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September 6, 2024

Dear Madison Community,

I want to thank everyone for the patience and understanding with the early dismissal of our middle and high school students yesterday due to a water main break.  Any time there is a disruption to the school day, it can be a challenge, but everyone involved did an outstanding job getting students home safely.  I appreciate the understanding of our elementary families with the students getting home a little later than usual.  Finally, I want to thank our Transportation Department for the flexibility and coming back early to get our students home safely.  

In light of this week’s tragic events in Georgia, it is important to remind everyone that school safety involves the entire community.  Communication is critical to keeping our students safe.  “See Something, Say Something” is the most proactive approach we can take.  If you hear something that is of concern, call your child’s building principal immediately; if it happens after hours, call the police: we all need to work together to keep our students safe.  We also have the Safe Schools Hotline, which is available 24/7.  This is an anonymous reporting system to share concerns regarding school safety and environment.  The number is 800-418-6423. Thank you in advance for helping to keep our students and staff safe.  

As we enter the start of fall, seasonal viruses such as RSV, COVID, and flu will be on the rise. I want to remind you of the basics to help stop the spread of any virus, according to the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC.  The key reminders are to wash hands, cover face when coughing or sneezing, and staying home when sick.  When your child has a fever, we ask them to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.  While we are promoting good attendance this month, we also want to promote the importance of keeping everyone healthy so that they can stay in school.    

I hope you all have an opportunity in the coming days to attend a fall sporting event in the coming weeks.  Our teams are working hard and fan support is so important.  Our football team had a huge victory last Friday over Willoughby South, and tonight the team plays Willoughby North at home.  Go Blue Streaks!  

Please take time to read our first Good News Newsletter.  We have started a new feature focusing on our Madison Alumni who work in the schools.  Our first feature focuses on Susan Quayle, my administrative assistant.  There are also articles on the new elementary assistant principals, attendance awareness month and our Madison Pre-K.  

 I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.   #MadisonStrong!

Sincerely,

Angela Smith
Superintendent

Madison Local Schools is excited to welcome two new Assistant Principals, Melissa Schultz and Nick Riley, to our Elementary Schools! These individuals have hit the ground running, bringing a wealth of knowledge and passion to their roles as they aim to uplift, educate, and continue to assist in curating an environment that puts students first.

First, we’d like to welcome Melissa Schultz to the role of Assistant Principal at North Elementary School (NES). This is year 33 in education for Ms. Schultz, having served as a teacher for a variety of subjects in grades spanning from 1-12 and an Intervention Specialist at Wickliffe City Schools. Ms. Schultz holds a Bachelor's in Elementary Education (1-8) and a Bachelor's in Specific Learning Disabilities and Multidisabled (K-12) from Bowling Green State University, and a Master's in Supervision and Administration from Cleveland State University – and while this might be her first year at MLS, she has lived in the Madison community for 30 years. 

After working as a camp counselor in middle/high school, Ms. Schultz knew she wanted to be an educator and help children. “I was a quiet student who had a teacher bring me out of my shell; I wanted to be that educator, to help students be successful in school and in life,” she says, and she’s thrilled to join a team of educators that prioritize the students. Ms. Schultz adds, “North Elementary is a school where everyone works together to give the students the best educational experience. Everyone supports each other and I am proud to be a part of that positive environment.”

We would also like to welcome Nick Riley to the role of Assistant Principal at South Elementary School (SES)! Mr. Riley has been working in public education for seven years, most of which have been spent as a Mild/Moderate Intervention Specialist at the Middle and High School levels. He also spent time as a Career-Based Intervention teacher. After graduating from Kent State University with a Bachelor’s in Special Education, he went on to receive his Master’s in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. 

This may be Mr. Riley’s first year with SES, but he has spent the last few years working in the Madison Local School District, so he is very familiar with the community. As an Intervention Specialist, Mr. Riley typically worked with students with mild or moderate disabilities in different co-taught settings. “It was always awesome to see when a student grasped a concept or idea when at the beginning, they never thought that they could. That experience is really special,” he recalls. Having these opportunities in the district makes him even more excited to join the team at SES, which he also finds special: “I believe the SES ‘team’ culture is what makes it different from other buildings. Everyone is willing to chip in with support and help whenever needed.”

Both Ms. Schultz and Mr. Riley are dedicated to uplifting their respective buildings however they can. “I am committed to supporting our NES and Madison communities,” Ms. Schultz adds. “I believe in the power of strong partnerships between school and home, and I am enjoying getting to know the families at NES.”

Mr. Riley has been diving in head first to all things SES: “I want to build positive rapport with students, staff, and parents,” he says. “I also want to continue to educate myself on the rules, procedures, curriculum, and more that makes SES work.”

Outside of their new roles, our Assistant Principals love to spend time with their families; Ms. Schultz enjoys reading – “I always have a book in my face!” – and baking sweet treats for others, while Mr. Riley enjoys all Cleveland sports and playing a little golf – “When I get the chance!”

Thank you both for gifting our schools with your can-do attitudes and love for education – we can’t wait to see how you continue to benefit our elementary students throughout the 2024-25 school year. Welcome to MLS! 

There are many changes happening throughout the state and nation in the world of early child care, and Madison PreK is proud to be a highly recognized center of care for young children, staying on top of all these changes and continuing to provide our families with quality care. We have received the GOLD level in our work, as well as the Bronze level in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

The PreK houses three programs: the grant program, which provides reduced or free tuition for approximately 52 students; a program providing special education services for students who qualify; and a tuition-based program for students whose families just want a high-quality preschool experience for their children. 

The grant program currently has 13 unfilled seats, so if you are looking for high-quality preschool for your little one, look no further!  This program is possible through a state grant and, for many of our families, it provides a 100% free preschool option.  

In addition, we love to partner with area groups to give our students a well-rounded preschool experience. Currently, we have a parent group that meets monthly to brainstorm ideas to give our preschoolers more learning adventures: last year they set up the coolest and safest Trunk or Treat right in our parking lot, partnered with our teachers to add some extras to our family picnic, and much, much more. These experiential learning options are at no cost to our families. 

Our curriculum dovetails with the elementary curriculum. To give you an idea of the programs your students will experience: we use Creative Curriculum (aligns with the Science of Reading); Heggerty for kids ages three and four (they'll have Heggerty in Kindergarten through second grade as well); and Handwriting Without Tears. We also assess our students using the Ohio Early Learning Assessment (it's like the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment but for little ones), Brigance, ASQ-SE, a checklist completed by parents to see where our littles are in social and emotional responses, and the GOLD system for Creative Curriculum which gives teachers a developmentally-friendly way to collect student achievement in those important pre-reading and pre-math skills. 
Our administrator, three of our teachers, and one of our speech-language therapists have all completed the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), the base for Science of Reading. Our teachers and therapists are well-trained, and all of our assistants complete at least 15 hours of training every year in language and literacy, mathematics for young children, PBIS, and more. 

All this comes together to give our preschoolers the best chance of being ready for Madison Kindergarten. We hope you will bring your little ones to our preschool where you can be sure they will be loved, educated, and nurtured by a well-trained, educated, and dedicated staff – we’ll see you there!

 

 

 

 

September is Attendance Awareness Month across the country, and for the last several years, our staff has been working with our students to improve attendance. We try to ensure our school environment is supportive of all students, every day, which makes it more welcoming for them to come to school. In addition, teachers recognize students with good attendance and reach out to families to encourage them to get their students to school on time.   

“Our entire staff wants to see our students in school ready to learn every day. Through our Positive Behavior Intervention Support teams, we recognize those with good attendance and reach out to families that need a little more support,” said Angela Smith, Superintendent. “According to the Department of Education and Workforce, starting as early as kindergarten, chronic absence is a sign that children will be off track for reading by the end of third grade, for achieving in middle school, and potentially for graduating from high school. We want to see all our students have the chance to reach their dreams, which they are more likely to do if they set good habits early and take advantage of all the K-12 years have to offer.”

Research has shown that students missing two to four days in September are five times more likely to be chronically absent throughout the school year. September is the start of the school year, and patterns are set as the school year starts. As we shared in the last community update, students are chronically absent if they miss just two days of school per month. That is 10% of the school year and equates to nearly one month of school! 

In addition, chronically-absent students miss opportunities to learn, build relationships, develop their mental health and well-being, and access critical resources available at school campuses. 

In short, learning becomes more challenging when students are not in school. Throughout September, our schools will be sharing ways to keep students in school ready to learn. With the support of our community and families, we will continue to reduce chronic absenteeism in our schools.   

Madison Local Schools is fortunate to have the many dedicated and skilled alumni who graduated MLS and knew what they wanted to do: rejoin our School community and support the district in a new way. We are constantly impressed with and thankful for the love they pour back into our buildings. This is why we’d like to introduce our new column, “The Alumni Spotlight,” where we will regularly feature just a few of the incredible alumni who spend their time giving back to our students. All of our alumni and staff deserve recognition for their efforts, and we are honored to be able to share a few of these individuals. 

For our first edition, we’d like to spotlight Susan Quayle, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and MHS graduate Class of 1983! Ms. Quayle has lived in Madison Village for over 30 years, previously serving as a Secretary at Madison High School and as Treasurer for the school levy committee. 

MLS shaped the course of Ms. Quayle’s career in many ways, providing her with her first job in administration. She reminisces, “When I was in high school, I was in a class called IOE – Intensive Office Education – that gave me the skills to do the jobs I have had in the district. One of my first jobs was the first Secretary to the then Athletic Director, Bob Greenwald. I went to classes in the morning and did the secretary's work in the afternoon.” 

Since then, Ms. Quayle has been instrumental in the continued development of MLS. Having served as the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent for the past 13 years, she has assisted in shaping the branding of the district, and has been a model of constant support and problem-solving for the community. 

“The schools are the focal point of the community,” says Ms. Quayle. “Sporting events, musical performances – there is something for everyone of all ages in our schools, and those events, inside and outside of the classroom, shape our students’ futures.”

The community is what motivates Ms. Quayle’s efforts to give back to the schools. One of her favorite memories spans to 1996, when her son was in the hospital for six weeks: “The students at MHS made a giant card and gave it to me and Brenda Ersek, Athletic Director Secretary, put together a fundraiser to help our family with expenses,” she recalls. “It truly was eye-opening to see so many people coming together to help our family in an extremely difficult situation, and that’s what makes MLS special – it’s the outpouring of support that the students, staff, and community of Madison Local Schools gives to one another.”

Please join us in celebrating Ms. Quayle for all she does for our district; to wrap up this week’s edition, see below to not only her current headshot, but her graduation photo, too!