February Newsletter Messenger 2015

Muscatine Community School District Madison School February 2015 Important Dates! February 2nd-No School professional ...

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Muscatine Community School District

Madison School February 2015

Important Dates! February 2nd-No School professional development for district teachers February 3rd-Jump Rope for Heart Assembly 8:00 AM February 5th-Fourth Grade Classes to CMS for the musical February 6th-Raffle Ticket Assembly Kickoff 8:00 AM February 6th-February 20th-Raffle Ticket Sales February 9th-Music makers 3:15-4:10 February 10th- NAEP Testing- 4th Graders only February 11th-Quad Cities Visiting ArtistMaggie Brown at CMS 9:00-African Story and Dance February 13th-Friendship Day classroom celebrations at 2:15 pm February 16th -No School President’s Day February 20th-Wear blue day February 20th- Madison School Winter Carnival 5:30-7:30 PM February 23rd-Music makers 3:15-4:10 PM February 24th-4th Grade Symphony Day in the Quad Cities February 25th-Early Dismissal Teacher Professional Development

Come One, Come All to the Madison School Winter Carnival!! Friday, February 20th 5:30-7:30 PM The Madison School Winter Carnival will be the place to be for fun! The carnival is one of our major fundraisers of the school year. In the past, the carnival has paid for Smart Boards, desktop computers, and ipads for Madison students. This year the big raffle prize will be a 40” big screen T.V.; there will also be a $100.00 gift certificate from Walmart, and several summer passes to the aquatic center and the municipal golf course. There will be games of chance, games of skill and games just for fun! Madison School PTO needs your help. If you are available to volunteer please call 263-6062.

“Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La Ti Do!” Madison Kids are making great music! Your children have much to look forward to in 2015. Third grade will be playing “Boomwhackers” and then recorders. Fourth grade will be going on a field trip to a Symphony Orchestra at the Adler on February 24th. All music students will be making music calendars for each month of the school year. The calendars will include music vocabulary and musical terms. We keep busy and have a lot of fun! “Work first, then play!” Mrs. Voss Madison Music Teacher

Notes from the School Nurse: February is National Dental Health Month! During this month, some of the classrooms will be receiving information on how to keep teeth healthy. Listed below are some things you can do at home to encourage healthy teeth: §

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Be aware of the amount of sugar in your child’s diet. We know that sugar can cause cavities. Healthy snack options such as fruits and vegetables are better choices for our teeth and body. Limit sugared beverage consumption. Sugared beverages have limited nutritional value. Make sure calcium rich foods are incorporated into your child’s diet. Calcium is necessary for healthy bone development. Encourage water as the beverage of choice for your child. Be a role model for good oral hygiene…. from brushing to flossing and scheduling regular dental check-ups!

Also, please remember that we are in the middle of cold and flu season. Effective hand washing still needs to be done in order to prevent the spread of germs. Effective hand washing includes washing with soap and water for at least 20-30 seconds. The use of waterless hand sanitizers can also be beneficial in keeping hands germ free. Encouraging your child to cover his/her nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing is also another way to prevent the spread of germs. If you (or a family member) have not yet had a “flu shot”, it is not too late. Flu vaccine is still available at Trinity Public Health if you are in need of this vaccine. Wendy Sargent-Shoppa Madison School Nurse

When I began my career working with students some 30 years ago, I would never have guessed that I would be working with elementary age children. For over 25 years I worked primarily with high school and middle school aged students in various faith-based organizations. I had a lot of interaction with elementary students, however, I rarely worked with them directly. As fate would have it and when opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance to work with elementary age students. To me…. students are students and regardless of the age, I have always enjoyed working with them. As an elementary school counselor, I get to connect with every student at Madison. I am in classrooms regularly, around the lunchroom, on the playground, and constantly walking the halls. I get to help students with a variety of issues from dealing with the loss of a loved one to strategizing best practices for dealing with emotions. One of the greatest joys in my life is to witness when someone hears a concept, understands the concept, puts the concept into practice, and then watches how their life changes because of what they are learning. When that little light turns on, the whole world starts to change… and I get to be a part of it. I have really enjoyed my first six months of elementary counseling. I think being part of a great team here at Madison is amazing. Everyone here has your child’s best interests in mind. Is there more we can do? Sure, but to do more we all have to work together; parents, students, teachers, counselors, etc. If you need some direction for best practices to interact with your child, please do not hesitate to contact me. The better we synergize, the better we are at educating everyone. Scott Mauck Madison School Counselor