Community Compass - December 2025

MCPASD’s calendars for the 2026-27 school year and the 2027-28 school year are now available. The Board of Education approved both calendars during the Dec.15, 2025, regular meeting.

The District’s diverse calendar committee developed the calendars after thoughtful consideration of the needs of students, staff, and families. Schedules within the calendars support student learning, professional development and collaboration for staff, and consistency that families need to plan ahead. This includes a two-week winter break for each school year, which supports more consistent instructional time while more closely aligning with family routines.

Each calendar is available in four languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin Chinese, to support MCPASD’s multilingual community. To download printable versions of the calendars, visit the Calendar Dates page on the District website.

Community members may have already received, or will soon receive, a letter from the District about school funding in their mailboxes.The letter offers a clear, visual explanation of how state aid, local property taxes, and revenue limits work together, and why these factors are impacting tax bills this year.

On Jan. 15, 2026, Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jerrud Rossing and Director of Finance and Operations Erin Wheeler will host the second of two School Funding Town Halls. Their presentation is open to all community members to help provide additional context and deepen understanding of Wisconsin’s school funding system, including how statewide trends intersect with MCPASD’s local financial landscape.

The letter and prior newsletters provide context around three key points:
• MCPASD is receiving less state general aid.
• The state did not fund the $325 per-pupil increase.
• MCPASD is among the 71% of districts experiencing a decrease in state general aid.

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program at Middleton High School is shaping students into future leaders. The coursework immerses students in professional environments where they tackle real-world problems under the guidance of experienced instructors and industry professionals.

“We have amazing faculty here,” said Rohan Dileep, a senior in the CAPS Business Solutions strand. “They’re willing to guide you and make you a better leader, and help set you up for a better future.”

In addition to Business Solutions, the program offers three other coursework strands: Digital Media Marketing, Science Research and Design, and Introduction to Education and Teaching. Students in the different strands often collaborate on projects with community partners. For example, Business Solutions and Digital Media Marketing students worked together on the Tribe 9 Foods and Marketini Media/REACH-A-Child projects during the fall 2025 semester.

“I got to sit down at the computer and just start designing a product [for Tribe 9 Foods] based on what my group wanted,” said Mason DePauw, a senior in the CAPS Digital Media Marketing strand. “It felt really cool to have a lot of creative freedom with it.”

The program focuses on five core values, which align with MCPASD’s future-preparedness framework, A Cardinal’s Journey:

• Profession-Based Learning

• Responsiveness

• Self-Discovery and Exploration

• Professional Skills Development

• Entrepreneurial Mindset

In addition, CAPS recently introduced its Advisory Committee, which provides guidance and direction for the program. Student ambassadors, Middleton High School faculty, MCPASD administrators, and leaders from different industries all serve on the committee.

Student ambassadors also served on the student-led committee to refresh MCPASD’s logo. They met for several months with MCPASD’s Communications team to participate in branding workshops and review design concepts with a graphic designer before selecting the final logo.

MHS students can apply to CAPS in their junior and senior years. Read more about the program and testimonials from students and community partners on the CAPS webpage.

19 educators were awarded more than $16,000 in inspiration grants from the MCPASD Education Foundation on Dec. 4. Middleton High School teacher Justin Zander received a grant to build a solar-powered kiln.

“It is my plan to create a network of local arbor related businesses and individuals that remove and harvest trees to collect logs and we will mill them into lumber,” Zander said. “The lumber will be cured by the solar kiln that will be built with the funds from the foundation. I am hopeful that we can generate enough lumber to easily meet the needs of all our students at the high school and then start working towards assisting with the supply at the middle schools as well.”

Read how additional grants recipients from elementary schools, middle schools and high schools will use their funding. Learn more about how the MCPASD Education Foundation generously supports MCPASD.

MCPASD has completed several initiatives in the past year to strengthen its brand and shared identity: launching A Cardinal’s Journey, introducing a Vision for Teaching and Learning, updating its mission and vision, and redesigning all elementary schools’ logos.

The District needed a modern logo to better align with this new direction and shift from “inclusive. innovative. inspiring.” to “Engage. Empower. Evolve.” To support a student-driven process for the District logo refresh, MCPASD’s Communications team partnered with students from Middleton High School’s Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program.

CAPS student ambassadors Mason DePauw, Rohan Dileep, Izzy Frantz, and A.J. Schleusner shared their insights, creativity, and lived experiences to drive the redesign process, keeping student voices at the heart of this effort. They participated in branding workshops, reviewed design concepts, and provided feedback that informed the entire process.

After meeting for several months, the student ambassadors shared the redesign process and revealed the logo to the Board of Education at its Dec. 15 meeting. Board members enthusiastically supported their work.

Board member Emily Evans noted that other area school districts have paid for expensive contracts with branding agencies and consulting firms to redesign their district-level logos. She said she valued the student-led process MCPASD used both as a learning opportunity for students and as a sign of the District exercising responsible financial stewardship.

MCPASD’s Communications team will begin integrating the new logo across digital platforms, websites, social media, and printed materials in the coming weeks.

The new logo below represents a star breaking free from the current pillars and moving upward. The star represents our students and also forms an arrow, symbolizing growth, direction, and momentum. The three pillars remain represented through the hexagon shape, which conveys a sense of being progressive, strong, formal, and grounded.

Safety and Security Coordinator Asher Torbeck continues to play a key role in advancing school safety through ongoing collaboration, training, and community engagement at the local and county level.

Recently, families, staff, and community members joined the District on Dec. 10 for an in-depth Safety and Security Presentation led by Torbeck. The event provided a comprehensive overview of the systems, planning, and partnerships that support safe learning environments across all MCPASD schools.

During the presentation, Torbeck shared details about the District’s building safety protocols, which outline preventative measures and daily practices that support safety throughout the school day. He also reviewed the Standard Response Protocol used across the District, explaining how consistent terminology and procedures guide responses in a variety of situations. Attendees learned about the extensive staff training that takes place throughout the year, including scenario-based exercises and ongoing professional development designed to ensure preparedness and consistency across buildings. The session also covered the District’s reunification process, outlining how students and families would be reunited in the event of an emergency, the communication steps families can expect, and the importance of coordination with first responders.

The presentation reflected the strong partnerships MCPASD maintains with local law enforcement. Representatives from the Middleton Police Department, Cross Plains Police Department, and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office were present, underscoring the collaborative approach that supports school safety efforts across the District.

Torbeck’s work extends beyond MCPASD as well. He serves on the steering committee of Dane County’s School Safety Forum. The forum brings together law enforcement officers, emergency responders, firefighters, and school officials from Dane County and surrounding areas to learn about and discuss school safety issues. All public school districts in Dane County, along with several private schools, are members of the forum, which meets quarterly and hosts training events throughout the year. Torbeck was interviewed by WMTV 15 News and The Capital Times, where he highlighted the resources, training opportunities, and professional connections the forum provides to its members.

Through District-led presentations, ongoing staff training, and regional collaboration, Torbeck’s work reflects MCPASD’s commitment to proactive planning, strong partnerships, and transparent communication. The District is grateful to the families, staff members, law enforcement partners, and community members who continue to engage in these efforts and help create safe, supportive learning environments for all MCPASD students.

Dear School District Families,

On behalf of all of us at WayForward Resources, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your partnership and leadership in the Community-Wide Food Drive. This collective effort truly shows the impact we can have when we work together to create food security—and how together, we can make it through tough times.

When the federal government shutdown delayed SNAP benefits, putting people’s ability to feed themselves and their families at risk, our community responded—making sure that no one would have to experience hunger. During this time of uncertainty, WayForward’s pantry saw a significant increase in demand. On one of the Thursdays during that time, we gave out nearly 13,000 pounds of food—the highest amount in a single day this year. The uncertainty created by the SNAP benefit delay also led to 171 new households signing up to use the food pantry for the first time during October 21-November 8. Prior to this, we had already been seeing the highest demand in our organization’s over 45-year history.

Thank you to everyone who contributed food and funds to support WayForward’s food pantry–ensuring we were able to continue to have food available for our neighbors throughout the difficult couple of weeks during the SNAP benefit delay. Together, we collected an amazing 87,851 pounds of food (the equivalent of 67,111 meals) from donation drop-offs, organized food drives, and our online wish list between October 21 and December 8. This amount of food is nearly three times the amount donated during the same period last year.

A very special thank you to Middleton District 6 Alder Lisa Janairo, who was instrumental in envisioning, activating, and coordinating the Community-Wide Food Drive.

As we look to the future, there is still a lot of uncertainty. But thanks to the support of our community, we were able to have food available through this recent crisis, and we will continue to provide nutritious food, now and in the future. We believe that together, we can create stability in our community, even in the midst of uncertainty around us. Thank you for joining us in our work together—and for continuing to inspire us with your generosity and committed partnership.

Sincerely,

Leslie Albrecht Huber

Senior Director of Development and Community Engagement

We are happy to share some top MCPASD headlines from December! Check out the News on our District website for more updates.

• Mr. Peanuts Brightens the Capitol During Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

• Park Elementary School Achieved the Highest State Report Card Rating Through a Focus on Literacy and a Commitment to Professional Learning Communities

• Beyond the Scoreboard Podcast Season 3, Episode 3

• Spotlight on A Cardinal's Journey: MCPASD Board of Education Honors Students for Demonstrating a Self-Aware Mindset

• West Middleton Elementary School Earned the Highest State Report Card Rating by Focusing on Foundational Literacy Skills and Behavioral Supports
• Middleton High School’s DECA Team Prepares for District Competitions

Dec. 22 - Jan. 2: Winter Break | No School

Jan. 7: Middleton High School Course Fair and Future Freshman Night

Jan. 12: Professional Development Day | No School

Jan. 12: Board of Education Meeting

Jan. 15: Community School Funding Presentation

Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day | No School

Jan. 23: Work Day (End of Semester) | No School

Jan. 26: Board of Education Meeting

Download a printable version of our 2025-2026 District Calendar!

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