February 2023
February 2023
Principal's Message
Dear Madison Families,
Winter weather is a perfect time to warm up with a good book! The month of February is "I Love to Read Month" at Madison with many activities planned to celebrate reading. The Book Fair will also be open February 21-27 and during the evening conferences.
The second round of Parent-Teacher Conferences is scheduled for February 21, 23 and 27. We encourage you to support your child's education by attending conferences. You will be getting information on conference sign-up in the February 1 Wednesday packet.
Our word of the month is "Honesty" which is defined as "Living truthfully in your words, actions, and thoughts." John Lennon from the Beatles said, "Being honest may not get you a lot of friends, but it will always get you the right ones."
Stay warm, and enjoy this lovely month of February!
Your principal,
Dorothy M. Olsen
Citizen of the Month
Norah Murschel- KD, Asia Adam- KK, Mia Lazaryuk- KN
Maggie Huang- 1F, Aaron Her- 1K, Mila Halling- 1P
Alex Gutz- 2A, Luke Dorsey- 2C, Louis Larson- 2J
Renasa Xiong- 3D, LeRoy Thao- 3G, Makayla Crowe- 3I
Liam Wood- 4L, Elsie Schwagel- 4S, Kayden Grafnitz- 4W
Madison Lee- 5B, Celine Neus- 5H
Calendar
January 26: Multicultural Night, 6:00-8:00 PM
February 1-28: I Love to Read Month
February 9: PTO Meeting, Media Center, 6:30 PM and via Zoom
February 20: No School, Holiday
February 21: No School, Staff Development and P-T Conferences (3:45 - 8:20 PM)
February 21-27: Book Fair, during the day and during evening conferences hours
February 23: P-T Conferences (3:30 - 8:20 PM)
February 27: P-T Conferences (3:30 - 8:20 PM), Some Availability
Bus Safety Poster Contest Winners
Congratulations to these students for being their grade-level winners in the District Bus Safety Poster Contest. They will be awarded a $10 prize from the Transportation Department. The theme this year was “Safely Rolling to My Destination.”
Grade K - Zoe Harris (KN)
Grade 1 - Samantha Formosa (1P)
Grade 2 - Luke Dorsey (2C)
Grade 3 - Abdullah Muhamed (3I)
Grade 4 - Sebastian Bojorge (4W)
Grade 5 - Abdurahman Muhamed (5B)
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent teacher conferences will be held from 3:30 to 8:20 PM on:
Tuesday, February 21, 3:45-8:20 PM, Grade 5 only will be held from 3:30-8:20 PM
Thursday, February 23, 3:30-8:20 PM
Some teachers will also be available on Monday, February 27, 3:30-8:20 PM
Parents may sign up on myconferencetime.com starting on Wednesday, February 1. Parents may access the schedule until on Wednesday, February 15. After that date, please call the office at 763-506-3300 to make or change any conferences.
I Love to Read Month
February is “I Love to Read Month.” Throughout the month, Madison students will participate in a variety of individual and team challenge activities to celebrate the joy of reading. This year we will be learning about biomes and the animals that live there.
Students will be bringing home a calendar to help them remember all the fun activities we have planned each day at school throughout the month. They will also bring home a reading log with some fun reading challenges and a place for them to track their reading minutes. Families can email their photos from the reading challenges to MadisonILove2ReadPics@gmail.com. Students who complete and return their home reading logs will receive a fun prize!
We encourage our families to visit the local library and read together at home each day. Did you know you can apply online for an Anoka County Library card? With a library card you can not only check out books from your local library, but you can also check out e-books to read on a mobile device using the Libby app. Visit eLibrary through the Anoka-County Library for more information.
We look forward to celebrating the joy of reading together during "I Love to Read Month!"
Clothes Borrowed from the Health Office
If your student has brought home clothes from the health office, please wash and return them as soon as possible. We have a limited number of items and don’t want to have to call home for clothes to be brought to school. You may keep a change of clothes in your student's backpack if they have frequent accidents. Thank you.
Volunteering at Madison
February is a full month for volunteering! This month brings volunteer opportunities to support the Free Book Buggie coming to Madison, our winter book fair and device cleaning in our classrooms. You can also volunteer with us for Watch D.O.G.S., Staple Club, Every Meal distribution, lunch help, classroom support, field trip chaperones and take home projects.
It’s easy to get involved! Sign up here to be a Madison volunteer so you can stay up to date on sign-ups and be the first to know about volunteering. We’d love to have you volunteer with us.
Thank you for your support!
Emily Massey / Volunteer Services Coordinator (VSC)
emily.massey@ahschools.us, 763-506-3340
PTO
The PTO is looking for volunteers and helpers for the Spring Carnival. If you would like to get involved, please attend the next PTO meeting (in person or virtual) on February 9 at 6:30 PM.
An important announcement regarding the Amazon SMILE program. On February 20, 2023 Amazon will no longer be continuing the Amazon SMILE program. We want to extend a big THANK YOU to all those who utilized the program, as it helped provide donations to support the Madison PTO. We greatly appreciate your support through our various donation programs and activities. If you are looking for other ways to continue to support the Madison PTO, you can check out Box Tops for Education, Donation Matching through your Employer or our Madison Elementary Dinner Night Out events.
Thank you,
Madison PTO
Important Numbers and Links
Attendance
Any time your child will be absent from or late to school, please report the absence by 9:15 AM.
Reporting options:
- Call the Attendance Line at 763-506-3306
- Use a web browser (view the instructions)
- Use the ParentVUE app, which is free and can be downloaded to your mobile device.
Please provide the reason for the absence. If due to illness, please give the specific symptoms, such as fever, congestion, etc. If no contact is made, the student absence will be considered unexcused. Please note, if your child is experiencing a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, the district policy states that the student may not return to school until 24 hours after the last episode.
PTO
- Join the Madison PTO group on Facebook for the latest updates and reminders!
- Support Madison PTO when you shop Amazon. Go to smile.amazon.com for the same products, same prices, same services as the Amazon you know. The first time you go to this site it will ask you to choose your charitable organization. Please choose Madison PTO, Blaine, MN. The school will receive a percentage of every purchase you make going forward. Please note that Amazon is ending the SMILE program effective February 20, 2023.
- Everyone is welcome to attend our monthly meetings! In person in the Madison Media Center or via Zoom.
Volunteer at Madison
- To start the process, please complete the Volunteer Application Form and the Criminal Record History Release Form.
- You will be contacted once the paperwork is processed. Please note some volunteer activities require additional processing, which can take up to two weeks.
- We appreciate that you share your time and talents with us. Thank you.
- Please contact Emily Massey, Volunteer Services Coordinator (VSC), if you need assistance or have questions.
Contact Information
Main Office: 763-506-3300
Absence Line: 763-506-3306
Fax: 763-506-3303
Website: www.ahschools.us/madison
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AHMadison Elementary
Twitter: @AH_Madison
Additional Resources
This e-newsletter is published by Madison Elementary School. Questions, comments or concerns about the school e-newsletter? Contact us.