Dear MMSD Families,

We look forward to welcoming students back to our classrooms in only a few weeks! The energy and excitement students, staff, and families have exhibited about the upcoming school year over the summer has been awesome! As such, today we officially kick off the 2021-2022 school year with the start of virtual enrollment. 

It is important to note MMSD will continue relying on our core values as we work to address the ongoing impacts of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial/social injustice. Throughout this school year, our efforts will center on meeting the academic, social-emotional, and other needs of our school community.

You are encouraged to read through this newsletter, which outlines important information pertaining to the upcoming school year. Our health and safety measures and transportation procedures are included, as well as school information such as menus, school supply lists, and student schedules.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we work to be an anti-racist school district and uplift ALL students. Together, we are the #MMSDfamily!

Sincerely,

Carlton D. Jenkins, Ph.D.

Superintendent

Madison Metropolitan School District

The 2021-22 School Year Calendar can be found at mmsd.org/calendar.

School Supply Lists can be found at mmsd.org/supplies and on individual school websites under ‘For Families.’ Please reach out to your child’s school directly if you have any questions.

MMSD is supporting existing and new families of elementary, middle, and high school students to complete the enrollment process 100% virtually.

Families of continuing students will complete the enrollment process fully online, and will be asked to schedule an appointment with their school only if they need to verify date of birth and/or parent-student relationship. 

Families with an address change only will be asked to send verification of their new address (either lease, recent utility bill, or mortgage) to the school’s email address listed in the confirmation email they will receive upon submitting the online enrollment application. Families who move after the last day of the school year 2020-21 cannot use the utility bill as proof of address since it does not have the date of move.

Families who are completing the online application for a new student to the district for the first time are required to schedule an appointment with their school during the August enrollment week to complete enrollment verification. Families will be provided with their school’s email and phone number upon the submission of the online enrollment application in order to schedule appointments for individual support. This will eliminate the need for families to go to a school site for face-to-face support and avoid crowding at schools. Elementary, middle, and high schools need to continue to schedule virtual meetings with parents through Zoom in order to verify date of birth and parent/guardian-student relationship. Families will use the enrollment checklist as a guide to help them prepare the enrollment documents they need for their student’s enrollment. For assistance with online enrollment or computer access, families can visit these locations. 

4K or 5K (new to district)

Families who completed the online enrollment and the verification process:

If your student is new to MMSD for the 2021-22 school year AND you completed the 2021-22 online application along with verifying your child’s date of birth, address, and parent/guardian identity and relationship at an MMSD school or office prior to August 5, you will receive communication about completing the Free and Reduced application and other enrollment forms.

Families who completed the online enrollment but have not verified enrollment documents:



If your student is new to MMSD for the 2021-22 school year AND you completed the 2021-22 online application and you have not verified your child’s date of birth, address, and parent/guardian identity and relationship at an MMSD school or office prior to August 5, contact your school during August Enrollment Dates to schedule an appointment to verify your student's enrollment. Access your school contact information here. You will also receive communication about completing the Free and Reduced application and other enrollment forms in August.

Access to Schedules on Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Elementary, middle school, and high school students will be able to see their schedule on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal starting August 23.

• Announcements—Quickly see district announcements as they are posted. 
• Assignments—Browse assignments by specific class or due date.  
• Attendance—Review attendance events in summary and detail form.
• Grades—Immediate access to grades as they are posted.
• Schedule—Review schedule from anywhere, at any time.

Infinite Campus Mobile Apps can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Transportation

We have worked closely with Madison Metro and Badger Bus to develop safe transportation guidelines. Masks will continue to be required on buses, per the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's order. Find bus routes and bus stop reminders, as well as additional information for students riding Madison Metro buses, at mmsd.org/transportation. 

As you may have seen, we are in need of additional drivers to get all students to school on time this fall. Please keep this in mind because bus routes may be affected based on driver availability. New MMSD bus drivers receive a $5,000 sign-on bonus. To learn more and apply, visit mmsd.org/drive.

Food & Nutrition

All MMSD students will receive free meals for the 2021-22 school year

This school year, all MMSD students will receive free meals under the USDA's Summer Seamless Option program (SSO). All students 18 years old and younger are eligible for meals at no charge. 



Under this program, we are still required to promote and process applications for free and reduced priced meals because this establishes a household's eligibility for other benefits, such as state reporting, Wisconsin School Day Milk Program, and P-EBT.  

At mmsd.org/food you can find details, as well as breakfast and lunch menus and information on what mealtimes will look like at schools.

Health & Safety Strategies

Among the health and safety practices all schools will have in place are the following: 

• Requiring masks for students and staff while inside school buildings and traveling on buses
• Not requiring masks during outdoor activities or while eating or drinking
• Maintaining a minimum three feet of physical distancing (when possible) for all individuals
• Scheduling cleaning of buildings throughout the day
• Following practices of proper handwashing, respiratory etiquette, and monitoring symptoms
• Continuing our collaboration with state and local health experts, and reviewing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance in alignment with our planning
• At this time, MMSD is not permitting visitors inside of schools and district buildings. However, school leaders can determine access to their buildings on a case-by-case basis, in partnership with health staff. Any visitor must follow our health and safety mitigation strategies.
• Schools and afterschool programming will strive to cohort students in groups, but it is not a requirement as long as everyone is wearing a mask.  

Find additional details in the MMSD COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Fees

Student fees posted at enrollment include:

• Consumable Materials (classroom supplies not included in the supply list) – all grades
• Textbook Fees – middle and high school students
• Activity Fees – middle and high school students
• Other Fees, such as planners, locks, high school course fees and (optional) yearbooks

Fees can be paid online through Infinite Campus, with instructions and information available on our website. The 2021-2022 fees are also posted online.

Device Return and Exchange: August 10 & 12

The MMSD Tech Services Department will host a device return and exchange event on August 10 and 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

If you currently have an MMSD-issued device or hotspot and will not be participating in enrollment, moving out of the district, or will be attending another school district in the fall, please feel free to return any district-issued devices (including chargers) during this event. 

If your child will be a 4th grader for the 2021-2022 school year and their current Chromebook is not a Dell device, you will need to exchange it during this event. If you are unable to participate on either of these dates, students will have the opportunity to exchange devices at the start of the school year. 

When: August 10 and August 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: East, La Follette, and Memorial High Schools

Please note, new students or returning students without a Chromebook will receive their school-issued device during the first week of school.

Madison Promise: Last day to apply is August 6!

MMSD is committed to being a district where ALL students thrive. If you are looking for a robust, high-quality online educational experience for your middle or high school student, learn more about Madison Promise - our new virtual learning program beginning this fall.

Madison Promise will have a dedicated staff, including teachers and a program leader. It should be noted that this isn’t a continuation of pandemic virtual learning; teachers will provide instruction online and not concurrently.

Comprehensive curriculum and course offerings will be available for students, including CTE and world languages. Core courses include math, science, social studies, and English language arts; electives will also be offered online. Visit our website for more information: mmsd.org/Madison-Promise