Bear Facts
Madison Elementary Newsletter April 12th
Madison Elementary School
Email: fleminge@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
News from Mrs. Fleming
Bear Family,
It is such a long stretch of school between spring break and the end of the school year! I heard someone call this time the dog days. As the weather gets nicer and the school year gets longer, our Bear students start to struggle with behavior. We are a little more antsy, a little more talkative, a little less open to following directions, etc. As I said at the first grade musical this week (which was fabulous!!), we're all a little nuts. 😁 We appreciate your support at home in making sure we continue to make the end of the school year an environment conducive to learning...because we still have a lot to do and learn!
A couple of items you'll want to make note of in this week's Bear Facts are the book fair, family literacy night, and info on kindergarten celebrations.
Thank you for all of the ways that you support our Bears!
Have a safe and happy weekend!
Take care!
Emily Fleming
Principal
Upcoming Events:
4/15 - 2nd grade 1/2 day field trip to Mahaffie
4/18- Family Literacy Night
4/29-5/3- Spring Book Fair
4/29- Book Fair Family Night
5/2- 4th grade musical
5/2- Respect the Rhythm in You Assembly
5/3- 1st grade field trip
5/6-5/10- Teacher Appreciation Week!
5/7- 3rd grade field trip
5/8- Kindergarten field trip
5/10- 4th grade Ma Spa
5/10- Madison Movie on the Lawn
5/13- Variety shows during specials
5/14- 4th grade field trip
5/14- EC Picnic in the Courtyard
5/16- 2nd grade 1/2 day field trip to Kauffman Center for Performing Arts
5/17- Field Day!
5/22- Kindergarten celebrations
5/22- 4th grade graduation
5/22- Last Day of School! Early Dismissal Day @ 11:25 (Lunch will NOT be served)
Things to remember next week:
Monday, April 15th
- 2nd Grade 1/2 day field trip to Mahaffie
Tuesday, April 16th
Wednesday, April 17th
- Early Release Day - 1:55 Dismissal
Thursday, April 18th
- Julia Cook Family Literacy Night 5:30-7:00pm
Friday, April 19th
- Kindness Friday - Spread Paws-a-tiv-a -tee - wear a t-shirt with a positive message
Specials Schedule 4/15 - 4/19
Tuesday- Day 2
Wednesday- Day 3
Thursday- Day 4
Friday- Day 5
Bear P.A.W. Ticket Winners
Congrats to our Bear P.A.W. ticket winners this week! To earn a Bear P.A.W., kids must go above and beyond to show adults in the building a Positive attitude, Act of kindness, or Work ethic. When we catch students working hard, helping others, and staying positive, they can be awarded with a ticket. At the end of each week, a ticket is drawn in each classroom. The students who get their ticket pulled, get to come to Mrs. Fleming's office, get a gumball, and write their name on the map in our front hallway...because these kids are going to change the world and put their mark on the map!
Madison's Got Talent
Hosting a talent/variety show is a great way to bring students, teachers, and parents together for a time of entertainment!! We will hold this year's show on Monday, May 13th. Each grade level will have their own show during their specials time. Please fill out this form by April 22nd to sign your child up to participate.
Note: acts must be 3 minutes or less; acts must be school appropriate and are subject to administrative approval
Lost & Found
Our lost & found is overflowing! Please encourage your students to stop by and grab any of their missing belongings.
Join us this Thursday, April 18th for an evening with author Julia Cook! Parents will have the opportunity to learn strategies to teach and reinforce social skills, behavior, and emotional regulation. And Julia is such a fun and interactive presenter, the time will fly and you will learn so much! Those in attendance are really in for a treat!
And the adults are not the only ones that will learn and have fun! Students will have the opportunity to make a "calming" craft and identify strategies they can use and potential triggers that may cause angry feelings.
And if that's not enough...there are SNACKS and GIVEAWAYS!!!! Please join us!
Madison Spring Book Fair
Madison will have our spring book fair event April 29th through May 3rd. Our family night event will be on Monday, April 29th and will be open from dismissal until 6:30 p.m. Mrs. Schmuhl is also asking for parent volunteers to help while classes attend the book fair during school hours. Click here to sign up for a volunteer time. The class schedule is below so you know when your child will be attending! Please reach out if you have any questions!
2023-24 School Year Fees
Please settle all outstanding balances before the end of the 2023-2024 school year. You can contact the Madison office for any questions you may have about fees still owed or if you would like to set up a payment plan.
All accounts must be paid in full by the last day of school!
To apply for benefits online, please use the Nutrition Services link https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application. The application deadline for benefits with Nutrition Services is the last day of the 23-24 school year. If you have already completed the survey but have questions regarding your benefits, please email Nutrition Services at nutrition@usd231.com.
Notes from Nurse Angie
A student will be sent home from school with any of the following:
- Temperature 100 degrees or greater, or with incidents of vomiting and/or diarrhea.
- Symptoms related to a possible communicable disease.
- Excessive drainage from eyes, ears, persistent earache, constant cough, or painful sore throat with enlarged lymph nodes.
- Students with acute infectious disease or parasite
Mrs. Angie Serrano, Madison Elementary’s Health Room Nurse, is available to answer any additional questions you might have and you may contact her directly at 856-0450.
A Message From Mrs. Sleeper
We know many families are experiencing financial challenges so we wanted to make sure everyone is aware of some of the awesome resources in our community! Please contact Mrs. Sleeper, school counselor, if you would like additional resources, more information, or to utilize any of these resources.
Joy Closet-
975 E. Lincoln Lane, Gardner
Hours: Mon 10-7, Tues 10-7, Wed 10-4, Thurs 10-7, Sat 10-2
This is a low cost thrift store in Gardner and they have generously provided us with vouchers for FREE clothing, shoes, linens, books, and small household items. Each voucher is good for 20 items of clothes, shoes, and bedding PLUS 10 books per household! If you would like a voucher, please email Mrs. Sleeper, at sleeperm@usd231.com.
BackSnacks-
Harvesters’ BackSnack program provides a weekly sack filled with nutritious, child-friendly food for school children to take home over the weekend throughout the school year. Mrs. Sleeper will deliver these to students at the end of the day on Fridays, putting them straight in their backpacks. We will start this in October so please sign up your children by emailing Mrs. Sleeper at sleeperm@usd231.com.
Hope Market-
This is an awesome food pantry in Gardner!
611 E Main St., Gardner
Hours: Tuesdays 5pm-8pm; Thursdays 9am-11am; Saturdays 9am-12pm
They don’t have any requirements other than to have a need for food.
See additional USD 231 Family Resources
Feb. 29th online
starting Feb. 28th, weekly in Gardner! Free meal every week!
starting Feb. 12th weekly online
ADDRESSING CONCERNS
Nutrition Services-How to Add Lunch Money
We are excited to inform you about the convenient way to add money to your student's lunch account (Available now!). All funds can be added through My School Bucks, which is available via Power School.
For step-by-step instructions on adding money to your students lunch account, please refer to the attached guide: How to Add Lunch Money
Additionally, you can set up a low balance alert at your preferred minimum balance amount or automatically fund accounts when balance reaches a desired amount.
USD 231 Nutrition Services
Students & Employees of Distinction Award
We are writing to remind you of our employee and student recognition programs.
- The "Gardner Edgerton Students of Distinction" (GESD) program is designed to recognize students throughout the school year (approximately 3 to 4 employees a month - 30 or more a year).
- The "Great Employees Serving the District" (GESD) program is designed to recognize employees throughout the school year (approximately 3 to 4 employees a month - 30 or more a year).
Answers to a few questions you may have:
- Nominations from previous years have been removed from the database.
- Even if a student or staff member has been selected as a GESD in previous years, they are again eligible.
- To learn more about the GESD - Students program, click HERE.
- To learn more about the GESD - Employees program, click HERE.
Please see the attached for more information and start nominating!!! We will recognize our first student and staff member sometime in September. This will allow time for nominations to be submitted.
Madison PTA
New Madison Elementary PTA Executive Board!!
At the last PTA board meeting, we elected the new Madison Elementary PTA Executive Board Officers! A big thank you and congratulations to the following:
President - Krystal Christensen
Vice President - Amanda Halvorsen
Treasurer - Linda Dominguez
Secretary - Jehieli Godoy
Membership Chair: Trisha Perkins
PTA works to enhance student experience throughout the school year including supplementing the funding for Field Day, Assemblies, Musical Refreshments, Teacher Appreciation, and purchasing additional resources to enhance the learning environment for our students. Get involved to make your child's elementary school years extra special! Joining the Madison Elementary PTA will ensure you are up to date on school events and helps you get involved in Madison Elementary activities. Check out the PTA link under Parent Info on the Madison Elementary website for more information.
Madison Elementary PTA Meeting Dates 9/11, 10/2, 11/13, 12/11, 1/22, 2/12, 3/18, 4/8, and 5/13. All meetings will occur in the Madison cafeteria at 7 p.m.
Email us at: Madisonbearpta@gmail.com Like us on Facebook "Madison Elementary PTA Gardner, KS"
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.
Gardner Edgerton Youth Theatre Academy
Gardner Gold Special Olympics Fundraiser
GEHS Football Camps
GEHS Baseball Spirit Wear
Support the GEHS Baseball Team by purchasing some GEHS Spirit Wear . Orders will be shipped directly to the customer's house. Some items have the GE logo only. There are many items that have different color options. Go Blazers!
Register a team or become a sponsor for the Gardner Edgerton Schools Foundation/Gardner Chamber annual golf tournament on April 15th at Prairie Highlands Golf Course. Scan the QR code or click the link to get all the details. Enjoy a round of golf. Entertain your clients. Embrace the spring weather. Have fun! If you have any questions, contact Tim Brady at bradyt@usd231.com.