Heights Happenings

Dear Madison Heights Families,

It was so fun seeing everyone at our Meet the Teacher event on Thursday. We are so excited to start the school year! Please see important information below about the first day, schedules, drop off and pick up.

I would like to add a special neighborhood request as everyone is maneuvering traffic before and after school. I know that school zones are high traffic areas and can be frustrating at times. We ask for your patience, courtesy to other drivers (and staff), and to our neighbors. Please respect no parking signs, especially around the corner of 22nd Street and Myrtle, and please do not block driveways or trash cans. In the past I have received calls from neighbors who were not able to back out of their driveway or whose trash pick up was missed due to the container being blocked. We appreciate our neighborhood partnerships and ask that everyone do their part to help out.

Thank you!

Steve

When you arrive.... School starts at 7:45 a.m., the first bell rings at 7:40 a.m. Teachers pick up students on the playground at 7:40 a.m. and walk directly to the classrooms. Students arriving after 7:45 are considered tardy. Supervision is provided starting at 7:15 in the morning on the school playground.

Before School Visitors

Visitors wishing to come on campus prior to the start of the school day may accompany their child to the playground from 7:15 am until the first bell rings. Visitors are expected to leave campus promptly when the first bell rings and may not follow students into classrooms.

Dismissal:

School dismisses at 2:30 p.m. Parent pick up is between 2:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. located on the north side of campus. All students are expected to be picked up by 2:45 at parent pick up. We ask for your patience as everyone is learning the pick up procedures. The process gets faster as the year goes.

Please take some time to review the drop off and pick up procedures below if you are new to Heights.

Student Drop Off/Pick Up Procedures

Please reviews these procedures with your child and any adult you designate to pick up/drop off your child.

Before School

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students are dropped off in the front of the school by the front office off 22nd street. This area is for kindergarten, drop off, and siblings of a kindergartener. Following these steps helps keep everyone safe and helps move cars through more efficiently.

• Drop off is from 7:15-7:40. Traffic is much lighter before 7:30

• As you pull up to the drop off area have your child move over to the right hand side of the car.

• Make sure your child is ready: Backpacks zipped and lunches ready to go. Students unload one car at a time and the teacher will open the right hand side door for the student to exit.

• Once your child is out of the car there are two exit options for cars: circle around the front parking lot and exit to the right or drive down the hill parking lot and exit left or right.

First - Fourth Grade

Here’s how you can help make our morning drop off (7:15-7:40) more efficient and safe for kids:

• Drop off is from 7:15-7:40. Traffic is much lighter before 7:30

• Students with siblings in kindergarten may be dropped off at the Kindergarten drop off site, this applies to carpools with a kindergarten student as well.

• Have your child(ren) sit on the right side of the car.

• Help make sure your child(ren) are ready: Backpacks zipped and lunches ready to go. Cars will unload four at a time without a teacher opening the door. Getting out of the car needs to be as quick and safe as possible.

• Come north on 20th St. (turn off Glendale at the castle-house.) Enter the drop off lane by taking a right turn from Myrtle (eastbound). We use a single lane in the mornings. (see pic) Once your child is out of the car, you can exit eastbound or westbound on Myrtle, but watch carefully for pedestrians and oncoming traffic.

• Please use the drop-off lane. It is the safest way to get your child from the car to campus. If you absolutely must park, park on the south side of Myrtle and escort your child all the way to campus. We strongly advise not to park across the street, as crossing the street outside of a crosswalk is dangerous. We also strongly advise not to drop off while in the traffic lanes on Myrtle; this again is very dangerous for children

• Please, no U-turns or 3-point-turns anywhere near our driveways.

• If you arrive at 7:45 or later, you should drive around to the main entrance in front of the office, on 22nd St. Our back gates will be closed, and your child will need a tardy pass. Please do not send students running across the parking lot or sidewalks to reach a gate that is closing.

• Thank you for bringing us your children each day and for improving the process of getting them here safely.

  After School

  Kindergarten - Fourth Grade: All students are released from the back parking lot off of Myrtle at 2:30pm. Here’s how you can help make our afternoon pickup more efficient and safe for kids.

  • Have your child’s name card tag hanging from the rear-view mirror. This helps us with efficiency.

  • Come north on 20th St. (turn off Glendale at the castle-house.) Enter the pickup lane by taking a right turn from Myrtle (eastbound). We work a double lane in the afternoon (see pic.) People heading out westbound on Myrtle must choose the left lane. People heading out eastbound on Myrtle must choose the right lane.

  • Watch carefully for all staff members giving directions and holding signs. As a general rule, cars stay stopped while there are children in the boarding area, then cars are released in groups, 8 at a time. Stay stopped until the staff directs you to proceed. Be aware that other children may be boarding around you, even after your child is in the car.

  • Please use the pickup driveway. It is the safest way to get your child from the campus to the car. If you absolutely must, park on the south side of Myrtle and escort your child by the hand. We strongly advise not to park across the street, as crossing the street outside of a crosswalk is dangerous. We also strongly advise not to board while in the traffic lanes on Myrtle; this again, is very dangerous for children.

  • Please, no U-turns or 3-point-turns anywhere near our driveways.

  • Students whose parents are late are taken to the school office. If you arrive late, please drive around to the office on 22nd St. You will need to park and go into the office to sign out your child.

  Thank you for bringing us your children each day and for improving the process of getting them home safely. Please understand that these procedures were set as a safety measure for our students. We have many parents driving students to and from school and we have made this as efficient and safe as possible. At the beginning of the year it seems to take a bit longer, but it does get quicker as the year progresses.

  Thank you for your cooperation in making this a safe and pleasant experience for all. This may not be the most convenient of procedures for everyone, but it has the safety of our students as the number one priority. With all of us working together, it is quite an efficient process.

  Thank you for thinking of student safety first by following the set procedures!

  
  

The Heights Back to School Curriculum Night is a chance to listen to classroom presentations about curriculum, classroom routines/schedules, parent/teacher communication, homework/grading, and volunteer opportunities among other topics. The table shows our Curriculum Night schedule. We will begin with a Heights welcome presentation at 5:00 p.m. in the cafeteria followed by grade level presentations. We look forward to seeing you at our Curriculum night!

• In the 2024-25 School Year, students will not have an odd / even day schedule. Students will start in the same class everyday and follow the same consistent schedule each day.
• Starting in 3rd grade, we departmentalize (a change from 2nd grade.) Students will have 4 teachers: Math, Reading /Writing, Spanish Language Arts / Social Studies, Science (Spanish)
• In 4th grade, students will start in a homeroom for Reading / Writing, then rotate to each subject area (Science, Spanish Language Arts / Social Studies, Math) throughout the rest of the day.
• We will continue with our Day 1 - Day 4 Rotation for Special Area classes. Special Areas for all students are: Music, Art, PE, Spanish Fluency
• Schedules will be accessible on July 29th for families who have completed the check-in process. Class lists will not be changed as we worked hard to create balanced classrooms that foster an environment where every student can thrive.
  

August 2, 2024

Dear Madison Heights Parents and Guardians:

The Madison School District is committed to providing a safe environment for our students and faculty. Each school year, we take the opportunity to provide training for our staff on how to recognize and report Bullying/Harassment and Intimidation in the classroom during the first week back. In addition, we also provide explicit training for our students on this topic during the first month of the school year by our team of school social workers. This training provides our students with a deeper understanding of the definition of bullying and examples of what it is and isn’t and how to report bullying at school.

Our campus also has a school wide PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) program called RULER. The intention of the program is to create a healthier, more equitable, innovative, and compassionate school environment.

Although we do our best to proactively support the wellbeing of our students, in the event that you believe your child or another child is being bullied/harassed or intimidated, please contact our Assistant Principal, Victoria Coughlin. Our school handbook outlines the board policy and Student Rights and Supports. Our handbook can be found on the Madison website at madisonaz.org under the families tab.

I appreciate your support in regards to this matter and am looking forward to a great school year.

Sincerely,

Steve Lee

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