No Buses- Wednesday, December 7

There will be no morning or afternoon buses on Wednesday, December 7. Most MSD schools are closed that day, while we are open. Please arrange for alternate transportation to school and home that day. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

From the Director

Dear Families,

We have come to my favorite time of the year! The holidays! We have classrooms celebrating the Advent, St. Nicholas, Spiral Walk, and Santa Lucia to name a few. It is truly a special time here at Madrone Trail! 

Just a reminder:

SEVERE WEATHER PROCEDURES 

Madrone Trail follows the decisions made by the Medford School District regarding severe weather procedures. Please refer to social media or media announcements for guidance from MSD.

In the event school needs to be delayed, canceled, or released early (due to an unexpected weather event occurring during school hours), the following decisions are possible:

Normal school hours – snow routes: some bus routes in higher elevations change due to snow or slick road conditions. Snow routes are posted ahead of time at: www.medford.k12.or.us/snow

Cancellation:  School and district are closed.  

Two-hour delayed start – regular routes OR snow routes: School begins two hours after regularly scheduled start time. Regular bus routes or snow routes may run, depending on road conditions. 

Releasing school early – normal routes OR snow routes: School is released early due to hazardous road conditions. Buses may run regular routes or snow routes, depending on road conditions.

VISITING CAMPUS

Parents, just a reminder that if you are on campus during school hours, you must check in at the office rather than going directly to your child’s classroom which can be very disruptive to the learning process. This is also for the safety of our students. If you need to check your student out for an appointment, we will send for them so they can meet you in the office.

HANDWORK TEACHING ASSISTANT POSITION

We are looking for a Handwork Teaching Assistant to help with our Handwork classes. This position requires a unique skillset, such as proficiency in knitting, crochet and hand stitching (Required). Experience and Capability of learning handwork skills including: sewing, needlework, weaving, spinning, dyeing, felting and other handcrafts. If you are interested or know of someone who is, please apply via the following link: Handwork TA Position

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

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thank you to everyone who attended Parent/Teacher conferences. If you were unable to attend yours, please reach out to your child's class teacher to find a time to reschedule.

Ski Club-- Sign-ups start Dec. 6

Greetings Snow Enthusiasts!!!

Ski Club is happening again, and I'll get the bad news out of the way right at the beginning.

First Student will NOT be providing us with a bus again this year. Now that that's out of the way, all the rest is good news. Unless you're a third grader...

Ski Club is a program offered by Mt. Ashland to encourage children, grades 4-8, to learn how to ski or snowboard up at the mountain. For 4 Fridays in January from 4-9 pm, children will be able to purchase a lift ticket, lesson, AND gear rental all for the ridiculously low price of $32. The only catch is you have to buy it as a pack for $128 for four Fridays. There's no picking and choosing, it's a package deal. OK so maybe that wasn't great news, but it's still a REALLY good deal. 

The program is for advanced or novice riders or even those who have never even seen a pair of skis before! There are deals for parents also who want to ski with their kids. Which is important, because the parents are responsible for getting their kids up to the mountain. Please use the link below to sign up for this program. The link will be live December 6-23.

Keep doing those Snow Dances!!!! There's already snow on the mountain, I've got a really good feeling about this season.

Mr. Tryllium

Ski Club Captain

mateo.tryllium@madronetrail.org

School Picture Package Errors

If you did not receive your picture package that you ordered from the first picture day or there were errors with it and you were unable to contact Lifetouch about it, please let Ms. Sherrie know. She is compiling a list to send to them to reprint. sherrie.gasper@madronetrail.org

8th grade Soup Fundraiser

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The week of December 12-16 will be the last week of the soup fundraiser. Get it while you can! 

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!

Soup choices for the week of December 5-9:

• Chicken & Corn Chowder w/ Bacon (GF)
• Italian Lentil & Veggies (vegan, GF)

Wreaths

Wreaths are here! They are handing them out in the Courtyard after school next week, so come pick them up if you haven't already. Thanks for supporting our school!

Jog-a-thon Update

We have had a little over $17,000 in pledges turned in so far. We have collected around $15,200 of those pledges as of today! There are only a few more outstanding pledges out there. Please get those in ASAP. If you have lost your copy of your pledge form, Ms. Cori has copies of all pledge forms turned in so far, so let her know if you need another copy. cori.royer@madronetrail.org. Thank you to everyone who participated in this fundraiser for our school!

Auction Update

Digital Donation Forms Now Available

We are seeking in-kind donations and cash sponsors for our annual benefit auction. Digital forms are now available for your convenience (cash sponsorship / in-kind donations). If you own a business, please consider supporting our school with a donation or sponsorship! You are also welcome to ask for a donation from any businesses you are familiar with. In this case, please email auction@madronetrail.org first with the details since we have a master list of potential donors and may have already contacted the business you have in mind.

Next Auction Committee Meeting

The next auction committee meeting is on Friday, December 9th at 3:45 pm. We will meet in the 4th grade classroom. 

Event Volunteers Needed

We will also need an army of volunteers to work the event (including set-up and clean up). Have fun making the magic happen and earn a free ticket and dinner in the process. Email auction@madronetrail.org if you are interested.

Save the Date

Remember to save the date! The auction will take place on February 25th at the Historic Ashland Armory. Event details and tickets will be available soon!

Immunization Deadline

All students need to be up to date on their immunizations and have the necessary documentation turned in OR have their exemptions filed by the Exclusion Date: February 15, 2023. If Madrone Trail does not have either of these things for your child, they will be excluded from school after that time. Note: 13 year olds are required to get the TDap booster, so if your child is in 7th grade, they will need this one before the deadline. Exemption information can be found here. Sherrie will be sending out reminders to those who are not up to date before Winter Break. If you have any questions, let Sherrie know, sherrie.gasper@madronetrail.org

Lost and Found

Here is our monthly batch of Lost & Found items. They will be finding a new home on Friday, December 9.

Winter Faire-- Tomorrow

Ugly Holiday Sweater Day

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 7: Schools as Learning Communities

Public Waldorf schools cultivate a love of lifelong learning and self-knowledge.

Public Waldorf education emphasizes continuous engagement in learning and self-reflective practices that support ongoing improvement. At the individual and classroom level, teachers reflect regularly on their observations of the students and of the educational process. Essential aspects of school-wide work and professional development include self-reflection, peer review, faculty and individual study, artistic activity, and research.

Rudolf Steiner is a primary, but not exclusive, source of guidance for developing an active inner, meditative life and an understanding of the dynamics within society.

Public Waldorf schools encourage all community members to engage in active and ongoing ways to enhance their capacities as human beings through self reflection and conscious social engagement.



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

Handlettered and watercolored by Ms. Cori