From the Director

Dear Families,

I want to follow up on the conversation regarding the Pride Flag and assure all of you that the issue is at the forefront of our efforts. When the flag was taken down, we understand people felt frustrated and hurt. A few of you have taken the time to share your thoughts, which is always welcome and appreciated. Discussions have taken place with several interest groups, and we are continuing to thoughtfully proceed towards a course of action.

Our process going forward will be a discussion with the faculty of Madrone Trail, with a resolution coming from the faculty as a whole. This will not be my decision alone, but is a live, ongoing discussion with faculty, board members, and the Madrone Family. I assure you we are not cowing to bullies in our community. Their actions have no influence on how we state our message of safety and inclusion. We have identified some student needs that will be clearly addressed. They are the need for acceptance, the need to feel welcome and safe, the need for compassion, and the need to be loved. We, as a school community, have the need for greater awareness of these needs and the underlying challenges our students face. Our students and school community have the need for self-expression and to feel supported. We all have the need to matter. 

These needs will be met through growth and learning. This growth is a dynamic process. We are dedicated to fulfilling these needs, and are actively working on how to best express our commitment in a manner that meets the needs of our diverse community. Rest assured, we are fully invested in your children and the Waldorf pedagogy upon which this school is built. 

MODULAR

The modular has arrived! Finally! We are moving forward with the setup, which includes electrical, fire alarm system, and interior finishes. We are still waiting for a couple of permits and inspections but we hope to be fully up and running after winter break.

COFFEE WITH ADMINISTRATION

I will be making myself available each week after our assembly for a “Coffee with the Administration” discussion. This will be an informal get together where you are free to ask questions, raise concerns, share ideas and provide me the opportunity to seek feedback from you. So I invite you to stay for a few minutes after each assembly and sample Chef Evan’s special blend while we chat!

SUBSTITUTES NEEDED

We are well into the flu season and our excellent staff are feeling the full impact! We are in constant need of both teacher and classroom assistant coverage. The requirements for a classroom assistant substitute is a simple background check. To be a teacher substitute, you will need an Oregon Teaching License, Charter School Registry, or a Restricted Substitute License. The Restricted Substitute Teaching License is issued to qualified individuals who hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, but have not completed a teacher preparation program. It requires district sponsorship, which would involve me writing a simple letter to the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC). The Restricted Substitute Teaching License permits a qualified individual to substitute teach in a prekindergarten through grade 12 Oregon public school district, education service districts, and charter school assignments. If you are interested, please reach out to our new office manager, Ms. Taurie. taurie.michele@madronetrail.org

Have a wonderful weekend,

~Kendall Roberts

Director

kendall.roberts@madronetrail.org

Wreath Fundraiser

Monday, November 14 is the last day to pre-order a festive holiday wreath and garlands for your home to support our school! Wreaths are $25 and 15 ft garlands are $35. Proceeds from sales go towards the 8th grade trip. Wreaths and garlands will be delivered to the school on November 29th. If you were unable to pre-order, there will be a limited amount of wreaths available for sale after November 29th. Thanks for supporting the 8th grade class!

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

We are holding Parent/Teacher conferences the week of Thanksgiving on Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22. This is a great opportunity to check in with your student's class teachers. Please click on the below link to sign-up for your conference time.

8th grade Soup Fundraiser

As a reminder, soup is available to order every day. The 8th grade class will be taking orders for soup in the breezeway by 5th grade every morning with the support of Chef Evan and parents. Cost is $5 and you are more than welcome to pay in advance for multiple days. Every 16 oz. soup comes with a slice of multigrain bread and a cube of butter. Cash only please!

NEW! We are now taking orders for soup to take home, available in 16 oz ($5) and 32 oz ($10) sizes while supplies last. Comes with bread and butter. We cannot guarantee availability for same-day orders - therefore, we recommend placing your order 1 day ahead. Order at drop-off (cash only) or call the office to pay with a card and pick-up in the office after school.

Soup choices for next week:

• Broccoli Cheddar
• Creamy Butternut Squash

Jog-a-thon Update

We have had over $14,500 in pledges turned in so far! We have collected around $5,800 of those pledges as of today. If you haven't turned your pledge sheet in it's not too late! Get it to Ms. Cori or your child's class teacher next week. We have extra blank copies in the office and on our website if you need a new one. If you turned your pledge sheet in this week, they will be returned next week. Thanks for your support!

Picture Retake Day-- NEXT TUESDAY

If your student was absent or you would like a retake, Picture Retake Day is Tuesday, November 15. If you received a picture package already and want a retake, please send the old package with your student on the day. You can pre-order picture packages online at mylifetouch.com. Use code: EVTDJF7J8 to find our school. If you had any issues with the picture package you already ordered please contact Lifetouch directly at 1-800-736-4753.

Registration Packets

Registration packets were sent home last month. We still have several families that have not returned their packets yet. Sherrie will be contacting families that have yet to turn theirs in soon. Please return the completed forms as soon as possible, as well as payment for the supply fee and field trip fee. If you have any questions, please contact the office at 541-842-3657 or sherrie.gasper@madronetrail.org. The supply fee for all grades is $150. The field trip fee this year is $50 for 1st and 2nd grade, $75 for 3rd grade, and $100 for 4th-8th grade.

Board Update

Hello Madrone Trail!

The board has been hard at work in many ways, doing our best to serve the school well and make it as easy as possible on families and faculty and staff to just worry about educating kids. It is important to us that we do things the right way, and to ensure that we are doing things well we recently had a special training with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission on October 21st. The training was specifically aimed at helping us understand the laws and procedures related to executive sessions. It brought really helpful clarity and reminders so that we perform our duties appropriately and with transparency. Additionally, just this week we spent some time with our PACE representative to gain more clarity on risk management and insurance. This was useful to help us know what policies still need to be in place to protect our students and our school from unnecessary risk. The clarity and confidence that comes from knowing we have all the bases covered regarding safety and coverage allows us to have an educational atmosphere that is free to explore and learn with peace of mind. 

Recently, our community has been walking through a process to figure out how to respond to the incident of the pride flag being stolen once again. This has opened up important conversations between everyone in our school community. The board, faculty, and staff take this very seriously and recognize the importance of this issue at our school. The question of how to respond has a complicated answer and no decisions have yet been made but as the conversation actively continues we are guided by the principles and needs of our community to create a safe space for all. We seek to embody compassion, love, welcome, and safety while continually creating a culture of acceptance and support to all who come to us. We hope that all of us can walk through this with grace for one another and courage to do what is best for our school and especially our students. Be assured that the board, faculty, and staff all desire what is best. As always, we welcome comment from any community member at all our monthly meetings and you can always contact us by sending an email to board@madronetrail.org. 

From the Athletic Director

Basketball



The boys’ basketball teams had their first games yesterday vs. The Valley School. Varsity lost 16-42 and JV lost 14-35. The Valley School boys clearly had played together before, while our boys are just coming together with our partner school Sacred Heart. While the outcomes were not ideal, we saw growth throughout both games and look forward to continued progress throughout the season.

Notable Madrone Trail Performance

On the Varsity team Ilikai Meyer had a great defensive game with 5 blocked shots. In JV, Roman Roberson had 5 rebounds and Theo Gerig led the team in scoring with 8 points.

Next week we play:

Monday 11/14 @ Butte Falls (JV 4:30/Varsity 5:30)

Wednesday 11/16 @ Sacred Heart vs. Kids Unlimited (Varsity 4:00/JV 5:00)

Community Opportunity

Well…more basketball

YMCA winter basketball registration has opened and closes January 20th.

When: The season runs 1/16/23-3/11/23

Who: K-6th grade boys and girls (Kinder teams are coed, 1st-6th separate boys and girls league)

Note: 6th grade girls will have school basketball at this time. If you can only do one, please focus on basketball with Madrone Trail/Sacred Heart.

Cost: $75 (Scholarship and reduced fee options listed application process explained on the website)       

Register at https://rvymca.org/programs/#division_2300077

Look for Soccer and Track opportunities to come in the spring.

Thanks everyone,

Jeff Roberson

jeff.roberson@madronetrail.org

After Care Spots Still Available

Kids Unlimited After School Program at Jefferson Elementary, one of the schools Madrone Trail busses to still has open spaces in their program. The program runs until 6 pm. The cost is $140/month. They accept ERDC and have scholarships available on a sliding scale. For more information please email Judy at jpatterson@kuaoregon.orgor call 541-774-3900

The Seven Core Principles of Waldorf Education

Founded in the early 20th century, Waldorf education is based on the insights and teachings of Rudolf Steiner. Guided by these insights, the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education has adopted Seven Core Principles for Waldorf Schools. These principles articulate the most important values that inform the policies and practices of Waldorf schools in North America and are held as a central tenet of our school.

As part of our school’s membership process to the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education, the faculty is currently participating in an extensive "self study" process, looking deeply at the Seven Core Principles of Waldorf Education and how each of those principles is living in our school. We spent our last in-service going over two of these principles, and are continuing this study at our faculty meetings. We shared these last year as well, but thought since we are starting up our self-study again to include them again this year. We will share one Core Principle each week in the Friday Update for you to ponder. 

Principle 5: Access and Diversity

Public Waldorf schools work to increase diversity and access to all sectors of society.

Public Waldorf schools respond to unique demands and cultures in a wide range of locations in order to provide maximum access to a diverse range of students. Schools work towards ensuring that students do not experience discrimination in admission, retention, or participation.

Public Waldorf schools and teachers have the responsibility to creatively address the developmental needs of the students with the most inclusive possible approaches for all learners.

The Public Waldorf program and curriculum is developed by the school to reflect its student population.



Link to all seven principles: https://www.publicwaldorf.org/core-principles

Handlettered and watercolored by Ms. Cori