via a Johnny Winston, Jr. email:

100 Black Men of Madison Back to School Backpack Filling and
The 10th Annual Back to School Picnic & Backpack Give-Away
For more information please contact Wayne Canty at 332-3554.
100 Black Men of Madison will distribute 2,400 backpacks to needy elementary and middle school students on Saturday August 26th at Tenney Park. But before we distribute the backpacks, the members of the 100 Black Men of Madison and numerous other volunteers will fill these backpacks with school supplies on Wednesday August 23rd and Thursday August 24th from 6 pm to 9 pm both nights at The National Guard Armory, 2402 Bowman Street. This is a great human-interest story for your readers, viewers or listeners. This is the 10th anniversary of the Back to School Picnic. The number of backpacks given to students has been growing each year from 300 the first year too 2,400 backpacks this year. This is an 800% increase in 10 years. St. Vincent de Paul, Delta Sigma Theta sorority and other members of the community will assist the 100 Black Men of Madison in their efforts for this year’s Back to School Picnic. Sponsors of this event include Target Inc, Kraft Foods, Famous Footwear, Anchor Bank, Glass Nickel, Coca Cola, and former University of Wisconsin Badger football star and Minnesota Vikings player Erasmus James.
Back Pack Stuffing will take place on Wednesday August 23rd and Thursday August 24th from 6 pm to 9 pm at the National Guard Armory at 2402 Bowman Street. Go down Wright Street past MATC Truax all the way to Mitchell Street and turn right into the Armory parking lot.
The 10th Annual Back to School Picnic will be held on Saturday August 26th at 11 am at Tenney Park Shelter located on 1338 E. Johnson St. This is a new location this year. The picnic includes free hotdogs, hamburgers and backpacks filled with school supplies for elementary and middle school students. 2,400 backpacks will be given out this year a 33% increase over last year. It is “first come, first serve.” This event will happen rain or shine. Students must be present to receive a backpack. For more information please contact Wayne Canty at 332-3554 or wcanty@kraft.com.

Johnny Winston Jr.:

he 6th Annual Johnny Winston, Jr. Streetball and Block Party will be held on Saturday August 12th from 12 noon to 7:00 p.m. at Penn Park (South Madison – Corner of Fisher and Buick Street). Streetball is a full court, 5 on 5 adult mens Basketball tournament featuring some of the best basketball players in the City of Madison, Milwaukee, Beloit, Rockford and other cities.
The block party activities for youth and families include: Music by D.J. Fabulous & friends; A drill and dance team competition at 2 pm; Free Bingo sponsored by DeJope Gaming at 1 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm; Face painting and youth activities sponsored by M.S.C.R., YMCA, Neighborhood Intervention Program and the Boys & Girls Club. At 3 pm, a talent showcase featuring singers and Hip Hop performances will take place on the MCCCA Culture Coach stage. In addition, this event includes information booths and vendors selling a variety of foods and other items.

Continue reading 6th Annual Streetball & Block Party on Saturday Aguust 12th →

Lucy Chafin:

The Friends of MSCR Board of Directors invites you to their post-golf outing fund-raising dinner on July 21 at the Harley-Davidson showroom, 6200 Millpond Road, just west of Yahara Hill Golf Course. Come to dinner beginning at 5pm and support MSCR’s Friends organization. Check out the Harleys from the classy banquet hall while you enjoy brats or burgers (veggies options available), plus 4 salads, dessert, iced tea and lemonade – all for $15 per person.
A cash bar will be available.
You can bid on awesome silent auction items with cash values to accomodate every budget.
Dinner reservations can be made by mail or in person at the MSCR office, 3802 Regent St., between 8am-4:30pm M-F and must be made before 4:30 pm, Monday, July 10. For information on the golf outin

Channel3000:

The lists of needed supplies are long because the Allied Family Center, at 4619 Jenewein Drive, will cater to more than 700 children for the first time.
Kids will be able to learn music at the community center, but the staff said there is currently a lack of instruments.
Jessica Wahl, a staff member at the Boys and Girls Club, said the center needs more instruments, such as percussion, tambourines, claves and shakers. She said the children will probably work on singing until they can find more instruments.

Daniel O’Reilly:

adison seventh-grader Isabel Jacobson proved that her bite was louder than her bark on Wednesday at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, correctly spelling affenpinscher – a breed of small dogs of European origin – on her way to advancing to the fourth round.
The bee stopped for the day in the middle of the fourth round, with Jacobson yet to spell and 46 spellers still standing.
Competition resumes this morning at 11 CDT and will be aired live on ESPN. The final rounds will be aired tonight live on ABC from 7 to 9 CDT.

National Spelling Bee website

With the MMSD considering an addition to Leopold Elementary and a new west side high school, the fabulous Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair in Custer, Wisconsin (just 7 miles east of Stevens Point) offers a relevant presentation titled Lighting and Daylighting in School Buildings. The Fair program describes the presentation:

The presentation will be offered on Friday, June 23, at 12:00 noon. The presenter Bob Drevlow works with the Focus on Energy Schools Program.
Daylighting saves electricity without adding cost to a school, as demonstrated by Clackamas High School in Clackamas, Oregon.

Rafael Gomez’s next Forum is on Immigration and Education. The event will be held Wednesday, May 24, 2006 at 7:00p.m. in the McDaniels’ Auditorium (Doyle Administration Building – 545 West Dayton St. 53703) [Map]
Participants include: Victor Arellano (Attorney), Alfonso (DPI), Alam Diaz (U W Student) and Joe Nigh (Counselor at East).

Reader Kathy Andrusz emails:

1st Annual Midwest Summit on Boys at Risk will be held in Madison at the Pyle Center on Monday, June 12, 2006. The keynote speakers are Leonard Sax and Kevin Davern (see brochure for details).

The Gender Studies Project is delighted to announce their 1st Annual Midwest Summit on Boys at Risk. This pioneering conference will be held on June 12 at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI. The Summit boasts two prestigious keynote speakers: Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D., creator of the National Association on Single Sex Education; and Kevin Davern, founding headmaster of The Avalon School, Bethesda, MD, and classroom instructor for 17 years in the independent school education of young men. See the brochure for details. Download the brochure for details. (416kb pdf)

Via a Johnny Winston, Jr. email:

On Saturday May 6th, 2006 the 100 Black Men of Madison presents its Annual African American History Challenge Bowl at 8:30 a.m. This event will be located at 545 W. Dayton St. in Madison at the MMSD Doyle Administration Building, McDaniels Auditorium.
The African American History Challenge Bowl is a competition where teams of middle and high school students from the Madison School District and Edgewood answer questions based on African American history. Winners of the local contest are awarded savings bonds and an all expense paid trip to the national competition where they will compete against other chapters of the 100 Black Men of America in Atlanta, Georgia.
This event is free to the public. We are encouraging our community to attend. This event will televised live on MMSD Cable Channel 10.

Continue reading 100 Black Men of Madison Presents its Annual African American History Challenge Bowl →

Wisconsin Academic Decathlon:

Last month, members of the non-profit Wisconsin Academic Decathlon announced that “donor fatigue” had severely weakened program donations and that the organization would deplete its reserves to make it through this year’s State Finals. Program Director Molly Ritchie revealed that the 23-year-old extra curricular scholastic program for Wisconsin high school students might very well have to shut down. Ritchie invited a major corporate sponsor, or sponsors, to come to the rescue with a $150,000 donation.
Dependent on private funding for the last eleven years-since the elimination of their Department of Public Instruction state grant in 1995, Wisconsin has maintained a solid and competitive statewide program, third largest among 40 in the nation, faring well in national competition. For the past two decades, the state champions have placed in the top 10 nationwide, in all but two appearances, and landed the national overall title with Waukesha West’s big win in 2002. However, the program’s success alone no longer generates enough donations to cover the $220,000+ annual budget (67% of funds are secured through donations, team entrance fees bring in the rest).

Peter Gascoyne kindly covered this years event, held a few weeks ago.

Barry Adams:

When Isabel Jacobson exited last year’s state spelling bee in the fourth round, the tearful O’Keeffe Middle School student predicted she would be back for another shot at the title.
Her prophecy was right on – and then some.
The three-time Madison All-City Spelling Bee champ outdueled the La Crosse area’s three-time winner, Spring Raine Decker, in a six-minute, four-word showdown to win the 58th annual Badger Spelling Bee.
Isabel, 13, correctly spelled “picaresque” to win an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Wisconsin in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 31 and June 1.
“It feels really good,” said Isabel, who leaped from the Monona Grove High School stage to get hugs from her family when she won. “I think one of my mistakes last year was that I really geared up for the city bee and didn’t study enough for state.”

Technology Leadership Institute:

Join leading edge school districts as we explore what it means to teach and learn in a 21st century instructional environment. Today, the pressure to improve achievement levels is greater than ever before. Recent research has shown that when students have greater access to technology-based learning, the greater their engagement and achievement. That is the reward of the digital school. Achievement improves faster when digital natives and digital immigrants – students and teachers – are mutually comfortable with technology and mutually engaged. This event is designed to help you rethink the digital school. Rethink what an innovative educational environment can be. And rethink how it can benefit your students.
Guest Speakers

• Dr. Milt Dougherty, Superintendent, Little River, Kansas
• Dorothy Crenshaw, Chief Information Officer, Indianapolis Public Schools
• Mike Hester, Principal, Hays, Kansas
• Lucy Gray, University of Chicago Lab Schools

This Brookfield event is sponsored by Apple Computer.

University of Wisconsin News:

How can middle- and high-school students get a leg up on preparing for college? In many cases, summer recreation, academic and athletic programs play a valuable role.
The Youth Opportunity Fair, designed to promote summer youth activities, will be held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, March 4, at the Villager Mall, 2300 S. Park St.
Parents and students will find exhibitors from many of the skill-building programs – academic, recreational and athletic – offered by post-secondary educational institutions in Dane County for this summer.

Leopold teacher Troy Dassler emails:

Once again we had an incredible turnout at Leopold event. We had a Black History night of celebration. The gym was packed with children, parents, friends and staff members of the Leopold Community. Academic achievement awards were presented to students for their hard work and dedication. Johnny Winston Jr. was the special guest of honor. He also received an award. The Outstanding School Board Member Award (see picture)

I am starting to think that the overcrowding, the years of out-posting, the Ridgewood Apartment fires, a failed referendum, music and art on-a-cart, the classrooms carved out of the lunchroom, the corner of our library turned into a computer classroom, the various classrooms separated by bookcase walls in the hallways, the budget cuts, the various redistricting of our students, and the endless board meetings have made us a stronger community. During the last referendum our mantra was that our “diversity makes us stronger.” I think it may need to change for the next referendum, “Adversity made us stronger.”

“In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.”

John Churton Collins

On SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 3PM TO 5 PM Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Annual Scholarship Fundraiser “Men Who Cook” is at the Fitchburg Community Center located on 5520 Lacy Road. Tickets are $15 in advance or can be purchased at the door the day of the event for $20.

Continue reading AKA Fundraiser: Men Who Cook →

On Saturday, February 25, 2006 at the Edgewater Hotel at 666 Wisconsin Avenue in Downtown Madison, The Sable Flames, Inc. will present its Thirteenth Annual “Second Alarm Scholarship Benefit” at 8:00 p.m. until 1 a.m.

Continue reading Sable Flames 13th Annual “Second Alarm Scholarship Benefit” →

WisPolitics.com is hosting a lunch for Republican Gubernatorial candidates Mark Green and Scott Walker who are facing off to run against incumbent Democrat Jim Doyle this fall.
Cost is $15 for Madison Club members and $19 for non-members. Call Loretta to RSVP at the Madison Club, 608-255-4861.
This is perhaps one of the best local opportunities to question the candidates regarding their views of K-12 public financing, the achievement gap, the QEO and our state’s economy which supports our education system. Governor Doyle created a school finance task force several years ago, but did not implement any changes to the current regime.

The Madison Times (now owned by former school board member, Ray Allen) recently asked various members of the Madison community to comment on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was honored to do so. These comments can be seen in this weeks issue. I’m also including dates and times of Dr. King events in the City. I hope you and your family are able to attend some of these events.

Continue reading Speaking up about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & King Events in Madison →

Join West Madison and Middleton Neighbors: Make a Difference in Our Community
Sunday, January 22, 2006, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Middleton Public Library, 7426 Hubbard Avenue [map]
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Are you concerned about:

• Reductions in public support for education, health care, housing and food assistance?
• The growing disparity between the rich and the poor?
• The long term impact of these trends on children and the future of our society?
• The need for positive new approaches to address our community’s needs?
• Do you feel that you don’t have the power to change things?

Continue reading Via Email: What’s at Stake – Investing in Our Children and Our Future →

CHINESE NEW YEAR’S DINNER
Sunday, January 22, 5:00 PM, Peking Palace
Dinner provided by Peking Palace & other local restaurants – $10 !

Continue reading Eat and Help Memorial Language Students Experience China →

NOTES:
This version includes the address/location of the joint insurance committee meeting on Wednesday.
Also, note that the agenda for the Board-Common Council Liaison meeting on Wed. night is of interest to the two attendance area task forces that are due to report in this month.
_____________________
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2006
1:00 p.m. Madison Metropolitan School District/Madison Teachers Inc.
Joint Insurance Committee
1. Call to Order
2. Options regarding Health Insurance Benefits for Certain Madison School District Employees
3. Adjournment
Madison Teachers Inc.
Large Conference Room
821 Williamson Street
Madison, WI 53703
—————————————————————————
6:30 p.m. Special Meeting of the Madison School Board and the Memorial
and West Attendance Areas Demographics and Long Range Facility Needs Task
Force
Doyle Administration Bldg
Room 103
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703
—————————————————————————
7:00 p.m. Common Council/Board of Education Liaison Committee
1. Approval of Minutes dated November 16, 2005
2. Public Appearances
3. Announcements
There are no announcements.
4. New Developments/Growth in the City of Madison and Implications for
Madison Schools
5. Housing Patterns Impact on Student Enrollments in Madison Schools
6. Madison Schools with Declining Enrollments
7. Other Business
There is no other business.
8. Adjournment
Doyle Administration Bldg
McDaniels Auditorium
545 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53703

The 2006 State Superintendent’s PK-16 Institute on Service-Learning and Citizenship, in conjunction with the Dialogues with Democracy Conference, will be held February 2, 2006 at the Marriott West in Madison. Julie Rodriguez Chavez, granddaughter of late civil rights and farm labor leader, Cesar Chavez, will deliver the keynote presentation.

Continue reading State Superintendent’s PK-16 Institute on Service-Learning and Citizenship →

For a couple of years now, with the support of Madison Community Foundation, Sustain Dane, a local non-profit organization, has been organizing and facilitating community discussion groups. “Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” is the newest program and is just being launched.
The “Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” is a seven session program designed to create awareness, heighten motivation and support parents, families or anyone who is concerned about the lives of children, and help them understand the pressures and offer antidotes to creating healthy environments for children.

Continue reading Healthy Children, Healthy Planet →

Over the last year, several informal surveys taken throughout the district indicated a desire on the part of parents for information on drugs and alcohol. As a result, a three part series entitled STRAIGHT TALK has been designed for all district parents who want to learn more about these topics.
These forums will be of great benefit to the parents of ALL Madison school children, no matter their ages. The following statistics from the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are quite alarming and demonstrate the need for these events in the Madison area.

Continue reading Straight Talk: What Every Parent Needs to Know about Alcohol, Drugs, and Teens →

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition is inviting all local citizens to share in a brief ceremony commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott. The ceremony will be held on Monday, December 5, 2005 at 12 noon in the lobby of the Madison Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.). It will begin at noon with a brief program featuring comments by current civil rights leadership as well as Madison’s Mayor. Their words of reflection will be followed by a reenactment of Ms. Parks’ courageous stand on the bus some 50 years ago.

Continue reading Get Off the Bus: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the life of Ms. Rosa Parks →

• Tasers, police and school policies, Matt Pommer
• School taxes up and down across the state
• Websudoku
• Happy Thanksgiving!

Rafael Gomez and volunteers from this site are hosting a Forum on Nutrition Wednesday evening, November 30, 2005 from 7 to 8p.m. at the McDaniels Auditorium [Map]. The event will discuss the following questions:

1. Should schools serve lunch?
2. What kind of food would be best to serve?
3. How do students feel about their lunch at school?
4. If the public feels strongly about improving what is being served in their school, how could they raise the profile of this issue?

Participants include:

• David Bernhardt
• Marcy Braun
• Ruth Robarts
• There may be one additional panelist

David Weinberger on the Irving School District’s 1 to 1 Laptop Implementation:

Darrell Lynn of Apple, a sponsor of the event, introduces Angus King, former two-term, independent governor of Maine. King appears via his $129 iSite. He talks about the insights that guided him to the laptop policy.
First, he has no idea what the economy of the US and of Maine will be in ten years. But, he says he does know that whatever happens will require more education and a higher level of comfort with technology.
Second, every governor chases quality jobs for their state. “You don’t get ahead by keeping up.”
Third, everything governments do is incremental. Baby steps, not real change. In 1999, Maine had a surplus. So, King thought about how it could be used to bring change.
In 1996, he had lunch with Seymour Papert who told him that reducing the ratio of students to computers wouldn’t matter until the ratio is 1:1.
So, Maine started by giving laptops to every kid in grades 7-8. King thought this would be well received, but it wasn’t. He blurted out, in response to a question, that the computers would belong to the students, not the school. He says, “I got the living xxxx kicked out of me.” [xxxx Barrier transgressed at 9:15am…and by a former governor!] The emails to his officce were 10:1 against. He persevered. (PS: The schools own the laptops.)

At some point, textbooks will be gone. I do generally like this sort of thing and perhaps it’s fundamental to addressing some of the challenges Kathy Esposito noted in her excellent article on Madison’s middle school curriculum. There’s no doubt that for someone who knows how to use a computer effectively, the amount of information one can learn and use is simply extraordinary. My youngest found a very well done learning spanish podcast on itunes just the other day – free and simply delightful!!!

A PUBLIC FORUM  will be held to update the community on plans to address overcrowding in the West-Memorial attendance area.  Come to learn about options being considered AND to share your input!!
 
When:  7:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Where:  Leopold Elementary school [Map]
Sponsors:  Thoreau, Leopold, and Cherokee

In his September 8, 2005, op-ed piece in the New York Times, Katrina’s Silver Lining, conservative columnist David Brooks writes that rebuilding New Orleans presents a clean slate, an opportunity to culturally integrate the city rather than have large pockets of poverty – like the Gautreaux program:
“The most famous example of cultural integration is the Gautreaux program, in which poor families from Chicago were given the chance to move into suburban middle-class areas. The adults in these families did only slightly better than the adults left behind, but the children in the relocated families did much better.
These kids suddenly found themselves surrounded by peers who expected to graduate from high school and go to college. After the shock of adapting to the more demanding suburban schools, they were more likely to go to college, too.”
Do Madison’s schools present an environment of high expectations for all our children? Will this continue over time? Or, will suburban schools become a magnet for parents in this area? I’d be interested in people’s thoughts via the blog.

The 100 Black Men of Madison Annual Back To School Picnic will be held on Saturday August 27th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Demetral Park on Commercial and Packers Ave. This event will be held rain or shine. Now in its ninth year, this event will distribute 1,800 backpacks filled with much needed school supplies for “at-risk” elementary and middle school students.

Continue reading 100 Black Men of Madison Back to School Picnic on Saturday 8/27 →

Kristian Knutsen covers Johnny Winston, Jr.’s Streetball & Block Party over at the Daily Page. More about the Streetball & Block Party. Kristian steps it up by including some mp3 audio clips of his chat with Johnny.

After Governor Doyle signs the $54 billion State Budget for the next two years, First Lady Jessica Doyle will talk with kids about the education investments Governor Doyle made at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2005 at the Janesville Boys and Girls Club. Later in the day, at 3:00 p.m., the First Lady will visit the Merrill Community Center in Beloit and discuss the State Budget with kids there.
1:30 p.m. Janesville Boys and Girls Club, [map]
200 West Court Street, Janesville.
3:00 p.m. Merrill Community Center, [map]
1428 Wisconsin Avenue, Beloit.
Contact: Megan Perkins, Office of the First Lady, 608-266-7116

100 Black Men of Madison seeks individual golfers/foursomes for it’s 5th Annual Golf Outing on Monday July 25th at Cherokee Country Club.

Continue reading 100 Black Men of Madison Golf Outing →

The Johnny Winston, Jr. 2005 Streetball and Block Party will be held on Saturday August 13th from 12 noon to 7:00 p.m. at Penn Park (South Madison – Corner of Fisher and Buick Street). Last year this event raised the funds necessary to keep the MMSD varsity reserve football and boys and girls basketball program operational.

Continue reading Johnny Winston, Jr. Annual Streetball & Block Party →

Via Wispolitics

Allied Drive Open House tonight
6/14/2005
5:30 p.m.
Allied Drive Head Start Building,
2096 Red Arrow Trail. Map
Madison, WI.
FYI: the mayor will attend the 2nd annual Allied Drive open house tonight. The event starts at 5:30pm, with a short speaking program at about 6:15pm. In addition to the mayor, Art Rainwater and Kathleen Falk are also expected to attend.
The open house is an opportunity for Allied Drive residents and service providers to meet with each other and their elected officials to discuss issues important to the neighborhood and learn about available services from city, county and non-profit agencies. Food, childcare and Spanish and Hmong translation services are all offered at the event.
George Twigg
Communications Director
Office of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
(608) 266-4611

Then and now…
The case of the changing summers
A comparison of father’s, son’s vacations
————————————————————————
By PETE KENNEDY
WAUKESHA FREEMAN
May 26, 2005
 
We all know times have changed. But a look at my son’s summer versus the
same period when I was a kid shows how much.
Here are a few examples of how James, 14, will spend the next few months,
compared with how I spent the summers when I was his age (and maybe a few
years younger).
Son: Be at basketball at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
Me: Get up when I wake up, or a neighbor comes over and rouses me out of
bed, or my mother starts vacuuming.
Son: Play in soccer and basketball leagues in the evenings.

Continue reading Summer vacation →

Jon Carroll on “Our Mothers, Ourselves“:

She learned to scuba dive. She was active in the League of Women Voters. When I was 28, she and my stepfather moved to Ethiopia. She worked for the World Health Organization, preparing educational materials that said, in essence, “Please do not defecate in the river.”

Cherokee Middle School Celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary Party Friday Night at CUNA. Check out the photos here.
Cherokee is having an open house this morning from 9:30 to noon. [map]

MAFAAC and MPE sponsored a Madison School Board Candidate Diversity Forum Saturday, March 12, 2005 at Edgewood College. Statements, Questions and Video Clips Follow:

Continue reading Madison School Board Candidate Diversity Forum →

Barbara Golden:

Saturday March 12, 2005 @ 5:00p.m. at Edgewood College (Predolin Center Auditorium) [Map with Driving Directions], sponsored by Money, Education Prisons (MEP) with support from the Madison NAACP. 88K PDF
WE ASK QUESTIONS OF THE CANDIDATES THAT YOU WON�T HEAR ANYWHERE ELSE. BEFORE YOU VOTE, FIND OUT WHERE THEY STAND

MAFAAC web site.

Jeff Mayers forwarded this event information (calendar) [Candidate information]:
Top two DPI candidates from the 2/15/2005 primary election.
February 17, 11:45 a.m., the Madison Club, Wilson Street, Madison
Join us to hear Jeff Mayers and the candidates discuss the state of
education and the race.
Cost is $15 for Madison Club members and $19 for non-members. Call Loretta to RSVP at the Madison Club, 608-255-4861.
The event is co-sponsored by WHD Government Affairs and Sonic Foundry.

www.schoolinfosystem.org is hosting a Wisconsin DPI Candidate Forum tomorrow morning at 10:00a.m. at the Madison Senior Center. Three of the four candidates: Todd Stelzel, Gregg Underheim and Paul Yvarra have confirmed.
This is the ONLY Madison opportunity you’ll apparently have to meet the candidates before the February primary.
When: January 29, 2005 10:00a.m. (9:30 if you want to chat with the media folks)
Madison Senior Center, 2nd Floor
330 W Mifflin St
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266 6581
[Map/Directions]. There’s quite a bit of parking around this facility, just behind the new Overture Center.
Please note that the Winter Farmer’s market is on the first floor of the Madison Senior Center, so bring your shopping bag.
Notes, photos audio and video files will be posted here after the event. I’ll post additional media links as they are available.

The Madison School Board’s Long Range Planning Committee is holding a public hearing on the proposed maintenance referendum (one of potentially 3 referendums this spring) Wednesday night, January 19, 2005 @ 6:00p.m. at the Doyle Administration Building, McDaniels Auditorium.
I’ve emailed the MMSD TV folks to see if they are broadcasting this event, but have not heard back from them. I will post broadcast information here upon receipt.
Madison Metropolitan School District
545 West Dayton Street
Madison WI 53703-1995 [Map]

Johnny Winston, Jr. forwarded this event announcement:

Please mark your calendar! On Saturday, February 26, 2005 at the Edgewater Hotel at 666 Wisconsin Avenue in Downtown Madison, The Sable Flames, Inc. will present its Twelfth Annual �Second Alarm Scholarship Benefit� at 8:00 p.m. until 1 a.m.

Continue reading The Sable Flames: Second Alarm Scholarship Benefit →

Johnny Winston, Jr. forwarded this announcement from Ken Syke:

School Makes A Difference is a career exploration and planning activity for Madison 8th grade students. It is an opportunity for students to hear adults tell about their career journey and to ask questions and have a brief dialogue with the presenters.

Sign up with this excel file and email it to Ken Syke (ksyke at madison.k12.wi.us)

Continue reading Speakers Needed for Schools Make a Difference →

Jeffrey Spitzer-Resnick sent notice of a Dane County School Funding forum, to be held January 12th, 2005 from 7-9p.m. at the Monona Grove High School [Map]. 92K 1 Page PDF Flyer. Link to the excellent schools site

Madison Area Family Advisory/Advocacy Coalition presents:
School-Community-Parent Partnerships
Saturday December 11, 2004
Noon-3:00 PM
at
The Bahai Center
324 W. Lakeside Street, across from Franklin School
Join us as we explore
What’s working
What needs improving
Who is welcome in our public schools
Who feels unwelcome
What rights do parents and district citizens have in our schools
How can parents of students of color influence the CLIMATE and LEARNING environment
What can you do if you are treated poorly at a school
When should parents seek outside help
How can parents and ordinary citizens of color share in decision making
How to organize parents at your school
Parents and district residents are invited to attend this meeting. The emphasis is on making schools a more welcoming place for adults and students of color.
Co-sponsored by MEP (Money, Education, Prisons Taskforce)
And UW-MAFAAC chapter
For more information call 836-0616 or visit the MAFAAC Web site.

David Bernhardt sent along information on Clyde Hertzman: Professor of Health Care and Epidemiology Director, Human Early Learning Partnership Co-Editor, Developmental Health and the Wealth of Nations University of British Columbia presentation November 18, 2004 @ The Waisman Conference Center (North Tower, 2nd Floor): 3:30 to 4:30p.m. Directions
Questions: contact Jane Lambert 608 265 4592 or jflamber at wisc dot edu
PDF announcement document (8.5 x 11)

Click on these links to view video clips from Wednesday’s event:

• Colleen Kellogg 12.5MB
• Roberta Felker 36MB
• Barbara Hummel, Bonnie Trudell and past CTT participants 44MB
• Parker Palmer 25MB

Finally, here’s a 4MB MP3 audio file of the event.

Meg Kissinger & Mark Johnson:

He pilloried the media.
Cosby, who was criticized for comments last spring by some who thought he was too harsh on young African-Americans, saved much of his venom for the media. Looking at the scores of reporters in the crowd, he said:
“They won’t show up again until you kill somebody. They don’t show up and write about you until your test scores are so damn low and they can prove that you’re not smart. They don’t care about you.
“We are letting TV sets raise our children,” he said. “A transformation has to take place.

Eugene Kane summarizes the visit here. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Editorial
MP3 Audio File

Georgia Pabst on Bill Cosby’s visit to Milwaukee North on October 20, 2004 (6 to 9p.m.); 1101 W. Center St.

The gathering was announced Friday by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who worked with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators and the Wisconsin Black Media Association to bring about the Cosby appearance.
Barrett said he hoped the discussion would deal with the importance of education and how the community can tackle and develop solutions to educational disparities and other challenges.
Cosby first raised a national storm in May during a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring an end to school segregation. He decried the lack of emphasis on education in the black community and challenged parents to greater accountability. Though he earned rebukes from some commentators, others praised him for speaking out.

Debra Dickerson covers Cosby…

Rafael Gomez sent me an email regarding Dr. Paul Yvarra’s dinner presentation at La Hacienda [map] next Thursday evening [9.23.2004 @ 6:00p.m.]. Yvarra is evidently planning to run for State Superintendant of DPI:

He is currently a professor in the deparment of school administration at Whitewater Univ. He is an ex-school board member at Whitewater school dist. And, he has been active on teacher training. He is running for school choice.
With this said, a dinner presentation is scheduled at La Hacienda from 6p.m to 7:30p.m. Sept. 23. There is a $10.00 donation. Please contact me at 277 83 42 if you have an interest to attend. Thank you for your attention to my note. Rafael Gomez

On July 12, the Madison Board of Education will review proposals from Superintendent Rainwater that may mean the end of a long and successful collaboration between the district, the City of Madison and private child care providers to ensure quality after-school child care for elementary students. Apparently the superintendent plans to argue that MMSD can do a better job and can afford to expand into the after-school care business.

Continue reading After School Child Care in Madison: Why the Madison Schools Should Continue Community Partnerships →

7:00p.m. Commodore Room @ the Radisson Hotel (Odana & Grand Canyon)
Active Citizens for Education (ACE) is seeking grass roots input from interested parents, teachers and others regarding the current effectiveness and future direction of MMSD curriculum, instruction, programs, services, leadership and operations. ACE believes theinformation, experiences and suggestions from those people who are living and working on a day-to-day basis with the school system are in the best position to assist indeveloping direction and strategies for future change and development. Ace is sensitive to the concerns people have for exposure of their concerns and ideas to others andpledges to honor the confidentiality of those sensitivities. ACE needs help in formulating processes that can have an impact on the school system for improved effectiveness and performance.
More Information 82K PDF

Attention: Parents and Teachers of Adolescents
Join the Cherokee PTO and Dr. Hugh Johnston, Clinical Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry, UW Medical School & Department of Educational Psychology for a Question and Answer session on Adolescence and Depression Tuesday, May 18th (formerly May 12th) 7-8:30 pm Cherokee Heights Middle School LMC 4301 Cherokee Drive
Dr. Johnston will give a brief overview of Teen depression and the antidepressant medication controversy. The remainder of the evening will be devoted to an informal question/answer discussion.
Dr. Johnston is a child psychiatrist, on the clinical faculty of the UW Psychiatry Department and co-director of the Child Psychopharmacology Information Service. In addition to his educational and research endeavors, he volunteers as the medical consultant and board president for the Rainbow Project, Inc., a non-profit mental health clinic that serves young children and families challenged by a variety of mental health issues including abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and domestic violence.
In lieu of a speaker�s fee, Dr. Johnston asks attendees to consider a donation to the Rainbow Project.