Bear Facts
Madison Elementary news for the week of January 18
Madison Elementary School
Email: billingsm@usd231.com
Website: https://www.usd231.com/o/madison
Location: 800 W Madison St, Gardner, KS, United States
Phone: (913) 856-0400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonElementaryBears/
Twitter: @MDEBears
Mission
Vision
Core Values
Monday, January 18 - No School, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Tuesday, January 19 - Madison Spirit Day
Tuesday, January 19 - Madison Night at Perkins
Friday, January 22 - Chiefs Red Friday (Wear red or Chiefs attire to support our Chiefs)
Lunch Menu
Monday - No School
Tuesday - (A) Twisty Dog Dunker (B) Mini Chocolate Chip Waffles
Wednesday - (A) Breaded Chicken Sandwich (B) Yogurt and Muffin
Thursday - (A) Chicken Nuggets (B) Combo SubFriday - (A) Bosco Sticks (B) Yogurt and Sweet Bread
Just a reminder... Although school meals are free for the 2020-2021 school year, students are still welcome to bring a lunch from home as they desire. Please note that although these students will still be permitted to purchase milk or juice ($0.55 each) to accompany their lunch from home, these individual items are not covered by the program. Only complete meals are available for free. Weekly balance reminders are sent to families whose students' account balances fall below zero due to these types of purchases.
Specials Schedule
Please note, that our early childhood classes will have their specials on the same day of the week since they attend four days a week. Third grade will be use a 5-day letter rotation since there are 5 sections (A, B, C, D, E). For a specific class schedule, please refer to the classroom information provided by the classroom teacher.
Monday - No School
Tuesday - Specials Day #1 (grades K, 1, 2, 4), D (3rd-grade only)
Wednesday - Specials Day #2 (grades K, 1, 2, 4), E (3rd-grade only)
Thursday - Specials Day #3 (grades K, 1, 2, 4), A (3rd-grade only)
Friday - Specials Day #4 (grades K, 1, 2, 4), B (3rd-grade only)
News from Dr. Wachel
Welcome to the New Year at Madison! These past few weeks, it has been a joy to see the children eagerly enter the building or enter their remote learning classrooms, hear all about their winter breaks, and see all the reconnecting that has been occurring in the classrooms. It was delightful to hear their laughter as they engaged with each other and their happiness in reconnecting with their teachers during morning meetings, lunch, recess, and throughout the day. Reuniting our school family after a break, whether in-person or in a remote setting, is a true blessing and brings much joy to our Madison Learning Community - staff, students, and families alike.
A new year always brings a fresh start. As we enter 2021, the Madison team continues to focus on Madison's Mission of creating a safe and healthy environment where each Bear is engaged, challenged, and supported. We commit to helping every learner, every day, in every way. It is our ultimate goal for every student and staff at Madison Elementary to feel that Madison is their school family and that they belong here, TOGETHER as one united Madison Elementary community.
This past week, classrooms have discussed the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Monday, we will honor, recognize, and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and also recognize there is work that must be done to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive place for all people. Madison Elementary and the staff, students, and families strive to be a place of belonging, unity, and togetherness. I share with you a few of my favorite quotes by Dr. King, Jr. who used his time and voice to make a difference in our country and continues to inspire us to keep forging ahead to spread the gifts of love, peace, and light to all. Every day, I end the dismissal announcements with the quote, "Remember to be kind to one another because that is what truly matters in this world." This powerful quote is inspired by the words of peace, unity, and kindness that Dr. King shared. You will also notice that this week's Read Aloud video below is Martin's Big Words, a wonderful book highlighting some of Dr. King's messages by telling his story.
Read Alouds
Do your children like to see books come to life? Vooks brings an ever-expanding collection of animated storybooks to any smartphone or tablet. With a child-friendly approach that emphasizes critical elements of literacy development, Vooks helps inspire a loving of reading and supports parents in putting their young children on a path to reading success. Vooks combines the pace and safety of children’s storybooks with the convenience of online streaming to create immersive experiences that promote literacy, imagination, and fun for kids. Enjoyed by millions of children and trusted by parents & teachers, Vooks inspires a love of reading and supports young children on their path of learning. Click on this link to learn more about free access to this site.
Incoming Kindergartners
Counselor and Social Worker Corner
Hi families,
We recognize that the pandemic has created increased food insecurity for families in our community. The Hope Market located at 132 E Main St. is a new food pantry in Gardner to help meet this need! It will be opening on December 18th and will be available every other Friday for any person or family in need regardless of income. If you plan to attend, you can fill out this form prior to your first visit to expedite the process.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeu1QjP2syhPznBWtOvrCV1efblAsn2XuwwXvRYzTDOgoSqjg/viewform
Madison Elementary will be doing a Food Drive to help support this organization in January.
Here are some resources we created to support you and your student:
Virtual Calm Corner for students to use to calm and center
I NEED TO TALK Form for students which will alert Mrs. Hodson and Mrs. Clegg to contact your student and allows them to share feelings and concerns
FAMILY CHECK-IN form for parents/ guardians to complete if there are physical, emotional, mental health or academic needs you would like support and resources for.
Jackie Hodson, school social worker
office: 913.856.0409
Deb Clegg, school counselor
office: 913.856.3313
Madison Spirit Wear Store
Madison Night at Perkins
Birthday Treats
Masks
Update from the Health Room
Please help me welcome Nurse Angie Serrano to the Health Room. Nurse Angie has been at Madison as a long-term sub since November so we are thrilled she will be joining us full-time.
As we enter into Winter, it is a great time to remind our school community of the measures we take to keep students healthy and prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
We reinforce frequent hand washing with our students and coughing/sneezing into a tissue or their sleeve (not their hands).
In addition, we refer to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) recommendations when determining the need to send a student home from school. The JCDHE recommendation chart provides specific guidance on when a student can be readmitted to school.
For example, students are to be fever-free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medication before returning to school.
Occasionally we receive questions about head lice management in our schools, and we have an extensive set of resources on our website that can be found HERE.
As needed, we will inform parents when we see an increase in illnesses in our school population with the potential for rapid spread among students and staff (such as influenza) or in the rare instance we have a mandatory reportable disease occur in our population, like Mumps. General head lice notifications are not recommended as they have been found to cause harm and lead to unnecessary treatment. Instead, the school nurse will assess the need for notification on an individual basis to those considered close contacts.
Thank you for reinforcing healthy habits with our students. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our school nurse at (913) 856-0450.
Amazon Smile
Virtual Homework Support
VIRTUAL HOMEWORK SUPPORT (VHS) allows Gardner Edgerton students access to teacher support outside the classroom.
MONDAY - THURSDAY
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM (ELEMENTARY)
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM (MS/HS)
If you experience difficulties logging in, please send an email with your name and grade to geycp@usd231.com.
Madison PTA
Interested in the Madison PTA Happenings? Stay in the know!
We invite everyone to join the Madison PTA Facebook page. By searching Madison Elementary PTA Gardner, KS under Pages, you will be able to join the group and receive updated PTA information.
If you are interested in joining the PTA, please see the membership form.