Bear Facts
Madison Elementary - News for the week of November 19 and 26
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
Twitter: @MDEBears
Vision
What's happening at Madison Elementary the Week of Nov. 19
Monday, November 19 - Choir Practice, 7:50
Tuesday, November 20 - Choir Practice, 7:50
Tuesday, November 20 - 2nd Grade Field Trip @ Science City
Wednesday, November 21-Thursday, November 22 - Pick Up Pre-Ordered Pies at Perkins
Wednesday, November 21-Friday, November 23 - No School
Monday, November 26 - No School, Staff Professional Development
Wednesday, November 28 - Choir Practice, 7:50
Thursday, November 29 - PreK Field Trip to the Fire Station
Friday, November 30 - 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 - (A) Cheese Quesadilla (B) Breaded Chicken Sandwich (C) Yogurt Cup with Cinnamon Twist
Tuesday - (A) Hero Club Sandwich (B) PB&J Uncrustable
Monday - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday - (A) Chicken Strips with Waffles (B) Corn Dog (C) Jammy Sammy Plate
Wednesday - (A) Cheese Bosco Stick (B) Cheeseburger (C) Yogurt Cup with Cinnamon Twist
Thursday - (A) Ham and Cheese Slider (B) Popcorn Chicken (C) Jammy Sammy Plate
Friday - (A) Chicken Nuggets (B) Cheese Pizza Wedge (C) Chicken Caesar Salad
View our menu online: http://usd231.nutrislice.com/menu/madison/lunch/
A Time to Give Thanks
Dear Madison Elementary School Community,
As an educator and a dad, I always find that time, while a constant in our lives, passes by far too quickly. It amazes me that we are well into the second quarter of our school year and will soon be heading into the second semester. The first part of the 2018-19 school year has gone by quickly, and it has been an exciting time for our students, staff, and families.
As we reflect on the many things for which we are thankful, I want to take this opportunity to share just a few of them with you: We are thankful for our students who come to school every day ready to learn – they give us all a daily reminder of what is important and why we are here. We are thankful for the support of the parents in creating an outstanding partnership with our students. We are thankful for the teachers, paraprofessionals, building aides, bus drivers, secretaries, nurses, custodians, support staff, and therapists who really care about student achievement and have the best interests of our Bears at heart. We are also thankful for our volunteers who enthusiastically contribute so much to our school.
At Madison, we see dedicated and tireless individuals going above and beyond to make sure that great things happen at Madison. They do make a difference, and the children, in their own individual ways, benefit from those efforts.
Most importantly, we are thankful for the parents that have kept the faith in us. You continue to share your most valuable possession with us and work hard and advocate to be a partner in your children’s education, safety, and well-being. For this, we are ever so thankful.
On behalf of the Madison staff, I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday!
Sincerely,
Dr. Wachel
Colder Weather and Recess
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.
Veteran's Day Fireside Chats
Leaves of Gratitude
Counselor Connection
This month in our counselor lessons, your child is learning to use steps to solve problems. We are using lessons provided in our Second Step Social Emotional Learning curriculum. By following the Problem-Solving Steps (STEP), children are more likely to come up with prosocial solutions to problems. Everyone has problems—at home, school, or work—that need solving. Using the Problem-Solving Steps helps students come up with a lot of safe and respectful solutions to choose from. Here are the Problem-Solving Steps we will be using:
S = Say the problem...without blame
Before you can come up with solutions, you’ve got to say the problem respectfully. That means saying the problem without blame. Saying the problem in a way that blames the other person can cause hurt and angry feelings, and no one wants to feel hurt or angry. When people are hurt or angry, it’s even harder to solve the problem.
T = Think of Solutions....safe and respectful
Solutions help you solve the problem. They are ideas about what you could do. Your solutions must always be safe and respectful. Safe means no one’s body or feelings get hurt. Respectful means we treat each other the way we want to be treated.
E = Explore Consequences...what could happen if _______?
A consequence is something that could happen if you use a solution. It can be positive or negative. It is important to think about this before choosing a solution to your problem.
P = Pick the Best Solution...make your plan
Our Madison Bears can learn to STEP up and solve problems using these four steps.
Holiday Pies
Madison Elementary Socks
Bear Time Learning
Bear Time is a “Specials” class that focuses on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and
Math). Over the past few months of school, students have explored many different challenges. We started off the year with coding with our robot, Botley. We created and compared different slime recipes. We experimented with inertia and gravity. The entire K-4 created pencil drawings of an owl. The drawings were exceptional! Other things that students did in class were the card games “UNO” and “Trash”. Exploration of board games Sorry, Aggravation, and Trouble was fun. They have had a few center days in which they have explored a variety of activities relating to STEAM. We finished out the month of October with pastel blending by creating rainbow leaves and Picasso like art projects. We also witnessed some fun experiments with pumpkins, tried some baked pumpkin seeds and learned about what makes leaves change color in the Fall.
We started out November with centers with magnets, robots, a large marble run, wiki sticks,
Spirograph and puzzles. Coming up in the next few months; students will create concentric circle
projects like Wassily Kandinsky, work on a turkey for a turkey judging contest, prepare for Madison Mart, and many other challenging activities. The hope with Bear Time is that students will develop problem-solving skills and be able to be engaged, explorative, give explanations of content, elaborate and evaluate the projects completed during this class.
Join the USD 231 Team
Kindest Kansas Citian
Watch DOGS
Mr. Wilson and Paul
Wesley, Brinley, and Mr. Hughes
Corynn, Mr. Semrau, and Cozy
GEHS Blazerette Dance Clinic
For: Grades K-3, 4-6 and Special Olympics
Time: 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm (K-3 & 4-6) / 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Special Olympics)
When: Clinic - November 28 / Basketball Game - November 29 / Winter Show - November 30
Where: Gardner Edgerton High School (425 N. Waverly, Gardner, KS 66030)
Cost: $30 (Includes: T-Shirt, Child Admission into Basketball Game, and Child Admission into Winter Show)
Questions: Email Coach Slobodnik at slobodnika@usd231.com
For registration and full details go here: http://bit.ly/2D7qScy or www.usd231.com/geycp
GEYCP Basketball
Youth basketball season is fastly approaching, with four different programs, GEYCP has every age group covered. Early registration deadline is just around the corner, don't miss out on the savings. Coaches have started forming teams and GEYCP has over 100 youth already registered for this season. Visit www.usd231.com/geycp for full details.
Youth Experience Basketball: 4, 5, & 6 year olds
Jr. NBA Basketball Academy: 1st & 2nd Grades
Building Blazers Basketball League: Non-competitive 15 teams already registered
GEYCP Competitive Basketball League. 7 teams already registered
Bricks 4 Kidz Events
Bricks 4 Kidz: Minecraft/Superhero Night - November 27
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Grade Level: Students in Grades K-5
Cost: $25
Location: Madison Elementary Gym (800 W. Madison, Gardner, KS 66030)
Join Bricks 4 Kidz for a night of Minecraft and Superhero FUN! Explore LEGO bricks and create some of your favorite characters.
Bricks 4 Kidz: Day Camp! -- December 15
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Grade Level: Students in Grades K-5
Cost: $45
Location: Trail Ridge Middle School Gym (495 E. Grand Street, Gardner, KS 66030)
The Bricks 4 Kidz Parents Day Out provides a day of playful learning for the kids, while Parents have a chance to get some last minute holiday shopping done! Kids will have a chance to build many of our exciting LEGO® models using our theme-based project kits, designed by engineers and architects, exercise their imaginations while building with our free-play LEGO® bricks. Can't beat a day out while your kids are safe, supervised, and entertained by BRICKS 4 KIDZ!
For registration for either of these events, visit www.usd231.com/geycp