October 2023 Staff Newsletter

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MCPASD 2023-24 Staff newsletter Focus On Literacy

A Message from Superintendent, Dr. Dana Monogue Hello Colleagues!

We are winding down another month and I hope October was full of joy and lots of progress with your students. I hope you enjoy the fall break and find time to rest and rejuvenate. I have been speaking to many students in recent days about their experiences in our schools this year and I am hearing many stories from them that connect to our commitment to inclusion and belonging for everyone.

Thank you so much for all you do for our students, their families, and for each other. Each and every day we have with our kids is a gift and a chance to make a difference.

With gratitude for you and your work, Dr. Dana E. Monogue, Superintendent #WeBelieve @DrMonogue www.mcpasd.k12.wi.us

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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 Public School Works Training Due November 3, 2023 Click here to log in to your training dashboard MCPASD Education Fund Applications Close October 30, 2023 Learn more on page 7 Grow Your Own Program Opens October 20, 2023 and closes on November 10, 2023 Learn more on page 8

Translation/Interpretation Guide To help streamline the translation/interpretation process, there is now a handy guide to help navigate questions and resources. Click here to view the guide or learn more on page 5.

Benefits Enrollment Window The benefits enrollment window closes on October 31st. Learn more on page 6.

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Articles October: A Month Of Celebrations October was a big month for celebrations within our district! Together, we celebrated: The second half of Hispanic Heritage Month School Board Appreciation Week School Principal Appreciation Day National Custodian Appreciation Day World Teachers Day Indigenous peoples day National Coming Out Day Our district is grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate many members of our community. Thank you for the talent, knowledge, and experience you offer to our district!

School Board Listening Sessions The School Board appreciates hearing directly from staff about what's working and ideas for improvement in our schools. Listed below are the dates and times for the School Board listening session for your building.

Please note, all listening sessions will be held at the District Office.

October 23, 2023 Sunset Ridge Park Northside 4K/Early Childhood

December 18, 2023 Sauk Trail West Middleton Elm Lawn Pope Farm

January 22, 2023 Middleton High School Clark Street Community School

February 26, 2023 Glacier Creek Kromrey

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Celebrations Technology Services Director Brian Miles Presents At The Wisconsin Association Of School Business Officials Fall Conference As the world of technology continues to grow, it is important to stay up to date on the latest tips, tricks, and best practices to implement in our district. Recently, Tech Director Brian Miles became the teacher and presented his knowledge about using Artificial Intelligence as a tool in our schools at the WASBO Fall Conference. Great job Brian!

You Deserve a Shout!

Shout Out To Our Building Admin Assistants!

A well-deserved shout-out goes to all of our school Administrative Assistants! No two days are the same, but they are always ready to take on a challenge. They go above and beyond and support our students, staff and families. We cannot thank them enough for their passion, dedication and the knowledge they provide. Please know you are recognized and appreciated!

Click here to submit a shout-out for your co-worker(s)!

Shout Out To The Kromrey Middle School SAFES! Shout out to James Adams and Wesley Dominguez Delgado for their amazing support in organizing and leading fun activities for our students! Your hard work and dedication truly make a difference in the lives of our students. Keep up the fantastic work!

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Reminders One Stop Shop For All Your Translation/Interpretation Needs To help streamline the interpretation/translation process, our Multilingual Support Specialist, Solange Rodriguez, and the communications team, drafted a handy guide that helps you navigate any resources you may need. This document serves as a comprehensive resource on how our multilingual support specialist, formerly known as the district interpreter/translator, can assist our students, families, and staff in our district.

Click here to view the guide.

Quick Tip

Save this link as a favorite in your browser tab to have easy access whenever you need!

Public School Works Training | Due November 3rd This is a friendly reminder to complete your Public School Works Training by November 3, 2023.

To acesss your training: Click here to access the link Log in with your school email and password Select the “My Safety Portal” tab to view your course list You must complete all courses listed

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Reminders Benefits Enrollment Window | Closes October 31, 2023 Your opportunity to enroll or update your benefits for the upcoming 2024 calendar year ends at 4:00pm on October 31, 2024. Don’t miss this once-a-year chance to make changes without a HIPAAqualifying life event.

During open enrollment, you can: Enroll if you had previously declined coverage Change to a family or single level of coverage Change health plan. Choose from HMO, POS, or HDHP w/ HSA* Enroll in LegalShield and/or IDShield Enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health Care** and/or Dependent Care *If enrolling in HDHP, you will receive follow-up information about HSA participation. **HSA participants cannot also have a healthcare FSA. Life Insurance and Short Term Disability are NOT offered at open enrollment. If you are currently enrolled, they will appear in Skyward's Current Coverage area but will not be offered to Retain or Add in the Open Enrollment area. If you wish to apply as a late enrollee, please contact benefitsmailbox@mcpasd.k12.wi.us.

Login to Skyward to complete open enrollment for health, dental, vision, and LegalShield Login to EBC to enroll in FSA 2024 Open Enrollment Guide Video Guide (English) or Video Guide (Spanish) FSA Enrollment Instructions Want more information before making a decision?

MCPASD Employee Benefits Website MCPASD Employee Benefits Guide 2024 Open Enrollment FAQs If you have any questions, please contact employee services.

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Reminders MCPASD Education Foundation Inspiration Fund | Closes October 30th Do you have a great idea or project for your school? The MCPASD Education Foundation Inspiration Fund is here to help!

The Education Foundation Inspiration Fund supports MCPASD teachers and staff, offering inspiring learning opportunities to students in the District. The Inspiration Fund also supports efforts to create equitable access to those inspiring opportunities.

All teachers and staff in the District are encouraged to submit requests. Amounts range from $250 to $2,500 and can cover the full cost of a project or partial costs. The Foundation has awarded over $130,000 to 130 applicants since 2013.

The Foundation is looking to fund ideas that are inclusive, innovative, and inspiring. They do not want to replace what the District would normally fund but rather enhance already great projects or help your ideas become reality.

Click here to learn more and view the application.

All applications are due October 30, 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact: Foundation Board Chair, Kathryn McLeod | kathryn.mcleod39@gmail.com

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Reminders Grow Your Own Program The district is proud to announce the relaunch of the Grow Your Own (GYO) Program for the 2023-2024 school year. The GYO in MCPASD was designed to recruit and train staff in our district to bring racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity and skills such as bilingualism to schools. In addition to diversifying our workforce, GYO will also support staff who are willing to obtain licensure in hard-to-fill areas such as special education.

The GYO application process will open on October 20, 2023 and close on November 10, 2023. All applications must include: Two letters of recommendation Professional/Academic - one professional reference that speaks to your experience with youth Community/Volunteer - One community based reference that speaks to your level of commitment to your community Written or Video Essay What has led you to want to become an educator? In what ways have you successfully worked with students who come from racially diverse backgrounds?

There will be a virtual GYO informational session held on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. via Google Meet. If you would like to participate in this session, please submit this registration form no later than Monday, October 30, 2023. All staff who register for this event will receive a calendar invite. If you are unable to attend the virtual session but would like to receive the information shared during the presentation, please complete the form, and I will share the slide deck with you.

Applicants who are selected to participate in the Grow Your Own Program will be informed of their placement no later than November 22, 2023. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Sherry Smith, Talent Recruitment and Retention Specialist at ssmith5@mcpasd.k12.wi.us.

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Barb's Corner A Note From Barb Meet the Employee Benefits & Wellness Team Kalise Horst - Wellness Coordinator Kalise has been with the district for nine years. She was a PE & Health teacher at Glacier Creek Middle School for four years and has been the District’s Wellness Coordinator for the past seven years. She is passionate about helping education professionals lead happier, healthier, more balanced lives. She has three children and enjoys traveling with her family. Kalise is most excited about our upcoming Employee Health & Wellness Clinic and all of the opportunities we’ll be able to bring to our staff and their families.

Chris Acker-Certified Benefits Specialist Chris Acker found herself searching for a new career and back in school in her 40s when her employer of 18 years, Oscar Mayer, announced they were closing their Madison plant after almost 100 years. She earned an Associate’s Degree in Human Resource Management and worked as an HR Assistant for American Girl and UW-Madison before coming to MCPASD 5 years ago. Chris and her family live in Middleton, and her daughter attends Kromrey Middle School. Life is busy with activities and spending time with family, but when the Acker family has a free night, they like to pop popcorn and watch a movie.

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Barb's Corner

Navid Kempka-Bilingual Support Staff Benefits Specialist Navid has been with the District since November. She started in the transportation center and transitioned to employee services this past July. Her parents are from Mexico and her first language is Spanish. Navid graduated with a BA in Spanish from UW Oshkosh where she met her husband. Her work experience includes area such as HR, retail, and healthcare. She and her husband have two beautiful, smart, funny daughters who keep them busy. Her eldest attends Sauk Trail Elementary. Navid’s family along with her dog, cats and fish live in Poynette. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, watching or listening to crime dramas and audio books, shopping or being outdoors with her kids.

Employee Listening Sessions Thank you to employees who have engaged in the employee listening sessions so far. We have received feedback regarding the District’s health insurance changes, compensation, and professional development.

Upcoming sessions are as follows: NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY Monday, October 30th, 2:45pm-4:15pm DISTRICT OPERATIONS CENTER Thursday, November 2nd, 1:30-3pm SUNSET RIDGE ELEMENTARY Monday, November 20th, 3pm-4:30pm SAUK TRAIL ELEMENTARY Wednesday, December 6th, 3pm-4:30pm

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Barb's Corner Certified Compensation Committee The first meeting for the certified compensation was held on October 3rd. The first meeting focused on a historical overview of compensation at MCPASD and these 3 questions: What questions do you have regarding teacher compensation? What does a Teacher compensation model look like to you? And To be able to provide feedback on a compensation plan, you need…

This committee will meet over the next several months to develop a compensation plan to bring to the Board of Education in February 2024. The linked document is important information about the 2023-2024 Teacher Compensation Committee. It provides details on the committee membership, meeting schedule, and opportunities for public comment. All 5 meetings are open to the public and will take place at the District Services Center.

Employee Handbook-Appendix C-Student Services and Special Education Update This handbook workgroup will begin meeting in November and more information will be coming out soon. The district will be looking for staff in the areas of Special Education and Student Services to serve on this workgroup. The workgroup will be led by Special Education/Student Services and Employee Services.

Para Educator Compensation Workgroup The para educator compensation workgroup had meetings on July 27, August 24th, and September 19th. The first meeting focused on similar questions as above, and the second meeting unpacked examples of para-educator wage structures from 9 other area school districts. The workgroup gave positive feedback for a structured wage schedule that honors additional post-secondary education and previous work experience in education.

The work will continue until a compensation model is developed.

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Wellness Challenge Monthly challenges are back and will begin in November. The focus of the challenges include movement, mindfulness, digital detox, nutrition planning and nature. Click here to sign up for one of our upcoming challenges.

Free Yoga Classes We're excited about our yoga and fitness classes this year. All MCPASD employees and their spouses/partners are invited to join this practice at no cost. For the exact location of classes and details, please be sure you sign up.

Health Clinic Logo Has A New Look We’re excited to announce the MCPASD Employee Health Clinic logo. We had over 325 people participate in the vote! With a large majority, here’s the logo.

We look forward to sharing more information about the clinic as it becomes available.

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Dean Living Healthy Rewards Get your $150+ from Dean Living Healthy Rewards before the end of the year! Here’s a handout to help guide you and here’s a video to walk you through the process.

Dean Health Plan Freedom from Smoking Event: October 24 - December 5 Breast Cancer Awareness Month: WEAR PINK on October 20 to show your support and raise awareness for breast cancer. Click here to watch a short webinar from Dr. Shah as she discusses all things breast health-related, including early signs and symptoms and the best ways to talk to your doctor about breast health.

Dental Hygiene Month: Did you know that the health of your mouth, teeth, and gums can affect your entire body? Oral bacteria and inflammation may contribute to health conditions and diseases such as Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pregnancy and birth complications, pneumonia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Schedule your dental check-up today!

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Employee Benefits Benefits Open Enrollment Period | October 16-31 Open Enrollment benefit plans include health insurance, dental insurance, vision plan and flexible spending accounts. And this year we are adding legal services and identity protection through LegalShield and IDShield.

This is your chance to make changes, add or drop benefit plans without proof of a life changing event.

Due to requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), annually each benefit eligible employee must be offered the opportunity to enroll or make changes.

Who is a benefit eligible employee? Employees working at least 30 hours per week.

Need more information about the benefits that MCPASD offers? 2024 Employee Benefit Guide or MCPASD Employee Benefits website Need instructions to complete the open enrollment process? 2024 Open Enrollment Guide Prefer video? Video Guide Need instructions to enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)? Flex Spending Enrollment Instructions If you have any questions or concerns, please contact benefitsmailbox@mcpasd.k12.wi.us

Benefits Recorded Webinars If you were unable to attend the recent benefits webinars, check out the recorded versions below. If you have any questions, please reach out to the benefits team.

Health Insurance Options In this meeting, we discussed open enrollment and the changes to MCPASD group health insurance plans for 2024, including the addition of a staff clinic.

Click here to view the recording Recording password: TwQtha8$ Slideshow presentation Legal Shield Recorded Webinar (20 min): Click here to view Passcode: Jqk?3Js& For additional information and details, please click here Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Rusty Allen or Rachael Lawton, our personal representatives - contact information is listed on the Plan Summary.

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Substitutes Frontline Troubleshooting Frontline can be a difficult process to learn but it is very important in order to make sure we obtain coverage for staff absences as soon as possible. Uncovered absences affect our ability to serve our students and affect our coworkers and our team.

Below are some troubleshooting tips for staff struggling with Frontline issues.

Can't log in: Usually, it's because you aren't on the SSO Login Screen. If that doesn’t fix it, reset your password. If that still doesn’t work, contact Navid Kempka, and she will check your access. *Call TOC at (800) 713-4439 if it’s urgent and Navid is not available.* SSO Login Instructions

How to reset your password: Go to the main Frontline login screen (not the SSO login page) select “Forgot ID or Username and follow the prompts.

How to assign a sub to an absence: You can do this when you create an absence if you know who is covering for you or modify an existing absence and add it later once you know. If you don’t find a sub it will remain open to be filled by TOC. Instructions: How to assign a sub to an absence in Frontline

How to create an absence: Follow: Employee Quick Start Guide(English).pdf *All staff should be entering their own absences to request a sub or calling TOC for same day absences if unable to access Frontline as well as contacting your building.

Calling TOC 1-800-713-4439 *Save this number in your phone*

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Substitutes First time Frontline user: Follow Employee Quick Start Guide(English).pdf which is also in your new hire red folder from onboarding if you can’t get in contact Navid Kempka if you still can’t get in for an invitation to be sent to you.

Changing your existing absence: Login to Frontline, click on Absences under the Navigation menu on the left side of the screen, then click on Modify. Search for the absence you want to change, and click on its confirmation # on the left of it. Then click on Edit Absence on the top left, make your changes on the left screen, and click Save. This is where you can assign a sub as well.

Resources Navid Kempka - Substitute Coordinator - x 19044 Frontline Support - Learning Center TOC- https://www.teachersoncall.com/ or (800) 713-4439 Your building Admins can help guide you but aren’t expected to enter absences for you.

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Employee Personnel Skyward Tip | Translate Skyward Into Any Language Each user can translate the Skyward site into their preferred language on any device as long as you are using Google Chrome (will not work on the Skyward mobile app). Click here to see how.

Licensing Essentials If you have not already applied for your 23-24 provisional (emergency) teaching or special education paraprofessional license, please do so immediately. It is vital that you do so to be in compliance with State law.

If you need information on how to apply for your license, please contact your Personnel Specialist.

If you need to check the status of your license, please click here. Please keep in mind DPI will contact you via the email address you provided when you applied. At any time, if you need to submit a help ticket, please enter your entity number in your question as that seems to expedite the process with DPI.

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Touching Base With Teaching and Learning

Happy October! This month we celebrated the second half of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Our district’s enrollment continues to grow in linguistic diversity, which is exciting. And, it calls us to grow in this area.

In addition, we celebrated Indigenous People’s Day. Wisconsin is home to 12 sovereign Native American nations. We live and work on the ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk nation.

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Our team is working hard to provide support to all our staff so they continue serving our students and families. We are leading work on multiple areas: curriculum renewal, special education program improvement, multilingual learner program support, student mental health support, and more.

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We are inspired to continue to make our work coherent, aligned, and purposeful so our principals and teachers can be well-positioned to serve our students well. As always we welcome your questions and comments.

Elementary, Secondary, and Multilingual Services Round Up Our K-12 staff continue to engage in curriculum renewal for literacy and biliteracy. We have had two meetings with our renewal team. In an effort to keep everyone apprised of this very important work, we have put together a Curriculum Renewal Hub where you will be able to get updates and see agendas, meeting minutes, slides, and resources. You can access the hub through this link or from the staff portal.

So far in our progress, the team has engaged in learning about the committee's role, the Act 20 legislation, our district literacy data, and the science of reading practices.

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Touching Base With Teaching and Learning

Others that will be engaged with curriculum renewal include the World Language team and a smaller renewal for middle school social studies (plan/implement additional geography lessons throughout the level and to plan for daily social studies instruction in Grade 5). Information will be posted on the Curriculum Renewal Hub as it becomes available.

BRTs, Instructional Coaches, and Directors of Elementary, Secondary, and Multilingual Services participated in their first session in the professional learning series “Making Language Visible” with Dr. Ruslana Westerlund of CESA 2. The learning in the series centers on how to analyze the language functions and features of grade-level texts so that we can explicitly teach them to students in the universal curriculum. This learning will inform collaboration with PLCs/C3s as well as the district-wide professional learning plan in 2023-24.

Special Education Special educators participated in professional learning together during the October PD day. Topics included Fastbridge training for all K-8 teachers as well as a legal update sharing the hot legal topics in special education within our district, Dane Co, state and nation.

The WestEd special education final report should be released to the district this month.

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Touching Base With Teaching and Learning

Student Services Our 7th-12th grade students participate in the Dane County Youth Assessment every three years. The last assessment was completed in 2021 and we will complete another assessment in Winter 2024. Our 2021 MCPASD data is reflective of what the entire state and nation is experiencing…increased anxiety and depression among our adolescents.

As we conclude our first month of the school year, which was also Suicide Prevention Month, it is important to review important resources and review the signs of suicide. Below is the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Annual Notification of Youth Suicide Prevention Resources with a few additional resource links. Please review the materials below, know the signs, and reach out to any of your Student Services colleagues if you have questions concerns or need student support.

2023 Notification of Youth Suicide Prevention Resources Annual Model Notice for Suicide Prevention DPI WI Youth Suicide Prevention

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