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From the Board
Hello Madrone Trail!
There are many things that play a part in making our school the best it can be. One of the areas of focus lately for the board, faculty, and administration has been revisiting campus safety and discipline policies to help ensure our students feel safe and parents feel confident sending their students here. It is vital our school is a place where every person feels safe and protected and can learn unhindered. To that end here are the things that the board, current administration, and faculty have done to increase safety and ensure helpful discipline practices:
1. The board approved an updated discipline policy that was re-worked by a discipline policy sub committee that included board members, current administration, and faculty members.
2. Repaired the video monitoring system, increasing the number of active cameras from 8 to 14. There have been some concerns expressed by students and parents regarding the placement of security cameras near the school restrooms. Specifically, there is a misconception that cameras are either pointed directly at the bathroom entrances or located inside the bathrooms, causing discomfort and a sense of unease for some students. We want to clarify that this is not the case. Two new security cameras were recently installed—one of which monitors the hallway near the bathrooms—but neither camera is aimed at the bathroom doors, and there are absolutely no cameras inside any restrooms. I am sharing this in response to a parent request, as this misinformation has been circulating among students and families.
3. Repaired the school wide intercom system for public alert announcements.
4. Added training modules to the professional development library as annual requirements such as "Systematic Supervision of Playground / Common Areas," "Defusing Anger and Aggression," and, "Managing Non-Compliance.”
5. Increased the presence of administration during unstructured times such as recess, lunch and break, providing direct supervision to students, and direct feedback to staff also assigned to monitoring students.
6. Coordinated with Matt Vogel at Southern Oregon University, who presented at Madrone Trail in January on media-awareness during a parent information night. In addition to the previously mentioned activities, Matt Vogel also presented a media-awareness session to the 7th and 8th grade classes on May 13th. The presentation focused on responsible cell phone use and navigating social media, helping students better understand the impact of their digital presence and behavior.
7. Ordered titles including "Good Pictures, Bad Pictures," for faculty to review and discuss how to integrate into our curriculum or resource library.
8. Secured a commitment from The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators to provide school wide professional development on FERPA compliant ways of sharing pertinent information.
We remain committed to fostering a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. That work is aided by hearing feedback from our school community. Please fill out this year's Climate Survey to let the board and school know your thoughts on this past school year.
If you have any further concerns, we welcome dialogue to ensure that all perspectives are heard and that we continue working toward the best interests of our school community. To watch any board meetings, go to the school calendar and open the agenda for our meeting that day and hit, "Join Zoom Link". All Regular Board Meetings are open to the public for viewing on Zoom or in person. Our Meeting Days are posted on the fence next to the drop off zone.
If you would like to reach out to us, send us an email at board@madrontrail.org.
For the Good of the School,
Madrone Trail Board of Directors
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