East High School Social Worker, Sara Lennertz, was recently featured in an Isthmus Article, "It doesn’t have to stay like this: Madison school social workers confront increased mental health need, broken system" highlighting the very real barriers within the mental health system in our community and the capacity of our Student Services staff in MMSD to support our students, families and their growing needs. Thank you, Sara, for taking the time to share this message with the community. We are so grateful for our Student Services staff for continuing to do whatever they can to provide a safe and supportive environment for our East students.

East's new artistic collective, The Cypher, performed for 4th and 5th grade students at Sandburg and other feeder schools this week.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is an international annual campaign to raise awareness about sexual violence and to educate and mobilize individuals & communities to prevent it and to support survivors.

Executive Director at RCC, Dane County's Sexual Violence Resource Center, Dana Pellebon, who has worked closely with East, said the main purpose of the month is to get people talking about sexual assault and the awareness therein. This year, many people are stepping up to support SAAM, Pellebon said.

“I think support builds every year,” Pellebon said. “So this year, we have more events than what we’ve had traditionally in the past, and we’ve done more partnerships than in the past.”

You may remember, in the Fall, students and staff participated in a presentation that discussed consent, how to recognize and report incidents of sexual violence, what staff are responsible for doing when reports are made to them, how to get connected with school and community resources, and what the district's disciplinary process is for those who commit sexual violence. For reference here are helpful resources that RCC helped our East Sexual Violence Focus Group create about how to report a sexual assault and how to get help.

Tower TV recently won first place in category 10 “Video or podcast reporting of any Jewish or Israel-related story” in a contest with the Jewish Scholastic Press Association. The piece, “12:16-14:23 of the episode: Jewish Heritage Club coverage,” by Dora Tvedt, Elsa Marley, & Eva Saunders of East High School Tower Media, was summarized by judges as, “A remarkably well-produced segment with considered framing and editing that elevated the piece. The hosts balance a thoughtfulness and playfulness which is engaging and compelling.“

Check out these recent news stories about MMSD and education.

Check out this video of East's Hmong Literacty Night when folx came together to celebrate, preserve, and promote their Hmong culture.

Over spring break, demolition was completed in the pool locker rooms and is ongoing in the next phase of classroom renovations including the second-floor career services and English rooms. Findorff masons have begun work to construct the new pool locker room interior walls, providing an improved functional layout for these high traffic spaces. The pool locker rooms will have many of the same features as the recently completed lower- level locker rooms. Inside the 4th Street addition, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire (MEPF) work continues, and exterior masonry veneer work is set to begin later this month.

Students should check google classroom for college, career, and community readiness learning activities. Students must submit an assignment on google classroom to be considered present.  

Applications for MSCR's Summer Driver's Ed Scholarship Program are due Friday, April 14, 2023. It is not first come first serve. Any application received by the deadline will be considered, however there is a selection process due to limited spots in the class. The program is offered Monday-Thursday, June 20 - July 20, 2023, 12:30-2:30pm at O'Keeffe Middle School (due to construction at East High School).

The UW Madison School of Nursing is recruiting teenagers to participate in a study to compare stress experiences between teens with chronic physical health conditions and teens without these conditions. This study includes a phone call to obtain consent with the teen and guardian, online surveys, and a study visit to the University Hospital. To learn more, complete this interest form or email chronicconditionsstress@nursing.wisc.edu. 

Check out these slides with next week's new scholarships, jobs, events, and college visits.