This article was written for the March edition of the Community Compass newsletter.
Communication and collaboration skills are flourishing for MCPASD students as educators continue to implement A Cardinal’s Journey in their classrooms and beyond.
The future-preparedness framework, which is MCPASD’s guide for student success from 4K through grade 12, is grounded in the Cardinal Mindsets and the Cardinal Foundations.This semester, schools are focusing on two Cardinal Foundations: Communication and Collaboration.
Effective communicators use a variety of formats to clearly exchange ideas and information with others. They are active listeners, adapt their message and medium as needed, and value the voices of others to foster greater understanding.
Recent activities and recognitions that highlight the Communication Foundation include:
The Board of Education honored students Miracle Aniekwenagbu, Noah Lucchesi, Reese Moon, Madeline Saidy, Genesis Sotero Cayaxon, and Ainsley Theisen with the Cardinal’s Journey Award for excellence in communication.
Park Elementary School hosted a special assembly on March 6 that linked the importance of literacy and communication skills.
Middleton High School students displayed strong communication skills to MCPASD leaders and staff during presentations toward their Seal of Biliteracy.
Additionally, effective collaborators work respectfully with others to achieve a common goal. They make meaningful contributions to their group effort, build relationships with others, make decisions with their team, and learn from team members while also enriching the learning environment of others.
The Board of Education will begin recognizing students who exemplify the Collaboration Foundation during its meeting on March 18 and recognize other honorees during future meetings. The Collaboration Foundation honorees are Middleton High School students Cate Cassata, Mallak Gadelhak, Bradley Koeller, Grace Lee, Tvisha Pundir, and Sanaa Waraich.
Additional recent activities that highlight the Collaboration Foundation include:
Kromrey Middle School’s VEX Chefs Robotics Team earned recognition for teamwork challenges during the State Championship in March and will compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship in April.
Eighth-grade students at Glacier Creek Middle School worked together to conduct an energy audit of their classrooms and identify ways to reduce energy consumption.
MCPASD students are collaborating with Emmy Award-winning composer Mark Wood to perform during a special group concert on March 19 as part of Fine Arts Week 2026.
Thank you, students, for continuing to show the elements of A Cardinal’s Journey in action, and thank you to our staff and community partners for celebrating their milestones along the way!