From the Director

Greetings Madrone Trail Parents and Families:

As we transition into the crisp, refreshing days of fall, we are excited to embrace the vibrant energy this season brings to our campus. Classrooms are buzzing with enthusiasm, and we are so grateful for the continued support from all of you. Our current enrollment is robust, just five students away from reaching full capacity in grades K-8. We do have vacancies in the Sprouts preschool if you know of any families looking for a program, please have them reach out to us for information. Thank you Mr. Tryllium and this year's 8th grade students for hosting the first Friday Assembly with two impressive musical numbers today. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

With Gratitude, 

Andy Bracco

Executive Director

andy.bracco@madronetrail.org

From the Board

Hello Madrone Trail Family!

School is off to a great start so far. A few of us board members were able to catch the Friday Assembly this morning and the 8th grade did a wonderful job singing and playing instruments. It was another reminder why we feel lucky to get to serve this community in the capacity that we do.

We are happy to report that the school is in good shape when it comes to the nuts and bolts of budgets and policies. Our budget is solid and right on track for this time of year. We are always looking for new grants and ways to raise funds for the school to put us in an even better place than we are already in.

Aside from looking after the financial well being of the school we have board members who are helping in multiple different facets from site committee, budget committee, fundraising, auction committee, and parent council, to any number of other miscellaneous things that arise through the course of school life. Right now we are looking ahead a couple of months and planning a board retreat where we will have time for board development and long term planning for the school.

Our board could use a couple of more members and we are particularly in need of people who have experience in HR or practices law. If you or someone you know might be a fit for this please reach out and let us know. We are always happy to hear from the school community whether it is about joining the board or any other issue you may want to discuss. You can reach us by email  board@madronetrail.org or catch us on campus sometime. We would love to connect!

For the Good of the School,

Madrone Trail Board of Directors

Madrone Trail Shirts and Hoodies

Madrone Trail shirts and hoodies are now for sale! Pre-order yours now until Friday, September 27. Once the pre-order window closes they will go into production and be delivered to school for pickup, hopefully before our Jog-a-thon on Friday, October 18.

We have our classic Madrone Trail Dragon design available again in forest green and sand, along with two new colors this year, indigo blue and dark brown. We also have a new limited edition design available in garnet red, black, and white that was designed by 8th grader Theo Gerig as a fundraiser for the 8th grade class. Not all styles are available in all colors due to limited selection, sorry!

Order yours today from the link below! After the pre-order window closes prices will go up to accommodate the higher cost of print on demand. Items will be available the rest of the school year, but choices for pick up will be directly from Moxley Media or shipped for a cost.

If you have any questions, please contact 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 27th, 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

Auction Committee

First Auction Committee Meeting of the Year: Tuesday, October 1st, 3:30 pm at Hummingbird Winery

You may recall that last years auction was a whole lot of fun, and a great success! Did you know that the auction netted $29,000 for the school?

Well, we're gearing up to do it again, and the auction committee needs help!

If you want to be involved in planning the coolest party of the year, please attend our first auction meeting. Even if party planning isn't your thing, we need people to bring their brains, hearts, and hands to come together to make this another amazing event. 

If you are interested in helping, but unable to attend our first meeting, or if you have any ideas for auction sponsors or auction item donations, please reach out to us at auction@madronetrail.org

Cans & Bottles Fundraiser

We're looking for your cans and bottles to support the 8th grade class!!! The drop off area for bags of cans and bottles is on the left side of the dumpster area, near the drop off area. You will see signs directing you where to put them. We also have blue recycle bins around school for individual items. Last year's class made $1000, and this year's class is hoping to do that or more. Thanks for your support!

Meal Program Update

Menu Spotlight: What In Tarnation Are Green Eggs & Ham?

I’m sure you’ve noticed the Dr. Seuss reference on our breakfast menu this fall… but what exactly are green eggs? No, we don’t dye the eggs! The “green” part of this dish is achieved by adding spinach to this savory breakfast dish (along with brown rice, ham, and a touch of soy sauce). It is absolutely delicious!

What’s Local and/or Organic This Week?

Rusted Gate Farm: Ground Beef

Wandering Roots Farm: walla walla onions, cucumbers, multicolor sweet peppers, zucchini, kale, carrots, tomatoes, spring mix

Other items that are always organic and non-GMO: Dave’s Killer Bread, Cascade Organics Granola, and our tempeh and tofu!  

Specials September 16-20

Sandwich/Wrap: Vegetarian Caprese

Fresh mozzarella, local, organic tomatoes, and pesto spread on a hoagie roll. Yum!

Soup: Split Pea & Ham

A Note About Soup & Sandwich Specials 

Sandwich specials each week are “while supplies last." They often feature items that are more costly or we don’t stock on a regular basis. Soups will run for the duration of the week and are made fresh from scratch 2-3 times per week. 

Allergens & Ingredients

If you have not yet completed our allergen form, please take the time to do so, especially if your student has food allergies or dietary restrictions. The form is here. As far as ingredients are concerned, we are working on providing this information in a transparent way via our school website. In the meantime, if you have specific questions about ingredients, feel free to reach out to Chef Evan.

Snacks

We are currently serving fresh fruit, raisins, string cheese, and goldfish (whole wheat, no artificial flavors or colors). Believe it or not, the nutrition requirements for snacks are even stricter than for breakfast and lunch and we are limited by what is available through our food supplier. We plan on adding more choices when possible.

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

From the Athletic Director

This week your dragons completed their first week of fall sports competitions. We did very well. Look for results below as well as next week’s games.

Cross Country

September 10th result:

This was a very large meet with 22 middle schools represented. Our runners did great!

6th grade girls (89 runners)

Juno Battisti 15:42.63 (14th)

Delia Sanders 20:20.91 (53rd)

Caroline Percy 21:11.91 (58th)

7th grade boys (96 runners)

John Richardson 16:59.89 (58th)

8th grade boys (94 runners)

Theo Gerig 14:41.7 (37th)

Next week

Tuesday, September 17th Steens sports complex (Klamath Falls)

Girls run at 4:30 pm, Boys run at 5:00 pm

Volleyball

Last week’s results

September 9th @ Rogue Valley Adventist

(Won 2 sets to 1) 11-25, 27-25, 17-15

Standouts: Evie scored 9 points straight on serves, overall MVP: Natasha

Wednesday, September 11th @ Ruch

We lost 2 sets to Ruch’s 1st team and won 2 sets versus Ruch’s 2nd team

Standouts: Natasha and Adrianna team MVPs

Next week

Monday 9/16 @ Applegate (4:30) (Oregon 238, Applegate)

Wednesday 9/18 Home @ Rogue X (4:30) Vs. Applegate

NEW CLUB OFFERING

This Fall Tim Stewart and Mark Stegall (Last year’s Boys' Basketball coaches) will be offering Basketball Club.

Who: 6th-8th graders (Coed) Deadline to register September 16th

When: Mondays and Thursday 3:30-5:00 pm through October 10th

Cost: $75

Where: Madrone Trail gym

Reminder: The Sport Physical does not need to be submitted to join a club, but the Madrone participation form does.

Go Dragons!

Jeff Roberson

jeff.roberson@madronetrail.org

From the Garden

A little seed for me to sew.

A little earth to make it grow....

A little sun, A little shower. A little while. And then a flower.

Greetings from the Garden! My name is Carrie Campbell. I am happy to be joining you as the new garden teacher at Madrone Trail this year. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders have been very busy already, learning their garden verses, harvesting, tasting, tending the soil, composting kitchen scraps, and planting fall plants. Apple and pumpkin harvests are in the works for our fall season as well as leaf and seed studies. 

The garden is a huge and wonder-full classroom with lots of inputs and needs to keep it thriving. We could really use your help! We are always looking for garden related donations and volunteers. Check out our wishlist here to sign-up for specific items or contact me, carrie.campbell@madronetrail.org, if you think you might have an item or some extra time to jump into the garden. It's good for the soul and good for the soil and especially good for growing our kids. I'll update it every few weeks so please check back from time to time. Some things we are needing right away for our fall season: straw bales for mulch, fall plant starts, garlic bulbs for planting, cover crop seeds (favas, grains, clovers, vetches) and bark mulch for paths. Thanks to all who have contributed already! We are so grateful.

From the Library

Thank you so much for all of the book donations (especially the graphic novels!) Our collection is growing!

Please come and visit the library and take advantage of our parent section, which includes crafting, gardening, nutrition, and Waldorf-specific resources. Parents may check out library books on their child's account.

Please make sure that you have added your child to the library system if you haven't already. Click on the Library Parent Policy Agreement to get the process started.

Community Offering

For more information visit the website: https://jacksonvilleoregon.org/1851run/

Community Offering

From the Jacksonville Community Center. For more information visit their website: https://jacksonvillecommunitycenter.org/

Local Scouting Opportunities

For information on more scouting opportunities in Jacksonville, Medford, Ashland, Central Point, and Eagle Point, please visit www.BeAScout.org

Offerings from Nina Gallwey

Dear Parents,

Please see our September Offerings below. Not included on the flyer are on-going support for your parenting:

• One-on-One Parent Coaching Sessions
• Sand Tray for children ages 6-12. Learn more here
• Private mentoring/sensory sessions for children ages 6-14 years. 

September’s Parent Coffee them is Seeing Your Child Anew: Parenting with Perspective.  An evening date for this talk will also be offered in October. 

There will also be a day long deep dive on October 5. Stepping Into The Heart Of Childhood: Supporting the Emotional Health of Children will be an inspirational and rich day to gift to yourself and the children you love. 

I hope to see you soon. May your journey be one of courage, joy, deep healing, and surprises!

Best,

Nina

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.