Madison-Grant United School Corporation

Preparing Students To Be Ahead of the Curve

Madison-Grant announces its partnership with Waterford.org as an addition to their early childhood curriculum as yet another piece of curriculum to round out a cutting-edge education through their early childhood programming. Waterford.org “seeks to blend the best aspects of learning science, mentoring relationships, and innovative technologies to form community, school, and home programs that deliver excellence and equity for all learners.” The program is currently being offered through Madison-Grant’s early childhood education programs and is being utilized in the classroom. Dr. Scott Deetz explains how Madison-Grant uses the tools provided by Waterford.org, “it's a vehicle for pre-k students to deliver curriculum that lends to academic development for our students. It’s part of our foundational curriculum that is in concert with live teaching. In our pre-k classroom, for example, a teacher is working at a center, then we'll have some students working independently through the software and monitor the progress on teacher assigned lessons based on level and interest that can adopt to students.”

Madison-Grant extended their offerings in their community this year with the addition of the Argyll Adventure Academy, a STEM focused pre-k. Dr. Scott Deetz says, “The intent of our early childhood programming, regardless of the program, is to develop a sound social and emotional foundations that will last through their career.” The addition of a STEM specific preschool is only one aspect says Deetz, “The steps we have taken is to have STEM related activities in each one of our pre-k programs. We went above and beyond to find outside funding through the Department of Education and grants to help develop our teachers professionally and also provide them with top notch resources like additional robots, computers, circuit boards, and software to deliver hands on experiences to our pre-k classes so our transition into our k–12 program is virtually seamless because this is the same focus we have in the rest of our system.” Waterford.org is an exciting part of this STEM focus in supporting teachers and students to be kindergarten ready as Waterford.org believes, “while every individual has the capacity for growth at every stage of life, childhood academic experiences are uniquely critical for setting a lifetime learning trajectory.”

Active Event Warning System

Madison-Grant United is accustomed to coordination. This district covers six townships between Madison and Grant Counties and works regularly with both sheriff departments, as well as two local police forces. “Any time there is an alarm, there is usually coordination between three agencies, if not all four,” said Superintendent Scott Deetz. This became apparent in March 2019, when multiple teachers reported the sound of gunshots to their school’s office. The system activated, and within ten minutes more than 100 first responders from 12 different agencies were on scene. Deetz worked to simultaneously communicate with media, parents, and teachers. While the noise was ultimately from construction activities nearby, the response was comforting to the school staff.

Through the SSSG, Madison-Grant United’s goal is to set up and initiate an active event warning system. The district will be using the same program as sister school Mississinewa, so he continues to promote efficiency of communication between all stakeholders. With so many agencies to coordinate, Deetz is hoping to standardize the system. “The next piece is creating a unified network between the two counties.”

Madison-Grant Starts Its STEM Focus at the Preschool Level

Rachel Dilts hands the four-year olds blue pegged geoboards. One student sits at a desk while others lie on their stomachs on a rug pulling rubber bands around the pegs to make squares, rectangles, and trapezoids. The exercise is part of a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lesson at the Argyll Adventure Academy at Summitville Elementary School, believed to be the only STEM-related program serving Madison County preschoolers.

"I think it helps the students having hands-on learning where they're doing it themselves instead of all on paper," Dilts said. "They are a lot more involved when it's hands-on instead of so much paper."

Open to 15 four-year olds, the Argyll Adventure Academy is one of three preschool classrooms at Summitville, through it is a separate program from the other two. Please take a moment to read the entire Argyll Adventure Academy article.

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