Dear MMSD Families,

Happy Public Schools Week! Our special community has deep pride in MMSD, and in turn, we are proud to serve you. Our dedicated educators and staff are the real-life heroes of today - ensuring our scholars learn and grow in spaces where everyone can thrive.

During visits to schools throughout our district, we are witnessing innovative instructional efforts, engaging co-curricular programming, and instances where our students and staff are striving for human decency at the highest level. 

Examples of equity and excellence abound in our district, including the awesome Black History Month displays and artwork, such as those by Midvale, Henderson, and O’Keeffe scholars. Goal 3 of our Strategic Framework is realized in West High School senior Tamea Johnson, who plans on becoming a pharmacist and will attend next month’s Congress of Future Medical Leaders two-day event.

Our students, staff, families, and community continue to embody MMSD's core values and demonstrate what makes our district special!

Sincerely,

Carlton D. Jenkins, Ph.D.

Superintendent

4K & Kindergarten Online Enrollment for the 2022-2023 School Year Begins Monday, February 28, at 8 am

Link Enrollment

On March 7, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Schools are available to answer parents’ questions and conduct Zoom meetings with parents. Visit mmsd.org/4K for more information.

4-year-old Kindergarten (4K)

All children who are four years old on or before September 1, and live in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), are eligible to participate in the 4K program. Children who are currently receiving early childhood special education services should also enroll on February 28, 2022. The full-day 4K program is held at several MMSD elementary schools Tuesday through Friday. MMSD also offers 4K programming available at participating Early Care and Education Centers throughout the Madison community. 4K is not required and is tuition-free.*

For more information, visit mmsd.org/4K or call (608) 663-4957.

Join us to say THANK YOU to our dedicated teachers and staff for keeping students safe, learning, and growing. Public Schools Week is February 21-25, 2022!

Elementary Students Celebrate Black History Through Art

The waiting room walls of the Joyce and Marshall Erdman Clinic at Access Community Health Center are brightly decorated with seven impactful, custom works of art created by students at Midvale Elementary School.

First and second grade students in art teacher Mary Lau’s classes created a variety of panels of multimedia art depicting key moments in Black history, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In, and school integration. 

In the classroom, students made food sculptures of the same dishes that were served during the impactful sit-in: forming clay hamburgers and hot dogs, flipping cardboard pancakes, and splitting yarn fibers into spaghetti noodles with paper meatballs.

“The project to make the Midvale Lunch Counter was designed to engage in play and belonging for young students while learning about an important historical event,” Lau said. “The play based experience of the lunch counter provided students with a place to have lively conversations and have the joy of learning together.”

At Henderson Elementary, students and staff created hallway displays to shine a light on Black Excellence. The community highlighted African Americans throughout history and the present who are bringing positive change to the world. Our own Dr. Virginia Henderson was featured prominently in several classes, along with leaders including Shirley Chisholm, Amanda Gorman, Jackie Robinson, and more. Take a look at some of the many amazing displays!

View the Artwork

The Madison Metropolitan School District Proudly Celebrates Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

With over 100 institutions that offer students, regardless of race or ethnicity, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents after high school, HBCUs are an important destination for many of our current students. Students who learn and thrive and prosper at an HBCU are more likely to graduate. HBCU graduates are leaders in every career field worldwide, as well as leaders right here in the Madison Metropolitan School District. In this video, MMSD educators, who are also HBCU graduates, powerfully share why students and families should consider applying to and attending an HBCU. 

To learn more about Historically Black Colleges and Universities check out this website.

Did you know that your rising 11th or 12th grader can earn college credits for FREE while they are still in high school?

Check out our Early College Website for more information or watch this 15-minute presentation. The deadline to apply for fall classes is March 1. See your student’s school counselor for more information.

Another FREE ACT preparation course coming soon!

The course will be open to all students grades 9-12, starting March 21. Watch your email for details. Additional test-prep courses will be held this summer and next school year and will be open to all high school students, including rising 8th graders.

FREE College Fair March 7 at La Follette



High school students and families are invited to a free College Fair at La Follette High School on March 7, 2022, from 6-8 p.m. Over 100 colleges will be in attendance at The Wisconsin Education Fair (WEF). Please register in advance at gotocollegefairs.com. Visit www.madison.k12.wi.us/wef for more information, and to see which colleges will be there. Reach out to your counselor if you need transportation.

Winter Athletics are Coming to a Close

MMSD would like to thank the students and coaches for their hard work, dedication, and pursuit of excellence. Your enthusiasm, effort, athletic abilities, and commitment to your teams have been inspiring. Below are some highlights and season updates from around the district.

Boys Swim and Dive

• West Swim Team - Big 8 Champs, 3rd place finish at State
• Memorial, Drew Bennett, State Champion and State record in diving

Wrestling

La Follette Wrestler seeded 1 in this weekend's State tournament

Boys Hockey

Memorial tied for 2nd in the Big 8

Girls Hockey

West/Memorial co-op team in the sectional final Saturday

Girls Basketball

Regionals just beginning

Boys Basketball

• La Follette Big 8 champs
• Regionals begin next week

Madison West Student Launches Official School Archive

After stumbling upon early editions of the Madison West High School student newspaper this fall, senior Amitabha Shatdal became fascinated with the school’s 90-year-history. He started sorting through stacks of vintage yearbooks and school memorabilia, previously boxed away in storage. Before long, with assistance from West staff and alumni, Shatdal launched an official school archive.

Shatdal now leads the archive project, cataloging decades of relics and corresponding with donors who submit their own memories. The creation of an archive was a great way to record history, and make it readily available for the entire school community, Shatdal said.

“As a senior in high school I wanted to give something back before I graduated,” Shatdal said. “I would like to leave a physical archive of West history that can be viewed and added to for many years to come.”

In addition to a physical archive, he plans to create a digital archive that can be easily navigated and viewed by the school. The MMSD community is invited to contribute any West-related artifacts to the project, including old newspapers, audiovisual records, pictures, and more.

News From Around the District 

In case you missed it, there were some great things happening in Madison Schools this week, with many being shared by local news partners. For a good read, click on these links and check them out!

• Madison West senior to attend College of Future Medical Leaders next month
• As history unfolds in Ukraine, MMSD teachers adjust lesson plans
• Madison School District attracts more than 100 new teachers with 'intent to hire' amid staffing crisis

Pandemic EBT for families 

School Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) is a program that provides benefits for families to buy food if their children do not get free or reduced-price meals at their schools because they are home for COVID-19 related reasons. Families on free/reduced lunch will qualify for P-EBT. Eligible students will receive benefits for each day their school reports they learned from home or were absent for a COVID-19-related reason during the 2021-2022 school year

Food & Nutrition Department will be sharing information with families who completed an application and qualify for free and reduced benefits this school year. On March 5, the first round of P-EBT will be given to families (for months of September, October, and November).

Reach out to your school social worker if you have questions.

Share the Amazing Stories Happening in MMSD!

Is there a teacher or staff member engaging students with innovative lessons? Do you know of a student who is making a difference or was recently recognized? Are athletics teams, co-curriculars or arts programs demonstrating excellence? Let us know — share your story here.