Madrona Family Memo

Greetings, Madrona Families!

We hope your Thanksgiving holiday was filled with gratitude and time with loved ones. This week was an exciting dive back into learning and maximizing the learning time before the winter break.

The following two weeks are a great opportunity for students to refocus on their academic goals and continue building positive habits that will carry them into the new year. We encourage families to support students in staying organized, completing assignments on time, and maintaining a consistent routine, especially since we are midway through Quarter 2 (Quarter 2 Progress Report grades will be posted next Friday, December 13).

8th-grade families! Check out the two opportunities included in this newsletter: the TUSD Early College Program (due 1/17) and the City of Torrance Students in Government Program (due 2/3). Winter Break is the perfect time to have your student apply for either of these exciting programs.

Thank you for partnering with us to foster a culture of learning and growth!

Go Wildcats!

Sue Key, Ed.D., Proud Principal

Madrona Middle School

are reflected in Madrona students as they grow in their ability to demonstrate academic literacies and continuous pursuit of interdisciplinary knowledge, welcoming challenges as pathways to growth, and craft solutions by leveraging innovative ideas, critical thinking skills, evidence-based insights, technology, and diverse perspectives.

- an element of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

Throughout the Madrona campus, Math students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade engaged in active math strategies that supported their depth of knowledge. Students worked in randomized groups of three to discover solutions to problem sets.

Thank you to all who participated in Week 5 - Thanksgiving Bonus week, we gained 6000 minutes with your help. Here are the numbers:

Top class = Dr. Torres P4 = 20,326 minutes

Top reader = Aidan Pham = 1,458 minutes

Everyone = 191,336 minutes

Clippers challenge ends Friday, 12/6 - get your minutes in!

HOMEWORK CLUB (formerly known as MATH HOMEWORK CLUB)

Calling all students with a growth mindset! Come to Madrona Homework Club for a quiet space to do homework and get help from the supervising math teacher or peer tutors. Students will need to check in and check-out every session. Sign-up HERE. The club is limited to 35 student per session.

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

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

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Please Note: temporary location change for next week

• Monday, December 16 in Room 9 / Ms. Fu
• Tuesday, December 17 in Room 14 / Mrs. Bloomfield

are reflected in Madrona students as they grow in their ability to actively listen to understand others, seek common ground, and effectively articulate ideas, positions, and stories in ways that build strong interpersonal relationships and collaborations for mutual benefit

- an element of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

This week, 6th-grade students in Mrs. Miskimen's Public Speaking class worked on their communication skills by giving short speeches. They introduced themselves and shared the symbolism or connection to an item brought from home. Bravo!

Ms. Ton's 8th-grade PLTW Design and Modeling students wrapped up their Pull Toy summative design project, which included the criteria for incorporating at least three interconnected and functional mechanisms. Student teams presented their work's strengths and challenges and demonstrated their gadget to the class.

are reflected in Madrona students as they grow in their ability have a positive influence of others with a style of leadership that models integrity, responsibility, resilience, empathy, and respect for others.

- an element of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

Congratulations to Lorenzo Rendon for his recognition at the Association of California School Administers Region 14 Every Student Succeeding Award Ceremony on Thursday evening.

Lorenzo is recognized for his perseverance and continued demonstration of being a kind, respectful, and responsible model student while overcoming challenging circumstances. Congrats on your scholarship, Lorenzo!

are reflected in Madrona students who prioritize self-care by developing healthy habits and life skills that ensure long-term physical mental, emotional, social, and financial well-being

- an element of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

Ms. Wooldridge's and Ms. Aceves' Social Studies students participated in physically engaging "Oregon Trail" activities, working in "Family Feud" groups to compete in "hoop and stick" and "ball and cup" competitions, a nod to the games children would have played during the United States Westward Expansion historical period (1801-1861).

Volleyball!
Our Girls' and Boys' Volleyball teams played against Casimir Middle School this past Thursday, December 5. The girls were narrowly beat by Casimir's team. Boys WON!! Excellent display of good sportsmanship, Wildcats!

If you missed the last game, join us for future games! The next two games are at Madrona. All games are 4:00-6:00 pm in the GYM unless indicated.

• 12/12 - at Madrona, vs Bert Lynn Middle School (girls first)
• 12/19 - at Madrona, vs Richardson Middle School (boys first)
• 1/7 - TBD 6:30 or 7:00 pm, vs Hull Middle School, Torrance High School Gym (TBD on the order)

Cross Country!

Run Club continues to meet weekly* on Wednesdays from 3:30 to ~3:50 pm on the blacktop for runs in the neighborhood. (*Check with Mr. Estefan)

Our next competition - Spring Meet: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 4PM, Hull Middle School

Athletic Clearance Packet & Physical Form
Student athletes must complete an athletic packet and have a physical prior to participation on an athletic team representing our school. In order to try out for a team, you must have a 2.0 GPA and no more than 1 U in citizenship the previous Quarter.
TUSD Middle School Athletics Packet | Upload Completed Forms Here

are reflected in Madrona students as they grow in their ability to passionately champion civic engagement and global citizenship, proactively contributing to a more inclusive, equitable, and interconnected world through dedicated actions, advocacy, service, and environmental stewardship

- an element of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

Ms. Snider's Performing Arts students teamed up with the Torrance High School Performing Arts students and Band Director Eric Hankey, Elementary Fern and Hickory 5th-graders and their music teacher Ms. Glaser, and families for the Central Area Music Caroling Stroll, bringing holiday cheer to the Central Torrance area. Students and families dressed in their holiday best!

• Super Science Students... Miwa Nagase scored 100% on both Water Cycle Quizzes. Students who scored 100% on one of their quizzes: Safwan Ali, Ben Chapman, Abe Deck, Justine Hernandez, Calvin Licup, Liam Nassif, Kyrie Nitta, Gavin Spangenberg, Aniela Magtalas, Camryn Yuki, Nicholas Sonandres, Anirudh Balakrishnan, Cian Bondoc, Jaiveer Dulku, Jude Engoy, Avianna Evans, Caleb Garcia, Soma Ishi, Zoey Law, Charis Lee, Camila Navarro, and Lilly Norgren. Great job! ~Mrs. Miskimen

• Fastest mile runners on 12/5: Nathanial Cole (6:17), Tatum Salinas (6:18), Hako Ono (6:58), Kayden Wall (6:51) Dylan Ohshita (7:12), Nick Arcuri (7:17), Aio Muramatsu (7:19), Wylliam Brazil (7:30), Gavin Spangenberg (7:35), Eli Leevy (7:45), Leona Chiv (7:45), Ray Nago (7:49), and Henry Kim (7:56). Keep working hard. ~Mrs. Miskimen

• Molly White- Thank you for the awesome gift from Spain. It makes a wonderful addition to my Christmas decorations. ~Mrs. Bloomfield
• Algebra Students- Thank you for your continued perseverance with this new material. I know it can be difficult but stick with it. ~Mrs. Bloomfield
• Math 8- Great job in working on the Comparing Properties. ~Mrs. Bloomfield

• Congratulations to the boys volleyball team for a great win against Casimir. ~McGurk

• Shout out to the girls volleyball team for coming close to winning. ~McGurk

• Mrs. Fisher is SO proud of Lorenzo Rendon for winning the Every Student Succeeding Award and representing Torrance well because of his perseverance, positive attitude and kind heart during trials. Congratulations on your good grades this quarter too!
• Shout-out to Mrs. Snider's Performing Arts students who demonstrated Civic Engagement bringing good cheer to our community by participating in the Central Area Music Caroling on Friday night. Awesome holiday costumes and ugly sweaters! ~Dr. Key

The City of Torrance will be hosting the 19th Annual Students and Government Day on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. 8th-grade students interested in participating must complete the form by February 3, 2025 to be considered. One student will be selected per TUSD middle school.

December

• 12/12 - Madrona Volleyball vs Bert Lynn at Home (girls first/4:00 pm)

• 12/19 -Madrona Volleyball vs Richardson at Home (boys first/4:00 pm)

• 12/23-1/3 - Winter Break! ⛄

January

• Monday, 1/6 - School Resumes
• 1/7 - Madrona Volleyball vs Hull Middle School, Torrance High School Gym (TBD on the order/ 6:30 or 7:00 pm)
• Thursday, 1/23 - TUSD Vision and Hearing Screening
• Friday, 1/24 - End of Quarter 2 Student Assembly
• Monday, 1/27 - 8th Grade Panoramic Picture during Tutorial
• Friday, 1/31 - Winter Concert @ Madrona, 6:00 - 8:00pm

February

• Friday, 2/7 - No School/Staff Development Day
• Monday, 2/10 - Lincoln's Birthday - No School
• Monday, 2/17 - President's Day - No School

* more events & dates to be added each week.

Click Here to Place Your See's Candy Order, and Help Madrona PTSA Reach Their Goal!

Thank you for supporting Madrona Middle School!

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.

So far, the Madrona PTSA has raised $7,805 of their $25,000 goal for 8th-grade student activities.

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

TUSD is happy to provide different acceleration opportunities in math for students.

1. 6th graders - independently practice 7th grade content on Khan Academy and then take a test in April (date TBA) in order to enroll in Accelerated Math 7 or Algebra 1 in 7th grade.
2. Students currently in Math 6 can study 1st Semester 7th Grade content and test into Accelerated Math 7 as 7th graders.
3. Students currently in Accelerated Math 6 can study 2nd Semester 7th Grade Content and Math 8 content and test into Algebra 1 as 7th graders.

Here are links shared during a TUSD Math Acceleration Zoom Meeting, also posted on the TUSD Parent/Student Mathematics Website

• Acceleration by Defense (Pathways and FAQ)
• Math 6 to Accelerated 7th (Presentation Slides - 2023-24 version is still current, Sign Up Form, sample assessment, learning targets, and links to Khan Academy)

There are other acceleration opportunities available to 6th, 7th and 9th grade students. If your student is not ready for independent practice/testing as a means of acceleration, they will have additional acceleration opportunities in the future.

All students access the online version of textbooks and educational resources through the TUSD CLEVER portal

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 of their learning tools

• Schoology - an online learning management system teachers use to post agendas and assignments.
• iReady - a resource teachers use to support learning in essential Reading and Math domains.

The iReady Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that identifies students’ strengths and opportunities for growth during this school year. This information helps teachers determine how best to support their student learning and monitor student growth over time. Watch this video to learn more.

How can I access my student’s results?

1. Log in to your student’s i-Ready Dashboard through Clever.
2. Click the "For Families" dropdown and select the "For Families report".
3. Enter the Torrance Unified School District’s Report Code: 40497Y.
   
   

For more information:

• Madrona_iReady-Communication-to-families ( Spanish | Japanese | Chinese )

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

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

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.

Families with 8th-grade students interested in our Early College Program are invited to check out information on the TUSD Early College Information Page or the informational video.

This comprehensive 4-year program begins freshman year and allows students to simultaneously complete their high school graduation requirements, along with transferable college-level general education courses. This saves students valuable time and money and helps open accessibility to college paths.

ACTIVE PARENTING FOR TEENS
Virtual Parenting Classes For Parents of Teens and 'Tweens - see flyer. Parenting class series starting! Free Parenting Class 6 week series starting this week for parents of youth or teens. VIrtual sessions weekly on Wednesdays 5-7pm. Parents can sign up at this link or through the QR code on the flyers below.

Parent Workshops

Parents can sign up by emailing buildingbridges@tusd.org or through link on the flyer.

As a California public school student, your child may be eligible to receive a CalKIDS scholarship of $500 to $1,500 for college or career training. Funded by the State of California, a CalKIDS scholarship can be used for qualified college and career training expenses such as tuition and fees, books and supplies, computer equipment, and some room and board expenses. Checking a student’s eligibility and claiming a CalKIDS scholarship is easy. It only takes a minute. All you need is your child’s 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), which can be found at the top of the page when you select your student in PowerSchool. For more information and to check your child’s eligibility, visit CalKIDS.org.

TUSD DELMAC Annual Parent Conference
Save-the-Date flyer in all languages.

Event: TUSD DELMAC Annual Parent Conference

Audience: Parents & Guardians of Multilingual Learners

Date: Friday, December 13, 2024

Event Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm

Location: Levy Adult Center

This year's conference theme: Bridging Cultures: Empowering Multilingual Learners for Success. This theme emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange and inclusivity while focusing on practical strategies to support language development, academic achievement, and social integration.

Our Board of Education voted to extend the free Metro GoPass program for a second year, and we are proud to offer this benefit to all our students. The program includes a Metro TAP (Transit Access Pass) card that offers FREE unlimited rides on Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) bus rail and subway lines, including Torrance Transit, Long Beach Transit, Culver CityBus, Gardena Transit (GTrans) and LADOT Dash.

If your student has a TAP card from last year, you will just need a new code, which you can pick up from our school office. We also have a stock of TAP cards for new riders or those who lost their old cards. New cards will need to be activated before being used. For more information, visit https://www.tusd.org/administrative-services/metro-gopass.

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!

As you may have seen in the Back to School Highlights from TUSD Superintendent Dr. Stowe, this year, we have unveiled an updated vision for our District. After more than 18 months of input, best practice research, and development, we have published our "Portrait of a Graduate." Our Portrait describes the key skills that we want every student to have developed by the time they graduate from Torrance Unified.

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. We look forward to sharing stories about how our teachers and staff are helping our students practice these elements at our school.

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.