This
Madison365 story
talks with the
first-ever AVID teaching team of color at Madison East
,
who are 'providing support for their students in new ways and making waves throughout the district'.
Pictured (L-r)
: Anisa Yudawanti, Kennedy Adeetuk, Vera Naputi and Cesar Martinez.
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IMPORTANT DATES
June 22 - July 30:
Summer Food Program
RESOURCES
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Dear Staff,
As you know we have been working to provide guidelines to you and families for the plans for reopening schools in the fall. We are aware of the work that lies in front of our school staff once these guidelines are in place and I want you to know how much confidence I have that you will engage wholeheartedly in this challenge. We have gotten preliminary feedback on the virtual learning experiences of staff, students and families that indicates the areas that we excelled in and the areas we need to work on. Overall the feedback was positive for stepping up to such an unprecedented challenge. I wanted to update you on our planning thus far, specifically around a hybrid model.
The health and safety of our students and staff is at the center of our planning. We know that we need to be flexible and fluid based on the ever-changing guidance, information, and research.
Early this week, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released their latest
guidance
on the reopening of Wisconsin schools this fall, and additionally we are anticipating to receive updated Public Health - Madison & Dane County guidelines on July 6. All of these guidelines may have implications on our planning. Just as we understand our families need for information to create a plan for the fall, we also certainly know that our staff too need information to make plans for the fall.
We are preparing for three scenarios for the fall:
- all-virtual learning
- all in-person learning
- a hybrid model that is a blend of both in-person and virtual
THE HYBRID MODEL
The hybrid model is the one that needs the most attention at this time. Right now we're focusing efforts on what a hybrid model might look like at elementary, middle and high schools. So far, we believe that our model would involve all students learning virtually three days per week and learning in person two days per week.
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- Students would be divided into two cohorts.
- Cohort A would learn in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and would learn virtually on Wednesdays.
- Cohort B would learn in person on Thursdays and Fridays and would learn virtually on Wednesdays.
- Wednesdays would be used for teacher professional development and planning virtually as well as deep cleaning of the schools between cohorts.
- We are also exploring an all-virtual learning opportunity for students who may not be able to be in-person until conditions change or a vaccination is developed.
I am sending
this letter
to families later today explaining our latest thinking about our planning for the hybrid option and noting that a follow up questionnaire will be sent to them next week. We will also have a special link on our website with more details about the plan for the hybrid option.
As staff are returning to school you will be expected to follow the model that is applicable at the time: all virtual, all in person or a hybrid of both. It is important that you know we are planning with the expectation that staff will be back in buildings should we go with the hybrid or the all in-person model. Principals will be working with staff to determine how best to implement the hybrid model once details like transportation and the many health related aspects are worked out.
Another way to think about this is that we are offering students a hybrid environment but to make this model work we are assuming that staff will be on site, in their building or workplace to teach both in-person and to teach virtually from their classrooms on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, Friday. Every Wednesday will be virtual for both students and teachers to allow for deep cleaning of the buildings, teacher planning and staff development.
If you have questions about your contract or work expectations please direct them to Human Resources at
(LINK)
.
As we continue with our planning, we remain committed to a strong equity approach to ensure that our work continues to hold up our core values as a school district.
Take care,
Jane
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The district’s
preliminary
budget will be presented to the Board of Education early next week.
As we look forward to the reopening of schools this fall, there are many unknowns that remain. With unprecedented uncertainty, we are at a place where we have no choice but to put a number of our decisions on pause until we know more. The 2020/2021 school year will require us as a district to remain flexible and adaptive as both our fall reopening plan and our State funding becomes more clear.
The budget we will be presenting Monday is
preliminary
and not final, and likely will look different by the final October budget. The plan is designed to provide an optimal level of flexibility for the Board in the upcoming months, to protect student relationships with staff, and ensure we can continue operations throughout the summer and early fall. As we learn more about our community’s physical and fiscal health, our final fall school opening plans, and our final revenue sources, we will continue to work through our budget plan accordingly.
As such, this updated
June Preliminary Budget
assumes that we will no longer receive $7.6M in new revenue from the State, and therefore, puts on pause any new spending. This effectively pauses our previously planned compensation increases and a few Strategic Equity Projects, not previously approved. Although it is our hope that our budgetary landscape improves by late fall, we also need to be prepared for State budget reductions that may be coming in the upcoming months.
Most important among all the uncertainty, is that our students need us now more than ever. We know that moving forward with flexibility will enable us to put students at the center and to protect what matters most; our positive student/staff relationships, social emotional and mental health supports, and student support structures.
Thank you for your partnership and feedback as we’ve worked through the process.
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On Monday we narrowed the number of candidates in our search for our next Superintendent down to our top two finalists. We are pleased to introduce them to you:
Dr. Carol Kelley
Currently Dr. Kelley is in her 5th year as Superintendent of Oak Park Elementary School District 97 in Oak Park IL. Prior to Oak Park, she served 3 years as the Superintendent of Branch Township School District in NJ. Dr. Kelley’s experience includes 25 years in education including serving in roles of Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Elementary Principal and Middle School Assistant Principal, K-12 Supervisor of Mathematics, and classroom teacher. Dr. Kelley holds an Ed.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA degree from the University of Virginia, Darden School and a BS in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Carlton Jenkins
Dr. Jenkins is currently in his fifth year as Superintendent of the Robbinsdale School District in New Hope, Minnesota which serves a diverse student population. He has held leadership positions in several states including Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan. In addition to two superintendencies, his educational leadership roles include; chief academic officer; principal; assistant principal; and physical education/health teacher. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin.
Digital Days in the District - June 30 & July 1
Given COVID-19, we aren't able to host a physical "Day in the District" as we did with our previous finalists, but Dr. Jenkins (June 30) and Dr. Kelley (July 1) will have an opportunity to meet with students, staff, families and community members virtually.
Virtual staff meeting: Save the dates and times
We will be facilitating a staff Zoom Q&A session, which will be livestreamed on the board's YouTube channel, with each finalist from 2:30-3:30 p.m. both days. If you have a question for one or both of the finalists, please submit your question using
this form
by 12 p.m. Monday, June 29. If you can't watch the livestream, the link will be available for you to check out later. After each session, we'll let you know how you can give feedback on each of the finalists' Q&A sessions.
Following the staff meeting, the finalists will meet with a group of students. We'll then hold a virtual community-wide meeting on Facebook Live from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. More details to come.
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'MSCR MAKES': A SPECIAL EDITION
ABOUT BLACK ARTISTS
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"Being an artist is hard, and a lot of Black Artists are not featured or talked about often in the art community. When you don’t see people who look like you in a job, it can be hard to imagine yourself doing that job. This is why these role models are important. It helps people see that a job, like being an artist, is for everyone."
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TIME AND ATTENDANCE TRACKING
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As of June 29, hourly employees should resume the use of
Kronos
to track their time and attendance. With the availability of the app and the ease of
sign on to the software
through Classlink, MMSD is able to pay employees for their work hours that are on-site or at home. Payroll will discontinue paying employees the Emergency Closure Pay that was based on allocation.
If you would like to use the mobile app and have not installed it on your smartphone,
here are instructions
.
You are able to enter any benefit leave time available to you (i.e. vacation, floating holiday or personal illness) through the app, time clock or software. If you need to make any changes after the benefit leave time is entered you will need to ask your supervisor to do that for you.
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COVID-19 AND THE HEALTHY MINDS PROGRAM FOR EDUCATORS STUDY
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All MMSD employees are invited to participate in
an online study
to look at emotional and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to better understand how the pandemic is affecting people’s lives and whether the Healthy Minds Program – an app that integrates mental exercises into daily life, with an approach that parallels the way physical exercise becomes a part of healthy living – might improve well-being.
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