Friday Update: August 13, 2021

Upcoming Events

August Office Hours

Starting 8/16

Monday-Friday 8-4 pm

August 17

Special Board Meeting, 2:30 pm

August 21

Stewardship Day, 9-1 pm

August 23

Teachers back on Campus

Parent Council Mtg, 6 pm, Schoolhaus Brewhaus

August 30

First Day of School

September 3 and 6

No School

From the Director

Greetings Madrone Trail Community,

I hope everyone is staying cool and keeping inside away from the smoke. Coupled with the environmental devastation of a heatwave and dense smoke, Jackson County is now also the Covid-19 hotspot of Oregon. I just heard the National Guard is now erecting a field hospital to meet the demands of the latest surge of ICU patients. Sadly, "sicker, quicker, younger," is the mantra of the latest trend. It breaks my heart that the Delta variant is now affecting children with more devastating effects than the original Alpha variant.

As you may already know, Governor Kate Brown has issued a mask mandate for public schools effective today which will be evaluated on a monthly basis. Madrone Trail, being a public school, must comply. This applies to indoors only, but given the smoke, probably not the worst idea to keep a mask on outside, but that is a choice for the parents of our community. Wearing a mask indoors is not a choice at any public school in Oregon at this point and we must emphasize that any individual entering a building on our campus, vaccinated or not, must wear a mask. Please know there are options to wear a face shield as well as obtaining a full exemption via a general note from a physician that wearing a mask will negatively affect your child due to a health issue. If you have additional questions regarding this process, please reach out to me.

I know this is not welcome news for some. I believe fear should never be a component of education, but an absence of social interaction should not be either. We strive to contribute to our young ones becoming global citizens that care for one another and the folks they go home to.

We are looking forward to having our students together again. I have been hoping for a normal year since I arrived at Madrone Trail, but that hope will have to wait for next year.

We have improved our campus this past year immensely, with full spectrum LEDs, new floors, and a new Lazuring paint job in every classroom. This year the yurts will be occupied by 8th grade, Woodwork, Handwork, and Music. We have hired an additional choir teacher so we can offer multiple options including ukulele and percussion classes.

We have been approved to keep the yurts for the year and are working to keep them permanently, but that will take some work to convince the county to adopt the state building codes to do so. That is up to Jackson County. If we can, we intend to tear down the wall separating the gym from the theater so we can finally have a proper venue for plays and student performances. We are also building a kitchen so that we can serve hot, healthy and local meals to our students. Though it will take some time to complete, we are also building a library in one of the rooms vacated because of the yurts. I had hoped to complete these this Summer, but, as always, I was overly optimistic, but I never give up and these both should be operational within the first month of the school year. I do appreciate everyone's patience and encouragement that I will never cease my efforts to make Madrone Trail the best it can be for our community.

Don't tell the kids yet as I want it to be a surprise, but there will be an additional Gaga Ball pit on campus when they return. I have never seen such enthusiasm for any activity. They are going to be so happy! We are also potentially offering multiple extra-curricular activities this year including intramural sports including soccer, cross country, basketball, dance, fitness club and maybe even ultimate frisbee. We still need to figure out some details, but I will keep you posted. I was also recently surprised to learn that Scouts is now coed, which offers many awesome outdoor activities and skills that include opportunities for parents to join in as opposed to just cheering from the sideline. There is an event happening soon at Hawthorne park if this sounds appealing to you or you just want a little more information. Here is the invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/3198475313705301/

As always, I am here if you have any questions, concerns or just need to vent. These are tough times, but we must never forget why we do this.

~John Bissey

Director

john.bissey@madronetrail.org

A Message from the Board

Greetings Madrone Trail families!

The Madrone Trail Initiative started as an idea of some dedicated parents and Waldorf Kindergarten teachers in 2003. In 2007, their dream became a reality, and the school has continued to grow and evolve since then, through the passionate work of teachers, administrators, parents, and board members. It is about this latter group that I would like to write about today.

Like any public school or non-profit organization, an independent board is essential to the well-functioning of the organization. They ensure fiscal responsibility, hire and evaluate the top executive, chart the strategic direction of the organization, formalize charter agreements with the school district, and generally be the desk with the sign that says “the buck stops here.”

We’ve had some very top notch board members, but unfortunately our numbers are dwindling. Many of us know and love Leann Tourzan as our first introduction to Madrone Trail, as she was the Kindergarten teacher for many years. When she stepped down from that position, she joined the board to continue to funnel her passions for the school and for gardens and kinderyards through the board. Unfortunately for us, she is stepping down from the board to take a position at the Siskiyou School, but we wish her the best in her new ventures. She also has expressed a desire to continue to help our school in her areas of passion, in a less formal role. Also, Steve Farrington has indicated his imminent need to roll off the board, due to additional work responsibilities. Steve has served as Secretary for 3 years, and has been a steadfast, professional, and reliable board member who will be greatly missed. We appreciate their contributions to the school, and we hope you will give them your thanks as well.

With Steve’s impending departure, our board will be at 4 members, and our bylaws require 5 to be a functioning board. Speaking for myself and a few others, we joined the board 3.5 years ago under similar but more dire circumstances. We were self-called to action to ensure this great public institution remained available for the youth in our area. I ask that you consider whether you or someone you know would be a good candidate for this essential school role.

What we’re looking for: Our bylaws indicate we should try to govern by consensus, so people who are professional, respectful, and collaborative are important for well-functioning governing body. The school would most benefit from those who have vision and a passion for the school, or education more broadly. Of course, special skill sets are always of value, but not a requirement: finance, fundraising/grant-writing, strategic planning, legal, HR, real estate and construction, Waldorf and/or general education experience, administration, etc. Prior board service is not necessary, but of course that perspective is great to have. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I have found that board service has been a valuable complement to my own professional and personal development. Members need not be parents, and it is generally good to have some non-parents on the board, but obviously parents typically have the most passion and vested interest in the school. While our bylaws allow for a maximum of 14 members, around 8 members is probably a good target we’re currently striving for.

Commitment: This is probably what concerns most people. We set the expectation that board members should assume they will need to devote about 6 hours per month to board service. We have one regular board meeting per month, and occasionally circumstances require a 2nd special meeting. When not in meetings, it is generally expected to spend a few hours performing other duties or committee work to help advance the school. We also ask that board members serve two-year terms, which may be renewed three times for a maximum of six consecutive years before the member must roll off. While some may feel this is outside their capacity, I will share an adage I heard just this week from a potential customer, which I first heard a few years ago from my father after telling him all the roles and responsibilities I had assumed: “If you want something to get done, give it to a busy person.”

Board service is a rewarding endeavor. Even though we may not teach in the classroom, as parents we can demonstrate for our kids that sometimes adults have to assume responsibilities and execute them competently for the greater good. Per our bylaws, nominations for new board members may only come from 1) existing board members, 2) Parent Council, or 3) the Faculty, so a good first step would be to chat with someone in one of those groups. I know all our board members are available and happy to meet with anyone interested in learning more, whether for themselves or someone they might know. Thank you for your time and consideration in helping us to find the next board members to carry the torch at this great school.

Sincerely,

Erik Johnsen

Board President

Erik.Johnsen@madronetrail.org

Stewardship Day

Help beautify the school before the first day of school! Saturday, August 21, from 9-1 pm we will be holding a Stewardship Day to get the school ready for the students to come back. We have a wide range of tasks to do: weeding, cleaning, building, sanding, etc. Many hands make light work, so we would love to see many families attend.

Parent Council

The first Parent Council meeting of the school year is Monday, August 23 at 6 pm at Schoolhaus Brewhaus in Jacksonville. Parent Council meetings are open to all parents. Come check it out.

Dance Team

Mrs. Richardson is starting a dance team for grades 5-8 at Madrone Trail! A parent informational meeting will take place after school on Thursday, September 2nd. Practices will begin Tuesday, September 7th. A waiver is required and available in the office. Please contact Mrs. Richardson at kelli.richardson@madronetrail.org with questions.

School Clothes and Supplies

When purchasing clothes, shoes, backpacks, and lunchboxes this summer in preparation for next school year, please keep in mind our dress code. The dress code is most easily enforced if the clothes that parents purchase align with our guidelines.

Here are the specifics:

Shorts and skirts must be longer than knuckle length (arms held at sides with a fist) or a 3 inch inseam.
No bare midriffs (shirts must be long enough keep midriffs covered during regular movement activities.)
No mesh, see-through, plunging neckline, strapless, or halter top type shirts.
Clothing, accessories, backpacks, and lunchboxes may not have any sign or promote: graffiti, alcohol/drugs, racism, gang affiliation, tobacco, profanity, sexual connotations, violence, or media images (characters or references from tv shows, movies, or video games.)
No make-up or hair dye in the primary grades (K-5).
No bare feet, flip flops, open toed shoes, high heels, or wedge style heels.

If the item of clothing is questionable, please error on the side of saying no to it. We really appreciate your support in this. In keeping with our Waldorf philosophy, we discourage clothing that draws more attention to the child's clothing than to the child.

Quote of the Day

Handlettered by Ms. Cori