Madison Families,
I hope this message finds all of you enjoying a relaxing and healthy summer. As our return to school on August 30 approaches, please consider the following important opportunities for families to support our district’s academic and wellness goals.
Please join our Reopening Thoughtexchange to inform our planning efforts for the 2021-22 school year.
MPS is committed to reoopening schools on August 30 for full-enrollment, full-day, in-person learning with as few restrictions as possible. We would like to consider the concerns, questions, and insights of our school community members as we await further guidance and interpret what is currently available.
For context, please note that the NJDOE Road Forward guidance document sets forth that public schools MUST:
Reopen for full-day, full-enrollment, in-person learning
Implement contact tracing, isolation, and quarantining practices when individuals contract or are exposed to COVID
Employ layered mitigation strategies (including, ventilation, mask wearing, cleaning, hygiene, distancing, etc) in accordance with what is possible and appropriate within each district.
As there is currently room for interpretation regarding much of The Road Forward, we are interested in hearing from you as we finalize our primary and contingency plans. The Reopening Thoughtexchange will be available for parent and student contributions until Monday, August 2, 2021.
MPS is excited to introduce new Social Emotional Learning surveys to better support students in 2021-22.
In my last message, I introduced our new survey platform, Panorama, which was used to collect and analyze feedback from parents, students, and staff members at the end of the school year. In the new school year, we would like to also use Panorama’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) surveys to measure our success in supporting students’ academic beliefs and behaviors and to identify opportunities to better support each student in their development as a life-long learner. In order to be compliant with state law, these surveys will necessitate that parents provide active consent for student participation. We look forward to sharing more information about these surveys with you in August so that you can make an informed decision regarding your child’s participation. In the meantime, to understand how the Panorama Student Success platform is designed to support schools, students and families, please see this video and resources page.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information and for participating in our Reopening Thoughtexchange. We look forward to staying in communication with you as the 2021-22 school year approaches. Please feel free to direct any questions that you may have to the appropriate school or district administrator. If you do not know who to contact, please reach out to Patti Cleary at clearyp@madisonnjps.org.
Best wishes for health and wellness. We look forward to seeing all of you soon!
Upcoming Events:
Tues, Aug 17 - Board of Education Meeting, 7pm
Wed, Aug 18 - Superintendent Coffee, 7pm
Tues, Aug 24 - Board of Education Special Meeting, 7pm
Mon, Aug 30 - First Day of School for Students
Mon, Sept 6 - Schools Closed - Labor Day
Tues, Sept 7 - Schools Closed - Rosh Hashanah
Tues, Sept 14 - Board of Education Meeting, 7pm
Thurs, Sept 16 - Schools Closed - Yom Kippur