News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 4 - February 17, 2006
The 6th annual employee campaign for the Foundation for Madison's Schools is now underway. This year's campaign features several new giving options, a challenge gift that enables you to double the impact of every dollar you give to the unrestricted funds, and $1,000 incentive gifts to the endowment funds of schools with the highest percentage of staff giving and the greatest increase in the number of staff giving. And, there's still the chance to land a $5,000 matching gift from the Foundation for the 7 schools who have yet to establish their individual school endowment fund.
Pledge forms are due back to your building captain by March 3, 2006. Each gift, no matter how large or small, makes a positive impact on the lives of our students and the capacity of our staff. Thanks for considering a gift during this year's campaign.
With a recent $1,000 gift, Affiliated Alternatives has become the 40th Madison school to establish its own endowment fund through the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools. With this gift, Affiliated Alternatives surpassed the $5,000 fundraising milestone that triggered receipt of their $5,000 Clay-Price Fund matching gift from the Foundation. After a year of investment through the Foundation, Affiliated Alternatives will be able to begin making grants from their endowment, up to roughly 5% of their fund balance.
The Foundation will be working closely with the 7 remaining Madison schools, to help them raise — by the end of this school year — the additional funds they need to establish their own endowment funds. For more information about the Foundation's Individual School Endowment Initiative, contact Mary Bartzen at 232-7820 or mbartzen@mailbag.com.
Several Madison schools are holding major special events this Spring to continue building their individual endowment funds. The larger the endowment balance grows, the more funds each school will have for grantmaking each year. Besides raising funds, these events give each school a chance to showcase their accomplishments and their opportunities to get better and to further build lasting relationships with current and prospective supporters. Here are some examples.
Thoreau/Cherokee Bids for Kids. On Saturday, March 25, 2006, Thoreau and Cherokee will host the second annual "Bids for Kids" auction event, at Nakoma Country Club. Last year, this event raised over $20,000 for Thoreau's school endowment fund. This year, Thoreau and Cherokee are joining forces to organize and host this neighborhood event and are very much enjoying the collaborative effort. Proceeds from the event will benefit the endowment funds at each school. For more information, please contact Tom Bach at tombach@charter.net.
Sennett's Silent Auction Gala. On Sunday, April 2, 2006, Sennett will host its Silent Auction Gala to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the its Multi-Age Education Model. The celebration will take place at the East Side Businessmen's Association on Monona Drive, from 4:30 to 8:00 PM. The program will feature special guests, music, hors d'oeuvres, beverages and a fabulous silent auction. Wisconsin State Journal columnist Susan Lampert Smith will emcee the event. Please contact Sue Ela at 222-7903 or ela_mimier@charter.net for more information.
Hawthorne's Silent Auction. On Tuesday, May 23, 2006, the Hawthorne Endowment Campaign will host a silent auction as part of the school's annual Spring picnic. The auction will run from Noon to 7:00 PM, in the school library and will include art projects created by Hawthorne families, a quilt by Hawthorne students, and a wide variety of gift certificates and other donated items. Watch Hawthorne's website, beginning in March, for a glimpse at the items to be auctioned. All proceeds will benefit the school's endowment fund.
The Foundation for Madison's Public Schools will host its third annual "Principal for a Day" (PFAD) program on Tuesday, March 7, 2006. Through PFAD, a distinguished community leader will shadow each of our 47 principals, and Superintendent Art Rainwater, for the morning. Later in the day, these leaders and their host principals will debrief on the experience through a facilitated discussion of the strengths and challenges facing our schools and ways that additional community resources can be brought to them. Here's a look at some of the community leaders who have agreed to serve as Principals for a Day this year.
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Highlighting the 2006 program, at the luncheon portion of PFAD, will be a keynote speech at by Janet Corcoran, President of the New York City-based PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning). PENCIL is the organization that developed the PFAD model over a decade ago and has seen a remarkable outpouring of business and other community support for the City's schools as a result.
Building on successful models at Midvale and Leopold, the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools is ready to launch a "Adopt-a-School" initiative that will trigger and channel a wide range of additional support for our schools. The program, to be announced at the March 7, 2006 "Principal for a Day" luncheon, will pair businesses and community-based organizations who will "adopt" individual schools. Each MMSD principal has been asked to identify a "wish list" of things that his or her school needs, and the adopting partner will use their resources — their time, talent, and treasure — to help meet these needs. These partners may help raise additional funds for their adopted school's endowment, provide in-kind contributions of furniture, equipment, and supplies, and/or commit to volunteer work with the school.
Two new extraordinary gifts to the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools will enable the district to continue and expand the Aristos Grants and Scholars program. Aristos grants are awarded annually to district staff to support their creative initiatives in the areas of student engagement, learning, and/or relationships. To date, 45 grants totaling $292,683 have been awarded. (This year's competition for Aristos grants is still open, with proposals due on Wednesday, March 1, 2006. Application materials can be downloaded from the Grants Office website at http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/grants/opportunities.htm.)
This program has also created a prestigious group of Aristos Scholars who form a think tank of creative school and district staff who explore high-priority issues facing MMSD. To date, the Aristos Scholars have focused their work on two areas: the district's budget and minority student achievement. Their focus for the 2005—06 school year is an exploration of educational policy issues and their impact on student achievement.
The Aristos program was launched through a December, 2000 gift to the district by The Oscar Rennebohm Foundation, Inc., a gift that has supported the program for its first 5 years. The Rennebohm Foundation has been so impressed with the results of Aristos that they have now agreed to renew their support for 5 more years, through a $375,000 gift to the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools.
To further sustain and grow the Aristos program, the Foundation has also landed a $200,000 gift from the Kelly Family Foundation. Mary Kelly, President of the Kelly Family Foundation and a board member of the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools, said, "Our entire family is pleased to be associated with this Foundation that supports our schools and the outstanding Aristos program. Our three sons all received exemplary educations in the Madison Public Schools, and our new partnership with The Oscar Rennebohm Foundation gives us an opportunity to show support for quality public education. We salute the fine Aristos work completed to date."
Rennebohm Foundation President Steven F. Skolaski added, "The Oscar Rennebohm Foundation is pleased with the success of the Aristos Grants Program and we are excited to be associated with the Kelly Family Foundation, which has recognized the tremendous benefit of this program for MMSD students."
The Foundation for Madison's Public Schools and the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission have secured $20,000 in new grant funds designated exclusively for arts education programs in Madison schools. The two organizations have forged a unique grantmaking partnership to distribute the funds supporting guest artist residencies and other special K-12 arts programs planned for the 2006-07 year that are outside of the schools' general operating budgets.
A $10,000 gift to the Commission from American Girl's Fund for Children will be competitively allocated to Madison schools seeking support for special visual art, music, theater, dance, and creative writing programs. This amount has been matched by a gift to the Foundation by an anonymous donor, and these funds will automatically provide the match required of all grantees by the Commission's grants program.
"This wonderful financial boost by American Girl's Fund for Children, matched by an anonymous angel, comes at a critical time for local schools. After several years of severe budget reductions in arts education, our donors are offering an infusion of new resources to support some exceptional arts experiences for Madison students next year," said Commission director Lynne Watrous Eich.
Jodi Bender Sweeney, President of the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools concurred. "We're simply thrilled. These private funds will offer a helping hand to teachers and parents interested in building collaborations among our local schools, artists and arts organizations. They're earmarked specifically for projects which promote students' creative potential and learning opportunities, while building arts audiences for the future."
This new initiative is a one-year pilot program, with Madison schools being the only ones eligible to apply. However, Ms. Sweeney indicated that a strong showing by Madison's teachers this year is likely to yield continuing support from the Foundation's anonymous donor. "An outpouring of high-quality grant proposals this year will demonstrate to our donor the untapped creative possibilities for Madison students," she said.
Under this new initiative, grant proposals will first be screened and approved by the district's Fine Arts Coordinator, Julie Palkowski. Two rounds of grant competitions remain for this year, with proposals due to Ms. Palkowski (Room 130E Doyle) by 4:00 PM on May 1 and August 1, 2006. Application materials can be downloaded from the Cultural Affairs Commission website, at http://www.culturalaffairscommission.com/grants/schools.html.
For more information on this grant program, please call Lynne Eich, Cultural Affairs Commission, 266-5915, Jodi Bender Sweeney, Foundation for Madison Public Schools, 232-7820, or Ms. Palkowski, 663-5227.
With gifts pouring in from all across our community, the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools has now raised over $90,000 toward the $125,000 challenge made late in 2005 by an anonymous private donor. If the Foundation can raise $35,000 more in unrestricted gifts by March 31, 2006, it will receive another $125,000 from this anonymous donor to stabilize and grow the endowment fund that supports the Foundation's annual district-wide grantmaking program.
Last year, MMSD staff gave nearly $12,000 during our 2005 employee campaign. While the Foundation will continue soliciting funds from the community toward this challenge goal, another $12,000 in unrestricted giving by staff during the 2006 campaign will virtually ensure that this goal is met. The campaign is now underway and runs through March 3rd. If you plan to make a gift during this year's campaign, please consider targeting at least part of it to one of the Foundation's unrestricted funds.
Last Updated: Thu Apr 13 14:17:55 2006
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