From the Pedagogical Committee Chair

Dear Madrone Trail families,

With the month of September ripening in the late summer sun and another year's brilliant harvest moon on the wane, we know that autumn is coming and the festival of Michaelmas is just around the corner!

This is the season when we celebrate the dragon slayers of the world: those who can name the evil in our midst, confront it with boldness, and push forward into the uncertainties of the future with courage, enlightening the darkness like sunlight flooding into a pitch dark room when the curtain is drawn back. As such, Michaelmas is not just a festival of courage, but a celebration of all that is good. For wherever things are deformed and disordered, it is the Good that brings beauty; wherever things are confused and obscure, it is the Good that brings clarity. 

My fellow faculty and I have spent a considerable amount of time already this year contemplating what it means for us to participate in the Good by developing more coherent and feasible emergency response plans. For months our Safety Committee has been hard at work consulting with the Medford school district and participating in threat assessments and planning sessions that I am confident will harden our school against the unimaginable. There will be announcements in the near future about how some of these plans are going to be implemented, but in the meantime we value your trust and confidence as we do as much as in our power to keep your dear children safe and well all day long when in our care. 

In the meantime, join me in taking a stand against the dragon of Fear. I do not say this to pretend the danger is not real. There is a certain practical wisdom in what we should rather call prudence, not fear, which motivates us to hope for the best and plan for the worst. When I name the dragon of Fear, I mean the Fear that stems from our inability to cope with the uncertainties of life; the Fear that paralyzes us through inaction on the one side and catastrophizing on the other. The spirit of the Michaelmas season is all about confronting fear, doubt, and uncertainty head-on. This Fear is a kind of dragon that might never be slain, but which can be made tame, even if it takes a lifelong struggle to do so. 

St. Michael the Archangel has long been cherished throughout the world as a protector and guide of humankind's highest impulses, and is but one apt characterization of the virtue of courage. While it is impossible to know what the future may bring, by stepping into the unknown future, every single day, we place ourselves into the hands of Courage itself, allow it to be our guide and protector, and commit ourselves to practicing courage until it becomes a habit and attitude of the soul. 

May you and your families be strengthened and fortified against all the challenges of life that stand before you today and every day, and may our school be blessed by Courage this year and every year to come!

Daniel Nicholas

3rd grade teacher and Pedagogical Committee Chair

daniel.nicholas@madronetrail.org

From the Office

Registration Packets went home last week for returning students. Please fill them out and return them to Ms. Sherrie along with your Supply and Field Trip fee. If you have any questions you can contact Ms. Sherrie at sherrie.gasper@madronetrail.org or 541-842-3657.

Parent Square

We are excited to announce that this school year we will begin using a new communication tool called Parent Square. Please use the link below to register if you have never logged in. Use the email we have on file to register. You can access Parent Square via desktop or through the Parent Square App. We highly recommend all parents/guardians download the app to receive important news from the school. Parents can opt to get their news via email, text, or app notification. We will use this platform to quickly notify families about school closures due to snow amongst other things. The Friday Update itself will be sent via Parent Square soon. We are very excited about streamlining communication to and from school and families. If you are having difficulties logging in email Ms. Cori, cori.royer@madronetrail.org

Michaelmas

Festivals are a vital part of Waldorf education. Madrone Trail celebrates the rhythm of the year through festivals honoring the seasons and the natural world. As we celebrate and mark the passage of the seasons through art, music, and story, we deepen our connection to the rhythms of nature and our relationships with each other and create community. Many of our festivals are celebrated community-wide. Some festivals are celebrated with the children during school.

Our first festival is Michaelmas, which will be celebrated on Friday, September 26th, from 2:15-3:00 pm. Michaelmas, as it is observed in Waldorf schools, is the "festival of courage." Michael, the archangel who inspires courage, is associated with this festival at harvest time. The students will hear the ancient story of Michael conquering the dragon, sing songs of courage, and enjoy dragon bread and cider. Through this community festival, we celebrate the apples and wheat harvested in the fall, while preparing ourselves for the inner wakefulness and courage needed for the winter months ahead.

Class teachers and your class parent representatives will be sending out emails with details of what each class needs to bring to make this festival a success. For those courageous parents wanting to make dragon bread, below are a few recipes to help guide you, along with some pictures of dragon bread throughout the years. They can also be found on our website.

Dragon Bread Recipe from the Washington Waldorf School

Sweet Sourdough Dragon Bread Recipe

Gluten Free Dragon Bread Recipe

Dragon Bread Examples

From the Auction Committee

Hard to believe we are already thinking about the auction but it comes up quicker than we expect! We have our first meeting planned for September 30th, at 3:30 pm, in the 2nd grade classroom. Emails will be sent out to parents that put their info down at Family Night. If you couldn’t make it to Family Night and are still interested in the Auction Committee, please come! We need all skill sets. We would love to get a solid committee going now so we can get a theme chosen quickly and get this party started!

Hope to see you all there! If you have any questions email auction@madronetrail.org

From the Dragon Café

Kitchen Volunteer Shifts

Thank you so much to our volunteers in the kitchen this week, Xochitl and Austin! It has been a game changer to have some extra help. We could still use help early in the week (Monday-Wednesday). We can tailor shifts to your schedule!

A Reminder About Snacks

We offer goldfish, sweet potato crackers, raisins, string cheese, and milk for $0.50 each. Every student can also grab one apple for free.

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program

This week we served grapefruit, snap peas, figs, and kiwi. Our mangos weren’t quite ripe enough, but we expect to serve those later in the week along with other yummy goodies! 

Snack Payment Info

For any paid snack items, students must have a positive balance on their EZ app account.

New to Madrone Trail? No problem! Each student already has a profile—you’ll just need to create a parent account and link it to your child. You can load funds using a debit/credit card on the EZ app, or make payments directly in the school office (cash, card, and checks accepted).

Need help? Reach out to Chef Evan anytime.

Chef Evan

evan.wilson@madronetrail.org

From the Farm to School Committee

Save the Date

Ready to earn your volunteer hours and help beautify our campus and improve our gardening infrastructure? You have the chance to help out with just that on Saturday, September 27. Save the date and get ready to roll up your sleeves! More info TBA!

Public service announcement:

Our partnership with Rogue Produce is back on! Enjoy yummy, local produce while supporting our composting program!

We are looking for monthly members for our Madrone Trail- Rogue Produce Membership. Members can shop the Rogue Produce Online Farmer’s Market, enjoy free delivery to Madrone Trail on Fridays, and access exclusive weekly sales. 



For each member who joins we can reduce our school compost pick-up fees. Join us in building a sustainable and healthy community and support our local farmers! 

Click here to create an account and purchase your $10 monthly subscription. You can also contact them at (541-301-3426) for questions.

From the Site Committee

Mark your calendars! The Madrone Trail Site Committee has been reborn and has big things planned for this school year. Kick-off Committee meeting is Thursday, Sept 25th 5-6:30PM in the woodworking classroom. Please join us to help plan and implement the future of our school's site and facilities. 

The Site Committee has four Stewardship Days planned for the year. Childcare and food included! Come one! Come all! Get those volunteer hours in! September 27th, October 18th, Jan 24th and April 18th. Saturdays, 9am-1pm. Stay tuned for more details coming soon. 

From the Athletic Director

Fall Clubs and Sports are in full swing. Look for results of our competitions below.

Volleyball results this week

9/8 @ Rogue Christian Academy

JV: Won 0 sets, lost 3 sets. (All three sets were very competitive and we were within a few points)

Varsity: Won 1 set, lost 2 (15-17 in the tie breaker set)

Coaches’ Standout: Malaya Sigalove

9/10 Home vs Applegate JV only

Won 1 set, lost 2

Girls Volleyball games next week

(Home games are at Sacred Heart)

9/15 @ Rogue Valley Adventist, Varsity only @ 4:00

9/17 Home vs Lorna Byrne JV@ 4:30, Varsity @ 5:30

Volleyball picture day: 9/17 2:45 @ Sacred Heart

Cross Country results this week

9/9 @ The expo center. (This was a huge meet with 25 middle schools represented)

Girls (Out of 244)

Juno Battisti 13:32.9 (39th overall) (14th in 7th grade) (School record watch. 2nd fastest dragon ever. The current record is 13:25.1 set by Maddy Bevers in 2022)

Isobel Bevers 14:57.8 (84th) (18th in 6th grade)

Aiza Caran 16:18.6 (139th)

Mary Twylla Kemple 16.23.90 (148th)

Caroline Percy 18:06.8 (193rd)

Chaska Gidley 18:07.9 (194th)

Boys (Out of 356)

Julian Cerecedes 14:04.5 (114th) (9th fastest time in school history)

Westley Scales 15:27.5 (190th)

Oliver Ayres 15:32.9 (194th)

Jacob Richardson 17:44.6 (273rd)

Cross Country meet next week

9/18 North Mountain Park Girls run @ 4:30, boys @ 5:00

Cross Country picture day: Friday, 9/26 3:30 @ Madrone Trail

Fall Clubs!

OBOB (Oregon Battle of the Books)

Mrs. Richardson will be once again running our OBOB club.

When: Wednesdays 1:15-2:15 pm, Starting September 10th, ending in March.

Who: 6th-8th graders (No cap)

Where: In the Library

Cost: Free! (This one is free folks)

There is a link to our new clubs form below (It is very similar to the sports form, but we are now separating the 2 forms). Please fill out a form for OBOB this year. last year no form was needed because they met during the school day.

Watercolor Club

Carole Whitridge is teaching a watercolor painting class!

Watercolor painting registration is full.

When: Starting September 8th ending October 22nd

Mondays 3:30-4:30 pm Change of location! Monday classes will be in the gym

Wednesdays 1:30-2:30 pm, in the 6th grade classroom

Basketball Club

Mark Stegall has returned to offer Basketball Club this year. Basketball Club is not the same as our school basketball team, which will be signed up for separately and will need a current sports physical.

When: Starting September 9th ending October 16th, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-4:45

Who: 6th-8th grade (Coed) (Capped at 14 participants) 6 spots left!

Where: Madrone Trail gym

Cost: $75

Deadline to register: Tuesday, September 16th



Community Sport Opportunity

A note about community sports: I only advertise community sports through our Madrone newsletter that tend to lean more towards the values of athletic growth, fair play, and sportsmanship such as Junior Comets and the Medford YMCA leagues. I tend to stay away from ultra-competitive leagues such as AAU for the purposes of recommending leagues to our students here at Madrone. However, I do have more information on sport specific competitive opportunities if that is something you want to email me about.

Junior Comets Boys Basketball (Look for Girls basketball info in November)

Who: Boys 1st grade-7th grade (Various league levels)

Cost: $50

Skills evaluation day: At Scenic Middle School Sunday, Oct 5th, 12-4 or Tuesday October 7th, 5:30-7:30 (Attend one of them, you are not there the whole time)

Registration open: now-September 26th

Season dates: November 3rd-January 17th

For more info and to register visit:

https://www.juniorcometsports.com/registration-information1.html

Go Dragons!



Jeff Roberson

jeff.roberson@madronetrail.org

Community Opportunity

The Resilient Youth Internship Program is a paid internship designed for youth ages 14-25 who are interested in hands-on, real-world learning. Interns gain practical skills in regenerative gardening, teamwork, leadership, and creative problem-solving, while contributing to community resilience. Guided by experienced mentors, participants explore projects that connect them more deeply with themselves, their peers, and the land.



The program runs for 6 weeks, Sept 15-Oct 24 for 2 hours, 2 days a week. This fall, interns will take part in outdoor building and painting projects, eco-arts activities, and team-based learning experiences. The program offers opportunities to work outdoors in all seasons (including light rain) while developing resilience, responsibility, and confidence. There are 3 spots left for the Fall session. Youth participants are compensated for their time with a $150 stipend, making this a supportive and rewarding learning experience.

 For details and registration visit: https://www.sunnyjlindley.com/internship_info_2025

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.