Madrona Family Memo

Hello and Happy Saturday, Madrona Families!

This week is Spirit Week, hosted by Madrona Student Leadership. Encourage your student to show their school spirit by dressing up to match the theme. Monday is Sports Day, Tuesday is Disney Day, Wednesday is Black Out, Thursday is Halloween, and Friday is Show-Off Your Class Colors for our Quarter 1 Assembly.

Halloween costumes are allowed next Thursday, October 31 - Please remind your student/s that Halloween costumes must meet Torrance Unified School District and Madrona Middle School expectations for school safety and school-appropriate attire. For safety and identification purposes, students may not wear masks or have their faces covered by a costume or completely painted. No plastic weapons are allowed on campus. This information was shared with families last week.

Title IX is an important law that protects students. Specifically, Title IX is a United States federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Please read the following letter for more information regarding these protections. This information is also posted on our school website.

Families with 6th-grade students enrolled in the "Wildcat Wheel," Quarterly Enrichment class - An email will be sent this week with information on the class your student will be switching into for Quarter 2 (Public Speaking, Introduction to Art, Introduction to Music, or Intro to PLTW Design/Modeling). On Monday, November 4, your student's new class will show up in PowerSchool with their new teacher's name and room number.

We are getting closer! 287 of our 683 families still need a few minutes to complete the Torrance Unified School District 2024-25 Educational Benefit Form (one account with all TUSD students included). 100% of Madrona's family completion of the form helps ensure our school receives additional state and federal 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 educational benefits.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Warm regards,

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.

Thank you, Madrona PTSA, for hosting our first Mid-Day Mingle for the 2024-25 School Year! It was wonderful seeing so many Wildcat Families and Students enjoying lunch together.

Our next Madrona PTSA-Hosted Mid-Day Mingle is scheduled for Friday, January 24. 2025!

Thank you to all the families who came out to Manhattan Beach this past Sunday for the Skechers Friendship Walk fundraiser! We raised over $5,000 for Madrona Leadership, Madrona's Music Program, and Madrona Middle School's Cafeteria project. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this fundraiser. The challenge is ON to beat our October 2024 total at our October 2025 walk!

Please remind your students to take care of the Chromebooks lent to them. They are a precious resource! Students should not be running with the devices or mistreating them. Gentle reminders that families will be charged for repair costs if a device is intentionally damaged.

Families! Has your student lost an item at school?

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

Please stop by the Lost & Found rack located on the inside of the main gate. Items will be either thrown away or donated to a local charity after November 1.

At Madrona, classroom and extracurricular activities support our students' Growth Mindset & Lifelong Learning; Communication & Collaboration; Leadership & Character; Healthy Habits & Life Skills, and Civic Engagement & Global Citizenship - all elements of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

Ms. Snider's Music Students reflected on their visit to the Armstrong Theatre to watch the Met 2 Beauty and the Beast stage production last Friday. Ms. Snider posed questions about potential careers in the arts and discussed behind-the-scenes careers such as set design, lighting and sound engineering, and more.

This week, Madrona Counselor Ms. Lujan visited 7th-grade classrooms to give the annual Torrance Unified School District Signs of Suicide presentation. The presentation included protective resources for students and their peers, including information on our confidential mental wellness referral process.

Ms. Aceves' engaged her Social Studies 7 students in critical thinking and discourse about aid to France during the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 and their potential war with Britain as reenacted in scenes from the Hamilton Musical.

Once again Madrona's eSports team (with eSports sponsor, Ms. Ton) take the win, this time 3-1 over Jefferson Middle School in multiple games of Rocket League. Go Wildcats!

Participation in Madrona Sports and activities supports our students' Growth Mindset; Communication & Collaboration; Leadership & Character; Healthy Habits & Life Skills, and Civic Engagement - elements of the TUSD Portrait of A Graduate!

Run Club continues to meet weekly** on Wednesdays from 3:30 to ~3:50 on the blacktop for runs in the neighborhood. (** Check with Mr Estefan to make sure the run is still happening for the day.)

We have our competitions for the year scheduled.

• Fall Meet: Thursday, November 14, 2024, 4PM, Hull Middle School
• Spring Meet: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 4PM, Hull Middle School

All games are 4:00-6:00 pm in the GYM unless indicated.

• 11/21 - at Calle Middle School (girls first)
• 12/5 - at Casimir Middle School (boys first)
• 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)

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. Progress report academic & citizenship grade will be examined for 6th-graders.

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.

Top student: Aidan Pham = 899 minutes

Top class: Dr. Torres, P4 = 11,376 minutes

Everyone = 87,631 minutes

Remember: Clippers challenge begins 10/28 - read and record! 7th and 8th students may pick up a reading log in the library!

• Congratulations to our Rocket League eSport team: Josh Montenegro, Kevin Upton, Daniel Patel, and Jayden Llamas Gonzalez for defeating Jefferson 3-0 and Sunnyville High 3-1 in this week's matchups. Good luck next week as we play against Calle. ~ Mrs. Ton
• Nicholas Sonandres turned in a lap top he found. Way to be honest!!! ~ Mrs. Miskimen
• Thank you to Marissa Campbell and other Period 1 students for the sweet card! ~ Ms. Fu
• Thank you to Kei Nakanishi, Asher Vargheese, Jacob Yamamoto, Noah Marquez, and Kayden Yamashita for helping me to decorate my trunk for Trunk or Treat last Friday night. You are all the best. You did a great job and I am so grateful for your help. ~ Mrs. Bloomfield
• Layla Campbell and Reagan Ryan- You two are the best!!!! I cannot thank you enough for staying and helping me to pass out candy during Trunk or Treat on Friday night. Your help is greatly appreciated :) ~ Mrs. Bloomfield
• Hannah Lavi who was able to be brave and answer a question in language arts class, keep being brave!! ~ Mrs. Brown
• Devan Mendoza coming out of class to work on a skill even when it is your favorite class!! ~Mrs. Brown
• I would like give a heartfelt thank you to all my students and parents who donated supplies for our Solar Ovens and Smores project. It was a huge success, a lot of fun, and my students did a great job!! We couldn't have done it without you!! ~ Mrs. Wulpern
• Miskimen's Fastest Mile Times Quarter #1 2024
  #1 Tatum Salinas (6:29)
  #2 Hako Ono (6:38)
  #3 Kayden Wall (6:46)
  #4 Joel Lee (7:17)
  #5 Seungjae Han (7:25)
  #6 Dylan Oshita (7:35)
  #7 Henry Kim (7:38)
  #8 Gavin Spagenberg (7:39)
  #9 Nickolas Arcuri (7:40)
  #9 Cian Bondoc (7:40)
  #10 Aio Muramatsu (7:42)
  #11 Wylliam Brazil (7:44)
  #12 Carter England (7:46)
• Shout out to Molly and Ada White for great citizenship and being leaders in both Drama and Art Club. ~ Mr. H
• Shout out to Lilygene Joslin and Lili Shimasaki for leadership in Drama! Thank you! Shout out to all the Art Club members for the excellent Halloween Art! Bravo! ~ Mr. H
• Shout-out to all of our Madrona 💕Wildcats who invited their friends to join their family for lunch during the Mid-Day Mingle! ~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. 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. All students regardless of grade and math level are welcome. Also, weekly attendance is flexible - 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!

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

October

• Monday, 10/28 thru Friday 11/1 - Student Leadership Spirit Week!
  
  

November

• Friday, 11/1 - End of Quarter 1 & Student Assembly (Students, Wear Your Class Colors!)
• 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.

Save the Date!

DELMAC Conference Save-the-Date flyer in all languages.

Event: 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.

Event flyer with more details and parent interest form coming in early November!

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 $4,902 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

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.

What is the i-Ready Diagnostic?

The Beginning of the School Year 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 learning. Mid-year and end-of-the-year diagnostics allow our teachers and staff to monitor student growth over time. Watch this video to learn more.

How can I access my student’s beginning of the year 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 )

iReady benchmark assessments and MyPath learning activities supports our students' Lifelong Learning & Life Skills

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.

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.

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

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.