Malcolm Shabazz City High School

The Quarterly Report

“40 Years of Innovative Education”
1601 N. Sherman Avenue  Madison, Wisconsin 53704  (608) 204-2440

2nd Quarter, 2010-11

Greetings from the Principal:

Turkey Day is coming to Shabazz on Wednesday, November 24. Every year, Malcolm Shabazz
City High School opens its doors to the greater Shabazz community to celebrate its past and to
recognize and promote our commitment to providing an authentic and relevant education in a safe,
harassment free learning environment. Turkey Day begins with the Great Shabazz Talent Show at
10:00 AM in the Sherman gym. The talent show features performances by our students and staff.
After the Talent Show a variety of activities occur as we bide our time waiting for the Feast at 1:30
PM in the Sherman cafeteria. We invite Shabazz alumni, family of current students, and special
guests to attend.

Talent shows at Shabazz are amazing events. They are not amazing because of the talent,
although we have very talented students and staff at Shabazz. They are amazing because they
embody and exhibit many of the values that we cultivate at Shabazz. At Shabazz, we value
creativity. We value student voice and student expression. As a learning community, we value risk
taking that fosters learning and growth. At our talent shows, our students and staff stand before
the Shabazz community, sharing their voices, their talents, and their words with the world. Our
performers take risks to perform for the benefit of all, expressing their individuality in the process.

The talent is great and the willingness of our students to take the risks of performing is incredible,
yet the most amazing characteristic of our talent shows is the visible support provided by the
community. Risk taking at the level that is required for learning does not occur without social
support. The audience made up of Shabazz graduates and current students provide that social
support, as our staff and students sing their songs and dance their dances, they do so knowing that
a community stands behind them and supports them.
Our talent shows occur only twice a year, but I believe they reflect what is at the heart of daily life
at Shabazz and at the heart of learning. They reflect what I see when I visit the classrooms at
Shabazz: communication, self-expression, creativity, taking risks that lead to growth and learning,
high levels of acceptance, high expectations for growth and change. These values are at the heart
of learning, they are at the heart of Shabazz, and they are evident in our talent shows.

Hope to see you there.

Aric

Thu & Fri, Nov. 25 & 26 SCHOOL CLOSED – Thanksgiving Holiday

REMINDER:

Mon – Fri, Dec. 20 – 31 SCHOOL CLOSED – Winter Break

Monday, January 3 SCHOOL REOPENS
Monday, January 10 EARLY RELEASE @ 11:35 AM for Staff Development
Thursday, January 13 3rd Qtr. SCHEDULING DAY for Returning Students:
● 8:45 Srs ● 9:30 Jrs ● 9:55 Soph ● 10:15 Frosh ● 10:45 Classes Begin
Monday, January 17 SCHOOL CLOSED – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Thu & Fri, Jan. 20 & 21 SCHOOL CLOSED – End of 2nd Quarter
Monday, January 24 NO SCHOOL for Returning Students – New Student Orientation

PLEASE CALL TO EXCUSE ABSENCES

It’s not always easy to decide if your child is sick enough to stay home or
well enough to be in school. Students will not earn credit in a class if they
have too many absences. If you question whether your child should
attend, you may call the Health Office at 204-2109.

If your teen must miss school, please call the attendance line at 204-2441.
The absence will still count toward total “permissible” absences, but by
excusing it you avoid truancy and help teachers know what’s up with your
child. It is important to remind students that their six “permissible”
absences are intended as “sick days” to be used for illness.
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SAVE THOSE LABELS!
This time of year many of us
bake and cook, from a hot
bowl of soup to holiday
meals. Think of us as you cook!
Don’t throw away those “Labels for
Education” and Campbell’s Soup Labels.
Although we are small and labels
accumulate slowly, they still
bring worthwhile items to our
school. There is a
collection bin in the office.
Every little bit helps!
CONTRIBUTE TO THE
READERS’ WORKSHOP
Do you have stacks of books you’ve already
read? Instead of gathering dust, they could be a
tax deduction. The Shabazz Readers’ Workshop
is always looking for new reading material for
Shabazz students. If you are interested in
making a book donation or contribution to our
school’s reading initiatives, please contact
Denise Aulik (204-2469) at
daulik@madison.k12.wi.us. Thanks for your
support!
SHOPPING CAN HELP SHABAZZ
Whether you love or hate shopping, it may have
the side benefit of contributing to Shabazz.
When you shop at Office Depot, simply tell the
cashier that you would like your purchase to
support Shabazz High School. They will donate
5% of all qualifying purchases to Shabazz for in-
store credits.
We don’t want to encourage you to charge
things, but if you do, please consider using your
Target REDcard Visa. Target will donate up to
1% of your REDcard purchases. If you have a
Target REDcard, visit www.target.com to enroll in
Take Charge of Education®. Select Shabazz as
your school of choice. They will send us a check
for 1% of all your Target store purchases and
.5% of all other purchases. Sign up today!
FIELD TRIP DONATIONS
Thank you to all who have donated additional
money for field trips. Field trips provide fantastic
opportunities for learning. However, they are
very expensive. In addition to the typical
expenses of transportation or admission fees, we
have to pay for any substitutes required while
teachers are out of the building with students.
Substitute teachers cost us about $200 per day.
Please consider a tax deductible donation to our
Field Trip Fund. Any contribution you make
would significantly help our program and our
students. Donations may be made out to
Shabazz City High School (with “Field Trip Fund”
written in the memo line of your check). Thank
you for your ongoing support!
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 The END is Near TURKEY DAY IS HERE!
The halls are humming and decked out for Turkey Day,
Wednesday, November 24, our annual celebration for students, staff, and alumni.
We welcome parents, grandparents, guardians, siblings, and other housemates
to share the day.

Students arrive as usual at 8:45 a.m. with their food contribution for the meal.
Each class is assigned a different item; feel free to call the office if you are
wondering what your child is supposed to be bringing!

The first event of the day is "The Great Shabazz Talent Show" in the Sherman
Gym at 10 a.m. Visitors sign in at a table in front of the gym, and can begin
seating for the show at 9:45. Shabazz students will come down with their class about 9:50. After the Talent
Show, there are activities around the building such as movies, basketball, face painting, and this year, guest
speakers in Gene’s room. Feel free to wander around the school and drop in on any activity which interests
you.

At 1:30 p.m., "The Feast" begins in the Sherman Cafeteria. Students and staff contribute most of the food.
A donation of a dessert or money is appreciated, but definitely not required! If you bring a homemade
dessert, please write down the ingredients on a recipe card to set next to it. This helps our vegans,
vegetarians, and those with allergies.

After the feast, school is dismissed for the long holiday weekend. We hope you enjoy the day!

COMMUNITY LUNCHES AT SHABAZZ

We obviously love to feed people at Shabazz. In addition to our annual Turkey Day Feast, nearly every
Friday we serve a Community Lunch. The students of the "Shabazz Experience" class, guided by Gene
Delcourt, plan, purchase, prepare, and serve the meals in the Shabazz Cafeteria.

Students and staff enjoy a good meal and good company. We would love to have you join us! Lunch is
served from 11:30 to 12:25. There is no charge for the meal, but a donation for groceries is always
welcome. If you would like to attend a Community Lunch, please call the office at 204-2440 on Friday
morning to let us know you are coming. That way you can find out if we are hosting a lunch that week and
what we are serving! When you arrive at the school, check in at the office before heading to the Cafeteria
for a great meal!
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 FREE COMPUTERS TO A GOOD HOME
If you do not have a computer and would like one, you may be able to take one home on Turkey Day. And,
the computers are free! Just talk to teacher Tina Murray or an ECAP student. ECAP stands for Equity in
Computer Access Program, a class where students learn what is inside computers and how to repair them.
The students will have computers ready to go and available on Turkey Day.

These computers are designed for students to be able to do word processing and
save documents, either to their email (if you have internet) or to a flash drive or CD
or floppy drive. That way they can get the work from home to school to print out.
The computers are Dell 270's with a CRT monitor (sorry, no flatscreens), keyboard
and mouse, and will have UBUNTU 10 on them. The computers are internet ready,
but you will need a provider before you can get online.

No tech support is offered by the class afterwards, so please take the time to teach
yourself how to use it. Unfortunately, we simply don't have the space or time to offer lessons or
troubleshooting services for these machines. More information can be found at:
http://oldweb.madison.k12.wi.us/shabazz/tech/ecap/ecapabout1.htm .

Watch for Breaking News

PARENT MEETINGS
All parents, guardians, and significant
adults in our students’ lives are invited to
come to our monthly parent meetings.
Parent meetings are a great way to
network with other Shabazz families and
to get involved with the school. Meetings
are the first Thursday of the month at
6:30 p.m. in the Shabazz LMC. The
meetings are informal, but informational,
and treats are served! The schedule for
the rest of the year is:
 December 2  March 3
 January 6  April 7
 February 3  May 5
On our
th
40 Anniversary Celebration
Malcolm Shabazz City High School is
nearly 40 years old. Considering those
who started it “didn’t trust anyone over 30,”
that’s pretty good! We will be celebrating
our 40th anniversary this January.
Planning is underway for an evening event
for current and former staff and students,
their families, and other Shabazz friends.
The celebration will take place at CUNA
Mutual at Mineral Point Road in Madison.
Please stay-tuned for more information to
come! If you would like to help in the
planning, please call Donna at 204-2440.
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 WHEN IS SCHOOL CLOSED DUE TO
WEATHER?
Dear Families of MMSD Students,

When the weather is bad, the Madison Metropolitan School

District follows a set of guidelines for deciding if school
will be open or closed. With the winter season here, I'd like to
review these guidelines with you.

The district must make a decision that is the best for 24,000 students. This decision may not fit with your
individual circumstances. Therefore, we encourage and strongly support you in making the decision that is
best for your child(ren). You are always the best judge of your child's health and safety.

The process for deciding when schools are open or closed due to snow and/or ice
District staff members review the weather conditions beginning early in the morning. They talk with weather
forecasters, the City Streets Department, Madison Police and Dane County Sheriff's Departments, and
school district staff to see if all buildings are accessible for students and staff.

We also consult with bus companies to see if buses will be able to travel safely to and from school. This is
the primary factor in making our decision. We make the decision whether to close schools by 6:30 a.m. or
earlier, and then communicate this decision to all local news outlets.

How you can find out if schools are closed

On days when the weather is bad, listen to any local radio or television station for information about school
closing. You can also check our web site (http://www.mmsd.org) or MMSD-TV (Cable Channel 96 or 97.)

When schools are closed because of extreme cold

Our policy is to close Madison schools if the National Weather Service issues a wind chill WARNING for
Dane County for the time just before the school day begins. Schools will not necessarily be closed if there is
a wind chill ADVISORY for the county. (Thresholds from National Weather Service).

When schools are closed, all activities there are canceled

When Madison schools are closed for the day, it also means that all activities scheduled in school buildings
for that day are canceled. This includes all MSCR programs and all after school programs.

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Why schools are not dismissed early on days when the weather is bad
In many of our families, adults work outside the home and they have no child care arrangements available
before the end of the school day. However, if your schedule allows and if you feel your child(ren) will be
safer at home, you can pick your child(ren) up before the end of the school day. If you do, go to the school
office and request that your child(ren) be dismissed to you.

We try to keep schools open

When schools close, many families have issues with child care. As a result, we try to keep schools open if
it's safe to do so. However, as we stated at the top of this letter, parents can always make the decision to
keep their child(ren) at home in bad weather.

Why school starts are not delayed on days when the weather is bad but will improve during the day
In many of our families, adults working outside the home are not able to adjust their work schedules or find
child care to accommodate a later start. If your family transports your child(ren) to school, we appreciate the
extra effort it takes on severe weather days and acknowledge that the students' arrival might be somewhat
delayed.

When schools are closed for other reasons

If you have a question about whether schools or a particular school will be closed for reasons other than
severe weather, please listen to local radio or television stations, go to our website or watch MMSD-TV.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation

For every family that is happy school is in session on days when the weather is bad, there is another family
that feels schools should be closed. In over 40 years in education, I find that the decision to open or close
schools during inclement weather brings out some of the strongest community reactions — no matter which
way we go.

We appreciate your understanding of the difficulties in making this decision, and your support in helping
your child get to school safely on winter days.

Sincerely,

Daniel A. Nerad, Superintendent of Schools

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 SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL CONCERNS OF
GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS
The Madison School District is hosting a
presentation by Dr. Jean Peterson, Professor at
Purdue University, along with a question and
answer session for parents of gifted students.
Dr. Peterson is director of school-counselor
preparation at Purdue an affiliated faculty
member with the Gifted Education Resource
Institute there, and author of over 80
publications.
Among the topics covered will be the burdens of
being a high ability student and parent of this
student, underachievement, and bullying and the
gifted. All parents are welcome. Mark your
calendars.
SENIOR PICTURES
Seniors do not need to have professional
portraits taken for the Yearbook. We take some
very good pictures here at school. However if
you plan to get Senior Portraits taken, you have
until April 1 to submit them for the Shabazz
Yearbook.
We will happily accept them sooner. The picture
needs to be a “hard copy” not digital. Mail a hard
copy to Colleen Kellogg here at Shabazz, or
send the photo to school with your teen.
Please don’t rely on your photographer to submit
pictures to Shabazz. After the time and money
spent to get Senior Portraits taken, we would
hate to have it left out of the Yearbook.

When: Thursday, December 16, 6:30 PM This year we will be selling Yearbooks through
Where: McDaniels Auditorium, the first week of the 4th Quarter which is April 6th.
Doyle Administration Building They cost $15.00 and can be ordered in the
Shabazz Office.

ACT TEST DATES

Here are the remaining test dates and registration deadlines for taking the ACT this school year. Juniors
generally take the ACT in April.
Test Date Registration Deadline Late Fee Required
December 11, 2010 November 5, 2010 11/6 – 11/19
February 12, 2011 January 7, 2011 1/8 – 1/21
April 9, 2011 March 4, 2011 3/5 – 3/18
June 11, 2011 May 6, 2011 5/7 – 5/20

Cost: $33 for ACT (No Writing), $48 for ACT Plus Writing. It is typically suggested that students take the
ACT Plus Writing test, as more and more colleges are requiring the writing portion of the test. Fee waivers
are available to those on Free or Reduced Lunch.

Register online at www.actstudent.org. The Shabazz student code is 501-159.

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 MALCOLM SHABAZZ CITY HIGH SCHOOL
1601 N. Sherman Avenue  Madison, Wisconsin 53704  (608) 204-2440
Safe Arrival 204-2441  Fax 204-0503  Health Office 201-2109
http://shabazzweb.madison.k12.wi.us/

Name Position Phone Email

Administration and Support Staff
Soderbloom, Aric Principal 204-2443 asoderbloom@madison.k12.wi.us
Chance, Donna Secretary 204-2440 dchance@madison.k12.wi.us
Curtis, Susan Nurse 204-2109 scurtis@madison.k12.wi.us
Gutzmer, Jackie Attendance 204-2441 jgutzmer@madison.k12.wi.us
Honer, Steve Psychologist 204-2462 shoner@madison.k12.wi.us
Kaye, Susan Social Worker 204-2470 skaye@madison.k12.wi.us
Kirch, Connie Kitchen Manager 204-2117 ckirch@madison.k12.wi.us
Meier, Emily Guidance Intern 204-2450 eameier@wisc.edu
Moss, Anna Librarian 204-2453 amoss@madison.k12.wi.us
Robinson, Tauri MSCR 204-2445 lrobinson@madison.k12.wi.us
Simansky, Anita Guidance 204-2450 asimansky@madison.k12.wi.us
Wess, Donna Custodian 204-2119 dwess@madison.k12.wi.us
Teachers
Aulik, Denise English 204-2469 daulik@madison.k12.wi.us
Banks, Robert Science 204-2465 rbanks@madison.k12.wi.us
Bennett, Lori Resource 204-2451 lbennett@madison.k12.wi.us
Brennan, Caroline Resource 204-2454 cbrennan@madison.k12.wi.us
Delcourt, Gene Social Studies 204-2460 gdelcourt@madison.k12.wi.us
Fee, Peter Math/Science 204-2467 pfee@madison.k12.wi.us
Jones, Katie Social Studies 204-2464 kdjones@madison.k12.wi.us
Kellogg, Colleen English 204-2458 ckellogg@madison.k12.wi.us
Kim, Kathleen Spanish 204-2461 kkim@madison.k12.wi.us
Muraski, Monica English 204-2466 mmuraski@madison.k12.wi.us
Murray, Tina Computers 204-2468 tmurray@madison.k12.wi.us
Szpak, Joe Phy Ed/Health 204-2455 jcszpak@madison.k12.wi.us
Vasquez, Martha Art 204-2459 mvasquez@madison.k12.wi.us
Young, Steve Math 204-2467 scyoung@madison.k12.wi.us

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 2010-11 Shabazz Calendar
November 22 Spirit Week: Dress Like Your Favorite Childhood Character!
November 23 Spirit Week: Fancy, Classy, Dress-Up Day
November 24 Spirit Week: Blast from the Past (Dress Like Your Favorite Era)
November 24 Turkey Day @ 10 AM – 2:30 PM
Great Shabazz Talent Show @ 10 AM in Sherman Gym
The Feast @ 1:15 PM in Sherman Cafeteria
Nov. 25 & 26 SCHOOL CLOSED – Thanksgiving Holiday

December 2 Parent Meeting @ 6:30 PM in LMC

December 14 2nd Quarter Progress Reports Mailed Home
Dec. 20 – 31 SCHOOL CLOSED – Winter Break

January 3 SCHOOL REOPENS

January 6 Parent Meeting @ 6:30 PM in LMC
January 10 EARLY RELEASE @ 11:35 AM for Staff Development
January 13 3rd Qtr. SCHEDULING DAY for Returning Students
 8:45 AM for Seniors
 9:30 AM for Juniors
 9:55 AM for Sophomores
 10:15 AM for Freshmen
 10:45 Classes Begin
January 14–25 Parent Portal Grades View Closed
January 17 SCHOOL CLOSED – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 20 & 21 SCHOOL CLOSED – End of 2nd Quarter
January 24 NO SCHOOL for Returning Students – New Student Orientation Day
January 25 3rd Quarter Begins
January 28 2nd Quarter Report Cards Mailed Home

February 3 Parent Meeting @ 6:30 PM in LMC

February 9 3rd Quarter Newsletter Mailed Home and Posted on Website
February 24 NO SCHOOL for Students – Parent-Teacher Conferences @ 10:30AM - 6:30 PM
February 25 SCHOOL CLOSED – SWEIO Convention
February 25 3rd Quarter Progress Reports Mailed Home

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March 3 Parent Meeting @ 6:30 PM in LMC
March 14 EARLY RELEASE @ 11:35 AM for Staff Development
March 17 3rd Qtr. SCHEDULING DAY for Returning Students
 8:45 AM for Seniors
 9:30 AM for Juniors
 9:55 AM for Sophomores
 10:15 AM for Freshman
 10:45 Classes Begin
March 18–29 Parent Portal Grade View Closed
March 28 SCHOOL CLOSED – End of 3rd Quarter
March 29 NO SCHOOL for Returning Students – New Student Orientation Day
March 30 4th Quarter Begins

April 7 Parent Meeting @ 6:30 PM in LMC

April 8 NO SCHOOL for Students – Parent-Teacher Conferences @ 10:30 AM – 6:30 PM
April 8 3rd Quarter Progress Reports Mailed Home (for parents who didn’t come to
conferences)
April 14 4 Quarter Newsletter Mailed Home and Posted on Website
th

April 18-22 SCHOOL CLOSED – Spring Break

April 25 SCHOOL REOPENS (NOTE: This is a Monday!)
April 28 Take Your Child to Work Day

May 2 – 6 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 3 National Teacher Day
May 5 Parent Meeting @ 6:30 PM in LMC
May 7 4th Quarter Progress Reports Mailed Home
May 19 Malcolm’s Birthday
May 30 SCHOOL CLOSED – Memorial Day

June 3–17 Parent Portal Grade View Closed

June 8 End of 4th Quarter
June 9 SCHOOL CLOSED – Graduation Ceremony @ 6:00 PM
June 17 4th Quarter Report Cards Mailed Home
June 20 First Day of Summer School

Financial Aid Workshop

There will be a Financial Aid Workshop for any interested parents at the January Parent Meeting – 6:30 PM
in the LMC on January 6. All parents and students are welcome, but we particularly urge seniors to attend.
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Malcolm Shabazz City High School
1601 North Sherman Avenue
Madison, WI 53704

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