MADRONA VILLAGE SCHOOL
A one-room schoolhouse for an ever-changing world.
Our Story
Admissions is now open for the 23/24 school year for 4th and 5th grade!
Madrona Village School is a unique, non-profit, independent Micro School in the Madrona community. We foster a nurturing, individualized learning environment that focuses on core academics, Spanish language/culture, and public service.
MVS has only one multi-grade cohort, currently in 3rd and 4th grade. MVS is taking this cohort through to 8th grade.
We are now enrolling 4th and 5th grade. We do have rolling admissions and can accept students throughout the year.
MVS' multi-age learning model encourages critical thinking, builds life skills and confidence, and fosters a lifelong love of education. MVS students perform ongoing public service within the Madrona neighborhood.
CURRICULUM
Daily Schedule
9:00-1:00: Core academics including reading, writing, spelling, math, science, debate, and history. Students have morning recess with a snack break.
1:00-3:00: Spanish immersion for lunch, P.E., health, and other enrichment activities including art, music, library, and volunteering.
MVS students integrate the Madrona community into their education, and perform ongoing public service within the neighborhood.
Lindsay Eicher
Lead Teacher
Lindsay Eicher has 17+ years classroom experience. She is passionate about early childhood development and learning, as well as curriculum development. As a Kindergarten and grade school teacher, Lindsay has a wide range of experience in public and private school classrooms.
Lindsay is a native of Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Seattle Prep and the University of Washington and earned her Masters in Education from City University. She has a teaching certificate in elementary education.
As a teacher and an innovator, Lindsay spearheaded MVS's pilot year and is now happily forging new ground with year three of MVS' innovative model.
Bryce Bennett
Spanish and Cultural Language Studies Teacher
Bryce Bennett runs an educational consulting company focused on multiple disciplines, in multiple languages, for large and small companies. He has been a Spanish teacher and education consultant since 2011. After taking Spanish in college, Bryce moved to Bogotá, Colombia to immerse himself in the language and the culture. Bryce loves to teach in a way that makes everyone feel included, and has multiple approaches that foster a love of learning. Bryce leads MVS students of all levels of experience in conversational, immersive Spanish. He also runs a bike shop, and guides MVS students on bike rides, and teaches them bike maintenance.
Willow Bader
Art Teacher
As early as she can remember, Willow Bader knew her passion was to be an artist. She was born in Washington State and grew up drawing and creating at every opportunity, encouraged by her Waldorf School education. Willow studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia where she received a prized travel scholarship which took her to Europe for the first time to see art and architecture. She returned to the pacific northwest to continue her art career and currently shows with Cole Gallery in Edmonds WA and Edward Montgomery Fine Art in Carmel CA.
Willow paints with the ancient painting medium of encaustic. Her subjects are from her life and what she knows. She often paints the table, with food, wine and flowers, and evenings out with music and dancing. She also paints the NW landscape. Willow has been teaching children and adults since 2003 and enjoys passing on her knowledge, reminding her students that there is not just one right way when making art, and she enjoys the surprise and delight of the results.
Tom Kushner
Forest Steward / Public Service Coordinator
Hello parents,
I am the forest steward for Madrona Woods and went through training with the Green Seattle Partnership/Seattle Parks to be given this position. I have a life long love of nature and especially the plant world. My interest in native plants goes back many years and I have worked with native gardens in California, Central Washington and as a Volunteer in Madrona Woods. As the Forest Steward I manage work parties that are sanctioned by Seattle City Parks with community volunteers. I am looking forward to sharing the forest with younger generations. I am passionate about taking personal steps to restore the earth and combat global warming.
I am a retired physician and relish getting my hands dirty after so many years of keeping them clean! I know Lindsay since she was my son's teacher at the Valley School about 15 years ago. I look forward to working with your kids where her teaching intersects with the forest and the natural world. I look forward to being with your children to experience Madrona Woods. If you have not been there, it is a wonderful refuge in all seasons. Please visit sometime.
News and Reviews
"We wanted an alternative to public school, without the rigors of homeschooling, the obligations of a co-op, or the price of a private school. Does such a thing even exist? Apparently so! We found Madrona Village School miraculously, just as the 2021 fall term was beginning." Caitlyn V. 7/16/2022
"My daughter has attended this adorable one-room schoolhouse since it's pilot year, and is now going into her third year. MVS is a wonderful, independent, community-minded school that is not only affordable but has an amazing community of parents and teachers."
Kris D. 7/15/2022
MVS has been featured in the Madrona News and in Crosscut.
More parent reviews of MVS can be found on Yelp.
MVS Board
Kathi Petrotta
Kathi Petrotta has been an educator for 30 years working with students from preschool through twelfth grade. With public, private, and parochial teaching experience, Kathi has focused on the middle school age group and has specialized in neurodiversity and learning differences. Prior to entering the field of education, Kathi was an environmental planner involved in a variety of projects for both the public and private sectors. Living in Madrona for over 30 years, Kathi and her husband raised a son who is now residing out of state. Recently retired, Kathi is enjoying catching up on projects, as well as reading, gardening, cooking, and adventures with her husband and pup. She is excited to be part of a community school like MVS.
Megan Haas
Megan Haas, Executive Director of MVS, is a long-time strategist and founder, focused on building creative, rational solutions to fill the gaps in our societal systems. Megan has spent the last 30 years developing businesses from the visionary phase into community centered enterprises. Megan's passion for education began with her first business concept in 1992, the Front Porch School, a successful supplementary program to bridge the gap between socialization and education for rural, home-schooled girls in Asheville, NC. Moving to WA, Megan co-founded the Utilkilts Co, and founded Kinnected.org, a free, global, social-health sanctuary that supports community resilience through building purposeful, peer to peer connection. A 3rd generation Waldorf School graduate, Megan's goal with MVS is to model a learning environment that fosters knowledge, understanding and creativity, and prepares our students to find significance in navigating our ever evolving world.
Julia Kassissieh, M.A.
Julia Kassissieh has 25 years of education experience spanning the areas of independent school leadership, middle school teaching, and instructional leadership consulting in public and private schools. Julia has published numerous articles describing successful secondary school improvement efforts aimed at increasing graduation rates and post-secondary opportunities for traditionally underserved students. From 2006-to 2013, she served as a trustee and executive committee member for the Portland Children’s Museum in Portland, Oregon. Julia has a master’s degree in curriculum and teacher education from Stanford University and is a credentialed administrator and teacher. She is a recent fellow of the Pathways to Leadership program at the Northwest Association of Independent Schools, a program for women aspiring to head of school roles in the region. Julia was Head of Middle School at Seattle Academy 2016-2022 and continues to work in varied roles at SASS. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.
Covid-19 and Safety information
Madrona Village School follows CDC and Washington State COVID-19 safety requirements for private schools.
TUITION AND ADMISSIONS
Admissions for 23/24 is open!
Do you have a rising 4th or 5th grader? Join us for a day in the classroom!
Admissions: madronavillageschool@gmail.com
Phone: 206-637-2043
Tuition for the 23/24 school year is $19,000
Madrona Village School does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or disability. This policy applies to employees, students, volunteers, and parents.
2022/2023 CALENDAR
September 7 -- First Day of Fall Session
November 11 -- Veteran’s Day: No School
November 21-23 -- Teacher Professional Development
Days/Parent-Teacher Conferences: No School
November 24-25 --Thanksgiving Break: No School
December 19-30 --Winter Holiday Break: No School
January 3 --First Day of Winter Session
January 16-- MLK Day: No School
February 20-24 --Mid-winter Break: No School
February 28 --First Day of Spring Session
April 7 --Parent-Teacher Conferences: No School
April 10-14 --Spring Break: No School
May 29 -- Memorial Day: No School
June 23 -- Last Day of School