Madison Memo
March 2022
A Message from the Principal
March is here which brings us the hope that spring is right around the corner! March also brings us unpredictable weather. Please continue to have your child bring a change of clothes (kids often get wet or muddy at recess) and continue to bring layers (sweatshirts) and coats, hats, mittens, and other snow gear.
March also brings us the end of the third quarter and onto state testing season. This month students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will participate in the Wisconsin Forward State Assessment. Please check your child's Friday Folder for more information about this assessment.
As Madison is a Kids at Hope school, our school believes strongly in these three truths:
- We believe that all students are capable of success - no exceptions.
- We connect with children in a meaningful way.
- We time travel to our future in 4 different areas - education & career, home & family, hobbies & recreation, and community & service.
When we time travel to our future we ask students questions about their future in all different areas, not simply what do you want to be when you grow up. Asking questions gets kids thinking about their future - Where do you want to live? What will your family look like in 10 years? How do you want to give back to our community? It is ok if kids do not know the answers to these questions yet, but asking the questions and having these conversations helps students to think about their future and then figure out what they need to do in the present to prepare for their future. Consider asking your child about these different areas of their future at home.
Rick Miller, Kids at Hope Founder, sums up this philosophy in his Ted Talk. You can view it here.
As we kick off March with our Read Across America events, I encourage you to keep reading at home with your child.
Mrs. Opahle
Upcoming Dates
- Tuesday, March 1st - 3rd Grade to School Forest
- Wednesday, March 2nd - 5th Grade to School Forest
- Thursday, March 3rd - Snuggle Up and Read Family Event, 6:00 - 7:30 in the library
- Friday, March 11th - No School - Staff Development
- Wednesday, March 16th - Grade 5 to the Capitol Civic Center
- Friday, March 18th - Grade 3 to the Capitol Civic Center
- Monday, March 21st - PTO Meeting 5:30 in the library
- Thursday, March 24th - Noodles & Co PTO Fundraiser 4:00 - 8:00 pm
- Friday, March 25th - End of 3rd Quarter
- Monday, March 28th - Friday, April 1st - No school; Spring Break
Spring cleaning on your mind?
The Reading Corner
Greetings Madison Families!
Help us celebrate Read Across America Week which honors the life and work of Dr. Seuss all week! To mark the occasion, we will be having some spirit days that coincide with some of his most favorite works!
Monday, February 28th - Fox in Socks Day
Wear a pair of crazy socks to school! Celebrate by reading silly books from our school library!
Tuesday, March 1st - Oh, the Places You’ll Go Day
Wear clothes from around the world or that mention a place! Celebrate by reading books about characters/people from all over the globe from our school library!
Wednesday, March 2nd - Cat in the Hat Day
Wear your favorite crazy hat! Today is also Dr. Seuss’s birthday! Celebrate by reading birthday themed books from our school library!
Thursday, March 3rd - Snuggle Up and Read Day
Wear your favorite pair of pajamas to school so that you can snuggle up and read! Be sure to come to Madison Library for our Snuggle Up and Read event starting at 6:00!
Friday, March 4 - Green Eggs and Ham Day
Wear as much green as you can! Celebrate by reading books about food from our school library!
We will also be holding two raffle ticket contests! Each classroom will have three winners! Each winner will receive a $10 gift card to purchase books from Scholastic book orders!
Kindergarten through Second grade will compete in a reading log contest. Each night that they spend at least 20 minutes reading with an adult earns them a raffle ticket. The more nights you read, the more tickets you earn! Reading logs have been sent home in Friday Folders, but feel free to reach out to your student’s teacher if you need another copy!
Third through Fifth grade will compete in a Word Collector contest. Students are encouraged to find interesting words while they are reading and complete a task that shows they’ve studied their word. Each word they collect earns them a raffle ticket. Word Collector Raffle Ticket sheets have been sent home in Friday Folders, but classroom teachers will have extras!
Good luck to all of you, and HAPPY READING during Read Across America!
Nursing News - Sleep and Health
Sleep is essential for a healthy life. Adequate sleep at night contributes to a student’s overall health and well-being. Students should get the proper amount of sleep to help stay focused, improve concentration, and improve academic performance.
According to the CDC, children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk for health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and injuries. They are also more likely to have attention and behavior problems, which can contribute to poor academic performance in school.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations the following amount of quality sleep for children and adolescents:
3-5 years 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
6-12 years 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours
13-18 years 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours
Here are some healthy sleep tips to help achieve that goal:
Model and encourage habits that help promote good sleep
Dim lighting in the evening
Implement a media and screen curfew
Create a consistent pre-bedtime routine (including the weekends)
Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet
Math News
Math Model in the Spotlight: Number Lines
Counting - Number lines help young mathematicians connect number words with written numerals counting, both forward and backward. The visual model also helps students see relationships between numbers. Ex: 5 is halfway between 0 and 10; and 6 is between 5 and 7.
Place Value Counting & Early Computation - The open number line allows students to break apart numbers in different ways, such as by ones, tens or hundreds. Doing this allows students to use the number line to add and subtract numbers.
Multiplication to 100 - Starting in grade 3, students use number lines to understand multiplication, modeling the repeated addition in multiplication situations and looking for patterns and relationships.
Fractions - Students in grades 3 - 5 use number lines to compare and order fractions and decimals. Where numbers are placed helps students reason about the relationships between numbers. Ex: to place 7/8 on the number line, students reason that 7/8 is 1/8 less than 8/8 = 1.
Assessment Update
The Forward Exam will be coming up shortly after spring break. Mathematics is one of the areas that will be assessed in grades 3 - 5. If you are interested in learning a little more about the Wisconsin Forward Exam, the link below takes you to the parent brochure from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Library Recommendations
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