Bear Facts
For the Week of January 13
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/MDEBears
Twitter: @MDEBears
Mission
Vision
Core Values
Monday, January 16 - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Tuesday, January 17 - No School, Staff Professional Learning
Chiefs Spirit Week
Lunch Menu
Just a reminder... Weekly balance reminders are sent to families whose students' account balances fall below zero due to purchases.
Specials Schedule
For a specific class schedule, please refer to the classroom information provided by the classroom teacher.
Monday - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday - No School, Professional Learning for Staff
Wednesday - Specials Day #3
Thursday - Specials Day #4
Friday - Specials Day #5
News from Dr. Wachel
We have learned that students who miss even a few days of school each month are at a greater risk of academic struggles compared to students who attend regularly. We have set a goal that every student in our school to attend regularly 95% of the time (has nine or fewer absences).
Because attendance is so important, please send your child to school every day unless he or she has a contagious illness or is running a fever.
A student will be sent home from school or should remain home when exhibiting any of the following symptoms:
Fever of 100 degrees or higher
Red eyes with thick whitish drainage
Undiagnosed rash
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Severe cold symptoms (cough and congestion)
Families should not allow their child to return to school until the child has been free of fever, vomiting, or diarrhea for a full 24 hours without medication.
Early Release Survey
Every day, USD 231 employees strive to provide an outstanding education for our district’s students. An integral component of our student’s success is employees who are fluent in the most current, evidence-based instructional practices and can evaluate data to make informed decisions.
To provide employees with time to collaborate on methods to individualize and increase student learning and for professional development during which teachers and administrators can hold focused work sessions on technology integration, curriculum development, data analysis, and effective instructional strategies, USD 231 is investigating the possibility of designating 90 minutes one time per week to release students. If adopted, this would not go into effect until the 2023-24 school year.
The benefits of additional collaboration time for staff include:
Teacher teams have uninterrupted time for collaborative planning to boost student engagement and academic achievement.
Designated time outside the student day (but within the contract day) allows staff from all schools to collaborate.
Teacher Professional Development promotes ongoing professional growth – from looking at lesson plans to collaborating on formative assessments.
The schedule allows employees to collaborate without needing substitutes and within the regular school budget.
Teachers with access to regular collaboration are more likely to try new strategies in the classroom.
It is important that the Board of Education and administration hear from parents regarding the possibility of a recurring early release or late start. As a result, we respectfully request parents complete the following survey.
As you answer the questions, please know that, with either schedule, the following is true:
Buses will run on the same schedule as the school.
Parents can pick up or drop students off at normal times. School employees will supervise students during teacher collaboration time.
All buildings will follow the same schedule (e.g. all levels will be early release or late start).
Click HERE to access the survey. The survey is now open and will close at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17.
22-23 Yearbook Sales
Order your yearbook by February 24!
Spiritwear Hoodie Sale
Limited Time: Madison hoodies are just $29.99 though Sunday. Stay warm in style! Visit https://1stplacespiritwear.com/collection/37202/?style=Hoodie.
Kindergarten 2023-24 (repeat)
It is hard to believe that we are ready to recruit our incoming kindergartners. To help us better plan for the 2023-24 school year, please complete the link below if you have an incoming kindergartner. If you have a neighbor with an incoming kindergartner, feel free to share the link or direct them to our Madison website to complete the form. Mark your calendars for Kindergarten Rodeo - Friday, April 21 (more information will come soon). We can't wait to meet all of our incoming kindergarten Bears!
Please note that there will be no school for kindergarten on Friday, April 21 to allow our kindergarten team to meet our incoming Bears. Grades 1-4 will still be in session.
Give Back to Schools
Have you heard all the buzz? Our district, in cooperation with the Gardner Edgerton Schools Foundation, has been on the ground floor of a new way to support Madison through an innovative company called GiveBack2Schools. Here is the good news – it doesn’t require spending extra money, selling something, or adding events to your packed calendar. Dozens of area businesses have pledged a percentage of every purchase to go back to our school. See some of the businesses above.
By downloading the phone app and following the directions provided, our school will receive easy money. You can select what group within our school you want the funds to go toward (i.e., grade level or the General Madison Fund). Our academic and activity efforts will be supported financially by your simple participation.
Feel free to share this information with your family members. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents can participate as well. Get started now by downloading the app. Search GiveBack2Schools. The logo is an open hand with a green hand in the center.
For more information about GB2S click the link:
https://giveback2schools.com/.
Thanks for your continued support of Madison Elementary and our students.
PTA Meeting Minutes
The Madison PTA met on Monday, January 9 and the meeting minutes can be found here. We hope to see you at our next PTA meeting on Monday, February 13.
Positive Office Referrals
Counselor and Social Worker Corner
Mindful Morning Yoga
Who: Mrs. Hodson and any 3rd or 4th grade student who is interested!
**All 3rd and 4th grade students are welcome to join the first session to try it out and then a parent permission form will need to be signed to continue in future sessions.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:00am-8:15am Jan 24, 26, 31, Feb 2, 7, 9
Where: Madison gym
Why: Neuroscience has confirmed many incredible benefits of yoga and mindfulness including decrease in stress, increase in physical and emotional wellness and supporting the brain to work in more positive and productive ways. We will be using Little Flower Yoga resources. You can learn more here.
What: We will do a simple flow incorporating these 5 elements:
Students do not need to bring yoga mats.
Please contact Mrs. Hodson at hodsonj@usd231.com if you have any questions.
Donations needed!
We are experiencing an increase in students needing snacks!
If you have snacks to donate for students who need them school-wide, please send them to Mrs. Hodson. We especially love snacks with protein such as beef sticks or KIND bars, but will gladly accept any kid-friendly snacks!
Thank you for your generosity!
With thankful hearts,
Jackie Hodson, social worker
913-856-0409
Allison Southerland, counselor
913-856-3313
Watch DOGS
If you would like to sign up to be a Watch DOG, sign ups are now available for half day slots. We ask that you sign up at least two days in advance so a schedule can be created and the teachers can prepare for your visit. Volunteers must fill out a registration form and submit it to the office one week in advance of their scheduled day. Thank you for making a positive impact on our Bears! if you have specific questions, please contact Mrs. Daniels and Mrs. Billings at 856-0400.
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp: You can sign up to be a WATCH DOGS Volunteer here.
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like (please add your child(ren)'s name).
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password.
Note: Signup does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact the Madison Office and we can sign you up manually.
Watch D.O.G.S Apparel - If you would like to order and have the apparel shipped directly to you, please follow this link - DOGS Store
Madison Health Room Overview
As we enter into Fall/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 (see attached document). The JCDHE recommendation chart provides specific guidance on when a student can be readmitted to school.
For example, students should be fever-free for 24 hours WITHOUT using 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 individually to those considered close contacts.
The Madison Elementary health room is available if your child becomes ill or injured while at school. Please familiarize yourself with the USD 231 Parent Handbook with details of our Health Services guidelines and procedures. Kansas law requires all students to have on file evidence of required immunizations prior to attending school. The Medication Authorization Form must be completed and signed by the parent or guardian for all medications given at school. It is recommended that medication NOT be sent to school with children. Parents should bring the medication to the health room (8:15 am to 3:45 pm).
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
Thank you for reinforcing healthy habits with our students. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (913) 856-0450.
Nurse Angie
Birthday Treats
Amazon Smile
Madison PTA
Hello MDE families! We’re looking forward to the return of our Bears for the 2022-23 school year!
Madison Elementary PTA Executive Board Officers
President: Leah Bates
Vice-President: Jessica Grimes
Treasurer: Heather Musselman
Secretary: Andrea Satterfield
Membership Chair: Diane Owen
Madison Elementary PTA Meeting Dates 9/6, 10/3, 11/14, 12/12, 1/9, 2/13, 3/20, 4/10, and 5/1. All meetings will occur in the Madison cafeteria at 7 pm
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.
GESD RECOGNITION
Nominate a Deserving Student or Employee Today!!!
The GESD recognition program has been established to recognize students and employees who exceed expectations.
"Gardner Edgerton Students of Distinction" (GESD) nominees can be any current student in the Gardner Edgerton School District who exemplifies traits of outstanding character and serves as a positive influence on their peers and the community-at-large.
"Great Employees Serving the District" (GESD) nominees can be any certified or classified employee in the Gardner Edgerton School District who exemplifies traits of outstanding customer service and is a positive influence on students, parents, co-workers or members of the community. The award will be presented on a weekly basis.
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.
We will recognize our first student and staff member sometime in September. This will allow time for nominations to be submitted.
Nominate a deserving STUDENT by clicking HERE.
Nominate a deserving EMPLOYEE by clicking HERE.