February 1
Parent Council Meeting, 6 pm
February 8
Fundraising Committee Meeting, 6 pm
February 9
Board Meeting, 5:30 pm
February 12-16
NO SCHOOL- In-service and President's Day
February 26
Picture Retake Day
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Main Lesson Book page
by Gabriel Berg, 6th grade
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Greetings Madrone Trail Community,
This has been a very difficult year for everyone. I know there are many students who are suffering due to being isolated. I also know many families are suffering due to having to be at home instead of working. Finding a balance that respects the concerns of teachers and the needs of our community has been trying. Many of you have conveyed your frustration that we were not having students on campus and have been inquiring when this will occur. My position from the beginning has been that I would not require teachers to be with students until they have had the chance to be fully vaccinated and that day is approaching.
We will begin having students come back to campus for full days of instruction with their teachers beginning March 1st. This is five weeks after teachers were eligible to receive their first vaccination as well as two weeks after when they are supposed to receive their second.
It is our intention to start with middle school students the first week of March, and then bring back the rest of the students the following week. This will be a hybrid model, meaning Group A (half the class) coming Monday and Tuesday, and Group B coming Thursday and Friday. We will do our very best to keep siblings in the same group. On Wednesday, all students will be home receiving distance learning while the entire school is deep cleaned.
If you notice, the date of this release is 10 days ago. I have intentionally linked to a blank template, but rest assured we have been working on our template since July. In fact, we have written, rewritten, and will be rewriting our re-opening blueprint to address the new requirements as well as the omission of previous requirements. This template has evolved as the science surrounding this virus has expanded. Our blueprint committee will be meeting to update our previous blueprint and the final version will be put on our website for all to see once it is completed, but I think it is important that you familiarize yourself with the Oregon Department of Education’s requirements to safely open.
Below are some highlights that will be in place:
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Face Coverings: All students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear face coverings while on school properties with limited approved medical exceptions or a disability-related exception. We will have plenty of extras on hand for when masks become damaged or soiled but please come to school wearing one. Face coverings are required on all MSD buses.
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Hand-Washing and Sanitizing: Hand-washing or use of hand sanitizer upon entry to the building is required for all. Hand-washing or use of hand sanitizer is also required: after restroom use, prior to and after eating, when hands are soiled, after recess, before and after touching shared equipment, etc. Hand-washing lessons will be provided at the elementary level. There will be at least 16 sanitation stations distributed throughout the campus. The sanitizer we intend to use is alcohol based and its percentage exceeds the minimum amount required by the Oregon Health Authority.
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Classrooms: Classrooms will be set up to allow for physical distancing (6 feet apart.) There will be 35 square feet of space per person (including the teacher) when determining room capacity. Madrone Trail classrooms have ample room for half the normal amount of students plus the teachers/TA. We may offer smaller classes to attend more than 2 days a week depending on the interest level after reviewing the survey results.
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Transitions: Being an open campus, this is much easier for our school (we don’t have cramped indoor hallways.) To limit cohort mixing, students will remain in their classrooms as much as possible and Specialty teachers will move from classroom to classroom, when feasible. Teachers may also opt to be outside for parts of the day. Lower grades will have designated outside areas inside the fence. The middle school grades will have exclusive use of the field and also have designated areas within the fence. The use of knotted ropes and ground markings will aid in keeping 6 feet apart when outside.
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Recess: The playground will not be open to the middle grades to limit cohort mixing. Shared equipment (balls, jump ropes, etc.) will be disinfected at least once a day. The entire playground will be sanitized between cohort usages.
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Restrooms: Madrone Trail will assign restrooms, classrooms, or other activity areas for the exclusive use of one or a small number of stable cohorts rather than the entire on-campus population. Restrooms are cleaned daily.
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Transportation: There has been a shortage of available buses due to a significant drop in bus drivers (34 to be exact.) At this time, we still do not have confirmation regarding the availability of buses. This is a high priority for administration and we will update the community as developments occur.
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Cleaning/Sanitizing/Disinfecting: Surfaces frequently touched by multiple people, such as door handles, desks, phones, light switches, computers, and faucets will be cleaned and disinfected often. Our custodial and facilities staff will be using a combination of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting to keep our schools clean and safe. All staff will support custodial efforts with regular disinfecting of their spaces (using district approved and provided disinfection agents) between multiple student or staff uses of their space.
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Symptomatic Students at School: The conference room has been converted to an isolation/quarantine room given it has a bathroom and can be closed off. If a student is showing signs of COVID-19, the Director will send the student to the room and tend to his or her needs until a parent or guardian can pick up the student.
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Sick Students or Staff/Quarantine: If a student or staff has one primary or two non-primary COVID-19 symptoms, as per state guidance, that student or staff member should stay home for ten days and at least 24 hours symptom-free. If they test negative, they can come back earlier, as per our exclusion guidance. If a person is exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, a 14-day quarantine is the safest option to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others. If they have not developed any symptoms, they may consider ending quarantine after 10 days without any testing, or after 7 days with a negative result on a COVID-19 viral test collected within 48 hours before ending quarantine, unless otherwise directed by Jackson County Public Health. If additional household members become ill with COVID-19, or if you cannot avoid continued close contact, the total duration of quarantine may need to be longer.
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Visual Screening: Screening for COVID-19 starts at home. Please DO NOT send your student to school when sick. See this website for COVID symptoms. School-based screening begins the moment a student steps on the bus or at drop off locations. Designated staff will screen for signs of COVID-19 like coughing, shortness or breath, and fever.
- Staff members will get additional training to notice signs of COVID-19.
- Temperatures checks will be used when a student is not feeling well or showing signs of COVID-19.
- If a student is displaying signs or symptoms of COVID-19, they will be assigned to the quarantine room where they are unable to expose others until a parent or guardian is able to pick them up.
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Testing: For schools who operate outside the advisory metrics, on-site testing of staff and students will be required by March 1. (Districts are allowed to open before March 1, as long as testing is in place by March 1.) Testing will be for symptomatic students and staff or those who have been identified as exposed to COVID-19. Your student will not be required to take a test.
I want to reiterate that every family still has the option to remain at home and receive a comprehensive distant education similar to what we have been offering this school year, however the format may change as we figure out the most effective approach to offering a full day of our traditional Waldorf Curriculum to those on campus while simultaneously offering a quality Waldorf education to those that remain at home. We are still working on this aspect of our planning and will update you as progress is made.
Please fill out the survey linked below letting us know what your intention is for your child when we return to on-site learning. Please fill it out once for each child. There will be a link afterwards to return to the survey to fill it out for additional children.
As always, I am here to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or phone. I sincerely look forward to seeing the children again and bringing an end to the lack of social interaction and a return to normalcy.
~John Bissey
Director
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Sibling Enrollment Forms
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.
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I-Ready Update
Thank you to all the parents who proctored another I-ready diagnostic at home. 84% of our students have finished the reading diagnostic, and 87% have finished the math diagnostic as of this afternoon. If your child has not finished the diagnostic, or has yet to start one of them, please take time next week to get that completed. We will be contacting families starting February 8 if they are still not complete at that point.
We have put information on how to log in, how to support your child during the test, and a short video that explains how the test works on our school website here. Please click below to check out all of these resources if you have not done so already. It's important that parents and children understand what they can and cannot do while taking the test.
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School Pictures Update
Retake day will be Friday, February 26. 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!
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Teacher of the Week- Mr. Tryllium |
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Our very own 4th grade teacher, Mr. Tryllium, was named Teacher of the Week by local radio station Cool 103 and Rogue Credit Union. He was nominated by one of the parents in his class.
An excerpt from the nomination, "Mr. Tryllium is a very caring, respectful, creative teacher! As my child navigates through Distance Learning, he is constantly making sure that she is getting what she needs...Mr. Tryllium has set-up a program that allows for students to feel successful, but not overwhelmed. He knows the needs of each of his students and takes the time to design individualized instruction to fit for each child...We really could not ask for a better teacher and experience. Mr. Tryllium is so deserving of this recognition."
Congratulations to him!
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Pictures for the Yearbook Needed
Weekly reminder! Please take pictures of your child doing the various online school activities at home or any other school related photos, like this one of 1st grader, Sienna Johnsen, learning how to chain stitch.
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Latest Metrics from the State
12/27-1/9 Case Count: 907 Cases Per 100,000: 409.9 Test Positivity Rate: 9.3%
1/3-1/16 Case Count: 829 Cases Per 100,000: 374.6 Test Positivity Rate: 7.8%
1/10-1/23 Case Count: 644 Cases Per 100,000: 291 Test Positivity Rate: 5.5%
To see how other counties are doing click below.
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Drawn and handlettered by Ms. Cori |
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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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