Last Updated:
June 1, 2008
Meadows is an “EXCELLING” School
Susan Doyle is the principal at Meadows.
Volume 51 No. 17
May 23, 2008
From the office of the Principal
Dear Meadows Families:
Most elementary schools have character education programs, and the one where
I cut my teeth as an administrator was no different. We used the Firebird
Pride Traits to help kids make good choices, learn to problemsolve, understand
that deeds have consequences, and develop selfesteem. The kids
seemed to enjoy learning and knowing the words, as well as exhibiting the traits in the hopes of being nominated for a monthly
recognition program.
Students had a strong understanding of words like “kindness” and even “ responsibility.” However, “integrity” was sometimes tough for them to comprehend. My principal used to explain it to them as, “doing the right thing when no one is looking.” The Dictionary defines “integrity” as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. It’s a quality we expect from others while hoping to find it in ourselves. It’s a good word for kids to know, and it’s a quality for which they must strive.
Not every student from Meadows will earn straight A’s or be the star athlete; however, all students can possess and exhibit integrity, and it will take them far. As students continue their education through high school and beyond, they will gain more independence, autonomy, and responsibility. Integrity and responsibility go hand in hand. Our students are reaching an age where we as parents are relinquishing control over their decisions and their actions. Whether it’s driving a car, saying no to drugs, or getting out of bed to go to a college class they will be making the choice, not us. Hopefully, parents and teachers have prepared them to make the right choice.
Next Thursday, our 8th Grade students will take their final steps at middle school, and their journey through high school and beyond will begin. They have worked hard to achieve this milestone, as have their parents and their teachers. As they move on to the various high schools that Meadows’students choose, their academic preparation and accomplishments will serve them well. We will all watch them proudly as they walk across that stage. Later on, when we’re no longer watching so closely, their integrity will take them the rest of the way.
Some Recognitions and Thank-You’s
Our Eighth graders are not the only ones leaving us this year. We bid a fond farewell to Mrs. Grosso, Mrs. Lynn, Mr. Wray, and Ms. Miller as they embark on much-deserved retirements at the end of this year. We appreciate their years of dedication and service to the students, staff, and community of Meadows.
We also will say good-bye to teachers and staff members who are leaving to focus on other opportunities: Beth Buchmann, Meegan Dunn, Becky Lane, Cathy Montemayor, Monica Padilla, and Gary Shiffman. We wish them all continued success in their future endeavors!
A huge thank-you also goes out to Nancy Schriber and our fantastic Meadows’ PTM for all their efforts this year! Be sure to thank them for the new trees between the gym and cafeteria. Nancy will be stepping down as PTM president after this year, but she promises to help in other arenas while she supports incoming president, Kelli Butler. We appreciate you both!
The Meadows staff has been a terrific support to me in my first year as principal. I want to thank everyone for their knowledge, professionalism, and efforts this year. The things you do for children are inspiring. To the team leaders, coaches and sponsors: an extra thank-you for the extra effort!
Finally, thanks to all the parents who have worked in partnership with us this year to educate your children. We appreciate you more than you know, and your children do also. We could not do our jobs without your support.
Reminders
• Monday, May 26th is Memorial Day; enjoy the three day weekend!
• Wednesday, May 28th has a 3:00 PM dismissal.
• Friday, May 30th is the last day of school, and dismissal will be at
11:30. The office will be
closed from noon until 1:00 PM.
•
Eighth Grade Parents – please remind your children about dress
code for commencement
and the dance!
•
Beginning June 2 the Summer Office hours are M-Th, 7:30—4:30.
•
Mark your calendars for Registration on July 31st from 7:00 AM – 7:00
PM.
• The supply lists are attached to this Med-O-Gram.
• Homerooms will be posted in the office windows on Friday, August 8 after
1:00 PM
• The first day of school will be August 11, 2008.
Have a safe and relaxing summer and enjoy!
With Ram Pride,
Susan Doyle
MEADOWS POETRY CONTEST
Under the leadership of Hui Neng Amos, seventh grade language arts teacher,
a committee of
six judges met after school on Monday, February 25, 2008 to read and
score a wonderful
collection of poems written by Meadows students in the fifth through
eighth grades. After
nearly two hours of poetry reading and judging, the finalists for each
grade level were selected. We
would like to thank (and encourage) all Madison poets in all classes
and give a special “shout out”
to the following finalists: CONGRATULATIONS to all participants:
8th grade: Summer Stout, Rachel (Phoebe) Schroeder, Logan Rae, and Zeke
(Rocco) Fernandez.
7th grade: Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hannah, Naomi Jimenez, Lily Kravetz
6th grade: Cindy Gonzalez and Roslyn Montoya
5th grade: Hannah Hudson, Trwska Mohammed and Nina Hertz
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We are asking everyone to embrace the following procedures in the Third Avenue parking lot.
Drop-Off
• Use only the outside curb of the semi-circle drive.
• Pull all the way to the end of the drive or as far as you can go before
releasing passengers.
• Do NOT release passengers before the crosswalk; if there is a back-up,
wait until cars in front of you exit, before pulling down as far as you
can to drop kids.
• Do NOT block the crosswalk; leave it open for pedestrians.
• Please do not speed in the parking lot.
• Please do not weave in and out of traffic and/or pedestrians through
the drive.
• Please be kind to the duty teachers and parent volunteers. They are doing
a difficult job to keep your children safe.
Pick-Up
• Only park on the outside curb of the semi-circle drive. Pull
down as far as you can, and don’t leave large gaps between cars.
• The inside of the drive will be for exiting vehicles only.
• Watch for bikers, walkers, and other cars as you exit the lot.
• Refer to the last four bullet points above.
We will be adding some signs, paint, and cones to help drivers to follow these procedures, and we appreciate your patience and support while we wait for these items.
We do understand that people are busy and have jobs and commitments that they must get to in a timely fashion. However, we also feel that following the above procedures will make things run more smoothly and save time. Besides, who doesn’t have an extra couple of minutes to ensure student safety? Thank you for your understanding and support.
With Ram Pride,
Susan Doyle
Principal
Madison Needs Subs
The Madison School District is in need of substitute teachers.
B.A. Required
For more information contact 602-664-7900
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A Message from the District Office
REMINDER:
If you wish to reapply for free/reduced
meals for this school year (2007/08), a new PINK APPLICATION needs to
be filled out and returned to the school food service cashier. Applications
are in the school office or cafeteria. After October 1, please either
have your child bring a sack lunch or send a $1.00 for breakfast (No
charge for Breakfast for Camelview and Park) and $1.75 for lunch ($2.00
for No. 1 and Meadows students).
When sending money with your child to be deposited in their lunch account,
please indicate on an envelope that it is to be deposited into their
account. We have had some confusion this year. If for example a child
on reduced lunches comes through the line and hands the cashier $2.00
(which would be the amount for a 5 day reduced lunch) as they are going
through the lunch line, the cashier does not know this child is on reduced
lunches and assumes the $2.00 is for a one day lunch.
Kristin Soulsby, Director of Food and Nutrition
A Message from the Madison Meadows Cafeteria:
We are unable to warm food from home in our microwave. It is in violation of Health Codes. Please send your student’s lunch in hot or cold lunch packs that are so widely available.
Thank you,
Linda G.
Madison Educational Technology Announcement
Madison has purchased two software programs, Atomic Learning and BrainPOP, for our schools and the Madison community.
Atomic Learning, www.atomicLearning.com, is an online resource for using software. With Atomic Learning, you can learn how to use the features of a number of software programs including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Just type your question into the search field and Atomic Learning will guide you through the application. Atomic Learning is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Username: madisoned, Password: learner
BrainPOP, www.brainpop.com, provides curriculum based content covering
Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Health, Technology, and Arts & Music.
This site features activities such as quizzes and experiments as well
as over 650 animated movies. The target audience is grades 3-8, though
BrainPOP Jr. focuses on grades K-3. To access BrainPOP, log on between
the hours of 7:00 am-5:30 pm.
Username: msd38, Password: Madison
Both programs are available in Spanish.
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Budget Information
2007-2008 Budget Development Process
. Your
input can be given at any of the board meetings and through contacting
the superintendent's office or the governing board (see the below list
of e-mail addresses).
E-Mail Contacts
Governing Board:
Board President Chris Thomas: cthomas@msd38.org
Board Clerk Warren Whitney: wwhitney@msd38.org
Board Member Pamela Kelly: pkelly@msd38.org
Board Member Scott Holcomb: sholcomb@msd38.org
Board Member Kendra Tollackson: ktollackson@msd38.org
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Madison Meadows is a school comprised of dedicated staff members, diverse and motivated students, and supportive parents. Our vision for our school is to nurture and develop productive and responsible students through collaboration with our staff, parents, and community members.
We aim to reach our vision through the following key indicators for success:
* Consistently communicate clear and high expectations for our students
* Promote a culture of effort-based learning underscoring critical and
higher order thinking for our students
* Provide a safe and positive environment for all of our students
* Plan and deliver a rigorous standards-based instructional program in
the classroom
* Implement the use of technology to further learning
* Provide differentiated instruction and ongoing feedback on student
progress
* Engage all stakeholders in collaborative school improvement efforts
* Develop and deliver differentiated professional development to strengthen
professional practice and improve student achievement
We are committed to building a cohesive community of learners. As parents, teachers, and staff, we assume the important responsibility of educating our students. Parents are encouraged to actively participate on various committees including the Site based Management Team as well as the Parent and Teachers at Meadows (PTM) Organization.
Through our combined efforts we will instill in our students the knowledge, skills, and character traits that will prepare them to successfully meet the challenges and rewards of the future.
Meadows is an “Excelling” School
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has released the school performance profiles based on achievements realized during the 2006-07 school year. According to the ADE, school profiles are determined through a number of criteria, including AIMS scores in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and attendance, graduation, and dropout rates.
Once again, we at Meadows are demonstrating that we are moving in the right direction. The ADE evaluated 1,965 schools, and out of that pool, 320 schools (16%) have been labeled “Excelling”. Meadows Middle School is proudly among this distinguished cohort of schools. Our students, teachers, staff, and parents continue to put forth the effort to build a community of learners who strive for and work to achieve excellence in education.
We are proud to display our “Excelling School” banner at the entrance to our campus. However, we also realize that the excelling label is but one measure of what we work daily to accomplish. At Meadows we are also about creating excellence in building and fostering a strong work ethic, respectful relationships, and honesty and integrity. We build these traits through activities focused on academics, the arts, and sports.
Congratulations to the entire Meadows community for earning the profile of an excelling school. Let us all continue to work together and support one another in our continued pursuit of reaching greater heights.
Public Notice for Destruction of Records
Following the microfilming of these records, all permanent original cumulative records of students born in 1990, who have withdrawn from the Madison School District, will be destroyed. In addition, all permanent cumulative records of students who graduated from Madison Schools in 2004 will destroyed. Before any records are destroyed, parents have the right to review and obtain copies of their child’s records. Please contact Madison School District, Student Records/ Special Education Department, at 602-664-7958 before June 1, 2007.
Aviso publico para la destruccion de expedientes
Todos los expedientes original permanentes de los estudiantes nacidos en 1990 que se trasladaron fuera de las escuelas de Madison y todos los expedientes permanentes de los estudiantes que se graduaron de las escuelas Madison en el 2004 seran destruidos despues de archivarlos en microficha. Antes de que cualquier expediente sea destruido los padres tienen el derecho de revisar los expedientes y de obtener copias. Por favor pongase en contacto con el Departamento de Educacion Especial/Departamento de Expedientes del Distrito Escolar Madison al 602.664.7958 antes el 1 de Junio de 2006.
PDF of Dr. Joe Child's article about Bullying and Teenagers provided courtesy of Mrs. Susan Doyle.
PACER Center's
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Throughout 2007-2008
Kids Against Bullying at http://www.kidsagainstbullying.org/NBPAW/
In the News!
Listen to Don Shelby, Don Shelby Show, WCCO News/Talk 830 and Julie Hertzog,
PACER Center talk about bullying prevention. (Real Player is required
to listen.)
Burlington (VT) Free Press--Stop Bullying Before Another Child is Hurt
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week Empowers Schools, Parents
to End Childhood Harassment
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is Oct. 22 – 28, 2007.
It is sponsored by PACER Center and cosponsored by National Coalition
for Parent Involvement in Education, National Education Association,
and National PTA.
Teachers, parents, and children nationwide are encouraged to use bullying prevention activities and materials at www.PacerKidsAgainstBullying.org to help end bullying.
“Childhood bullying is a significant problem nationwide,” said Paula F. Goldberg, executive director of PACER, a national parent center located in Minnesota. “It can cause school absenteeism, mental and physical stress, poor school performance, poor self-esteem, and, in some cases, school violence. Statistics show that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day as a result of being bullied. That’s not acceptable.
“Teachers and parents can play a critical role in creating a climate where bullying is not tolerated. When adults and children stand together, bullying ends,” Goldberg said.
The www.PacerKidsAgainstBullying.org Web site features lesson plans and materials for teachers, resources for parents, and interactive activities to teach second through sixth graders about bullying and how to prevent it.
A grant from Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi LLP Foundation for Education, Public Health and Social Justice, a supporting organization of the Minneapolis Foundation, is instrumental in funding the Web site. Additional support comes from Target Corporation; Minnesota Twins; Kansas City Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez; Hollywood producer Chris Moore (Good Will Hunting); and others.
PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention promotes bullying awareness, teaches effective ways to respond to bullying, and prevents bullying of all children, especially those with disabilities.