By Rachel Deterding
Lake View Community School
This summer Latine families from Madison Metropolitan School District’s Lake View Community School gathered at the Lakeview Branch of Madison Public Library to connect, learn and prepare for a successful start to the school year. Through “Ready, Set, Connect!”, a three-part family engagement series, families explored community resources, practiced navigating school communication, and got to know a neighborhood resource that is available to everyone: the public library.
The series was made possible through grant funding secured by Lake View Community School Coordinator Rachel Deterding from Altrusa International, administered by Madison Community Foundation, and matching funds from Madison Public Library. The series brought Lake View Community School and Madison Public Library together with the shared goals of creating welcoming opportunities for families to access information, build connections, and feel confident engaging with their children’s school and community.
About 27% of Lake View Community School students identify as Hispanic/Latine, and 80% of these families require Spanish-English interpretation support. Lake View Community School staff recognize the importance of making school information and community resources accessible to every family so students have what they need to be successful at school. The workshops were designed to provide practical tools families could use throughout the school year while creating space for questions, conversation and personal connection.
With Spanish interpretation support, Lake View Community School Family Liaison Eve Dietrich introduced families to local resources, including The River Food Pantry, Centro Hispano and Second Harvest Food Bank. Families also learned how to use MMSD’s new ParentSquare messaging platform and practiced accessing, reading and responding to important communication from their children’s school. During the final session, families received one-on-one support from Lake View Community School staff and access to computers to enroll their children in MMSD schools.
While the adults were learning, the kids were busy reading. Just steps away from the workshops, Madison Public Library Children’s Librarian Madeleine Kain and Lake View Community School Librarian Shannon Furman, along with other school staff and volunteers, welcomed students to participate in Lake View Community School’s annual Summer Reading Challenge. Children read with adults, practiced reading aloud, and worked toward completing their challenge packets. Students who completed the challenge earned prizes at Lake View Community School’s Welcome Back Playground Party at the end of the summer.
Hosting the series at the Lakeview Branch was intentional. Organizers wanted families to experience the public library as a free, accessible and welcoming resource right in their neighborhood. For some families, it was their first time inside the library, and several participants had never had a library card. With support from bilingual Madison Public Library staff, approximately 10 participants left the sessions with library cards of their own.
“Ready, Set, Connect!” is a testament to the power of bringing public schools, public libraries, and community organizations together to create meaningful opportunities for families. The series provided an opportunity to learn, ask questions, practice new skills, and build relationships so that Lake View families could begin the 2026-2027 school year with greater confidence and strengthened connections among their child’s school, Madison Public Library and the broader Northside community.
