Parents

Be generous with praise

Observe your child carefully and comment on the things that are done well. When you see an area that needs improvement, find a positive way to talk about it with your child.

Encourage "personal best"

Help your child by encouraging him or her to do the best in school and at home. Remember, "personal best" does not mean "perfect", and learning is not the same as high grades. Children, like adults, need the freedom to make mistakes and to learn from them.

Make learning a priority

Your attitude toward school attendance, education and involvement in the school makes a strong and lasting impression on your child. Show your child, by example, that learning is a priority.

Show interest in school work

• Talk about school each day.
• Ask to see classwork.
• Have your child read aloud to you.
• Read to and with your child from a variety of material in your first language.
• Encourage your child to discuss new ideas and opinions.
• Show appreciation for good efforts.

Offer suggestions for success

Help your child use the following strategies to improve performance in school:

• Read the assignment when it is given.
• Keep a list of new vocabulary.
• Proofread assignments to catch errors before writing a final draft.
• Review notes before a test.

Schedule study time

• Set up an area for homework away from noise and distractions. Post a family calendar that schedules school project deadlines, after-school activities, mid-term dates, exam periods and report card dates.

In 2018-19, we expanded our use of  “Yondr” cell phone pouches in all core classes to improve teaching and learning by making those classrooms a phone-free zone.

The way Yondr works is simple.  When students arrive into class, they will place their phones in an assigned Yondr cellphone case.  The case locks and the student keeps their case with them.  Students maintain possession of their cellphones throughout the class, but they will not be able to use them until they are unlocked at the end of the period.

Yondr is already used by hundreds of middle and high schools, corporations and artists across the world to improve focus, production and the overall human experience of its users.

We piloted this program during the end of the 2017-18 school year in our math classes with success and are excited to see similar positive results in our other classes.

We understand cellphones have great utility, but we’re learning cellphone and headphone use has increasingly become a source of distraction and poor behavior. Their use, we’ve found, negatively impacts learning Madison High School.

This is not a concern limited to Madison High School.

​​According to a recent national survey, 50 percent of teens said they felt addicted to their mobile devices, and 59 percent of their parents agreed that their kids have a problem putting their devices down. In 2017, a University of Texas at Austin study concluded that “the mere presence of cellphones reduces available cognitive capacity.”

We want to assure families that you can always reach your student as you have in the past, by calling the main office at 248-548-1800. We recommend adding this number to your contact list for easy access.