J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 / / V O L . 2 . 4 THE MADISON MONTHLY Peter Sullivan, Principal (203) 452-4499 Main Paul Coppola, Assistant Principal (203) 452-4498 Absentee HiGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS With the in full swing, we see more students adapting and adjusting to the intricacies of an ever- evolving daily and weekly schedule. and January have been filled with programs such as "Starts with Hello" Week, ROARS Raffle Mondays, and an expanding array of afterschool, remote clubs and activities. Teachers are certainly adapting instruction and are emphasizing student engagement around classroom experiences which take into account the population of remote learners, shortened Wednesday schedules, and the demands of long winter days in front of a computer screen. Continue to stay involved in your child’s academic progress through alerts that can be set-up throughthe mobile Infinite Campus app (attendance, grading, etc.) and Google Classroom (instruction, assignments, assessments, etc.). Teachers are also continuing to offer opportunities where more class time is spent working together on the content and emphasizing feedback. As we look forward into the second half of trimester II, students will continue to have more opportunities to seek extra help, meet with teachers, attend virtual events which focus on remote learning skills and strategies, and participate in extracurriculars, activities, and school-wide special events. This edition will look to highlight everything that Madison has going on to keep the winter as bright and connected as possible! A WINDOW INTO THE STUDENT'S WORLD (below) Students enjoyed bringing their "Furry Friends" to Mr. Gill's class!

(right) A special thank you to SAVE club members for organizing "Starts with Hello" Week! (above and below) Everybody had (right) Monday fun "dressing like their Google profile icon"! (right) Mr. ROARS Raffles O'Keefe's class for both creates digital students and storyboards as a teachers have way to engage built in literature and excitement better around a comprehend virtual school vocabulary store and words. positive behaviors! EXPERIENCES & CELEBRATIONS Canned Goods Drive MathCounts Congressional District #4 Winner! NJHS continues in with its canned 10 "Math-letes" have earned 6th grader Hudson Z.'s essay on Dr. MLK was goods drive. Collection boxes are in the spots on the MMS team and selected by Senator Murphy's team as the main office, faculty room, room 210, and will represent the school in a model entry out of 2,800 submissions. room 224. series of Math competitions. Virtual Conditioning Return to Learn KARE Club Arts&Crafts Winter athletes have had the opportunity to Students in every cohort, as well as our remote KARE club is in the midst of an learners, deserve praise for their ability to participate in a virtual conditioning program arts&crafts supply drive to honor offered by THS Athletics. We remain hopeful adapt and navigate changing schedules, kindness around Dr. MLK Day. helping each other reduce stressors. for the potential of a winter basketball Give-a-Thon Winners season. "Good News" News The entire student body benefitted from the Writers in Ms. Balter's classes contributed incredible generosity of our Panther Snow Day Art entries to a communal newsletter which community. Students in the homerooms of Students Sean G. and Kayleigh H. sculpted highlighted student reflections on the Mrs. Zuk (8th), Mr. Pettit (7th), and Mrs. Hock impressive front yard designs after the recent positives which have come from this (6th) raised the most money overall and have snowfall and were recognized through a challenging year. been awarded gift cards! contest held by Trumbull Park and Rec! T H E M A D I S O N M O N T H L Y 4 6 3 0 M A D I S O N A V E N U E , T R U M B U L L , C T 0 6 6 1 1 THE MADISON January/February 2021//Vol.2.4 MONTHLY Page 2

(Left) Mr. Coppola, Mrs. Durand, and Officer Wes delivered a Google Meet live presentation on Digital Citizenship and Online safety.

(Right) Interested Madison students (above) Students in Mrs. submitted entries to (right) Anne C. and Grace C. Paklaian's class, studying Senator Murphy's MLK were able to collect piles of Darwin and evolution, created essay contest. 6th donated warm-weather gear digital postcards to document grader, Hudson Z., was during this year's "Mittens for their "voyage" and what they chosen as the overall Many" drive. have learned. winner from district 4! COMING ATTRACTIONS The end of January, as well as the of February, will offer students and parents multiple January/February 2021 opprotunities to engage in the school, interact through parent organizations or extracurricular opportunities, and strengthen a much needed feeling of connectedness to January 26th - Cohort A Picture Retakes the classroom. Continue to reference the Daily Notice, which provides important activities January 27th - Google Student Workshop and announcements for students and families. This is another reminder that Wednesdays January 28th - Cohort B/TRL Picture Retakes will be half-days from January 20th- 10th. Both the PTA and PTAC offer public January 29th - Mid Trimester II meetings for parents to contribute and learn about the latest initiatives. Students are always - Yearbook Personalization welcome to join the growing number of clubs that are meeting virtually in the immediate deadline and 8th gr. baby pics after school hours. Janaury 29th marks the midpoint in Trimester II and all parents/students February 10th - Virtual Panthers Love to Play should review the Infinite Campus gradebook and attendance record as a good indicator of Day progress in each class. 8th graders should also upload their baby pics for the yearbook project. This is also a reminder that Trumbull Dining Services will continue to provide -15th - Winter Recess lunches for pickup at the school. Finally, while this is not a specific calendar item, 8th grade February 17th - PTA Meeting parents should be aware of some of the 8th-9th grade transition assessments which are being scheduled. All students also traditionally take progress monitoring tasks in the winter and the best prep for students is a healthy balance of sleep and nutrition. FEATURED CLUB/ACTIVITY: MathCounts MathCounts is a club that welcomes all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who have an interest in the world of mathematics! Students challenge their way of thinking in a series of practice competitions that all deal with different types of puzzling math problems. The math-letes with the top scores can earn a spot on the official Madison Middle School MathCounts team! These students get to go on to represent our school in official virtual math competitions against students from other schools in the area, region, and nation. Some can go on to compete in places such as Washington D.C. and Orlando ! Please see Mr. DeNuzzo in room 110 if you have additional questions. FAQ OF THE MONTH

Question: Who do I contact regarding my child's cohort status, remote learning, in-person attendance, and/or absences? Answer: All information regarding cohort requests and a student's learning status can be handled through the school guidance counselor or principal. Every situation is different and we ask that you also always communicate absences through the main office. Want to submit a question to be answered? Fill out the form here: http://bit.ly/mmsquestion

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL STUDENT GOVERNMENT CORNER LEARNING LINKS Student Council Reps are eager to introduce "Total In this Monthly issue, Madison's school Rewind Fridays" and "Meme Mondays", which will integrate some levity into the school day. Through psychologist, Darsi Baer, shares a presentation Follow us on Instagram on the Growth Mindset as part of her "Mental music and fun, student council members will look @madisonpanthers to boost the learning environment during class Health Matters" Blog (LINK). She discusses Follow us on Twitter passing time. Other events and activities, including some New Year's advice on shifting our a number of contests, which can be held via Google @MadisonTrumbull mindset. Links within the blog are from a Meet, are being developed as part of a proposed presentation she has shared with our students. M MS Homepage virtual Spring pep rally. This year's student Thank you, Darsi, for the expertise and https://www.trumbullps.org/ government is really showing how their leadership mms/ can adapt and advance the positive culture and resources! climate to our current learning environment. T H E M A D I S O N M O N T H L Y 4 6 3 0 M A D I S O N A V E N U E , T R U M B U L L , C T 0 6 6 1 1