News From The Nest🦅
Madison Elementary Parent Newsletter November 2023
November Already?
📅 Save The Date..Mark Your Calendars!
October 30-November 6- Book Fair
November 1-Native American Heritage Month Begins
November 5-Daylight Savings Time-Set your clocks back an hour!
November 6-MDPS Board Meeting 7pm@ WMS
November 7-Election Day-NO SCHOOL for Students!
November 8- Picture Retakes
November 16-Madison's World Fair 5:30@ MHS
November 21-Half Day for Students (End of 1st Trimester)
November 22-24-No School-Thanksgiving Recess
Last Call for Purchases from the Book Fair!
The Book Fair started at MES last week and Monday will be the last day to shop! Please send money (CASH ONLY) with students in an envelope with their name and amount on it. You can also set up an eWallet to prepay ahead of time by using the link below.
Picture Retakes!
Picture retakes will be offered on Wednesday, November 8th! ALL students who were not present on Picture Day will be photographed for the yearbook, along with anyone else desiring a retake. Please inform your student's teacher if you would like for him/her to have their picture taken again. New proofs will be sent home for viewing and orders will be placed on line just as before.
End of 1st Trimester-Thanksgiving Break!
Our 1st trimester will end on November 21st! Students will have a half day of school to allow teachers the opportunity to prepare report cards to inform you of their progress so far. Once completed, the report cards will be mailed to you at the address we have on file. Immediately following Records Day, we will have no school from Wednesday, November 22-Friday, November 24 for Thanksgiving Break. School will resume on Monday, November 27.
ParentSquare
We are excited to announce that we now have access to a new district-wide communication system that will soon take the place of School Messenger. Adminstrators and teachers here at MES will continue to utilize Class Dojo for all of our quick or personalized messages, but all mass messages sent to the entire student body will only come from ParentSquare from now on. All parents should have already received an activation email containing information for how to log onto ParentSquare and set up an account. If you haven't yet, please contact the main office so we can assist. Those who do not register will still receive text, email, and phone notifications. However, parents who create an account can also interact by viewing photos, downloading attachments, leaving comments, messaging teachers, signing permission slips and managing their communication settings and preferences. Watch the video or click the link to the presentation below to learn more about how to get connected.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/196tRe7iGNtNaXHrA-k9Rohf8YawoKHor/view?usp=sharing
Yay!! Brownies are Back at MES!
Our MES Daisy Troop (K-2) is thriving! So I am excited to announce we now will have another Brownie troop here at Madison! The Brownie troop is open to all 2nd-3rd graders who are interested in joining! The first meeting for our Brownies will be Thursday, November 9th at 5:00 and they will continue to meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month from 5:00-6:00 (right before our Daisy Troop). There will be a $5 troop dues fee required at each meeting to help fund refreshments and activities. Interested parents are encouraged to use the following link to enroll students online before the meeting, as you must be a member to participate. https://www.girlscouts.org/. If you need assistance with enrollment, please call a GS Customer Care team member at 800-482-6734, option 3 and they would be happy to help! Financial aid is also available based on need.
Dance Camp Spots Still Available!
"Dance camp" is going very well and students who have attended are having tons of fun! There are still a few more spots available for any 4th and 5th graders who would like to join them! They meet once a week, on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30 right after school. Students are receiving fundamental instruction in a combination of dance styles (modern, jazz, hip-hop, etc.) that results in choreographed routines that may be performed by the students at school events. No previous experience is necessary! Use the button below to add your student to the list if interested.
Yum! Pizza! Pizza! Help Us Earn Some Dough!
PTO is hosting a Pizza Kit Fundraiser! It is very similar to the one we've done in the past but better because all items purchased will be delivered directly to the buyer! You can order kits to make at home, as well as pizzas to be picked up at any local Little Ceasar's resturant! Pass on the flyer, QR code or link to all of your family and friends so they can place orders too! We have two weeks left to sell, the fundraiser will end on November 19th! Please consider helping our school by doing something you love to do anyway...eat pizza!
Canned Food Drive!
Thanks so much to everyone who has donated food for our canned food drive to help families in need during the holiday season! If you haven't yet, it's not too late, but this is the last week! The class who brings in the most cans will win a pizza party! So far, Mrs. Venditti's class is in the lead, but Mrs. Gurganus' class is not far behind! Everyone still has a chance to catch up!
Congrats to our November Students of the Month!
McKenna Thrasher-4th Grader
McKenna goes above and beyond to show kindness and compassion toward others. She often seeks out classmates who seem to be in need of a friend to help them in any way that she can. McKenna can be counted on to actively engage in all classroom activities, she asks and answers questions throughout the entire day. McKenna never settles for anything less than her personal best, and we appreciate that. Keep doing amazing things, McKenna...It is an honor to have you as part of our MES school family!
Masato Lapoint-4th Grader
We Appreciate our November Employee of the Month!
Katie Venditti-Multi-Age Self-Contained Classroom Teacher
Katie has been teaching at Madison for almost 12 years. She started in 1st & 2nd grade before moving to special education, where she is currently teaching kindergarten and 1st grade students in a self-contained classroom. In her spare time she loves traveling and being outdoors with her husband, whom she married just last year. One of her favorite adventures was a recent road trip out West where she and her hubby did a lot of hiking and sight seeing.
Katie is a leader not just in her classroom but throughout our building and the community. She is always a teamplayer and goes above and beyond as a teacher, colleague, mentor and friend. She can be counted on to step up and help out whenever and wherever she is needed, and knows just what to say to put a smile on everyone's face. As the special education department head, we value her knowledge and expertise, as she leads her team and advocates for students to ensure that all of their needs are met. Her love for teaching is apparent in everything she does here at MES and her hard work does not go unnoticed. We are truly lucky to have her on our team!
💜💛💜Capturing Kids' Hearts💜💛💜
One of the main purposes of Capturing Kids' Hearts is to help ensure that every student at MES feels loved, valued and cared for when they enter our space at the beginning of each day! It is important to us to know how we're doing with this goal. Please use the button below to complete the parent survey to inform us of the areas that are currently a strength for us, as well as the areas that we could grow in. We look forward to your feedback so we can make any adujstments needed to improve. Thanks in advance!
At the end of each month, we celebrate selected students who have consistently exemplified the CKH character trait focus for that particular month. Our focus characteristic for October was "self-direction". Click the link below to see the students who were recognized for their ability to make positive choices and take intentional steps toward who, where, and what they want to be.
This Month's New Focus is Teamwork!
Teamwork is the ability to work in unity with others towards a common goal. For us to learn how to become team players, it is important that we learn to listen, encourage our peers, and allow and invite others to contribute their talents and skills.
Why focus on Teamwork?
- Teamwork improves communication: Teamwork helps us improves our verbal and non-verbal communication skills, conveying that we care and a relevant message.
- Teamwork builds interpersonal awareness: Growing a great team requires us to first build strong relationships through better understanding ourselves and others.
- Teamwork celebrates diversity. Teamwork thrives from diverse ideas that come from a mixture of different genders, cultures, expertise, experience, and problem-solving approaches.
Save the Date! Madison's World Fair is Returning!
MDPS is hosting Madison’s World Fair again this year! The purpose of the evening is to highlight and celebrate the strengths of all the cultures that make up our community. We are reaching out to local international businesses, cultural organizations, performing/visual artists, and all community members to request donations and/or volunteers. We will have food, games, visual arts displays, crafts, live performances, cultural information stations, and encourage attendees to dress in traditional cultural clothing. There are many ways that you can help! If you have a food sample, talent, game or cultural artifact you'd like to showcase, or know someone who might, please let us know by clicking on the flyer to access the volunteer form. If not, still hope to see you there enjoying the festivities!
A Look Ahead!
Our MES PTO has partnered with Communities in Schools and the Pontiac Public Library to host a Game Night for our families! Come join us at the library for an evening of fun! RSVP by using the QR code on the flyer!
Want Some MES Gear to Show Your School Pride?
Join our MES Spirit Wear Store! The store has tons of product and design options for you to choose from, allowing you to customize the perfect spirit wear made just for you! Your purchase can also help us raise money for our school, so it's a win-win for everyone! Click the button below to join, so you can pick out what you'd like to purchase right away, and/or be kept up to date on new products, sales and special promotions to buy from the site at another time. Don't miss a chance to show everyone you meet what MES Eagle Pride looks like!
Madison Elementary School
Felecia Hemingway, Principal
Tung Tran, Assistant Principal
Email: felecia.hemingway@madisondistrict.org
Website: https://es.madisondistrict.org/
Location: 27107 Hales Street, Madison Heights, MI, USA
Phone: 248-542-3414