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Students are at school for the majority of the day five times a week, working hard to learn and demonstrate the skills needed to ensure their success academically and, ultimately, professionally. There are multiple factors that aid student success as they work throughout the school day; one of the largest is nutrition. Without proper nutrition, students’ brains and bodies cannot work effectively to learn and grow. At Madison Local Schools, we are committed to providing our students with nutritious food options for meals as needed and desired to help ensure they are as successful as possible at school.

The Nutrition Services Department works to provide nutritious food to students while adhering to USDA guidelines. Currently, students are able to buy both breakfast and lunch at the Madison buildings. 

“We are always looking to provide new food items on the menu that students can relate to,” says Director Erin Kvach. “We are constantly looking at food trends outside the cafeteria that will draw kids into participating in the school breakfast and lunch programs.” 

During COVID, students were provided breakfast and lunch at no charge through the state via the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs. Unfortunately, the USDA waivers that governed these regulations expired on June 30, 2022. 

“Having to charge students for meals again has been a challenge, but we have been working through it diligently,” adds Ms. Kvach. “This has inspired our main goal for the 2022-23 school year, which is to provide nutritious meals to students and increase participation.” 

“Madison’s food service staff work tirelessly to maintain the nutritional quality of students’ food, as well as to generate excitement about nutrition and eating well,” says Angela Smith, Superintendent. “I can’t thank this staff enough for their dedication to our students on a daily basis.”

In addition to ensuring all students are fed nutritious meals that enhance their education, food services staff is also required to be flexible. They are expected to problem-solve each and every day to feed students with and without allergies, prepare for field trips, and adapt to inclement weather, to name a few challenges. It can be a huge challenge to balance all these various needs and changes, but the staff does a great job, mostly because they are so committed to keeping our students healthy.

“We know that we are a vital part of a child learning and having the energy to get through a day,” finishes Ms. Kvach. “There is nothing more empowering than providing food to a hungry child.” 

The next time you see one of our incredible food services staff, give them a big thank you!

MMS started the school year off in a STREAK as 6th grade students were welcomed into class PBIS meetings! During these assemblies, students learned what it means to be a STREAK, as they learn to exemplify Safety, Teamwork, Responsibility, Effort, and Kindness. Staff provided examples of what these pillars look like in practice, as well as discussing why these behaviors are important. They also talked about the value of attendance and being dedicated to showing up and showing off within our academics. 

Students have the opportunity to compete for an Apple Watch at the end of the year! In order to be eligible for the contest, students must have perfect attendance from the start to the end of the school year. In addition, other prizes will be given throughout the year for perfect attendance – for example, two Browns tickets will be awarded for perfect attendance through the month of October! 

Bonfires – large, controlled fires that bring the community together – have been around since the late 15th century, and are used in just about every country as a way to celebrate special times including the summer solstice and Easter, among many others.

Last night, Madison High School’s Class of 2023 hosted our first-ever bonfire as a way to cheer our football team to victory over Perry in tonight’s game. The bonfire was a huge success, creating a night full of excitement for the big rivalry game.

The fire was constructed of pallets piled a dozen feet high and covered with signs spray-painted with chants such as “Beat Perry,” “Sink the Ship,” “Beat Those Pirates,” and of course – “Go Blue”! As the fire whooshed through the tower of wood and cardboard, cheers arose from the 100+ students, staff, and community members who watched in awe.

Ms. Dana Clark, Family Consumer Science teacher at Madison High and Senior Class Advisor, is thrilled with the success of this unique event: “We saw this as a joint effort between the school and community to create a night full of school spirit, and it certainly did that,” she says. “It was so inspiring to see how everyone came together in a relatively short time to make this happen, and then to enjoy the special bond and excitement the bonfire created.”

Ms. Clark led student leaders through the process of planning the event with the Madison Fire Department to ensure the fire would remain safe and controlled. “It was a great learning experience for them,” Ms. Clark explains, “as there were so many factors we never would have known about prior to talking with the fire department. It was an excellent way to see first-hand how many different considerations come into play with an event like this. We were thrilled with the collaboration between the fire department and the students.”

Madison Fire Department managed the fire and the crowd to keep everyone safe, while students were responsible for cleaning up ashes and debris once the embers were cold.

Special thanks to Perry Nuclear Power Plant for donating the pallets; the Madison Class of 2023 for organizing this event; Class Advisors and Dana Clark and Emily Daniels; and of course, the Madison Fire Department for making this happen safely.

Will the Madison-Perry Rivalry Bonfire become an annual event? We sure hope so! And for tonight, of course: GO BLUE – Beat Perry!!!  #MadisonStrong

Coming out of COVID, it is more important than ever for our young students to experience a strong start to their academic careers. That is why, for the first time in Madison history, our kindergartners are attending all-day, every-day kindergarten.

The program is funded by American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, money provided to school districts to address learning loss through the pandemic. “We feel it’s imperative that our students entering school get the best start possible,” says Madison Schools Superintendent Angela Smith. “All-day kindergarten has been proven to increase achievement and improve students’ social-emotional skills. Without funding from the ARP, we would not have been able to afford to implement this program, so we are especially grateful to have this option.”

Data collected by the National Education Association (NEA) demonstrates students in full-day classes show greater reading and mathematics gains than those in half-day classes as students and teachers are given more quality time to engage in constructive learning activities. Additionally, students have more time to focus and reflect on activities due to more time to transition between activities, and they are able to take full advantage of the additional learning time (NEA Policy Brief).

At South Elementary, Principal Shannon Kriegmont says students are enjoying their time at school as they begin learning through fun activities and crafts. “At this age especially, students learn through play,” she explains. “We are leveraging their natural engagement in play-time through a ‘Minions’ theme – and they are having a blast!” 

North Elementary Principal Doug Baker agrees, saying he is quite pleased with the success he’s seen in the first few weeks: “Students are enjoying the activities and socialization they are experiencing, and our staff members are thrilled to see how quickly they are learning!”

Madison Local Schools looks forward to seeing how this positively impacts these students as they travel the path to graduation in 2035. 

Check out some photos of our Kindergartners as they learn a “minion” reasons to love school!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

Welcome back, MHS! High School teachers and staff were excited to welcome our students back into our halls to kick off classes and fall extracurriculars for the 2022-2023 school year. Here at MHS, we are constantly looking to promote growth in our students’ academic, extracurricular, and personal lives. As we progress into another school year, we wanted to take the time to set a new focus. 

This year, our staff is encouraging students to focus on ACADEMICS, BEHAVIOR, and ATTENDANCE, all of which are part of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Safety, Teamwork, Responsibility, Effort, and Kindness (STREAK). These are two acronyms our students are very familiar with, as we utilize PBIS and STREAK resources and tactics to aid our students in their development in a number of ways. By creating the focus of ACADEMICS, BEHAVIOR, and ATTENDANCE, MHS is choosing areas of priority for our students’ development this school year. 

In addition, Officer Caswell will be running a new program at MHS this year called “Character Counts.” This program cites pillars of character: Citizenship, Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, and Caring. Each month students will focus on one of the pillars and awards will be given out at the end of the month to students who have shown exemplary character within that pillar. August’s focus was Trustworthiness. Stay on the lookout for more information about our “Character Counts” program in future e-Newsletters! 

Here’s to a great school year!