Madison Middle School

As we enter week five of the school year, we hope your student is making new friends, engaging in class, and making the most of the opportunities at school. In this week's update you'll find more opportunities for both students and parents:

• Welcome Back Dance Party!
• Yearbooks are on sale!
• John Landes Park Bus Stop Update
• Gang Awareness Community Forum at Madison
• Attendance Update
• RBV Football Games
• School Site Council
• Dads' Club
• Many announcements!

Thanks for reading!

Tom Berger

Principal

• Late Start (School hours from 10:00 am to 3:35 pm)

Sept. 9

• Regular Schedule (School hours from 9:00 am to 3:35 pm)
• Girls' Volley Ball Tryouts in the Gym for 6th & 7th grade -- 4pm to 6pm
• Flag Football Tryouts day 1 -- see below for times

Sept. 10

• Minimum Day (School hours from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)
• Lunch is served at 12pm

Sept. 11

• Regular Schedule (School hours from 9 am to 3:35 pm)
• Girls' Volley Ball Tryouts in the gym for 8th grade -- 4pm to 6pm
• Flag Football Tryouts day 2 -- see below for times

Sept. 12

• Regular Schedule (School hours from 9 am to 3:35 pm)

• Boys' & Girls' Club Mustang Sports begins in September. See details below.
• Friday, September 19 Welcome Back Dance
• Wednesday, September 24 ELAC Meeting
• October 2: Gang Awareness Community Forum at Madison

Last Thursday, September 4, 2025, there was possible gang activity reported near the John Landes Park bus stop. While no students were harmed, we immediately involved the Oceanside Police and continue to assist authorities in their investigation. To ensure student safety, district security and police monitored the bus stop last Thursday afternoon, the following Friday morning, and Friday afternoon.

Families affected have been notified that, beginning Monday, September 8, 2025, the Route A stop at John Landes Park will be paused. All pick-up and drop-off will take place at the existing Route A stop on Thunder Drive near the corner of Waring Road.

We would like to encourage families to remind students about general safety practices when traveling to and from school, such as staying alert, walking with friends, and avoiding behaviors, clothing, or symbols that could be misinterpreted or associated with unsafe groups. While we are pleased to report that no gang activity has occurred on campus, we have scheduled gang awareness training for our staff. And on October 2, 2025, we will host a community forum.

Join us for an important community forum on gang awareness. We will be joined by Oceanside Council member Jimmy Figueroa, Professor Martin Leyva, members of Project Resilience, and representatives from the Oceanside Police Department.

They will share valuable information, resources, and strategies to help keep our neighborhood, school, and students safe.

📅 Thursday, October 2, 2025
🕔 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
📍 Madison Middle School Library

We’re excited to report that we have a 98% school-wide attendance rate since the beginning of the school year, and we have made great progress with students getting to class on time—tardies dropped from 75 on Tuesday to 51 on Friday! Our practice tardy sweeps last week were very effective; and this week we will continue random sweeps but with before or after school detentions as a consequence. First period still has the most tardies, but we know mornings can be challenging with multiple drop-offs and transportation challenges. That said, thank you for all you do to help your students start the day on time—we truly appreciate your efforts!

Every public school has a school site council (SSC); it is an elected group of parents, staff, and community members that uses school data to guide, fund, and monitor the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) to support all students’ academic success.

While all meetings are public, there is a group of ten elected, voting members made up of five staff members and five parent or community members. This year we have two open spots for parents or community members. If you are interested in serving, please email me with your name and a sentence or two stating why you would like to participate. Names are due to me by this Tuesday, September 9 by 4:00pm. I will then send out a Google Form Ballot through parent square -- the election will be open from Tuesday evening through the morning of Friday, September 12. Winners will be notified on Friday, and the results of the election will be posted in the next Sunday letter.

Meetings are held monthly on Tuesdays on campus from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. This year's dates are September 16, October 7, November 4, December 9, January 13, February 10, March 10, April 21, and May 19.

Please email me at thomasberger@vistausd.org with your interest or any questions. Thank you!

Middle school students who wish to attend RBV High School football games must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The parent or guardian is expected to remain with the student for the entire game. Students who arrive without a parent or guardian will not be permitted to enter.

If you or someone you know is interested in sharing about a career please contact Mrs. Nissa Kuley at nissakuley@vistausd.org

Please click HERE for information about online courses that will take place on September 27, and October 25.

All students riding a bike (e-bike or pedal powered), a scooter, or a skateboard are required to complete a safety training course or attend an in-person bike education class in order to ride to any school in the district.

We are now checking to see that students riding to school have the appropriate license.