Have a great summer, Madrona!!

From the Principal

I don’t know if it is a sign of aging or just the nature of school life that each and every year zooms by faster and faster. This year was the fastest yet for me! As I look over my shoulder I am immediately struck by both the diversity of learning and the quality of learning accomplished this year at Madrona. While we are not perfect – and there are many and varied perspectives about what should be learned and how – it is clear to me that the combined attention and efforts of this community has provided engaging learning opportunities for all of our students.

As many of you know, I believe deeply that a school community should support the learning of everyone – children and adults alike. As staff and parents – we each have a responsibility to model and exemplify “life long learning” for our children. At Madrona, I think we did this well this year. There were several opportunities for adult learning including Internet Safety (Monica Edwards and Ellen Ernst), the effects of media in children’s development (Gloria DeGaetano), supporting struggling teens (Sue Eastgard), metacognition and reading comprehension (Kendra Wagner and M Wellman) and non-violent communication (Erika Jennings and Craig Baldwin). My thanks to these presenters, and to those of you who participated in these learning opportunities. Of special note I think, is the partnership between parents and staff in bringing adult learning opportunities to our community.

I must end the year with appreciation and thanks for so many people – too many to name completely. A special thanks to our Volunteer Program Manager Kim Magana, who has immersed herself completely into her role this year. She has done a great job of organizing and coordinating the many, many caring hearts and hands in this community. Also, many thanks to our MIT Board members, led by Linda Hood, Barb Jensen and Steve Escandon. A lot has been accomplished this year thanks to the time and energy of these leaders.

At the heart of our purpose and our work is of course the delight of each day for me – our kids. I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to bear witness to their learning and achievements throughout the year. I especially enjoy the individual moments with students when they share something they’ve accomplished or something they’re excited about. I also love to see their artistic accomplishments throughout the year. Their enthusiasm is contagious!

I’m also very grateful to our staff of dedicated people who bring their hearts and skills to this work daily. I can say with all sincerity that I have never worked with a more dedicated, caring and skilled group as this staff. What a privilege!

Finally, I want to say thank you to Tracy Greene and Kory DeMun – two Madrona parents who played significant roles in leading the effort to have our recent Technology Levy pass. And of course, my appreciation to all of you for voting!

The office will be closed for the month of July and reopens in early August. Student placement letters will be sent to homes around August 15th & school starts again Sept. 2nd.

As we close this year I send my wishes to each of you for a wonderful summer vacation! - Your principal, Lynda

 MIT Co-Chair’s Corner

Last month an open letter to the readers of this paper challenged families to support our school. The writer made an interesting case for donations that mirror the amount of money that is spent at other schools -- whether the school is Maplewood or preschool, or even full-day kindergarten -- so that spur-of-the-moment fundraising campaigns would become obsolete.

I want to add my two cents about this. When we signed up for the lottery to get into Madrona, we did it because we wanted a different school experience for our kids. The money that MIT raises ensures that our experience is not only different, but also fuller.

At the MIT meeting on May 21st, we voted to approve the budget for next school year. We have committed to spend almost $58,000 on academic materials and social activities at Madrona. Yes, our kids could live with fewer books in the classrooms or library, and we could allow the tech lab’s 8-year-old computers to slowly die off, and our musicians could try to figure out how to play their instruments without coaching from the excellent instructors who spend their time at school. But we intend to spend a lot to provide these perks, so we also need to raise a lot. Right now, many families contribute, and employer matching funds are very helpful. If you think about the fact that we have 650 kids, spread over 495 families, $58,000 represents $90 in donations per child, or $120 per family. This is a lot less than the $200 per kid that Maplewood requires its parents to contribute.

Granted, we also spend a lot of money on our kids’ school activities. Intermediate families have spent around $260 per child this year, primarily because of the trip to Camp Hamilton. Primary centers will have spent about the same, because there are more field trips and parties than in the older grades. Middle school families will spend around $250 per kid. And that doesn’t include enrichment, music classes, sports, or any of the social activities that are priced to merely break even. Not to say that this doesn’t happen at other schools, but it is a lot of money.

Consider the concept that, if each child brought in a donation of $90, you would spend up to $350 per year to supplement each of your kids’ experience at Madrona.

Now consider this: the average public school teacher spends around $1,000 of his or her salary per year on supplies for the classroom. There is no benefit to the teacher for doing this; the teachers just think that some things are necessary, and they won’t force their students to live without them. If they can do this for our kids, shouldn’t we be willing to do the same?

I wish you a happy, healthy and fun-filled summer – see you in the fall! – Linda Hood

Informal Parent of the Month Award

This month’s informal, totally unsanctioned Parent of the Month Award goes to the Khalil family. Fadl and Shelley Khalil have shepherded their 3 kids through Madrona, and their youngest graduates this year. Shelley has been an enthusiastic volunteer almost since the beginning of Madrona: she was the Volunteer Program Manager; instrumental in establishing All for Kids; and has even volunteered to work at activities where none of her kids was involved. Fadl often was the anchoring voice of reason while serving on the MIT Board and has been a constant presence at Madrona social events, making sure everyone had the support they needed and the kids were having a great time. We will miss them greatly when they’re gone. – Linda Hood

Madrona Integrated Team

To Our Wonderful Volunteers and Classroom Coordinators

Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication this year. You all are such an important part of this community and our school shines because of each of you. I hope everyone has a fun and relaxing summer and I look forward to working with each of you in the Fall. I also look forward to seeing some new faces at our school next year and I hope you all take an opportunity to volunteer in some way. It's what makes our school special and we couldn't do all that we do without our awesome volunteers. See you next year! - Kim Magaña and M.I.T.

Thanks so much to Starbucks!

Thanks so much to the Downtown Edmonds Starbucks for supplying coffee to our staff lounge and to the family room. They donate coffee to our school all year long and also donate coffee for a few of our big events. Thanks to Jeanette and Jeff from the downtown Starbucks and thanks to the manager from the Westgate store for making latte's and mocha's for our teaching staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. It's always such a special treat for our teachers and we want to let them know how much we love it. If you go into the downtown Edmonds store please let them know how much we appreciate their coffee donations! - Kim Magaña

Joe Rice Scholarship Program

Were you aware that Madrona offers a college scholarship? For the last 13 years Madrona has awarded the Joe Rice S $1000 scholarship to eligible graduating high school seniors. Mr. Rice was one of the founders of the Madrona K-8 non graded school and a scholarship fund was established in recognition of his vision and commitment to education and children, while starting and maintaining the multiage program.

Guiding students to develop the qualities of leadership, citizenship, collaboration, empathy, character and self direction is and has been a major goal of the teachers in the Madrona Nongraded Program. The Joe Rice Scholarship is awarded to eligible candidates who have attended Madrona for at least four years and who have submitted a portfolio demonstrating these qualities.

The Scholarship will be awarded during the Awards Assembly at the winner’s High School. The winner is also introduced during an assembly in June at Madrona. – Kory DeMun

Safeway Shoppers

If you are a Safeway shopper, please remember to go online to www.escrip.com and register you Safeway Club Card (Madrona’s group # is 8546372). Madrona earns a % of what is spent each month for everyone who signs up and shops at Safeway. Remember, any family member can sign up their card (grandmas, aunts, etc). We currently have 68 families registered. Let’s try and make it 100 by the end of the school year! If you have any questions, contact Linda Park at (425) 672-9485 or labpark@comcast.net. – Linda Park

Last MIT Business Meeting!

In the library at 7:00 PM

June 10th* - Tuesday

Summer Reading Opportunity!

Our staff umbrella goal next year will be to explore how we can better nurture the creative potential in each of our students. As a staff we are reading the book, Out of Our Minds – Learning To Be Creative by Ken Robinson. I have six extra copies in the office for check out if you are interested in joining the read and future conversations. The six copies will be available on a first come, first served basis with Kirsten at the front desk in the office. – Lynda Fischer

Box/Tops and Soup Labels

Don’t forget to collect those Campbell’s soup labels and box tops for education during the summer! Box Tops for Education will write a check directly to MIT twice a year. Campbell’s has a catalog of items that we can get for the P.E. department depending on how many we collect! Please note that we only need the UPC symbol for the soup labels. They will not accept the front label without the UPC. Bring your UPC/box tops to the designated areas by the front office or in the family room today! – Tracy Langlie

All For Kids

Dear Madrona families,

Every parent who has chosen Madrona K-8 believes it provides the best learning environment for our child. A commitment to their education is one of the most valuable lessons we can offer to them. All For Kids is the opportunity to provide money that directly funds your child’s classroom.

All for Kids is our annual fund drive directly supporting educational enrichment for our students. By achieving a $20,000 goal 100% of those funds are allocated to classrooms and programs. Your donation provides funding for classroom materials, library, tech lab, music and art used daily. Every dollar donated offers resources that focus directly on the needs of Madrona students.

Every day we parents drive our kids to school, activities, friends houses, we need to take this opportunity to drive our kid’s education. For the price of one tank of gas you can help us reach our annual goal. With every family’s help we can make our children’s destination the opportunity to achieve their best education.

There are many ways to contribute to All For Kids. We are a non-profit organization; all contributions are tax deductible You can cut out this form & mail or drop into the box in the office and qualify for matching funds from your employer. We are now able to accept donations from your credit card thru Pay Pal http://madronabearfacts.com/fundraising/all_for_kids.htm

Please help us by returning your donation to All For Kids today.

Thanks for your support,

New Special Education

PTSA Committee of the Edmonds School District

We welcome all families who have children with special needs to connect with other families interested in supporting their children's education by networking, sharing resources, ideals and concerns. We hold monthly meetings throughout the school year and will have various topic-oriented working groups.

For additional information: Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ESD_Spec_ED_Parents/ or chasjule@hotmail.com .

Please join us for our first social event: A picnic on Saturday, June 21, 12 noon at Edmonds City Park. Bring the kids--all ages! For more information, contact Diane Cavanaugh, at diacav@comcast.net

Reflective Parenting Group Forming: Supporting the inner life of parents

Is parenting mindfully a priority for you? If so, would you like more companionship and witnesses to your journey of self-development? I recently heard Dan Siegel say at the Seeds of Compassion that the strongest predictor of a child’s secure attachment is the PARENT’s continued growth, specifically, whether or not the parent has a “coherent narrative.” I think this coherent, integrated sense of our history and goals can be nurtured through community - by having thoughtful and open dialogue with others about our challenges and celebrations.

If this is something that interests you and you would like to know more about playgroups/parents' night out, please contact Erika Jennings at empathic_negotiation@hotmail.com for details.

 - Erika Jennings

Edmonds School District

Budget Woes

As you may have read or heard in the news, most of the school districts in the State are facing large budget shortfalls next year. This is due to many unfunded mandates – laws or initiatives that were passed that were intended to make life better for students or schools, but no funding was provided to make the execution of the new regulations possible. For example, the State said all educators get a raise, but only paid for some teachers to get a raise. The District has to find the money. The federal government says school districts must provide stability to homeless families by making sure those kids can continue to go to the same school, no matter where they live. This is definitely important and valuable, but the requirement translates into additional bus transportation expenses of $250,000 a year, for which the feds don’t pay a nickel. This year we are looking at over $3 Million in our school district.

For anyone who is interested in seeing how the Edmonds School District is going to attempt to stay out of the red, the website: www.edmonds.wednet.edu contains lots of discussion materials and calculations about what is being cut where. It is a sobering set of documents.

One of the ways they will try to economize is by regularizing school start and end times next year. Nine schools, including Madrona, will begin their days at 9:20 and end at 3:50. Please begin planning for this schedule change now – it’s not a huge time change, but it will probably mean some changes in daily routine, too. – Linda Hood

Lost and Found!

Everything MUST Go!

This is your LAST CHANCE to collect your lost items!! EVERYTHING will be donated to charity if it is left over at the end of the year. Please come & take a look, or have your kids look before it’s too late. There are lots of really nice coats, scarves, gloves, shoes & slippers. The Lost & Found is located in the cafeteria.

Support Madrona’s Music Programs!

The Music Boosters is selling T-shirts to help raise money to buy sheet music, new musical instruments, and specialized equipment for the music department.

Support all of our music students by purchasing a t-shirt! All shirts are black with white lettering. On the front is your choice of ‘Choir, Orchestra, Band or Jazz” and on the back is ‘Madrona Music’. The cost is $16 and all proceeds go to the entire music department. Order forms are in the front office. For more information or to place an order, contact Sarah DeMun at sdemun@comcast.net. – Sarah DeMun

From the Library

What a year we've had in the Library. We enjoyed two very successful book fairs, one at Barnes & Noble and one from Scholastic. With the profits from both fairs we have been able to purchase over 540 new books. WOW!!!

With generous furniture donations we have created a very comfortable area for our Middle Schoolers to relax and read.

We have added many new non-fiction books to give students more resources for their reports (and they're just plain fun to read, anyway).

AND, from the support of our MIT, we will be purchasing more comfortable chairs for the library and MIT meetings. Come relax in comfort at our meetings next year!!!

Thank you all for your support. Madrona is such a wonderful place to be!

 - Ann DeVight, Madrona Librarian

Reminder: June 6th is the final day for returning all books to the library!

Happy Father’s Day to our Madrona Dads!

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

 Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

Attribute of Character for June

Patience

“Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.”

 - Leonardo da Vinci

“One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.”

 – Chinese Proverb

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” - Franklin P. Jones

Tech & Media News

Cyber-Help Wanted!

Here’s an easy way to build some valuable Web experience into your resume. MIT Communications Manager Allan Townsend is looking for a tech-savvy volunteer to help keep the Bear Facts Website up-to-date with all of the school's important news and events in the 2008-2009 school year. Duties of Web producer include helping with the production of Web pages built from the weekly Notes from the Office, the monthly Bear Facts Newsletter and other various announcements from MIT, Madrona staff and external organizations. A successful candidate must have access to a PC and internet connection; good communication skills and a general knowledge of HTML is helpful, but not mandatory. Parents of Madrona students are encouraged to apply. Madrona students who will be in 8th grade in the fall of 2008 may also be considered, with teacher recommendation and parental approval. The Web producer will receive Microsoft’s Expression Web software and training and can expect to volunteer between 0-2 hours a week. Interested? Please contact Allan Townsend at info@madronabearfacts.com. – Allan Townsend

Bear Facts Web Site

The Madrona Bear Facts Web site (http://madronabearfacts.com) is YOUR reliable source of information about Madrona! Please contact Allan Townsend, for suggestions or concerns about the Web site. It is updated constantly with fresh information. And don’t forget the online Calendar – it’s a great way to check on Madrona events & meetings.

 - Allan Townsend, MIT Communications Director

iMentors teach Internet Safety

Kindergarten and Primary centers have received special internet safety presentations by student trained iSafe Mentors, Jenna Major, Sydney Ohly, Melissa Long and Gabby Lyons. These fifth and seventh grade girls have participated in webcast instructional training, and received their iMentor certification. Instructional techniques these girls are using in their presentation come from the iSafe program, although the materials being used for instruction are from NetSmartz. If your primary student hasn’t yet asked you to visit the NetSmartz web site with them, do so today! You’ll find some fun education games, coloring sheets, videos, songs and more. Check out NetSmartzKids.org today!

 - Monica Edwards

Ink cartridge & cell phone recycling

Madrona’s new ink cartridge and cell phone recycling program is now underway. Please use the large bins in unit one, right inside the breezeway doors, or the one in the parent room in unit two to recycle ink cartridges and cell phones. Madrona will get cash profits from Rapid Refill in Edmonds from your donations.

Camcorder & TV donations

Looking for a home for your older camcorder (digital or analog) and small (12”) TV?

Check with Monica Edwards edwardsmo@edmonds.wednet.edu) to see about donating your equipment for use in the Madrona Media broadcast. – Monica Edwards

More Info

Another Letter from a Parent:

Something to Think About…

To anonymous parent May Bear Facts:

Hi, my name is April Webb and I have two children that attend Madrona. This is our first year here and words cannot express how much I love this school. Everything from being able to start orchestra/band in 4th grade to how attentive and encouraging each of my children’s teachers are, not only for their educational needs, but their developmental needs as well.

When the year first started, I have to admit I was discouraged as it seems that the median socioeconomic status at Madrona is quite high. This is understandable as most families that chose Madrona can afford to have someone available to pick up and drop off their children as well as easily meet any extra financial needs that may arise in the course of the school year. We chose Madrona (never thought of Maplewood for the record) not only because it’s close to home, but because I love the non-graded system and that our children have the opportunity to be with the same peers and teachers for three years. However, our current situation is such that without proper notice, we are unable to easily meet the needs of unexpected expenditures but do our best to meet those extra necessary funds. My intent on writing is that I wholey disapprove of the way you made your sentiments known to the school.

In trying to target a select group of primary parents who are “less willing to fork over money when it’s a choice verses an obligation” you have greatly offended me and I’m sure as well as any other economic minority of this community. Having two college students in the house on one income (okay so I work 15 hours a week barely above minimum wage), we’ve never had the luxury of forking over “$200 a month for preschool or $300 a month for kindergarten”… yet. But when the time comes that would enable us to “cough up the dough” we will do so gladly. Until then things are tight but we do what we can as Madrona is a great school and we are so grateful our children have the opportunity to attend.

After reading your letter a few times I can see you were merely trying to voice your opinion towards certain parents but I am also dumbfounded on how you felt it was appropriate to do so anonymously in the community newsletter. Perhaps next time you could think things over more and realize that 1. Not every family in this school applied to Maplewood as well, 2. Not everyone can afford $20 per month per child in the possibility to quickly replace stolen computers, and 3. It’s always best to talk to the individuals you have issues with directly instead of exposing us all to your rant.

Music Department News

Edmonds Arts Festival

Jazz Band I will be playing on Friday, June 13th at the Edmonds Arts Festival. We will be on stage at 2:30 at the Frances Anderson Center. Get off work early and come join the fun!

Woodway Elementary Field Trip

The Madrona Wind Ensemble is taking a morning field trip to Woodway Elementary on Thursday, June 12th. They will be presenting a 30-minute assembly showcasing some of their best songs and musicians.

Middle School Spring Concert – June 5

• Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble I,
• MS Orchestra, MS Choir - Matt Edwards

Welcome to Meadowdale High!

On Wednesday, June 4th the students of Meadowdale High are hosting a welcome for our newest Mavericks. . . the Class of 2012. The program will begin at 8:20 in the main gym and all incoming Freshmen are welcome. Students will hear from those who have been there before them, the senior leadership of Meadowdale. In addition, Dale Cote, Principal, Chris Murphy, MHS Athletic Director and Beth Marriott, MHS Activities Coordinator will be on hand to share the secret to high school success. . . getting involved! The program ends at 9:00 so take some time out of your morning and join us to see what all the excitement is about.

- Beth Marriott, Activities Coordinator Meadowdale High School

ASB News

“Koins for Kids” was a great success. Thank you to everyone who collected coins to support the Clothes for Kids program. You have made an underprivileged child very happy.

The final Middle School Dance is Friday, June 13th, 6 – 8:30 p.m. Madrona dress code is applicable to this event as usual. There will be a $5 cover charge. We will need parents to help chaperone the outside courtyard. Please let Ms. Stephenson know if you are able to hang out with us during the dance, parents (ext. 2940 or stephensonb@edmonds.wednet.edu). - BJ Stephenson

Kindergarten News

Ms. Rust’s Class

I think the kindergarteners are still pretty focused on day-to-day events even as I think ahead and plan for the summer. A field trip to the Seattle Children's Theater was a special treat, and Busy Town was well received by both children and chaperones. They are also looking forward to a visit to The Farm where they will see baby animals and get to plant some pumpkin seeds in anticipation of the fall's harvest. The lesson on prisms and rainbows was exciting; science has been consistently well received all year, especially during Mr. Hopkins' visits. The caterpillars in the classroom have cocooned and everyone was hoping the butterflies would not emerge until after Memorial Day (but fruit was left for them to eat just in case!). The changes the children have undergone over the past year are almost as dramatic! In the coming year, I hope we can continue to foster their continued relationships through play and getting exercise after school together at the playground just as we did at the "Kindergarten Tree" this year. - Erika Jennings

Renaissance

Students from the Renaissance Center have been busy creating decorative garden stones with the help of master stone smith, Joanna Glover. They are also looking forward to attending camp at Camp Hamilton in June. In terms of Language Arts, the older groups have been working on crafting persuasive essays while the younger groups are working on narrative essays. Simple machines have been the focus of their science studies, with models built with K’Nex pieces funded by a Puget Power grant. Fractions, decimals and percents are the main topics in math this semester alongside some measurement and data activities. The Art Walk featured their recent watercolors along side oil pastel and other drawings. Sierra, Valerie and Hannah R’s artwork will be on display at the Edmonds Arts Festival! As the year wraps up, the Renaissance Center prepares to say goodbye to its fabulous 6th graders— we will miss their leadership and fun attitudes!

–        Anne Garing

Ohana

Jeanice’s math group has been working with “Bolobbies” – they are little people that we made houses for on centimeter paper. Robert’s side has been doing culture stories about their families & working on handwriting. They also got to make cherry blossom flowers during the 3rd year party. Jeanice’s language group has been writing fiction stories. Our last field trip A 1½ inch “Bolobby” was to the Children’s Festival at Seattle Center & we saw a Japanese puppet show. It was really fun!

We asked some Ohana kids what they were going to do this summer & this is what they said:

•  Haley: I’m going to the park, moving stuff into my new house & swimming.
•  Luke S: I have my birthday, I’m going camping, swimming & go to the beach.
•  Lauren H: I’m going to travel, go swimming & will go to the park.
•  Amisa: I go to Boys & Girls Club, go swimming & also go to Seattle.
•  Alec: I’m going to Maine.

–        Ohana students, Hannah Karis & Rylie Carter

Center News

Notes from the Summit

If you visited Summit Center during Art Walk, you saw some amazing monsters. Making a monster of your own is easy and fun, with the right ingredients: rocks for feet; wire coat hangers for tails, legs and hands; wadded-up newspaper for bodies; Styrofoam bits for heads and various enhancements; masking tape to hold everything together; colored duct tape (available at hardware and craft stores) to wrap around the whole creature; googly eyes; and some Sharpies for the details. A great activity for a rainy summer day, or for when you get tired of all that sunshine!

-         Linda Hood

Paw-Sal-Cha’l

It has been a memorable year in the Paw Sal Cha’l Center. Congratulations to all the 3rd year graduates! A third year party extravaganza took place on the island this past Friday. It was a lot of fun with cotton candy, sno-cones, bouncy house and many more activities! Thanks to Barb Martenson our parent planner for this celebration. The children had a blast!

The third year students are also preparing for a trip to Camp Casey on June 12 and 13 with SND Center. The camp is adjacent to Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey Island. A scenic location nestled between Admiralty Inlet on Puget Sound and Crockett Lake. The children will bunk in the actual barracks that the officers and troops lived. They’ll be able to see eagles, deer and sea life in abundance during this trip.

On June 16th the class will head to Marina Beach for a year-end celebration and some well deserved fun in the sun! Thank you to Tami Pellegrini and all the parent helpers that made this school year an exceptional one for our children. On behalf of the Paw Sal Cha’l Center, Deborah and Johanna would like to wish for everyone to HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

-         Shellette Du Bois

SND

SND students are still engaged in their storypaths unit. Recently completed Sealabs models had students working collaboratively to bring these underwater research stations to life!

It was a packed house during Madrona’s annual Open House and Art Walk in May. Mrs. Fischer avoids a close call with the shark who has taken up residence in SND. - Monica Edwards

Center News

Epicenter

The biggest news in Epicenter has to do with the latest addition. Not a student, not a teacher but a new baby! Vicki gave birth to Amia Jewel Sargent by emergency C-section last week. Mother, father and baby are all doing well and taking some much needed rest. Congratulations Vicki! Amy Johnson, who had been job-sharing with Vicki, will now be working full time through the end of the year.

As always this is a very busy time of year. Students are wrapping up their reading medal events, crate math and presentations on their book projects. They are also preparing for the outdoor education trip to Camp Hamilton coming up in June.

For sixth years it is especially busy. They finished up the DARE program with a graduation ceremony on May 19th and the pool party is coming up soon. But it is not all pomp, circumstance and fun: they are all busy preparing their passion project presentations. It is a year-long culmination project. A student picks a subject they are passionate about at the beginning of the year and then reasearches the project, contacts individuals who share their passion, writes an 1800 word essay on the topic and makes a presentation to the class about their project. If you have never seen one of these you should make an effort to stop by and watch one. It is inspirational to watch these kids share their passion and you will be amazed at the depth and breadth of the topics and presentations.

As always, M, Vicki (and now Amy) have created a wonderful learning environment in their classroom. These are gifted teachers who really put in the extra effort to make sure our kids are prepared to move on to the next level. We are very grateful to them and know that our son received a great education with them in the last three years. Thank you M, Vicki and Amy.

-         Doug Fair

DHH Program News

Next Friday on June 6th all the students in our DHH Program will attend the Tacoma Sertoma Deaf Picnic. It is the 35th annual picnic for DHH children at Manitou Park and they serve free hotdogs and drink and have police motorcycles, fire engines, face painting and baseball available. It's a wonderful opportunity for our children to connect with other DHH children in the greater Seattle area.

Animal Crackers

Our annual BEACH field trip was on June 3 at the Edmonds Waterfront Park. Staff, parents and kids ALL look forward to the picnic and fun in the water. Rain or shine, it's always a good time!!! Exploring the beach, playing with our sand toys and relaxing at a beautiful spot is always an excellent way to end a terrific school year!!! We hope everyone has a wonderful summer! - Gary Elise PJ Mary

Madrona’s Vineyard

DHH Kickball Club

Friday, June 13, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm Activities will include games and crafts. Dinner will be served at 5 pm. This is for all deaf, hard of hearing, CODA and hearing signers. The club meets in the gym. This year we are asking for a donation of $5 per child to cover cost of dinner. Please come and join in the fun! For more information/ questions, or if you want to help or have a story you want to share, contact Joanna Clearbrook at daisyjo@tmail.com or Cheryl Kaler at KalerC@edmonds.wednet.edu. Please RSVP to teachers.

ASL Storytelling

Deaf Connection presents ASL Storytelling at the Barnes & Noble in University Village (Seattle) on Saturday, June 14. Storytelling begins at 11 am. Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children are welcome! *Special thanks to the Childs Hearing League and Barnes and Noble for their support!

Mariners field trip

June 4th will see the majority of intermediate students and many family members attending the Mariners ball game at Safeco field. Thank you to all parents who will be serving as chaperones as well as spectators. It takes a village to raise a child! GO MADRONA! - BJ Stephenson

Center News

Middle School

Model Congress - June 9th

Model Congress will be on Monday June 9th. Middle School has been working this spring on formulating and writing congressional bills that they hope to be voting into legislation on the 9th. Each student will be placed into a committee and will be presenting their bill to the committee for approval. We still need parents to help sit in on the committees and evaluate the students’ presentations! Please contact Shana Lipscomb - shanalipscomb@msn.com if you can help.

Middle School Dance - June 13th

The middle school will have their final dance of the year on

Friday June 13th starting at 6:30pm in the Gym.

Richmond Beach Bash - June 17th

On June 17th's the entire middle school will go to Richmond Beach for the day. They will leave at about 10 am and return to school at 2:30pm. Tina Perry is coordinating is event and needs parents that can be at the beach

at 9am - 12:00pm to help set-up and cook on the grills; and parents from 12 - 2:30 pm to help clean-up. Come and spend a day at the beach!! If you can help please contact Tina Perry at Tina.Perry@comcast.net.

8th Grade Graduation - June 18th

Graduation will be on June 18th from 10:00am until 12:10pm. This is the last day of school and all family and extended family members are welcome to attend. There will be punch and cake after the ceremony. It would be great if there were a few 7th grade parents that could help cut cake and serve punch. If you’d like to help, contact Sarah DeMun at sdemun@comcast.net or Robbie Gaskin at

Robbie.gaskin@metrokc.gov . -Sarah DeMun 

da Vinci

The teachers and students of the Da Vinci Center would like to thank Tracy Langlie and Val Kelley for their three years of service as Parent Volunteer Coordinators to our classroom. They have spent hours organizing parent volunteer schedules and field trips. They have taken on myriad jobs which have helped our center run more smoothly. If they were working for a corporation they would be earning large salaries! Their time and energy is greatly appreciated. All our volunteers make a huge difference in our center. The parent volunteers have are an important resource for our school and contribute greatly to the success of Madrona.

Thank you all! - Lynn McCabe and Siri Haugen

More Da Vinci Happenings

This month the Da Vinci Center received three grants. Two were awarded by the Public Education Foundation. One will purchase additional math materials for our classroom. The second will cover the costs of additional hours for an artist-in-residence. The Edmonds School District has given us a technology grant that will include 14 much needed laptop computers, 2 digital cameras and other technology support materials.

Currently Da Vinci artists have work inspired by Matisse on display at C’est La Vie in downtown Edmonds. The show will soon be replaced by another by our students with work inspired by Marc Chagall.

As the end of the year fast approaches students continue to work hard on their academics while looking forward to camp and end of the year celebrations!

Just For Fun

The Bear Market

Madrona’s own “classified ads!”

FOR SALE: Adorable Miniature Schnauzer Purebred Puppies

Call Deborah at 425-361-3942. Hurry though as they won't last!

If you’ve got something to sell, or a service to provide, post it here! Send ads for “The Bear Market” by the end of each month to: nancykaris@comcast.net

Madrona Cooks!

 Here’s an easy but delicious twist on strawberries… Nancy Karis

Fragiole Pazzo (Crazy Strawberries)

• ½ c. sugar
• ½ c. balsamic vinegar
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. fresh ground pepper
• Milk chocolate bar
• 1 pt vanilla ice cream
• 2 cups strawberries, washed & quartered

Mix vinegar, lemon, pepper and sugar in a bowl until dissolved. Add berries & let stand for 1 hour. Shave the chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler into a small bowl. To serve, scoop ice cream into bowls, spoon berries over, & sprinkle with chocolate.

Submit recipes to: nancykaris@comcast.net

Bear Facts Newsletter

Many thanks to all who contributed to this newsletter! You’ve made this a great year for the Bear Facts! I’ll be back in touch in August to get our September issue going. If you’d like to be added or removed from my list, let me know at: nancykaris@comcast.net. -Nancy Karis

Sensible Observations

1. Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:

"Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."  --Author Unknown

2. "Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice. There should be severance pay, the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp." --Bob Ettinger

3. "My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'"  --Paula Poundstone

4. "A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: "Duh." --Conan O'Brien

5. "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God.... I could be eating a slow learner." --Lynda Montgomery

6. "I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.'"  --Richard Jeni

7. "Remember in elementary school, you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file line from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that? What, do tall people burn slower?" --Warren Hutcherson

8. "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" --Dave Barry

9. George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart. "Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. OJ Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around; Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the ONE woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and they haul her fanny off to jail!”

10. “There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.” – Will Rogers

Important dates and events to remember…

Save The Date!

• Jun 6 6th Year Pool Party
• Jun 9 Middle School Model Congress
• Jun 13 Primary Field Day
• Jun 13 Middle School Dance
• Jun 14 ASL Storytelling
• Jun 15 Father’s Day
• Jun 16 6th Grade Graduation
• Jun 16 All school yearend assembly, 1:30 (parents welcome!)
• Jun 17 Middle School to Richmond Beach
• Jun 18 8th Grade Graduation, 10am
• Jun 18 Last day of school!
• Sept 1 Labor Day
• Sept 2 Back to school 2008-09!

Scrip News

I can’t believe it’s the end of another school year! The final day to place an order for non-inventory items is Monday, June 9th. This will ensure delivery by the end of the school year. Scrip will be sold through Monday, June 17th or until the stock of items is depleted. Shop early to make sure you get what you want for Father’s Day and graduations! We have many items for that special someone! Home Depot, Lowe’s Best Buy, Circuit City, Sports Authority, and many others.

If you will be traveling this summer, please remember to use scrip gift cards for all of your travel needs. Stop by the Scrip table outside the office or go on-line to the Bear Facts website and check out all of our vendors. We have hotels (not all of the hotels are listed, so please inquire about a specific hotel), rental cars, gas, and restaurant (fast food!)

Thank you to everyone who has supported the scrip program this year. – Linda Park