The Madison Central High School and Madison Southern High School Navy indoor color guards competed at the TriState Marching Arts championships performance this month at Northern Kentucky University. Both groups earned the bronze medal in their division of the Scholastic A-2 class. Congratulations to both groups!

Please note the following adjustments to the remainder of the 2017-2018 school year calendar:

• Students last day will now be Tuesday, May 29. 
• Preschool students last day will be Wednesday, May 23.
• There will be no school on Monday, May 28, in honor of Memorial Day.
• Graduation dates and times will not change. However, graduating seniors will have to report to school on Tuesday, May 29, to pick up their diplomas.
• If you are a staff member, closing day has been moved to Monday, June 4.

The Madison County Board of Education voted to approve the calendar for the 2018-2019 school year. The school year will begin for students on Wednesday, Aug. 22, and end on Friday, May 24. The calendar includes a three-day fall break in October as well as a full week of spring break the first week of April. The calendar can be viewed HERE.

Kindergarten registration is ongoing for Madison County Schools.

Additional details can be found on the district's Kindergarten Registration webpage.

Graduation dates have been set by the Madison County Board of Education. 
Madison Southern High School graduation will be Friday, May 25, at 7 p.m.
Madison Central High School graduation will be Saturday, May 26, at 11 a.m.
Both ceremonies will take place at EKU's Alumni Coliseum.

In response to recent violent acts on school campuses across our nation, Madison County Schools has been exploring ways to increase safety and security on our schools campuses and in our buildings. The district has recently partnered with the Safe School Helpline, which is a 24/7 helpline for reporting any threat of harm. Information about Safe School Helpline is being sent home this week with students. Please be on the lookout. In addition, the district is also in the process of hiring 20 safety monitors to be stationed across the district. More information has been added to the School Safety page of our website and we invite you to visit the page to find out more.

Madison County Schools Superintendent Elmer Thomas announced his intent to retire at the Board of Education meeting March 22. Thomas has served as superintendent for the past 5 school years. He intends to retire during the summer of 2018.

The images on our screens this week from Parkland, Fla., were horrifying, alarming, and heart breaking. Students fleeing from a place where they should feel safe from the worries of a much bigger world, rock us back on our heels. It is never something we want to think about happening in our own district, but it is something we know we must be thinking about almost constantly.

While every school district is unique in its own characteristics, we all share one common element – a love of children and a dedication to their growth and development. It doesn’t matter if that district is located in Newtown, Conn. or Parkland, Fla. or Madison County, Ky., our goal is all the same – teach them, feed them, love them, and send them into the world prepared for success.

Safety is our highest priority. There is no way Madison County Schools can accomplish the instructional goals we have set if our students and our staff don’t feel safe while they are at school. So we work with organizations like the Kentucky Center for School Safety and local law enforcement agencies to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our students and staff safe every day.

Madison County Schools Board of Education approved the proposed rezoning plan to take effect in August 2018. Assistant Superintendent Randy Neeley presented the plan and then answered questions from the Board members. The plan was approved with a vote of 4-1 with the opposing vote coming from Board Member Mary Renfro. The proposed plan includes the new zone for Boonesborough Elementary and outlines the changes for other elementary schools as well as the shift for middle schools.

Schools affected include: Boonesborough Elementary, White Hall Elementary, Glenn Marshall Elementary, Kit Carson Elementary, Daniel Boone Elementary, and Kirksville Elementary; as well as B. Michael Caudill Middle, Madison Middle, and Clark-Moores Middle.