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November 1, 2024
Dear Madison Community,
During this month of gratitude, I want to thank you for your continued support of our schools. We appreciate all the community organizations that sponsor events, donate to schools, and support our students. Without a supportive community, our schools could not support all the extra-special things we do for our students. We truly appreciate our community!
Tonight our Blue Streak Football team travels to Spire for a first-round playoff game against Geneva. The game starts at 7 p.m.; tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. To purchase tickets online, go to https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets and enter Geneva. Tickets are $11 for adults and $5 for students. Go Blue Streaks!
Please remember that there is no school on Tuesday due to election day. Voting takes place in two of our buildings – South Elementary and the Madison PreK. Please remember to vote.
Madison Middle School will present “Matilda, Jr.” on November 14, 15, & 16 at 7:30 p.m. and November 16 at 2 p.m. in the Madison Middle School Cafetorium. General admission tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and children 2 and under are free. All tickets are general admission and will be available through advance purchase on the Madison Local Schools website under “Athletics” and then “Tickets.” https://www.madisonschools.net/departments/athletics/departments/athletics/tickets. They will also be available at the door. The show is directed by Steve Couch with the assistance of music director, Ryan Zavoda; choreographer, Hannah Naymick; and technical director, Kelly Barrows. The show features over 60 students on stage and behind the scenes.
Finally, I want to let you know of a fundraising campaign to support the creation of a mural highlighting the work of former art teacher Jeff Grier (who passed away suddenly in 2018) and retired math teacher, Tom Hernan. The city of Coshocton, Jeff’s hometown, wants to raise funds to recreate a full-scale mural of their painting, “I’ll Take it From Here,” honoring the heroes of 9/11. Donations can be made at https://gofund.me/9e615d19 or send a check to Our Town Coshocton, PO Box 1633, Coshocton, Ohio 43812; on the memo line, write Mural so the funds are allocated to the correct project. Thank you for your consideration.
Please remember to check out the Good News Newsletter today. Our articles this week feature Halloween celebrations throughout the district, Madison Service Learning, and the schools earning PBIS awards. Our alumni feature is Mr. Keith Brainard, a proud graduate and Math teacher at MHS.
Please remember to turn your clocks back on Sunday, and have a great weekend! Go Blue Streaks! #MadisonStrong!
Sincerely,
Angela Smith
Superintendent
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 four of MLS buildings for Silver and Bronze recognitions, denoting Tier 1 and Tier 2 excellence.
PBIS connects dots for students that are otherwise unmet in typical academic days; in addition, these efforts provide a framework to help staff and teachers improve PBIS efforts. Shannon Kriegmont, District PBIS Coach and SES Principal, explains, “PBIS provides a framework for teaching positive behavior, which increases time on task and allows for greater learning and academic success; and helps students develop and practice pro-social skills which impact their ability to be successful in all settings.”
Specifically, these efforts look at the importance of:
- Fostering of social and emotional skills within school curricula
- The “whole child” approach, which works to foster environments of belonging and connection for students and adults to engage and thriving in their learning
- Trauma-Sensitive Schools, where all students feel safe, welcomed, and supported, as well as being able to address the impact of trauma on learning on a school-wide basis
- Reducing discipline referrals
- Increasing academic success
Ms. Kriegmont continues, “Our PBIS program is built around STREAK behaviors: Safety, Teamwork, Responsibility, Effort, AND Kindness. The PReK utilizes three: Safety, Responsibility, and Kindness.”
Each year, the ODE and PBIS Network recognize schools and districts for their quality and fidelity of PBIS implementation. With four of our Madison Local Schools being recognized, this means MLS is exceeding state standards and expectations in ensuring each of our students is able to thrive academically and personally in our cultivated learning environments.
MLS has previously been recognized for PBIS efforts in 2022, showcasing excellent work in Tier 1 efforts. Tier 1 emphasizes modeling, teaching, and acknowledging positive social, emotions, and behavioral skills. According to the Center on PBIS, Tier 1 establishes the foundation of delivering regular, proactive support, and preventing unwanted behaviors. While Tier 1 is a foundation and applicable to all students, about 10-15 percent of students will need additional support beyond these efforts – so MLS focused on implementing Tier II into the day-to-day.
Tier II implements direct interventions focused on skill development and increasing protective factors for students and their families, such as check-in and check-out programs or skill development groups. As per the ODE, Tier II interventions typically occur after an identified concern generates a referral from the parent(s), teacher(s), or counselor(s), or when a universal screening measure identifies a student or group of students at potential risk. These risks might be loss of parent or loved one, frequent moves resulting in multiple school placements, or exposure to violence and trauma.
Madison Middle, North Elementary, and South Elementary each received Silver recognition, meaning both Tier 1 practices and Tier 2 practices are in place. The PreK earned Bronze recognition for their Tier 1 efforts.
There are multiple individuals that work on the District PBIS Team to make this possible for our district, students, and families. The team engages in quarterly meetings to discuss new and continuing practices, areas of potential concern, and plans for improvement or adjustment.
“The Building coaches applied for recognition in the spring, compiling and submitting documentation to the state on what processes are in place and how it is positively impacting student behavior,” Ms. Kriegmont explains. “Recognition was awarded in September after a thorough state review.”
The District Team includes:
- Shannon Kriegmont, District Coach/SES Principal
- Betsy Titler-Keller, Pre-K Coach/Pre-K Intervention Specialist
- Gabriela Peters & Hannah Naymick, NES Coach/NES Kindergarten
- Nick Ciani, SES Coach/SES PE Teacher
- Becky Barton & Brian Craemer, MMS Coach/MMS Intervention Specialist
MLS would like to thank this dedicated team of individuals for their increased efforts in ensuring our district is a safe, educational environment for students that allows them to grow not only as students, but as future community members.
The teachers and staff here at MLS are dedicated to creating unique experiences for our students to learn and apply not only their traditional academic requirements but to develop professionalism and leadership skill sets. A course we love is Madison Service Learning (MSL), a full-year course that combines English and Science curricula with meaningful service and thoughtful reflection to enhance student learning and promote civic responsibility.
Taught by Brittany Kemper, Language Arts teacher, and Tim Pira, Science teacher, the program is only open to seniors and counts for one English credit, one Ecology credit, and a half credit for Service.
The service expectations involve:
- Direct Service: students interacting with the people they serve
- Indirect Service: performing tasks without first-hand contact with the recipients
- Advocacy: educating the public about issues/unmet needs in their community
Throughout the first quarter, MSL students tackled a myriad of projects, including:
- Weekly Service – each student served 2+ hours at an assigned community location each week, including NES, SES, MMS, Madison PreK, Madison Public Library, MHS sustainability, the YMCA, Mr. Sanford & Mr. Miller’s classes, Rainbow Farms, Madison Senior Center, and Madison Food Center
- Fishing Friday – MSL students joined Mr. Miller and Mr. Sanford’s students by the stream, where they completed several fish-related learning activities and fished
- Stadium Clean-up – as part of the microplastics research unit, MSL students cleaned up the plastic in the football stadium to see how much plastic waste accumulates in public areas
- 9/11 Day of Service – MSL students dropped off book donations to local Free Little Libraries; had the student body write thank yous to local police officers and firefighters; dropped off baskets of snacks with those cards to Madison stations; had the student body create a gratitude mosaic bulletin board; beautified the front entrance by planting mums and trimming shrubs; chalked positive messages on the concrete; and cleaned up the courtyard
- Bird and Biodiversity Day – students fostered community building and ecological responsibility through a variety of activities that illuminated the migratory hotspot and rich biodiversity of Northeast Ohio
- Students also had the opportunity to participate in assisting Key Club in signing up donors and running the Red Cross Blood Drive; attending the NEO Youth Summit at Lakeland Community College; making and canning jellies and hot sauces from MHS garden-grown produce; working the Market as a fundraiser during home football games; and attending to various garden and chicken coop upkeep activities
Students have been working hard on their Quarter 2 projects, and we can’t wait to see what their service brings as they continue to learn and give back to our community!
Happy Halloween, MLS! Throughout our district, our buildings welcomed the spooky season in unique ways, allowing our students the opportunity to express their creativity. Thank you to our community for coming together to create a fun environment for our students; it’s events like these that our students will remember for a lifetime!
Check out a few of the things our buildings did to celebrate Halloween this year:
- Madison High School hosted a Halloween-themed Spirit Week, complete with crazy individual and group costumes for students and staff!
- Madison Middle School recently held their annual Fall Festival at Regal Vineyards in beautiful 70+ degree weather. During the school day, students participated in three grade-level assemblies for Halloween, with gifts for the scariest, funniest, most unique, most fun couples costumes, and more!
- South Elementary saw every conceivable costume, including multiple blow-up chickens and ducks, Zombie cheerleaders, all the feels from Inside Out, princesses, football players, characters from games and movies, and old favorites like Spiderman, Mario, Care Bears, and more!
- North Elementary PTO hosted a Trunk or Treat on Monday that filled the parking lot with staff, parents, and families. The group had planned for about 150 kids, and instead saw close to 400 – emergency candy runs ensued! In addition, two “Glow Parties” were seen this week from the PBIS grant NES received, where students get a music party with a black light and glowing props; and finally, everyone dressed up for Halloween! The staff theme was Disney, which the students loved.
- Finally, Madison PreK celebrated Halloween with parades in the morning and afternoon – and there may have been an unusual amount of teachers and assistants masquerading as Barbie. “After all, Barbie can be anything!” says Jovette Hiltunen, Director.
Madison Local Schools is fortunate to have many dedicated and skilled alumni who graduated from 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 are providing this 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.
This week, we’d like to spotlight Keith Brainard, Math teacher at Madison High School who graduated from MLS in 1997. After graduating MHS, Mr. Brainard went on to graduate from Baldwin-Wallace University in 2001 with a degree in Mathematics.
“My family has lived in Madison my entire time,” says Mr. Brainard. Not only does he teach back at his alma mater, but he is heavily involved in the community. “I am a coach at the Middle School and High School for Basketball and Tennis, have coached youth sports in the community, and go to church in the community.”
Mr. Brainard knew he wanted to return to Madison through his positive experiences at MLS. He states, “The quality of a town and community is built around its schools. It is something that everyone in that community shares – a commonality. Many of my best memories growing up centered around school; the students and players I have gotten to know are my continuing favorite memories from Madison. We have AWESOME students here, and I enjoy coming to work almost every day because of the great kids that I get to teach and coach. That is why we live in the community in which I teach.”
MLS has helped Mr. Brainard appreciate the larger community, looking outside of his group of friends and family. “Teaching allows you to have more interactions with a wider range of people, and that has been a blessing,” he adds. His son also currently attends MMS, and watching his family have similar experiences that Mr. Brainard had growing up has been a fun way to connect to the district in a different manner.
“I want the students to have the same great memories that I had growing up here – I still have school-forged friendships to this day!” Mr. Brainard finishes. “I still am Madison Blue! Always will be!”