District Update 11/18/2022

 District Update 11/14/2022

Dear MCS Parents,

Schools will be closed November 21-25 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

I have a very important announcement concerning rising 7th and 8th grade students who are zoned to attend Journey Middle School next school year.
Waivers will be going home this week, giving rising 7th and 8th grade Journey-zoned students an option to remain at either Discovery or Liberty for the 2023-2024 school year.
It must be noted that transportation will NOT be provided for rising 7th and 8th grade students who submit waivers to remain at LMS or DMS. Also, the waiver does not include siblings who may be entering 6th grade next school year.

Waivers should be returned to your child’s school by December 2, 2022. Additional information can be found on the district website: Journey Middle School Letter to Parents, Journey Middle School FAQs, Journey Middle School Waiver Request.
Click here to check your school zone.
As a final reminder,the next  Mental Health Matters parent workshop will be Tuesday, Nov. 29, on the topic, “Depression in Youth.” These are free to the public and address a wide variety of mental health issues that parents and students may be experiencing. The program is from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Central Office board room.

“Glad To Be Here!”
Ed Nichols
Superintendent

 

District Update 11-10-22

Dear MCS Parents,

I would like to start by thanking all of you and your family members who have served in our military. Friday, Nov.11, is Veterans Day, a day to recognize everyone -  past and present - who have served in the military. All of our schools have been holding Veterans Day observances this week whether it be a parade, a hero’s walk, special breakfast or lunch. There is no school tomorrow in observance of this holiday. Pics from many of the events are in the above link. As we celebrate our veterans and military-connected community, I would like to remind our MCS families to complete the annual Impact Aid survey that opened last month. The form can be found in PowerSchool where many other very important school and student information can be accessed.

I want to remind everyone of the next Mental Health Matters parent workshop coming up. These are free to the public and address a wide variety of mental health issues that parents and students may be experiencing. The next session is on “Depression in Youth.” It will be Nov. 29 in our Central Office board room, from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Congratulations to our Board member, Mrs. Alice Lessmann, for being named District 9 Director for the Alabama Association of School Boards. As AASB District 9 Director, Mrs. Lessmann will be the liaison between the state AASB and school boards throughout the District 9 region in North Alabama.
Congratulations also to:
James Clemens students Max Wyche, Lilliann Markowitz, and Matthew Odom each received a $1,000 scholarship essay award from the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama’s Torch Award for Ethics.
The BJHS Volleyball Team for its 2nd place finish in the state championship.
Boys and Girls State reps from BJ and JC for participation in the recent Boys and GIrls State Convention.

In previous updates, I shared after-school tutoring options. This program has been very popular, especially at our middle schools. Due to transportation staff shortages, we are making a slight adjustment with after-school transportation for middle and high school tutoring. We can no longer provide transportation home for middle and high school students who sign up for tutoring between today and the end of the fall semester. For those who have already registered for tutoring and transportation services, the afternoon bus route will continue to run as normal. This transportation change only affects students who have not signed up before today, November 10.

I am pleased to report another successful Tootsie Roll 5K benefitting special education programs in Madison City Schools. The 5th annual run last Saturday drew 400 entrants. I am grateful for the local chapters of Knights of Columbus for their faithful sponsorship of this event, and to all the sponsors and participants who make it happen each year.

Finally, I know that flu and other illness seasons are upon our community. Please know that if your student is sick, they should remain home until they are fever free for at least 24-48 hours. If an illness places your student into excessive absences, please contact your school principal. Our team will work with you since we don’t want students trying to come to school sick because of a fear of absences. We have been blessed that while we have dealt with a rise in illness, we have not been faced with a huge crisis of absence across the entire district. We have had a few schools dip into the low 80% attendance range for a couple of days; however, as a district we are currently holding around the 90% attendance range. This is slightly below our 94%-96%.normal range. I certainly appreciate our operations and custodial staff for the extra cleaning that they are doing during this season. I also appreciate our support and teaching staff for covering class areas when substitutes were difficult to schedule. I continue to encourage anyone that is available to consider becoming a substitute teacher for our district. 

I will close with a reminder that my latest Sittin’ With The Supe’ podcast is on some of our wonderful theater programs in Madison City Schools.

“Glad To Be Here!”
Ed Nichols
Superintendent

 

District Update 10-31-22

Dear MCS Parents,

As I begin this week’s update, I want to congratulate all of our district on being named a “System of Distinction” by the accrediting association Cognia. Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, and professional services within a framework of continuous improvement. Cognia serves 36,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 90 countries, During the 2021-2022 school year, Cognia conducted approximately 1,500 school engagement reviews for accreditation. This year, 96 schools and 38 systems in 34 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and nine countries are recognized as “Schools and Systems of Distinction.” In Alabama, 35 systems went through the process and Madison City was one of two districts to receive this recognition.  The number of institutions reviewed and those that earn this designation vary from year to year. Winners carry the designation for one year. Member institutions in Cognia’s Global Network may seek accreditation. 

We have recently been made aware that our mass notification system, which is used to convey weekly superintendent updates and timely weather announcements, is not reaching some of you. Our technology team identified errors in our communication system and have made the necessary corrections to ensure successful delivery. If you know of other parents or guardians not receiving these district notifications, please ask them to notify their child’s school registrar. The registrars will verify your contact information is correct in PowerSchool. The contact information is populated for mass communications through the PowerSchool registration system.

MCS is beginning to see increases in confirmed cases of flu and other illnesses in our schools. I shared with the Board this morning that while attendance normally runs in the 94-95 percent range districtwide, it was closer to 90 percent last week, with some schools dipping into the low 80s. Schools have ramped up disinfectant applications to help slow the spread. Our school nurses team asks parents to help slow the spread by keeping children home if they are sick and to not return them too quickly before they’ve recovered. Please review The MCS Communicable Disease Policy for guidelines for the student’s return to school.  

I would like to congratulate Clay Combs and students in the technology and broadcast academy at James Clemens High School for outstanding finishes in the All American High School Film Festival held Oct. 21-23 in New York City. JC had seven finalists and two winners in various categories in this international competition involving over 3,000 submissions from across the U.S. and countries abroad. James Clemens student Jim Eso placed 1st in the PSA category with his submission of “Open.” Another JC student, Connor Douglass, placed 1st in Micro Movie with “For The Picture.”

I would also like to congratulate the Bob Jones Volleyball Team for placing runner up in the recent 7A State Volleyball championship. The Lady Patriots defeated both Auburn and St. Paul’s Episcopal 3-0 to advance to the state title match against McGill-Toolen, where they came up short in a four-match set. I am proud of the students and coach for their talent, determination and sportsmanship.

The latest Sittin With The Supe’ broadcast features our MCS College and Career Readiness team. Tune in here for a discussion with Kaleb Owens, Lana Meskunas and Stephanie Bostick, our college and career readiness coach and counselors.

Finally, I know that many of you will be taking part tonight in Halloween traditions. I urge everyone to take all the necessary precautions to keep our children safe. I also want to remind everyone to complete the annual Impact Aid survey that was recently announced. The form can be found in PowerSchool where many other very important school and student information can be accessed.

“Glad To Be Here!”
Ed Nichols
Superintendent

 

District Update 10/24/22

Dear MCS Parents,

I would like to thank everyone who has responded so far to the Impact Aid survey which brings hundreds of thousands of additional dollars annually to Madison City Schools. This money is tied to MCS parents/guardians who live or work on federal installations as determined by completion of federal Impact Aid forms. We are pleased to make the forms available now via the PowerSchool parent portal over the traditional paper forms. Please register for PowerSchool if you haven’t done so already. It is also a convenient way to access your student’s grades and other important school documents.

Our school counselors are an integral part of Madison City Schools.
Three earned special recognition this past week: MCS District Mental Health Services Coordinator Stephanie Allen, counselor Sadie Sturdivant at Columbia Elementary and counselor Carol Torello at RISE Academy. Mrs. Allen was tapped by the Alabama School Counselor Association as its Administrator/Supervisor  of the year.
Mrs. Sturdivant has been named recipient of the Asa Sparks New Counselor of the Year Award. This is an especially high honor for a first-year counselor, as there is only one Asa Sparks award issued annually. She is doing amazing work at Columbia and her spirit of caring and enthusiasm is obvious to those around her.
Ms. Torello has been in education 33 years and now serves as guidance counselor at RISE Academy at JCHS. She was recognized last Thursday at the Partnership for a Drug Free Community’s annual awards luncheon for her advocacy and work with students.

Congratulations are also in order to:
* Heritage Elementary for being named to the Leader In Me Lighthouse Academic Roll for 2022.
* Columbia Elementary for an outstanding performance in National Science Bee competition.
* Bands at JC and BJ. James Clemens Band earned superiors in all categories, and received awards for Best in Class Band and Dance Line, as well as the Outstanding Music Award and Best Overall Band award among 24 bands from Georgia and Alabama. The BJHS Competition Band placed 1st at the Alabama State Marching Band CHampionship Oct. 22 with best in musical performance, visual performance and outstanding general effect.
* The Bob Jones Volleyball team for advancing in state tournament action. The Lady Patriots play Auburn at noon this Wednesday in playoff rounds.

For those who missed it, here’s a link to the latest “Sittin’ With The Supe’” podcast. My guests are engineering teacher Jessye Gaines at Bob Jones High School and teacher Jackie Smith at Mill Creek Elementary who are sponsors of their school Greenpower Racing teams.
It is still not too late to register for the 5th Annual Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll 5K in Madison benefitting our Special Education programs.
The run/walk is Nov. 5 at Madison City Stadium. For more information, and to register, click here. All proceeds benefit students with special learning needs in Madison City Schools.

“Glad To Be Here!”
Ed Nichols
Superintendent

10-17-22
Dear MCS Parents,

Yesterday marked a very important anniversary in the history of Madison City Schools.
October 16, 1997 was when the Madison mayor and council at that time formally approved a Madison City Board of Education to begin the process of separating from the Madison County school system. Sunday, the Board and I had the honor of hosting a reception for past and current officials/community leaders who were instrumental in putting Madison and Triana in an independent school district.
We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone back then who had this vision.
The move to independence was fueled by higher expectations and having more local control. In the ensuing years, MCS has become a state and national leader in preparing students for global success. A larger communitywide celebration will be held around next year’s school start marking the 25th anniversary as a school system.

Speaking of honors and achievements as a school district, here’s another. Cognia, an international accrediting agency that conducted an extensive accreditation audit last year of MCS, reported last week that Madison City Schools is one of just 38 school systems across the globe recognized as a school system of distinction based on the level of positive findings by the audit.
This is yet another example of high performance that sets Madison City Schools apart from many other school systems
.
Congratulations to our bands at James Clemens and Bob Jones for excellent performances at recent band competitions. Click here for a summary.
Congrats also to our Scholars Bowl teams and coaches Baragona and Sippel for impressive finishes in tournament competition at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering. DMS placed well in individual and team competition. Sixth graders did exceptionally well playing up to middle school level with JV sets of questions.

At our Board meeting last week, the construction manager over Journey Middle School reported that the project is on track to be several million dollars under budget when completed potentially this December. That’s great news as our continued growth will demand a new elementary school within a couple of years. More about that in this news link along with positive news on our ACT scores and our recent increase in substitute pay.

The latest  Sittin’ With The Supe’ Podcast focuses on our Greenpower program. Guests are engineering teacher Jessye Gaines at Bob Jones High School and 5th grade teacher Jacqueline Smith at Mill Creek. The taping was featured on WHNT-19. The BJHS Patriot Racing team will next compete at Hazel Green H.S. on Saturday, Oct. 29, and at Choccolocco Park in Oxford on Friday, Nov. 4.

As a reminder, Oct. 19 will be an E-learning day for 11th and 12th grade students while 9th and 10th grade students take the PreACT. Additional details have been sent out from the high schools. Students in grades Pre-K through 8th grades have a normal in-person school day. Parents can see up-to-date grades anytime by logging into PowerSchool or downloading the app. This is a great time to verify if you have everything set up in PowerSchool so you can regularly check grades and attendance.

Finally, Oct. 17-21 is Alabama School Bus Safety Week. I would like to extend a big thank you to our Transportation Department. This amazing team of bus drivers, mechanics,and  route specialists run an operation that transports nearly 6,000 students daily on school routes and on countless extracurricular runs. Please drive safely in school zones and particularly around school buses as they are loading and unloading. And be sure to thank your bus driver.
 
“Glad To Be Here!”

Ed Nichols
Superintendent

10-10-22

Dear MCS Parents,

I hope you had a relaxing Fall Break and enjoyed the beautiful weather! It is great to have all of our staff and students back in our school buildings. 

As a reminder, this Wednesday is a ½ day for students. Pre-K will dismiss at 11:00, Elementary will dismiss at 11:30, and middle schools will dismiss at 12:15. All sophomores and any juniors who signed up will be taking the PSAT on Wednesday. All other high school students will have an eLearning day.

Congratulations to the BJHS Air Force JROTC for recently earning the distinction of Cognia Accreditation. Cognia is a national accreditation agency that conducts a rigorous evaluation process for schools, districts, and programs seeking national accreditation. 

Congratulations are also in order for William McIlwain, a Cybersecurity and IT Fundamentals instructor at BJHS, for being named to the National Career and Technical Education Advisory Council for Comptia. He will join MCS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Heather Donaldson who will lead Alabama’s input in a national dialogue focused on accelerating career pathways in technology.

I would like to remind everyone of our after-school tutoring programs starting up this month on October 17. The Elementary After School Sustained Tutoring Program will host reading tutoring on Mondays and Wednesdays and math tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Participating students will receive teacher-developed lessons focused on review skills needed to assist them in becoming more successful when working towards grade level expectations. For the secondary school after-school tutoring programs, math will be on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, English / Language Arts will be on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and high schools will have chemistry tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Transportation will be provided. Schools have been sending tutoring information home for qualifying students.

We are continuing our Mental Health Matters initiative with free parent/community workshops this year. The 1st one coming up is October 28 which will address Understanding and Coping with Anxiety. Parents can attend just one workshop that interests them or attend them all. These workshop sessions are provided in partnership by Madison City Schools and Madison City Council of PTAs to bring deeper understanding on how to support the mental health of young people.

Our athletic teams continue to do well. Congratulations to JC track team members for an impressive performance at the Under The Lights Cross Country Festival at Palmer Park. The Jets swept all four divisions of the meet with outstanding finishes in both girls and boys divisions. BJ’s Cross Country competed at Lake Guntersville with Varsity Girls taking 1st and Varsity Boys 3rd in addition to great individual performances. I am looking forward to wins by both JC and BJ this Wednesday in the 7A Area Volleyball Tournament at Bob Jones.
For those who missed it, Madison City Schools has been ranked the No. 1 school district in Alabama by NICHE. The findings that were released just before Fall Break also ranked individual schools. Every single one of our schools were in the top 10 out of hundreds of schools statewide. This is outstanding and the result of true community and MCS district wide efforts.

“Glad To Be Here!”

Ed Nichols

Superintendent

9-26-22

Dear MCS Parents,

We are entering our last full week before Fall Break, which also marks the end of the first 9-week grading period. Please remind your child(ren) to have all school work completed before Sept. 30 so that it can be factored into their grades. It’s hard to believe we will be a quarter of the way through the school year already.

I am happy to report Tommy Overcash as our newest board member. He was appointed by the City Council and sworn in at the Tuesday, Sept. 20 Board meeting. Mr. Overcash has a long history with Madison, having served on the City Council from 2004 - 2020 - eight years as its president. He has an even longer history with Madison City Schools as he and his wife, Debbie, were instrumental in its creation as an independent school district in 1998. We are honored to have him on the MCS team.

It is a great honor to have our Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Heather Donaldson, representing Alabama Career Tech Directors on the CompTIA National Career Tech Education Advisory Council. This is a two-year commitment. Its focus is to find ways to accelerate career tech pathways for students based on workforce demands of each district, emerging technology, certifications, funding sources, articulation agreements, best practices, professional development and industry connections. Read more about CompTIA’s mission here,

September is PTA membership month. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage everyone to join your school’s PTA (full listing in link). They play a vital role in the success of our schools and ultimately, the community. You can join whether you have students in the system or not. There’s even a mega membership that enables you to belong to every PTA in our district for a very low cost. Madison City Schools values the partnership we have with our PTAs and invites all of our stakeholders to support our schools by joining.

Our guests for the latest Sittin’ With The Supe Podcast are Kaila Holloway and Carly Thomas from the BJHS girls flag football team who discuss the rules of the game, power of teamwork and other aspects of this emerging sport. (see full schedule here).
March on Madison is tomorrow night (Tuesday, Sept. 27) at Madison City Stadium. What a wonderful opportunity to hear bands from Bob Jones, James Clemens, Discovery and several other local bands. Tickets are available on the S2 Pass App. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can also purchase tickets from the S2Pass fan website and print your tickets to present at the gate through https://fans.s2pass.com/events. The show begins at 6 p.m.

Last year, I started a Superintendent Student Advisory Committee to provide students with the opportunity to share ideas about critical issues within our schools. The committee will continue to meet again this school year. My goal is to have a diverse group of students with various academic, athletic, fine arts, and extracurricular interests. The committee currently consists of 10 seniors each from Bob Jones and James Clemens who served on the committee last year during their junior year in high school. I would like to add 10 juniors each from Bob Jones and James Clemens for this school year. On Friday, all juniors received an email with the link to apply for the Superintendent Student Advisory Committee. The application will close at midnight on Tuesday, October 4. I encourage students to apply for this opportunity to meet with me in a small group setting to share their ideas.

I am excited to announce that after fall break we are kicking off our after school tutoring programs. The Elementary After School Sustained Tutoring Program will host after school reading tutoring on Monday and Wednesday and math tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday. The tutoring program starts October 17. Participating students will receive teacher-developed lessons focused on review skills needed to assist them in becoming more successful when working towards grade level expectations. Additionally, secondary schools will also host after school tutoring programs - also starting on October 17. Math will be on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, English / Language Arts will be on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and high schools will have Chemistry tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Transportation will be provided. Both the Elementary After School Sustained Tutoring Program and the Secondary After School Tutoring Program are being made available through the ESSER funds that support COVID learning loss. Schools have been sending tutoring information home for qualifying students.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate Bob Jones and James Clemens for earning a GreatSchools.org College Success Award. Only 66 Alabama schools among 1,742 nationwide attained this honor. The award recognizes schools that meet certain criteria in preparing all students for postsecondary and career success.
Have an enjoyable Fall Break. 

“Glad To Be Here!”
Ed Nichols
Superintendent

9-19-22

Dear MCS Parents,

Last week ended on a positive note with the release of National Merit Semifinalists . I am proud to report that Madison City Schools once again produced the most NMS of any other Alabama school district, regardless of size. Next closest school systems were Vestavia Hills (21) and Hoover (18). While the students are certainly deserving for their hard work, credit also belongs to the schools and teachers who helped prepare them. The vast majority of our NMS students (26) attended Madison City Schools from elementary school on up. Looking at these students’ school history, every MCS school at every level can lay claim to their development into top scholars. Congratulations to the students, parents, teachers, principals, and to all who had a hand in this remarkable achievement. 
I encourage everyone once again to come to the Family Mental Health Resource Fair tonight (Monday, Sept. 19) at Midtown Elementary. This is the third year the district has showcased mental health in a districtwide outreach. Learn more about the Mental Health community resource fair in this link. Barnie, our facility dog at Madison Elementary, will be a guest greeter. Hope to see you there.
We had another fabulous homecoming. I had the privilege once again to ride in the James Clemens homecoming parade and attend the game Friday night. What wonderful traditions for our students and community.
I would like to welcome Family Security Credit Union into the MCS and Midtown Elementary family. FSCU officers Regina Kyle, Jordan Woodall and Cailin O’Donnell visited Midtown Friday to give a generous donation to Principal Savannah Demeester. Partners in Education is a program with Madison City Schools, the Madison Chamber of Commerce, PTA and local businesses and families to create a bridge between our community and schools.
Finally, I would like to recognize BJ student Rian Edwards  for her courage and advocacy for taking part in a global conference in California aimed at rare genetic diseases. She spoke in a session on the demands and impact on family and caregivers. Rian’s brother, Elijah Edwards, has a rare genetic disease.  

“Glad To Be Here!”
Ed Nichols
Superintendent

 

9-12-22

Dear MCS Parents,

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. We had a wonderful turnout for the  Bob Jones homecoming parade last Thursday. What a great tradition. Friday’s game with all of the homecoming activities was also enjoyable. I want to thank the police department, students, school employees, parents and everyone else who had a hand in it. I am looking forward to the James Clemens homecoming parade Thursday, Sept. 15, and the game the following night.

Madison City Schools was honored by the Alabama State Department of Education last week for attaining Purple Star  status under a new state program aimed at military families. Gov. Kay Ivey and the state BOE recognized 12 school districts and 53 schools as the inaugural class. The Purple Star program was created by a legislative act to help ease the social and/or academic burden of frequent moves. They do this through S2S (student-to-student) chapters at each school that welcome newcomers and provide other assistance,
All 11 of our schools attained Purple Star designation. In other words, one out of five Purple Star schools across the entire state is an MCS school. I’ would like to thank the Community Foundation and the Hometown Lenders Golf Championship for giving MCS a $4,400 grant for S2S chapters in our schools.

Thank you to all who completed the Mental Health Matters parent interest survey. I would like to remind everyone of the district wide Family Mental Health Fair on Monday September 19, at Midtown Elementary School from 5 - 7 p.m. This event features community resource tables as well as an interactive expo with hands-on activities for students and adults to support mental wellness provided by The Enrichment Center. You can find more info here.

Congratulations to JCHS German teacher, Peggy Boynton, who was invited to present and serve as a panelist last week at the Alabama World Languages Association workshop.
Ms. Boynton focused on helping other districts establish a Seal of Biliteracy program. Ms. Boynton helped bring the Seal of Biliteracy program to Madison City Schools, and I am so proud of the work she has done in our district and now the support she is providing to others as they seek to establish a similar program.

The 2023 MCS Budget was approved last week at the Board of Education meeting. 
Finally, my guests for the latest “Sittin’ with the Supe’” Podcast are head football coaches Kelvis White with Bob Jones and Chad McGehee with James Clemens.
You can hear what they have to say in this link to the Podcast.

 “Glad To Be Here!”

Ed Nichols

Superintendent

 

 

9-2-22

Dear MCS Parents,

I would like to start by wishing everyone a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I hope you and your family enjoy the break and come back Tuesday refreshed for the next stretch.

Tonight marks a special time for our school district. It's the night of the Madison Bowl football game between Bob Jones and James Clemens. While it is a “rivalry” by definition, it is a friendly rivalry. One team will be victorious and the other won't. Let's all remember that we are still one MCS family and be respectful through the outcome. 

Homecoming is fast approaching.The Bob Jones homecoming parade is next Thursday, Sept. 8, starting at 5:30 p.m. with the game against Grissom on Friday. The James Clemens homecoming parade is Thursday, Sept. 15, with the game against Florence the following day. What a wonderful tradition to have homecoming parades with all the festivities that entails. I look forward to seeing everyone along the parade route and at the games.

I had the pleasure this week of meeting some of our kids in the Purple Star S2S groups. S2S is Student-to-Student. These are student mentoring teams in all of our schools that help welcome newcomers transferring into our schools. The S2S program has its roots in welcoming military kids who relocate often. But their outreach is to any new student to help them overcome the social and sometimes academic challenges from being a newcomer.Madison City Schools recently attained status as a Purple Star District under a new state program established by the Alabama Legislature. It has been very successful not only for transient students but also in helping S2S students with their social skills.

Finally, I want to pass along an important event to consider attending. On September 19, Madison City Schools and MCS PTA are hosting a Family Mental Health Fair. This districtwide event will be held at Midtown Elementary from 5 -7 p.m. Mark your calendars to stop by and visit community resource tables, hands on mental wellness expo, student art showcase and more. 

https://www.madisoncity.k12.al.us/site/default.aspx?DomainID=2411

“Glad To Be Here!”

Ed Nichols

Superintendent

8-26-22

Dear MCS Parents,

August is fast coming to a close. We are almost a month into the school year with everything going well so far.
Next week marks an exciting time for Madison City Schools with the Bob Jones-James Clemens football game. I hope everyone makes plans to come to the Madison Bowl next Friday, September 2, at Madison City Stadium.
One exciting new feature to the BJ-JC tradition this year is a special night hosted by our Trash Pandas baseball team in honor of the big BJ-JC game. The team is holding Rivalry Night  this Tuesday, August 30, in its game against Biloxi at Toyota Field. Come on out for a fun night of baseball with performances by BJ and JC drumlines, cheerleaders, ROTC corps and more. You might even get to see your superintendent throw the first pitch. Special seating is available for JC fans (along the first base line) and BJ fans (along the 3rd base line). Use the ticket links in the Rivalry Night link above to choose your BJ or JC seating. Proceeds from concessions will be donated to the SOS student fund at Madison City Schools and there will be a school supplies and hygiene drive at the stadium.

Our district is continuing our mental health support and would like your feedback. Please help us plan future Mental Health Matters by this survey:  https://forms.gle/YQiE3pxFsrt5wMnf7.

Heritage Elementary School was honored this week with the renewal of their Leader In Me Lighthouse Recertification. Congratulations to the faculty and staff at Heritage Elementary on their hard work to maintain this program that fosters strong leadership skills in students.
 I am pleased to share that the Board of Education approved the MCS Strategic Plan last night. The strategic planning process occurred over the last year with stakeholder surveys and meetings of over 100 stakeholders including students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback along the way, whether that was through the surveys or committee meetings. The Strategic Plan establishes goals for the next five years in the areas of Academics, Special Services, Operations and Facilities, Communication, Support Services, Technology, and Faculty and Staff. View the Strategic Plan here.
Last night, our Board members heard a budget presentation led by our Chief School Financial Officer, Laverne Williams, on the proposed 2023 spending plan for Madison City Schools. You can review the proposed budget here and offer any comment on the attached form before the next scheduled budget hearing on September 6.  This budget is the result of months of collaboration and input from my administrative team, teachers and support personnel, board members, city and community members, and other stakeholders. While it cannot cover everything given the limited resources, I believe it responsibly addresses our most pressing needs.

Congratulations to Ashwin Prabhakar, a senior at Bob Jones High School, for earning a $10,000 scholarship as a Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship winner for creating an innovative approach to deep wound care. I am always amazed by the intelligence, creativity, and performance of our students.
Finally, I am excited to report that this week’s Sittin’ With The Supe podcast features our elementary and secondary Teachers of the Year. Bonnie Howard at Madison Elementary and Command Sgt. Ellis Clark at Bob Jones are representative of the many hundreds of outstanding teachers we have in MCS.

“Glad To Be Here!”

Ed Nichols
Superintendent

8-19-22

 

8-12-22

8-2-22

Dear Parents,

Dear MCS Parents,

I am looking forward to welcoming your children back to school this Wednesday, August 3.
Our entire MCS team has been busy preparing for their return. All Madison City employees reported back last Wednesday for Institute Day where we were inspired and energized by our keynote speaker. As educators, we are blessed with the opportunity to support your children on their path to reaching and exceeding their goals. I want to give you a few updates as we prepare to start the 2022-2023 school year.

Masks will be optional this school start. If you want your child to be masked, you will need to provide a mask for them. Any student or staff that tests positive for COVID will stay home and be excluded from school and school activities for a minimum of 5 full days (1st day of symptoms is day 0). Please contact your school nurse to report a positive COVID case.
See the Health Services website for the complete procedures for absences and exposure to someone positive to COVID-19.
Please remember to keep your sick child at home and communicate with your school nurse regardless of whether your child has COVID- 19 or any other illness.
 
I know you have seen construction taking place on multiple school campuses. Some projects, like the new special education wing and the south parking lot at Bob Jones, are quite visible. Others, like HVAC replacements at several schools, are less noticeable. As always, the summer months are very short for this type of work, but are the least disruptive to the school year. I certainly appreciate our maintenance and custodial staff for their hard work to get areas that have been disrupted by construction back in order. I also appreciate the countless community groups and staff that came during the summer and served our schools in clean up programs.

As I shared last week, safety is always our top priority. This school year we have a renewed focus on staff training, use of available resources, and physical security. Although we will not share specific plans for security reasons, we feel confident that our schools are safe. We will continue to be vigilant and evaluate our procedures designed to keep our campuses safe. I appreciate our partnership with the City of Madison and the Madison Fire and Police Departments. We are blessed in this community to have such a tremendous group of first responders.

I want to remind everyone that MCS will be returning to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program for the 2022-23 school year. Due to the rapidly increasing cost of food and supplies - combined with reduced federal reimbursement rates - MCS meals will increase by 10 cents to the following new rate: elementary lunch $2.75; secondary lunch $3. Breakfast remains the same at $1.75. Families who may qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced School Meal Program can use this link to apply https://paypams.com/OnlineApp.aspx

Those who have had children in the district know that car lines are always longer the first few days and traffic is always a little heavier when we return to school. The heavier traffic and longer car lines usually ease up after the first week or so of school. Your local school has all route and bus information. I encourage you to use the GPS Parent Portal app for tracking your child’s bus in real time. Your schools have all the codes and information for downloading the app to your device. Please note that our transportation department will be balancing ridership loads during the first couple of weeks of school and there could be slight route changes. Your school will communicate those changes to you. I appreciate your patience in advance as we all work together to get our students to and from school safely.

Our theme this year as a district is “Glad To Be Here.” I am glad to be a part of the Madison family and serve our Board, teachers, staff and students. We are blessed with a wonderful community that truly values education. Together, we can and will continue to focus on our students and “Empowering All of Them for Global Success.”  I look forward to seeing your children in our schools tomorrow!

Ed Nichols,
Superintendent

7-25-22

Dear Parents,

It’s an exciting time in Madison City Schools as we get ready for the return of students and teachers. I cannot wait until the hallways are buzzing again. As we wrap up the last full week of summer break, I want to take a brief moment to share some information about the return to school.

Each year, parents of students who are returning to Madison City Schools must re-enroll their student(s) online. This is a very quick process and is necessary for parents to update any contacts, notify us of any changes in medical history or custody, and of course, provide proof of residency in the Madison City Schools’ zone. Almost 11,500 students from last year are returning and most have submitted their re-enrollment application and been approved. However, currently we have about 573 students who have not yet started the re-enrollment process. An additional 234 have started the process but not finished. Another 239 submitted, but have been notified they have outstanding forms to be submitted for proof of residency.
All of this is necessary as we make sure we base staffing on the number of students who are approved to return. The deadline was July 22. If you have not registered your student, please do so as soon as possible. Schedules and class assignments are currently being made for those that have registered. Any student not registered will not receive a class assignment or schedule until they are registered. 

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, it is important that we reinforce our commitment to safety and security across MCS. Our district has many resources to keep our campuses safe yet we are always looking for ways to improve.

After the tragic event in Uvalde, Texas, we conducted an audit of our safety protocols. This review included assessing facility vulnerabilities; forming a safety/security workgroup composed of teachers, staff, parents and administrators; and conducting a staff survey to get vital feedback. MCS currently has 10 School Resource Officers (SROs) assigned to our schools, along with 3 private security guards, and a safety and security coordinator solely dedicated to overseeing the district’s safety and security posture.

The Madison Police Department provides MCS with SROs who receive unique, high-quality training that qualify them for these assignments. We also utilize resources dedicated to mental health, early warning detection, intervention processes, and personnel dedicated to addressing safety and security. 

Each school is required by law to have an updated Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The school’s EOP is updated annually and staff are trained on their EOP and our district emergency response protocols. This school year we will have a renewed focus on staff training, use of available resources, and physical security. Although we will not share specific plans for security reasons, we feel confident that our schools are safe. That said, we continue to look for ways to improve school safety and avoid becoming complacent.

Student and campus safety/ security will always be our top priority and our partnerships with the Madison Police Department, parents, and other community stakeholders will remain a vital part of this effort.

As we launch into the 2022-2023 school year, we are preparing for New Student Orientations and Open Houses. Elementary Open Houses will be on Monday, August 1, in time intervals based on last name. See the school-by-school schedule here. Secondary students’ schedules will be available for viewing in PowerSchool prior to the start of school: Liberty and Discovery students can view schedules starting Friday, July 29, and Bob Jones and James Clemens students can view schedules starting Monday, August 1. More information about schedules will be released from schools.

In the past, we have tried several scheduling options with Open House, including setting elementary, middle, and high school open houses on the same day, which posed difficulties for families with students in multiple grades. We considered this option when planning our Open House schedule for this year. In addition, we took into account the schedule changes that always take place at the middle and high school level, due to the balancing of classes and new students enrolling daily.

With these things in mind, we made the conscious decision to hold the middle school Open Houses on August 9th and the high school Open Houses on August 11th (after the first day of school). For new MCS students and other students new to a building, our secondary schools are holding New Student Orientations prior to the first day of school. In addition, our teachers will allow our students time during the first few days of school to find their way around. Finally, our secondary schedules will be more accurate than schedules that we would have passed out in mid-July. Secondary students not involved in new student orientation can obtain bus route information by contacting the school on or after August 1. 

Have a great week!

Ed Nichols