Monthly Update with Monogue

Before we toss on our flip-flops and hop into our summer mindset, I wanted to take a moment to share with you some exciting events that happened during the end of the school year and give you a few reminders heading into the break. 

First, let's begin with some important items.

Even though we are not in school, it is important we do everything we can to keep our family and friends safe. This is why we will be continuing to host a COVID testing site location over the summer at Elm Lawn Elementary School. The site will be open from 9am to 2pm Monday through Friday, beginning June 20th, and will close July 28th. Students do not need to be enrolled in summer school, nor do staff need to teach to access the testing site. Family members can still be tested as well, as long as a student is present. You do not need to report any cases to the District unless your student is enrolled in the summer academy or extended school year programs. Please note that the Elm Lawn Elementary location will be our only testing site over the summer. If you have any questions, please visit our website here or contact: 

MCPASD health services team

(Phone 608-829-9018 or email covid19@mcpasd.k12.wi.us)

Next, I would like to remind families they have the option to utilize our free summer meal program. Students ages 18 and under can receive free breakfast and lunch at the locations listed below. There is no need to sign up. The meals are available by walk-in appointment but must be eaten on site. Carry-out meals will not be provided. If you have any questions, please visit our website or contact Amy Gundek | 608-829-2344 | agundeck@mcpasd.k12.wi.us

If you have not already, please be sure to complete the following surveys sent to you via email earlier this month. 

The first is the family engagement survey due on June 15th at 11:59pm. This survey is aligned with the District's priorities and strategies. We use this tool to gain valuable information from our families about how our District can better serve our students and families. Please note that this survey can only be taken once per student ID. 

The second survey that we ask our families to complete is the Transportation sign up . Please use this tool to let us know if your student will need District transportation for the upcoming school year. Please note that incomplete surveys will be marked as parent-transportation. This survey is due June 30th at 11:59pm

It has been a busy year for our District, filled with both challenges and triumphs. A lot has happened, and we want to share it with you! Be sure to check your mailbox for our 2022 Community Connection magazine! This publication will be sent out to over 20,000 households within our District by the end of this month. We are excited to share our points of pride, welcoming of new administrators, great stories within our District, and all the information you need going into the summer break. 

Now let's look back at some of the awesome things our students and staff were up to during the end of the school year! 

First and foremost, I wanted to say congratulations once again to our 2022 graduates! On June 5th, the District had the honor of recognizing the senior class during the 2022 Commencement Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center. We could not be more proud of our students and wish them all the best as they move on to their next chapter. To learn more about the commencement ceremony and view our photos, please click here


Before our students walked across the stage, they were able to take a stroll down memory lane. Many students chose to participate in an MCPASD tradition called "senior walk". During this event, students returned to their former elementary school and paraded down the hallways while giving out high fives to the younger students. Following the parade, students take a group photo. This is such a fun and humbling experience for our students as they revisit where their academic careers began. View photos from the event here

The week before graduation is a great time for students to celebrate. Middleton High School students and staff were treated to lunch and outdoor games during the annual senior picnic event at Fireman's Park. We were glad to see so many smiling faces enjoying the nice weather and quality time.


Congratulations to Clark Street Community School! June 8th marked their 10-year anniversary! It was such an honor to be part of their special day! Students spent the morning sharing presentations of learning followed by speeches from Principal Jill Gurner, former students Mathew Thomas and Charlie Crow who honored retirees Rick Evans and Vicki Shaffer, and Mayor Brar who made the formal proclamation that the week of June 8th will now be recognized as “Clark Street Community School Week” in Middleton. Clark Street Community school began as a passionate and collaborative effort between its founding members and now has grown into an exceptional academic community. To learn more about the 10-year celebration, please click here

Thank you to One Community Bank - Middleton for their generous donation of $20,000 to the Middleton Education Foundation Room Sponsorship Campaign. These funds will help make it possible for the Education Foundation to keep doing excellent work for the staff and students at MCPASD. Thank you once again! 


Break out the moving vans because Clark Street Community School and the Early Learning Center are moving to new locations! With construction coming to a close at Middleton High School, Clark Street will now have its own wing of the building! The Early Learning Center will now take roots in the previous Clark street location. Construction to adapt the building for your learners will begin this summer. Both schools will be ready for the 2022-23 school year. You can learn more about their big move on our District social media pages and our website. 


A few congratulations are in order for several of our students! 

First, I would like to congratulate Kromrey 8th grader Isabel Killian whose short play was selected to be the runner-up for the National Young Playwrights for Change Contest which is sponsored by the American Alliance for Theater and Education (AATE). Isa's play will be staged this summer by AATE. Nice work!


Congratulations to six 4th grade students whose haikus were selected for the Greater Dane County Advanced Learning Network's Haiku Contest. 1600 Haiku poems were submitted from 15 school districts, and in the end, only 46 poems were selected. There was a special ceremony to honor these students. Winners include Adrian Guerrattaz, Imran Razvi, Donovan Kilian, Cora Schueffner, Stella Friedman, and Brianna Richard. Great work, students and special thanks to the 4th-grade teachers who helped students create entries and encouraged them to submit them.



Not pictured Adrian Guerrattaz**

Eighth graders from both Glacier Creek and Kromrey had the opportunity to participate in playwriting workshops with professional theater educators from Children's Theater of Madison, thanks to generous support from both schools' PTAs. Fifteen students completed wonderful short plays on the theme, "What Hope Looks Like." Two of these plays were staged at CTM's Spring Playwrights Festival on May 3rd at the new Madison Youth Arts Center. 

Congratulations to our 4th-grade graduates from the Two Way Immersion program at Sauk Trail Elementary! Learning a second language is an invaluable skill! We hope our students will continue to pursue all the language opportunities our District has, including earning a Wisconsin seal of biliteracy and a community interpreter certificate!

Great work to the students and staff of Sunset Ridge Elementary! Together they raised over $7,000 for blood cancer research, programming, and beyond. As part of their fundraising efforts, students participated in themed spirit days to encourage giving and awareness, while practicing valuable real-world math skills. It was a fun week full of generosity and kindness!


Congratulations to the cast and crew of Newsies! They won Jerry awards in several categories, including 

-Outstanding orchestra

-Outstanding Musical Director

-Outstanding Youth Performer 

-The Spirit Award 

-Overall Design

The Jerry awards is one of Wisconsin's High School musical award programs that celebrate excellence in high school performances. Congratulations once again! 


Congratulations to the four Middleton DECA members who earned a medal at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this month! This event marked their first international conference since 2019 and over 17,000 students competed worldwide. Congratulations to all 15 DECA members who competed! 


In response to the tragedy that devastated the community in Uvalde, Texas, 4th graders at Elm Lawn Elementary School have raised 5,000 dollars to send to the students and staff at Robb Elementary School.

Last week, local news media stopped by to showcase the fundraising efforts our teachers and students have made through raffle ticket sales.  In total, the students created 13 different baskets and sold tickets. 

All the money will be donated directly to the school’s parent-teacher organization to help rebuild their school community.


We are excited to welcome 260 students to our Summer Academy program. The Academy curriculum targets early literacy and numeracy learning through interactive project-based activities for the students. A huge shout out to all the staff working hard to create personalized summer activities for our students. 

You may have noticed this flying at our district services center. We are flying the PRIDE flag in honor of June being PRIDE month!

We believe that there is nothing better in this world than to be yourself. As part of the celebration, 5th-grade students from Kromrey Middle School's gay-straight-alliance group, also known as GSA, hosted their own mini pride parade around the Kromrey campus. It was a great way for students to share their support for the LGBTQ+ community! 

Building a sense of community is important to both our staff and students. Our Middle School LGBTQ+ support groups have worked closely over the year with the High School level LGBTQ+ group called SAGE. Together they have formed a mentorship program where they meet monthly to play games, host Q&A sessions and discuss personal experiences. 

That brings us to the end of this month's episode of the Monthly Update With Monogue. I hope you have a wonderful summer break spent relaxing with family and friends, and I look forward to welcoming you into the new school year in September! Thank you!