Madison Memo
May/June 2022
A Message from the Principal
It is hard to believe this is our last Madison Memo of the year. As I reflect back on the year, and look ahead to this final stretch, I am so proud of the work our students and staff have accomplished this year. As a team, we have worked together to meet our kids where they are at and ensure they are growing both academically and social-emotionally.
The last month of the school year always brings many fun events. Please make sure to check the important dates below for our spring concert, field day, band concert, and fun field trips and events. We are also excited to offer a variety of summer programming for our students - Wellness, Enrichment Courses, and Madison Academy. Please consider signing your child up for these great events. Madison Academy (July 25th - August 11th, no Fridays this year) is a great way for your child to get ready for the upcoming school year with some learning and fun at Madison.
As we move on and think about the 2022-23 school year I know our amazing work will continue. I wanted to share that next year I will be taking a new position outside of the district at CESA 7 as Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. As a new principal is hired for Madison I will make sure the transition is smooth. I will definitely be in contact and continue to watch the great things happening in this building.
Thank you for all of your support this year. Stay Madison Proud and keep reading!
Mrs. Opahle
Reminder: Our Spring Concert is TOmorrow!
Upcoming Dates
- Tuesday, May 3rd - Spring Concert in the Madison Gym. Two showings; one from 9:30am-11am and one from 1:30pm-3pm
- Wednesday, May 4th - Band Rehearsal at Wilson from 3:15pm - 4:30pm.
- Thursday, May 5th - Northside Band Concert at Wilson from 6:30pm-7:30pm
- Tuesday, May 10th - KG to the School Forest from 9am-2:45pm
- Friday, May 13th - 5th grade to Wilson for Orientation from 9:15am-11:30am
- Monday, May 16th - PTO meeting in the library from 5:30pm-6:30pm.
- Friday, May 20th - No school for students, staff development
- Monday, May 23rd - 2nd grade to the School Forest from 9a-3p
- Thursday, May 26th - Field Day
- Friday, May 27th - Rain makeup day for Field Day
- Monday, May 30th - No school; Memorial Day
- Thursday, June 2nd - 1st grade to the School Forest from 9am-2:45pm
- Thursday, June 2nd - 5th grade kickball game
- Friday, June 3rd - 1st grade to Bookworm Gardens from 8:45am - 12:45pm
- Wednesday, June 8th - Fun Day!
- Thursday, June 9th - Last day of school! Dismissal at 11:30am
Summer School
MPSD Summer School Course Registration Begins!
Please click the following link for a step-by-step guide for the course registration process: https://bit.ly/36wx0fJ
IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY, families need to enroll their child(ren) into the MPSD 2022-2023 Summer School Program and ensure access to a Parent Portal account in Infinite Campus BEFORE families can register for courses.
Please reach out to summerschool@mpsd.school with questions
#ShipsPride
Library News
The Counselor Corner - May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health Matters
May has been marked as Mental Health Month since 1949! May serves as a month which provides us opportunities to recognize the importance of mental health and personal wellness.
While 1 in 5 people will experience mental illness over the course of their lifetimes, everyone will face challenges that can and will affect their mental health.
Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable. It is important to understand early symptoms of mental illness and know when certain behaviors are potentially signs of something more.
Ways to protect your mental health: Talk about your feelings Be active Eat a balanced diet Keep in touch Ask for help Take a break Do something you’re good at or enjoy Care for others Ways to protect your child’s mental health: Take care of your own mental health Build trust: do what you say and say what you mean Foster healthy relationships with family and friends Be consistent Teach them coping tools Practice healthy habits together Play together Seek help when needed
Sara Schultz
Madison Elementary School Counselor
email: schultzs@mpsd.school
office phone: 920.663.9662
mobile phone: 920.320.1211
Madison Mathematics
The flowers are blooming. The days are growing longer. The year is coming to a close, but our math practice doesn’t have to! Check out the ideas below on how to keep the math fun rolling all summer long.
Summer Math Bingo (printable) - mark off the bingo board as your student completes the different tasks. You can play for fun or set a goal to work towards.
Need a break from the sun? You'll find a list of links to online games, by grade level, that will give students practice on the major concepts and skills for their grade level.
Math Talk
To encourage daily math discussions, families may also enjoy Bedtime Math. This site posts a new problem for children to discuss each night, just as they might engage in a story before bedtime.
Enjoy!
Take the Survey!
English Survey https://bit.ly/ManitowocCounty
Spanish Survey https://bit.ly/MCSpanish
Hmong Survey https://bit.ly/MCHmong
Attention 5th Grade parents - Important NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MATHEMATICS
Our mission statement speaks to educating, engaging and inspiring all learners to thrive in a global community. The future success of our students and long term health of our community depend on our efforts to create learning environments that support ambitious and equitable instruction and nurture all children’s positive self concept and strong sense of empowerment while constantly considering what we can and must do differently to positively impact every student everyday. Our mission serves as a foundation of further consideration of best practices in math education, and recent and longitudinal data coupled with ever changing demands of college, community and career readiness provide a backdrop for discussions around the future of secondary math programming.
Members of the Mathematics Department and Student Learning Office have collaborated around the future of Middle Level mathematics programming. All traditional middle level math programming will continue [grade 6 math, grade 7 math, grade 8 math]. In addition, a pathway of accelerated math learning and teaching will continue in a revised model. This revised plan involves compacting grade 6, grade 7 and grade 8 mathematics and providing Algebra at grade 8. Compacting mathematics courses accelerates coverage of grade level standards from three years to two years. Standards outlined in grades six, seven and eighth grade are closely aligned and connected. In addition, Algebra is a gatekeeping course at the high school level. With these ideas in mind, the recommended middle level compacted pathway will include:
Compacting sixth, seventh and eighth grade math learning at the sixth and seventh grades.
Algebra as a stand alone course at the eighth grade level.
*2022/23 - Seventh grade students would be provided the opportunity to enter the compacted pathway at the start of the school year.
**2022/23 - Sixth grade students would be provided the opportunity to enter the compacted pathway at the start of the school year.
***2023/24 - Only sixth grade students would be provided the opportunity to enter the compacted pathway at the start of the school year.
Students interested in this accelerated mathematics pathway will be required to demonstrate robust, advanced knowledge of elementary and middle level foundational concepts. The criteria for invitation into middle school compacted math will include:
Advanced scores in 80% or more of the subscores gained in previous school years on the Forward Exam
Advanced scores in all 5 of the subcategories on the current school year Forward Exam. Please note that current year Forward scores will not be available until July 2022.
If students meet criteria 1 and 2:
An advanced score (85% or higher) on an MPSD comprehensive math assessment.
Demonstration of a high level of motivation and interest in mathematics as measured by the research-based Mathematics Interest & Attitudes survey (3.34 or higher out of 4).
Students who meet all 4 criteria will be offered the opportunity to engage in compacted math.
It is important to note that there are multiple pathways for students to accelerate their mathematical journey at the high school level that are not reflected above.
Please connect with a middle school math coach if you have questions.
Wilson: Andrew Tollberg, 920-663-9860
Washington: Derek Nelson, 920-663-9796
The Reading Corner
Hello Madison Families,
Ah, the smell of springtime is upon us! With it comes the promise of summer. For many of our students, summer is a time to relax, recharge, and explore other interests. However, summer can also lead to a regression in academic progress referred to as the “summer slide”.
What is the Summer Slide?
Summer slide refers to the loss of proficiency in academic skills over the summer time. This is due to the fact that during summer, students are not practicing these skills on a regular basis. This means that they often return to school having lost 2-3 months of progress from the previous school year.
How can I Prevent Summer Slide in Reading and Writing?
To help prevent this slide from happening here are a few suggestions:
Participate in the Manitowoc Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. Earn raffle tickets for logging your reading and then use the raffle tickets to win prizes! The library staff is extremely helpful when it comes to finding books that you and your students will love!
Help students keep a summer journal. This extra writing practice everyday is a great way to stay fresh on writing skills gained over the year. It will also be a wonderful resource for students when they write personal narratives in the fall. Finally, when summer is over, this journal becomes a keepsake full of happy memories that they will cherish for a lifetime!
Go on reading adventures! Making reading a novel experience helps to keep young people engaged and builds positive associations with reading. Take a favorite book to the park and read it there. Plan a trip to the beach to have family reading time. Perhaps you read a book about space, and then go to a planetarium!
Play literacy games. Hangman, crosswords, word searches, mad libs, etc. are great ways for students to practice reading and writing skills without even being aware of it! These games help them build vocabulary, recognize spelling patterns, build automaticity, and the list could go on! Follow these links below to find some great games!
Hopefully you find these suggestions helpful in preventing the “summer slide” from happening to your student!
Happy reading!
The Madison Reading Department
Nursing News
Immunizations
Students who will be entering 6th grade (age 11) are required by the WI State Immunization Law to receive a booster vaccine of Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) or have a signed waiver of declination on file for personal, medical or religious reasons. The waiver can be found on the MPSD website under Services>Nursing Services>Parent Forms>Immunization Waiver, or you may request one from the school office. It is strongly recommended that children receive this vaccine prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year.
If you have a child who will be entering kindergarten (or a current kindergarten student who is behind on immunizations), summer is the perfect time for them to receive their required booster immunizations. If you are opting to sign a waiver of declination for personal, medical or religious reasons, please sign the waiver and turn it into your child’s school.
All immunizations can be obtained by calling the office of your child’s medical provider.
Well-Child Exams
Summer is a great time for your children to see their pediatrician or medical provider. These routine visits are just as important for healthy children as they are when your child is ill. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends school-aged children see their medical provider yearly for the following reasons:
Tracking growth and development. You can see how much your child has grown since your last visit and talk with your doctor about your child's development. This is also a great time to discuss your child's milestones, social behaviors and learning.
Prevention. Children can receive scheduled immunizations to prevent illness. You also can ask their medical provider about nutrition and safety in the home and at school.
Raising concerns. Well-child exams are the perfect time to discuss topics of concern. Make a list of topics you want to talk about such as: development, behavior, sleep, eating or getting along with other family members. Bring your top three to five questions or concerns to talk with your provider at the visit.
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Madison Elementary School
Website: https://madison.manitowocpublicschools.org/
Location: 701 North 4th Street, Manitowoc, WI, USA
Phone: 920-663-9540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPSDmadison