We want to ensure you and your family have everything you need to be prepared for the first day of school. This Back-to-School edition of our Family News highlights popular school topics, resources, and events. 

We are excited for the upcoming academic year, and offer our continued appreciation for your partnership!

MMSD Held Back-to-School Virtual Press Conference on August 27, 2021. Click below to view.

Changes to Some School Start and Dismissal Times

MMSD has been working diligently to problem-solve around a nationwide bus driver shortage for several weeks. This crisis is an issue impacting schools in Wisconsin and across the country. School districts have been forced to cancel bus routes, shift schedules, and in some states, close in-person learning altogether. Although we are excited to be able to continue learning in-person five days per week, the driver shortage has put us in an unfortunate situation where an adjustment to school start times for many of our schools is necessary. 

We have posted the revised start and end times for all schools on our website. Here you can also find bus routes and schedules. Please make sure to reference this information before the start of school.

Interested in driving a bus or van for MMSD? Apply here.

4K, Kindergarten, 1st, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th grades

All grades return 4K-12

– first day of school for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 11th, and 12th grades

Check Your School Supply List

Find Your Bus Route

View Lunch Menus

Virtual Option for Elementary Students

After reviewing feedback from our families and stakeholder groups, we will now be offering families with 4K-5th grade elementary students a virtual option to start the school year. This decision comes after considering concerns over the rising incidence of the Delta variant; children under 12 years old not eligible for vaccinations; and associated risks with family members who are immunocompromised.

The elementary virtual option is rooted in doing what is best for all students, while ensuring our young scholars can thrive. If you are interested in the 4K-5th grade virtual program, families will need to submit an interest form for consideration – the deadline to complete a form is noon (12 p.m.) on Monday, August 30. Families will be notified by Tuesday, August 31, if their child will be in the elementary virtual program.

Please note, if you want your child to attend school in person, you do not need to do anything (besides completing the annual enrollment process) – the form should be completed only if you are interested in a virtual option for your elementary student.

For more information about the elementary virtual option, including answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our website.

Join the Action!

We are excited to welcome the Madison community back to our athletic contests. We ask you support and follow the mitigation procedures in place as spectators.

Spectator Requirements:

• Outdoor sports (Football, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Cross Country) 
• Masking and appropriate spacing is encouraged of vaccinated individuals
• Masking and appropriate spacing is required for individuals who are not fully vaccinated
• Indoor sports (Swim & Dive, Volleyball) 
• Masking and appropriate spacing is required of all spectators
• Concessions 
• Not allowed indoors
• Single-serving, individual, pre-packaged items allowed at outdoor venues

We offer 11 fall sports programs, and live schedules can be found at big8conference.net.

If you would like to take a more active role in our programs, game workers are needed for many sports – scorers, timers, ticket sellers and takers, line judges, crowd supervisors, scorers, timers, etc. If something interests you, we can try to connect you with that sport. You can also be the designated bus driver for our sports teams with free training and bus valet service for you to help our teams get to competitions. If you are interested in any of these jobs, please don't hesitate to contact the athletic department of the schools you are interested in.



Online Enrollment is Open

MMSD is supporting existing and new families of elementary, middle, and high school students 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 can use the enrollment checklist as a guide to help them prepare the documents they need for their student’s enrollment. For assistance with online enrollment or computer access, families can visit these locations. 

COVID Mitigation and Communication Updates:

How your school will notify you of any positive COVID-19 cases this school year

Like last spring, your child's school will send an email to all families and staff if there is a positive COVID-19 case in the building. Unless you are directly contacted by our Health Office, your child is not considered a close contact in need of quarantining. 

We continue to publish a case count dashboard, which is updated every Wednesday. You can check the page at any time to see the number of individuals who have tested positive and who have been close contacts in any MMSD building.

Read more.

Daily Student Health Screener 

Our work to prepare to safely welcome back staff and students has centered around layered mitigation strategies – the most important being mask wearing and vaccinations. Like last school year, we also require daily health screening for staff and students.

Every morning at 6 a.m., you will receive an automated email from MMSD prompting you to monitor your child's health. You'll need to do this before your child leaves for school. 

Read more. 

What you need to know about attending school events 

We are so excited to welcome our scholars and families back to school! This fall, we hope to see many of you in person at various back-to-school events, and we want to make sure these events are safe for everyone. Here's what you need to know.

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

We are honored to celebrate the renaming of Falk Elementary to Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School. Ms. Milele was a mentor, advocate, community leader, trailblazer and “Village Mother.” Ms. Milele was the founder and publisher of UMOJA Magazine and was the first African-American woman to serve on the MMSD school board.

The Renaming Ceremony took place on Wednesday, August 25. Artist Jerry Jordan unveiled his portrait of Ms. Milele to Ms. Milele's family, community, and district leaders along with the entire Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School Community at the Back-to-School night event held on the playground. 

The Madison School Board approved the renaming proposal on January 25, 2021 to rename Falk Elementary School to Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School. See more about the event on our website.

Technology Fines – Student-Issued Devices

The MMSD Family Digital Device Guidelines include a fine structure for MMSD student-issued devices. Throughout the last school year, the MMSD fine process was put on hold; however, as we plan to return to school, this fine structure will be in place.  

During September, students and families are encouraged to contact their school and notify the school of any lost or damaged device issues that might have occurred during the last school year. During this time, we will work with families and students to correct, or replace, any damaged devices at no cost to families. The fine structure, per the guidelines, will start October 1, 2021 for all schools and students. 

As parents complete the enrollment process, the digital device guidelines are provided and can be supplied by LMTSs (Library Media Technology Specialists).