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Starting in December of 2021, Sun Prairie Community Schools, in partnership with the Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry, Boys & Girls Club, the Sun Prairie YMCA, Dane County Public Health, and a strong collective of volunteers began the Weekend Food for Kids program. This program will continue to serve our community, and anyone can sign up here. This program is funded by the City of Sun Prairie.

Our team is excited to support the City of Sun Prairie’s Frozen Fest, a weekend of events to culminate the month long celebration of Frozen Fun Prairie. We’ll be leading family activities at the kick off Friday, January 28 in Cannery Square at 7pm and will be leading campfire songs at the bonfire at Angell Park at 8pm. For more information on the events, please visit the Frozen Fest website. All events are free and open to the public. 

Sun Prairie Community Schools will also be working with our partners at the Sun Prairie YMCA for the Snow Much Fun Event on Saturday, January 22 from Noon-2 pm. Everyone is invited to this outdoor event at the Y, to gather around the campfire for s’mores, hot chocolate, snow art, games, and family fun. This event is FREE and open to the public. 

The Sun Prairie Community Schools team will present the Mid Year Impact Report at the February 1 at 5:30 pm City Council Committee of the Whole meeting. Anyone is welcome to attend. 

C.H. Bird has been chosen by The National Governor Association to host some focus groups.

“Building Better Connections with Families” is to bring us all together to place a strong foundation plan for parents/caregivers to be included in decision making, so we can see successful scholars coming out of our schools, by listening, supporting their families' voices. This group will begin in March and will be held at C.H. Bird in-person and virtual.

We would like to thank Our Savior Lutheran Church for donating 4,000 lbs of food, household items, and brand new coats, boots, hats, gloves, blankets, toiletries, and monetary donations to our “Hunger No Longer Food Pantry” and “Clothed With Love Clothing Closet.” 

Sunshine Place has also been a huge support to our school by donating frozen meals, desserts, sandwiches, and a host of other goodies.

The new year brought a new face to the Northside family - Stacey Dudley, Northside’s Community School Site Coordinator began her work with the team on January 3. Stacey brings 23 years of experience in the human services field, is an avid Green Bay Packers fan, and loves spending time with her family. Her personal mantra is to leave a legacy of loving others, and she is excited to do so in her role at Northside. 

Students at Patrick Marsh have been actively engaging in the food pantry, sharing their ideas as to what they’d like to see here in the food pantry on a month to month basis. Big thanks to Kathy Walker for always providing after school snacks for our children that I have the pleasure giving out to our kids for after school learning.

Monday Mania continues each Monday afternoon at Rolling Prairie apartment complex on Bird Street, The Element on Main Street and Vandenburg Park. Mrs. Darga, along with partners at the YMCA, Neighborhood Navigators, The Dream Bus, and Early Childhood team are there from 4:30 - 5:15 pm visiting with families and giving out needed resources. Please stop out and say hi! 

Patrick Marsh after school program, Prairie Music and Arts continues to support our kids with learning how to become abstract painters. They are now working on creating a book through art.

PPA’s afterschool program, Dream Leaders, was proud to show off their artwork, music, and basketball skills at their winter showcase. One student even debuted her original Christmas-themed songs that she created with the help of Oddly Arranged Media!

On two consecutive Saturdays in January - the 22nd and 29th - PPA will be hosting a “Rent Smart” workshop for PPA students, thanks to UW-Extension. They may need volunteers to help serve a meal or provide childcare during these afternoons, from 12-5 pm each day. Please contact me by email, Rea Solomon.

The Kids Achieve Together afterschool program continues to meet every Monday through Thursday. Students who meet the criteria specified in the grant are invited to stay and receive a healthy snack, extra academic support, and enrichment activities such as healthy cooking sessions, with UW Extension Nutrition, and Drama Club sessions with Prairie Music and Arts. Along with that, Westside wrapped up their Adult ESL Classes for the Fall semester and had the most adult students participating since they began these classes in 2013! The Adult ESL Classes second semester sessions will again be held virtually with the intermediate session beginning on Tuesday, January 25 and meet every Tuesday through May and the beginner session will be held beginning Thursday, January 27 and meet every Thursday through May!

Shenika Moss has received funding from the Sun Prairies Education Foundation to start a project called “The Olive Bunch” showing children how to extend the olive branch by allowing them to host events for “Families Night Out.” They will learn table etiquette, how to prepare a table, how to make centerpieces, and enjoy themselves and everyone they encounter.

Friday nights is also a time where our families can come in to shop in the food pantry and clothing closet from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm by appointment to secure their space so the experience will be comfortable.

On January 22, 2022, CH Best will be hosting a “Winter Family Bird Sledding" event from 1-3 pm at the school.

Currently, just getting to know our families and the community.

Students kicked off their winter break with a gingerbread house contest, 3-on-3 basketball mini-tournament, and lots of hot chocolate! The PPA site leadership had their monthly meeting and brainstormed ideas for programs and events related to one of Sun Prairie Community Schools’ three goals: increasing family connectedness to the school and community. PPA is planning to have a number of events and programs during the second semester to promote authentic family engagement.

Westside was able to provide many additional supports and resources so that families could enjoy the holidays. These included partnering with the Boys and Girls Club at the McKenzie Center, to help pick up and deliver holiday dinners to families who didn’t have transportation, working with the YMCA of Dane County Westside was able to have 22 of their families be part of their Giving Tree project, collaborating with Sunshine Place, the Marines, and United Way, many Westside families were also able to be part of the Spirit of Giving program and Toys for Tots distribution.

C.H. Bird and Westside came together to start a support group called F.I.T. (Families Inspiring Together)  A support network for families with lived expertise of housing insecurity. We come together to have dinner, discussions, share resources, and to find solutions to help families build one another up.

BSU is our black student union, myself and Nehemirah Barrett are the ones who facilitate this club. We are now engaged in decorating the school with black leaders from all around the country. We are also looking to partner with our Equity Inclusion Director in hopes of creating a field trip experience to Black culture event in the spring if COVID would let us. 

This year, PPA started the Adopt-a-Senior program, in which PPA seniors can be “adopted” by an elementary school in the Sun Prairie Area School District. In November, the seniors were able to meet their classes, and in the month of December their classes sent them cards and gifts encouraging them to keep going, even when it gets difficult! Seeing PPA students’ faces light up when they received their cards was definitely a highlight of December! Later this year, in the spring, their adoptive classes will even throw them graduation parties to celebrate their accomplishments this year- PPA will be looking for generous donors to fund each of these ever-important celebrations.

Dudes on Duty is a program for positive male role models to hang out with the Wildcats at recess playing football, soccer and basketball while at the same time building positive relationships with them. This began on Fridays during the lunch recess times of 11:30 am - 1:30 pm beginning Friday, December 3. If you are interested in being part of this program, please sign up HERE!