Madison Elementary

Dear Madison Families,

Helping Our Mustangs Come to School Ready to Learn!

We have had a wonderful start to the school year! Our students are working hard to learn new routines, build friendships, and grow as learners. As we settle into the year, we want to remind families that a few simple habits at home can make a BIG difference in how children feel and learn at school.

Sleep Matters
Young children need plenty of sleep to help their brains and bodies grow. A consistent bedtime routine helps children arrive at school rested, focused, and ready for the day. Turning screens off before bedtime can also make it easier for children to settle down and get quality sleep.

Fuel Their Bodies
Breakfast and nutritious meals and snacks give children the energy they need to think, play, and learn. Please encourage your child to eat breakfast either at home or at school and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Limit Screen Time
Phones, tablets, video games, and TV can easily take up a lot of a child's day. Setting limits on recreational screen time leaves more time for playing, talking, reading, creating, and sleeping—all things that help young brains develop.

Build Simple Routines
Children thrive when they know what to expect. Consistent routines for bedtime, waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and arriving at school on time help children feel secure and build independence.

Thank you for partnering with us to help our Madison Mustangs come to school rested, nourished, on time, and ready to learn! The healthy habits we build together now will help our students be successful throughout the school year.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

Every parent wants to know how to protect their child. This month's newsletter is about exactly that: recognizing the signs, knowing what to do, and understanding that a caring conversation can change everything. When someone feels heard and supported, they are far less alone in their struggles. You don't need to be a therapist to make a difference. You just need to know what to look for and how to show up. In this month's newsletter, you'll find the warning signs to watch for, questions worth asking, and simple ways to let your child know they're loved, no matter what they're carrying.

Want to go deeper?

ParentGuidance.org’s no-cost course walks you through everything you need to know about suicide prevention, so you feel confident having the hard conversations before they're urgent.

Take the Course: What Parents Need to Know About Suicide Prevention

Dear Families,

Fargo Public Schools uses “Here Comes the Bus” to track students who ride the bus. Students in grades K-5 who ride the bus will receive a bar-coded card; school staff will attach the card to a student’s backpack on the first day of school or the day that your child begins riding the bus. Students in grades 6-12 will use a student ID card to scan or input their lunch number on the bus keypad.

Students will scan each time they enter the bus. When students arrive at the school, they will not scan off the bus, but the bus driver will complete a walk-through of the bus to make sure all students are off the bus (this saves valuable time each morning). At the end of the school day, returning home, your student needs to scan on and off the bus. When students scan, we can, in real-time, know that they are either on the bus or have exited the bus. This provides another level of safety for our students. Please encourage your child to participate in the scanning process onto the bus in the morning and scanning both on and off the bus after school.

If your child needs a replacement card, please notify the school office. A replacement will be given to the child at their school.

Parents/guardians can download the “Here Comes the Bus” app, which notifies parents when their children are picked up and dropped off. Click here for instructions on how to set up Here Comes the Bus. Students can also download the app and view where their bus is located.

If you have any questions about this system, please call the school office.

Thank you,

Brad Johnson, Transportation Coordinator

Fargo Public Schools

Dear Parents and Guardians,

For the 2026-27 school year, Fargo Public Schools (FPS) will implement four “early release” school days for learners. On these days, learners will be dismissed two hours early at each building. The early dismissal will allow our teaching staff to gather in an extended Professional Learning Community (PLC). The schedule for early release days is included below.

During these early release days, our teachers will be focusing on safety training, training on our new learner information system, analyzing student data, furthering implementation of Infinite Campus, setting goals for student learning, and reviewing and planning research-based instructional strategies for learners who need support and those who need enrichment. Teachers will collaborate with grade- or content-level peers to review, reflect, and learn from each other in meeting learners' needs.

We understand that early release days may cause some inconvenience for families, but this is an important step towards improving our teaching practices and ultimately benefiting our learners' learning outcomes. We appreciate your understanding and support in this matter.

The dates of the early outs are:

Early Out Days:

Wednesday, September 16

Wednesday, October 21

Wednesday, December 9

Wednesday, February 10

Early out dismissal at Madison Elementary is 12:47p. Buses will run at that time. If you are a parent pick up, please arrive at 12:47p. There is no supervision after school.

Picture day at Madison is Monday, September 21st. A couple weeks after your picture day, you will receive a proof to choose your package and background. At that time you can select the background of your choice. If no background is selected your background will be blue. You do not need to pre-select your background choice.

Dates to Remember:

September 11th: Mobile Immunization Event 12:30p

September 16th: Early out Day; dismissal at 12:47p

September 23rd: Girl Scout visit to classrooms

September 25th: Bus Safety 9:00a