Student Handbook

MG21 Unifying Principle

To teach students to ask and answer the question: “How do I want to live my life?”

MG21 Mission

To provide a student-centered educational community for independent learners which is designed to give students the skills they need to walk their path in life.

MG21 Pillars

1. Educate the whole person:  To educate the whole person and help students learn and discover the path they are walking.  
2. Rigorous academic skills and social-emotional growth: To foster students’ academic (writing, thinking, reading, math, discussion), 21st century skills, and social-emotional skills in order for them to be successful in school and after graduation.
3. Project-based inquiry:  To facilitate authentic learning experiences anchored by student-generated projects.
4. Build and connect with community:  To have students recognize their moral obligation to themselves, their peers and their community (school and larger).

 

MG21 is an independent charter school within the Monona Grove School District that serves students in grades 6-12. We are governed by the MG21 Governance Board and accountable to the Monona Grove School Board and Superintendent. Public charter schools are independent, tuition-free public schools. 

As a charter school, MG21 is overseen by an independent Governance Board that is accountable to the MGBOE and the State of WI. The Governance Board has the authority to make decisions regarding the operations of the charter school including: 

Monitor curriculum and policies designed in collaboration with teaching staff to ensure the curriculum and policies facilitate the school’s educational goals, objectives and philosophy and that such curriculum and policies are in compliance with WI Charter School statutes and applicable state and federal statutes. Approve and monitor the annual budget prepared by the MG21 staff. Hiring of staff. 

Governance Board Members: 

Tom Stolper (President) 
Elizabeth Wheeler (Vice President) 
Ryan Claringbole (Secretary) 
Sandy Homburg (Treasurer) 
John Everman (Alumni Rep)
Katie Moureau (Parent Representative)
Susan Fox (Rep at Large) 
TBD (Student Representative) 

 

Information including contact information, office hours and school day schedules is available on our website.

MG21 is open, tuition-free, to all students grade 6-12 who reside in the District or are eligible for enrollment in the District’s programs pursuant to Wis. Stat. 118.51, 118.52, or 118.53.  

MG21 will not deny admission or participation in any program or activity on the basis of a person’s sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability. 

Regular Admission

1. The Governance Board will set enrollment limits for the following school year during its January board meeting, prior to the District Board of Education’s determination of the number of open enrollment seats for the District for the following school year. The Governance Board may set enrollment limits by grade.
    
2. The Governance Board will set an application period.
    
3. If the number of enrollment applications exceeds the enrollment limit during the application period, the school will select students on a random lottery basis.
    
4. Currently-enrolled students, including students moving from the Middle Campus to the Upper Campus, are guaranteed enrollment and will not be included in the lottery.
    
5. The Charter School will give preference to siblings of pupils who are already attending the Charter School. In addition, the Charter School will give preference to children of the charter school's founders, Governance Board members, and full-time employees. The total number of children given preference under this paragraph will constitute no more than 10 percent of the Charter School's total enrollment.
    
6. A waiting list will be maintained for students who are not selected in the random lottery. The waiting list will be utilized until September 15 of the upcoming school year.
    
7. If no waiting list exists following the Regular Admissions period, applications for the fall trimester will be accepted until the start of the school year. If there are more applicants than open spots during this period, a second lottery will be conducted prior to the start of the school year following the procedure outlined above.
    
8. If  at the end of the Regular Admissions Period all available enrollment spaces are not filled, the school may, but is not required to, accept applications beyond the regular application period. The Governance Board or its designee reserves the right to determine if additional applicants will be accepted.
    
9. Open-enrolled applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and select the Charter School as a preference will be placed in the Charter School under the procedures listed above. 
    
10. If a student who has selected the Charter School as a preference is a student with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act, placement will be determined by the Individual Education Program team in accordance with federal law.  The IEP Team will review the school program and the student’s needs in determining the best placement. (See Addendum- Understanding the MG21 Model: Program Descriptors/Criteria for Independent Learners)
     
11. The Charter School may include in its lottery all nonresident applicants who seek enrollment in the Charter School. An open-enrolled applicant’s admission to the Charter School will be contingent on the student’s enrollment in the District.
     
12. The Charter School will not be required to admit any student who is under a current expulsion order from a school district. Students not admitted to the Charter School through the enrollment process cannot be unilaterally placed in the Charter School by the District. Attendance at the Charter School is voluntary.

ADDENDUM:
Understanding the MG21 Model: Program Descriptors/Criteria for Independent Learners

 

Community Building

MG21 is a relationship based school; this is the heart of our community. The social-emotional component of the curriculum is designed to help students understand their individual path and their connection and moral obligation to others. We deliberately designed our program with this idea at its core. The low teacher/student ratio creates a smaller school community where students feel connected to each other and the teachers. 

Our classroom environment is set-up to foster these relationships via cooperative learning and group discussion. We have weekly activities that focus on community and team building allowing the students to deepen their connection to one another and the staff. Building these relationships is critical in creating a school climate and community where students feel free to explore, take risks and engage.

Restorative Justice (RJ)

At the core, restorative justice practices are about building and restoring relationships. These practices are based on principles and processes that emphasize the importance of positive relationships as central to building a strong community and repairing relationships when harm has occurred.

Embedding restorative practices into our school focuses on community building, prevention of harm and response to harm. Preventing harm involves intentionally facilitating school experiences that increase students’ sense of belonging, safety and social responsibility in our school community. 

Five key restorative practices principles provide the foundation for the MG21 school community:

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS: Strong relationships between and among students and staff are central to community building.

VOICES VALUED: All voices are valued and everyone has an opportunity to be heard.

HIGH SUPPORT/ EXPECTATIONS: Students are successful when teachers have high expectations with high support. In order to learn, teachers “do with” students rather than “do for” or “do to” students.

PROBLEM SOLVING: Accountability, responsibility and collaborative problem solving are key to addressing harms that occur.

REPAIR HARM: When there is a “misbehavior,” we attend to the “harm done” rather than simply tell the student what school-imposed rule has been broken.

Through restorative practices, members of the school community will: 

• Have an opportunity to be heard 
• Understand the greater impact of one's actions 
• Learn to take responsibility 
• Repair the harm one's actions may have caused 
• Recognize one's role in maintaining a safe school environment 
• Build upon and expand on personal relationships in the school community 
• Recognize one's role as a positive contributing member of the school community. 

Restorative Justice Circles

As a relationship-based school, we think of the MG21 community as a quilt. Each part is unique and integral to the quilt’s whole. When there is a tear in any part of the quilt, there is a tear in the fabric of the entire community. The health of the community compels us to mend the tear. 

We train both staff and students to become fluent practitioners of Restorative Justice. When students are able to engage with these practices, they gain authentic experiences that will shape them as they become part of communities throughout their lives. RJ also provides the foundation for an equitable, positive school culture. Through RJ, students gain a sense of ownership and responsibility to themselves, their classmates and the greater community. As a result, students are able to make sense of their experiences and recognize their potential to take actions that shape society and the world.

Our response to harm involves restorative justice circles. In these circles, involved members of the school community reflect and share responses to these questions:  

• What happened, and what were you thinking at the time of the incident?
• What have you thought about since?
• Who has been affected by what happened, and how?
• What about this has been the hardest for you?
• What do you think needs to be done to make things as right as possible? (Repair harm)

Circles

Essential components of RJ are listening and communicating with compassion. Usually, this is done while sitting in a circle. Circles take various forms, including daily community-building circles, circles to gain support from peers, teachers, and family members, circles to address community or classroom issues, and circles to celebrate successes.

Circle Keepers 

Each year, students are invited to become Circle Keepers. In addition to gaining skills in leading circles, Keepers examine and learn about societal issues and how they affect people. These student Keepers may lead celebration circles for their peers, plan daily advisory circles, and can even help small groups discuss and address issues that come up in the community. Keepers become leaders in the community and help create a positive, welcoming school culture through their words and actions.

 

Families play a critical role in the school and serve as resources, teachers and potential mentors.  A parent member sits on the Governance Board; the charter school has an open door policy for parents and meets with parents at least three times a year; at the beginning for a pre-school year conference and during the year for parent/student/teacher Learning Partnership Meetings.

Family Teacher Forum (FTF)

Please consider joining our Family Teacher Forum (FTF) which meets 4x during the school year. The FTF focuses on building a supportive community of MG21 families and staff through monthly meetings, events and fellowship. It's an opportunity for MG21 families to connect with each other as well as support the school. The FTF will organize 3 events per year to foster community. The meetings usually contain an educational/learning opportunity with topics that families request.  If you would like to be involved please contact the front office.

 

Teacher-Led Projects (TLP)

Teacher-led projects are teacher directed and student centered. This is an academic classroom portion of the curriculum where students gain knowledge and expertise in the core subjects (language arts, art, mathematics, social science, science). 

Community-Led Projects (CLP)

Community-led workshops and seminars allow students the opportunity to work with a community expert to create a final project on a variety of subjects (e.g. music production, electronics, painting, cooking, fitness, yoga, meditation, wellness, PE and video production).

Student-Led Projects (SLP) / Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an inquiry-based learning process in which students design, plan, investigate, research and present their own projects in response to an essential question, problem, or challenge (e.g., student-designed creative, inquiry, or acquisition projects; or teacher-written, independent study projects). Rigorous projects are carefully planned, managed, and assessed to help students create high-quality, authentic products and presentations.

21st Century Skills 

21st  Century Skills are interwoven into our curriculum. The overall goal is to tie the student’s path and education to their ability to master the following 21st century skills of: 

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving  
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Curiosity and Imagination
• Commitment and Motivation
• Community and Service

Sensitive Issues: The curriculum of MG21 is intellectually rigorous and thought-provoking. It will address issues of concern that face our society today.  Students will be expected to discuss sensitive issues, watch controversial movies (some of which may be rated R), and read sensitive materials without restriction.

Additional Components of the MG21 Program

These components of our curriculum are integral in creating a sense of value, meaning and community. All students need to feel a sense of belonging at school and believe they can be successful. Ultimately, MG21 must become an educational community that allows this to flourish.  

• Service Projects: Throughout the year students work on a variety of service projects including trail work with the Ice Age Trail Alliance, citizen lake monitoring for the DNR, work at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and the Cottage Grove School forest, and work with the city of Monona and the Monona Public Library.
• Morning Meeting/Advisory begins our day.  All students meet with their advisor to check-in,  hear morning announcements, and discuss current events.  
• Town Halls and Advisory: This is where we deliver curriculum based skills related to personal wellness and growth and community building.
• Pathfinding: Students explore their interests through a series of interest exploration activities, informational interviews, job shadows and community mentorships.

Senior Capstone Project

All seniors are encouraged to complete a senior capstone project during their final year at MG21. The senior capstone project is designed to give students the opportunity to explore and equip students with skills and experiences to take the next step. Ideally the capstone project should still be a “life-enhancing” experience that reinforces and strengthens a student’s personal values and interests. As an MG21 student, students have taken charge of their education. This project should function as a capstone in the educational architecture they have built. Students design projects based on one of the following areas of interest:  

Senior Portfolio

Seniors at Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School will present a digital portfolio linked to their website of their work to our Governing Board as a requirement for graduation. The Senior Portfolio gives students the opportunity to reflect upon and be able to demonstrate their accomplishments at MG21 as a requirement for graduation.

 

Measuring Student Achievement

The essential measure of student progress in attaining goals using the MG21’s curriculum (TIC and PBL) plots a student’s movement from point “A” to point “B” in their educational journey.

The MG21 education process is a three-fold process:

• A student’s KNOWLEDGE BASE is the information/facts/formulas/definitions/data/grammatical code which our students use to begin to comprehend the world.
• A student’s UNDERSTANDING involves their melding their knowledge base with the concepts of the curriculum we deliver.
• A student MAKES MEANING when they apply their knowledge and understanding to their choice-making/actions.

Students will earn a Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School for the 21st Century diploma if they earn 22 credits with the following distribution:

• (4) English
• (3.5) Social Studies (including 0.25 government)
• (3) Math (Must complete algebra/geometry)
• (3) Science 
• (1.5) Physical Education
• (0.5) Health/Wellness/CPR Certification
• (6.5) Additional Credits
• (0.25) Financial Literacy 
• Senior Portfolio and Senior Capstone Project (credit varies). Students must defend their Portfolio to the MG21 Governance Board in the Spring.
• 80%+ on Wisconsin State Civics Exam

Credit Deficient

If a student fails to earn credit, that student will be considered credit deficient for that trimester and will require goal setting meetings with staff and/or parents/guardians to address their challenges to earning sufficient credit. If a student is “credit deficient” for consecutive trimesters, they will meet with MG21 staff and parents/guardians to collectively determine the best path forward and/or whether MG21 is the best educational placement for this student.  

MG21 Work and Volunteer Credit

Students enrolled in MG21 may hold a part-time job or volunteer position during the school year and earn one-half credit for working 90 hours provided they complete a reflective essay, turn in pay stubs to document hours and have a supervisor complete a brief review. To be eligible for work release, a student must provide a copy of their work schedule, have prior approval and be a junior/senior.

The MG21 Middle Campus curriculum is student-centered, standards-based, and flexible. Students will hone skills necessary for school and life while they engage individually and with the community to more deeply understand their moral obligation as an informed citizen. Our emphasis is on social-emotional wellbeing, environmental education, and social justice. Students explore these areas through a variety of experiences.

Teacher-Led Projects (TLP) and Math Classes

MG21’s “Thematically-Integrated Curriculum” is just that -- learning opportunities for students organized by theme. These teacher-guided classes explore various content areas and culminate in a student-led or community project. 

The MG21 math curriculum utilizes Mid School Math.

Literacy

Reading and writing are critical to gain wider perspectives and understand how our world works. Students enjoy daily “Drop Everything And Read” time and participate in literacy groups with peers.

Genius Hour-Individual Project-Based Learning

Everything is a project at MG21, from those associated with TLP classes to projects carried out to better our school and community. Students also have the opportunity to develop their own projects that revolve around their personal interests, or to work with a small group on a project of mutual interest.

Service Projects

Students participate in service projects both on-campus and off. They organize and carry out work in the school garden, volunteer at a nearby elementary school, and help those in need in our community.

Community Led Projects

At MG21, students are able to explore a wide variety of possible interest areas. One way this happens is through expert-led seminars. Individuals from the community bring their talents to the Middle and Upper Campus and teach students in short-courses on topics ranging from Creative Writing to 3D Printing.

Outdoor Education

The outdoor education portion of MG21’s program is an integral piece in supporting students as they build community, establish an appreciation for nature and our place in it, and develop skills necessary for exploration of themselves and the wider world.

Through outdoor experiences and service projects, students will gain confidence in four major areas:

1. Community and Culture Building: By working together, students will learn to rely on each others’ strengths. They will bond through shared experiences, and will participate in creating a caring and respectful community that is able to have fun and deal with problems as a team.
2. Appreciation of the Outdoors: When young people have the opportunity to see how being outside affects their emotional and physical wellbeing, they begin to appreciate the natural world in a more complex way. Students will learn about ecological interconnectedness and will come to better understand their place within a natural setting.
3. Land Stewardship: Developing a sense of purpose with regard to our wild spaces is important at MG21, and supporting students as they build skills and knowledge around taking care of outdoor areas is a major area of learning at the Middle Campus.
4. Personal Growth: Being outside and dealing with various challenges in nature offers students immense growth in areas such as developing personal responsibility, healthy risk-taking, respect for self and others, leadership skills, self-confidence, and vulnerability.

Throughout the school year and in each season, students will participate in learning out of doors, both on campus and off. Because we will spend a great deal of time outside in scheduled and spontaneous work, students must come to school each day prepared with appropriate clothing to keep them warm and dry. They may store extra clothing at school for this purpose. We have a limited selection of items to loan students who need them, including boots, warm jackets, gloves, and hats. 

Weekly excursions and long-term projects are a part of our outdoor program, as are annual overnight camping and paddling trips. 

Wellness Education

Maintaining a healthy mind and body are essential for a young person’s success. Through our social-emotional curriculum, students tackle tough subjects such as mental health and depression, LGBTQ+ issues and gender roles, and conflict resolution with peers. Each morning, students participate in Active Start to help kick their brains into gear while moving their bodies.

MG21 thrives with strong family support and involvement. An integral part of creating a cohesive team between students, parents, and staff is communicating consistently and with clarity. We strive to share student success and offer support by communicating in a variety of ways with all stakeholders at MG21. Families are encouraged to reach out to discuss any aspect of their student’s education and wellbeing. 

Infinite Campus

At MG21, we use Infinite Campus to communicate important information to all families. The emails sent through Infinite Campus are often whole-school updates or details about upcoming events.

Email

Most often, advisors at the Middle Campus communicate with families via email. Information specific to Middle Campus families, such as details regarding excursions, volunteering, or conferences are shared here. Emails to individual students and parents regarding coursework, celebrating success, and unique needs happen daily. We ask that both students and families check their email frequently to stay informed about happenings at MG21.

Phone Calls

Staff do occasionally reach out to families by phone. We rely on the information shared in Infinite Campus to contact families when necessary, and remind parents/guardians to update their number in that system. Families should phone the office for any immediate needs or questions, such as reporting an absence. 

Conferences and Meetings

Throughout the school year, we meet with parents and students to plan for learning, make goals, and reflect on the term. This is an excellent opportunity to have a full conversation about student growth and needs. We welcome families to contact us any time they feel the need to meet.

Grade Reports

One way that we communicate with students and families is by sharing progress and grade reports. These reports can include rubrics and/or comments, but more often take the shape of a narrative about the individual student’s growth during the term, both academically and socially. Progress reports are shared each quarter, while a more detailed grade report is shared at semester and at the end of the school year.