News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 8 - July/August, 2006
September, 2006
Twenty-two year old Louisa Brayton stepped before her class of 12 students to begin the first day of school. It was not only her first day but also the first day for all of her students and more importantly the first day of school in Madison Wisconsin. It's March, 1838 and school will be in session for only two months.
How times have changed! School now operates all year.
After school ended last June, over 4,000 children continued in school for the following six weeks. Some attended because they needed extended time to learn and to reach a level where they will be successful next year; others took courses to extend their knowledge in their area of interest. Many of the students who attended our morning summer program continued at school in the afternoon in recreation programs conducted by our own Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) department.
Most of our teachers and administrators continued their education in the summer. Many attend university classes pursuing advanced degrees, and over 900 attended the district's own summer institutes and workshops to further improve their skills.
The summer is the busiest time for our building services staff. Every square inch of our 4.5 million square feet of buildings must be cleaned and prepared for the next school year. Major maintenance and repairs must be done during the summer when school is not in session. Over $8 million of major repairs were done this summer thanks to the maintenance referendum that our community passed last year.
The food service division of the district continued to serve meals under the federal lunch program to sites around the city. Meals were served at locations ranging from schools to parks and to people of all ages.
This past summer for the first time we opened six of our school libraries in areas of the city where it is difficult for our students to get to a public library branch. We circulated over 16,000 volumes to children who would not have had books for summer reading. Our partnership with the Madison Public Library helped many children continue to enjoy the wonders of books all summer.
Our entire city benefits from the many activities of MSCR. Thousands of Madison citizens of all ages enjoyed MSCR activities ranging from swimming lessons to adult softball leagues. Over the past 80 years, MSCR has been an integral part of our city's quality of life.
The district is not just an educational institution but a part of the fabric of the city. Our buildings are used every day after school and on weekends by many community organizations. Our staff members are active participants in community activities from youth health clinics to community organizations.
From Lousia's first day of school to today, the Madison Metropolitan School District is a proud part of this wonderful community serving not only its children but all of its citizens.
Last Updated: Wed Sep 27 09:33:49 2006
Comments: comments@madison.k12.wi.us
Web Publisher: Chris Burch, cburch@madison.k12.wi.us
Technical Issues: webmaster@madison.k12.wi.us