January 2022 "A Great Year Ahead" Jag Blast

Message from Principal:

Happy New Year, MAE!

We hope you had a relaxing and safe holiday break. We are planning for great things in the year 2022!

It is time to transition back into the routine of school. Please ensure your child is arriving each day on time with a charged device. Also, please make sure you are checking folders each night and working hard to complete any assignments. Our K-2 students also need as many minutes as possible reading each night. Book-in-a-bag texts and books of choice from home and the library are great options. Kindergarten students will begin AR this 9 weeks, and we are excited to see their reading growth as they begin the program.

Online reading using our program Raz-Kids is also a wonderful option for our all of students, especially if you are looking for texts that are right on your students reading level/BAS Level. Raz-Kids provides leveled texts and allows students to first listen to the text. After they listen to the text, students are expected to record themselves reading the text. Their teacher can listen to this recording. After students have listened to and recorded the text, they take a short quiz. Following these three steps, making sure not to skip the recording, is a great way to help students meet their end-of-the-year BAS reading requirements.

You can find your child’s current BAS level and the required level for promotion on your child’s report card. Report cards for the 2nd 9 weeks were sent home yesterday, Thursday, Jan. 13. Please note the BAS level and any skills that are marked with a circled L. This indicates a skill that should have been mastered but was still a challenge for your student. If you have any questions about your child’s report card or progress, please reach out to us.

We appreciate your continued support this year. Covid is still throwing some curve balls our way. We will continue to track numbers and will communicate any changes we make to our policies. We love all of our little Jags and are committed to doing our very best to keep them healthy, safe, and successful. As always, if you have any ideas, questions, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Sincerely,

Melissa Philley, Principal

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WELCOME TO MAE GRAND CENTRAL STATION

ATTENTION: NO SCHOOL

MONDAY, JANUARY 17TH! - MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST! - WINTER HOLIDAY

ON TO OUR STOPS....ALL ABOARD!

1ST STOP: MAE LIBRARY: 3RD QUARTER A/R KICK-OFF

MONDAY, JANUARY 10TH!

What is AR and How does it work?

AR is a computer program that helps educators manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Children select a book at their independent reading level and read at their individual pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) AR provides feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice. Children using AR select their own books to read at an appropriate readability level rather than having one assigned to them. This will create a challenging reading experience without becoming frustrated. This ensures that your child can pass the quiz and experience success.

At the end of these 9 weeks, the children will be rewarded for meeting their goal at the AR Celebration that follows the cut-off date. Although AR participation is not required, it is a wonderful way to encourage and strengthen reading and comprehension skills. And this time around, our Kindergarteners will be joining in! Yay!!!

To find books that are part of the AR Program, go to AR BookFind.

Please contact our Librarian, Ms. Bracy at jacquline.bracy@madison-schools.com for more information.

FUN FACT: 180 students met their AR goals last quarter and shopped at the AR Celebration!

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NEXT STOP: DISNEY RAFFLE SPRING FUNDRAISER KICK-OFF! CHOO! CHOO!

The FUNdraising event we've all been waiting for!

STARTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 21ST!

Ch’EARS to a magical new year! We’re kicking it off with our Spring FUNdraiser featuring everyone’s favorite mouse and a little magic to upgrade our playgrounds. We’re excited to continue our raffle fundraiser that boasts a grand prize of a $5,000 Disney travel voucher to any Disney destination as well as lots of exciting incentives for the students who sell raffle tickets.

Fundraiser Packets will be coming home January 21st that will include all needed information for parents to read through and 1 book of 20 tickets. We are using the platform, RaffleBreeze, to make tracking of sales and reporting easy, instant, and quick for our school. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.maeraffle.com for $10 using the personal code located on the tickets provided to your student. Not only will your child’s online sales will be credited to him/her also through this website, but you can use this site to track your online sales using the login and password provided on the front page of your ticket book. Raffle sales will go through February 4th.

Follow us on Facebook (MAE PTO) for updates and links to share with friends and family. In addition to the grand prize, the following exciting prizes will be offered to the students who sell raffle tickets:

Individual Sale Incentives

10 Tickets: Slime
20 Tickets: Cotton Candy
30 Tickets: Chick-fil-A Lunch* *Subject to change based on Covid protocols at time of incentive. Gift Card may be substituted.

School Goal Incentives

Meet Goal of $40,000: Movie & Popcorn Party for ALL classes
Top Class in School: Cupcake Party
Student that Sells Winning Ticket: Baskin Robbins Gift Card
Overall Top Seller: $25 Gift Card There will also be class competitions for donut parties, Disney days and pajama days.

Note: If you joined the PTO at the Jaguar level, one MAE student in your family is already qualified to receive the first incentive.

Additional ticket books may be requested at any time from January 21st – February 4th by returning the request (in your packet) or emailing maedisneyraffle@gmail.com. We will only be collecting money and tickets on Friday, January 28th and Friday, February 4th. ALL ticket stubs, money and unsold tickets must be returned on Friday, February 4th for your child to be eligible for the incentives. Please submit one check for all tickets sold.

Thank you in advance for your support of MAE!

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NEXT STOP: 2021-2022 YEARBOOKS ON SALE NOW!

ORDER BY FRIDAY, JANUARY 21ST!

What a joy to watch our children reminisce about their school year and all of the exciting things they did, and the new friends they made. It's a wonderful way to keep their memories and ours for years to come. Don't forget to order yours before it's too late!

Order your child's yearbook online at www.jostens.com today for $38 plus tax. The price increases to $45 plus tax after January 21st!

Note: All yearbooks will be pre-ordered. No extras will be available for purchase later.

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NEXT STOP: MAE LIBRARY - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

NOW THROUGH MONDAY, JANUARY 31ST! SIGN-UP NOW!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all the folks who helped Ms. Bracy shelve books last year!!!

With our Kindergarteners joining the program this quarter, the library will definitely need more hands to help get those books back up on the shelves and ready to be checked out!

Can you spare 20 minutes or more after drop-off or before pick-up?

Click here to sign up for spots in January.

Questions? Contact: Sarah Nasif: sarah.nasif@gmail.com or 601-218-1773

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NEXT STOP: 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL! WHOO HOO!

Can you believe it'll be 100 days of school already? How exciting!

Stay tuned for more information coming your way!

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NEXT STOP: IMPORTANT REMINDERS

I. UPDATED MCS PANDEMIC RESPONSE GUIDELINES/WEEKLY DATA

Click here to get the latest January 11th update

Click here for updated weekly counts by school. Just scroll to the bottom of the page, click on the drop down box and choose "MAE" to get our school counts. Data for the previous week is typically posted on the following Monday.

II. LUNCH VISITORS STILL WELCOME!

Even though things are always evolving, and we are doing our best to adjust with the times, we still welcome you to come have lunch with your kiddos! Let's follow these reminders to keep this great tradition going:

1. ONE parent may eat with the student per visit

2. Please ring the bell, come to the front office and present your ID to sign in for each visit. Please also remember to return to the office to sign out before you leave the school premises. Visitors are not allowed in classrooms after lunch.

3. Visitors for lunch are only allowed on their assigned day. The parent and child will be eating outside with the rest of the class. Extra tables are set up inside the café, should the weather be bad that day. Please remember to keep a distance of 3 feet from the other students and parents in the cafeteria.

4. Your child’s birthday probably won’t fall on the one day you are assigned each week. However, you can still send a treat for the class. Please let your child’s teacher know in advance, if you plan to do so.

See schedule below:

4. Fast food can NOT be brought in.

5. Visitors must pay for lunch via cash or bring their own. An adult meal is $3.75. Please call ahead to purchase a meal from us. No charging to the student's account.

6. Feel free to call us in advance with any questions about our lunch guidelines.

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CHOO! CHOO! NEXT STOP: PTO STATION!

Haven't joined the PTO?