Madrona School

Overview

Set among cedar trees and magical gardens, Madrona School has offered Waldorf education on Bainbridge Island since 1999.  Born of the vision and tenacious spirit of local parents, the school has grown to serve over 100 students in parent-toddler, preschool, kindergarten and first grade through middle school. 

Loving, creative and committed teachers welcome each child into a world of life-long learning.  Students enjoy small class sizes, colorful sunlit rooms and a large grassy play yard.

A warm, homelike atmosphere in preschool and kindergarten eases the transition to school life.  Storytelling and lots of outdoor play stimulate imagination and creativity.  The children bake bread, sing, and enjoy daily nature walks.

Elementary and middle school students are engaged in a rich academic curriculum that fully integrates the arts with humanities, science, and mathematics.  In addition, all of our students study Spanish, Japanese, a stringed instrument, woodworking, drawing, knitting and gardening.

Madrona School involves its families and our greater community through adult education, volunteer opportunities and seasonal festivals.

Our Mission Statement

Madrona School educates children according to the evolving principles of Waldorf education, preparing them to engage in the world with creativity and compassion. We seek to grow as a community of families, connecting to our greater community through service and education.

About Bainbridge Island

Once a fishing and farming island in Puget Sound, Bainbridge Island has developed into a largely suburban community with a downtown core of shops and restaurants. Much of the island retains its rural roots, including over 1000 acres of parks and public beaches and 150 acres in agriculture. The island is 28 square miles in size with a population of 21,000.  Bainbridge Island is one hour away from the Olympic mountains, two hours from the Pacific ocean and a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle.  Many of the residents commute to Seattle for work.  The island has a large public high school, two major grocery stores, two movie theatres and several neighborhood commercial centers.

School Facility

Located in the heart of the downtown Winslow, Madrona School has two buildings each with fenced, sunny play yards.

The parent-toddler and preschool classes occupy the ground floor of the historic Finch House on Madison Avenue.  Scaled to the needs of our youngest students, this classroom is warm and cozy.  The administrative offices are located in the front room and upstairs of this building.

Directly next door, the kindergarten and grades classes are housed in the historic Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, at the corner of Winslow Way and Madison Avenue.   We rent from the church seven classrooms and and have use of an assembly hall, commercial kitchen and organic gardens.   Beyond our cordial tenant/landlord relationship there is no affiliation between the school and the church.

Affiliations

Madrona School is developing member school of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA).