Thank you for viewing our newsletter . We hope you enjoyed hearing all

about your students and staff. Don‟t forget to view the North Side View daily

on the NPPS web page. This will keep you posted on all the “daily” activities

that take place at Madison. It will also let you know if there are any special

events taking place in town for students to go to for their entertainment.

MRS. SCHLAGER...SCHOOL COUNSELOR

MR. BYRN...DEAN OF STUDENTS

MRS. GOFORTH...SECRETARY

MRS. BALL...ATTENDANCE SECRETARY

Bell Schedule

7:50: Bell rings to come in

7:55: Tardy Bell rings

3:15: End of School Day

3:15-4:15 is SAT support on

M,T,W,TH.

3:15-3:45 is Detention Center

3:15-3:45: Regular SAT and

Classroom Detention times

Mrs. Rising-School Nurse’s

Schedule at Madison Tuesdays : 1:00-4:00

Wednesday: 8:00-12:00

Friday: 8:00-12:00

Office staff has been trained to monitor students when our nurse is not in the building.

Use your zoom to view our newsletter in bigger print if needed.

We don‟t want you to miss a thing!!

Nurture your middle schooler’s thinking skills in four easy steps

Are you raising a self-sufficient middle schooler?

Madison Middle School February 2009 Newsletter

MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Principal: Mr. Vanderheiden Phone: 535-7126

Sharpen your middle schooler‟s thinking skills and you‟ll boost her brainpower! Here‟s what to do:

1. Slow down Try not to rush through every conversation with your middle schooler. Instead, take the

time to really discuss various topics, from the upcoming science fair to the weather. The more you

explore things in depth, the more opportunities you‟ll be giving her to think.

2. Don’t swoop in. When your middle schooler is struggling with a question, don‟t be so quick to

answer it for her. Instead, give her a chance to mull it over on her own. For example, if she says,

“Which sport should I try out for?” get her to think it over carefully. “Well which one do you most

enjoy? Is one more challenging than another?”

3. Ask her to explain herself. When your middle schooler reaches a decision about something, have

her put her thought process into words. (“I‟m surprised that you picked basketball. Tell me why

you chose that one.”) By explaining how she made the decision she did, she‟ll be clarifying it in her

own head.

4. Withhold judgment. You may not agree with your middle schooler‟s way of thinking on every

topic, but you should still respect it. Source: Anthony J. LeSorti, “Developing Thinking in the Gifted,” The Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education,

www.penngifted.org/pubs/PageBulletinThinking.cfm

Middle school children gain a healthy self-concept from being able to do things on their own. Answer yes

or no to the questions below to see if you are promoting self-sufficiency:

__1. I expect my child to assume responsibility for her schoolwork.

__2. I encourage my child by offering tools (such as a calendar for writing down assignments) that can

help her complete tasks on her own.

__3. I encourage my child to try new things and keep trying if she doesn‟t succeed at first.

__4. I expect my child to care for her personal needs and belongings. I also expect her to care for a

plant, pet or sibling (on a limited basis that does not interfere with schoolwork).

__5. I teach my child to do tasks that will prepare her for life, such as shopping, cooking, washing

clothes and making appointments.

How well are you doing? Mostly yes answers mean you are helping your child become self-sufficient.

Mostly no? Check the quiz for suggestions.

Mind the way you discuss your child with others

FEBRUARY A/B

2nd: B

3rd: A

4th: B

5th: A

6th: B

9th: A

10th: B

11th: A

12th: B

13th: A

16th: B

17th: A

18th: B

19th: A

20th: no school

23rd: no school

24th: no school

25th: B

26th: A

27th: B

Remember that what is casual conversation to you may be very important to your child. It could

be the difference between motivation your child or discouraging him. The way you talk about

your child with others-in your child‟s earshot-can have a major effect on him.

Follow these tips for discussing your child in front of others:

Never think your child isn‟t paying attention. Kids instantly perk up their ears when they

hear their names. And your preteen child picks up more than your words. He is mature

enough to take note of the tone of your voice and the context of the conversation.

Never make negative comments about your child to another person. This includes talking

to his other parent or relative. Think of how you would feel if two people you love talked

of how “lazy” you are, tight in front of you.

Do not discuss your child, in a positive or negative way, with his siblings.

Think before you speak. Save conversations about your child‟s great grades or sports

victories for when your child can‟t hear. Instead, talk about his kindness or sense of re-

sponsibility. And if you really want to motivate him, praise his effort. Tell about a time

that he didn‟t quit, even when the going got tough.

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS!

Members wanted to do some kind of fund raiser

for the Salvation Army food pantry. They came

up with a dodge ball tournament where entrance

to the tournament „cost” a canned food item.

Each grade level played against itself with a semi-

final game between 6th and 7th grade. The big

final game of 7th grade (Mrs. Oberg‟s MBARK)

against8th grade (Mrs. Hess‟ MBARK) will be

played in early February. Over 100 canned goods

were collected.

In another fund raiser, some student council

members have volunteered to participate in the

library puzzle contest. Two person teams from

the middle school division compete. There is a

traveling trophy. Madison has won this division

for the last two years. The members who volun-

teered to give up a Saturday to do this are:

Jordan Jackson, Sara Larson, JC Collins, Charlie

Robinson, Alicia Sanchez and Tazsanay Jackson.

Thanks to the good deeds, Madison Student

Council!

In other student council news: more monthly

spirit days have been planned and a candy gram

campaign is being undertaken.

DANGER ! DANGER!

PARENTS We need to ask your cooperation.

Please pull over to the curb when

dropping your child off. DO NOT

stop your car in the middle of the

street to let them out. It has been

brought to our attention by the

neighbors and other parents that

they have seen many kids almost get

HIT by a car. Please take the stu-

dents safety into consideration. It

only takes a minute to pull over.

Parents that are parked by the curb,

please pull out carefully as soon as

your child is out on the sidewalk so

others can pull in behind you to drop

off and pick up.

Students also need to use the cross-

walk when coming from the other

side of the street.

Please use your zoom key to view our newsletter if you are having trouble

viewing our news :)

This quarter Physical Education has turned into Health. We have moved into the classroom and are covering such top-ics as; stress, conflict management, physical fitness, legal and non-legal drugs, drug abuse, addiction, healthy rela-tionships, infectious diseases, preventing violence, and personal safety. The progress report grade and 3rd quarter grade will come from the health assignments and tests. The report card will say Physical Education which always leads to some confusion.

Health Art

Physical Education

Music Industrial Tech

Art

Encore Classes Family Consumer Science

Foreign Languages

Computers

The Madison 6th Grade Art Club had a very successful year. There were 17 6th grade members. The members had great fun working together after school each day for a period of 3 1/2 weeks to create the marvelous piggy banks which you can see in the picture. Along with the members Mrs. Cullen had the wonderful help of 3 8th grade students. Jennifer Kotik, Josh Fletcher and Deion Oliver were dedicated assistants and came each night to help the students and to assist Mrs. Cullen in her clean up. The club came to a close with and Ice Cream Sunday Party. What a great time to enjoy making art and visiting with friends.

While in Industrial Technology, your child will be actively participating in various modules

that engages teams of two students for seven class periods. After completing the seven session

Module, students change partners and workstations to experience another relevant topic. The

curriculum enhances and provinces integrated hands-on, minds-on experiences.

Synergistic Systems curriculum includes Modules for middle level mathematics, sci-

ence, and technology. Listed are the Modules that are available at Madison. Alterna-

tive Energy, Aquaculture, CADD, CNC Mill, Computer Graphics and Animation,

Computer Technology, Creative Solutions, Digital Design, Digital Transportation,

Electricity, Engines, Flight Technology, Heart Fitness, Plastics and Polymers, Practi-

cal Skills, Robots, Water Management and Webmaster.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY

6th Grade

Science-

In science we have just completed our planetary size and distance scale mini-

unit. The kids were amazed at how far away Pluto is from the Earth. They

were equally amazed at how small Earth is compared to Jupiter, let alone the

sun. We'll next be covering how weight is different on the various planets,

due to surface gravity. We'll follow that up with a Power-Point project

comparing each of the planets. The Earth in Space unit will end at the end of

the third quarter.

North Platte Public Schools

January 28, 2009

Volume 1, Issue 1

Math 6-

As we head into the month of February, the students are progressing through our

unit on identifying, measuring, and analyzing two-dimensional figures (BASIC

GEOMETRY). The kids did a super job finding perimeters of squares and rec-

tangles and also circumferences of circles. We are now starting to find areas of

different figures. They will be taking their 4th Unit Test of the year in couple

weeks. The students just completed their second MAPS testing of the year.

Many students had a marked improvement in their knowledge and skill of the

curriculum and they are all beginning to understand the importance of growth

and the values of the testing.

Language Arts-

The 6th grade students have been working on an Adjective Unit. This is

in preparation for the State-Wide Writing Assessment. The Writing As-

sessment is a descriptive essay. Encourage your child to use all the adjectives they can when de-

scribing something to you!! This will be held the first part of February. Upon completion of the

assessment, we will begin a unit on Verbs. As always, a spelling assignment is due from each 6th

grader every Monday. If ever any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at Madi-

son. We can set up an appointment and discuss your child's success.

Reading-

In Reading we have been working on Main Idea and Details. They will have an Online Assessment Febru-

ary 6th. The next week (Feb. 9) we will be starting on Figurative Language (i.e... Metaphors, similes, hy-

perbole, onomatopoeia, and etc...). As a reminder, they will have a Book Report Due on February 27th.

This time it will be a little different...ask your student about it! :)

Dates to Remem-

ber:

12:00 Dismissal:

Feb. 13

No School:

Feb. 20-24

End of 3rd Quar-

ter: March 5

Parent Teacher

Conferences:

March 12-13

12:00 Dismissal:

April 9

No School:

April 10-13

I like the dreams of

the future better

than the history of

the past.

Thomas Jefferson

(1743-1826)

We are half way through this school year! Third Quarter began on January 5th with the return of students and

staff from the Holiday break. Just a few reminders for Parents to take into account to make the rest of the

year go smoothly for your child and yourself.

1. We have numerous items in the lost and found. Is your child missing any clothing or knick knack items?

Ask them to check out the lost and found. Left items will be taken to the goodwill if not claimed by winter

break.

2. Dress code has become an issue again. Please note that “Short shorts” are not acceptable even with

tights or leggings underneath them. Acceptable length for shorts is if you put your hands down straight

by your sides and measure where the longest finger goes to on your leg. Anything shorter then that worn

to Madison and your child will be asked to change. Clothing must properly cover the body and undergar-

ments. Also NO Headgear is allowed. This includes headbands, tiara’s, and scarves. We ask your help

in seeing to it that your child comes to school dressed properly.

3. SAT and SAT Support. These are not punishments for your child. They are in place at Madison as part of

the “Failure is not and Option.” Please show your support by allowing them to stay after school when

they call to tell you they have a SAT or DC. If a student is asked to go home instead of stay for a SAT or

SAT support , you are only setting them up to fail. Our grades for awards last quarter were down from

first and this is in part due to lack of participation in SAT and SAT support. The teachers are available to

give your child the one on one help they are needing to get that grade up.

4. A plan of action for your child’s daily schedule is best discussed the night before or in the morning. This

will eliminate any confusion on where your child is suppose to go at the end of the school day. There

have been many calls to the school asking “Did someone from the school just call me?” The office staff

will not know as there are phones in each classroom now. A student may ask to call from there. Please

listen for messages if you do get a call as the office always leaves a message if we call you.

5. Cell Phones are NOT allowed during school hours at Madison. If your child is caught with a cell phone it

will be taken away and an adult will be asked to come pick it up. Your child must keep the phone in their

lockers ONLY. Cell phones are permitted once they leave the building or in case of emergency only( to be

determined by a staff member).

6. Fines are carried over from year to year. If your child has a fine please take care of ASAP. Fines that are

left unpaid will result in No Diploma when they graduate.

Friendly Reminders to our Parents/Guardians ATTENTION……

Parents and Stu-

dents!!!

Thank you for com-

municating with

your child’s school

each and every

time your child is

absent.

When your child

is going to be ab-

sent from school

due to an illness

or medical condi-

tion PLEASE

communicate this

with your child‟s

school. IN AD-

DITION provide

any medical

documentation

supporting the

need for your

child‟s continued

absence espe-

cially when they

are gone more

then two days.

MANY students

are reported as ill

and unable to at-

tend school on

any given day.

Medical docu-

mentation may

prevent unneces-

sary involvement

by the school dis-

trict‟s Truancy

Official.

Thank you for

your coopera-

tion.

Diann Vargas

Truancy Official

NPPS

In checking North Platte Public School‟s Web page we see that only 6

families have signed up for School Beacon. If you have not signed up

PLEASE make this a priority. All important messages from the school

district will be communicated through School Beacon. It is a very sim-

ple process. Go to the NPPS Web page. Click on the box in the upper

right hand corner that says School Beacon. It will walk you through the

steps. If you have any problems contact the school office and we will

help you.

School Events to Remember

For February

13th: K-5 No School

6-12 NOON DISMISSAL

6-12 PLC pm

18th: 3rd group of 8th graders

To Kearney for the Arch Field Trip

20th-24th: K-12 Winter Break

No School

24th: K-12 Staff Continuing Ed Day

Feb. 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th is Life Skills in the School Cafeteria

from 3:15-5:00.

26th: Teen Café in the Library from 3:15-4:00pm

Upcoming events for March to prepare for:

March 5th: End of 3rd Quarter

March 12th and 13th: Student Led Conference’s

Watch for the paperwork to

Come home!!

FEBRUARY LUNCH

MENU

2nd: Beef Fingers with

Mashed potatoes &

gravy

3rd: Chicken & Cheese

Quesadilla

4th: Chicken Nuggets with

Au Gratin Potatoes

5th: Hot Dog

6th: Sloppy Joe

9th: Chicken Nuggets

10th: Lasagna

11th: Mini Corn Dog

Nuggets

12th: Macaroni & Cheese

13th: Noon Dismissal

No lunch served

16th: Ravioli

17th: Chili soup

18th: Hot Dog

19th: Chicken Nuggets

20th: No School

23rd: No School

24th: No School

25th: Fish Melt Sandwich

26th: Chicken Nuggets

27th: Soft Pretzel w/cheese

Middle School Full Lunch Price:

$2.00

Reduced Lunch: $ .40

Adult Lunch: $2.75

Milk: $ .30

Your meal must contain 2 to 4

items: You must choose 1 Entrée

You may choose 1-2 side items

You may choose 1 milk

Count 2-4 items on your tray

Available every day: Soft shell tacos Nachos Chicken Patty Sandwich Cheeseburger Cheese Pizza Pepperoni Pizza Available Mon., Wed., Fri.: Burrito’s Available Tues., & Thurs.:

Boys Skills Basket Ball Schedule January 29th: 3:40 At Madison Gym Team 5 vs Madison

February 3rd: 3:45 At Adams Gym Team 6 vs Madison

February 5th: 3:40 At Madison Gym Team 2 vs Madison

February 10th: 3:45 At Adams Gym Team 1 vs Madison

February 12th: 3:40 At Madison Gym Team 6 vs Madison

February 17th: 3:45 At Adams Gym Team 4 vs Madison

February 19th: 3:40 At Madison Gym Team 5 vs Madison

February 26th: Jamboree Schedule TBA

7th/8th Grade Boys Rec Basketball

2nd: M3 vs A4 and M4 vs A2 at Adams around 3:45

3rd: M5 vs M1 and M2 vs M3 at Madison around 3:30

4th: M5 vs A1 and M1 vs A3 at Adams around 3:45

9th: M2 vs A4 and M3 vs A2 at Adams around 3:45

10th: M4 vs M5 and M1 vs M2 at Madison around 3:30

11th: M4 vs A1 and M5 vs A5 at Adams around 3:45

16th: M1 vs A4 and M2 vs A2 at Adams around 3:45

17th: M3 vs M4 and M5 vs M1 at Madison around 3:30

18th: M3 vs A1 and M4 vs A5 at Adams around 3:45

25th: M2 vs M3 and M4 vs M1 at Madison around 3:30

26th Jamboree Schedule TBA

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri S

1 This is Black History Month. Talk with your child about heroic African Americans.

2 Consider signing your child u for a computer class or activity.

3 Promote independent thinking. Ask your child, “What do you think?”

4 Make plans to attend a school event. See if your child can suggest one.

5 Encourage interest in after– school activities. They can prevent misbehavior.

6 When kids argue, help them focus on solutions rather than blame.

7 Enc

8 Limit TV viewing to fewer than 10 hours a week. Your child’s grades may go up.

9 Review your child’s sched-ule. Is he too busy for homework and family times?

10 Ask you child about school rules. See if a list is available to keep at home.

11 Ask, “What do you wish we did differently at home?” Be open to suggestions.

12 Talk about stereotypes with your child. Discuss why they’re unfair.

13 Praise your child when she studies hard. This encour-ages her to keep it up.

14

15 It’s Susan B. Anthony’s

birthday. Together, read up on her achievements in an encyclopedia.

16 Have your child name one of her role models. Ask her to explain her choice.

17 Think of a word, such as hearty . See who can find it at the grocery store first.

18 Tell your child that you believe in his ability to succeed.

19 Take a map in the car or on

a walk with you. Show your child where you are headed and let her help navigate.

20 When your child visits a friend’s home, require adult supervision.

21 D

22 Discuss the qualities that good friends have. Is your child happy with her friends?

23 Let your child daydream. This builds imagination and coping skills.

24 Have family members guess how long a task will take. Check the answer with a timer.

25 Learn about the dangers of inhalant abuse. Talk about them with your child.

26 Does your child study well with others? If so, let him start a study group.

27 Surprise your child with a new book about one of her hobbies

28

February 2009

Madison Middle School

Parents still make the difference!

FEBRUARY 2009 Madison Middle School

8TH GRADE

WHAT’S GOING ON IN FEBRUARY. . .

ALGEBRA—compound inequalities and graphing on a number line

MATH 8—Geometry shapes, angles, and formulas

SOCIAL STUDIES—Roaring Twenties, stock market crash, and the Great Depression

SCIENCE—Respiratory and Circulatory systems

LANGUAGE ARTS—State-wide writing assessment: February 4th and 5th! SOCIAL STUDIES

We are beginning to study

more modern eras in 8th

grade history. Right now

we are discussing the Roar-

ing Twenties. This was an

exciting decade, and there

is a lot to talk about: the

stock market; prohibition;

jazz; and new styles and

culture. Students have had

a chance to “invest” some

money in the stock market

and are trying to make it

grow. Soon we will look at

the stock market crash and

the Great Depression.

There are lots of interesting

connections to our current

economic situation. This

certainly leads to some

interesting discussion!

SCIENCE Science students just

finished studying the

digestive system and are

doing a project on a spe-

cific disease or health

career of their choice.

After they present these

projects, we will begin to

study the Respiratory

and Circulatory systems.

There are lots of fun ac-

tivities to show the stu-

dents how their blood

and oxygen get to all the

parts of their body. They

are having fun learning

about the human body

and doing a good job of

getting their work done.

MATH/ALGEBRA Algebra 1

Algebra 1 is through five chapters and already off to a great start on chapter 6. So

far this week we have learned how to solve and inequality and how to graph its

result on a number line. As we move ahead with chapter 6 we will learn how to

solve compound inequalities and graph their results on a number line. Ask your

Algebra 1 student how all of this works. I bet you will be interested to find out that

it is very similar to some things they may have told you about earlier in the school

year. Also in the next few weeks we will be taking a few of our online assess-

ments. These assessments will cover most of the things we have worked on so far

this year. The kids are doing a great job up to this point. They are learning that

responsibility is the key to their success. We are coming up on the mid-term for

3rd quarter and looking forward to the final 5 weeks of the 3rd quarter, not to men-

tion warmer weather, and seeing where the rest of the year takes us.

Math 8

Math 8 has just finished with Unit 2. We took our Unit 2 Test on Friday and I am

very happy to announce that they did a wonderful job. In Unit 2 we dealt mostly

with solving equations. This included 1-Step, 2-Step, and Multi-Step equations.

We also had to solve equations with variables on both sides of the equal sign. The

kids did a great job! Next week we will be taking a few online assessments. These

assessments will cover the material that we learned during the 2nd quarter. When

LANGUAGE ARTS In Language Arts, students

have been preparing for the

state-wide writing assess-

ment. This assessment is

given each year to students

in grades 4, 8, and 11.

Eighth grade does a de-

scriptive essay. The exact

topic is kept secret from

the students and teacher

until the day of the assess-

ment. Students have been

reading past essays and

scoring them using the NE

Department of Education‟s

Rubric. They also have

been practicing writing

about persons, places, and

things. Mini-lessons have

been given on each of the 6

traits. Students are excited

to show off their abilities

on February 4th and 5th.

7th Grade February

Mr. Johnson’s Social Studies class has spent the last month studying the Revolution-

ary War and the U.S. Constitution. We will begin February study-

ing how the United States first government took shape under

President Washington and how our nation expanded through the

Louisiana Purchase. We will also look at the War of 1812.

7th Mathematics Happy New Year! 7th grade math class has completed Unit 3. Students have also com-pleted a Fraction unit where learners refined skills with fractions and fraction operations. February will take us into Unit 4 on measurement. Students will use a protractor to measure angles. They will use a ruler to draw and measure lines to the nearest 1/16” and millimeter. All students would benefit from purchasing a ruler and pro-tractor of their own.

7th Grade Language Arts (Mrs. Johnson)

Back to Grammar! After many weeks of descriptive writing, the 7th grade students are back

to the basis of grammar. Our quarter will end with the students working toward identifying

the simple subject and verb in a sentence. The students will then be able to tell you what

Subject/Verb Order is and how they can use these skills for the winter MAPS testing that

will be coming up in January. With the Statewide Descriptive Writing Assessment just around the cor-

ner, brushing up on Sentence Fluency and Word Choice will be our next step!

7th Grade Science (Mr. Brunz)

With the start of a new semester the science class is starting their second

book of the year, “Properties of Matter”. In this book the class will explore

density, reactivity, as well as physical and chemical reactions. The students‟

will also be involved in more hands on activities and group work. This semes-

ter.