Madison Middle School

By barsotti_p 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/madisonstaff/2023/04/21/april-21-2023/

Madison Staff,

Here are this week’s updates:

MADISON INFORMATION       

• Staffing Update:
  • If you have not met Brandi – please introduce yourself to her.
  • Sebastian will be here Monday after school to listen to you about what qualities you want in a new principal.  This is optional, but if you want your voice heard – this is your time.
• Personal Reimbursement: As of April 1st the district has cutoff all personal reimbursements (excluding travel & mileage).  All Amazon, personal reimbursements, supplies, incentives etc, are to be processed through the p-card or a purchase request. Communications from Matt Brown, director of Financial Services, was delivered to buildings/departments back in January, regarding this change.   Please see his email below this communication.  
  • We had one staff member get reimbursed this week and they told us it is the last time.
• ReFocus Room Reminder: Teachers, please remember that the refocus room is closed during 4th period because Jeremy and Zoe are supporting lunch supervision.  If a student needs the ReFocus room, please send them to the office.
• Attendance Kudos: Thank you to everyone who has been supporting students to improve their attendance for the year. I wanted to share a bit of encouraging results. Our building-wide attendance is currently higher than the district average and half of 4j middle schools. Also, we are trending higher than we were 60 days ago, which is pretty incredible for this time of the year. Keep up the great work, everyone!

• Problem Solving: This is a good time to review rock-paper-scissors and Stop-Walk-Talk strategies with students. Highlighting small problems and how kids solved them is also a great way to show how kids are working to problem solve together.    
                 
• SCIP Plan: Gina will be presenting our updated school improvement plan during our Friday Early Release time. Our plan is linked here. Please feel free to connect with Gina in person or via email with any questions or feedback.
             
• Classified Sick Leave Bank Help: Sally Duerfeldt, the Classified Benefits Coordinator, will be here Tuesday, May 2 from 8:30-10:00 to answer questions and help anyone interested in the Classified Sick Leave Bank. Open enrollment for the bank opens May 1. Staff who donate some of their sick leave time to the bank can then access the bank if you need to be out for a longer period of time and need additional sick leave. Stop by the staff room on May 4 to learn more from Sally.
      

DISTRICT INFORMATION        

• Parent Survey: Mary sent the following email to families this week. The district is seeking feedback from all families about the superintendent’s three priorities: communication, well-being/safety, and meeting the needs of underserved populations. 
  • Dear Families,We are looking for your feedback to improve our school and our district systems. We would love to hear from you! Please complete the survey below which asks for your input on how we communicate with you about your student’s progress, our school’s climate and culture, and opportunities for parent involvement. We are in the process of drafting a new school improvement plan. Your feedback will help us better target our goals around these three areas.English Survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TWK56SG Spanish Survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TQHLW8D
         

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND OTHER INFORMATION   

• Just in Time Tech Tips: Linked in this paragraph is an email sent to elementary staff that I found on Erin’s (Howard’s) blog.  I thought there was a lot of good information so I am sharing with you. Kellyclare’s Just In Time Tech Tips, I highly recommend checking it out. Topics include simple visual timers, how to model Dreambox games, and adding already curated Wit & Wisdom book collections to Epic.
  
  

Looking Ahead:

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Gina and Peter