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In honor and celebration of Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month, the Department of Systemic Equity and Inclusion hosted two free movie nights for the community. The first event was a showing of Encanto held on Friday, September 27th, at Westside Elementary from 6:00–8:00 pm. A huge thank you to Westside’s SCO for securing a generous donation of popcorn from Marcus Theatres. On Tuesday, October 8th, the movie Selena was shown at Central Heights Middle School from 6:00–8:00 pm.

The meeting began with a review of the Alliance’s core purpose, setting the stage for a productive discussion. The group reaffirmed its dedication to the values encapsulated in our equity statement and framework, ensuring that these principles will continue to guide our actions and initiatives throughout the year. In an open and reflective dialogue, members shared their personal hopes, dreams, and ideas for the future of the JEDI Alliance. These conversations emphasized the collective ambition to create a space where all voices are valued and heard. Additionally, members expressed what they each hope to contribute to the Alliance, underlining the importance of collaboration in achieving our shared goals.

Our District has a podcast in partnership with the Sun Prairie Media Center. Tune into Homeroom to join Superintendent Dr. Brad Saron and a guest from the District to learn more about our schools and how we support our students, families, staff, and community. You can find episodes of Homeroom with Brad Saron on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.

In September, DSEI Community Liaison Briana Kurlinkus joined Dr. Saron on Homeroom to talk more about her role, the DSEI JEDI Alliance, the work of the Department of Systemic Equity & Inclusion, and more. Listen below.

For the second year in a row, Meadow View students had the opportunity to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a special visit to Sun Prairie West High School! The event was hosted by the SP West Latinx Club and the SP East Hispanic Student Union, bringing together students from across the district for a vibrant celebration of Hispanic culture.

This year’s activities included learning sessions, music, dancing, and delicious food. Meadow View Otters even joined the Latinx Club and the SP West ProStart cooking class to prepare tasty quesadillas, creating a hands-on experience in the kitchen.

The celebration provided a fantastic learning opportunity for the Otters and allowed our SP East Cardinals and SP West Wolves to proudly share their heritage, knowledge, and talents. We’re already looking forward to next year’s festivities!

Learning in Sun Prairie goes beyond the classroom—and it’s not just for students! Hispanic Student Union officers from Sun Prairie East High School recently visited Eastside Elementary to speak with teachers and staff about their experiences and perspectives on what being Hispanic means to them.

Students shared stories, offered insight into their cultural identities, and provided teachers with tips on what they felt worked best while they were learning in elementary school. This open discussion allowed staff to gain valuable understanding and fresh ideas on how to support Hispanic students’ learning experiences in meaningful ways.

We are grateful to our students for their willingness to lead and share, and to our educators for their commitment to continuous learning and improvement. Thank you to everyone who made this empowering exchange possible. Together, we continue to grow and better serve every child, every day!

We also held our second Hmong Caregiver Advisor Group meeting, where families raised important questions about Hmong representation within the district. While we have a growing number of Hmong staff members, we continue to work toward reflecting the diversity of our students and the wider community. Increased representation helps support our Hmong students' leadership and academic excellence.

Additionally, we launched Hmong Student Monthly Luncheon Meetings for high school students at Sun Prairie East and West. These luncheons allow students to connect, share experiences, explore their identities, and develop leadership skills. Our first meeting was a great success, with students discussing their experiences as Hmong individuals and their challenges. With support from peers and community leaders, students are learning to advocate for themselves, strive for academic excellence, and empower one another.

We look forward to continuing this engagement throughout the year.

Through our universal screening tool, Fastbridge, we noticed some encouraging growth in reading skills for our kindergarten and first-grade students from last spring to this spring. This is a great early sign that students are making progress as they move through our school system.

At the secondary level, we saw improved student performance on reading in our middle schools. We also maintained a high English Language Arts credit attainment at our high schools.

We also saw positive signs with early elementary reading that we are making progress on closing the gap for our historically marginalized learners.

We have momentum and are seeing improved results for our students. Referendum funds would be used to maintain this momentum.

Visit our referendum webpage for more information to help you make an informed vote.

On October 24, we joined in the national Lights On Afterschool celebration to shine a light on our Kids Achieving Together (KAT) program at Westside Elementary! This program, made possible through a 21CCLC grant from the Department of Public Instruction, provides 45 Westside Wildcats with year-round, no-cost academic support in reading and math, while also helping students build essential social skills.

KAT goes beyond academics by offering a variety of enriching activities that make learning both fun and engaging. With the support of many wonderful community partners, students have the chance to explore cooking, crafting, dancing, coding, and much more. These hands-on experiences help students grow and thrive, making a lasting impact on their educational journey.

We invite you to celebrate the growth and achievements of our students as they build skills, make friends, and discover new passions through KAT. Thank you to everyone who helps make this program a success!

100 Scholars Saturday School program is a partnership with Northside and Creekside in partnership with 100 Black Men of Madison. The goal of the program is to identify the reading and math skill needs for participating Black and Brown students and implement a curriculum to meet students where they are and build toward grade level proficiency. There is a 4:1 student to teacher ratio, transportation, breakfast and field trips are all included in this FREE program.

Engaging students and families is a key component of our Community Schools framework, and the FAST (Families and Schools Together) program is a shining example of this commitment. This fall, we launched our latest FAST session at CH Bird Elementary School, bringing together families, staff, and community members in a supportive and joyful setting.

FAST is designed to nurture the potential within every child by strengthening the bonds between families, schools, and the wider community. Each week, participating families come together for 2.5 hours to connect with each other and build relationships with other families and school staff. These sessions offer a wonderful opportunity for families to strengthen their own connections and form lasting friendships within their school community.

The kickoff night was full of laughter, connection, and celebration, setting the tone for a rewarding season ahead. We’re grateful to all the families and staff who are joining us on this journey of connection and growth!

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Club has kicked off once again at Central Heights! With the enthusiastic support of Mr. Pape Samb and engineering students from UW Madison, this club meets every Wednesday after school to explore the fascinating world of STEM. This year, students will engage in hands-on activities that spark their curiosity and encourage critical thinking.

Northside Elementary in partnership with the Sunshine Place and Sun Prairie Area Ministries (SPAM) is able to offer weekend meal bags to our Nighthawk families who need it. We provide this bags every other week to families and we have an amazing volunteer who puts them in lockers to ensure families have food to get through the weekend and the meals are easy enough to prepare that a fifth grader could do it. Thank you Sunshine Place and SPAM for partnering to address food insecurity at Northside!

Chris Sadler
Human Resources Director

Isabel Simonetti

Employee Relations Manager

humanresources@sunprairieschools.org