Assistant for Special Education and Student Services! She is a prime example of a team player and is always ready to take on a challenge Her positive attitude and quick wit spreads joy throughout the office. Thank you, Julie, for all that you do. We appreciate you!
David Mackler
Glacier Creek Middle School
A round of applause for David Mackler, Special Education Paraprofessional at Glacier Creek Middle School! Dave brings love, respect, and persistence to every student he works with, always encouraging them to be their best. Outside of GCMS, Dave is pursuing his dream of becoming a certified wildlife rehabilitator through an internship at the Dane County Humane Society, where he shares his amazing (and often hilarious) animal stories like the time a white pelican "ate" his head! Thank you, Dave, for your dedication and passion
Give a shout out!
There is a lot of invisible work that goes into making our District great and we want to share our appreciation! Take a few minutes to complete our shout-out Google form to give someone you know kudos for their great work and passion for our students and staff!
The form will remain open all school year, so be sure to give your team some love all year round!
Articles
Portrait Of A Graduate Work Group Is Underway
A team of students, educators, parents, and community leaders are meeting to breathe new life into our Portrait of a Graduate (POG). The POG was created a few years ago but was not fully developed as a system to support implementation. Therefore, this group has come together to learn about POG systems from across the country This way, we can better communicate and support the future-forward competencies our students need to develop during school that will empower them to be successful when they leave us
The group has spent time taking stock of our current state with respect to student experiences, successes, and challenges, learning about generational differences and influences, and reviewing several POGs found here.
The group’s work will culminate in presentations to our Bo en inform the next iteration of our District Strategy Map and o impr
Thank you to the following work group members:
Name Role Affiliation
Dr. Dana Monogue
Bartlett Durand
Facilitator Superintendent
Facilitator Board of Education Member
Carmelo Davila Parent
Claudia Gorrono Parent
Elyse Grothaus Elementary Educator
Ashley Weber Elementary Educator
Britta Luteyn Elementary Educator
Stacy Kay Middle School Educator
Holly Reardon Middle School Educator
Mary Lee McKenzie
High School Educator
Kromrey Middle School and Sauk Trail Elementary School
Kromrey Middle School, Northside and Sauk Trail Elementary School
Park Elementary
Elm Lawn Elementary
Sunset Ridge Elementary
Kromrey Middle School
Glacier Creek Middle School
Clark Street Community School
Name
Melissa Burgos
High School Educator Clark Street Community School
Shane Leadholm High School Educator
Middleton High School
Elisabeth Slotten
Dave Thomas
Noah Duckett
Grace Parker
Raelynn Li
Ruby Writt
Madeline Cleveland
High School Educator
High School Educator
High School Student
High School Student
Clark Street Student
Clark Street Student
Clark Street Student
Middleton High School
Middleton High School
Middleton High School
Middleton High School
Clark Street Community School
Clark Street Community School
Clark Street Community School
Dr. Silvia Romero Johnson District Administrator Assistant Superintendent
Name Role Affiliation
Tony Dugas
Dr. MaryBeth Paulisse
Dr. Jan Chynoweth
Shannon Valladolid
Brett Wilfrid
Lisa Rust
Dr. Jill Gurtner
Peg Shoemaker
Kate Miller
District Administrator
District Administrator
District Administrator
Director of Student, Family, and Staff Engagement
Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
District Administrator Director of Information and Public Relations
Building Principal Sunset Ridge Elementary
Building Principal Elm Lawn Elementary
Building Principal
Clark Street Community School
Building Principal Middleton High School
Business Leader Middleton Chamber of Commerce
Emily Kuhn Community Leader Parent/Mayor of Middleton
Celebrations
Tracy Hellenbrand Inspires Northside Elementary Students Through Helping Hands Project
Tracy Hellenbrand, a third-grade teacher at Northside Elementary, has guided her students in the Wisconsin State Journal's Helping Hands project for years. Through heartfelt letters, her students share stories of individuals in need and how $200 could be used to support them during the holidays.
This year, three students wrote especially moving letters:
Owen wrote about his neighbor struggling with serious health issues, hoping the $200 could help ease their challenges
Fallon shared the story of a fellow student in the district who recently lost his mother to cancer, thinking the funds could provide comfort during a difficult time.
Derrick highlighted a peer battling cancer for the second time, hoping the money would help with hospital-related expenses.
When the students found out their letters were chosen, their reactions were priceless. “They all screamed when they found out they won,” Hellenbrand said. “They said it feels better to give than to get and they are happy they can help someone in need.”
Celebrations
Shout Out To Paley West
A big thank you to Paley West, Social Worker at Northside Elementary, for going above and beyond for our students! Paley applied for the Kwik Trip ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors’ program, originally requesting $100 to provide healthy snacks for Northside students.
Thanks to her passion and dedication, Kwik Trip generously donated $500! We are grateful for Paley’s commitment to her school community and the well-being of our students Learn more about Kwik Trip’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors program here
Stephanie Zielger Named WASBO’s 2024 School Business Office Professional Of The Year
We are thrilled to announce that Stephanie was named the recipient of the prestigious Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) 2024 School Business Office Professional (SBOP) of the Year Award!
This recognition highlights the essential contributions of professionals in accounting, payroll, human resources, and other vital roles within school business offices. It celebrates individuals who ensure smooth operations, financial security, and unwavering support for schools and staff, while making a positive impact on their district and community.
In addition to the honor, MCPASD will receive a $1,000 grant to support Stephanie’s continuing education, conference attendance, and professional development opportunities. Congratulations, Stephanie, on this well-deserved recognition!
Reminders
December 23, 2024 | Non-Work Day
Mark your calendars! For staff who clock in/out and submit weekly timesheets, December 23, 2024, is a non-work day, meaning it is treated similarly to a weekend day Please see the email shared by the Employee Services Mailbox for more information.
A few key factors to note are:
You do not need to clock in or out that day.
Your timesheet should place eight hours on your timesheet that day and mark it as a non-work day
You do not need to request time off for this day
Employees who are exempt (no-time sheets) can also consider this a “Saturday.”
Free Skin Cancer Screening Clinic
The MCPASD Staff Clinic will be hosting two skin cancer screening clinics on the following dates:
January 27 | 8:00 a m - 5:30 p m
February 25 | 8:30 a m - 4:00 p m
Call (608)-829-9009 to schedule your appointment. Please note that space is limited. View the MCPASD Wellness flyer for more information.
By Your Side in 2025: Healthy Lifestyle Coaching
Are you looking to make a positive change for yourself in 2025? Your Wellness Clinic provider and staff want to support you! Health Coaching services are free for all district-insured members of the Wellness Clinic To learn more and schedule an appointment, click here.
Sign Up For The January “Step Into A New Year” Challenge
Step into a new year and try a few simple ideas to increase your movement and nutrition this month The goal is to find opportunities that you enjoy and that work for you to continue to implement well into 2025. To sign up for this challenge and more throughout the year, click here.
Know Your Numbers Visits Continue: Prediabetes And Blood Pressure Checks With Clinic Staff
MCPASD employees may choose to sign up for a 15-minute screening appointment with MCPASD Health Clinic staff. In this appointment, you’ll be screened for prediabetes using an easy, non-invasive (no needles) risk test. In addition, your blood pressure will be taken. If needed, you may be referred for a FREE blood test in the MCPASD Wellness Clinic
Click here for more information. Click here to sign up.
Employee Assistance Program Change
Effective January 1, 2025, we will be utilizing Telus Health from National Insurance Services for our EAP. Details can be found on the MCPASD Wellness website.
Please note the phone number change:
24/7 Counseling services can be accessed by calling 1-877-256-9302 through December 31, 2024.
Starting January 2, 2025 please call 1-866-451-5465
Under our EAP, you can receive no-cost, confidential help for a wide variety of needs and concerns:
Alcohol or Drug Addictions
Anxiety
Childcare
Depression
Eating Disorders
The EAP Process
Eldercare
Family Conflict
Financial or Legal Concerns
Marital Difficulties
Parenting Concerns
Problem Gambling
Relationship Problems
Stress Management
When you access the EAP, Telus Health counselors listen and take action toward finding solutions. The next step may include meeting with a mental health counselor for up to three face-to-face visits, negotiating health insurance benefits, or referrals to community resources for legal and financial services
Resources:
EAP Informational flyer
TELUS Health One app flyer
LIFT session fitness flyer
Virtual fitness platform with personalized programs and access to coaches if you have questions or choose to work under the live supervision of a coach online, in 1-1 personal or group sessions.
Employee Benefits
Employee Benefits Webpage
We want to take this opportunity to remind staff of our MCPASD Employee Benefits Webpage There is a page for each benefit the district offers with plan documents, resources, and contact information.
Billing and Claims Support:
If you are having problems with billing or claims, you can contact the USI Benefit Resource Center This resource is free for staff to use and is independent of insurance companies. USI Benefit Resource Center can help with:
Eligibility and claim problems with carriers
Information about claim appeals & process
Claim escalation, appeal & resolution, and more
If you are unable to receive answers from Dean or the USI Benefit Resource Center, please do not hesitate to contact an MCPASD Benefits Specialist:
Chris Acker 19027
cacker1@mcpasd k12 wi us
Navid Kempka 19044
nkempka@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
General inbox
benefitsmailbox@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Employee Personnel
W-2 Electronic Option
It will soon be time to start thinking about filing income taxes To do so, you will need your W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement).
You recently received an email from our Payroll department asking if you would like to receive your W2 electronically only, or mailed. There are so many pros to selecting Electronic, such as cost savings to the District since there is no manual process of the paper document There is also no mailing costs, you don’t have to wait to receive it in the mail, and it is kinder to our environment
Many people don’t realize that all employees receive an electronic copy, even if you opt for paper. You can go into your Skyward Employee Access and see the previous year’s W-2s. As soon as the 2024 calendar year W2 is ready, you will be able to see it there too. So please consider opting for electronic only.
Skyward Time Off Requests For Hourly Staff
Don’t use your valuable General Leave or Vacation needlessly!
Hourly staff (Bus Drivers, Custodians, Food Service, Para Educators, and PSSP) receive a Letter of Assignment with stated ‘hours per day.’
If you have a day that is a combination of some work hours and some time off hours, make sure your ‘hours paid’ on your timesheet for that day are exactly the hours per day from your ‘Letter of Assignment ’ If it is more, you should submit a negative time off request for the overage to get the time off put back into your total balance.
Example: A 6-hour per day employee submitted a time off request for 2 hours, thinking they would work 4 hours that day (6 hours total). Instead, they were not able to leave when they needed to and ended up working 5 hours that day
5 hours worked + 2 hours of ‘general leave’ time off requests = 7 hours on the timesheet
Solution: submit a negative 1-hour (-1hr) time off request: Hours paid now are the correct daily 6 hours per day. You just got 1 hour back into your General Leave balance to use another time.
Employee Personnel
Skyward Time Off: How To Correct/Edit A Time Off Request
PROBLEM
You’ve submitted a time off request for a day that you no longer need to take off and it has already been approved.
SOLUTION
We can’t delete it, so you need to reverse it
HOW
Submit another time off request using the exact same data as the original BUT enter a negative sign in front of the hours.
Example
The original request was 7 hours, so this second request will be minus 7 Once approved, the two will net to 0 hours.
What if the original request was for 7 hours, but you only need 5 hours? Submit this second time off request for the difference. In this case, enter -2 hours (original was 7 hours, you only need 5 hours)
What if this “difference” is not for a full hour but for 30 minutes?
The original request was 7 hours, but you only need 6 hours and 30 minutes Submit this second time off request for -0 hours and 30 minutes
Touching Base With Teaching and Learning
Student Services
Social-Emotional Learning Update
Once again, our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) coaches and their teams have done incredible work! This fall, they took time to reflect on and assess our SEL practices using a fidelity tool
This tool combines various best practices and measures areas like teamwork, creating supportive learning environments, discipline strategies, professional development, and communication with families, staff, and the community.
The results are encouraging! Across our schools, the number of practices now rated as “Fully Implemented” has grown since last year, while the areas marked “Not Implemented” have substantially decreased. Here is a visual that reflects the changes from last Fall (2023) to this Fall (2024):
Melanie Moorehill Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator
When our SEL coaches reviewed our district’s progress as a whole, we identified several glows to celebrate:
Most schools have strong, representative teams that regularly meet to follow up on action items based on the tool’s results.
Across the district, staff involve students in creating behavioral agreements versus simply top-down rules.
We consistently teach students emotional vocabulary and skills to help them grow socially and emotionally (e.g., selfawareness, managing emotions, building relationships, and making good decisions).
Discipline policies focus on proactive, instructive and inclusive strategies, with consequences that are fair, practical, and respectful when they are needed.
Here is a visual that reflects the changes from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024
School teams plan orientations for staff around building expectations, acknowledging students, responding to mistakes, and seeking support
Teachers are intentional about classroom setup and routines, ensuring they teach and revisit agreements often. Morning meetings and advisories have become a regular part of schedules, fostering a caring school culture.
Looking ahead, the SEL coaching team is excited to focus on expanding our efforts in proactive restorative practices. These practices strengthen staff and student well-being by co-creating welcoming spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging Restorative practitioners consistently model, teach and, support safe and engaging interactions that hold community building at the center These are the building blocks for healthy expression of emotions and productive conflict resolution.
Multilingual Services
We are in the midst of ACCESS testing! Thank you to the BRTs and Bilingual Paraeducators who are busy coordinating and proctoring tests. Thank you to our special educators who are carrying out Alternate ACCESS testing and to all staff for your flexibility and encouragement of students during this testing window. You are appreciated!
I also want to extend deep gratitude to all 143 staff members who took the time to complete the survey on our ML programs and services that was conducted in November by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Along with feedback from families, students, and a plethora of quantitative data, your feedback will inform CAL’s recommendations for us. We can expect to hear more later this spring.
Data & Assessment Coordinator | Andrew Close
We continue to work to support you with assessments and data so that you can make informed decisions for students!
As we approach the winter assessment window, there are many resources on the MCPASD assessment website to assist you in your facilitation of assessments. On this site, you can find resources to support these winter assessments:
Star (Grades 1-8)
aimsWebPLUS (Grades 4K-3)
Since aimsWebPLUS is a new assessment as part of Act 20 requirements, you can find additional information to support you. Your Reading Specialist and Coaches will also be of assistance as you begin this new state-wide screener.
Once you give your assessments, NextPath is a great source for locating and analyzing your data If you need help in determining how to do something in NextPath, or need a refresher, the MCPASD assessment website has many resources to support you!
Mandi Sersch-Morstad Director of Multilingual Services
Andrew Close Data & Assessment Coordinator
Elementary & Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Dr. Jan Chynoweth
Director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Dr. MaryBeth Paulisse
Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Thank you to all the K-8 ELA teachers who completed a Glimpse recently on the Savvas MyView/MiVisión and MyPerspectives implementation Your feedback will assist us in planning the next levels of support in 2025!
Speaking of Savvas, we continue to be impressed when we visit schools during the ELA block by the high level of student engagement, the established routines, level of rigor and excitement in our classrooms. Thank you for all you are doing to lift our new curriculum with our students!
In addition, all curriculum renewal teams are moving forward. Our K-12 ELA/Reading Intervention planning team had their first meeting this month. We also moved into our second and third meetings of the year for ELA 9-12, Career and Technical Education, World Language, and Performing Arts. We appreciate all these teams are doing to consider alignment within and across our schools.
Lastly, we presented to the Board of Education on our School Report Cards at the beginning of the month Please feel free to review the presentation if you would like to learn more. We wish you all a very wonderful and relaxing Winter Break!