InSPIRE Grant To Support Teen Parents

www.mmsd.org/innoved
Explorer
Second Quarter 2013-2014
The Newsletter of Innovative and Alternative Education
InSPIRE Grant To Support Teen Parents
SAPAR staff, with help from Dr. Karla Ausderau and her graduate students of the UW Occupational Therapy
Department, wrote an InSPIRE Grant for teen parents in Madison. We have learned we were awarded the
full amount of $131,500 for each of the next four years.
This money will go to expanding services to all teen parents in the Madison School District. Transportation
to school, day care expenses for parenting teens who are excelling at school, and higher learning
scholarships will be available. We’re also supporting teen parent groups in all the high schools, and
creating special teen parents family events at the Madison Children’s Museum and area children
destinations.
The InSPIRE grant, from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction through the Affordable Care Act,
features four goals:
1. to improve teen parenting effectiveness,
2. increase teen parenting graduation rates,
3. increase enrollment in post- secondary school options and
4. decrease future pregnancies before the age of 20.
We are looking forward to working with our many community partners: Madison Children’s Museum,
Domestic Abuse Intervention Service (DAIS), Rape Crisis Center ( RCC), UW Occupational Department,
Madison College, Dane County Parent Council and UW Extension. It truly takes a village to raise a child!
Sally Schultz
212.3039 [email protected]
Principal
The change of the semester is a time of transitions
for the Innovative and Alternative Education teams.
We will be celebrating students’ advancements,
graduations, and also inviting more students to join
us.
All the teams have been using close reading lessons,
developing consistency in writing assessments,
and tracking students’ academic, attendance, and
engagement data.
We have hired an Instructional Coach, Mary Jankovich
(who is also at WLC Westside), and the School
District has provided us with an External Coach. Our
Psychologist, Aaron Geiger, has taken on the role
of our Data Point person and all our staff has been
eager to expand our focus on supporting students’
academic and personal growth.
We truly work to offer opportunities and open doors
for our students.
WLC Eastside Level 4
students celebrate the
completion of the program
and their graduation from
High School.
WLC Eastside
On January 15, the January 2014 WLC Eastside
graduates and volunteers from the Madison Senior
Center held the last of this semester’s Dialogue
Across the Ages meetings. During this meeting the
graduates received feedback from the senior center
volunteers on the speeches they would be giving at
their graduation on January 21.
This was the eighth year of this partnership between
WLC and the Madison Senior Center. Thanks to both
the students and volunteers for a wonderful set of
meetings!
SAPAR
The end of the semester in parenting classes
was focused on discipline, reading and language
development in children, infant and child nutrition
and feeding, music and women’s health issues, which
included nutrition, breast cancer, STIs, birth control,
smoking and establishing paternity and child support.
We also toured MATC as well as making and learning
how to plan healthy foods that children can make at
home at Whole Food Market Cooking class.
In Social Studies, the students chose to study 9/11
during second quarter. After learning from readings,
maps and graphs, documentaries and discussions,
the students analyzed: how Al Qaeda differed from
mainstream Muslims, why the terrorism occurred,
how it changed America and, in the aftermath, how it
affected our civil liberties.
In English, our students bounced from mythology to
survival to fashion. We began our quarter with an
investigation of Homer’s Odyssey, followed by a trip to
the Chazen Museum to connect the tale with Romare
Bearden’s interpretation, A Black Odyssey. From
there we explored the theme of survival, allowing
students to choose a novel and examine it from a
survival viewpoint. This was a great opportunity to
demonstrate how to focus on a particular angle when
reading for content. We are finishing the semester
with a unit on media literacy, especially as it applies to
our concept of fashion.
SAPAR students at Whole Foods.
AERO
Overall, AERO has had a semester of challenges and
growth with our cadre of students. The students entered the year with a great deal of struggle and conflict but with careful mediation, attention, and guidance, they began to slowly turn things around. They
became more trusting of our processes of restorative
justice and more able to turn to staff when they were
facing a crisis or challenge. As a result, we were able
to move into second quarter with a greater focus on
academic achievement and rigor.
Second quarter began quietly and many of our new
students settled in, focusing on their core classwork
and for many of them, trying to improve their attendance. Often attendance is quite a struggle for AERO
kids and we are proud to say that this group of students has moved our attendance rate up almost ten
percentage points. With increased attendance came
some immediate benefits with students that we have
taken advantage of: a more cooperative community,
more authentic student engagement, and easier
conflict resolution. AERO has hit a nice stride during
second quarter and we look to build on that for second semester.
We transitioned many students back to their home
schools in January and have welcomed many new
students, while retaining a small group of current
students. The referrals are already pouring in and we
look forward to interviewing at least forty students
and seeing who will become our best fit for the spring
semester!
SAPAR students at Madison College.
ROAD Westside
ROAD Westside students are nearing our orientation
to start taking GED tests. First semester has been
spent working on writing and test taking strategies.
As part of the changes to the GED tests, there is now
an extended response which has students taking
information from text and respond in a written
summary. We’ve been working hard on our MELCon
paragraphs and finding meaning in text.
Student were the first to test out the “Road of Life”
financial literacy activity. They were given jobs, family,
and an account. They moved around to different areas
to choose where they would live, transportation,
clothing, etc. Students had to make choices based on
their income and family size. They also were visited by
fate… who doled out flat tires, lottery winnings, and
other random life events.
Fate was played by our very
own Sally Schultz, Principal
extraordinaire and then Mike
Jones, at right. I believe it was
successful! Students learned how
their career choice and family size
and purchasing choices affected
their budget and how they live.
We took a tour of Madison
College Truax Campus. Students got to see the
different buildings and learned about the services
and programs available. Some started the application
process and looked at financial aid available to them.
Before Thanksgiving, a few students volunteered
for Mad City Gobblers, a group raising money to
purchase turkeys to distribute to families for the
holidays. We spent Friday at Copp’s on Junction Road
asking for donations. The previous year they raised
enough money to purchase over 400 turkeys for local
families. I believe they beat that record this year!
On Fridays some students have volunteered at
Second Harvest Food Bank. We have been impressed
with how efficient and hardworking they have been
and no tears shed while bagging onions. We hope to
keep volunteering each Friday. Remind your ROAD
student they need to get those volunteer hours in!
Students volunteering at the Second
Harvest Food Bank.
ROAD Westside students helping raise
money for turkeys for Thanksgiving.
Phoenix
Project Sun Shines
On a cold and snowy day in late November, Phoenix
high school students delivered 400 collection bags
to a Madison neighborhood for a school supply drive
called Project Sun. Project Sun is the collaborative
effort of Phoenix staff and students.
This past summer, our school counselor, Ms.
McQuade, spent time in a village in Tanzania, called
Iringa. She worked with staff and students at a
school called Ummu Salama. It was quickly evident
to her that there was a need for school supplies. She
brought this information to her students at Phoenix
and together they came up with the idea of a supply
drive.
Madame Sophia’s Classroom at the Ummu
Salama Primary School in Iringa Tanzania.
In all we collected forty bags of donated items. This
is a ten percent return on our efforts. This equates
to 175-200 pounds of school supplies that we will
able to send to the students and teachers at Ummu
Salama. The supplies will be shipped soon.
Our students as a whole learned valuable lessons
from Project Sun. They nurtured an idea of helping
others and worked together to make it happen.
Our students learned to take an idea from its
inception and strategize. They relied on individual
strengths and worked as a team to accomplish great
things. Most importantly our students were able to
understand the gift of paying it forward.
With the guidance of staff who had done supply
drives before, the students started this process. The
bags that we used for collection were donated by
Sentry Foods on Cottage Grove Rd and Woodman’s
on Milwaukee St. We couldn’t have done this supply
drive without them. Thank you!
Our students decorated the grocery bags and wrote
an explanation of where our school supply donations
would be going. Our plan wasn’t stopped by the cold
temperatures. Nor was our plan changed by the snow
that fell on the following Monday when we set out
to collect the donations. Our hearts were warmed
by the fact that people took the time, in the cold and
snow, to buy and donate items to Project Sun.
WLC Westside
For the end of the first semester, the WLC Westside
staff would like to take a moment to acknowledge
several areas of student success.
Graduation
This semester, Nancy, Corey, Gio, Jay, and Shanda
successfully completed the requirements for
graduation and will earn a diploma from their home
high schools. WLC required a full time commitment
from these students and they have demonstrated
adult competencies in both academics and work.
Because of this, we would like to extend warmhearted, enthusiastic congratulations. We wish you
all the best and hope you continue to chase and
accomplish your dreams.
The “Helping Hands” program invites children and
teens to write or email a brief note about someone
in their community (other than his-/her-self ) who
could use some financial assistance during the winter
holidays. Thanks to Juanita’s efforts, a local Madison
resident was gifted $200.
Overall, we have had an extremely successful
semester and would like to once again thank our
students, staff, community members, families, and
friends. We could not have done it without you!
Thanks!
Madison College’s CNA Program
We would also like to congratulate five of our Level 3
students, Stasia, Juanita, Brenda, Yanelli, and Alexis,
on their acceptance to Madison College’s Certified
Nursing Assistant (CNA) program. They will be
completing this program in addition to attending
and maintaining their coursework at WLC. All four
students have already attended their first day of class
and are looking forward to learning more about the
roles and responsibilities of CNA’s.
Community Outreach
In addition to volunteering within several local
businesses, our Level 2 students, in conjunction
with Jon Lica from the Goodman Community
Center, completed a community outreach project by
organizing and conducting a Thanksgiving food drive.
It was a huge success and all food items collected
were donated to the Goodman Community Center
and helped families in need.
We have also received an overwhelming amount of
positive feedback in relation to our Level 1 students
volunteering in elementary schools throughout the
District. Each student dedicated approximately 200
hours to their volunteer site. Through volunteering,
students were able to help their communities while
providing a positive role model for Madison youth.
Last but not least, at the beginning of December,
Juanita, a Level 3 student, entered the Wisconsin State
Journal’s “Helping Hands” program and was selected
as one of ten winners.
WLC Westside Level 4 and January
graduates at The Henry Vilas Zoo.
You can watch a video of the WLC Westside
graduation online at:
https://pubinfoweb.madison.k12.wi.us/
node/3689
ROAD Eastside
At ROAD Eastside we are working at earning our
diploma through the new GED tests in 2014. A lot of
challenges are there for us, but as a team we will work
through all these changes. We will update you on our
successes as we move towards June 2014 graduation
for the ROAD Seniors!
In ROAD classes we not only cover academics,
computer technology, employment and financial
skills, we also take time to examine the world around
us through discussions and through a variety of
media resources. Following are several quotes from a
paper Anthony Auston wrote about our society, as he
sees it, after such an assignment:
On racism
Racism comes in all kinds of forms; color, ethnicity,
mental abilities and physical abilities; for example,
Martin Luther King, Galileo and Steven Hawkins, each
experienced this. As with Steven Hawkins, if it wasn’t
for his brilliant mind we probably wouldn’t know the
universes as well as we do. We also needed M.L.K.; if
it wasn’t for his motivational speaking, racism would
still not out in the open, but it is and we now can work
on it and discuss it. I consider racism a dark hole that
we must pull ourselves out of, together.
On how people treat others
I’ve seen and heard many discouraged people talked
about by others, I have even been talked about. I think
people talk about other people to fill a void in their
life. I hate the fact
that people use
talk to hurt others
and that the ones
who are being
hurt feel helpless
to fight back.
I understand
this and for
everyone’s sake
all of us need to
make it a better
society to live in
by watching what
we say or repeat
about others.
Anthony’s “dream”
At the end of the day we are all the same and as soon
as people realize it the sooner we can get this society
moving forward with the progression of unity. The
day we can sit next to another race and not notice
that the man or women is not black, white or yellow
can happen. I love ethnicity but I hope racism dies fast
so we can grow as a nation.
These quotes from Anthony’s paper tell me that we
are part of a society that is moving forward; that the
majority of people are aware of the problems that
we live with everyday. That this high school senior
student, with others in class, are not afraid to state
the negative things they see and feel, but more
importantly, are trying to process possible solutions
for us to work towards. It is very refreshing to see
students express themselves so well!
Madison School Forest
In October 2013 the ROAD Eastside class took a field
trip to the MMSD School Forest. A student, Julia,
snapped a few pictures and wrote a short summary of
her experience:
During the trip, the class split into two groups to clean
up and help create new walking trails. It was very
fun! The group I was in found an old cave that had
been lost for about three years. It was so interesting
and deep. The most interesting thing about finding
the cave is that when the instructor went to get the
other group to show them, the cave could not be
found again. What was interesting is the fact that the
instructor put the cave location in his device and it
still could not be found. I really enjoyed myself and
wouldn’t mind
doing it again.
I learned about
the forest, nature,
animals and
working as a team.
I’ve attached a
few pictures taken
during the trip
that I hope you
find interesting.
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Innovative and Alternative Education At A Glance
If you’re interested in one of our Teams, the first place to start is with your current
school’s counselors or support staff. They can provide more information and
make a referral to the programs.
Credit Recovery
Credit Recovery - East.......................................... 204.1812
Credit Recovery - West ........................................ 204.3196
Credit Recovery - Memorial .............................. 442.2251
TLC (Marquette)..................................................... 204.6856
Diploma Completion
Pathways .................................................................. 244.4721
ROAD Eastside........................................................ 204.3716
ROAD Westside....................................................... 204.3552
WLC Eastside........................................................... 204.4341
WLC Westside.......................................................... 824.1278
Specialized Admissions
Phoenix..................................................................... 442.2930
SAPAR........................................................................ 204.4230
Credit Earning
AERO.......................................................................... 204.4236
Seed To Table.......................................................... 535.2965
More information about our programs is also
available online at:
www.mmsd.org/innoved

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