F R O M T H E P R I N C I P A L ’ S D E S K - M R . V A N D E R H E I D E N

M A D I S O N B U L L D O G S

M A D I S O N M I D D L E S C H O O L

April, 2011 1400 North Madison Avenue 535 -7126

Be patient and creative when

communicating with your child

When he was in elementary school, your child

probably couldn’t wait to tell you what he

learned in math class or who he played with at

recess.

But now that he’s older? You’re lucky to get a

mumbled ”Fine” when you ask him how his day

went. And as hard as that can be for parents, it’s

a normal part of moving toward adulthood.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the lines of

communication between you and your child

must slam shut. It just means you need to be

creative about keeping them open.

Here’s how:

*Keep asking questions. Prepare for curt

replies, but don’t give up on learning about your

child’s life. Don’t interrogate him, but do let him

know you care about him. Try simple questions

like, ”Who did you eat lunch with?” or “What

did you work on during study hall?”

*Stop and listen. Occasionally, your child may

surprise you by wanting to share something.

Don’t miss it because you’re busy checking your

email. If he comes up and says, ”The coolest

thing happened today,” stop what you’re doing

and give him your undivided attention.

*Go high –tech. Rather than poke your head

into his room every five minutes, send him a text

or instant message. He’ll be so shocked, that

you’ll definitely get his attention!

Do you know how to say no to your

middle schooler? Your child will demand many freedoms at this age. He is

ready for some, and may not be ready for others. Answer

the following questions yes or no to see if you are able to

say no when you need to establish limits:

1. Do you set limits according to what is in your child’s

best interest, and stick to them?

2. Do you communicate limits and expectations clearly

to your child?

3. Do you give your child a firm answer, but not an

aggressive or angry response?

4. Do you give your child a chance to demonstrate that

he is ready for new freedoms?

5. Do you understand that loving your child does not

mean you are his “buddy”? It is your job to provide

kind, but firm, authority for your child.

How well are you doing?

Mostly yes means you are adept at setting limits and saying

no when you must. For no answers, try those ideas.

Can using SQRW lead to an A for your

middle schooler?

Textbooks can be intimidating. But they’re also valuable study

tools, so your middle schooler should know how to use them.

To help your child, have her follow the SQRW strategy each

time she cracks open. SQRW stands for:

1. Survey. First, she should scan the section titles, maps or

charts and summaries. This will give her an overview of the

material.

2. Question. Next, have her rephrase each section heading as a

question. So, instead of “Modern Medicine,” she’ll ask

herself, ”What are examples of modern medicine?”

3. Read. Then, she should read the information below each

heading to find the answers to the questions she asked.

4. Write. Finally, she should write down each question and

answer. That way, she’ll have a ready-made study guide the

next time a test approaches.

April 6th 1:30 pm Dismissal

April 13th 1:30 pm Dismissal

April 20th 1:30 pm Dismissal

April 22nd No School– Holiday Break

April 24th Easter

April 25th No School- Holiday Break

April 27th 1:30 pm Dismissal

April 29th Arbor Day

H I G H L I G H T S F O R A P R I L

Page 2 M A D I S O N M I D D L E S C H O O L

A/B Day Schedule

A Days:

4th,6th,7th,11th,14th,

18th,20th,21st,28th

B Days:

1st,5th,8th,12th,13th,

15th,19th,26th,27th,

29th

Check out the NPPS

home page for our

March menu

Three strategies that will improve comprehension

Middle schoolers are required to read more difficult content. Your child’s reading

comprehension (being able to understand and use what he reads) will play a huge

role in his success.

To improve reading comprehension, encourage your child to: 1. Take notes. Taking notes while reading forces your child to pay more attention. It makes him think about

what is important in the material. Should he take notes on this? Why or why not? It also adds another

learning style—learning by doing— to the reading process. It allows him to create a study guide as he

reads. Keep notes organized by writing down the page number of the book that each set of notes comes

from.

2. Study the vocabulary. To comprehend what he’s reading, your child must know the meaning of key

words. Most chapters include vocabulary words. Your child should write down the definitions and review

them.

3. Re-read. Going back to re-read can make a huge difference. Your child will almost always find things he

missed the first time. Your child should skim the chapter first. Then go back and do a careful reading.

Then go back a third time and review.

6th Grade

MBARK 7:55-8:10

2nd: 8:13-9:13

3rd: 9:16-10:16

4th: 10:19-11:19

5th: 11:22-11:52

(lunch time for 6th grade)

6th: 11:55-12:40

7th: 12:43-1:28

8th: 1:31-2:31

MBARK 7:55-8:10

2nd: 8:13-8:53

3rd: 8:56-9:36

4th: 9:39-10:19

5th: 10:22-11:02

6th: 11:05-11:45

7th: 11:48-12:28

8th: 12:31-1:12

9th: 1:15-2:00

B E L L S C H E D U L E F O R T H E 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1 Y E A R

2 : 0 0 B E L L S C H E D U L E

1 : 3 0 B E L L S C H E D U L E F O R

W E D N E S D A Y S

Page 3 1 4 0 0 N O R T H M A D I S O N A V E N U E 5 3 5 - 7 1 2 6

7th Grade MBARK 7:55-8:10

2nd: 8:13-8:58

3rd: 9:01-9:46

4th; 9:49-10:49

5th: 10:52-11:52

6th: 11:55-12:25

(lunch time for 7th grade)

7th: 12:28-1:28

8th: 1:31-2:12

9th: 2:15-3:15

8th Grade MBARK 7:55-8:10

2nd: 8:13-9:13

3rd: 9:16-10:16

4th: 10:19-11:04

5th: 11:07-11:52

6th: 11:55-12:55

7th: 12:58-1:28

(lunch time for 8th

grade)

8th: 1:31-2:12

MBARK 7:55-8:10

2nd: 8:13-8:50

3rd: 8:53-9:30

4th: 9:33-10:10

5th: 10:13-10:50

6th: 10:53-11:30

7th: 11:33-12:10

8th: 12:13-12:50

9th: 12:53-1:30

This will be the schedule for all 3 grades on

Wednesdays for the 1:30 dismissal time.

Lunches will be the same period for each grade

12:00 BELL SCHEDULE FOR NOON DISMISSALS

MBARK NO MBARK

2nd: 7:55-8:27

3rd: 8:30-8:57

4th: 9:00-9:27

5th: 9:30-9:57

6th: 10:00-10:27

7th: 10:30-10:57

8th: 11:00-11:27

9th: 11:30-12:00

Supervision at Madison begins at 7:35 a.m. they will be brought inside at

7:35 to wait with the supervisor’s if the temperature is below 10 degrees. At

the end of the day supervision is available until 3:30. Students remain

outside when there is no supervision. Please keep an eye on the weather so

you know how to send your child to school. Shorts and no coat are not the

best choice in the winter months. If you need to drop your child off before

7:35 or pick them up after 3:30 please understand that they will be outside

waiting for you with no supervision.

Madison does not have an after school program in their building like the

elementary schools have. The Salvation Army is within walking distance and

many of our students go there after school for lots of fun activities and

supervision until parents are home for them.

Cell phones at Madison. Your child MUST turn off the cell phone upon

entering the building. If they choose to carry it with them during the day

it cannot be turned on as if it is found to be on by a staff member it will

be taken away. The best place for it is in their locker locked up. Your

child doesn’t need a phone at school as we have phones in every room

for their use but we know many need them for after school to

communicate with home. IF your child’s phone is taken away you must

come and get it in the office as your child will not be allowed to have it.

If your child is sick you as a parent need to make the decision as to whether

they should be in school or not. A guide line to follow is if they are funning a

fever of 100 or higher keep them home. If they are throwing up or have diar-

rhea stay home. If your child doesn’t feel good in the morning and you tell

them to go to school and try it, within the first hour they are in the office

wanting to go home. We do not send them home unless they are running a

fever or throwing up. Please remember if your child needs medicine at school

you must bring it and fill out a form for us to give it to them. The child

cannot carry medicine to and from school.

SATS/DC’s are part of the “Failure is not an Option.” If you are not clear on

this please find information in your student’s agenda on page 12 or contact

one of your child’s teacher’s, the counselor, principal or office and we would

be happy to explain this to you. We hope you see the importance of taking

advantage of SAT time as this is here to help your child succeed in school.

SATS are not punishments, it is a chance for your child to improve their

grade and get the extra help they might need to finish assignments.

Tardies have become a BIG issue. Please help your child get to school on

time. The first bell rings at 7:50 and the second bell rings at 7:55 when the

students are suppose to be in their desks or they are marked tardy. They are

allowed 3 free tardies each quarter no matter what the excuse and one car

trouble each quarter. After that no matter what the excuse it is a lunch

Detention for each tardy. Lunch is the time of day kids get to be with their

friends and share things so missing it is not something they like to do. IF they

reach 10 tardies in a quarter their 10th tardy is a cold lunch. One through

Five tardy is spent in the lunch room at a table alone and six on up is in the

office.

There has been a final change in the school calendar for this year. The last

day of school for students is May 18th with a 1:30 dismissal time. Teachers

last day is the 19th. Please remember to call anytime you know your child

will not be in school. Arrangements can be made for them to get their

homework in advance.

Has your phone number or address changed? Please remember to notify the

office of any important numbers they need to stay in touch with you. This

includes emergency contact numbers

This month’s article explores attitude.

Attitude. at·ti·tude, [at-i-tood] –noun

manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation,

especially of the mind.

OR, a…

position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening

attitude; a relaxed attitude.

A student’s mental disposition, feeling, action, re-action, or emotional display (positive or negative),

has, I believe, an incredible impact on their rate of academic and behavioral success on a daily basis.

I see a wide range of dispositions, feelings, actions, re-actions, and positive and negative emotional displays each week. Many times a day actually. Middle School is a hot-bed for all of these. The emotional, hormonal, and physical changes that young folks this age progress through in these years can make even the most dramatic soap opera look like Saturday morning cartoons. Make no mistake, I am not making light of, or calling their respective journeys easy. However, by exploring the subject, I am again reaching out to you readers, the families and patrons of our district, so that we may be able to collaboratively enhance the lives of everyone, especially any youth, we come in contact with.

It should be also known, the large majority of the young people I encounter, including a great many here at Madison, have incredible dispositions. They‟re actions are commendable, and they are able to, (with or without help) keep their emotions „in check‟, in-spite of any number of di-lemmas they face. I am proud of students when I see them display great coping skills, the tactics or strategies, utilized to „get through‟ a situation, no matter how tumultuous. However, for others, unfortunately, coping skills are at a premium, or sometimes barely existent.

Students who allow their dispositions, feelings, actions, etc., to impede their academic/behavioral success fall prey their own poor decision making. Such instances would be when a stu-dent „talks back‟ to a teacher rather than just accepting constructive criticisms, instructions, or even consequences. Or they insert misplaced blame on someone or something else instead of own-ership for lack of their own effort. Instead of just saying, “O.K.” students sometimes feel the need to offer weak or vague explanations, or even argue. This is not a productive way to respond, and leads to further consequences and contentious feelings. Yet, this type of issue has been one I‟ve seen come through the office a lot lately.

The truth, should they acknowledge and accept it, is, we want to help them succeed. The type of attention, disposition on display, or even emotional display needs to be „tempered‟ so we‟re better able to provide that very help. When students come see me, or a teacher at an appropriate time, in order to prevent a negative situation that is certainly a more appropriate manner in which to share such emotion and blow off steam. Channeling extra energy and/or even aggression into school work or extra-curricular activities can also be a great way to get that „release‟, while simultaneously trying to excel in a positive manner.

We as adults can also monitor how we display our dispositions, emotions, feelings, actions, etc., so that we may set good examples for our youth. If we‟ve not taken the time to visit with our youth on how to handle situations or emotions they will emulate, positive or, all too often, negative habits we may display. We must be honorable with our attitudes so they can be honorable with theirs. Talking with your youth, giving special attention to their activities in school and out, their successes and less-successful times, and their ups and downs, can go a long way to provide immediate help to them and simultaneously prevent stress and anguish down the road.

“How can I help my student handle success?” How can I help my student handle disappointment?”. “Does my student understand boundaries with technology especially when it comes to cell phones and appropriate computer use?” “What can I do to help my student under-stand that saying “that‟s not fair” is often counter-productive to completing directions for a task assigned to them, or a when given a consequence?” These are talking points I would suggest to start with because they are points I think on and need to work on with, and talk to my own children about.

To “Bring up a child up in the way they should go” is not an easy task for anyone. Yet, the more we are able to display diplomacy in the face of aggression, calm in the eye of a storm, love in the presence of an adversary, and humbleness in the midst of consequence, the faster we‟ll be able to help ourselves and our youth in transforming the culture in which we live from one of angst and sore emotion, to one of understanding, social growth, and even academic improvement.

Mr. Steve Spiehs

Guidance Counselor

Industrial Technology: The Synergistic Systems classroom is based on Modules - Each module is an inten-sive seven-session exploration of the module topic. Modules are delivered at self-sufficient workstations that accommodate everything students need to complete their ac-tivities. Multimedia Curriculum: Module content is delivered to students through an interactive multimedia curriculum. Video, text, graphics and animations explain concepts and direct activities while on-screen evaluations and assessments record student comprehension at different intervals. Integration: Module topics cover a broad range, from Alternative Energy to Water Man-agement. Every module, regardless of the topic, integrates elements of math, science, technology, careers, writing, reading and research. Hands on Activities: The Synergistic System is a hands-on curriculum. Every module includes activities that enable students to explore and apply newly learned concepts. Cooperative Learning: Students in the Synergistic System work cooperatively in pairs to complete the curriculum and activities, adding teamwork and communication to the valu-able lessons the are learning. As the students finish each module, they have the opportunity to print out their grades for the module and bring them home for a parent to sign. If and when they bring them back to class signed they will be awarded 10 bonus points for that module. As April begins, the students will be into their third module of the semester. Students are able to make up any missing assignments from the previous modules after school any day except Wednesdays. Please remind you son or daughter to check the missing assign-ment board located on the bulletin board in the front of the Industrial Technology room.

Physical Education

Music

Art

M A D I S O N M I D D L E S C H O OL E N C O R E C L A S S E S

E N C O R E C L A S S E S

Industrial Technology

Computers

6th Grade- The students are working through Type to

Learn 3. This program took them through each letter,

punctuation mark, and number on the keyboard. Their

typing speed and accuracy are improving each week.

They will also get an introduction to Microsoft Word

and PowerPoint.

7th Grade- The 7th graders have learned all about

Microsoft Word and will soon learn about Microsoft

Excel, and PowerPoint.

8th Grade- The 8th graders have done a review of

PowerPoint and will soon create and edit photos with

Gimp. They will also make webpages, digital docu-

mentary videos, and animations. Many of their pro-

jects will be found on the 8th grade Computer Class

Website. tinyurl.com/madison8

In P.E. class we have finished the floor

hockey and table tennis units. Next up is

Soccer. They will learn about the rules, skills,

and strategies of soccer and play some indoor

soccer games. After that we will do the

spring fitness tests to see how much improve-

ments they have made in their fitness levels

this year.

P H YS I C A L E D U C AT I O N

A R T

7th & 8th Grade Art Club Paints Faces

Madison's 7th and 8th grade Art Club was asked to attend both Hall School and Buffalo School's Fund Days. We sat up a booth and painted faces for a ticket. Friday evening we painted faces at Hall for 3 hours and on Saturday we painted faces for almost 4 hours straight. We were a very popular booth and had customers from 1 to 50 years old! It was a great way to bring art club to a close for another year. This years club was one of the best ever as we completed one of two murals that we started and we also made some fantas-tic piggy banks.

Physical Education

Music

Art

M A D I S O N M I D D L E S C H O O L E N C O R E C L A S S E S

E N C O R E C L A S S E S

Industrial Technology

Computers

In Science, we have finished our Earth in Space Unit. Your student should have brought home their planet brochure for you to see. Take a moment and read all of the interesting facts and information they learned about their planet. They did a great job on them. We are now starting the last unit of the year, which are Electrical Energy and Circuit Design. The students will have a lot of hands on learning through their labs in this unit.

In Math we just fin-ished a unit on graph-ing where the students learned how to make and interpret line and bar graphs. They also learned which type of graph to use with the type of information they had to represent. Now we are starting a unit on Geometry that begins with perimeter, area, and volume. In early April we will be taking a short break from this to prepare for the NeSA Math test, then afterwards we’ll finish up our Geometry unit.

6th Grade Literacy: Breaking Barriers

The 6th grade literacy classes have been exploring new reading and writing strategies. The past few months they participated in the “Breaking Barriers” essay contest sponsored by MLB, Major League Baseball. The essay contest encourages young students to write about how they might have used some of the “Nine Values” that Jackie Robinson lived by. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in MLB. The students researched Jackie’s life and the barriers he faced, especially in his endeavor to become accepted in baseball. Several months ago the classes had read a story called “Teammates” ( another story about Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese) and then created reports about modern heroes and role models. The students did an outstanding job of using writer workshop to produce well written and personal essays. The next major activity the students will be working on is

a research project on an endangered or threatened animal. They

must find information especially about why the animal is

endangered and what efforts are being taken to protect them.

They will also be introduced to the concepts of research

citations where they must record where they gathered their

information for future reference and crediting previous authors

work.

!

Social Studies students have begun their Middle Ages unit. We will be studying the great King Charlemagne, as well as knights, armor, castles, tools, members of Middle Ages society, and various other topics. Two differ-ent short-term projects will coincide with appro-priate topics while we're studying the Middle Ages.

7th Grade April 2011 7th Grade Social Studies (Mr. Johnson)

The 7th Grade Social Studies students will be examining the Age of Reform in

the mid-1800’s; Social reform, the Abolitionist movement, and the Women’s

movement. We will then begin our last unit on the Civil War. Students will ex-

amine the issues of slavery in the West, how popular sovereignty lead to vio-

lence in Kansas, Challenges to slavery, and the effects of Lincoln’s election

leading to secession and war.

7th Mathematics (Mrs. Oberg)

Hello Families! April 5th and 7th Madison students we will be taking

the state NeSa Mathematics assessment. Students have been prepar-

ing all year by learning and practicing important math concepts for

7th grade. Please encourage your student to use their best problem

solving skills and effort on the assessment. Test takers will be given a % correct at

the end of each session so they should be able to share the results with you. To

reinforce daily instruction and problem solving please look to the math links, tuto-

rials and learning activities on the homework blog.

Thank you for your support!

7th Grade Language Arts (Mrs. Johnson)

The 7th grade Literacy students have completed the Descriptive State Wide Writing As-

sessment and are ready to tackle the Ne SA –R Assessment coming up Tuesday, March 29th

and Thursday, March 31st. This assessment will measure your student’s ability to read and

passage or story and answer multiple choice questions about what they read. The assessment is taken on

the computer which is beneficial to our students as the push for a more “techy” world is upon us. Your

student’s scores will reflect their growth in reading for their 7th grade year and help prepare them for

their 8th grade which will be here before we know it. Ask you student about this assessment and all the

tools that go with it to help them succeed in the best ways possible. April will be filled with a trek up Mt.

Olympus as the students hop onto a team and learn about Zeus and all his “peeps”! Happy Easter!

7th Grade Science – Mr. Brunz

Recently, the 7th grade scientists completed and presented their power point

projects over an element from, “The Periodic Table.” The students will now be

starting to wrap up their second book. They will be finishing the final lessons,

taking a final quiz, and completing a state-assessment. Once completed, the

students will begin their final book of the year, “Light.”

Spring has sprung! Madison music students are hard at

work on music for our upcoming concerts in May.

The Band/Orchestra concert will be on Monday, May 9 at 7

p.m. This concert will feature the 6th grade band, 6th grade

orchestra, 7th/8th Band, 7th/8th Orchestra, and the Madison

Jazz Band. The Vocal Concert will be on Monday, May 16

at 7 p.m. and will feature the Madison Avenue Singers and

the 6th grade choir. Sixth grade choir will be made up of

students who had music 3rd quarter along with the present

4th quarter students.

Do you have a musical instrument (brass/woodwind/strings)

you found during spring cleaning that you have no use for?

If so, please contact Mr. Bohn at Madison. Your instrument

could go from taking up space in a closet, attic or basement

to providing a musical experience for a North Platte student.

Bryan Bohn Band/Orchestra/Vocal Music

Music News

Resource 3 News The Resource 3 Class has been really busy working on counting money. We have been doing our work boxes and we are really excited because we are going to be able to shop in "Copper's store" this quarter. We earn money each day completing our workboxes and then we shop in the store every other Friday. Mrs. Copper has lots of neat things for sale in her store. We are looking forward to a couple of trips in this last quarter of school. We will be guest at the Children's Museum thanks to Mrs. Halligan the new director. She has given us guest passes to the museum and we are anxious to go and seeing what all the museum has to offer. We also have a Social Skills Workshop in May. These are always fun days for us to attend. Our class has been asked if we would adopt three deployed soldiers in Afghanistan. These brave young men have been in Afghanistan over 6 months and have not received anything from home. Our class has decided to adopt them. We are busy making Easter pictures for them. We are tak-ing donations for care packages to send them. If you would like to donate anything for our adopted soldiers, please contact Mrs. Copper at 535-7126 or come and see her in Room #15 and she will let you know what is needed. Please have your items to school by April 4th so the care pack-ages can be shipped to arrive in time for Easter. Thanks for all of your help for supporting our troops!!

Mrs. Christie Copper

ATTENTION PARENTS OF 6th GRADERS

Please remember that your child in the 6th

grade will need a physical and an additional

Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DPT) shot

and chickenpox (Varicella) BEFORE school

begins again in August. This is a requirement

for all 7th graders and no student will be al-

lowed to begin 7th grade until this has been

completed. Avoid the summer rush and bring

this information to the school office before

May 19th.

Call the West Central District

Health Department at 696-1201

to set up a time for the shots.

7th Grade March 2011

7th Grade March 2011 NEW IMMUNIZATION

LAW

~ EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2011 ~

ALL CHILDREN IN SCHOOL MUST HAVE A

SECOND VARICELLA (CHICKENPOX) SHOT

UNLESS THEY HAVE HAD THE DISEASE.

IF YOUR CHILD HAS NOT HAD A SECOND

SHOTPLEASE TAKE CARE OF THIS AND BRING

THE RECORD TO THE SCHOOL AS SOON AS

POSSIBLE.

WE NEED ALL RECORDS BEFORE SCHOOL IS

OUT ON MAY 19TH TO ENSURE THAT THERE

WILL BE NO PROBLEMS WHEN SCHOOL STARTS

AGAIN IN AUGUST.

THANK YOU…

Cindy Rising RN Student Health Services North Platte Public Schools