Upcoming Dates
- Monday, December 5th - Staff Development Day- No school for students
- Tuesday, December 13th - Book for a Buck - Have your child bring $1-$2 to purchase books during their lunch period.
- Thursday, December 15th - Holiday Concert at 10am and 2pm. Both performances are the same.
- Monday, Dec 19th - PTO meeting at 5:30pm in Madison library
- Friday, December 23rd-Sunday, January 1st - Holiday Break
4K Registration for 2023-2024
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The Counselor Corner - Helpful stress reduction tips for the holiday season
Plan Ahead
Create a plan of what you all want to accomplish and make sure that your list is doable. Try not to overcommit or create a loaded schedule as this can sometimes lead to stress. Do what you can, and that will be just fine.
Be Realistic
Remember it is important to be realistic about scheduling, especially during the holidays. There is always so much to accomplish and not enough time to do it all, so set a realistic plan to enjoy as much as you can and avoid too many commitments.
Stay Active
Take a walk or spend time committing to an exercise plan. The benefits of being active are tremendous! Also, winter offers some great opportunities to exercise that we only get to experience for a limited time each year.
Set Aside Differences
Remember that the holidays offer great opportunities to rest, relax, and connect with those whom you enjoy being around. Do your best to set aside differences, knowing that the holidays are times of great celebration and rest!
Acknowledge Your Feelings
Remember to take time to understand your feelings and feel free to share that with friends and family who can help during this time. Remember to focus on what you need and do your best to enjoy the beautiful season of winter.
Sara Schultz
Madison Elementary School Counselor
email: schultzs@mpsd.school
office phone: 920.663.9662
mobile phone: 920.320.1211
The Reading Corner
Hello Cougar Families and Happy December!
This month the reading team would like to introduce you to a type of text that is great to use with beginning readers and readers working on mastering the application of their phonics skills. There are specific types of books called decodables!
The information below is taken from the following source:
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-are-decodable-books-and-why-are-they-important
Please click the link to learn even more!
What are decodable texts?
Decodable books are simple books that are written for the beginning reader and contain the specific grapheme–phoneme correspondences students have learned. This provides learners with the opportunity to use their developing segmenting and blending skills to read words in order to develop automaticity, or the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly, and experience independent reading success.
Decodable books encourage children to sound out words using decoding strategies rather than guessing from pictures or predicting from other cues. They can be introduced once beginning readers have learned some simple grapheme–phoneme correspondences and can blend from left to right.
All books and text are ‘decodable’ in the sense that they can be read, but only if the reader has sufficient reading ability for the complexity of the text. For beginning readers, the only books that are truly decodable are those that contain the alphabetic code they have learned.
The type of reading material we first give to students sets their ‘reading reflex’ — the habit of using knowledge of letter–sound relationships as the first strategy for reading unfamiliar words. Decodable readers that enable students to ‘sound out,’ rather than guess, unknown words develop this reflex and lead to more successful independent reading. Mesmer (2005) found that children were more likely to apply their phonics knowledge, read more accurately, and needed less assistance when reading decodable books.
Of course, decodable texts are not the only texts to be included in the beginning reader’s diet. Teachers and parents should read high quality children’s literature that contains more complex vocabulary and sentence structures with students every day. This gives children the opportunity to hear good reading models, as well as develop the vocabulary and syntax that will support their reading development.
Next month we will provide more information about decodable books and how they are different from leveled readers.
Happy Reading!
The Madison Reading Team
Nursing News - Winter Wellness
With the weather getting colder outside, it’s important to keep a healthy routine. Winter health can be tough to maintain without the right plan. Here are some tips to stay healthy this winter:
Extra Sleep
With the shorter, cooler days and longer nights, our bodies naturally need more sleep. Try going to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual in the winter months. A sleep deprived body is more susceptible to illness.
Exercise Outside
Bundle up and get outside. Exercise naturally supports a healthy mood and energy levels. Even a 15 minute walk can make a difference.
Stay Social
The winter months can naturally cause people to turn inward and be more isolated. Make a date with friends or family members at least once a week to stay connected.
Eat Protein
Protein helps keep blood sugar levels stable and can reduce sugar cravings. Many people increase carbohydrate and sugar intake during the winter months, which can compromise the immune system.
Fruits and Veggies
During winter months, it’s more important than ever to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every single day. Think “eat like a rainbow” when you are grocery shopping.
PTO News
Tuesday, Dec. 13th - Book for a Buck!
During lunch periods students will have the opportunity to purchase a book for $1. Money can be given to their teacher before day of event, maximum of $2 per student.
Monday, Dec 19th - PTO meeting at 5:30pm in Madison library
The topic to be discussed: school dance in January. Volunteers will be needed. Please consider attending meeting or emailing to let us know you are interested in helping.
Madison Elementary School
