Important Information and News from  Madrone Trail Public Charter School January 8, 2021

Upcoming Events January 14 Materials Pick Up and Drop Off Day January 18 No School- MLK Jr. Day January 19 Board Meeting, 5:30 pm January 22 No School- Grades Day

Chalkboard Drawing by Ms. Jackson, 1st grade

A Note from the Director Greetings Madrone Trail Community,  I am sure many of you have heard that the state has made some changes as to how districts can utilize the metrics and recommendations for schools to return safely. Ultimately, they have made their guidance advisory as opposed to mandatory. At this time, there is still much to digest and we want you to know we are actively doing so. Many were not happy with the rollout of this information, something Colt Gill, the Director of the Oregon Department of Education, admitted during a webinar with charter school leaders earlier this week that Cori Royer and I attended. I was very pleased to hear they are prioritizing educators to begin receiving the first shot of the vaccine by the end of this month. There are many questions still to be answered and when we have more information and reach a conclusion regarding how this affects our position, you will be the first to know. Please be on the lookout for a parent survey coming out next week as your positions are important to us as well.   Before the break, the school administration decided to have teachers begin offering their instruction from their classrooms beginning January 19th. Not only will this make substitute teaching more feasible, this is the first step in the process to begin offering small groups to gather on campus for up to 2 hrs at a time. This is referred to as Limited In-Person Instruction and is allowable under current conditions. Other schools, including charters, have been offering this to various degrees this school year. The data has shown that the restrictions in place for schools have been very effective in preventing the spread in schools. It is my hope we can begin to offer students the chance to see their classmates weekly, and later daily, while social distancing and wearing masks by early February. I would encourage you to read the resolution adopted by the Medford School District and City of Medford here. Please keep in mind that Distance Learning will always be an option for families until this pandemic is declared over.  I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and are as thankful as I am that 2020 is behind us.   ~John Bissey Director

Materials Drop Off and Pick Up There will be another Materials Pick Up and Drop off Day next Thursday, January 14. Not all classes have something to pick up so look out for an email from your class teacher to see if your class does. Materials are either in the classrooms or in the office, or both if it's for a specialty class, so be sure to check in the office every time to make sure you have gotten everything.

I-Ready Coming Up The I-Ready diagnostic test is a district wide assessment that is administered three times a year to 2nd-8th graders. We have already done the Fall assessment, and now it is time to do our Winter assessment. Just like last time, we will use some of our Main Lesson time to administer it. On January 26 and 27, 2nd-8th grade class teachers will not be teaching full main lessons. There will be a short check in, and then the remainder of the time will be spent taking the I-Ready Diagnostic. There are two tests, a reading and a math assessment. Children who receive Special Education services will be taking it with the assistance of Ms. Oliva and Ms. Amanda. Look out for updates from them about exactly how that will look. 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. Usernames and passwords will be distributed by the class teachers, but will be the same as last time. I-Ready Administering at Home Video I-Ready Administering at Home Info Sheet I-Ready Log in Info

1st grade teacher for 2021-2022 Announcement We are excited to announce that our 8th grade teacher Ms. Schmeling will be returning next year as the 1st grade teacher. Michelle grew up in the Rogue Valley, graduating as Artist-of-the-Year from North Medford High School. She then went on to study at SOU, earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Fine Arts and then a Masters of Arts in Teaching. She has found her purpose and joy in trying to return the gift of a creative and inspiring education. She worked as a high school art teacher for a few years and then took time away from teaching to parent her three daughters. In 2014, she moved to Egypt with her family and had an amazing year living and teaching in Cairo. Living in a Muslim society gave her a greater appreciation for diversity and an understanding for the challenges of being a minority. She returned to Southern Oregon with a new sense of gratitude for the place she came from and is delighted to be incorporating more lessons from world cultures into her curriculum. After teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th grades at a traditional elementary in Medford for three years, she came to Madrone Trail and took the current 8th grade class when they were in 6th grade. She loves that she gets to be working in a school community where students are taught more holistically. From her experience as a student and a teacher, she believes that the best education honors individual development and growth in a caring and inspiring environment. She is excited to begin her journey through the grades again with next year's first grade!

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 2nd grader, Sawyer Stoutenburgh sewing. Please send full size images to Ms. Nancy, nancy.escherich@madronetrail.org

Latest Metrics from the State 12/06-12/19 Case Count: 927 Cases Per 100,000: 418.9 Test Positivity Rate: 7.9% 12/13-12/26 Case Count: 764 Cases Per 100,000: 345.2 Test Positivity Rate: 7.0% 12/20-1/2 Case Count: 759 Cases Per 100,000: 343 Test Positivity Rate: 7.7% To see how other counties are doing click below.

Latest Metrics from the State

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.