It’s Fall at Madrona!

From the Principal

Thank you for attending the many back-to-school meetings hosted last month as we kicked off another school year. As a school community we are so fortunate to see so many parents actively engaged in the life of our school. Your time and devotion are noticed and appreciated.

This month we will have our annual opportunity for teachers and parents to talk about students and their goals for this year in the week of parent-teacher conferences (October 22nd – 26th.) This conference week will consist of early dismissals (each day at 12:10) to allow time for the conferences. You should be receiving information from your child’s teacher or middle school advisor in the coming weeks about this and how to set up your conference. I hope you take this important opportunity to connect with your student’s teachers!

October also holds another annual event that is pure fun!

Each year the Bear Scare has been a carnival and Halloween party all in one. This is a big event that needs lots and lots of volunteers to support. If you are planning to attend and can gift a little of your time that evening to help in some way it allows everyone to work a little and play a little! Look for details about Bear Scare in coming weeks.

Finally, early November provides a very important opportunity for voters to respond to a referendum that can greatly affect schools. EHJR 4204 is a proposal to amend the State constitution to allow a simple majority of votes to pass local school levies. Local levies currently require a 60% supermajority for passage. Information has been sent home with our Notes From The Office as well as within this edition of the Bear Facts newsletter. If you want even more information check out www.wastatepta.org.

Fall is here. School is busy with learning and growing and wonderful discoveries. I look forward to seeing you!

-Lynda

Congratulations New ASB Officers!

Here are the newly elected ASB officers for the 2007-08 school year!

• Hannah Burson – President
• Ivan Gaskin - Vice-President
• Ashley Eller – Secretary
• Monica Nash – Treasurer

MIT Co-Chair’s Corner

Well, the first MIT meeting of the year is behind us, with only 9 more to go! I want to thank the many, many families who came to the school library on September 13th to sign up for various volunteer positions and to attend their first MIT meeting ever. I hope all of you continue to come, to bring fresh perspective to the many and varied activities at the school.

An item that was briefly discussed in the meeting is the so-called $200 Option. Please look at a Q&A-type discussion of what this is, later in this issue of Bear Facts. Since I’m piloting it, I hope it succeeds and becomes attractive enough to implement in other centers and classrooms in the near future. Thanks for your enthusiastic support and advocacy for your children!

-Linda Hood

Rethinking Carnival?

As a parent who has volunteered at the Spring Carnival for the past 3 years, I have to admit that I groaned every time I signed up, partly because it would require a lot of planning and consume a lot of time beforehand, but also because Carnival was yet another activity at school. From speaking with other volunteers, as well as former chairpersons of the event, I know I was not alone in those sentiments.

There are so many activities to enjoy, from spring sports to band, orchestra and choir concerts, to Carnival, to camp and classroom celebrations, to Art Walk and then graduation, each of which requires quite a few volunteers: Carnival requires the most. It has become really hard to recruit enough volunteers to run and staff the Spring Carnival. A lot of this is due to the burnout that so many of us experience, starting around April. And for many parents, the nasty weather has been a factor in our lack of enjoyment, even if the kids do seem to have fun, despite blue lips and the shivers.

For the past few years, Carnival has turned a small profit, which was a pleasant surprise the first year, then became expected in subsequent years. It is not a significant source of income for MIT. So here’s my thought on the subject of Carnival: I would like to explore the idea of having 3 major all-school social events during the year, two of which would incorporate some of the biggest Carnival attractions:

Bear Scare in October – this has been wildly successful, and already offers many of the same activities as Carnival, and it is planned and run by Middle School students. Bear Scare could be expanded to include some Carnival attractions, like the bouncy house and climbing wall, and a theme dinner, which would require more parent support.

Family Dance in January or February – how better to beat the winter doldrums than by going to a dance? This event has played to sellout crowds, and seems to be very popular.

Art Walk with Ice Cream Social in May or June – roving actors, music, art displays in public spaces and in the classrooms, providing a wonderful opportunity for us to experience what our community can create. This could be expanded to include a dunk tank to support the arts programs at Madrona, and perhaps offer an opportunity to buy and sell works by local talent.

That’s just my idea. There may be someone in the Madrona community who thinks the school wouldn’t be the same without the Carnival, and I would welcome their leadership in recruiting the volunteers and running the show. That person, or those people, will need to step forward and make their intentions known really soon, so that the proper resources can be allocated and the wheels set in motion.

Please call the Volunteer Program Manager, Kim Magana, at 425 431-2911, or write me at Linda@mcpp.net with your thoughts and commitment.

–Linda Hood

MIT

Business Meetings 2007--08  School Year

All meetings will be held in the library at 7:00 PM, Tuesdays

• October 16th
• November 13th
• December 18th
• January 15th
• February 12th
• March 18th
• April 15th
• May 13th
• June 10th*
• *subject to N. Brossoit Availability

Another Way to Raise Money for MIT

When clipping coupons or shopping for groceries, you may have noticed a small dark-blue square with a yellow mortarboard in it, with the name UPromise. This is another product tracking program like e-Scrip, which can potentially earn money for MIT.

UPromise is really a program that exists to sell IRS Section 529 tuition savings programs to consumers (along with a Citibank card and a few other things). But by registering your preferred customer membership numbers from Safeway, Albertson’s, QFC and Fred Meyer, UPromise will pay MIT a small amount for every UPromise-labeled product you buy at participating stores.

Madrona is a registered beneficiary school, if you would like to enroll and designate it on your customer profile.  Go to www.upromise.com and search for Madrona School in Zip Code 98020 when you register.

–Linda Hood

Bear Scare!!

Madrona Parents!

We need lots of help with Bear Scare!!

What is Bear Scare? Bear Scare is MIT’s annual Halloween celebration and it has grown in popularity each year because of parent volunteers like you! This year’s Bear Scare will be on Friday, October 26th 6:00PM to 8:00PM.

We need help with everything from decorating, crafts, cupcake walk, games, pizza, and clean up. There are lots of opportunities to share in the fun. The more the merrier! A volunteer sign up sheet is in the Family Room or please contact Felicia Seubert (aka Eugene’s Mom from the Ohana Center) at ken.seubert@verizon.net or call (425) 745-9845 for more information.

Let’s keep this tradition going! Come and join the fun!

–Felicia Seubert

Don Kreiman Remembrance

If you are interested in contributing to a fund to provide comforting meals to Don’s family, please put a check made out to MIT with “Don Kreiman” in the Memo line, in the MIT box by Kelly’s desk in the Main Office.

–Sarah DeMun

The $200 Option:

A Single Payment for all Classroom Activities

The phrase $200 Option has been bandied about the school since early September. This describes an alternative method of paying for the many activities that our children participate in during the course of the year. In response to repeated requests, we considered reasons including:

•A large number of parents object to being asked multiple times during the year for small amounts. It is way too easy to misplace a request for funds or not remember what has been paid for what.

•Families who don’t regularly balance their checkbooks sometimes find that they have insufficient funds to cover a number of small checks. Unfortunately, many of the collections at Madrona are for small amounts, and checks are often not deposited for a couple of weeks after they are written, due to the number of hands a check must pass through before it gets to the bank. The fees for checks that aren’t covered can add up really quickly, so that a check for $4 can end up costing a family between $30 and $40!

•Some parents’ employers offer matching funds for any check written to a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, such as MIT, but only if the check is for more than $50. The more checks that employees write for amounts greater than $50 will increase the amount of money that employers can donate to All for Kids.

We have developed a system to collect and track a one-time payment from families who wish to take advantage of the option. We enlisted Epi and Summit Centers to test the system: based on those centers’ experiences we can make recommendations about introducing the option to other centers. The tracking system requires some familiarity with the MS Excel application, but should also eliminate many pieces of paper and hand-written tracking sheets. Of course, many families have obligations that won’t allow them to pony up so much money at one time, so there will always be the option of sending money for each activity as it comes along.

$200 Option Q&A

Q: What classrooms at Madrona (and other schools in the Edmonds District) are collecting $200 from students at the beginning of the year?

A: Epi and Summit are piloting the $200 option. If the tracking system works out, I hope that other centers will elect to do this, as well. In the District, most schools require that parents purchase supplies from a list, then pay for individual field trips and other activities as they come along. I know that Maplewood requires a hefty up-front check which is intended to pay for school-wide social activities. In exploring the $200 option, I discovered that the choice schools in the Northshore School District require $250 up front.

Q: Has this classroom collection been authorized by the Edmonds School District and, if so, by whom?

A: No, there has been no specific authorization from the District. As far as I know, the District doesn’t really care how supplies get into the classroom, or how field trips are paid for, as long as the District doesn’t pay for them, and the kids have access to the supplies and educational enhancements they need.

Q: Is this money being put into a Madrona School account or an MIT donation account?

A: MIT banks the money collected by each center in a dedicated sub-account for that center. Expenses are reimbursed out of that dedicated account, as well.

Q: Can you give a specific accounting of how the money will be spent?

A: Supplies are estimated to cost $40 per child in Summit, for example. At this time you have the option of paying $40 for supplies, or $200 for everything. So far, Summit has spent $30.35 per child on supplies for the classroom. This is intended to be both a convenience and a cost saving for the families, as items can be bought in bulk. It also ensures that kids have the same stuff, and enough of it. Summit is planning 3 field trips this year, at least 5 parties, and a few art projects.

Q: Under what criteria would parents be asked for more money?

A: If you pay $40 for supplies, then the classroom coordinator will ask you to pay for each field trip and party and art activity as they come along, just as in previous years. If you paid $200, then that amount would be spent down in the same increments as requested of the parents who did not opt to pay up front for the year. If all activities end up costing less than the total of $200, then families can be reimbursed for the difference at the end of the year. In the unlikely event that normal classroom activities cost more than $200 over the course of the year, parents would be asked to pay the difference. I can see this happening if we would be forced to use a charter bus instead of a district school bus for a field trip, for example, which would be very expensive. This is also a year for the spring Camp experience for Intermediate students, which will raise total expenses by quite a lot, and probably take the total cost of the year over $200. But as Camp is not an annual or school-wide event, we didn’t want to include that (as yet unknown) amount in our calculations.

Q: Will we get a full accounting of the money spent before being asked for additional contributions?

A: We track supply expenses in the classroom, and intend to do the same for all activities. Instructors for art projects are typically given a budget for each project, and expected to adhere to it. Your question also raises the prospect of putting statements of classroom spending in a central location, so parents can review them and ask questions.

Q: How many parents have paid so far? How many have not?

A: Of the 53 kids in Summit Center, 22 have taken the $200 option so far. 7 families have yet to decide what to pay. Epi Center has had 17 families out of 54 take the $200 option. Considering that this is a new concept, I am quite pleased at the number of families willing to give it a try.

Q: Is there any expenditure oversight/auditing in place to track how the money is spent, and by whom?

A: Since MIT is doing the actual banking and bookkeeping, the Treasurer is ultimately responsible for ensuring that no inappropriate spending happens. MIT’s books are also audited by an outside accountant, who samples activities within centers. Summit and Epi will probably leap to the auditor’s attention this year, as collections are so high at the beginning of the year.

Q: Does taking the $200 option have any effect on my donation to All for Kids?

A: The $200 option is merely a simpler way to pay for what happens in your child’s classroom. All for Kids is only affected by any matching funds that might come in due to an employee’s matching request. Your continued, enthusiastic support of All for Kids can never be replaced!

-Linda Hood

A Note from the Nurse

Important School Messages Regarding Sickness:

Cold & Flu Season is around the corner

These points are valuable, healthy suggestions at all times.

Remind students and staff to cover noses and mouths with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing and have tissues readily available. It is best to use and discard tissues in appropriate waste receptacles. If hands become soiled with respiratory secretions while coughing or sneezing, wash hands as soon as possible.

Students and staff should clean their hands on a regular basis. Frequent hand washing with soap and water will help protect students and staff from viruses. Hands should be washed before eating, after using the bathroom and whenever obvious soil is visible. Alcohol-based hand rubs may be used as an alternative but does not work on hands that are obviously dirty.

Encourage sick students and staff to stay home. Sick students and staff should stay home from school until they have been without fever for 24 hours to help prevent spreading illness to others.

Encourage staff and families to inquire about getting the flu shot. Each year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends medical providers a list of people who are at highest risk for complications from the flu and who should receive a flu shot. In most cases, anyone who wants a flu shot can get one.

–Jennifer May

Attribute of Character for October  

Responsibility

"You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."

-Abraham Lincoln

"Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him."

-Booker T. Washington

Sign up your Safeway card today!

Thank you to all the new parents who have signed up their Safeway Club Card on-line. Safeway sends us a monthly check for a percentage of what is spent, so the more people who sign up, the more money Madrona will get! If you have not already done so, please go on to www.escrip.com and sign up. Madrona’s group number is 8564372 (this is needed when you sign up).  Also, urge other family members to sign up their cards!

-Linda Park

Help out in the Media Center

Madrona’s middle school Media elective publishes the annual print and DVD yearbook, along with producing our weekly closed circuit TV news show entitled MMB. Excerpts of weekly broadcasts are podcast and available by searching iTunes for “Madrona MMB” or visiting  http://staff.edmonds.wednet.edu/madrona/tech/default.htm and subscribing to an RSS or viewing online)

We are seeking parents with experience (or connections!) in the following areas to serve as guest speakers, small group instructors, editors, mentors, etc.

• Photography
• Graphic design
• Journalism
• Reporting
• Videography
• Advertisement
• Carpentry

This can be on a one-time basis or more frequently should you desire. Parents with experiences in the above mentioned areas are an invaluable resource in providing information and credibility to the course. We are also in searching for used professional industry equipment such as teleprompters, video cameras & tripods. If you have suggestions or contacts in this area, or are able to serve as a class mentor, please contact Monica Edwards by email at: edwardsmo@edmonds.wednet.edu

–Monica Edwards

Bear Facts Web Site

Don’t forget to check out the new features in the rebuilt Madrona Bear Facts Web site (http://madronabearfacts.com). It is YOUR reliable source of information about Madrona! Please contact Allan Townsend, if you have suggestions or concerns about the Web site. It will be updated constantly with fresh information. Keep checking back through out the year. And don’t forget the online Calendar -- it's a great way to check on Madrona events and meetings.

-Allan Townsend, MIT Communications Director

Yearbook Photos!!

Get your pictures in the yearbook! The Yearbook Staff invites students and parents to submit photos for the yearbook. If you’ve got great photos of school and community events or you and your friends just having fun, we’d like to see them. Our photographers can’t be everywhere. Help us get as many photos as possible to create a terrific book everyone will want to have.

Here is how you can submit photos online:

• Log on to: images.jostens.com
• Enter Login ID: 1145140
• Enter Your Password: bears
• Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload.
• Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information.
• Click "Save Details".

It’s that easy! Submit your photos today! The last day to submit photos is 3/19/2008. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the school year! - Monica Edwards and the Madrona Media Yearbook Staff.

(The Yearbook Staff will review all photos and determine final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions can be used in the book).

Madrona Monday Broadcast

Madrona Monday Broadcast is on the Internet! Check out the Madrona Morning Broadcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/MadronaMMB or search for MMB in iTunes podcast directory.

–Sarah DeMun

Madrona Internet Safety Event

Madrona’s technology committee will be hosting an Internet safety assembly and parent evening early this fall. Parents interested in learning more about Internet safety & responsibility can visit Madrona’s tech technology page and checkout out Internet Safety links:

• http://staff.edmonds.wednet.edu/madrona/tech/teacherweblinks.htm#internetsafety
• Thursday, Nov. 29th @ 6:30: Internet Safety parent evening with guest Snohomish County Detective Lee Malkow
• Monday, Dec. 3rd @ 9:30: Madrona school assembly *note: grade levels attending are yet to be determined

“As Internet use in the United States continues to rise, so does the concern over Internet safety. Internet crimes, including cyberstalking, cyberbullying, child pornography, Internet fraud, and identity theft are problems that Internet users now face.” -National Criminal Justice Reference System

-Monica Edwards

Audition for the Northwest Boychoir in October. Sign Up Now!

Maybe you’ve heard us sing on movie soundtracks, or on your favorite video games. Or perhaps you have friends who are already members. Now’s your chance to be sure you can join in the fun. Auditions for the Northwest Boychoir will be held on Saturday, October 13. Boys between the ages of 6 and 9 are eligible, and no prior musical training is required. Boys age 10 or older with significant choral or other musical training may also audition. Our auditions are friendly and positive and parents are encouraged to attend. Financial aid is available for those who qualify for the choir. Learn more www.nwchoirs.org or 206-524-3234.

-Deborah Binder

Music Department

Upcoming Concerts

Chase Lake Jazz Night - Jazz Ensemble I

Oct.16 - Tuesday, 7:00pm at Chase Lake Elementary

ESD Jazz Symposium - Jazz Ensemble I attends this half-day district sponsored symposium.                             

Oct. 27 – Saturday, 8:00am at Mountlake Terrace High

Fall Orchestra/Choir Concert – Middle School Orchestra & Choir

Dec. 6 – Thursday, 7:00pm at Madrona Gym

Winter Band Concert – Middle School Bands, Advanced Elementary Band, Jazz I, & Jazz II

Dec. 11 – Tuesday, 7:00pm at Madrona Gym

-Matt Edwards

ASL Forever

Presented by

Mark Azure, Debi Duren, Lynn Dunn,

Jeffrey Howard, Dan Pineda & Laurene Simms

Date: Oct. 6, Saturday – 7pm

Where: Mountlake Terrace High, main theater 21801 – 44th Ave. W., MLT 98043

Cost: $5 adults, $4 w/ASB card, $3 age 5-14, under 5 free

What: ASL (American Sign Language) Forever is a wide variety of storytelling, comedy, skits, poetry, etc. exclusively in ASL. Since ASL is quite difficult to describe in spoken English during performance, there will be no interpretation provided. It will be a golden opportunity for you to show how ASL is presented in a visual way.

Seating is limited! To reserve tickets email Terry Sasser at sassert@edemonds.wednet.edu.

Staff Star

Vicki Sargent has been an intermediate teacher at Madrona for all 7 years of her teaching career! She is a partner with M Wellman in the EPI Center. When asked why Vicki chose to become a teacher she answered, “in no other profession would I have the opportunity to laugh as much as I learn everyday.” Vicki loves working at Madrona because of both her love of students AND the collaborative team approach of our professional community. We are fortunate to have Vicki’s many talents at work, especially her leadership in the areas of technology, math and science. When not at school, Vicki enjoys digital scrap-booking, knitting, reading, and spending quality time with family and friends. Madrona is a better school because Vicki Sargent is here!

Daisy Girl Scouts

I'm a Madrona parent that is starting a new Daisy Girl Scout troop for girls in K and 1st grade meeting every 1st and 3rd Monday at Madrona from 4-5. Please contact April at 425329-5214 or apy@comcast.net for more information.

-April Webb

Center News

Kindergarten News

Ms. Rust’s Class

The kids in Miss Rust's kindergarten class are getting used to new routines and are making new friends. Three of their classmates come over for part of the day from Ms. Wike’s room in the DHH program. They are able to participate fully with the assistance of an interpreter. We've learned their name signs, and the hearing children will have the advantage of learning some ASL this year. In time, some may pursue it as a second language. Already they have learned signs for the days of the week and the pledge of allegiance. ASL has been shown to improve retention in learning new language and math concepts, so there is a mutual benefit to combining these classrooms, and we are lucky to have this opportunity at Madrona.

–Erika Jennings

Ohana

Returning Ohana families are so excited to be back & send a huge welcome to all our new students & their families! This year we are lucky to be sharing a plot of land with the Renaissance center. Our parents had a small work party led by our “Garden Mom” Randi Leonetti to help till the land so that it will be workable for our kids to plant. (If anyone has any perennials or bulbs they are planning on dividing before the winter please donate to our garden!). Hopefully by Spring it will be full of color. We also have a new pet snail named “Hurryfast", with more snail friends soon to arrive. And a field trip to the Seattle Aquarium this month kicks off our water theme this year.

–Nancy Karis

Renaissance

The new school year has brought a flurry of changes for kids in Rooms 32 & 33 (formerly Bat Cave). One of the changes is that Steve Escandon has a new teaching partner this year, Penny Nichols. Ms. Nichols will be heading up the math & science curriculum. You may also have noticed that the center is sporting a new name, "The Renaissance Center". The kids are excited by the promise of the new school year and are looking forward to continuing to get to know Ms. Nichols.

–Anne Garing

SND

The SND center is transformed into a shopper’s paradise each Friday as third grade students run “Bank & Store” for the first and second graders. Money earned for jobs throughout the week may be banked for the future or spent on luxurious items such as beaded necklaces, Happy Meal toys or hundreds of other such items. Patrick Norton showed off a notebook he bought as a gift for his mom because “she works so hard”. Kai Henderson, Brooke Hoppe, and Emma Dickinson were careful recording all financial transactions during last Friday’s event.

Students took a break from shopping to share some of their highlights from the first month of school. Joseph Connor & Anyssa Mahmoud both agreed that meeting the new first year students was the best thing that had happened in SND so far. When asked what they were most looking forward to this year, Anthony Edwards replied “math & spelling”, and without hesitation Erika Tang said “The third year picnic!” The next time you’re in the third unit on a Friday around noon, stop in the SND center. You may just find something to buy too! (Donations are always enthusiastically received!)

–Monica Edwards

Paw-Sal-Cha’l

Deborah and Johanna have done a tremendous job of welcoming all the children and their families into Paw-Sal-Cha’l. The children have had a fun time getting to know each other and all are excited to be settling into the school year! This dynamic group have been studying Library Systems and reviewing Number Concepts. In science they are learning the cycles of water on our planet. Artistry and imaginations soared this month with the designing of new sea life, one of kind creatures, yet to be discovered! The children have also enjoyed learning and applying the attributes of Respect in all areas of their lives. Thank you to Tami Pellegrini for being our parent coordinator and to all the parent volunteers in our center. The students and teachers of Paw-Sal-Cha’l would like to wish everyone a wonderful autumn season!

-Shellette DuBois

Summit

This year in Summit Center we are studying Ancient Egypt! Studying Egypt this year I think will be fun because we get to learn about a different culture and how other people lived. It will be awesome!!!

For homework we have spelling and vocabulary words. They are really fun and sometimes easy. Sometimes our teachers Marianne and Judi throw in other unfinished assignments or things about what we are learning.

In class we're reading this book called “The Adventures of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo and it's about a china rabbit who doesn't really know the meaning of loving his owners, so he gets lost and ends up every time with a different owner: every new person makes him love even harder. That book is where we usually get our vocabulary words, like umbrage and irony.

–Summit Student Liz Hood

Epicenter

Epicenter has kicked off the year with an iMovie project to help new kids integrate into the classroom. The older students were partnered with new students and they produced an iMovie of a classroom or school routine. This introduced kids to each other and provided an opportunity for them to present useful information in a fun and interesting way.

The alphabet was used as a tool to help analyze and introduce ancient civilizations. Teams of students made presentations on the history and origins of our modern alphabet. Did you know that the letter "j" is a recent addition to the alphabet? It evolved as the consonant form of the letter "i". Following up on the theme of ancient civilizations the students drew a picture and created a story about how the world appeared to a human from ancient times.

Upcoming events include the gathering of red emporer tulips as part of the life sciences unit "Experimenting with Plants". They will be planted in the next month or so and their progress will be charted throughout the year. Also, mark your calendars for October 11th as astronomy night is coming. Let's hope for clear skies!

–Doug Fair

Middle School News

European Trip

In June the Middle School students took a trip to Italy and Greece. They were in Rome, Venice, Florence, Athens and many other beautiful places. They saw the Coliseum, Vatican, Michelangelo’s David, and amazing views of the Mediterranean. They were chaperoned by 5 fabulous teachers, Kathy, and Elena their tour guide. Thanks so much to Brad Proffitt, Barb Barber, Lynn McCabe, Siri Haugen, and Craig Campbell for a wonderful time!

–Tracy Langlie

Jazz News

Jazz Ensemble I, has a concert on October 16th

at 7:00pm at Chase Lake Elementary School.

Madrona’s Jazz Ensembles I and II will be attending The Edmonds School District’s 17th Annual Jazz Symposium on October 27th beginning at 8:00am. The day long symposium is a fun event that educates, encourages and inspires students & teachers to be better jazz musicians.

-Sarah DeMun

ASB News

Madrona students elected new ASB officers for the 2007-08 school year. They are:

• Ashley Eller - Secretary
• Monica Nash - Treasurer
• Ivan Gaskin - Vice-President
• Hannah Burson - President

Congratulations go out to these students, and also, all candidates who gave of their time and courage to stand for office.

Our bi-monthly ASB meetings will begin Tuesday, Oct. 2. Each elementary center and middle school advisory will select representatives to attend these meetings. Class reps will report back to their classmates the discussions and decisions made during the ASB meetings, as well as bring class concerns to the attention of the whole ASB.

Once again, thank you to all the intermediate and middle school students who ran for office and congratulations to our newly elected officers. All these students are fine examples of leadership and responsibility.

-BJ Stephenson

Middle School Parent Board

This is group of parents that get together once each month to talk about upcoming middle school events and to get to know other middle school parents. The Board meets the first Monday of each month in Brad Proffitt’s room (third building) starting at about 9:30am. Every middle school parent is welcome to attend.

–Sarah DeMun

Haunted House for Bear Scare

Middle School has traditionally put together a haunted house for Bear Scare each year. The advisories will be working on putting this together this year, but they will need plenty of parent help. Please let your child’s advisory teacher know if you can help with this.

–Sarah DeMun

Cross Country Team’s Meet Schedule

• Oct 3rd - 4:00 pm - at Mountlake Terrace HS
• Oct 10th - 4:00pm - at Edmonds-Woodway HS
• Oct 18th - 4:00 - at College Place Middle School

The Bear Market

Madrona’s own “classified ads!”

Responsible middle school student available to baby sit. I have completed 1st Aid/CPR and Babysitting Certificate from The American Red Cross. Call Joseph Pejovic (425)775-7886.

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: nancy.karis@verizon.net.

Guest writer

Attention students!

Be our “guest writer” & share one of your poems,

short stories or commentaries.

Send to: nancy.karis@verizon.net)

Madrona Cooks!

Try this easy make-ahead dish for cool autumn evenings.

-Nancy Karis

Porter Pot Roast          

Serves 6 – 8.

1 boneless chuck roast (about 3 – 4 lbs)

• Brown on all sides in Dutch oven.  
• Sprinkle meat with:
• 2 t. salt
• 2 t. black pepper
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 2 onions, sliced
• 6 carrots, sliced
• 4 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 T. minced garlic
• ¼ c. molasses
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• Pour over:
• 1 pint Porter (or any dark beer)

Cover tightly. Bake at 350 for 3 hours or until fork tender. Serve with lots of mashed potatoes!

Submit recipes to: nancy.karis@verizon.net

Bear Facts Info

Many thanks to all those who contributed to this newsletter! Please keep the Bear Facts interesting by sending in news, items of interest , upcoming dates, recipes, creative writing, photos, etc. via email to Nancy Karis at nancy.karis@verizon.net. Our cut off date for each new issue is the end of the previous month. If you’d like to be added to the monthly email reminders, please email to the above address.

Important dates and events to remember..

Save The Date!

• Oct 6  ASL Forever – 7PM
• Oct 12  Non-Student Day
• Oct 16  MIT Meeting – 7PM
• Oct 16  Chase Lake Jazz Night – 7PM
• Oct 22-26  Conference Week – early dismissal
• Oct 26  Bear Scare – 6PM
• Oct 27  ESD Jazz Symposium – 8AM
• Oct 31  Halloween   
• Nov 4  Daylight Savings Time ends
• Nov 6  Election Day
• Nov 9  Non-Student Day
• Nov 12  Veteran’s Day observed – no school
• Nov 13  MIT Meeting – 7PM
• Nov 22 -25  Thanksgiving Break
• Nov 29 Parent Internet Safety Event – 6:30PM

Carnival Chairperson Needed

Unless we can find a Carnival chairperson within the next 6 weeks, Carnival will not be held in this school year! Call or write Kim Magana (425) 431-2911 or kimmagana@msn.com to volunteer, NO LATER THAN 10/15/07.

Scrip News

The September scrip sales are off to a great start thanks to all of you who purchased scrip this month. It‘s great to see new faces at the scrip table! Pass the word around to your friends and family about how easy it is to buy gift cards and support Madrona at the same time.

Gift cards are a great idea as employee incentives. If you are an employer, purchase gift cards through Madrona or talk to you company about purchasing them. Remember, buying your groceries with a gift card is an easy way for Madrona to make money.

Some new items this year are Applebee’s, Michael’s Craft Store, iTunes, and Subway. Keep in mind that the holiday are less than 3 months away and it is never to early to start your shopping. Avoid the holiday rush and get your cards early.

Stop by the scrip table outside the office Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:50-9:20 or drop your order off in the black box by Kelly’s desk.  You can either pick your order up at the office or it can be sent home with your child. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Park at (4425) 672-9485 or labpark@comcast.net.

–Linda Park