From the Director

Greetings Madrone Trail Families,

As I write this on Friday morning, fall seems to have evolved into winter overnight. We finished a busy week with a nice costume parade yesterday afternoon. There was great participation, and the students managed themselves wonderfully. 

Next week we are planning to host a team from the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education, who will be assisting us with the final steps to become a completely designated and certified Waldorf School. 

 

We currently have some employment opportunities on the horizon, with anticipated openings in Kindergarten and first grade for classroom assistants. We also are always eager to strengthen our pool of substitutes for both the assistant and teacher positions. If you are interested in any of these, or have a friend or family member you’d like to refer, please contact me directly.

I'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to parent volunteers Brian Turner-Gerlach and Emily Gerlach from Pioneer Fitness Repair. They braved the rain today to help us haul scrap metal and wood off site. Their support truly exemplifies the incredible dedication of our families!

Thank you for sending your students to Madrone Trail Public Charter School and for helping to create community. 

With Gratitude, 

Andy Bracco

Director

andy.bracco@madronetrail.org

Lantern Walk

As the trees begin to shed their leaves, and as the nights begin to lengthen with the waning of the year, children in Waldorf schools the world over come together with their communities to celebrate an annual Lantern Walk, usually early in the month of November. Children will make their own lanterns to carry through the dark night, symbolizing the life that stirs unquenchably within each of us even at a time of year when the world of nature is withering and dying. 

This yearly practice coincides with the traditional commemoration of St. Martin of Tours, a fourth-century Roman soldier who is said to have used his sword to divide his cloak in two and share it with a freezing beggar who later turned out to be an angel in disguise. In a world darkened by the gloominess of indifference, self-interest, and greed, St. Martin shone a light of virtue and goodness in this act of mercy that gives us a paradigm for a life of active love, calling us to do likewise. 

Families of our first through third grade classes are welcome to join us on Thursday, November 7th at 5:30 pm in the field for a bonfire, story, and reverent walk with our lanterns as we sing songs of this season and enjoy a simple snack of popcorn and apple cider for the journey home. Kindergarten families will keep the festival similarly in their own way on Thursday, November 14 at 5:00 pm at the Britt Trails (at the top of W. Fir St.)

Parent Council Update

Hello Madrone Parents!

I don't know about you but October has slipped by in a whirlwind for my family! November is sneaking up and our third Parent Council Meeting is coming up THIS Monday November 4th @6pm at Wild River Pizza (2684 N Pacific Hwy, Medford, OR 97501.) Please feel free to come at 5:30pm if you would like to order drinks and food and visit.

Our Parent Council Meeting will cover: Lantern walk for 1st-3rd grades on Thursday, November 7th, as well as Spiral of Light coming Dec 3rd-5th, and important reminders and volunteer opportunities including Picture Day, Conferences, and No School days. As cold and flu season is approaching we will also go over guidelines of when to keep your children home and when it is safe to send them back to school. Keeping a sick child home can prevent the spread of illness to classmates and your children's teachers, which greatly impacts the school!

Thank you so much to all those who continue to put in the time and effort to make our school year a success for our children and teachers! Your help and involvement makes all the difference.

Megan Shaw

Parent Council Chair

meganzshaw@gmail.com

Auction Update

What did one Madrone Parent say to the other?

"Ever since I missed last years auction, I've been feeling a little bidder..."

Don't miss out on this year's auction, mark your calendars:

2025 Annual Madrone Trail Benefit Auction: Saturday March 8th, 6-10 pm at the Ashland Armory

Our next auction meeting is Tuesday, November 5 at 3:30 pm at Hummingbird Winery

We would love to see you there!

Madrone Trail Shirts and Hoodies Update

We have been given an update from Moxley Media that there was a delay and that the shirts and hoodies should be ready by next week. Thanks for your patience!

Jog-a-thon Update

We have received a little over $18,000 in pledges so far! We have collected around $12,700 of those pledges already. If you haven't turned in your pledge sheet yet, it's not too late! Get it to Ms. Cori or your child's class teacher whenever you can.

Reminder: Jog-a-thon pledges can be paid in cash, checks made out to MTPCS, or paid online through the link on our website, madronetrail.org/donate (PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, credit/debit cards accepted) or by using the QR Code on the Jog-a-thon pledge form. If you are using the online payment option or writing a check you can pay for more than one student in a single transaction/check, just include all jogger's names and the amount going to each child if not split evenly.

If you have any questions or having any difficulty with the link, please contact Ms. Cori, cori.royer@madronetrail.org. Thanks for supporting our school!

Picture Day

Picture Day will be Tuesday, November 12. Forms went home last week. You can return the envelope with your payment on the day of or order online using the included QR Code. If your paperwork gets lost you can use the link below to order online as well.

Meal Program and Farm to School Update

Farm to School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, November 12 at 3:30 pm in the Handwork room

Reminder - Menu Changes! 

Our new oven is the way way, yay! Until it is installed, however, we will serve chicken & cheese quesadillas on Tuesday (or plain cheese as the vegetarian option) instead of taco bowls. There will also be no sausages or tofu dogs on Wednesday and instead we will have an extra soup special. Otherwise, our daily specials and sandwiches as well as our breakfast menu will remain the same. 

As always, our salad bar will be stocked full of colorful, fresh veggies!

Specials – November 4-8

Sandwich: Roast Beef with Sharp Cheddar, Crispy Onions & Optional Horseradish Mayo

Soup (all week): Jalapeño Chicken Cheddar Chowder is back by popular demand

Soup (Wednesday only): Broccoli Cheddar

A Note About Soup & Sandwich Specials 

Sandwich and soup specials each week are “while supplies last." They often feature items that are more costly or we don’t stock on a regular basis. 

GENERAL PROGRAM INFO

If you missed the last updates with general information about the program, including snack policy and EZ app, please see the Friday Update from August 23.

Chef Evan

evan.wilson@madronetrail.org

MOD Pizza Fundraiser Update

The 8th grade wants to thank everyone who participated in the MOD pizza fundraiser on Wednesday. They earned $200.54 for their 8th grade trip!

ODE Releases Cell Phone Policy Guidance

In the early days of cell phones coming to school with students, Madrone Trail adopted a strict stance of their presence and use at school. In a nutshell, they should be neither seen nor heard during the school day. We continue to uphold these guidelines and feel that they are what is best for students and their learning environment. We have seen the positive impact this has had on our students, especially in middle school.

Just this week, the Oregon Department of Education put out a news release that recommends creating policies to limit or reduce cell phone use during the school day. They recommend school districts update their current policies on the use of cell phones and other mobile devices to increase student learning, well-being, and belonging.

“We will be challenged to help students achieve their educational goals, like reading and math skills, if students aren’t focused on learning when they’re in school. Cell phones are a distraction and can harm students’ mental health and well-being if used inappropriately," Governor Tina Kotek said. "Our job as leaders is to add as many supports as we can to help students and educators be successful. Toward that goal, ODE’s guidance includes clear model policies for cell phone use in schools.”

It is encouraging to see that the state of Oregon is taking on this important issue and that schools and districts soon will be more in alignment with what we have been doing for years. We appreciate the support from parents to uphold these guidelines in our school.

The Importance of Warmth

Now that the weather is starting to turn, we ask that during these cold months to come that children are sent to school with adequate layers to protect them from all the types of weather we see in the Rogue Valley. We are outside for recess and games class rain or shine. We often hear children say "but I'm not cold" when asked to wear long sleeves and jackets at recess. Also, shorts are not appropriate in below freezing weather. Please help us out and insist your child wear warm layers, even if they disagree. Thanks!

The article below was written by Jessica Porto, from the Waldorf School of Bend's website:

During early childhood, children grow faster than at any other time in their lives. Parents often feel as though they need to buy the next size of clothes and shoes every few months! During this time, a child's body not only grows bigger and stronger, but their organs are fine tuning their development and functioning. The same kinds of forces which make this growth and development possible are also the ones children need to keep their body's temperature at homeostasis. Young children also lose heat faster than adults, especially through the tops of their heads, and can become chilled quickly if they are not wearing enough clothing and a hat during the colder months. When children are not dressed adequately, the forces for growing and learning are compromised and instead are used to keep them warm. Young children often cannot tell whether they are too cold or too hot, and need loving adults to ensure their body temperature is at a healthy level. Wearing layers of breathable natural fiber clothing inside and waterproof, warm gear for outside play is the best way for a child to maintain their warmth.

Classroom Assistants Openings

If interested, or know someone that is, please check out our Indeed ads for classroom assistants.

Kindergarten Assistant

Classroom Assistant

Community Offering

Offerings from Nina Gallwey

Quote of the Day

Handlettered by Ms. Cori

MADRONE TRAIL PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

www.madronetrail.org

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.