No Bus Service- Wednesday, February 15

As a reminder, there is no bus service on Wednesday, February 15. Most MSD schools are closed that day, so First Student does not offer bus service. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

From the Director

Dear Families,

Recently I have been thinking about the interconnected relationship between staff, students, parents, teachers, and administrators. As I deal with the challenges of running a school, I find myself prioritizing tasks. Sure, it is important to manage the school resources, make sure the school is clean and in good repair, but our greatest resource is the human one. If it comes down to it, I will always pause whatever is on my plate to see to the needs of the students. Rudolf Steiner talks about “holding the class.” This is the concept of creating a safe community within the classroom. So I daily ask myself, “Am I holding the school?” Am I creating an environment where teachers are working together with students and parents? We might ask ourselves, how is this working together necessary for the health of the Waldorf school? How necessary is a direct relationship between parents and teachers as part of the structure of the Waldorf school? From a pedagogical point of view the situation is simple and clear: for any education it is best if the children have a conscious but clear sense that parents and teachers are pulling together on the same rope. This provides the child with the feeling of living in an integrated world, in a meaningful context. We protect the child from the experience of fragmentation. We need to create that bridge between home and school. Parents and teachers must make an effort not to allow the pillars of that bridge to collapse, because if they do, the children will suffer. The child wants to love all of the people in their world. That is the appropriate way of being a child. (Excerpts taken from “Teaching, the Joy of Profession” by Christof Weichert) So if you feel that teachers at Madrone Trail seem to communicate more than usual, this is why. Our goal is to create a safe environment where we all work together to support our children. As much as I strive to hold this school, I count on the symbiotic relationship of parents and teachers to hold our school community. Thank you all for being a part of the Madrone family!

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!

Have a wonderful weekend,

~Kendall Roberts

Director

kendall.roberts@madronetrail.org

Stewardship Day-- TOMORROW

We need YOUR help to take care of, and beautify our campus! 

When: Saturday, Feb. 11th 10-1pm.

What: Please see the project list below and click on the link below to sign up if a project calls to you. If you have a trailer to help haul some items or make a dump run we could especially use your help on this day.

Mr. Joe and Mr. Sergio will be available at check-in between 10-10:30 to guide you into your project. Please check in at the Kinder yard. 

Bring: Tools/gloves for your specified task

Child care: will be provided from 10-1 pm in the Kinderyard or a classroom (weather dependent), and Pizza for lunch at noon!

Projects:

• Clean out shed on north side of property (gloves, trailer for trash, demo tools to disassemble chicken tractor)
• Relocate rabbit hutch (gloves, trailer to help move)
• Remove t-posts in the field 
• Move large water tank (gloves, trailer to help move)
• Setup shade/rain tent in field for Middle school students
• Sanding/Staining cedar boards for stairs (Palm sanders, ear/eye/breathing ppe recommended--sanding pads provided)
• Refinishing picnic tables 
• Bulb planting/weeding/gardening (bring extra bulbs from your garden or cuttings to plant!)

What project calls to you? Let us know down below!

Thank you for your willingness to help steward and invest in your child's school. It takes a village! 

Auction Update

Only 10 days left to purchase tickets! Monday, February 20th will be the last day to purchase auction tickets with dinner! Don't miss out on our Brazilian and Caribbean-inspired menu prepared by our very own kitchen crew! Buy tickets now!

We are also still in need of a few more volunteers. Check this spreadsheet for positions that are still open (in red) and email us to sign up! There is also still time to sponsor the auction in the form of cash or in-kind donations. Please reach out to learn more! Email: auction@madronetrail.org

Thanks to our generous sponsors!

Board Update

Hello Madrone Trail Community!

As always, the Board has been hard at work doing various things for our school. January 30th we met to discuss collaborative leadership in our school as part of the process to assist the faculty in their quest to become full members the Waldorf Alliance. It was a great time of discussion and evaluating what collaborative leadership looks like right now, how we are doing well and innovating in this area, and identifying areas where we can grow to be even stronger in our collaborative leadership. We desire to help foster a community where board, faculty and staff, and parents are able to work together with clarity and harmony in order create an educational atmosphere where students can thrive.

In addition to this, we have been conducting exit interviews with last year’s 8th grade students. We do this in order to see how well we are doing in preparing kids for the next stage of education in high school. It has been a valuable process that has provided insight into ways we excel and things we can improve upon. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive as a whole. Related to this, we are starting to look ahead to the annual climate survey and hope to get ample feedback from all our parents and community members.

This year we are up to renegotiate our charter with Medford School District. Those talks have begun and will soon culminate with a contract that will enable us to educate and develop children to the best of our potential for the next 5 years.

Many of our board members are actively involved in helping with our annual auction, others are working on the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, others are working with parent council, others have been hard at work building next year’s budget, others are always hunting for different grants and thinking about how to best reside funds for our school. We strive to be as active as possible in the school community and helpful wherever it is needed.

The board of directors is always willing and ready to hear from any of our community members who would like to communicate with us about what is happening at Madrone Trail. If you have any questions or comments please reach out by sending us an email at board@madronetrail.org

Immunization Deadline-- NEXT WEEK

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 has sent out reminders to those who are not up to date and will be contacting families who are still not in compliance early next week. If you are unable to make an appointment with your regular doctor, Jackson County Health Dept. (541-774-8200) also offers immunization services. If you have any questions, let Sherrie know: sherrie.gasper@madronetrail.org

Cans And Bottles Fundraiser

The 8th grade class is collecting cans and bottles to help fund their 8th grade trip. There are now blue containers around campus to put recycling in. You can also bring bags of can and bottles to the 8th grade classroom or get pre-labeled green bags from Mr. Harper or an 8th grader. Fill them up and bring them back to the 8th grade classroom. Thanks for your support!

Lunch Program Update

We have received numerous free & reduced lunch applications and allergy forms back, thank you! It's now time to make sure you are setup with your EZ school account so that you can add funds (if applicable) and pre-order meals for your student. Please do not wait until the last minute since we may not be able to help you right away if you need assistance setting up your account. We will not be able to serve your student if they do not have an EZ school lunch account! Set-up instructions and complete information about the program can be found here on our website. Any questions, comments, or feedback can be directed to Chef Evan at evan.wilson@madronetrail.org.

From the Athletic Director

Basketball



Our girls’ basketball won on Monday 21-12 vs. Lorna Byrne!

Notable Performances

Maddy Bevers 13 points

Charley Furrer 2 points

Bella Waterman 2 points, 1 steal

Natasha Wright 2 steals

Josephine Gervasi 3 steals

Next week’s schedule

Monday 2/13 @ Sacred Heart vs. Shady Cove 4:00

Wednesday 2/15 @ Prospect 5:30

Track and Field

Track participation forms will begin going home next week with interested 6th-8th graders! Details on the upcoming season are still being hashed out, but plan on practices starting the first week of March.

We already have your sport physical on file if you have already done a sport this season. If track is going to be your students’ first sport this year, we will need a sport physical on file. You can get this done at your primary care provider or we will have a sport physical day in the gym Saturday, February 25th 11:30am-2pm. A Google signup sheet for this will be in the next Friday update.

Go Dragons!

~Jeff Roberson

jeff.roberson@madronetrail.org

Sprouts Program 2023-2024

As we look towards next year, we are offering Open House sessions for families interested in the Sprout Preschool Program for 2023-2024. We also have a few spots still open this year. This is a chance to see the classrooms and meet both of our teachers. You can read the teachers' bios on our website here.  

Our Sprouts Preschool Program is a mixed-age Kindergarten classroom joining 6 sprouts and 14 kindergartners for each class.

For families interested in the Sprout Preschool Program at Madrone Trail, please review the following criteria:

1. Child must be 4 years of age by June 1st, 2023 to be considered for the 23-24 school year.
2. Child must be potty trained.
3. Child must be able to be away from parents for at least a four hour period.
4. Note: Enrollment into Sprouts program does not guarantee a spot in Kindergarten

**If the child will not be 5 yrs of age by June 1st prior to the school year they are

interested in enrolling, in they will be eligible to apply for the Sprout Program.

Applications will be emailed out to everyone who have submitted the Sprouts Program Interest Form, linked below. This form is required in order to receive an application, as it confirms that your child has met the initial criteria to be considered for the program.

Open House Offerings:

March 10th, 11:00am - 12:00pm

April 14th, 11:00am - 12:00pm

For further details, contact the Office Manager at taurie.michele@madronetrail.org

Interested in Being a Substitute at Madrone Trail?

Review our current Indeed Job listings for each position and apply today!

Substitute Teacher Assistant

Substitute Teacher

Quote of the Day

Handlettered by Ms. Cori

MADRONE TRAIL PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

www.madronetrail.org

Madrone Trail Public Charter School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age in its programs and activities.