www.mmsd.org/innoved

The Newsletter of Innovative and Alternative EducationFourth Quarter 2014-2015

THEE xp l re r

Congratulations 2015GraduatesThis Spring, Night School, Pathways, ROAD, SAPAR, TLC and WLC together graduated over 100 students. Over the course of the 2014-2015 school year we’ve helped over 175 students graduate high school and begin their lives career or college ready.

Inside you’ll hear more about these graduates and the programs that help them achieve their own individual success.

We’re also are going to miss three outstanding staff members who are retiring after years of service to the Innovation and Alternative Education.

Dave Hoon, an English teacher, has been with SAPAR for nearly three decades.

Jan Lange, has an equally impressive career in our ALA, WLC and ROAD schools.

Finally, Sally Schultz, has lead us through many changes since joining us in 2009.

We wish all graduates and retirees a bright future and you’ll always find a home in the Innovative and Alternative Education community! Dave Hoon

SAPARJan Lange

ROADSally Schultz

Principal

WLC Westside graduation.

Sally Schultz

Principal

As I transition to retirement this summer, I am sharing my with you all my sentiments to the Innovative and Alternative Education staff.

Please know and remember how much each and every one of you has positively affected my professional and personal life. I am truly the fortunate one to have been able to support and learn from your life - changing dedication. In my life - There has been no other professional group who has had such unwavering focus on making their students’ lives far better than ever imaginable - then you saints. There has been no other professional group who has supported, drove, reflected so deeply with their colleagues - then you saints. There has been no other professional group who has enhanced the educational profession as you have - then you saints. With much humor and the same amount of tears you all have been that one pebble dropped into water, which has had far reaching effects. Please take the time to stand back and reflect on what your generous actions have given so many people. Please take special care of yourselves, each other, and those you love as well as those who love you. You will always be part of who I am.

Marianne Matt 515.6469 mmatt@madison.k12.wi.us

Counselor

The 2014-2015 school year saw many students come through the doors of the various programs of Innovative and Alternative Education. These students in grades 9-12, were given an opportunity to explore a different type of education as well as explore options after high school. Many of these students hadn’t thought about their futures beyond next week.

In 2014-15 over 160 students in our programs took the COMPASS entrance test at Madison College. The seniors had the opportunity to apply to Madison College and connect with an advisor. After graduation our students are planning to go into Nursing, Auto Technology, Network Security, Liberal Arts, Psychology, Social Work, Construction, Carpentry, Education, Fashion, Business, Culinary Arts, Emergency Services, and many other areas. We wish them well in all their future endeavors!

Next year will bring Academic and Career Planning (ACP) to our ninth grade students. Academic and Career Planning is a process and product by which students in grades 6-12 - in collaboration with key school staff, families, and community members - chart, refine, and progress along their personalized pathways by exploring who they are, what they want to do with their lives, and making progress towards short and long-term goals.

This state-wide initiative will strengthen our ability to help students become college, career, and community ready. The 2015-2016 school year will offer exciting changes and opportunities for our students.

WLC WestsideAs the year comes to an end, the WLC Westside staff have been reflecting on a successful school year and have been focusing on the positive transitions we are experiencing.

First and foremost, we would like to send a huge, heart-felt congratulations to our graduates, the Work and Learn Center Westside Spring Class of 2015: Joseph Alvarez Torres, Serene Boyd, Nikiedra Douglas-Pollard, Christine Freese, Cashay Harris, Jonathan Hernandez-Nunez, Veronica McNeal, Roche Palmer, Patricia Pesina, Deiliz Pizarro, Joey Rom, Demetrius Triplett, Gabrielle “Gabby” Watkins, Janessa Weichmann, and Analise Winger.

We are also excited to announce our WLC Westside students for the 2015-2016 School Year:

Level 4: Ikran Hussein, Xavier Johnson, Nic Kienast-Knight, Luis Limon, Melanie Longino, LaChe Palmer, Jeffrey Parker, Samantha Weltz, and DaQuan West.

Level 3: Nelliette Gomez, Cameron Stolp-Simon, Hadia Tanner, Jose Hernandez, Kiarra Little, Jesus Moreno, Tre’Von Willis, Darnescha Hoye, Devin Malone, Kevin Mejia, Marketta Morgan, Tyshay Walker, and Kemiya Whitaker.

Level 2: Katrina Burnett, Benji Cortes, DJ Fischer, Davonta Smith, David Galinski III, Ashley Pickett, Jordan Dillard, and Kurrin Dancy.

Level 1: Denise Castillo, Kanina Davis, Angelikah Gerard, Candace Howard, Cereatha Lofton, Makayla Morales, Abimael Pizarro, Candace Richardson, Carmalletta Richardson, Johnothon Roberts, Haylee Steinkamp, Robert Taylor, Sarena Washington, and Angelique Young.

WLC EastsideCongratulations to our WLC Eastside Level 4 June graduates!

SAPAR Spring 2015 at SAPAR has been a whirlwind. We finished up our last Madison Teen Parent Family night in April with a nice turnout. It was great fun for us to watch grandmas, moms and dads actively playing with their kids at the Children’s Museum. Special thanks to Matt our photographer and our InSPIRE Grant partners at Madison College, UW OT department, Madison College Dental Hygiene students and Madison Public Library. Roman Candle Pizza was enjoyed by all and winners of the night’s raffles were sent home with American Family Hospital Safety Center vouchers and Madison Children’s Museum memberships. The next family night will be in Fall 2015.

SAPAR students finished the year with several projects: writing children’s books and music books, creating safety plans and completing CPR training. In all classes, we focused on argumentative writing and our end-of-the-year writing assessments showed overall growth. English class explored different writing styles, including an opportunity for students to contribute their own creative poetry that is displayed as a legacy for next year’s students. This tradition was started by our English teacher, Dave Hoon, which we hope to continue every year.

Lots of thanks go to the many people and programs we worked with this year that make SAPAR so successful: UW Extension, UW Occupational Therapy Department, Dane County Parent Council, Madison Public Library, La Petite, Madison Children’s Museum, American Family Children’s Hospital, Madison Overture Center, American Players Theater, Kindercare, Cauldi’s, UW Madison, Little Ohm, Big Ohm, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, the Rape Crisis Center and many more.

Farewell to those who are leaving after their one-year stay here to finish high school in their home schools or other programs. Additional congratulations to ten MMSD

teen parents who received $1,000 InSPIRE scholarships to the college of their choice for fall 2015. They are: Karla Perez, Javiera Gonzalez, Stephanie Yang, Chassiti Benton, Cora Williams, Mazia Saleem, Beng Lee, Perla Ruelas, Alyssa Wallom and Jesse Robinson.

At our end-of-the-year luncheon we not only said goodbye to departing students, but also to our favorite English teacher Dave Hoon. He has been the corner stone of the SAPAR program since 1990. He shared humor, flair and an expertise in literature and media studies that will be irreplaceable next year. We are so very sad to see him go, but he retires to new adventures beyond teaching. We wish him the best of luck and hope that he keeps in touch when we need to find just the right author, film or book! As we say farewell to those who leave us, we remember our motto, “Once a SAPAR student; always a SAPAR student.” And in this case, that goes for teachers as well!

Congratulations to our three senior graduates, from left to right: Mea Pullen, Priscila Perez Castillo and Tai’tiana Shanklin.

AERO AERO wrapped up the end of the 2015-16 school year with many little victories! The first is that many of our students were able to transition successfully from our program with almost all of their credits, positive experiences in building a community, and many warm memories of their time at AERO!

The second is that we celebrated the school year by traveling to Devil’s Lake in order to do some rock climbing and have a cookout. It was an incredible time and we were pleased to celebrate our successes in that manner. Finally, we were able to see many of our students off to some of our IAE programs, such as WLC and Seed to Table. This is a tremendous opportunity for us as we have the privilege of watching them continue to grow, blossom, and tackle the world!

Seed To Table When Seed to Table students started thinking about how to make a positive contribution to our community, they coalesced around an idea designed to quickly make life easier for homeless youth in Madison. Students wanted to find a way to get a gender specific backpack, stocked with essentials, into the hands of a newly homeless student. Students at Seed to Table have spent the last several months researching, planning and are now launching their Homeless Youth Backpack Project.

Students began by determining what items might be most needed by a homeless youth, for example a durable bag, deodorant, socks, bus passes, etc., and began researching where to purchase these items at a bargain. Concurrently, Seed to Table applied for and received grant funding from For Youth, By Youth, a committee of local high school students who direct funds to projects generated, planned and implemented by youth groups that benefit people across Dane County. Seed to Table students also produced, marketed and sold holiday, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day gift baskets, directing some of the proceeds to this project. As the school year ended, backpacks were purchased and stocked.

The initial launch of this project will be at the Goodman Community Center this summer, where the backpacks will be available from GCC staff. In the fall, new Seed to Table students will expand the backpack distribution to program sites within our school and a teacher or Social Worker can hand off a backpack. The goal of this Homeless Youth Backpack project is to gain additional funding and donations to place and replace backpacks at every school site in the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Seed to Table’s Homeless Youth Backpack Project is requesting the following items from community donations:• New and gently used backpacks• Toothpaste/toothbrushes• Sunscreen• Bug spray• Small flashlights• Youth bus passes• 2-in-1 body wash (male and female)• Deodorant (male and female)

If you like to donate, please email Steve Jenkins at: swjenkins@madison.k12.wi.us

ROAD Eastside To all the graduates from ROAD Eastside June 2015:Kaliyah Abrams, Kendra Atkinson, Dominique Chhan, Jacob Femrite, Al’rahman Goodwin, Karen Hoskins, Cain Jantzen, Mahkis Johnson, Aaron Jones, Keon Jones, Chris Keomanivong, Richseathea Kong, Christian Miller, Cherry Mims, Nicole Mottier, Kenny Nammavong, Tiffany Nelson, Destiny Persinger, Jaison Thomas, and Dakota Walsh.

Many are planning on continuing their education at Madison College and our best wishes to their futures! Areas of career interest range from medical to computer programming; they are all capable of following their dreams! As we stated on our ROAD Celebration Program: “Develop a passion for learning.

It has been an interesting year as we adapted to the changes at ROAD. This year these graduates scored very high on the ACT Workkeys Test this past fall – all earning certificates of employment readiness Again congrats to all of our graduates!

Congratulations also to Nicloe Mottier and Mahkis Johnson for both receiving the Optimist Club Scholarship, ($1,000 each) for their future education at Madison College. Well deserved!

“The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after.” Newton D. BakerGo for it!

TLCEnd of Year Celebration at TLC. The students of TLC met with at Yahara Park to celebrate their hard work during the 2014-2015 school year. It was a beautiful date for food and fun.

ROAD Westside This year marks the close of our first year using the COMPASS tests as a determiner for diploma completion. Students worked hard to achieve the Liberal Arts Transfer level for their reading, writing, and math levels. With that hard work, they are all college ready if they choose to embark on furthering their education! Over half of our students have already signed up for college courses at Madison College for the fall.

We have also started a new tradition for our graduating seniors! Sophie Micinski lent her artistic abilities and painted a tree on our classroom wall. We have added all the names of former ROAD graduates, and we hope that from now on our graduates can put their own names up on the tree. We look forward to the boughs being filled as we continue!

Thanks to all the parents, guardians, family, friends, and community for their support this year. We are looking forward to our next class of 2016!

We’re excited to continue our work with the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools on our very own Innovative and Alternative Education School Endowment Fund. An endowment fund generates income from a dedicated account that is available to fund creative and innovative programs and projects year after year.

Over the past few years, our Endowment Fund has provided thousands of dollars for programs that we would not otherwise have been able to fund. The programs selected enable us to help our students to be college and career ready.

Some recently awarded grants include:

• Supporting the AERO Student Engagement Project that consists of tools, equipment, and workshops to sustain many of the core experiential learning activities of camping, caving, cooking, and gardening that not only supplement science, health and gym curricula, but also expose students to life-long skills.

• Supporting the ROAD Giving Back to the Community project. After completing a local social issues unit, ROAD students identified community needs they wanted to address and developed a service plan which they can execute in the community.

• Supporting our students to take the COMPASS exam to access Madison College courses upon graduation. The cost of this exam is prohibitive for some students, but the opportunity to attend Madison College is essential for engaged learners.

Our IAE Endowment enables us to provide opportunities that may not otherwise be possible. The Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools also awards Foundation for the Future grants that support academic success through innovative programming and student engagement.

Funding for the IAE School Endowment is made possible through contributions from staff, community members, and families. If you would like to help expand funds available for future projects, please see http://www.fmps.org/donate/ and select Affiliated Alternatives in the dropdown menu under “Give to an endowment fund for the school of my choice.”

Madison Metropolitan School District1045 East Dayton StreetMadison WI 53703

Address Service Requested

Non Profit OrgUS Postage Paid

Madison WI Permit No 1172

Schools At A GlanceDiploma CompletionPathways ...................................... 244.4721ROAD Eastside .............................. 204.3716ROAD Westside ............................ 204.3552TLC Diploma Completion ............ 204.6856WLC Eastside ................................ 204.4341WLC Westside ............................... 824.1278

Specialized AdmissionsSAPAR ............................................ 204.4230

Credit EarningAERO .............................................. 204.4236Horizon School ...............................335.0387Night School Eastside....................204.1635Night School Westside ..................663.6060Seed To Table ............................... 535.2965

More information about our programs is also available online at: www.mmsd.org/innoved

Enrollment SessionsWe will again have two enrollment days

for all our students in our school. Students do not need to go to their comprehensive

high school for Enrollment.

Thursday, August 20 2:00 - 6:00pmMadison College Westside Fourth Floor

302 South Gammon Road(WLC Westside location)

Monday August 24, 9:00 - 12:00pmLapham School Third Floor

1045 East Dayton Street(WLC Eastside/AERO location)

You will be able to enroll online at www.mmsdenroll.org beginning in August. This is generally the same questions asked in

previous years.