News From The Nest🦅

February is the month officially dedicated to LOVE! So we can feel the positive energy and warmth filling our classrooms. Our teachers and students are busy discussing the meaning of kindness and compassion, while thinking of ways to spread love, and celebrate friendship throughout our school community. There are many days designated to reminding us to be intentionally kind to others, respecting their thoughts and feelings in all of our daily interactions. Not only is it Black History Month, but we will also celebrate Valentine's Day and "Random Acts of Kindness" Day! I can't wait to see all the extra love that will flow through our building, and hopefully spill over into your homes! Be sure to check your Dojo stories and ask your students about any classroom activities and events that will make this month extra special and sprinkle our days with fun as we celebrate all month long!

As we continue to navigate the winter months, please make sure your students are properly dressed for the decreasing temperatures and snowy weather! Classes will line up outside at arrival, and go outside for recess as long as the temperature is above 20 degrees with no precipitation. If your student is in need of winter items such as hats, gloves, coats, and/or boots, please contact the main office so we can help provide you with resources to acquire these necessities. When severe weather is predicted, remember to check our website, and various communication methods, such as ClassDojo & Parent Square, for any updates on school closures and other important announcements.

Additionally, the weather has been especially wet this winter, so we have almost depleted our entire stock of extra clothes for students who have fallen in mud or puddles during recess, specifically for our little ones. Please consider sending an extra pair of pants and socks in your students' backpack so they don't run the risk of having to sit in soiled or soggy clothes after time outside. Furthermore, if you have items you'd like to donate to restock our closet, we'd be happy to take them off of your hands. Your partnership and involvement are essential in ensuring a successful and positive school experience for your child. Thanks for being a part of the team!

February 1-Black History Month Begins

February 5-Mid-Year Progress Reports Sent Home; MDPS Board Meeting 7:00pm @ MHS

February 8-Family Formal Dance 5:30 @ Club Venetian

February 12-13-WIDA Assessment

February 12-16-Valentine's Day Spirit Week (see flyer below)

February 14-Valentine's Day; Winter Count Day!

February 15-MDPS Technology Resource Night (rescheduled) 5:30-7:00 @ WMS

February 17-"Random Acts of Kindness" Day

February 19-23-Mid-Winter Break-NO SCHOOL FOR STAFF & STUDENTS!

❤️❤️Show your LOVE for MES by participating in our Valentine's Themed Spirit Week!❤️❤️

Greetings Madison District Families,

As we embark upon the second half of the 2023-2024 school year, I would like to emphasize the crucial importance of ensuring your child's DAILY attendance. Every day in school presents a valuable opportunity for learning, and when a student is absent, they miss out on essential educational experiences. According to Attendance Works (attendanceworks.org):

"Missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. When students improve their attendance rates, they enhance their academic prospects and increase their chances for graduating."

Let's work together to empower our students by ensuring they are punctual and present every day.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering a positive and enriching learning environment.

Patricia Perry

PROUD Superintendent of Madison District Public Schools

Attendance is essential everyday of the school year, but it especially important on "Count Day"! On Wednesday, February 14th, the State of Michigan will again assess the number of students present in our school and use that to determine the amount of funding we'll receive for the remainder of the school year. Please help support our district by making sure your student is present on this important day, as this funding is necessary to provide services and resources to ensure that every student has a positive educational experience here at MES. (And there may be a special prize for everyone who shows up that day!😊)

Here at MES, we are looking forward to celebrating and recognizing Black History Month. This month is a powerful testament to the resilience, courage, creativity, and unwavering spirit of African American communities throughout history. The roots of Black History Month stem from the visionary efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a pioneering scholar and advocate for African American history. Dr. Woodson, alongside other trailblazers, initiated Negro History Week in 1926. This week served as a catalyst for acknowledging and celebrating the significant contributions of African Americans to our nation's cultural makeup. Over time, this week evolved into Black History Month, officially recognized in 1976 as a time to honor and celebrate the legacy of African American/Black people and communities.

As we recognize Black History Month throughout Madison, we will explore and showcase aspects of Black history and culture, beyond stereotypes and mainstream narratives. We will celebrate everyday contributions of African American individuals within our schools, neighborhoods and local communities. We will incorporate lessons, materials and resources that resonate with students' backgrounds and experiences, and foster an increased sense of belonging. We encourage you to discuss ideas and learn along with your student about the various ways the African American/black community has positively impacted our country with their talents, experiences and perspectives for many years.

February 14th is Count Day and Valentine's Day! We anticipate many classes will be celebrating with goodies brought from home to share with friends, so it is important that we remind you

when purchasing treats, please be mindful of our school's nut restriction policy. To make sure all students are safe, all treats must be cleared by the front office before distributing to the class.

We have students with severe allergies that can be dangerously harmful if they come in contact with products that contain nuts, so for their safety, please read ALL labels carefully to ensure that you don't send ANYTHING with nuts or made in a facility that processes products made with nuts to school. This is not only for Valentine's Day, but includes birthday treats and daily snacks. Anything brought to school with the intent to share with others MUST be inspected by the office prior to distribution, and MUST contain an original label detailing all ingredients. If there is no label, it can not be served! Therefore, all homemade treats are prohibited! This is the only way to ensure the safety of all students, so we appreciate your diligence in adhering to these guidelines. Use the button below to access our full nut-restriction policy.

As we move into the second half of the school year, previous background checks have now expired. If you are interested in chaperoning field trips, volunteering in the classroom in any capacity, or even entering the hallways or classrooms while school is in session, you must have a valid background check on file here at the school. Use the picture or button below to access the form that must be completed and turned in to the main office along with a copy of your ID. Please plan accordingly to allow for at least 7-10 business days for the return of your results. Thanks you for helping us keep our students safe!

We are pleased to offer a free and confidential website for Madison families called ParentGuidance.org. This site was developed by licensed therapists to provide trusted and specialized courses, professional support, and a safe community for parents, to learn how to support your child. Parents can also get answers to mental health questions, regarding specifics such as anxiety, depression, self-worth, grief and loss, suicide ideation, self-harm, bullying, family strife and other mental health concerns. One popular course you may want to explore is “Parenting with a Purpose.” There are over 50 e-courses, free to families, led by licensed therapists as well as an "ask-a-therapist" section on the website. The courses within ParentGuidance.org will provide you with tools to form stronger bonds with your children.

In addition to the free website, our district is offering Parent Coaching to all families within the

district. Parent Coaching is a confidential service provided to parents and families. If you or your

family is in need of extra support, go to ParentGuidance.org, select “Parent Coaching” and select "Register for Coaching" to get started or use the QR code on the flyer above. A coach can meet with you as often as weekly for a 30-minute session to discuss your concerns or needs. You will also be able to message your coach if other concerns arise before your next scheduled meeting. For more information about the coaching process, click the links below:

● Coaching for Parents

●How Does Coaching Work

Click the button below or look for the ParentGuidance.org logo on our homepage to access this free service available to all families within our district.

In addition to our freshly popped popcorn sales on Fridays, we will also be having a "Double Good Popcorn" fundraiser beginning on Monday, February 5th! The sale will run throughout this week and end on Friday, February 9th, so set up your shop soon! Coming home with your students will be a flyer that reiterates all of the following details!

To get started just:
1. Download the Double Good App
2. Enter our event code MLTQMK
3. Create your Pop-Up Store
4. Once the event starts share your Pop-Up Store with everyone you know!
Please share the link with all of your friends and family, and all of their friends and family too! MES will receive 50% of the proceeds which is used to help fund awesome, fun activities and special events for our school!!!
Double Good Popcorn tastes amazing so you do not want to miss out on your chance to purchase some! It will ship right to you and the rest of your customers' doors!

If you don't want to create a shop of your own, click on the photo to access my shop and make your purchase through mine!

Our 5th graders are selling "Flower Grams" to raise money for 5th Grade Camp! They cost $2 each and come with a personalized message from the sender. Orders will be collected throughout this week and flower grams will be delivered next Wednesday on Valentine's Day. Students can obtain the message templates (order forms) from their classroom teacher or the main office. Please consider supporting our 5th graders by sending some unexpected love to someone you care about!

Due to the cancellation of the January board meeting, our January students and employee of the month will be honored at the February meeting.

Katie Sackner is our new reading interventionist! She attended Central Michigan University for her undergraduate degree and went to Marygrove/Wayne State for grad school. She comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience having previously taught intervention for both Berkley and Avondale Schools. In her free time, she loves baking and reading, but most enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids, Morgan, 5 and Clint, who is 2, and their chocolate lab named Millie. She is just as excited to be here at MES, as we are to have her, and she can't wait to get to know all of you!

A couple of MES teachers and I had the oppportunity to celebrate with some "real life all-stars" this past weekend! A few of our little Eagles are members of the Warren Champion Force Competitive Cheer Team and we had the pleasure of cheering them on as they took the stage at their state competition! Each of their teams took 1st place and I couldn't be more proud! I love getting to know our students and their interests outside of the classroom! I want to see them excelling in every aspect of their lives, so if your child is participating in any sporting event, recital, or showcase of any kind, please send me their schedules or performance details! I will try to come out to support them and cheer them on as often as I can!

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 January was "respect". Click the link below to help us celebrate the students who were recognized for their willingness and ability to act professionally and thoughtfully with themselves and others.

Kindness is the ability and willingness to express care and compassion for others. Kindness is a choice to use our time, talent, and resources to better the lives of others and the world through genuine acts of love, compassion, generosity, and service.

Why focus on Kindness?

• Kindness boosts positive emotions. Acts of kindness create neural pathways that enhance feelings of well-being and the natural flow of feel-good endorphins and neurotransmitters.
• Kindness is self-replicating. When we perform an act of kindness, it is likely to encourage others to act in a similar way.
• Kindness reduces stress and anxiety. Kindness promotes positive relationships with other people. Anything that helps you to build bonds with other people helps decrease anxiety.

Back by popular demand!

Our Family Formal Dance will take place this coming Thursday (February 8th) from 5:30-7:30 at Club Venetian Banquet Hall (29310 John R. Rd) We're going to get dressed to impress and dance the evening with our MES/ECC families! Hopefully you already purchased your ticket because sales have ended, and tickets will not be sold at the door! Can't wait to see you there!

On February 15th from 5:30-7:00 at Wilkinson Middle School, we will host the Resource Night that was cancelled last week due to weather! Hopefully, the new date and time will allow for more parents to participate. This district-wide event is an opportunity for parents to learn more about the various technology and digital platforms that your students are engaging with daily, along other workshops on financial literacy and college planning. Come receive answers to all of your technological questions and more! Because the event is intended for an adult audience, limited spots for supervised student care (for Madison students only) will be available upon request. A light dinner of pizza and drinks will be provided at the end of the event. Be on the lookout for a new flyer early this week, but in the meantime, RSVP using the link below so we can adequately prepare. Hope to see you there! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BAFAC2FABF8C34-46964768-mdps

Please be mindful that dismissal is at 3:25 daily! Our staff is often involved in afterschool activities, meetings and other commitments that prevent them from being able to supervise students at the end of the day. With construction and bad weather, traffic can be heavy around this time, so please allow yourself adequate travel time so you can be here to greet your child when they exit the building. If you are in need of before or after school care, the Learning Tree school-age child care program is available at the Early Childhood Center for a small nominal fee. Students are bused to and from Learning Tree to MES. For more information contact Lisa DiGuilio at 248-543-5465 or click the link below to register. If there will be a change in your child's transportation home, please contact the main office by 2:00 so we have ample time to communicate changes with the teacher.

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!

We're all on the same team with the same goals! Let's continue to work together for your student's success! Thanks for sharing them with us!

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