Friday Update: August 12, 2022

Upcoming Events

August 23

1st Parent Council Meeting of the year,

6 pm, Las Palmas in J'ville

August 27

Stewardship Day, 10-2 pm

August 29

First Day of School

September 1

Dance Team Parent Meeting, 5:30 pm

September 2

No School

September 5

No School- Labor Day

Display in Little Hummingbirds Kindergarten

From the Director

Greetings MTPCS families!

I am so excited to be a part of this community and am looking forward to seeing all of the fresh faces as we start the 2022-2023 school year! It has been a frenetic start to my tenure as there is a lot going on. Here are some of the bigger updates:

Yurts – As you may know, the fire marshal has forbidden us from using the yurts going forward, which left us scrambling for options. Sad to say, we have sold all of the yurts. All but one have already been taken away, but that has cleared the way for our new modular! We have purchased a modular building that will hold two classrooms (Handwork and Woodwork) when it is on site. We have the foundation ready, and as of this update, we are waiting on permits. We hope to have the modular in place and in use very close to the start of the school year. This has been a huge project with many players involved, but we are hopeful that we will be at full capacity very soon!

Food Service - Unfortunately, we will not be able to start serving our own meals until after the start of the school year. We need to establish ourselves with the State and meet the necessary requirements. This will allow us to be in compliance as well as receive government funds to offset costs. On our own, the costs that we would have to charge would be prohibitive. We are also contractually obligated to remain under the umbrella of the Medford School District Food Service Program, run by Sodexo, until MSD releases us, which they have graciously agreed to do once we are established on our own. Establishing our own food service is a much bigger process than setting up a kitchen and “firing up the grill." Rest assured, I am committed to our own healthy meal program and have already started the process. We will move as fast as humanly possible to become independent. I am hoping to accomplish this process by winter break or before. Until then, we will continue to offer meals through Sodexo which will be free to all students. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. I will provide more information regarding meals as I get further into the process.

I wish I had more exciting news to share but as they say, behind the clouds, the sun is always shining. Once we get through these initial hurdles, we will be stronger than ever! I look forward to meeting each of you as we get started, and once again, let me say how excited I am to be here. Enjoy the final weeks of summer!

~Kendall Roberts

Director

kendall.roberts@madronetrail.org

Stewardship Day

Our first Stewardship Day of the school year to prepare for the first day of school is Saturday, August 27 from 10-2 pm. A lot has been happening on campus over the summer, so we need help beautifying and prepping it for students to return. We would love to see you there.

Dance Team

After a fabulous first year, the Dragon Dancers are excited to start practicing again! There will be a mandatory parent meeting for new and returning families on Thursday, Sept. 1st at 5:30 pm in the 7th grade classroom to discuss our new season. Practices will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6th. We will continue practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3:30 - 4:30 pm. Can't wait to dance with you again!

~Mrs. Richardson

kelli.richardson@madronetrail.org

From the Board

Greetings Madrone Trail new and returning families!

We hope you have been having a great summer. While we’ve tried to enjoy some vacations as well, we have continued to work on various projects over the summer, and have been focusing on ensuring a continuation of operations for the school, and doing whatever we can to support our new Executive Director and staff. This includes transitioning classroom space, applying for grants, and ensuring HR and financial reporting obligations are met. We are very much looking forward to connecting better with the community this coming school year, and will be providing announcements regarding that in future Friday Updates.

We would like to thank Sage Star for their service to the board. They have relocated to the East Coast, and stepped down from the board. Sage provided guiding advice and a calm presence during some difficult times, and we wish them the best in their future endeavors.

We would also like to welcome all the new and returning staff to Madrone Trail, and look forward to getting to know everyone better.

Lastly, we would like to recognize and congratulate the Madrone Trail alumni who went on to become valedictorians of their high schools this last year. Hannah McFarland (North Medford), Grace McGuire (Crater), Kaia O’Neill (Ashland) and Rachel Davis (Ashland), congratulations! That’s 4 valedictorians all from the same grade at Madrone Trail!! That honor is a testament to the students, parents, and teachers they had supporting them (way to go teachers Dara Cantrell and Michelle Coull!) We look forward to hearing what you do next!

Teacher Update

We are excited to introduce to the community the new faculty to join our school. Please read about each of them below. We would also like to thank the teachers who will be moving on from Madrone Trail for their time, dedication, and love they put into their classrooms and students during their tenure here. Ms. Caterina, Ms. Mary Lee, Ms. Jackson, and Ms. Schmeling will always be a part of the Madrone Trail family.

Meet Josclyn Shipman, Daisy Blossom Kindergarten Teacher

Miss Josclyn is a 5th generation Oregonian and has been involved in Waldorf Education for the last fifteen years. She received her degree in Fine Art from the University of Oregon and spent many years on Maui before finding her way back to Eugene to complete her Early Childhood Waldorf Teacher Training. Miss Josclyn has taught mixed-age Kindergarten at Swallowtail Waldorf School & Farm, Haleakala Waldorf School, and FolkSoul Farm.

Teaching as a path of self development is important to Miss Josclyn, and she feels extremely humbled to be a teacher. She is passionate about protecting childhood, honoring and nurturing each child in their individual development and gifting. Celebrating the seasonal festivals is also one of her favorite parts about teaching Waldorf Kindergarten.

She is very excited to begin this new chapter at Madrone Trail, and has always dreamed of teaching at a Public Waldorf Charter School. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her daughter, LilyAnn, swimming and playing especially in Maui, doing arts and crafts, cooking, gardening, reading and immersing herself in nature.

Meet Shante (Ina) Miranda, Little Hummingbirds Kindergarten Teacher

Miss Ina is thrilled to be the new kindergarten teacher for the Little Hummingbirds class. She looks forward to learning and growing with the children in her care, nurturing them throughout the year.

Miss Ina has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Oregon University in Liberal Arts with a focus in photography and ceramics. She also attended the Eugene Waldorf School teacher training for both kindergarten and grades training, as well as the Lifeways training in Portland Oregon.

She has been a teacher of her own private kindergarten since 2010 and, until recently, attended yearly teacher training at the Sacramento Waldorf School. Before becoming a Waldorf teacher, Miss Ina worked in Portland Public Schools as a program director and as a volunteer for the SOULS and LISTOS ESL programs in Talent and Phoenix Oregon. Additionally, she has worked at Children’s World in Ashland Oregon and as an aid in an ESL first grade classroom in Talent, Oregon.

Miss Ina has had the pleasure of working with children in various educational formats and has gained a valuable perspective through her experiences. As a teacher, she is always seeking to enhance her knowledge and skills in educating children, as she sees nurturing them in learning as guiding them into the future of the next generations.

In her free time she loves weaving, making pottery, gardening and caring for rescue animals.

Meet Laura Blake, 1st grade Teacher

Laura Blake was born in 29 Palms, California and has lived in Idaho, Hawaii, California, Alaska, Utah, and Oregon. She attended Oregon State University and obtained her BS in Elementary Education. In addition, she attended Pacific University graduate school and obtained endorsements in special education and reading. Her long career as a teacher has been primarily at the elementary school level but she has also taught special education in middle school too. During her first teaching position in Alaska, she discovered Waldorf Education and then moved to Eugene, Oregon to get her Waldorf teaching certificate at the Eugene Waldorf Teaching Education Program. She has devoted herself since then to applying Waldorf methods and pedagogical principles in her teaching. Her path in Waldorf Education led her to Waldorf charter schools in Chico and Napa California as a class teacher for 4 years and in Utah as a special education teacher and educational director.

Laura has finally realized her dream of moving to Southern Oregon and is happy to settle down in beautiful Jackson County in Talent with her husband and son. She looks forward to exploring the area with its abundant farms and community events. She is thrilled to begin with her class of first graders at Madrone Trail and bring them the joy of learning through the Waldorf curriculum.

Meet Michelle Coull, 3rd grade teacher

Michelle Coull began teaching children in 2007 and in 2010 was given the opportunity to journey with a class from first grade through eighth grade in the environment of Waldorf education. Her appreciation for this education and its creator, Rudolf Steiner, continues to grow. She is now honored to be joining the class formed by Hannah Jackson for their 3rd grade experience of living on the Earth which focuses on individual consciousness, Ancient Hebrew stories, farming, shelters, fibers, measurement, and multiplication.

With the Rogue Valley as her home base, she loves to explore life and go on adventures and is excited to experience the adventure of the nine year change and the richness of the curriculum that she will be studying and sharing this coming year.

Meet Saul Harper, 8th grade teacher

Saul grew up in the Rogue Valley, enjoying the mountains, lakes, and beautiful wild places. He earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Women’s Studies from the University of Oregon, with additional studies abroad at Oxford University, England and La Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México. He then spent about 10 years living and volunteering with nonprofit organizations in Central and South America, studying indigenous handweaving in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Mexico, as well as musical and martial arts studies of Samba and Capoeira in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Returning to the Rogue Valley, he worked for 3 years as a Special Education Aide before earning a Master's in Teaching from Southern Oregon University. He has since been a TSPC licensed teacher in local public schools, at the middle and high school level. His introduction to Waldorf education came through his daughters attending Waldorf preschool and Woodland Charter School, where he also spent 3 years as the Spanish teacher, working with students in grades 1-8. Saul brings a love and enthusiasm for teaching middle school, as well as a fascination with and commitment to the principles of Waldorf education.

Volunteering at School

To be a volunteer in the classroom or to attend field trips, you are required to pass a background check through MSD. These expire after a few years, so if you have not filled it out in awhile, you will need to again. Fill it out today, so you are ready to go for the beginning of the school year.

Volunteer Application

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. Students engage in a variety of activities and vigorous play every day and thus their clothing and footwear should allow them comfort and freedom of movement. Students are also outside every day and should be dressed in appropriate outerwear that fits with our changing weather. Games class requires sneakers or the equivalent athletic support shoe and are strongly recommended for everyday use. Class teachers of the younger grades will indicate to parents whether children should bring a second pair of shoes to be worn in the classroom.

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.) We are tightening up on this rule again.
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.

Personal Electronic Device Guidelines

As a Waldorf-inspired school, we have a different view on the use of technology in our classrooms and at school. By choosing our school, you are making the choice to abide by our guidelines about student use of personal electronic devices at school. These guidelines are more easily enforced with parent support.

For your reference these are our guidelines regarding personal electronic devices at school. We acknowledge that these guidelines were not strictly upheld this school year as we were still adjusting to being back full-time and the use of technology and personal electronic devices was a necessity during distance learning. Moving into next year, we will be enforcing these guidelines more strongly.

Students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices (cell phones, tablets, iPods, smart watches, etc) on school grounds (on campus, in the parking lot, or in the field). This includes any function of the device (playing music, watching videos, texting, etc.) This policy is in effect before and after school (including pick up time), any school functions and events (such as May Faire, Lantern Walk, dances, etc.), and on field trips.

We expect that students in grades K-3 will not bring personal electronic devices to school.
If a student in grades 4-5 needs to bring a personal electronic device to school, parents must create a special arrangement with the school.
If parents deem it necessary, students in grade 6-8 may bring personal electronic devices to school.
If a student needs to call their parents during the day, they must go to the office and use the office phone.
When students walk onto campus, personal electronic devices must be in a bag or backpack.

Quote of the Day

Handlettered by Ms. Cori