Madison Memos
The Madison School PTA Newsletter / December 18, 2020
Thank You, Madison Custodians!
The PTA would like to give extra thanks to the Madison custodians this year. Over the summer, they worked hard to prepare for students with new classroom configurations. And throughout the year, they have continued to keep students safe with sanitizing efforts, including extra wipe downs during mask breaks. The Madison PTA appreciates how hard they work to help keep our kids healthy and in school.
Christmas Sharing
Each year, Madison Social Worker Lisa Parilli organizes the Madison Mitten Tree, and this year she requested donations in the form of Target gift cards that go directly to Madison families. Thank you to everyone who contributed! In addition to the generous donations from the Madison community, the PTA will be contributing $200 to this cause.
Madison Strong - Gloves and Spirit Wear
The Madison PTA purchased Madison Strong gloves for every student and faculty member so they can stay warm this winter. All students - in-person and virtual - should have received theirs this week.
And if you purchased spirit wear during the winter sale, it's here! It will be delivered to your home by this weekend.
If you have questions or did not receive your gloves or spirit wear, please contact Heidi Coppersmith.
Join the PTA and Gain Access to Directory Spot
Directory Spot is Madison's school-wide directory. All current Madison PTA members can access it via the Directory Spot mobile app or website. You can look up contact information for every student and staff member at Madison, see which students are in every class and even view the school calendar.
Virtual Academy also uses Directory Spot. (You do not have to be a Madison PTA member to access the Virtual Academy directory.) To switch between viewing the Madison directory and the VA directory, use the Directories tab.
If you haven't joined yet, it’s not too late to do so and get access to this great resource!
Announcing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the CUSD200 PTA
Parents and teachers alike share the goals of embracing the diversity in our student body, achieving equity in our curriculum, and ensuring that each of our students experience a sense of inclusion in our schools. Challenging but important conversations are happening across our community and the country as a whole, and it is critical for our CUSD200 community to be part of that conversation and contributing to positive change.
To that end, the district-wide PTA has taken the exciting step of establishing the new DEI Committee, which will focus its efforts on both:
- Community Engagement: through events (such as educational discussions, book clubs, multicultural days) and outreach (such as community surveys); and
- Student Engagement: through curriculum enrichment (supporting the use of diverse resources in our classrooms) and awareness (encouraging content in club or advisory settings).
Learn more about the DEI Committee.
You are invited to participate in this important work!
- Do you share the goals of the DEI Committee?
- Do you have a perspective to contribute to the discussion?
- Do you have concerns you would like to see addressed by the committee?
We are dedicated to amplifying all voices with dialogue and action, and helping all students achieve their greatest potential. We need the commitment of the community to make that happen.
Please join us by filling out this form.
Be on the lookout for these upcoming events and opportunities:
- “Becoming Antiracist” - A Talking About Race series in collaboration with the Wheaton Public Library will be presented through Zoom panel discussion on January 7, 2021.
- Community Survey – A DEI-focused survey, piloted this fall, will be reissued in early 2021 with a goal of securing increased responses and identifying action steps to achieve DEI goals.
- DEI Committee Meeting – Our next committee meeting will be held in January 2021.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the DEI Committee Chair (and Madison parent), Anjali Bharadwa, at anjalikb@outlook.com or by phone at 630-660-5937.
CUSD 200 Updates and Resources
The CUSD 200 board met twice in December but did not make any changes to elementary school learning.
For in-person learning to continue, the district has asked the community to follow mitigation, health and safety protocols both during and outside of school hours. The district thanked those families who are doing so and urges everyone to do their part to flatten the number of COVID-19 cases.
Stay up to date with these CUSD 200 web resources:
Support Those That Support Madison
During the holidays and year round, please consider supporting these businesses that have donated to the Madison PTA.
Adelle’s | Alicia’s Art Studio | Altria | Arrowhead Golf | Aqua Tots | Bauer Dentistry and Orthodontics | Kari Becker – Marvelous Mouse Travels | Black Sheep Golf | Bosch Power Tools | Buona | Butterfly Kiss Lash Studio | Chicago Architecture Tours | Chicago Pizza Tours | Chicago Wolves | Chili’s | Classic Cinemas | Club Pilates | Cryo Lounge Cryotherapy | Dineamic Restaurant Group | Downtown Wheaton Association | Elements | Etsy artisans | Field Museum | Five and Hoek Coffee | Frito-Lay | Fox Bowl | Goodman Theater | Grand Nails | Hand & Stone Massage | Ivy | Jet Restoration & Painting | Joffrey Ballet | Kane County Cougars | Danielle Kerger, DDS | Laugh Factory | Lou Malnati’s | Lyric Opera of Chicago | M&Co Salon | Meal Village
Give While You Shop
You can also donate to the Madison PTA while you shop!
- Box Tops for Education: Scan your grocery receipt in the Box Tops app, and Madison will earn 10 cents from every qualifying item. Download the app.
- AmazonSmile: Join AmazonSmile and select Madison, so when you shop Amazon - on the website or through the app - the PTA will get 0.5% of your eligible purchases. Learn more on the PTA website.
Madison PTA 2020-2021 Executive Board
If you have any questions about Madison Memos or would like to submit an item for a future issue, please email Debbie McCraw and Alison Bruder at memos@madisonschoolpta.org. You can view the publication schedule and previous issues on the PTA website.
