The teachers and administration had another productive day on our second in-service day on Tuesday, February 16. We spent time setting up the classrooms to ensure each desk was 6 feet apart, marked spots for students to stand on the blacktop and grass when in line or doing circle activities, and had grade level meetings to discuss our strategies for delivering content to all students in person and at home.

Class Cohorts: Class cohorts have been finalized and were sent out this week by class teachers.

Overview of the Week: Most class teachers have sent out the weekly rhythm for each group (Group A, Group B, and CDL). If not, it's coming soon. All students, on-site and CDL, will receive one session of each specialty class per week. On-site students will have their specialties at school and CDL students will continue to have them over zoom. CDL specialty classes will be mixed grade and will have a new schedule to accommodate the teaching schedule of specialty teachers on campus. All CDL specialty classes will be in the afternoon. We are working on finalizing that schedule and will have it out by next week.

Class Materials: Please look out for updates from the class teachers and specialty teachers about what materials will need to stay at home and which will need to be brought back to school once we return to on-site learning.

Pick Up and Drop Off Procedures: We will not be offering before or after care when we return in March. Students will need to be dropped off between 8:15-8:30 am and picked up between 3:15-3:30 pm. Due to safety guidelines from the state, parents/guardians will not be able to park and walk students onto campus (except for Kindergartners). We have created a flow of traffic for drop off and pick up. Please see maps below of how the flow of traffic will work in the morning and afternoon. Specific pick up and drop off procedures for Kindergartners will be emailed to parents by Miss Caterina.

Bus transportation: We have heard back from First Student, and it's good news! We will have our regular bus service all four days of on-site school! The only adjustment is the Jefferson/Lincoln bus will run 15-20 minutes late in the afternoons. Pick up on campus will be between 3:30-3:35 pm and drop off times will be adjusted accordingly. Hopefully this will not be too much of an issue for families.

Q & A Zoom Session: We have scheduled another Q & A zoom session for Thursday, February 25 at 6 pm to give parents a chance to ask questions about reopening. We apologize for not getting out last week's link sooner. Thank you to the parents who came and asked some great questions. Zoom link to the next session: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71087021394?pwd=YVBQeE9GVlgyeStnUk1meEs3TVV6dz09

Masks and face coverings: Next week is a good time to start getting ready to return to school when it comes to masks and face coverings. Please ensure your child has several properly fitting masks that they can rotate throughout the day and week. The less they touch them the better, and when they are too loose children tend to touch them a lot more to adjust them. Also have them practice speaking in them and check the fit as they do. This will show if the mask is too small or too loose. If your child is not used to wearing a mask, this is a good time to practice. Reassure them that masks feel funny at first to everyone, but the more you wear one, the easier it gets. Ensure that masks follow the dress code, especially when it comes to media and/or scary images.

Drop Off:

There will be three gates to drop 1-8 grade children off at. 1. Main entrance gate by crosswalk, 2. Emergency gate by the porch, 3. Far gate by the Kinderyard. Stay right and not do park. Please pull up to one of these gates and be prepared to answer questions about your child's wellness before they exit the vehicle. After dropping off, proceed around the track and exit as per usual.

Pick Up:

Upon arrival, keep right and proceed around the track and form a line. There will be three loading spots right before the exit. At 3:15, staff will radio for your children, who will be waiting in their classrooms. There will be multiple staff members to direct you where to go. The first week will be a learning process for all, so please be patient with us and your fellow parents.

Retake day will be Friday, February 26 from 9-3 pm. If you missed picture day the first time, please try to make it to retake day. Even if you do not want school pictures, we use these for the yearbook and class photo sheets and want everybody represented! If you got your picture taken the first time and would like a retake, feel free to come as well.

There will be order forms at school to fill out when you arrive. You can also order them later online when they send proofs back of everybody who got their picture taken. Please bring a blank check to fill out to include. Any questions, please contact Ms. Cori: cori.royer@madronetrail.org

Today we had our annual MSD site visit over Zoom. Dr. Bret Champion, the superintendent, along with two MSD board members and two district staff were present. Mr. Bissey gave an excellent Power Point presentation showcasing the work we have done to the school, how Distance Learning has been going, along with our attendance rates and i-ready test scores. They also met with a group of teachers, parents, and Madrone Trail board members. Overall, the visit went very well. We are so grateful to have a good working relationship with MSD.

Distance Learning has put a damper on our fundraising events and efforts this past year. We were sad that we missed May Faire last year and the Jog-a-thon this Fall, but were very grateful we did our Auction earlier than normal. Recently, the Fundraising Committee has started to meet again and plan upcoming fundraisers. We meet every two weeks on Mondays at 6 pm.

Due to social distancing and gathering restrictions we will not be having a May Faire again this year, but would still like to have a fundraising event that weekend. Right now we are in the preliminary planning stage of an online Auction that will happen May Faire weekend. Another fundraiser we are hoping to do is a Jog-a-thon the week of April 12-16.

If you would like to be a part of the Fundraising Committee, email Ms. Cori, cori.royer@madronetrail.org, to be sent the link to the next meeting on February 22.

If you would like to help out with the online auction, email Julie Furrer, julie.a.furrer@gmail.com. A lot of the things we need help with can be done from home and/or on a flexible schedule. Right now we need help with updating our donation and sponsor list, contacting businesses for donations, and collecting donations for the event.

Please fill out the linked form below if you have an incoming kindergartner or another child whom you would like to enroll next year if there is space available. Kindergartners will be placed in the class on a first come first, served basis. Please note that incoming Kindergartners need to be 5 years old by June 1, 2021 to be eligible to enroll for the 2021-2022 school year. The form will be due February 26.

~Nurturing roots to support developmental growth~

Does your child struggle with learning challenges, sensory processing issues, ADHD, ADD, balance and coordination issues, anxiety, meltdowns, sleep issues, social and emotional challenges, weakness, fatigue, speech delay, autism, food sensitivities, PTSD? When the brain and body are not working well together, challenges arise.

Roots to Rise utilizes a holistic approach to enhance a child’s learning through supporting a healthy development of the Central Nervous System and the foundational senses (Tactile, Vestibular and Proprioception).

Children can make positive gains in attention, emotional well being, academics, coordination and balance through neurodevelopmental movements (integration of reflexes) and sensory integration.

Jane Higgins has trained with Nina Gallwey, a remedial teacher at the Siskiyou School. Jane also taught at Madrone Trail, where she brought one class of students from first grade all the way to eighth grade. Currently, Jane works with children one- on-one in her Roots to Rise Ashland office.

Movement is brought in a playful and fun way specifically focusing on the integration of reflexes and sensory imbalances. “In my 30 years of working with children, I’ve never seen anything transform a child’s success as I have since focusing on the primitive and postural reflexes.”

To apply or for more information on supporting your child, contact Jane Higgins at janemhiggins10@gmail.com, 541-708-1688, Ashland, OR

~Strong roots grow study trees~

Weekly reminder! Please take pictures of your child doing the various online school activities at home or any other school related photos. As Ms. Nancy works on the yearbook we will be calling out for specific subjects. Lantern Walk, Spiral of Light, Halloween, and specialty classes pictures are needed. Like this picture of a mini Spiral the Johnsen family made. Thank you!

Please send full size images (select the largest file size possible) to Ms. Nancy, nancy.escherich@madronetrail.org

1/17-1/30 Case Count: 567 Cases Per 100,000: 256.2 Test Positivity Rate: 6.3%

1/24-2/6 Case Count: 573 Cases Per 100,000: 258.9 Test Positivity Rate: 6.3%

1/31-2/13 Case Count: 450 Cases Per 100,000: 203.4 Test Positivity Rate: 5.0%