District News

We have come to the end of another school year.  The year has flown by and our students are ready for summer break.  We have celebrated so many events this past month, and students and staff have finished the year strong.  I appreciate all the organizations who have helped our students and staff this year.  

Congratulations to our newly-graduated Class of 2023! Our alumni were celebrated at Commencement this past weekend in the Madison High School Gym. This was the first year since COVID-19 that Madison was able to host Commencement back on our home turf, making this event even more special for our graduates.

On Tuesday, May 16, Madison High School recognized the inspiring accomplishments of our Class of 2023 with a Senior Academic Awards Ceremony. This event not only celebrated students’ exceptional academic achievements, but distributed 45 scholarships to our seniors for their dedication and diligence throughout their time at Madison Local Schools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tqOzf0fu34

While we love when school is in session, we also love getting to send off our students for a relaxing summer at the end of a successful school year! The students at all Madison Local Schools work so hard each year to keep up with their studies, discover their interests, and continue creating a community MLS is proud to represent.

The Kiwanis Club of Madison recently awarded two 11th grade Madison High School students with the 2023 Madison Key Club Service Award.  

Credit Recovery online courses

June 5-8 & June 12-15

9:00-12:00 pm

Bussing will be provided.  Please contact MHS Guidance Office for a form or email julie.behm@madisonschools.net to register. 

https://www.youtube.com/mlsmediadept/live

Madison Board of Education Meeting agendas are available to view.  Just click on Board of Education at the top of the page, then click on Board Policies & Board Agendas just below the photo of the Board of Education.  

Then click on Enter Public Site.  This will show you active Board agendas.  

If you have any questions, contact Susan at 440-428-9315. 

District Champion: Molly Wilson

Saturday we celebrate the class of 2023 with Madison High School’s 147th commencement.  It will be live streamed at www.youtube.com/mlsmediadept/live.  I want to congratulate all the students and their families on this very special occasion.

Congratulations to our 2023 graduate athletes who recently signed their commitment letters! On May 12, Madison High School recognized eight scholar-athletes as they signed commitments to continue their educational and athletic careers at the collegiate level. These individuals each signed contracts for Division II and III colleges/universities. 

Each year it gets more exciting to highlight our graduating classes as our seniors push the boundaries of their own educational journeys. Madison is thrilled to honor the Class of 2023 as they prepare to graduate and explore life after high school.

From school wrapping up to saying farewell to our seniors as they take on life post-graduation, the month of May is a time for many celebrations. One week of this month in particular allows us to recognize and celebrate the individuals who help make Madison’s positive learning environment possible: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. 

We are entering a very busy time of the year.  In two short weeks, our seniors will be graduating.  Tomorrow evening, the 8th graders will be attending their formal at the middle school.  Next weekend at Rabbit Run, our high school students will perform the musical Sweet Charity, and of course next weekend is Mother’s Day – so there is much to celebrate this time of year.  

Our Madison Advanced Manufacturing class was recently led into a classroom to start their day by a robotic dog named OTIS. No, this is not a joke – these students were lucky enough to attend some programs recently that reinforced and enhanced the knowledge they are gaining in the classroom on a daily basis.

Multiple studies have shown that family engagement in schools contributes to positive student outcomes, including improved child and student achievement, decreased disciplinary issues, improved parent-teacher and teacher-student relationships, and an improved school environment.

MLS loves providing all of our students with opportunities to get out of the classroom – and learn while they’re doing it! At the elementary level, our teachers prioritize giving our students not only the knowledge required for them to move onto middle school, but also awareness and experiences with their surroundings.

Each of our Madison students have been working hard this 2022-23 school year to learn the skills they need in their respective grade level and prepare for the upcoming curriculum year – including our PreK students! As they approach their very own – and very special – “graduation,” these three through five year olds are ready to move on to Kindergarten. 

Madison Theatre is excited to present their spring musical “Sweet Charity” to the Madison community! After several modern productions like “Mamma Mia!,” “Disney’s High School Musical,” and “Footloose” rocked it out for the Madison Theatre spring musical, the young thespian Blue Streaks are ready to show their skills on this sweet classic, May 11-13. 

We are in the final stretch of the school year.  Students in grades 3-12 are in the midst of state testing. Year-end activities have begun, and our staff is busy preparing for graduation next month.  I hope that as families you take this opportunity to reflect on the year and celebrate your child’s successes.  

Education happens on so many levels, in so many ways – and every single staff member in every single Madison school adds to the experience and learning our students enjoy. One of the big lessons our students learn is what it means to be part of a community – and our Madison Middle School administrators are role models in creating a supportive, nurturing community.

Madison Local Schools prides itself on providing excellent education and learning opportunities to all of our students. In order for students to have access to these learning opportunities, they need to be in a supportive environment that prioritizes each of our students’ unique backgrounds, personalities, and needs.

For the learning process to be its most effective, connecting what is learned in the classroom with the real world is key. This helps ensure students are able to fully understand and apply that knowledge in a way it will stick and make sense now and into the future.

Have you ever seen robots compete in a bullet-proof cage? Our students will soon as they prepare to compete in The Alliance for Working Together (AWT) RoboBots Competition at Lakeland Community College!

School Resource Officers (SROs) are an integral part of the Madison school district, and seeing Officers Caswell, Ackerman, Wransky, and Sonnie walking the halls and interacting with students is a welcome part of every school day for staff and students alike.

What happens when a love for weather and teaching kindergartners collide? In the case of Mrs. Erin Nusker, the result is a new children’s book, Sometimes I Feel Like A Tornado, the first in a soon-to-be-released series called Cloudy With A Chance Of Feelings. Now her students can not only call her “teacher,” but “author & illustrator” as well!

At the end of March, Madison band students had the chance to go to Disney World and experience a jam-packed few days with a parade, clinics, and the chance to spend some performance time with the world-class people at Disney.

Madison’s own Brett Tomko, Band Director for Madison Middle and High Schools, has been named President-Elect of Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) District 7. This is a 4-year term, two as President-Elect and two as President.

It’s April, which means that state testing is right around the corner for students in grades 3-12. Here are some basic things you should know as parents to help you understand how testing fits into the big picture and how to support your child through what can be a stressful time.

Dear Madison Community, 

Spring has finally arrived.  We are going to see warmer temperatures next week.  With those warmer temperatures, we often see an uptick in student behaviors.  Please take this time to remind students to finish the school year strong, follow school rules, and work hard on their academics. 

Thinking ahead to next year, please mark your calendars for September 11-12, 2023.  Thanks to a generous gift from community donors, Reggie Dabbs will return to our district, bringing his anti-bullying message to all our students, K-12. This will help our students start the next school year strong. 

On Monday, March 6, Madison High School’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program took 22 female STEM students to Lake Erie College for NEOSTEAM’23, a collaboration between the Educational Service Center (ESC) of the Western Reserve and Lake Erie College’s Schools of Art, Education, Humanities, Social Studies and Natural Sciences, and Mathematics.

Madison High School is proud to have developed a unique partnership within our halls. For the past five years, our Ecology and Spanish departments have been developing curricula that not only enhance one another, but enhance students’ understanding of the content in both areas.

Congratulations to the newest members of our National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)! On Monday, March 13, our Middle School’s NJHS inducted 30 new members, and on Tuesday, March 14, our High School’s NHS inducted 19. NHS and NJHS are worldwide organizations that aim to elevate a school’s commitment to the values of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.

March has definitely rolled in like a lamb, albeit a wet one.  We are wrapping up our third quarter next week and coming into the final quarter of the school year.  The last part of the year is very busy in all the buildings with state testing as well as the many year-end activities.  As events are finalized, we will be updating them on the calendar section of our website.  

Madison Local Schools is thrilled to partner with the Madison Public Library in an effort to accelerate MLS students’ learning and address any gaps in learning loss experienced through COVID-19. This partnership is through the Libraries Accelerating Learning Grant funded by the Ohio Department of Education.

Congratulations to our Model UN students on their recent success at the Cleveland International Model United Nations (CLEIMUN) Conference in February! Students took home many accolades in recognition of their achievements, including the Highly Commended Delegate Awards. 

Literacy is key for student success at all levels, in school and in the world. To help ensure our students are receiving the reading support they need, Madison North and South Elementary Schools are now offering after-school tutoring for students Grades K-5 with a focus specifically on literacy.

I hope this update finds you well.  I continue to be in awe of the amazing weather we have had this winter and the ability to keep schools open has been a plus especially with the lake not having frozen fully.  Please remember that there is no school on Monday as it is Presidents Day.  

The Athletic Department is integral to the Madison Local Schools community in providing athletic programs and opportunities for our students within the district; MLS believes providing athletic opportunities for students directly enhances their academic education, as lessons learned in the athletic arena transfer to the classroom and beyond. 

As a part of the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) alternative pathways to graduation, high school students have the option to demonstrate mastery-level learning by earning industry-recognized credentials; one way to do this is by offering workforce readiness programming at Madison High School.

On Thursday, February 9, our Project Unify athletes swept the floor with their competing team – their teachers! Project Unify is an annual assembly where Mr. Sanford’s class challenges a team of staff members to a game of basketball. Students were able to keep their undefeated streak alive with the score ending at 20-18.

The month has flown by.  There are so many activities happening around the district to occupy you on a cold winter night.

Every school district has its own individual needs based on the unique students, families, and community that participate within the district. In order to ensure MLS is utilizing all of its resources for the betterment of our students and the enhancement of their educational journeys, MLS relies on a District Leadership Team. 

Madison Local Schools is a well-oiled machine made up of multiple parts, from the very students and families that form our community and fill our schools to the staff and administration that ensure MLS is operating smoothly each day. We are all acquainted with our Superintendent, Angela Smith, who is the chief executive officer for the Madison Local Board of Education.

Correct spelling is important for many reasons, the most important being that spelling is: a key indicator of literacy (which is a key skill in determining overall academic and future success); an integral part of effective and clear communication; and it has a direct impact on future job opportunities.

Madison High School Principal Forum Dates:

February 1st 6pm

March 8th 6pm

April 12th 6pm

May 10th 6pm

All are welcome to bring ideas and opinions and be willing to discuss them.  

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays.  Hard to believe our second semester is well underway.  Other than today, the weather has been beyond perfect for January, and each day, we inch a little closer to more daylight.  

This Monday, January 16, the country will observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (MLK Day), a federal holiday that takes place every third Monday of January. Madison students across the district have learned who Martin Luther King, Jr. was and why his leadership was so critical to the Civil Rights Movement.

MLS is grateful to have received over $3.1 million as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which dedicated $122 billion to support primary and secondary education in life after the pandemic. This fund was created to allow schools to address learning loss, retool for new safety requirements, and improve technology for districts across Ohio.

Madison Local Schools is proud to be a district that supports every single one of its students, whether it be in their academic and extracurricular lives, or their personal ones. We all know that each of our students are unique, not only with their own strengths and skill-sets, but their own learning styles, home-lives, experiences, aspirations, and goals.

With the start of the second semester, seniors are now in the midst of their final months of high school! As a community, we are very blessed to have many opportunities for our seniors to receive scholarships at the Senior Awards Benefit in May. 

Beginning this 2022-23 school year, Madison Local School District is focused on improving student attendance. Studies have shown that students who attend school regularly achieve at higher levels than students who do not, due to the ability to receive regular instruction and assistance from their educators and work closely with peers, leading to enhanced quality of education on all accounts.

With the holidays right around the corner, our High School and Middle School music programs have been sharing their talents making beautiful music for our students, staff, and community!

Thank you to all who bought a ticket in the MLS Car Raffle Drawing! The raffle sold 3,430 tickets – over $34,000! – and the drawing happened during half-time at the Madison-Kenston basketball game.

I hope this update finds you well and celebrating all the season has to offer.  I need to make a correction from my last update.  The Madison High School Choirs will be performing tomorrow evening Wednesday, December 14, 2022 and the Madison High School Bands will perform on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Both concerts are in the MHS gymnasium. I apologize for any confusion this might have caused.  

The goal of Madison Local Schools is to ensure our school district is constantly moving forward; in an ever-changing world, and with ever-changing generations of students, the financial support of the district is also ever-changing. This is why the district creates and uses “five-year forecasts.” 

There are many moving parts that go into upholding a successful school district, from individuals who work on the front lines with our students to individuals who work more “behind the scenes.” One of these crucial moving parts is encompassed within the Treasurer’s Office, run by Sarah Palm, Treasurer, and her team. 

On November 5, six MHS Robotics students had the opportunity to attend NASA’s Young Astronaut Day at Cleveland State University (CSU). The event was held at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and was designed to challenge, educate, and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. 

On Friday, December 9, 40 STEM students from MHS’ Engineering classes toured Cleveland State University’s (CSU) College of Engineering labs and the Dan T. Moore MakerSpace, an innovation and design lab for the CSU community that provides hands-on fabrication equipment for working with metal, wood, and plastic.

November 2022 Five-Year Forecast:

Dear Madison Community,

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving break is upon us.  I hope that each of you has a restful holiday with your family and friends.  

At Madison High School, students of all grade levels have the opportunity to explore courses in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). According to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), FCS is a set of courses that draws from a range of disciplines and contexts.

Each year, our schools come together to recognize Veterans Day, which allows our students to commemorate the contributions of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, as well as those who are currently serving to protect.

The 2022-23 school year marks the fifth year of Madison’s Bear Project, which bridges the age gap between some of our oldest and youngest Madison students. This project involves high school students taking the imaginations of kindergartners and making them a reality – by hand.

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.

Madison High School’s Curtain Project is finally complete! Thanks to the Bingo Boosters and multiple other organizations, businesses, community members, parents, and alumni who came together to make this project a success. 

I hope you have been enjoying the beautiful weather we have had these last few days. I continue to marvel at how fast the days go by and that we are already into November. 

Our schools are closed on Tuesday, November 8, for Election Day.

Dear Madison Community,

We have just completed the first quarter of school, and the holiday hustle and bustle is fast approaching.  Grades will be posted in Infinite Campus next week.  Please check on your child’s progress, and while in Infinite Campus, please make sure your information is up-to-date so you will be sure to receive important news and calamity day notifications. 

The Madison Local Schools buildings provide our students with an environment that supports their learning and growth in education. All of the buildings and grounds of the school district constitute one of the greatest investments of the Madison Board of Education: this is where our students attend class everyday, where teachers can create their own learning spaces, where students discover new interests and hobbies, and where we all come together to teach our future generations. 

During the 2021-2022 school year, Madison was forced to cancel home track meets due to the school track being in poor shape. The track was in complete disrepair not only due to unfortunate weather during the winter season, but because of 30-year-old asphalt laid underneath the track that is causing the track to crack and break. After MLS canceled these home track meets, the district was expecting to be unable to host future meets and potentially multiple activities that utilize the track. 

Madison Middle School is excited to implement its new outdoor classroom, created and put into use at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. The classroom includes 15 convertible desks to benches, an outdoor white board, butterfly garden, and the AHLI garden.

As we enter the month of October, there is a lot going on in the district. Next weekend is Homecoming Weekend, and with that comes the celebration of our Homecoming Court – congratulations to our Seniors who are on the court. The Homecoming Court includes Andrew Laurie, Carter Fellenstein, Julian Zappitelli, Seth Gabor, Jeffrey Smith, Elizabeth Worthy, Elizabeth Lausin, Catrina Calvert, Campbell Wood, and Kearsten Woleben.

This year, MLS will be incorporating the “Science of Reading” into our K-12 instruction, which is a body of research that guides the best practices in reading instruction, reading intervention, and early identification of at-risk readers. 

Madison Local Schools would like to welcome Mr. Doug Baker as the new Principal at North Elementary School! This is Mr. Baker’s third year in the district, previously serving as North Elementary’s Assistant Principal for one year and as a High School Assistant Principal the year before that. 

During the 2022-23 school year, North Elementary is dedicated to addressing the individual student within the classroom, rather than the classroom as one entity. Now more than ever, it has become apparent that adaptive learning strategies catered to each student raise overall success rates, whether this be academically or social-emotionally. 

It is hard to believe how fast the start of the school year has gone; we are halfway through the first quarter.  Madison Middle School just completed conferences and high school conferences are September 21st and September 29th.  No appointment is necessary.  Elementary teachers are scheduling appointments for conferences in October.  Check with your child’s teacher for more details regarding elementary conferences.

Madison Local Schools is committed to enhancing our students’ educational experiences through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) efforts. These efforts have clearly been making an impact, as the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has recognized all five Madison Schools for Tier I excellence, and the district as a whole as an award-winning district. 

Madison Local Schools would like to welcome Sarah Palm as the new Treasurer of MLS. Mrs. Palm has years of acquired experience in payroll, eliminating deficit spending, and auditing. As a mentee of previous Treasurer Mike Vaccarriello, Ms. Palm is excited to join us – and MLS is excited to welcome her to our team. 

Madison Local Schools is thrilled to have a Pre-kindergarten home for almost 190 students for the 2022-23 school year. Pre-kindergarten, or Pre-K, is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program typically aimed for students between the ages of three and five; this is the age range where students are older than preschool age, but not quite ready for kindergarten.

MMS started the school year off with a bang 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.

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. 

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.

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.

It was a beautiful day for graduation!

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