October 13
Board Meeting, 4:30 pm
October 14
Parent Night, 5-7 pm
October 22
Jog-a-thon
October 28
Halloween Parade, 1:30 pm
October 29
No School- Grades Day
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Chalkboard Drawing, Mr. Tryllium, 5th grade |
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From the Assistant Director
Greetings Madrone Trail Community,
Mr. Bissey's baby has finally arrived! Myles Rainey Bissey was born on Monday, October 4. Everyone is home and doing great.
Some of you may have noticed that I was not at school the last couple of days. I am unfortunately home sick and will be out all next week. The timing couldn't be worse! I am still available by email if anyone needs to reach me.
Mr. Bissey and I are in regular communication and are both working from home to keep things running smoothly. Thank you to the teachers, assistants, and Sherrie for having to step up and help out in more ways than one.
~Cori Royer
Assistant Director/Games Teacher
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Jog-a-thon
Our 10th annual Jog-a-thon is happening Friday, October 22. Forms went home earlier this week for students to collect pledges. Last school year, the students only ran for half an hour, but this year we are back to our normal lengths of time: 1st grade- 30 minutes, 2nd and 3rd grade- 45 minutes, 4th-8th grade- 1 hour.
I would like to clarify a few things about the Jog-a-thon, especially when it comes to participation in it. This comes up every year, so I wanted to share my thoughts after coordinating it for ten years.
The Jog-a-thon is more than just a fundraiser, it is an integral experience of Games class. Unlike the Olympiad and Medieval Games which students get to experience just once, the Jog-a-thon is an annual event they get to participate in every year throughout the grades. They get to reflect back on past experiences, look forward to future experiences, and see their progress year to year. The fact that it also makes money for our school is an added bonus.
A lot of what we do in Waldorf education is to help children build their will forces, and one of the best ways to do that is through challenging experiences. Games class is a great place for children to learn how to deal with challenging experiences: taking turns, getting tagged/being "out," working as a team, learning to move their bodies in a way that may not come easy for them, failing at something at first but continuing to try, and building physical endurance. All bigger lessons that will translate to other aspects of life.
The Jog-a-thon likewise is a great activity for students to challenge themselves, to push themselves to their limit, to do something they didn’t think they were capable of, to set a goal for themselves and try to achieve it, or to just participate even if they didn’t want to. Challenging experiences should be designed to not be too easy, but also not so difficult they can’t be completed. This is why there are different lengths of time for the different grades, all chosen to be achievable for the age of the students.
One of the most satisfying moments of every Jog-a-thon is when a student marvels at how many laps they did and how many miles it translates to, and their sense of pride in themselves for accomplishing it, whether they did 6 laps or 30. It’s also sweet to see the students celebrate each other’s accomplishments as well. They cheer the students who ran the most, but also cheer the students to whom they know 6 laps is a lot of effort. Even if a student walks the entire time, there is still a sense of accomplishment that they did something physical for a sustained period of time. I have seen what a transformative experience it has been for some students throughout the years, similar to what I see at the Olympiad or Medieval Games.
Games class and games activities/events are just as integral to our education as all the other subjects at our school and therefore shouldn’t be seen as something optional to opt out of. If a student has an injury or illness that prevents participation, they can still participate by cheering on their classmates. If families don’t want to participate in the fundraising side of the Jog-a-thon, that’s perfectly fine, there is no requirement to do so. Participation in the Jog-a-thon itself is expected for all students, in whatever form that takes (running, jogging, walking, or cheering.)
~Ms. Cori
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Parking Lot Update--
The plan to update the parking lot has been put on hold due to equipment issues and material availability at this time. We will keep you updated as to when/if it will happen soon.
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From the Athletic Director
Madrone Trail Basketball Announcements
Reminder: Saturday Madrone Trail basketball practices will be held in the brand new Grace Christian school gym! To get there; enter behind the school, by turning on Business Park Drive off of Biddle. See map below.
Note for the 10-11 group: Please stay 10 minutes extra to have a short scrimmage with the 11-12 group. Thank you.
No Futsal 10/8
Our Madrone Trail students have been having a blast playing futsal on Fridays at Hedrick. Due to the in-service day there is no gym availability this week, but in the meantime please enjoy these pictures!
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Looking Towards Halloween
We will be celebrating Halloween at school on Thursday, October 28 (Friday, October 29 is a Grades Day so there is no school.) At Madrone Trail this means we will have a parade of costumes after lunch and then individual class celebrations afterwards. Please do not send your child in their costume to school, or apply elaborate makeup they will have to wear all day as it is very distracting for the first part of the day.
As you look to purchase or make your child's Halloween costume this year please observe our school guidelines surrounding the Halloween costumes that they wear at school. If students would like to dress up in something that is outside these guidelines, we encourage them to do that on Halloween instead of at school.
- Bring your costume to change into before parade. Parade will be at 1:30 pm.
- Homemade costumes are encouraged.
- Costumes must follow the school dress code.
- Keep face paint, make-up, and hair simple (you’re going to be applying it all at school.)
- You must be able to sit, walk, hear, and see and be seen with your costume on (no full face masks)
- No costumes that are gory/scary.
- No prop weapons.
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Meet Suzanne Percy-
Poppy Kindergarten Assistant
Suzanne was born in San Diego and moved to Oregon as a child. She graduated with a B.A. in History from Southern Oregon University and went on to attend the archeological field school at Boise State University. She then worked as an archeologist in Hawaii and Idaho. After meeting her husband in Idaho she obtained a teaching credential there and taught both social studies and science at the middle school level for four years. Suzanne left teaching for eight years to stay at home with her daughters. She joined the Madrone Trail staff last year as the assistant in the Poppy Kindergarten Class. She is so grateful to be a part of a staff that cares so well for and is deeply committed to their students.
Outside of work Suzanne has traveled extensively including trips to Kenya, Iceland, Israel, Mexico, Canada, and many European countries. Travel remains one of her prime passions along with reading, baking, music and crafts. Suzanne enjoys spending time with her three hilarious sisters, three wonderful daughters and her lovely husband.
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MADRONE TRAIL PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
www.madronetrail.org
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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. |
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