Happy Thanksgiving, Madrona!  From the Principal

We are completing parent/teacher conferences as I write this – and as always I am grateful for the high rate of participation of parents at our school. I’ve heard from both staff and parents a great appreciation for this precious time to talk about each student as an individual, and the greater understanding all of the adults develop about students as a result.

I must congratulate Felecia Seubert and her crew of volunteers on another wonderful Bear Scare. Many people have commented to me about the fun family evening it was! This has become one of our favorite Madrona traditions.

I’m delighted to congratulate the Director of this year’s Madrona Children’s Musical production Beth Howell-Mahmoud who will be joined by the returning, very skilled production team, of Sarah DeMun and Sharon Quiring. I know there is already an excited hum in the air about this year’s show.

 Our attribute for November is appropriately GRATITUDE. We will work all month to develop our understanding of gratitude as a foundational way of seeing the world and our life in it, beyond the holiday of Thanksgiving. Amongst the many things I have to personally be grateful for, my work here at Madrona is high on my list. Even with the challenges of this work, I have the good fortune to daily witness the learning, growth and excitement of “our” children here at school. What a gift!

As you may remember, we are working to further define our identity as a choice school in the Edmonds School District this year by developing the meaning of the following words:

            At Madrona we are:

                        Awakening minds.

                        Nourishing hearts.

                        Cultivating communities.

This trimester the staff has been sharing our experiences and understanding of the phrase “awakening minds” and we want to include our parents and students in the conversation. Included in this month’s Bear Facts Newsletter is a page for you to alone, or together with your student, write about and draw about what the words “awakening minds” means to you. Ultimately in the spring we will be looking to design a logo or image that gives meaning to the above phrases – but we are beginning with the first line. Please consider taking the time to provide your input. What do you think “awakening minds” means in our school? Fill out page 2 of this newsletter, cut it out & return it to the office. We will create a display of our various perspectives on this phrase. I’m excited to see what we get!

Finally, as we approach the holiday season and Thanksgiving – I’m wishing you and your family a time that will become treasured memories.

Happy Thanksgiving! – Lynda

Madrona is:

Awakening Minds

What does the above phrase mean to you?

How does/should Madrona awaken minds?

What image or symbol might represent this?

We will make a display of everyone’s thinking!

Write or draw your response to the above questions.  Return your ideas to the school office.  We will make a display of everyone’s thinking

Madrona Integrated Team

MIT Co-Chair’s Corner

An I-Statement Approach to Gratitude

The character attribute our children will be exploring this month is Gratitude. The way I hear this commonly expressed among the children is as a compliment: “thank you for being such a good friend,” for example. We can help them develop their emotional intelligence and consequently deepen their relationships by coaching them to give more detailed and personal expressions of appreciation.

I hearken back to my recent experience in the preschool co-op system where parents are encouraged to use responses like, “Oh, you’re drawing lots of red and black circles” instead of “what a nice picture; good job!” The reasoning behind this is to support the children in exploring their own feelings about their artwork instead of taking on ours. However, we can similarly coach our older children to name what their friends do that they appreciate. Typically, we share gratitude in the form of a “you-statement” such as “I’m thankful because YOU are such a good friend,” but even if we clarify what others do that pleases us, it leaves it up to them to assume the reason. “Thank you for handing me the ball” could please me because I wanted a turn or because I wanted help cleaning up. Usually context provides us with clues to interpret the reason, but many conflicts arise from misinterpretations, and children are still developing their “mindsight,” or ability to put themselves in someone else’s frame of reference. I’m encouraging my kids to use gratitude as an opportunity for I-statement practice because it makes the expression both more clear and also more personal, such as “When you handed me the ball at recess, I felt grateful because I…” This could be “…because I wanted a chance to try it,” or “because I wanted to join in on the fun,” or whatever else is true for the child. An alternative way of personalizing the statement is “…because xyz is important to me.”

Why this distinction matters to me is mostly because I believe it is good training for establishing warm, mutual communication. It’s easy to appreciate people silently and not give them the feedback of how they enrich our lives. Conversely, it’s easy to make assumptions about why people do what they do, that they already know how it affects us and how our actions affect them. If all I said was “thank you for handing me the ball,” you may be confused another day when I get mad at you for gathering up the balls. If I consider you to be “nice” when I’m feeling grateful, that generally leads to interpretations that “you’re being mean” when I’m thwarted instead of expressing what happened, how I feel, as well as what I’d like and why.

The second reason this fine-tuning gives me hope is that it teaches emotional accountability. Gratitude is a less tension-fraught subject to explore than conflict, but the same lesson applies: my feelings are my responsibility – you don’t CAUSE me to feel the way I do. Because if we believe someone else is responsible for our happiness, it disempowers us. If you can “make” me happy, that opens up the door to a vulnerability in which others can “make” us unhappy, and I want to stand for the power that exists to create our own happiness through revising our interpretations or creatively meeting our needs in other ways. When a child can associate their gratitude towards someone also with what is meaningful to them, it gives them greater options for meeting their needs in the future when conflict may arise.

- Erika Jennings, empathic_negotiation@hotmail.co

Thank you, Felicia!

Please join us in thanking Felicia Seubert for pulling together another outstanding Bear Scare! Her efforts and constant smile were so very appreciated! Thank you, Felicia!

Bear Scare Web Coverage

The Web site team launched a new level of coverage for this year’s Bear Scare. You may have seen us among the ghouls, ghosts and games with cameras and video equipment. Several videos have been edited and posted, and there is also a photo slide show now available. Be sure to visit the Bear Facts site (madronabearfacts.com) to see all the fun. If you have any photos of your favorite goblin and would like to add to our coverage you can e-mail them to info@madronabearfacts.com

- Allan Townsend, MIT Communications Director

Coffee with Lynda and Craig

Lynda Fischer & Craig Baldwin have been hosting a coffee hour for parents who have time to drop in and discuss anything that comes to mind. Please come by and see what develops. There is no planned agenda or topic, just an informal setting to chat and yes, there really is coffee and tea!

Next Coffee Hour: November 21, 9:15 in the Library

MIT Business Meetings 2008-09 School Year

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will be held in the library at 7:00 PM

• November 13th (Thur)
• December 11th (Thur)
• January 20th (Tues)
• February 18th (Wed)
• March 24th (Tues)
• April 14th (Tues)
• May 12th (Tues)
• June 9th (Tues)

Staff Star

Robert Allen has taught at Madrona for 11 of his 14 years as an educator. When asked why he chose to become a teacher Robert responded that he has “a deep respect for education – coming from a people where reading and writing were illegal activities.” Robert’s favorite thing about Madrona is the interesting students and families he works with. When not at school Robert enjoys travel, gardening, cooking and eating the cooking! We are grateful to have Robert’s compassionate heart at work for the children of the Ohana Center and Madrona.

Treasurer’s Report: It’s all about the Books

The current financial climate has so many of us worried about survival, and it is difficult to think about how an economic downturn may affect our kids’ education in the next couple of years, let alone their academic and professional futures. October saw the beginning and end of the Innisbrook fundraiser. As we all know, it was a terrible time to be asking friends and family to purchase luxury items like fancy gift wrap, when we are all so unsure about our financial future. While the final numbers aren’t in, it looks as if we will have around a $4,000 shortfall compared to our budget.

But the good news is that the Madrona Children’s Theatre has donated $7,000 to MIT, with the request that it be used to make up for the disappointing gift wrap sales; the balance will be used to pay for arts or cultural events. A huge thank you to Sharon Quiring and Sarah DeMun, who advocated so strongly for making this donation. More thanks to the families of the actors in the plays, who worked so hard at fundraising for MCT.

We have started another fundraiser this past week. It is the Entertainment Book sale, which is being done as a so-called “office sale”. Selling these books was a trade-off for being allowed to sell the books at 100% profit to benefit the little kids’ playground last Spring. Our goal is to use the profits from this sale to actually get an artist-in-residence program off the ground.

And finally, a totally painless method of fundraising is through the use of rewards programs, and clipping Boxtops for Education and Campbell’s Labels for Education. Please refer to page 9 of this newsletter for secondary fundraising opportunities. A few minutes of effort on your part can bring in huge rewards for Madrona. – Linda Hood

Boxtops for Education

Madrona collected 5,836 box tops since last March. Thanks to your saving and clipping we (MIT) will be receiving a check shortly for over $600.00! It would be great to top that for the next deadline in March. So please keep sending them in. – Tracie Langlie

Attribute of Character for NOVEMBER

Gratitude

The True Story of a Grateful Whale

If you read the front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, Dec 15, 2005, you would have read about a female humpback whale that had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. The fifty-foot whale was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her tail, her torso and a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her - a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around - she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. – excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle

Madrona Parking Lot Safety Reminders

IT‘S ALL ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN!

Here are four simple rules of thumb for parking lot safety:

DO NOT PARK, DROP OFF OR PICK UP YOUR CHILD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

Drop off and pick up your child in the Madrona Parking Lot.

DRIVE SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY

Young children tend to be unpredictable - watch for them.

RESPECT YOUR FELLOW DRIVERS

Make sure your child is ready to get in or out of the car quickly so that you can make room for the next family.

DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR IN THE PICK UP OR DROP OFF LANE

If your child needs more time or attention from you, please park and walk her/him into school. Additional parking is always available on the field adjacent to the track.

By taking the time and making the time – by getting to school early enough to be careful and safe in the parking lot, we will ensure that all of our children are safe. For a complete list of our parking lot guidelines, please visit the Family Room. Contact Mrs. Fischer; attend an MIT meeting or a safety meeting if you have questions.

 - The Madrona Safety Committee

Entertainment Books on Sale Now! 

MIT is selling Entertainment Books in order to help fund our children’s artistic development at Madrona School. This sale, to which we agreed in order to be able to raise money for the playground equipment replacement last year, is a so-called “office sale”. This means we are not sending home books and order forms with your child. If you would like to purchase a book, please call your classroom coordinator, Kim Magaña, or Linda Hood (see contact list on page 2), or stop in at the Main Office. Quite a few families buy 2 or 3 books just for themselves – grocery coupons for TOP, Safeway and GROCERY Outlet alone are worth $125, there are 2 pages of Regal Cinema coupons, and coupons for many retailers in the area. The Seattle/Eastside edition, which covers Tacoma to Marysville, costs $25, and will bring in 40 – 50% profit, depending on the number of books we sell. If you would like to purchase a book from a different region, contact Linda Hood, and we can order one for you. – Linda Hood

www.madronabearfacts.com

Check out (www.madronabearfacts.com ). You’ll find school announcements, an online calendar, detailed emergency/snow-closure instructions, information on the various fundraising efforts (you can even buy your SCRIP online with a credit card). If you have any suggestions of any content you’d like to see on the site, just drop us a note at info@madronabearfacts.com.

 - Allan Townsend, MIT Communications Director

Dial 911 from ANY Phone

In case of an emergency:

Anyone can call 911 from any phone in the building by just picking up the phone, checking for a dial tone and simply dialing 911. Then wait to be connected. You do not need to worry about getting an outside line – the District Phone Center has confirmed that just dialing 911 is sufficient. Stay on the line with the 911 operator until directed otherwise.

Mobile phone reception is not always good throughout the school, so please use the land line phones to call 911 if there is an emergency at school.

Important Information

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Q & A

Who can register for kindergarten? Children who are 5 years old before September 1, 2009 may register for kindergarten.

When does kindergarten registration begin? The school office will open for registration at _____ am on Monday, January 12, 2009. Parents are strongly encouraged to register at their resident area elementary school before placing their student’s name on a transfer waiting list at another school in the district.

What do I need to bring?

- A copy of your child’s registered birth certificate (issued by the county of birth – hospital certificates are not acceptable as proof of age)

- Proof of residency (utility bill, lease papers, mortgage papers, etc. – daycare addresses are not considered a “home” address)

- Names & phone numbers of two emergency contacts

- Proof of immunizations to date

Can I register at the District Information Fair? While you may pick up a registration packet at the District Information Fair on Saturday, January 10, 2009, completed registrations may be returned to the school in person on or after January 12. The Fair is at Lynnwood High School between 9:00-12:00 pm.

What kindergarten programs are available?

Part-Day Kindergarten students attend school 5 days a week in either a morning or afternoon session. There is no cost to parents as this is the state funded program.

Full-Day Kindergarten students attend school for a full school day 5 days a week. Parents pay tuition to help fund this model. Please request a Full-Time Kindergarten Contract when you pick up your registration materials.

How much is tuition for the full day program? At this time, tuition for the 2009-2010 school year has not been determined, but will be in the range of $3,400-$3,500 (10 equal payments of approximately $340 to $350 per month). The first payment is due as a deposit at the time of registration, and is needed to secure your spot in the full day program.

Is financial aid available for the full day program? If you feel you may qualify for financial aid*, please request the Kindergarten Tuition Financial Aid Application with your registration materials.

*Qualifying families usually meet free or reduced lunch criteria. Proof of income is required.

Who can I call if I have additional questions about kindergarten? Please feel free to contact the school office at Madrona, or call Shelley Roehl at 425-431-7176.

Do you have gently used clothes your children have outgrown?  Consider donating to Clothes for Kids

Clothes for Kids has seen a rise in families this fall who are in need of warm clothes. Their shelves are almost empty, and there will be more families in need of help as winter continues. Please consider donating your children’s gently used clothes, shoes, and coats to Clothes for Kids, located at 16725 52nd Ave. W. Suite B, in Lynnwood. For more information, please visit www.clothesforkids.org.

Save the Date!!

Our fall book fair is Thursday, November 20th at the Alderwood Barnes & Noble. We’ll have a treasure hunt and bookmarks to make beginning at 5pm. You can shop anytime that day and when you tell the cashier that you’re from Madrona they’ll count your purchases toward our profit. Even your Café and “grown up” purchases count! So, come on down, enjoy a coffee and a snack and shop for the holidays!! – Ann DeVight

Madrona Children’s Theatre

Be Our Guest ……

for Madrona Children’s Theater’s 2009 production of:

Beauty and the Beast

We are very excited that this year’s production will be directed by Madrona parent Beth Mahmoud-Howell. Beth feels passionately about the role theatre can play in a child’s development and has seen firsthand in her own children its positive effects. We know she will provide a positive experience to another group of Madrona students! Returning for their third year in a row are Mark and Nancy Press as Music Directors. We are so fortunate to have their enthusiasm for music as well as children again this year. Mark will be looking for parent or middle school musicians to round out his orchestra for this classic production – let us know if you’d like to join them! Sharon Quiring and Sarah DeMun are back this year as producers and are looking forward to another wonderful year. As we find every year, your children never cease to amaze us with what they can do!

Performance dates will be March 19th – 22nd 2009 at Mountlake Terrace High School Theater.

Auditions for 4th – 8th graders will be on Nov 12th and 13th from 4-6pm in the music building. Sign-up sheets are in the music building hallway. Audition and Participation forms are in the Beauty and the Beast box outside of the school office. Both forms need to be turned in at the audition. If you have questions contact Sharon Quiring (425-742-1083) or Sarah DeMun (425-775-6027). – Sarah DeMun

Madrona Children’s Theater Announces Its Annual

Poster, Program and T-Shirt Design Contest

All Madrona students are invited to submit art work for our 2009 Spring Musical

Beauty and the Beast

Submit only your own original artwork; please do not use copies or tracings of any of Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast logos (such as the beast holding the rose) or drawings from the film. Contest ends December 15th. Winners will be announced Jan 5th. Grand Prize is tickets for your family to see Beauty and the Beast (up to 4 tickets) and a $10 gift card to Cold Stone Creamery or Jamba Juice. Everyone who enters will receive a participation award.

Submit drawings on plain 8 ½ by 11 paper using black ink or pencils to draw with. Put your name, your center / advisory, and phone number on the back. Place your artwork into the blue Beauty and the Beast box on the shelf outside of the Office by Monday December 15th .

Be original! Be creative!

Our Fundraising Partners

Albertson’s Community Partners

Since 2003, Madrona has received a quarterly check from Albertson’s Community Partners Program, generated by people who shop at Albertson’s and use their Preferred Savings cards. If you shop at Albertson’s, sign up at the scrip table or register online at www.albertsons.com/cp.

General Mills’ Boxtops for Education

Labels that look like this are on most products sold by General Mills. Each of these pieces of paper, usually found on the top of a box (hence the name) is worth ten cents to Madrona School. While each label isn’t worth much, since 2002 we’ve collected almost $4000 to support the school. General Mills, Betty Crocker, Ziploc and Kleenex are participating household brands.

Boxtops4Education.com

This program was created to give money back to participating schools. While collecting labels is good, making online purchases is better! For all those who do major purchases for work, home, or gifts, using the Boxtops4Education portal returns between 2 and 5% of the money you spend to the school. There are hundreds of retailers participating, including magazine subscription services, Dell Corporation, Office Depot, Barnes & Noble, and Oriental Trading. The trick with this program is that you must always use the Boxtops4Education portal in order to get credit for the school. This takes a little education, but is well worth it. Tip: you can use your scrip to pay for merchandise you buy online – MIT gets a double bonus from both the scrip purchase and the Boxtops 4 Education reward! To sign up, go to: www.boxtops4education.com

Office Depot

Buying school or office supplies? Give the cashier at Office Depot Madrona School’s ID 70106275. Or go through the Boxtops4Education.com portal described above to get to the Office Depot web page, and check the “Want to give 5% to your school” box on the order confirmation page. Select Madrona Elementary School in Edmonds (ZIP 98020), and your purchases will be credited to Madrona’s bonus program.

Campbell’s Labels for Education

Campbell’s Soup Company has a label clipping program which has purchased hundreds of dollars’ worth of sports equipment for Madrona School over the past few years. In the case of Campbell’s labels, look for the Campbell’s Kid near a UPC code, and cut off this part of the label, with the full UPC code intact. Please note that the front labels for Campbell’s without the UPC doesn’t work. The UPC is the only part that is needed. Bring these in to the containers in the family room or by the office. Look for UPC codes on Pepperidge Farm products as well.

Target’s Take Charge of Education

Through the Take Charge of Education program, Target will donate an amount equal to 1% of Target Visa and Target Guest Card purchases made at Target and target.com, and 1/2% of Target Visa purchases made elsewhere, to the eligible K-12 school of your choice, subject to Take Charge of Education program rules. For some schools, that’s over $10,000 a year. http://target.com/tcoe provides more information about the program

UPromise and escrip

UPromise and eScrip are two programs that use your shopping information to return cash to the school. Log in to the eScrip website, at www.escrip.com and UPromise, at www.upromise.com, and register your store rewards program numbers, linking them to Madrona. Each time you make a qualifying purchase, Madrona gets credit. Enter many retailers’ websites through the eScrip portal, and Madrona gets even more money. Not only that, but at UPromise, you can also start a college savings program, funded by major retailers.

More Info

“Battle of the Best Books” Club

We have a large group of readers this year for the "Battle of the Best Books" club (3-6th years)... For any of you out there who might still want to join, here is the list of books. We encourage parents to read up as well!! Meetings are most Fridays during second recess at the library. Students commit to reading at least five of the following books, and there is a Madrona and District competition in the Spring. Contact Cheryl Kaler at ckaler5@yahoo.com with any questions! - Cheryl Kaler

2009 “Best Books” List

Looking for Bapu- Amjali Banerjee

Room One: A Mystery or Two- Andrew Clements

Diary of a Fairy Godmother- Esme’Raji Codell

Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money- Christopher Paul Curtis

Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane- Kate DiCamillo

Road to Paris- Nikki Grimes

The Homework Machine- Dan Gutman

Tales of the Cryptids- Halls, Kelly Milner, Spears, & Young

The World’s Greatest Elephant- Ralph Helfer

Beats of Clawstone Castle- Eva Ibbotson

Year of the Dog- Grace Lin

Rules- Cynthia Lord

Gossamer- Lois Lowry

Archer’s Quest- Linda Sue Park

Higher Power of Lucky- Susan Patron

Clementine- Sara Pennypacker

Magyk- Angie Sage

To Dance: A Memoir- Siena Cherson Siegel

My Name is Sally Little Song – Brenda Woods

Public Education Foundation Family Book Fair

MAKE YOUR TEACHER'S BOOK WISH LIST COME TRUE AND YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING EASY! Your teacher's wish list for their classroom libraries will be available at the Alderwood Barnes & Noble December 11-13, 2008. You can get the perfect present for your teacher and your student's classroom. There will also be other special events like author readings and crafts going on at the Alderwood Barnes & Noble on those days. Questions, email Debbie Duvall: duvalld@edmonds.wednet.edu or call 425-431-7260. See you there!

Community Workshops on School District Finances

A series of workshops will be offered to the community to learn about funding and use of financial resources in the Edmonds School District. These will be held Nov. 19 and Dec. 3, from 7-9 p.m. at the Edmonds School District Educational Services Center, 20420 68th Avenue West, in Lynnwood.

Topics include:

Nov. 19: How does Edmonds School District use financial resources?

Dec. 3: What are the upcoming financial issues facing the District?

These workshops are open to community members, parents, staff, students, and anyone interested in learning more about the funding and use of resources in our local public schools. For more information, please visit www.edmonds.wednet.edu.

Keep Out the Cold Outerwear Drive

Hailey is holding her second annual Keep Out The Cold outerwear drive from now until the 8th of November. Donations of jackets, hats, gloves & scarves (any size or gender) may be dropped off at City Kids, 9726 Edmonds Way, Tuesday thru Friday from 10-5pm and Saturday from 11-5pm , when Hailey will be outside manning the truck donated by J and R truck rentals for collecting all of the donations. Last year Hailey collected more then 900 jackets and 300 other outerwear items. These were then distributed to needy families in Snohomish county. This year she is hoping to double that amount. We all seem to collect hats and jackets around here and bringing a child to donate is a wonderful way to show them how to help other less fortunate children. Clothing does not have to be new, just clean and usable. – Shannon Trumble

Citizen Planning Committee

Here are the results of the Edmonds School District Citizens Planning Committee (CPC) Meeting held October 6 at the Edmonds School District headquarters:

Transportation: Craig Christensen, Director of Transportation, brought information on current choice school transportation (Madrona & Maplewood) in our district. The committee anticipates being able to assess more accurate information at the November meeting after the new count.

Boundaries & Enrollment: Ellen Kahan, Asst. Superintendent, shared information on the consolidation plan at Woodway Elementary. Under the current recommendation, approx. 75 students would be relocated to Sherwood Elementary, 100 students to Westgate Elementary and 12 to Mountlake Terrace Elementary for the 2009/10 school year. Specific boundary information will be discussed at the November meeting. The district has also held meetings with families & community members in the Woodway service area.

Sue Venable, Asst. Superintendent, then shared information on the consolidation plan for Evergreen Elementary. After looking at several different scenarios, the committee recommends relocating approximately 130 students to Mountlake Terrace Elementary and 150 to Terrace Park School for the 2009-2010 school year. This would include out-of-service area students currently attending Evergreen Elementary. The district has also held meetings with families and community members in the Evergreen service area.

In addition, Ken Limon, Asst. Superintendent, presented background information & rationale for proposing to move the 7th & 8th grades from Terrace Park School to Brier Terrace Middle School for the 2009/10 school year. A separate task force has been meeting to study the implementation of a middle school highly capable program. Their recommendation will be to establish this program at Brier Terrace Middle School as well. The district has also held meeting with families interested in the middle level highly capable program & with families of students in the Terrace Park middle school program.

The relocation of Evergreen Elementary students to Terrace Park would only be feasible with the relocation of the Terrace Park middle school program. (…..continued next column)

The enrollment and boundaries subcommittee recommends that the boundaries of Terrace Park/Mountlake Terrace/ Evergreen Elementary Schools be reconfigured to consolidate Evergreen into Terrace Park and Mountlake Terrace Elementary. The subcommittee further recommends that Terrace Park K-8 be realigned as a K-6 program with the middle school program being moved to Brier Terrace.

At our November meeting there will be 2nd readings of the recommendations, with a greater level of detailed information provided. After the 2nd reading a vote of the CPC will be taken. A first reading of the final recommendations to the school board is scheduled for November 18, 2008. – Kory DeMun

Madrona Safety Committee 2008-2009 Schedule

Safety Committee meetings will be on the following Thursdays at 9:00, in the conference room next to the Main Office: 11/6, 12/4, 1/8, 2/5, 3/5, 4/9, 5/7

The safety meetings are held during the school day to accommodate the teachers and staff on the committee. We understand that some parents may not be able to attend so we also encourage those parents to attend evening MIT meetings. MIT meetings are another way to learn about the school (especially if you are a new parent) &talk about safety concerns. MIT always welcomes new perspectives and ideas. If you have a concern, we strongly encourage you to attend either a regular Safety Committee meeting, an MIT meeting, or talk to an MIT Board member.

All of our meetings are open to the Madrona community. We talk about emergency & day to day situations - no topic is off limits. This year our main goal is to finalize our emergency preparations. – Ellen Ernst

Center News

Kindergarten News

Ms. Rust’s Class

Everyone in our Kindergarten class is really excited to go see Pinocchio in December. We can’t wait for our very first field trip.

We had a lot of fun on our first Tribes day. It was awesome.

The Fall themes for school with all of the bats, spiders and pumpkins were really spooky and fun.

We are looking forward to learning about the first Thanksgiving in class this November.

And Finally, the Bear Scare was a real treat. My dad said he has never been so scared! I was a little alarmed by the Haunted House myself! 

 – Ms. Rust Kindergarten student,

 Dorothea Koetje- Age5

Ohana

The Ohana Center took a class trip to a play called Bluenose. The play was about these pirates that were trying to fish but instead they caught a girl named Bluenose. They made fun of her because she had a blue nose. The moral of the story is not to make fun of people even though they are different. Our class had a great time at the play.

The Ohana garden was weeded and new flowers were planted. We will be planting bulbs soon for Spring. In science class we are making compost cups. We put worms in the cups to make better soil. We are learning about different soils in class called humus, clay and sand. We hope to put the worm cups and soil in the Ohana garden. Thank you! - Ohana student, Alec Leonetti

Renaissance

This month in the Renaissance center we have been working on awesome projects. For example in Steve’s literacy group we’re making a mural about service. We have split up into groups. Each group is drawing a picture about service. The seven categories are: helping, teaching, reduce – reuse - recycle, saving environment, reading buddies, serving for the military and fundraising

Mrs. Nichols literacy is working on making connections, inferences, and questions for the books they have read.

In Science we have been doing messy, but fun projects. We are making models of stream tables to learn what the water cycle is, what happens when it rains and when there’s a stream.

In social studies there has been tons of research. We are learning about why people left there homes and came to discover new lands and gold riches. Steve and Ms. Nichols are great teachers. We’re glad we have them!

- Renaissance students, Alicia and Claire

TriCenter

The Tri Center had a Friendship Party on Friday, October 31. There was food, games and art. Each activity was in a different room. Each homeroom was in a rotation, starting in their homeroom. Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped us with this special event.

The Tri Center recently went to Woodland Park Zoo. From the monkeys, to the squirrels, they had lots of fun. They went on an exciting journey around the zoo to see interesting animals. They saw some rare animals.

– Tri Center students, Mikala Kim, Sierra Tooch, Ryan Conley

Summit

For the past two weeks in Summit Center we have been working on our own planets made out of papier mache. On our planets there had to be continents, water resources, and we had to pretend to be residents of our planets. In social studies we have to form a type of government for our planets and figure out what typre of stuff is on our planets, like population, food resources, and other things that you need to have for a civilization. I think it's going to be really un and fascinating to explore other kids’ planets -- I can't wait to see the final result! – Summit student, Liz Hood

DaVinci

DaVinci Center has made an incredible “Calder Circus.” Alexander Calder was the artist who invented the mobile. His circus was a sculpture made out of wire that was moveable. DaVinci was inspired by Calder to make a circus of our own. It turned out great & very creative.

DaVinci went on a field trip last month to see Jon Scieszka at Third Place Books. He is a children’s author who wrote The Stinky Cheese Man, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, and lots of other stories. He had some funny moments when he read us Knucklehead, which is about things that happened to him when he was a boy. – DaVinci student, Hannah Karis

Epicenter

There has been a flurry of activity in the Epicenter this past month. Students began their social studies unit by studying various explorers. In addition, students were given the opportunity to become “explorers” themselves and are completing their exploration journals. The final project for explorers is called “The Grand Encounter” and will be an event that parents are invited to attend. Mark your calendars for November 18th at 10:30am.

The Epicenter class constitution has been written and is in its final editing stages. The constitution is a collaborative effort by all students.

Students continue nature journaling on Fridays where they are able to flex their creative muscles. Cheryl Kaler has challenged students by asking them to sketch their surroundings without looking at their paper or drawing with their non dominant hand.

Don’t forget……..November 21st is World “Hello” Day. Say “Hello” to ten people you don’t know! - Tiffany Langager

ASB News

ASB News – Thank you to all the middle school students who helped out with Bear Scare. You can support Madrona ASB by purchasing wintergreens! Order forms went home Oct. 15. – BJ Stephenson

Africa America Exchange Club

Africa America Exchange Club is up and running. Students are leading the bi-monthly meetings held during middle school lunch. We will have a special guest from Burundi, Africa visiting us on Nov. 5th.

SND

You’ve probably been wondering what’s been going on in SND from the beginning of school.

At first we started out doing stations, and then we started breaking into our groups: Math, Language, Spelling, Art and Science, and Specialists. Our day goes like this: we do jobs like flag salute, taking down the chairs, and attendance. Then we go to circle and go over the schedule. After that we do sharing. What ever cubby color day it is, people in that cubby can bring something and share it with the class. Then we break into our language groups. After language, we line up for lunch, and after lunch and recess, we have math. After math, we either have spelling or class meetings on Wednesdays. But on Thursdays, we have Science and Art all day. At the end of the day, we have Specialists, then jobs again, and then we go home.

A lot more is done in SND than just our groups. We have Bank and Store every other Friday, and we have a few great parties like Chinese New Years, Autumn Olympics, and the Beach Party. SND has lots of other great activities and in my opinion it’s the best class I’ve been in!!

- SND student, Jeremiah Kaler

The Bear Market

Madrona’s own “classified ads!”

If you’ve got something to sell, or a service to provide, post it here! Sorry – no business advertising. Send ads for “The Bear Market” by the end of each month to: nancykaris@comcast.net

Bear Facts Newsletter

Many thanks to all who contributed to this newsletter! It’s your articles that keep it interesting! If you have something you’d like me to post (dates, photos, news, events, etc), or if you’d like to be added or removed from my email list, contact me at nancykaris@comcast.net. My deadline for the December issue is November 29. - Nancy Karis

Did You Know?...

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

Madrona Math Team

The Madrona Math Team is NOW Forming!

Do you love working with numbers? Interested in testing your brains? Do you want to have fun? If you are 6th – 8th grade, you qualify to join the team.

- Liz Murata

Madrona Cooks!

The Best (Do-Ahead) Turkey Gravy

Makes 2 qt.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 turkey wings (about 1 1/2 pounds, separated at the joints)

1 large onion, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 - 14 1/2 ounce cans chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups water

Directions

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add turkey wings and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until golden on all sides. Add vegetables & cook 8-10 minutes or browned, stirring frequently.

Add wine, broth, thyme and 3 cups water, heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Strain, discard solids, let broth stand until fat separates to the top.

Spoon 1/4 cup fat from broth into 2-quart saucepan; skim and discard any remaining fat.

Add flour to fat in saucepan; cook, stirring over medium heat until flour turns golden brown.

Gradually whisk in reserved broth and cook until gravy boils and thickens slightly, stirring constantly.

Pour gravy into a 2-quart container or medium bowl, cover and refrigerate. (you can also freeze).

At serving time, reheat gravy and add pan drippings (and/or cooked diced giblets) from the roast turkey if you like.

Submit recipes to: nancykaris@comcast.net

The Back Page

 Important dates and events to remember…

Save The Date!

Nov 6 Safety Committee meeting 9AM

• Nov 7 Non-student day
• Nov 11 Veteran’s Day – no school
• Nov 12 Beauty & the Beast Auditions
• Nov 13 Beauty & the Beast Auditions
• Nov 13 MIT Meeting 7PM
• Nov 20 Barnes & Noble Book Fair
• Nov 21 Coffee with Lynda & Craig
• Nov 21 Madrona’s Vineyard
• Nov 27-28 Thanksgiving Break
• Nov 29 Deadline for December Bear Facts
• Dec 4 Safety Committee Meeting 9AM
• Dec 5 Non-student day
• Dec 11 MIT Meeting 7PM
• Dec 12 Madrona’s Vineyard
• Dec 15 MCT poster contest deadline
• Dec 17 Coffee with Lynda & Craig
• Dec 22-Jan 2 Winter break
• Jan 5 Back to school - 2009!

Joke Corner

Teacher: Well, at least there's one thing I can say about your son. Father: What's that? Teacher: With grades like these, he couldn't be cheating.

Scrip News

Remember to purchase your Barnes & Noble gift cards for the Madrona Book Fair at the Lynnwood Barnes & Noble on Thursday, November 18th. They come in denominations of $10.00, $25.00, and $100.00. Please order by Friday, November 14th, to make sure we will have enough in stock. Make it a family night and have dinner! We have many restaurants to choose from.

We now have REI gift cards! With the gift giving season quickly approaching, this will be popular! We also have iTunes, Macy’s, Toys R Us, Game Stop, Sports Authority, Old Navy/Gap and a wide assortment of other cards to choose. Buy gift cards for everyone on your list – you can never go wrong with gift cards! Also, have the grandparents use scrip for their holiday shopping. Gift cards are easy to buy and fun to receive – avoid the holiday rush and began shopping now! This is an easy fundraiser for Madrona!

If you have any questions, please contact Linda Park at (425) 672-9485 or labpark@comcast.net. – Linda Park