Madrona Family Memo

Greetings, Madrona Families!

Gentle Reminder - Madrona students (and all TUSD students) do not have school this Friday, October 11 and Monday, October 14 (four-day weekend). Tuesday, October 15 will still be a Tuesday Late Start Schedule.

The Madrona PTSA Board Members and family volunteers are working hard to create Madrona Middle School's 1st Annual "Trunk or Treat and Halloween Festival," a very special event and fundraiser that will take place on the Madrona campus on Friday, October 18, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. There will be Food Trucks, a Trunk or Treat Zone with decorated trunks, a Haunted House, live performances, a silent auction, and more! Our local elementary students and families are invited to attend our family-friendly event. We hope to see you there - in costume or hosting/ sponsoring a trunk! Please see the event flier.

We need your assistance with completing the Torrance Unified School District 2024-25 Educational Benefit Form. Only 288 families out of our 683 students have completed the online form, which only takes a few minutes to complete. 100% Madrona family completion of the form helps ensure our school receives additional funding to support student learning and our intervention programs, as well as additional academic counseling, socio-emotional counseling, and reading recovery. Qualifying families have access to additional benefits.

Snack and Lunch is free for all Madrona students for the 2024-25 school year with a range of healthy and tasty options thanks to the TUSD Nutrition Services Department! We would like you to know that our cafeteria has gone cashless. Students interested in purchasing a la carte items and extra meals can use their LinqConnect (formerly known as Titan) account balance. Although they will still accept cash, change will not be provided, and instead, the change will be added to your student's account. Menus are on LinqConnect.

As referenced last week, your student's Quarter 1 Progress Report grades and citizenship marks are now available on PowerSchool. We encourage you to downloading the PowerSchool app to track your student's academic progress (please see information included in this newsletter).

Warm wishes for a wonderful weekend.

Go Wildcats!

Sue Key, Ed.D., Proud Principal

Madrona Middle School

Be sure to scroll through and open the Smore link to view our weekly updates, ensuring you stay informed about the latest happenings at Madrona Middle School.

Middle School is a three-year span during which students experience the most growth academically and social-emotionally. They build their organizational and interpersonal skills as they manage school and personal responsibilities.

The TUSD Portrait of a Graduate is a collective vision that articulates the desired outcomes of all K-12 students in Torrance Unified, including competencies and personal qualities that position them for success in life and career. These elements include:

• Growth Mindset & Lifelong Learning
• Communication & Collaboration
• Leadership & Character
• Healthy Habits & Life Skills
• Civic Engagement & Global Citizenship

At Madrona Middle School, we take pride in being the stepping stone that prepares your child for the transition to high school and beyond. Our focus on rigorous, relevant, and engaging academics and enriching activities ensures that your child is well-equipped for their high school journey. Our upcoming newsletters will continue to spotlight programs and learning activities that further this mission.

The Madrona Trunk or Treat and Halloween Festival is a family event sponsored by the PTSA for the communities of Fern and Hickory Elementary Schools and Madrona Middle School. The event will take place on Friday, October 18 from 5:00-7:30 pm at Madrona Middle School (on the Opal St. side) and will include trick or treating, a haunted house, crafts and activities, food trucks, entertainment and a silent auction.

If you would like to host or sponsor a trunk, donate candy, or donate prizes for the silent auction please email trunkortreat@madronaptsatorrance.org

Arts Categories

Students create and submit original works of art in the areas of:
Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Visual Arts.

Entry form is due by 10/18/24: https://forms.gle/MxQBe9timoarQ3Y98

Website: TCPTA Reflections Arts Program | National PTA

Videos: https://youtu.be/F30WEbPSYIs | https://youtu.be/R6kx-a2HpWs

Families! Has your student lost an item at school?

We have quite the collection of clothes, jackets, hoodies, water bottles, pencil pouches, hats, shoes, and more waiting to return home.

Please stop by the Lost & Found rack on the inside of the main gate. All items will be donated to a local charity at the end of Quarter 1.

Mrs. Miskimen's PE 6 & 7 students played engaging 5-minute soccer games where teams moved up or down a level to play against other teams to determine which team is ultimately the "King of the Court!".

This week, Mr. Heussenstamm's Drama students worked in collaborative groups to develop an improv performance that incorporated physical motion and sound. The lesson was a lead-up to a Puppet Rap performance, which encouraged performer-audience awareness, creativity, and confidence.

Mrs. Hallsted's Science 8 students are currently learning about magnetism and energy. Students created and tested a basic speaker design using a cone, coil, and magnet. They then worked in teams to research and create their own speaker design, applying the principle of electromagnetism to convert electrical energy (audio signals) into sound waves.

Students interested in joining the Cross Country team, please complete this Google Form.

Volleyball tryouts are happening soon. If you are interested in signing up for tryouts, please fill out this google form by October 15th. https://forms.gle/JW7WfcmvRQGETThU9

You must use your TUSD account to fill out the form. In order to try out for the team, you must have a 2.0 GPA and no more than 1 U in citizenship. Your progress report grades will be used to determine if you qualify for tryouts. Once the Google Form closes on October 15th, you will be emailed a tryout date and time. Tryouts will occur during the week of October 21st after school in the gym.

Shout-out to our Madrona Soccer Players for tough games against Casimir this past Thursday Join us for the next home game, which will be against Richardson. Go Wildcats!

Madrona Girls and Boys Soccer Schedule

Games are at 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm unless specified Girls and Boys alternate game order

• 10/10 vs Casimir MS (away game at Casimir - Girls First)
  
• 10/17 vs Hull MS (location THS Zamperini Field at 6 pm - Boys First)

Student athletes must complete an athletic packet and have a physical prior to participation on an athletic team representing our school.

TUSD Middle School Athletics Packet

UPLOAD COMPLETED ATHLETIC PACKETS & ALL FORMS HERE

If your student does NOT intend to participate in Athletics next school year, then there is NO need requirement for the physical exam or any associated athletic paperwork to complete.

Reader of the Week - Ean Kim = 750 minutes

Top class for September = Dr. Torres P4 = 18,255 minutes

Everyone = 46,182 minutes

Great reading everyone - remember Clippers challenge begins soon! Get in the practice of recording your minutes - all reading counts!

• Thank you for the students and parents who donated popcorn for our lab. Huge thank you to Wylliam Brazil and his family for donating supplies for the upcoming S'Mores lab. I appreciated your support and donations! ~Mrs. Miskimen
• Miskimen’s fastest mile times week #2: Tatum Salinas(6:42), Kaden Wall(7:21), Hako Ono(7:50), Reyli Anguiano(8:04), Nicholas Arcuri(8:04), DJ Gerszewski(8:10), Seungjae Han(8:27), Joel Lee(8:31), Aoi Muramatsu(8:33). Great effort!
  
• Miskimen’s Super Science Students who scored 100% or higher on their Unit #1 Nature of Science: Safwan Ali, David Bang, Brandon Davis, Abe Deck, Soraya Ehsan, Nathan Hernandez, Simon Kalitani, Ryan Kim, Gregory Lagrimas, Aniela Magtalas, Miwa Nagase, Ray Nago, Liam Nassif, Annie Singh, Nick Sonandres, Camryn Yuki, Anirudth Balakrisanan, Anel Garcia, Charis Lee, Camila Navarro, Adam Sharza and Barret Haynes. Great job!
• Thank you Aoi for always volunteering to collect the table folders! ~Ms.Fu
• Reagan Ryan thank you for being inclusive and kind towards the students at our school! ~Mrs. SG
• Mason Kim, Aviana Evans, and Noah Park for their exceptional participation in class. Nolan Ancheta for his help in period 1 and also for his participation. Mila Tsai and Marissa Campbell for their hard work and effort in class. Kaden Wall for his enthusiasm and positive energy in class. Way to go everyone! ~Mrs. Young
• Shout out to the following students for outstanding citizenship and participation in ELA: Dant Pascual, Joseph Da Costa, Alex Hur, Laila Miles Ryder Gibbs, Santiago Juarez, Elizabeth Walsh, Riyad Chehab, Aliora Kirsch, Gradon Easton, Hannah Lavi, Jillian Temblador, Jayden Ishida, Evan Garrison, and Khloe Garcia. ~Mr. H
• Shout out to Student Leadership for putting on a very FUN FRIDAY with music and handball! Awesome job announcing, Willow! Kaylee, you were a superstar DJ and an expert troubleshooter with the mixer/speaker system set-up! ~Dr. Key

Madrona Math Homework Club is for students who want a quiet space afterschool to do math homework and get help from the supervising math teacher or peer tutors (Madrona CJSF and THS National Honor Society Students). Students will need to check in and check-out every session.

After School Math Homework Club is open to ALL Math Content/Grade Levels- 3:30-4:30 pm (three days a week, Monday-Wednesday).

• Mondays (Room 14 w/Math Teacher Mrs. Bloomfield)
• Tuesdays (Room 9 w/Math Teacher Ms. Fu)
• Wednesdays (Room 6 w/Math Teacher Ms. Wulpern)

Sign-up your student(s) HERE. A reminder will be sent to students who are signed up. We have a 35 student limit for each session.

Your student does NOT need to be scheduled for any of the teachers running the club. Any student, any grade level and math content is welcome. Also, weekly attendance is flexible students - students are not required to attend sessions weekly, but we ask that families sign-their student up at least the day of the club.

Students! Are you interested in joining a Madrona club? Talk to the club sponsor to learn more!

• Art Club – Mr. H - Thursday - After School - 3:16 - 4:16
• Basketball Club - Coach Courtney and Coach Lalo - Wednesday - After School - 3:30 - 4:30

• Chess Club – Mrs. Bloomfield - Wednesday - Lunch

• Classic Cinema Club – Mr. Snow - Wednesday and Thursday - Lunch

• Cross Country Run Club – Mr. Estefan - Wednesday - After School - 3:20 - 3:50 - SIGN UP HERE

• Math Club – Mr. Khan - Wednesday - After School - Room 24
  

• Ultimate Frisbee Club – Mr. Frietas - Wednesday - Lunch - Field

October

• Tuesday, 10/8 - School Site Council Meeting #1 via Zoom
  
• Thursday, 10/10 - Soccer Game @Casimir (4 pm/Boys first)
• Friday, 10/11 - No School
• Monday, 10/14 - No School/Staff Development Day
• Tuesday, 10/15 - Tuesday Late Start Schedule
• Tuesday, 10/15 - Soccer vs Hull/Zamperini 6-8 pm/Boys first)
• Thursday, 10/17 - TUSD Great Shake Out Emergency Drill
• Friday, 10/18 - Madrona PTSA Trunk or Treat, 5:00 - 7:30 pm (Opal Street Side)
• Tuesday, 10/22 - School Photo Make-ups
• Friday, 10/25 - Madrona Mid-Day Mingle!
  
• Monday, 10/28 thru Friday 11/1 - Student Leadership Spirit Week!
  
  

November

• Friday, 11/1 - End of Quarter 1 Student Assembly
• Monday, 11/11 - Veteran's Day Holiday, No School
• Thursday, 11/14 - Quarter 1 Report Cards Sent to Families via PowerSchool
• Thursday, 11/21 - Volleyball @ Calle (4:00 pm/Girls first)
• Monday, 11/25- Friday 11/29 - Thanksgiving Break
  
  

* more events & dates to be added each week.

8th-grade families! The Madrona PTSA needs your help and contributions ensure your student's 8th-grade class activities are fun and memorable. Click here to learn how to help.

Donate directly to the Madrona Middle School PTSA via the DONATE link below (or) Download the Donation Form and drop off donations to the PTSA Box located in the main office. 100% of membership goes back to our school.

Donate directly to the Madrona Middle School PTSA via link above (or)
Download the Donation Form and drop off donations to the PTSA Box located in the main office

All students can access the online version of textbooks as well as educational resources through the Torrance Unified School District CLEVER portal

Please take a moment to have your student log in to CLEVER (https://clever.com/in/torrance) using their TUSD email and password to show you all the wonderful learning tools they have access to including:

• Schoology - an the online learning management system many teachers use to post their agenda and assignments.
• iReady - a resource our English and Math teacher use to support and target student learning in essential English and Math domains.

PowerSchool & PowerSchool app - Download and use the PowerSchool smartphone app to monitor your student's grades and attendance. Enable in-app alerts to receive real-time information on your student's progress. Android | Apple. The district code is TCXN. Students will need to use their student ID # and password to login. Families will need to use their PowerSchool login credentials.

Anyone (student, staff, parent/guardian) can fill this out our Google Form to refer a student for counseling. Referrals will be prioritized by the level of urgency and responded to as soon as possible.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀/𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀

NOTE: All referrals are first sent to Ms. Lujan, School Counselor. The school counselor may refer the student to our school therapist, Darren Thomas. In either case, counseling is an optional service and completely confidential, unless there is a safety risk at-hand.

If this is an 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 and you do not have immediate access to the counselor, please call 911 and/or contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988.

Link to the TUSD 2024 State of Our Schools
Annual Report to Our Community

• ID Requirement for Ticket Purchase and Entry: Unaccompanied students must present their ID before buying a ticket (cash) or entering the stadium (Go-Fan)

• High School Student Entry: Only THS students (including Shery students whose home school is THS) and students of the visiting team are allowed to enter the stadium

• Middle School Student Entry: Hull and Madrona students must enter with a parent/ guardian (does not include an older sibling/ cousin)

• Continuing Policies

• No Re-Entry: As a reminder, once students leave the stadium, they won't be allowed back in.

• No Entry After Halftime: Once halftime finishes, no one will be allowed to enter the stadium.

• ID Requirement: Students must bring their student ID or be able to access your PowerSchool (not a screenshot), as staff may ask to see it.

• No Loitering: Students cannot hangout by the snackbar/ restrooms or under the bleachers

• No Bags: Students cannot bring bags into the stadium

Students and families, this year we currently have 3 Madrona Teams (see below) participating in the Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. Let's ignite our school spirit by joining 1 or all three of our Madrona School Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Teams!!! Remember you don't have to actually do the walking you can also join the teams as Virtual Walkers!!!

Madrona Leadership Team

We will be walking in the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk to help make a difference! This important event is organized to raise funds for Madrona Middle School's Leadership students. Our fundraising goal is $2,700 and our students will be using this money to organize our Spring Dance, purchasing birthday gifts for EVERY Wildcat and teachers, equipment and supplies for our assemblies, spirit supplies, and helping to keep our campus beautiful. Thank you for considering us as you donate. We are so grateful for your support!

Madrona Music Family! Team

This year we are hoping to raise $40,000 to go towards the purchase of music, instruments, sound equipment and field trips.

Madrona Wildcats!' Team

This fundraiser aims to update our Cafeteria/Multi-purpose Room audio/visual system, which is frequently used for family meetings and student assemblies. We currently use an older model projector stationed on a rolling cart connected by multiple cables and power cords. If you have sat in one of our presentations before, you'll notice that this unit may hinder the view of school presentations.

As the South Bay's Best Public Middle School, we have a reputation to uphold. This event is not just a fundraiser; it's a chance for us to come together, show our pride, and make a difference at Madrona Middle School. Let's show everyone why we are THE BEST by signing up to attend and participate in this exciting event!

We hope to see you walking with family and friends at the Skechers Walk on Sunday, October 20!

Looking for a way to help out our school? We are ALWAYS in need of school supplies! Any help we can get is ALWAYS greatly appreciated. If you do purchase an item(s) please have it delivered to:
Madrona Middle School 21364 Madrona Avenue Torrance, CA 90503 310-533-4562. Thank you!
If you have it delivered to your home, please drop off at the front office (or) have your student bring it in. Madrona Middle School Wishlist Link

Sign up for Ralphs Community Contribution Program ad NO added cost to you. Use Madrona's Organization ID UF902. Click here The program requires registration each September to stay active!

Madrona Middle School was voted the Best Public Middle School in the 2024 Daily Breeze/Beach Reporter South Bay Best Readers' Choice survey! This recognition is a testament to the supportive and safe learning environment created through the collaborative effort of our student body, staff, and families.

The Daily Breeze / Beach Reporter published its annual Readers Choice Awards - link to the webpage and insert: https://dailybreeze.readerschoice.la/2024-south-bays-rc-on-issuu-com/

School Website: https://www.tusd.org/schools/madrona

Address: 21364 Madrona Avenue, Torrance, CA, USA

General Email: madronainfo@tusd.org

Attendance Office: madronattend@tusd.org

Main Phone #: (310)533-4562

Visit our school website and follow us on Instagram for updates on school events and activities.