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Writer's picturebecky fay

The Village Voice - Volume 20, Issue 7

Updated: Oct 19, 2020


Upcoming Events


  • Tuesday, October 20, 6:30-7:00pm - Principal Tea (Zoom link)

  • Wednesday, October 21, 6:00-7:00pm - 3rd Grade Parent Evening

  • Wednesday, October 21, 5:30-7:30pm - Village School Bard Meeting (Zoom link)

  • Thursday, October 22, 6:00-7:00pm - 1st Grade Parent Evening

  • Thursday, October 22, 7:00-8:00pm - 5th Grade Parent Evening

  • Thursday and Friday, October 29th and 30th - No School, Parent Conferences

  • Saturday, October 31 - Halloween! 🎃

Principal Tea will take place every Tuesday at 6:30 pm !


Please check the full calendar for the dates for future events. We have updated the calendar through the end of the 2020-21 school year. Due to the delayed start, Winter break starts later than usual, and that the Monday after Spring break is a school day.


Thursday & Friday, October 29-30, 2020: Conferences

Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Veterans Day

Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27 2020: Thanksgiving

Monday, December 21, 2020: Winter Break Begins

Tuesday, January 5, 2021: School Resumes

Monday, January 18, 2021: MLK Day

Monday, February 15, 2021: Presidents Day

Tuesday, February 16, 2021: No School - Grading Day

Friday, March 5, 2021: Grades K-5 Conferences (Regular schedule for grades 6-8)

Monday, March 22, 2021: Spring Break

Monday, April 5, 2021: School Resumes

Friday, May 7, 2021: No School - Prof Development Day

Monday, May 31, 2021: No School - Memorial Day

Thursday, June 17, 2021: 1/2 Day Last Day


 



 

Principal's Message


Dear Parents and Guardians,


Today I have four things I would like to share with you.


I want to start with the most important. First, please reach out to your classroom teacher or the school office if you have any questions or concerns during this time of Comprehensive Distance Learning. And if you happen to know someone in our school community that needs assistance and perhaps they can’t or are reluctant to reach out to us, please lend a hand and guide them to our way.


Second, I discovered a curated database of 300+ learning sites when reading a special section on learning in the New York Times. Sophia Joffe was an 11th grade student when she started this base. I perused some of the links. It is astounding. You’ll find learning tools like the civics curriculum founded by Sandra Day O’Connor, and science with 360 degree videos like stepping into Orion Nebula to arts at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France, and more common resources like Khan Academy. It is best to browse the database on a desktop or laptop. The website is at https://elearn.fyi/


Third, please prepare for your parent-teacher conference by writing down questions for your child’s classroom teacher. The conferences will be on October 28 and 29. Those are non-student days. A strong relationship between school and home is especially important during this time of a global pandemic and Comprehensive Distance Learning


And finally, in the spirit of Halloween, I would like to close with an original limerick, written by my wife Judy Sierra. She has numerous children’s book titles to her credit. Recently she opened some files of her unpublished poetry to me. Here’s one Monster Limerick:


Vincenzo, the venomous vole,

Used to lurk in a very dark hole.

Then he tunneled, for fun,

In a hamburger bun,

And was eaten for lunch by a troll


That’s my message for today. Remember to eat well, practice good hygiene, and stay in contact.


Sincerely,

Bob Kaminski

Principal



Principal's Tea!


Chat with Bob Kaminski about upcoming news, how children are doing with their learning and get to know the community at the school! Tuesday October 20th, 6:30pm



 

Parent Council


Parent Council will be having our second meeting of the school year on Wednesday, November 18. Please send questions and ideas about the current school year and how we can support our school community to parentcouncil@eugenevillageschool.org.


Zoom link:


The notes from our last meeting can be found here.

Our focus for the November 18 meeting will be 3 points:


1. How to build community and engagement through CDL time.

2. The mental health of our middle schoolers.

3. Examining the needs of the elementary grades.


Every Village School parent and guardian is a part of Parent Council - you do not have to be a class representative to attend meetings or to contribute ideas. Every parent is invited to Parent Council meetings when they occur. We hope you will soon be able to come meet with other caring and committed parents who want to share ideas, build our school community, and contribute to the vitality, growth, and evolution of OUR VILLAGE SCHOOL!

Engage with us on Facebook!

The Village Vine is a collective community forum for the Parent Council which includes all families of the Village School. This is a place for sharing information regarding our school and respectful discussion in support of our children and in support of each other as parents. This is a space to connect and build OUR VILLAGE community. There are some new and adjusted guidelines that will be posted in the group so be sure to make sure to check those out! Please feel welcome to post and share in that spirit. Click the link to be added to our group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevillagevine



1# Help Wanted: Administrator for Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine


Village School Parent Council is seeking a person that can impartially manage the Village Vine Facebook page. This person needs to be able to communicate clearly with the moderator and all users of the Facebook page so as to ensure posts and comments adhere to the guidelines and values of the page. During this time of Comprehensive Distance Learning, a skilled Administrator is needed more than ever to sustain and perpetuate the goals of the Parent Council and our school community.


Please submit an email message of interest to the Parent Council, parentcouncil@eugenevillageschool.org and me at bkaminski@eugenevillageschool.org


#2 Help Wanted: Moderator for Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine


Village School Parent Council is seeking a person(s) to serve as an impartial moderator of the Village Vine, Parent Council’s Facebook page. This person must be able to use the Village Vine guidelines as they approve or deny membership requests and postings to the group. They will also have the responsibility of removing and blocking people from the group. This is an excellent opportunity to volunteer for the school and to assist in building and maintaining a vibrant school community.


Please submit an email message of interest to the Parent Council, parentcouncil@eugenevillageschool.org and me at bkaminski@eugenevillageschool.org


 

Village School Kitchen News


And the winner is . . . .


Last week we sent five different heirloom apples home to each student. Cox's Orange Pippin, Northern Spy, Calville Blanc, King David and Mutsu. Many children and their parents participated in our Apple Taste Off, sending in their notes and some fun photos.  Thank you to everyone that participated!  Every variety had at least one person choose it as their favorite.  Some participants were quite descriptive in their tasting descriptions and passionate about the varieties they liked and didn't like.  The apple with the most votes was the Mutsu. One participant described it as having an "unparalleled rich sweet flavor." Another described it as "way too sweet."


The apples inspired one family to bake a pie!  



Second grade student, Riley, pulled out some watercolors and painted the apples! 


"Thank you from our family for the wonderful food. I appreciate you taking the time to put together these healthy bags along with recipes. We have truly enjoyed it, and the apples inspired some art I wanted to share. Riley, our second grader, had a great time learning, painting, and tasting :)" - Hannah Griffin

Thank you for participating!  If you have any photos you took related to our Apple Taste Off that you haven't sent it, please still do so.  I will be sending a thank you to Heirloom Orchards and Organically Grown Company and would like to include as many pictures as possible.  Recently our sales rep at OGC shared the following with me: 

"I am so excited to work on this with you! I feel the same passion for produce and knowing this is being passed to 304 children – wow! We should plan on doing this again during citrus season!! Let’s talk in Jan and set this up for Feb.

(Pre-pandemic) one of the fun parts of my job is being one of those people who stand around in grocery stores peer-pressuring folks to try new produce items. I absolutely LOVE getting people to try new produce and I especially love the taste-test / comparison aspect of it!"

Here is to furthering positive food connections in our families, our school and greater community,


Toña Aguilar The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285 c - 541-510-8604 taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org



 

Edutopia: Resilience and Grit


When the situation feels out of control, a short stroll can soothe jangled nerves and gently bring the thinking brain back online. Check out this Edutopia link about using walks to calm the nervous system and do a "rapid reset" and help kids (and parents) get their brains back on track. Don't miss the other resources that are available on that site!


 

Free and Reduced Lunch


Please Check and See If You Qualify!

The new free and reduced lunch income requirements have been significantly expanded so please apply, even if you think you may not qualify!

If you have not yet done so, take a moment to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application, and turn it into the office. Extra copies are available in the office.

Part of our school’s Title I funding is based on the number of qualified households we have, so it is crucial that everyone see if they qualify.

If you received a direct certification letter from the school district that lists your student(s) eligibility, please turn that into the office instead of the free and reduced lunch application.

Contact Tristin in the office for details at office@eugenvillageschool.org




 

Free Comcast Internet Essentials - RULE CHANGE


The Village School is partnering with Comcast to provide 6 months of free Internet Essentials services to Village School families that

  • qualify for free and reduced lunches under federal guidelines,

  • live in an area served by Comcast

Previously, you could not be an existing Comcast/Xfinity customer, but this condition has been lifted.


Please contact support@eugenevillageschool.org for more information.


Another resource that might be helpful to families is free cell phone service (for those who qualify). It is called Lifeline phone service through Assurance Wireless. Those who qualify will receive a free Android smartphone that can text, access the internet, etc. There is no charge for the phone or service. https://www.assurancewireless.com/lifeline-services/states/oregon-lifeline-free-government-phone-service

 

Title I Reading and Math Services, 2020-2021


Every fall, winter and spring our Title I staff and teachers are required to administer 4j’s Easy CBM reading and math assessments to each of our students. If a student scores below the 30th percentile, she/he may be recommended by our team to receive instructional interventions in reading and/or math, with his/her progress monitored. If we feel that it is in your child’s best interests to receive additional reading or math instruction, we (classroom teacher or one of the Title I Coordinators) will notify you.


 

Supply Contribution Forms

Be sure to get your supply contributions to Tristin soon! This contribution covers art supplies and other class needs that every student enjoys. If you are able to contribute more than the suggested $80 amount it will go a long way toward providing supplies for all Village School children.


Supply Contribution Form. You also can make your contribution online here


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