Volunteer and Donate

Thank you for your interest in giving back to the Sun Prairie Area School District. We have many community members who volunteer in our schools, and many donors who are making a world of difference in the education of our students and staff.

Students with check gifted by Sun Prairie Education Foundation

Steps To Volunteer

Step 1

Step 2

Upon receipt of the completed materials, Human Resources will conduct a confidential national criminal background check.

English Application

Aplicación en español

Human Resources will contact the individual if something appears on the background check that was not disclosed or causes concern.

The Human Resources Department will issue a notice to individuals who successfully complete the background check.

Step 3

Programs

Why the Schools and Community Need You ...

Individualized attention helps boost students' academic performance and self-confidence
Positive role-modeling helps students learn good behaviors and habits
Students learn to be positive contributors to their community

AVID Tutors

Tutoring AVID students is an extremely rewarding experience for people of all ages and backgrounds; as a tutor, you will help us achieve our mission of closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

We ask that our tutors commit to a semester's worth of tutoring on Tuesdays or Thursdays or both; however, we also offer flexibility in where and when our tutors can help out. Tutors are also asked to commit to tutoring at one of our buildings exclusively.

We do require our tutors to get a background check through the school district, and we also require our tutors to go through four hours of training in AVID-specific strategies prior to beginning their tutorial duties. Follow-up trainings each quarter will last four hours apiece and will occur outside of the regular school day; tutors will be given significant notice prior to attending these trainings.

This is a paid position.

Contact Katie Janssen for more information:
kmjanss@sunprairieschools.org

School Friends Program

Big Brothers Big sisters of Dane County coordinates the School Friends program at Westside Elementary. The School Friends program pairs volunteer mentors from the community (Big) with students in need of a mentor.

Bigs and the student will meet at the school at the same time each week for an hour. The pair may choose to work on homework, shoot hoops, or just talk about the day. The positive impact this relationship has on the life of a student is tremendous and well-documented, resulting in better grades, attendance, behaviors and self-confidence for the student. As positive the experience is for students, the program volunteers agree that being a Big is an incredibly rewarding experience, as well.

To become a Big or to learn more about the impact you could have on students, please contact their office: (608) 661-5437 or email.

Schools of Hope

Schools of Hope is a program in which caring volunteers from our community tutor struggling students in an effort to increase the academic performance of students of color and those from low-income families. Volunteers are trained and then matched with students who need this additional help. It is a partnership between sun Prairie Area School District, United Way of Dane County, Centro Hispano and the Urban League of Greater Madison. This dynamic collaboration relies on the unique expertise of each partner agency and staff t manage and develop the projects. If you are interested in volunteering for Schools of Hope, please contact the school. Once you have been in contact, they will ask you to complete to the Criminal Background Check.

As a Tutor, You Will . . .

Feel the satisfaction of helping students succeed
Learn new skills and sharpen old ones
Connect with the public education system
Contribute to personal wellness
Help students perform better and boost their self-esteem
Enable students to excel, so they become positive contributors to our community

Did you Know?

The number of Sun Prairie children from low-income families has significantly increased over the years. In 2010, approximately 29% of all SPASD students were economically disadvantaged. Growing up in poverty can result in:

Smaller vocabularies as school starts (800 words on average vs. 10,000 words for students from more affluent homes)
Less time listening to books read aloud (25 hours vs. 1,000 hours)
Significantly lower scores on tests

Volunteer tutors play an important role in boosting school success for underachieving students.

Our school locations for Schools of Hope are:

Prairie View MS Coordinator (608) 834-7890

Patrick Marsh MS Coordinator, Charlotte Crandall: 608-729-1224 | cbcrand@sunprairieschools.org

Donation Opportunities

Looking to donate? Every donation helps us create a stronger, more supportive environment for our students. Whether it's providing new learning tools or enhancing programs, your gift truly makes a difference. Explore the options below and be part of something meaningful today.

Donate to our School Nutrition Programs

Food for Thought Program (Providing Healthy Snacks for Middle and High School Students)
Hunger Hero Campaign (Paying Student meal balances)

Food for Thought Program (Providing Healthy Snacks for Middle and High School Students)

Nutrition is the foundation of learning. When students are well-nourished, they are more focused, engaged, and ready to succeed in school. But for too many students in our community, hunger gets in the way.

Right now, Sun Prairie is seeing more families struggle to make ends meet—more students are experiencing homelessness and qualifying for free and reduced-price meals than ever before. While school breakfast and lunch help, they aren't always enough. Students need consistent access to healthy food throughout the day to stay energized and ready to learn.

That’s why the Sun Prairie Area School District, in partnership with the Sun Prairie Education Foundation and some very generous donors, is launching a new initiative to provide free, healthy snacks during the school day for middle and high school students—filling the gap between meals and making sure no student has to learn on an empty stomach. This program, Food for Thought, builds on the success already seen at the elementary level with fruit bowls. Staff members may access snacks for students in need of nutrition through the student services offices.

If you or anyone else that you know would like to help fuel student success and support nutrition, please use this QR code.

QR Code for Food for Thought Program

View the program flyer HERE.

Hunger Hero Campaign (Paying Student meal balances)

One of the things we love most about living in Sun Prairie is how our community comes together to help those in need.

And right now there are hungry students in our public schools who need your help.

In recent years, we’ve worked hard to advocate for policies that ensure that every student in our schools has equal opportunity to succeed, and we are proud to live in a community where the school board and district administration put students first when making policy decisions. And community partners have stepped up to help in a powerful way – from businesses and churches to individuals and civic groups. We are so thankful for this support!

Research shows a clear correlation between nutrition and brain development, and hunger and the ability to concentrate and learn. We know that all of our students have great potential – but some are struggling to achieve because they are hungry during the school day.

Our policy is that no student is “shamed” in the lunchroom by receiving a cold lunch because of an inability to pay. The district prides itself on being a leader in this area, and is committed to providing a fair and equitable lunch for all students, regardless of their ability to pay.

If you or your organization would like to be a HUNGER HERO for Sun Prairie students, make a tax-deductible donation today that will help pay lunch balances for our students. Checks can be payable to the Sun Prairie Area School District, 501 S. Bird Street, Sun Prairie, WI 53590.

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