Madison Memo
October 2023
A Message from the Principal
Hello Madison Families!
We have so many wonderful things happening at Madison Elementary. Many of these changes involve reading, but we haven't forgotten about MATH! The video below will help to give you an overview of Bridges, our math curriculum. Watch the video to give yourself a better understanding of how math instruction works in our current classrooms.
I hope you all have a great October!
Fun Facts About October
- The name October got its name from the Latin word octo with means eight. This is based on the early Roman calendar.
- The World Series of baseball begins in October.
- More United States Presidents have been born in October more than any other month.
- Every year, October ends on the same day as February. So yes, in 2022, February ended on a Monday and so will October
- October’s full Moon, known as the Hunter’s Moon, arrives on Saturday, October 28. Like September’s Harvest Moon, the Hunter’s Moon is closely tied to the autumnal equinox.
PICTURE DAY IS OCTOBER 9TH!
Your school picture day process will be completed as a PROOF PICTURE DAY. As indicated on the attached flyer, students will receive a printed form on picture day with their image choices and online ordering instructions. Orders will be due seven days following picture day. Any orders received after picture day will be delayed in processing and will take several additional weeks to arrive at school.
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, October 9th - Picture Day!
- Thursday, October 12th - Madison Movie Night 6-8p in the gym
- Friday, October 13th - No students; Staff Development Day
- Monday, October 16th - PTO Meeting in the Madison Library from 3:30-4:30p
- Tuesday, October 17th - McTeacher Night at McDonald's from 4-6p
Looking Ahead:
- Thursday, November 1st - No school for students; Parent/Teacher Conferences 8a-7p
- Friday, November 2nd - No school for students or staff
Our Credit Union is NOW Open!
Keeping Kids Safe Online Month
October is a time for us to refresh our stakeholders' understanding of the multiple facets of Online Safety
- Age Appropriate Content
- Cyberbullying
- Screen Time Balance
- Digital Footprint (Digital Tattoo)
- Digital Relationships
- Open Communication
- Privacy and Security
DPI and the DOJ have been working to curate resources to support our statewide education efforts. Resources directed toward parents/caregivers, educators and students can be found on DPI's webpage Online Safety.
For caregivers interested in creating a float, please reach out to our PTO at madison-pto@mpsd.school or Amy Russell at 920-242-2943.
And Now Introducing...
Madison has a lot of new faces this year, and a lot of familiar faces in new positions. Please take a minute to read about our new staff, and some returning staff that you will see in a new role!
Ms. Daryn Brants - 1st Grade Teacher
Mrs. Tiffany Belcher - 4th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Amber Bohman - Librarian
Hello! I’m Amber Bohman the new Library Media Manager here at Madison.I’ve been married to my husband for 14 years. We have 2 kids, an 11 year old daughter and a 10 year old son.
When I’m not working you’ll find me camping, four wheeling, kayaking, kids sporting events or reading. I was at Washington Middle School for 2 years before this as a para. I’m excited to be at Madison and help kids find books that they will love!
Ms. Angela Schardt - SFA Coordinator
My name is Angela Schardt and I’m Madison’s new SFA Facilitator. I’ve been teaching in the MPSD for 21 years. I started my career teaching 5th grade at Jackson, then transferred to Madison to teach 5th grade. I taught at Madison for 12 years, and consider Madison “home.” I’ve been a reading teacher and literacy coach since leaving Madison, working at Jackson, Wilson and Washington. My oldest son Cameron is a sophomore at Lincoln and my youngest son Noah is an 8th grader. I’m truly blessed to be back at Madison growing and learning with all of you!
Mrs. Alysa Holly - School Counselor/Solutions Coordinator
Hello Madison Families and Students! I am so excited to meet you all and work with you throughout the school year. My name is Mrs. Holly, and I will be your School Counselor. I am married and have two daughters, who are in 4th grade. I also have a dog named Eleanor. She is 2 and is the perfect combination of sweet and sassy. My favorite things to do are to spend time outside, Camping, and going on mini vacations with my family. We also spend some time up at the racetrack in Shawano when my husband is driving. I love to travel and see new places and hope that we can do more of that in the coming years. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Mrs. Debra St. Peter - Special Education Teacher
Ms. Season Haack - Reading Teacher
Hi! My name is Season Haack. This is the start of my ninth year teaching. I’m very excited to be part of the Madison community! I live in Manitowoc with my husband, son, and two dogs, Reese and Peanut. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, going to shows and concerts, and baking. I look forward to a wonderful school year!
The Counselor Corner - October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month!
The definition of bullying is as follows:
Bullying is when someone keeps being mean to someone else on purpose. The person it's happening to hasn't been able to make it stop. It is unfair and one-sided.
I’m sure that you noticed that a few of the words above are bolded! We, as a district, take a strong stance against bullying. Having the students, as well as parents, understand what constitutes a true bullying situation helps us to respond appropriately to those instances. In true bullying situations the behaviors happen more than once. They keep happening. The behaviors also need to be happening on purpose. This means that the behaviors are intentional. Bullying is also one-sided, meaning that only one person is participating in the mean behaviors, and the other person is not doing anything in return.
If you suspect bullying may be happening in our school, please reach out to a staff member.
Alysa Holly
School Counselor
Madison Elementary
920-663-9662
Join the Waves Elementary Cheer Team!
ATTENTION ALL CURRENT MPSD K - 5th GRADE STUDENTS:
JOIN THE TEAM! COACHED BY THE VARSITY LINCOLN CHEER TEAM! Learn CHEERS, CHANTS, STUNTS, HALFTIME PERFORMANCE AT 12/7 BB VARSITY GAME AND PERFORM AT ROAR ON THE SHORE 12/3! EMAIL GOMMJ@MPSD.SCHOOL to sign up.
Practice Dates: 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27, 12/4
Time: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Place: Stangel Learning Community Building Gym
1002 East Cedar Avenue
Cost: $45
If you have any gently used shoes you are willing to donate, please send them our way! We are hoping to stock up our gym closet.
The Reading Corner
On Wednesday, September 20th Madison began Success For All Reading groups in grades 1-5. Based on data, your student was placed in an appropriately leveled reading class. We have already seen increased engagement and excitement over these reading groups. Success For All requires 20 minutes of nightly reading to be completed at home 4 days a week. Here at Madison we are asking you to sign your child's Read and Respond Sheet or Assignment Notebook indicating your child read. Your participation will contribute to team points and your child has the opportunity to earn prizes for points with their teams. Thank you for your continued support as we launch into this new reading program! If you have questions regarding anything SFA related, don't hesitate to reach out.
Angela Schardt-Madison SFA Facilitator
920-663-9352
STEM Fest
The Chamber Manitowoc County along with UW Green Bay - Manitowoc Campus will be hosting STEM FEST on October 16, 2023, at the UW - Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus!
We would like to invite all 4th and 5th grade students from schools across Manitowoc County to participate. This is a great opportunity for students to experience the amazing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math happening in businesses right here in Manitowoc County. It will also help kids to see how what they learn in school is used in their own community.
Approximately 50 participating businesses will have STEM-related demos or hands-on activities for students to interact with during one of the three 45 minute sessions starting at 9am, 10:45am and 12:30pm. There will also be games and activities from the Einstein Project and Millipore Sigma's Curiosity Cube.
PTO News
Upcoming Events
- Movie Night – Thursday, Oct. 12th in the Madison gym. See flyer for details.
- PTO Meeting - Monday, Oct. 16th at 3:30pm in the Madison Library
- McTeacher Night at McDonald’s – Tuesday, Oct. 17th 4-7pm. Take a night off cooking and meet your teachers and fellow students at McDonalds for dinner! A portion of the sales goes to Madison PTO.
- Clubs Choice Fundraiser – runs from September 18th – October 2nd . Delivery date to pick up items at Madison is Tuesday, November 7th from 3-5pm.
PTO positions/jobs we are looking for help with:
- Secretary – take notes at PTO meetings, submit PTO info for Madison Memo, manage communications.
- Scholastic Book Fair Lead – be the contact person to schedule and organize book fairs.
- PTO Facebook page – update Facebook with PTO event posts to keep followers up-to-date.
Email Madison-pto@mpsd.school if interested