SCRIP NEWS

Thank you to everyone who purchased gift cards from the Madrona Scrip Program for the holidays. Remember, this is a great way to raise money for our school. Please remember to use gift cards for everyday purchases, such as groceries. If you visit Starbucks often, please purchase a gift card from Madrona for your purchases. You will be benefiting Madrona while enjoying your beverage!

FAMILY DANCE SET FOR FEBRUARY 22ND 2008

Mark you calendars for Friday, February 22nd! MIT and Madrona Middle School present the annual Family Dance. This year the theme will be the 60's - get out your old clothes and come dressed for the occasion! For anyone interested in volunteering to help with the dance, we will have our first meeting on Monday, Jan. 14th and 9:30 in Brad Proffitt's room. This is a lot of fun!!

DISTRICT INFORMATION FAIR

This Saturday – January 12th is the annual District Information Fair. There is information about all District schools and services for parents. It will be 9:00 – 12:00 at Lynnwood High School. Our Madrona Parent Tour (to submit student’s names to the lottery) will follow on Wednesday, January 16th @ 9:30 at Madrona. Lottery drawing for next year’s kindergarten classes begins the week of January 21st!

JANUARY 15TH @ 7PM- MIT MEETING- SEX OFFENDER EDUCATIONAL MEETING

If you were unable to attend the Snohomish County Sheriff's department meeting in November concerning sex offenders or have more questions, please come to the January 15th MIT meeting at 7:00. Detective Joe Beard and representatives from the Providence Sexual Assault Center will be giving a presentation and answering questions about sex offenders. Questions? please contact Ellen Ernst at eernst60@aol.com .

CHAT WITH LYNDA & CRAIG

Lynda and Craig will begin a monthly opportunity (in addition to MIT meetings) to chat informally with parents over coffee. No agenda or presentations. We will have our first gathering on Friday – January 18th from 9:00 – 10:00 in the Madrona library. Come have coffee and chat if you are interested!

LIBRARY STILL LOOKING FOR DONATIONS

The school library is interested in establishing a middle school reading area, and would love donations of a gently-used couch, armchairs and a coffee table. Please call Ann DeVight at 431-2904. THANKS TO SHANA LIPSCOMB! Shana has already donated a cozy couch to the library for their new reading area! Thanks Shana!

BARNES & NOBLE BOOK FAIR A SUCCESS!

The final count from Barnes & Noble book fair is in~ We purchased over $10,000 worth of books so our profit was $2,500! Thanks for supporting our Madrona library. We have been brainstorming what books we want to purchase with our profit and will soon get to enjoy those selected! Thanks again for your support! Ann Devight

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

MHS DANCE TEAM ANNUAL DANCE CLINIC

Jan 25th from 9:00-1:45 *Performance at 1:30- COST $40~ GRADES K-8th For more information and to register pick up a registration form in the family room.

VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE SPRING 08

Boys & Girls ages 7-14- Starting date June 11, 2008 There are flyers in the family room or visit www.usyvl.org to register.

SNO-KING SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION

Register online at www.skyc.net or call 425-775-2633. Registration forms in the family room.

MTYAA PONY BASEBALL 2008 SIGN UPS!

For more info there are flyers in the family room or visit www.mtyaabaseball.org or call 206-587-7267

EDMONDS SHORELINE SNOWSPORTS

Registration for all lessons will be handled through Olympic Ski School. Online registration available at www.olyski.com  .Flyers available in the family room.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

• Jan. 12th District Information Fair @ LHS
• Jan. 14th Kindergarten Registration begins
• Jan 15th MIT MEETING 7pm
• Jan 18th Coffee Chat with Lynda & Craig 9am
• Jan. 21st NO SCHOOL
• Jan. 22nd Middle School Honors Festival
• Jan 24th. Early Release/ Gloria DeGaetano Speaker
• Jan. 25th. NO SCHOOL
• Feb. 7th MIT MEETING
• Feb. 10th-14th Volunteer Appreciation Week
• Feb. 14th Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 9:15-10:00
• Feb. 15th NO SCHOOL
• Feb. 18th & 19th NO SCHOOL
• Feb. 22nd Family Dance 60’s Theme

NATIONAL EXPERT ON CHILDREN AND MEDIA GLORIA DEGAETANO COMES TO MADRONA!

Madrona Library ~Thursday – January 24th 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Raising Our Children in a Media Saturated World

U. S. children spend more time in front of a screen than they spend with their parents or their teachers. This presentation explains the impact of overuse and misuse of TV, video, video games, and computers, particularly in influencing learning foundation skills such as attentive listening and literacy development. Learn how inaccurate and distorted media images influence a child’s worldview, affecting their competence, self-confidence and ultimately their self-image as a learner and as a creative contributor to society.

• Practical suggestions and fun family activities will be shared that will help you to:
• Control and manage home screens more effectively.
• Set up a media-literate home environment.
• Teach critical viewing skills.
• Promote creativity and communication through visual messages and all forms of screen technologies.

Come prepared to learn something new, to receive ideas you can use tomorrow, and to feel appreciated and affirmed for all that you do to meet the formidable challenges of raising children in our “screen society.”

Bio:

Gloria DeGaetano, founder and CEO of the Parent Coaching Institute, is a nationally and an internationally acclaimed speaker, educator, consultant, and author, committed to giving her clients research-based information and practical strategies for raising children optimally in our complex culture. Ms. DeGaetano is originator of the concept of parent coaching and the model of parent coaching that she developed is being used throughout the United States and in other countries including Canada, England, Australia, and Israel.

Ms. DeGaetano gives keynotes, workshops, and conducts trainings for corporations, school districts, social service agencies, and parent/community organizations. She has over thirty years experience working with children, teachers, and parents as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, district administrator, university instructor, and consultant. A leading expert in child development, media literacy, and brain research, Ms. DeGaetano produced the nation’s first parent educational video and training for early childhood educators on Healthy Brain Development in a Media Age. Her books include: Parenting Well in a Media Age; Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media Literacy; Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence; Television and the Lives of Our Children; and Media Smarts for Young Folks. Her books and articles have been translated into Spanish, German, Danish, Romanian, Korean, and Turkish. Parenting Well in a Media has received the I-Parenting Media Award as one of best products for 2007.A respected voice for children and parents, Ms. DeGaetano’s ideas and articles have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the London Times, McCall’s Magazine, Parenting Insights, Seattle’s Child, Portland Parent, Eastside Parent, American Baby Magazine, Better Homes and Garden, Spirit Magazine of Southwest Airlines, The Boston Globe, Committee for Children Newsletter, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Newsletter. An innovative, inspirational leader, Ms. DeGaetano has been interviewed on many national radio shows, including NPR’s Fresh Air and Marketplace. She has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and special documentaries produced by NBC, ABC, and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation. Her popular radio program, Parent Appreciation Radio is now available on i-Tunes.