Upcoming Events
Tuesday, May 16th, 5:30pm, Board Meeting - Library
Wednesday, May 17th, 5:30pm, 8th Grade Mentorship Evening
Friday, May 19th, Volunteer Appreciation Day
Monday, May 22nd, 7:00pm, 7th Grade Play
Tuesday, May 23rd - Wednesday, May 24th, 6th Grade Camping Trip
Thursday, May 25th - Friday, May 26th, 7th Grade Ashland Trip
Monday, May 29th, No School
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!
WOW! Thank you so much for all the lovely appreciations last week! From flowers to special notes and artwork to delicious food and decorations, we felt the love!
We hope that you had a great three day weekend, soaking up the sun. This time of year always brings to mind the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost, which begins with the lines “Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour.” The flowers are all blooming and the sun is blazing down, but we still have little pockets during the weeks when the heat subsides and the rain drops fall, bringing life to our gardens and forests. Sometime soon the chartreuse will turn to umber and we will wonder that we once had to wear jackets and beanies to stay warm.
Thursday was the last of our four community meetings with Dion C Jordan and the topic was “Moving from the Woke Stage to the Work Stage.” We appreciated that he emphasized the ongoing nature of this work, and we are pledged to continue turning over stones in our own thinking so that we can be the change we want to see in the world. Thank you to all the families and faculty who came together to dig into this challenging and rewarding work! We see you and we appreciate you.
On that note of appreciation, there will be an offering to thank our community volunteers this Friday! There will be more details later in this issue of the Village Voice, read on to find out more.
Thanks for such a fantastic community!
Sincerely,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Volunteer Appreciation Day
To our wonderful volunteers,
We'd like to thank you for all of your tireless work this year in the classrooms, on field trips, morning walks, cooking classes, school events, in the Village Kitchen, and as classroom coordinators. We appreciate beyond words your dedication to the Village School. We could not do what we do without you! Thank you so much!
On Friday, May 19th at 8:30am, we will have a volunteer appreciation table in the courtyard behind the office. Please stop by for some pastries and coffee/tea!
Greek Games
Last Saturday the 5th grade was invited to join other 5th grade classes in Corvallis for the annual Olympiad. The study of Ancient Greek history (in Waldorf and Waldorf inspired schools) culminates with a recreation of a Greek mini-olympics. Students are placed into different city-states (with mixed groups from other schools) rather than each school competing against each other Our students were asked to write "pre" and "post" Greek Games essays. The following is from Gwendelyn France:
"The Greek Games were indeed a fun and great experience. It was nice to enjoy all the new faces while we were there. I really appreciate all the work that went into it and all the lovely people I met along the way. My favorite part was at the end when we Spartans won the relay race. I felt very accomplished and happy, in that moment. I am very glad I got put into Sparta with the people I did. I am also very excited for the Global Games next year, as well."
Thank you for helping and committing to all the things that helped put this event together-it was amazing!
Staff Appreciation Week
The Village School staff was treated to a delicious breakfast spread last week by our wonderful Village School families. It was such a fantastic way to start the day. Thank you for spoiling us! We loved all of the flowers and sweet messages from you all. We're so grateful for this beautiful community!
Printmaking Enrichment Classes
Last week, students started working on block carving and printing in the ASEP printmaking class. The 1st and 2nd grade ASEP art class made marbled paper using the Suminagashi technique. Both groups really enjoyed the process and results.
Frédérique
Volunteering!
Village School families are asked to contribute and record at least 40 hours of volunteer work at the school each year, and single parent households are asked to contribute 20 hours. It is this support that allows us to offer such strong programs with limited financial resources. We also welcome grandparents and other relatives to volunteer in your place!
Be sure to watch your email, the Village Voice and the Village Vine for messages from Parent Council, your class coordinator, your child's teacher and the Village School Kitchen, to see the volunteer needs that are coming up for you to enjoy.
If you haven't filled out your volunteer paperwork yet, please stop by the office to pick up a packet.
Another way to contribute to our school community is by attending Parent Council Meetings! Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 6th at 5:30 PM. We are still holding these meetings by Zoom so they are easy to attend (even while making dinner or folding laundry) and every parent and guardian's voice is valued in decisions about what Parent Council funds are used for, events that are held and collaborations with departments and teachers at the Village School!
We adore our volunteers! Village School would not be what it is without you. Thank you so much for making Village School the incredible community it is!
Don't forget to sign in to HelpCounter and report your hours so we can see the amazing contributions from our Village School Families. If you
Health Reminders
Please take a look at the poster below to see what our current policies are. Thank you.
Village Kitchen
We are celebrating our fabulous volunteers this entire week in the school kitchen with gifts and sweet treats. Thank you to these generous, fun folks who make the magic happen every single week:
Lindsay, Karlie, Cindy, Shane, Negar, Rachel, Monica, Samantha, Michael, Jennifer, Eve, Rob, Melissa, Ryan, Paul, Kate, Sheldon, Oliver, Sara, Jocelyn, Justin, Conor and Jessica. We are also grateful for the parents who fill in on occasion when subs are needed!
The 4th grade food waste project is showing amazing results. When milk waste was recorded a few Mondays ago, we had 14 cups of milk. Today we measured again and only had 1 1/2 cups of milk discarded by students!!! Thank you for the education and inspiration 4th grade.
Today we had soft tacos and quinoa for lunch along with salad greens, kale cabbage slaw, avocado, watermelon radish, cucumber, red bell pepper and mandarins on the salad bar. Second grade student, Olivia, was proud to show that she ate all of her lunch.
Stay cool,
Toña Aguilar
May Menus
May Breakfast and Lunch Menus are now available to view below! You are also welcome to pick up a paper copy in the office.
Please join us at the next Parent Council Meeting!
The next Parent Council Meeting will be on Tuesday, June 6th at 5:30pm!
Please join us and send questions and ideas to parentcouncil@eugenevillageschool.org.
The notes from past meetings can be found here.
Every Village School parent and guardian is a part of Parent Council - The Virtual Parent Council Meetings are open to all parents and guardians on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
Village School Lunch Diaries
The Village School pad thai is so yummy, especially loaded with cilantro and green onions and hot sauce!
Perfect focaccia pizza!
Scenes from our beautiful Commons at lunch time.
Community Bulletin Board
Wildling Collaborative Arts
Wildling Collaborative Arts is a new local artist collective focused on creating a creative and healing space for the community and was founded by 5 women, three of which are parents of Village kiddos! We are excited to let the Village community know that we at Wildling Collaborative Arts are currently offering Kid & Parent Clay Classes, among many other clay, sewing, and leatherwork classes. We are also offering a Mother's Day event on May 13th, 11am-3pm, at 250 Taylor where kids and adults can come to make gifts for (and even with) moms & caregivers. For more information or to sign up for classes, you can check out our website WildlingCollaborativeArts.com or follow us on IG (wildlingcollaborativearts) for announcements. We hope to see you there!
Ophelia's Place
Ophelia’s Place is a prevention-based nonprofit, serving girls ages 10-18 in Lane and Linn Counties. Their spring calendar of events and activities for youth and parents can be found on their website: https://www.opheliasplace.net/activities-workshops
WordCrafters
See upcoming Workshops and Reading groups from WordCrafters. Wordcrafters provides writers and readers opportunities to strengthen their craft, deepen their connection with literature, and share their knowledge with each other and with future generations.
wow!! 😍