Bear Facts
Madison Elementary - News for the week of January 21
Madison Elementary School
Email: billingsm@usd231.com
Website: http://www.usd231.com/mde/
Location: 800 W Madison St, Gardner, KS, United States
Phone: (913) 856-0400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonElementaryBears/
Twitter: @MDEBears
Vision
What's happening at Madison Elementary the Week of Jan. 21
Monday, January 21 - No School in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Tuesday, January 22 - Part 1 Choir Practice, 7:50 am
Wednesday, January 23 - Part 2 Choir Practice, 7:50 am
Thursday, January 24 - Part 1 Choir Practice, 7:50 am
Friday, January 25 - Part 2 Choir Practice, 7:50 am
Friday, January 25 - Madison Spirit Day
View our online calendar (select individual events for more details): http://www.usd231.com/MDE/Events:Month/
Next Week's Lunch Menu
Monday - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday - (A) Biscuits and Gravy (B) Corn Dog (C) Jammy Sammy Plate
Wednesday - (A) Chicken Nuggets (B) Cheeseburger (C) Yogurt Cup
Thursday - (A) BBQ Ribette Sandwich (B) Popcorn Chicken (C) Jammy Sammy Plate
Thursday - (A) Cheese Bosco Sticks (B) Cheese PIzza (C) Chicken Caesar Salad
View our menu online: http://usd231.nutrislice.com/menu/madison/lunch/
Calling All Eagle Scouts
Counselor Corner
This month in our counselor lessons, your child is learning to set a goal and use perseverance to achieve it. When we ring in a new year, this is a natural time for us to think about setting goals. Share with your child some of the personal goals you have for yourself in the upcoming year. This will help students to understand that goals are for life, not just for school. We will spend time setting SMART goals together and then do an extension activity to explore the concept of GRIT or perseverance.
A SMART goal stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Review, and Timing. This month, we focused on goals being specific, measurable, and attainable. It is important for us to know exactly what goal we are working towards. For example, to say my goal is “to get better at math” is not specific enough for me to know when I reached that goal. Instead, we can say, “I want to memorize my math facts for 6, 7, and 8.” This goal is attainable and I can measure when I have accomplished it.
Perseverance is a skill all students need to be successful in school. When a task gets difficult, it is important for children to learn how to use positive self-talk and support from others to push on with that task. We encourage students to replace words like “I can’t. I give up. I will never get this right.” with words like “I can’t YET. I will keep trying. I can work to get this right.” Our mindset matters. If we give up, we will never know how much we could do if we just keep trying. As a parent, you can encourage grit in your child by using language like, “You can do this. Keep trying. It is okay to make a mistake, but try again.” It is important for children to feel the pride of completing a difficult task without an adult fixing it.
January Kindness Challenge (repeat)
2018-19 Yearbooks (repeat)
Variety Show (repeat)
January 11 - Initial Letters will be sent home detailing variety show specifics and timeline. You can also find a copy of the letter here.
January 18 - Permission Slips are due
January 29 - Students will audition in the cafeteria in the morning or afternoon to ensure the act is appropriate for school
January 31 - letters will be sent home with the students who auditioned for the variety show letting them know if they will perform at the variety show
February 11 - Variety show performances will occur during their specials time in the gym
PTA Carnival (repeat)
Box Tops for Education (repeat)
The class that collects the MOST box tops from now until February 13 will win an EXTRA RECESS!
Box tops for education is a great way to help raise money for Madison Elementary. You can find box tops on hundreds of products you buy every day. Please save all box tops, cut them out, and send them to school by February 12. Your teacher will collect them and the classroom with the most box tops wins an EXTRA RECESS!
1. Save your box tops
2. Cut them out and bring to your teacher in a sealed baggie (PLEASE label your bag with the teacher's name, grade level, and child's name).3. Win an EXTRA RECESS!
This semester, the student who brings in the most box tops will have lunch and play a card game with Dr. Wachel. Unfortunately, the teachers will not be able to count any bags that are not labeled so be sure to clearly label the box top bag with your child's name, grade level, and teacher's name.
Young Rembrandts (repeat)
Make this a memorable winter by signing up your elementary child in a Young Rembrandts drawing class. Your child will learn about basic design and composition as they draw the Fish Below Ice and Great Wall of China. If your child is fond of sports, they will enjoy drawing our illustration featuring a Pop Art Football and a Hockey Player. Your child will also learn about art history as we present lessons featuring master artists Leonardo Da Vinci and Franz Marc. Enroll your child today! Click here to access the registration form.
Kindergarten Round-Up (Repeat)
Health Information (repeat)
We wanted to provide some clarification regarding medicines at school. The safety of our students is our number one priority. Listed below are the key points of interest. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
All types of medicine should be brought to the nurse by a parent or guardian. Medicine cannot be sent to school with the student.
All prescription medicines must have a doctor’s order to be given to the nurse. The label on the bottle from the pharmacy is not considered the doctor’s order.
All over-the-counter medicines that are NOT on the District pre-approved list must have a doctor’s order to be given to the nurse. Some examples are cold and cough medicine, eye drops and homeopathic medicines.
The pre-approved list in Skyward is the following:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil)
Lotions, Creams, Ointment
Antacids (Tums)
Cough Drops
Winter, colds, flu, and other viruses often come hand-in-hand and this year is no exception. Germs from colds and other illnesses make their way into our workplaces, schools, and homes, but healthy habits can help protect everyone from getting germs or spreading germs. While school staff will continue to stress preventative measures, we also appreciate you encouraging these healthy habits with your children.
- If you have a child who is sick, we ask for your support by keeping them at home. District protocol requires students to stay home until they are fever free and symptom-free for a period of 24 hours
- Remind your child of important preventative measures for any illness, such as coughing into the sleeve, frequently washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and getting plenty of rest and fluids.
Our custodial staff is also helping with prevention by following appropriate cleaning procedures, paying special attention to contact surfaces and by increasing the number of times per day these common areas shared by students are disinfected. As you know, the health of our students is important to us. Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to keep our kids healthy.
Occasionally we receive questions about head lice management in our schools, and below is information regarding lice management.
As needed, we will inform parents when we see an increase in illnesses in our school population with the potential for rapid spread among students and staff (such as influenza) or in the rare instance we have a mandatory reportable disease occur in our population, like Mumps. General head lice notifications are not recommended as they have been found to cause harm and lead to unnecessary treatment. Instead, the school nurse will assess the need for notification on an individual basis.
Thank you for reinforcing healthy habits with our students. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Nurse Amy at (913) 856-0450.
Colder Weather and Recess (repeat)
USD 231 provides playground activity areas at each elementary school site. It is important that safety and courtesy rules be followed. Rules will be regularly reviewed with your child by the staff. Students are not to remain on the playground before or after school. For safety reasons, the public is prohibited from the use of the playground activity areas during school hours. All students are expected to participate in recess.
Generally, if a child is too sick to go out to recess, he/she is too sick to be in school. There are exceptions to this rule, but it is a reasonable guideline.
There will be no outside recess when:
The temperature is 20 degrees or below
The wind chill index is 20 degrees or below
The heat index indicates a high risk
There is significant precipitation
Teachers may take their class out briefly for fresh air at their discretion. Students should be prepared for sudden changes in Kansas weather.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please let your child's teacher or Dr. Wachel know.