Upcoming Events
Tuesday, December 12th, 9:30 - 12:00pm, 1st Grade Field Trip to the Eugene Public Library
Tuesday, December 12th, 6pm, Parent Council Meeting in the Library (For those who would like to join virtually, here is the Zoom link)
Tuesday, December 12th, 7pm, 8th Grade Play
Wednesday, December 13th, 9am, 8th Grade Play
Friday, December 15th - Tuesday January 2nd, Winter Break
Quick Links
In the interest of reducing the sheer length of the Village Voice, we have replaced several repeating items with links to shortcuts:
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!
What an awesome Winter Concert! We are so impressed with the work that the students did (and continue to do) with their music teachers, showcased with such zeal at the concert last week. What a way to kick off the last stretch before the winter break! Thank you to everyone who volunteered time to make the concert happen, and a special thank you to Chrissy Barry for coordinating volunteers, and to our music teachers Brett Jacobs, Chris Halaska, and Jennifer Sellers for putting in the extra time to make sure the performances went off without a hitch! We also launched our annual giving campaign (see more below!).
This week we are looking forward to another performance arts masterpiece with the 8th grade play, their last ever play performance as Village School students! Their performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream will be Tuesday night at 7pm and Wednesday morning at 9am. Come check it out, it’s bound to be awesome.
Quick historical note: This day fifty-one years ago, December 11th, 1972, was the last time a human walked on the moon! NASA has plans to send people back soon, possibly as early as 2025. There are even plans to make a permanently inhabited lunar space station! This station could have a number of uses, including a research lab, a gas station for deep space missions, an “off world economy” luxury vacation spot, and a rest stop on the way to Mars. The trip to the moon takes about three days to make, and is VERY expensive, which is what has stopped us from returning for this long.
We hope you have lots of relaxing plans for the upcoming winter break!
Sincerely,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Winter Concert Photos and Videos
The Winter Concert was a smashing success! It was great to see the students show off all of their hard work with beautiful performaces. A small but mighty class of first graders started off the show, and the 8th grade guitar and marimba classes put on a showstopper of a performance to close out the night!
Here is a link to the Winter Concert videos.
Many many thanks to our wonderful volunteers who helped the night go so smoothly from set up to clean up to everything in between.
Take a look at the slideshow below:
Annual Giving Campaign
We launched our annual giving campaign at the Winter Concert with goal of installing a new pyramid climber on our playground. Student interest is very strong. The morning after the concert, students in the office were asking us "Have you raised the money yet to buy the climber?" We hope to raise $20,000 for this campaign and are making progress. The Village School and Village School Foundation will help fund any costs that go beyond this level. You can donate by card without fees or by check. We hope you will join us in bringing more excitement and fun for students on the playground.
Importance of 100% Participation: Unlike regular district schools, The Village School receives no dedicated funding for facilities improvements. With the expenditure of the last pandemic funds, we will be relying more on local grants & donations for facilities improvements. If everyone contributes, regardless of amount, this helps grantors know that our school is appreciated by our community and thus worthy of their grants.
More work on the playground: Please note that several other improvements to the playground are also anticipated in the near future including expansion and upgrades to the asphalt playing area, a ramp allowing ADA access to the playground, climbing features by the sand play area, a dry creek bed, and more. If you would like to know more about or help support any of these improvements, please let us know.
Congrats to the Raffle Winners!
Congratulations to all the winners of the handwork raffle!
Thank you so much for your contributions to the Handwork program. The $420 raised will help us be able to afford better quality materials and tools for our students to use.
The Handwork team.
Lost & Found
Please stop by the Lost & Found in the breezeway in front of the office to claim lost clothing items. We will be donating anything that is not picked up by Thursday afternoon. Thank you!
6th Grade Fundraiser
Please see below to see how you can support the 6th grade fundraiser! Click the poster or this link to sign up for the Christmas Tree pick up.
After School Enrichment Signups
The Village School
After School Enrichment Program
Winter Session 2024 (January 8 - March 15)
Dear Village School Families,
We are pleased to announce that the Village School will be offering the second 10 week session of complimentary after-school enrichment classes beginning the week of January 8 through March 15 for grades 1 - 8. Class size is limited, and fill up quickly, so please fill out the registration form as soon as possible to ensure a position. Registration forms are due no later than January 3. If your child was placed on a waitlist last session you will still need to fill out a registration form as soon as possible and no later than January 3. Please click the following link and fill out one form for each Village School child in your family that is interested in attending the After School Enrichment Program.
REGISTRATION LINK:
Please contact Rachel Burk-Bayer bayer@eugenevillageschool.org if you have any questions, or are unable to access the form on-line.
Enrichment classes offered: (Note that some times and grade levels may have changed from previous sessions.)
Ceramics / Donica Beath-Bigongiari - Grade 2, held Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00, limit 10; Grades 3-4, held Wednesdays, 3:05-4:30, limit 10; Grades 5-8, held Thursdays, 3:05-4:30, limit 12. Select one day that applies to your child’s grade. (Spanish Room) No Ceramics classes held February 13-22. In the Ceramics class students will explore hand building techniques such as pinch, coil, and slab; as well as using wooden, plaster, or paper moulds, and Sgraffito. Students will have the opportunity to make pots, cups, tiles, shakers, monsters, and sculpture.
Bookbinding & Printmaking / Frédérique Château - Grades 5 - 8, Wednesdays, 3:15- 4:45 (6th grade class), limit 8. Get ready to make fabulous one-of-a-kind prints and showcase them into your own handmade books! This creative class will introduce students to several forms of printmaking, including carving and reduction techniques for block printing, stamping using found objects and recyclables, cyanotype and botanical printing. Using traditional bookbinding techniques, the students will then design and stitch their own journal and make an accordion fold book to showcase their prints. Each class will offer a journey for the artists to experiment with new techniques and materials, explore the various elements of art and composition, and cultivate their artistic expression.
Art - Seeing, Feeling and Reimagining / Frédérique Château - Grades 1 & 2, Thursdays 3:15- 4:45 (6th grade class), limit 10. This class offers a journey for students to cultivate their unique artistic expression through new ways of seeing and expressing the world around them. The young artists will explore the building blocks of art (shapes, lines, colors, values and textures) and a variety of techniques using different art mediums such as paint, pastels, pencils and paper collage. The beginning of class will include a quick art history introduction of a famous artist or art movement and their work. We will also have a chance to explore seasonal themes as a source of inspiration. Art can get messy and students are encouraged to dress appropriately.
Painting / Frédérique Château - Grades 6 - 8, Mondays, 3:15-4:45 (6th grade classroom), limit 8. This is a 5-week class - last class on 2/12 (no class on 1/15). Each student will create one medium-size painting of their own design. After discussing their proposal and basic ideas during the first class, the young artists will work on their paintings for the remaining four weeks. Students will explore composition, color mixing and various painting techniques using acrylic paints on a canvas panel. They will have the opportunity to apply their own vision to create a very personal artwork.
Cooking / Toña Aguilar - Grades 5 & 6 , Tuesdays, 3:15-4:45 (Village School Kitchen) Limit of 8. Students will learn/review basic kitchen skills while preparing a different savory or sweet baked good each week. Taste testing will be encouraged! Students will take home a recipe book at the end of the session.
Machine Sewing / Sarah Lewenberg - Grades 5 - 8, Mondays, 3 - 4:30, (Spanish room) Limit of 10. We will be using sewing machines to create projects like pillows, bags, and pajama shorts. All materials will be supplied.
The Chorus for Us Singing Club / Katie Sontag - Grades 1 - 3, Wednesday, 3 - 4 (Marimba/Choir Room), limit 12 Come enjoy the fun of singing together and playing musical games! We will sing our names to each other, play freeze dance, and enjoy songs with and without movement. We’ll sing songs we already know and songs we learn together. We may even write a song! Our time together will culminate in a short performance at the end of the 10 week session. Let’s create, sing, dance and experience our voices together!
Kitchen News
Today we had a special guest for lunch from the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition. Patrick Newsom works to connect local farms to school food programs. Local purchasing ensures that our regional food system is more secure, sustainable and inclusive. This week we are proudly serving produce from Groundworks, Upriver, Wintergreen, King Estate and Mt. Hood Farms.
Tomorrow we are partnering with Nourish to serve freshly made ramen bowls for lunch. Nourish’s goal is to support the Eugene community by preparing foods that are well-sourced (organic as much as possible, local, fresh). They believe that food plays an important role in our lives, and everyone deserves access to fresh foods curated with care and imagination. When meeting with the owner, Jon Bertolone, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that two former Village School students work at Nourish. This special meal is made possible thanks to grant funding from Farm to School.
We hope you all have many opportunities to be nourished during the upcoming Winter Break. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Best wishes,
Toña Aguilar
6th Grade Poetry
The 6th graders have been studying spoken word poetry, literary devices, and the power of sharing words!
Gay Rights, by Max Ashley
In a world where love should know no bounds,
Where acceptance and equality resound,
Let us stand together, hand in hand
For the rights of all, across the land.
Love is love, no matter who we choose,
Our hearts, our souls, we will not lose,
For LGBTQ+ rights, we fight with pride,
To break down prejudice, side by side.
Let our voice echo, loud and clear,
For those who still face judgment and fear.
We strive for a world where all are free,
To love, to marry, to truly be.
No more discrimination, no more hate.
We rise above, united, undeterred by fate.
For gay rights, we’ll continue to strive,
Until every person can live and love, fully alive.
We will fight to save our home, by Opal Stocki
We will fight to save our home.
This big blue dot in the sky,
Dancing around the stars,
One big house, keeping us warm,
But ice glaciers are melting with temperatures rising,up,up,up,
Instead of relying we should be replying,
Replying to the trees,
Replying to the bees,
Replying to the kids on their hands and knees, praying.
Instead factories brush it off with greed,
They don’t care about the trees,
They don’t care about the oceans rising.
But if we don't start now, how will it stop,
To give our kids the future we want.
I will fight to save this home,
This big blue dot, filled with oceans and trees,
That's why I'm hoping we'll save this community.
Christmas Eve, by Reed Patterson
I’m cozy in bed, the sheets pulled to my head, winter is here to stay.
The warm dancing glow of fire keeps the coldness away.
Christmas songs, soft and slow, play quietly on the radio.
Snap! Pop! Crackle!
These soothing noises of the fire, mix with music of the choir.
On the window flakes of frost leave feathered patterns, crissed and crossed.
Tiny specks of colored light are nestled in the tree tonight.
My dog hops up on the bed. The fire’s made his tummy hot. He’s here to warm whatever’s not. The two of us are calm and snug, I give my pal a gentle hug.
Tomorrow is what I’m waiting for, but I can wait a little more.
4th Grade Field Trip
This past week, the 4th graders took a field trip to Alton Baker Park.
4th Grade Parent and Volunteer, Sarah filled us in on this wonderful field trip:
What a treat to accompany the 4th grade class to Alton Baker for the release of their salmon. This trip marked the culmination of weeks of studying, observing and writing about the life cycle of these creatures, and the impact of this work was evident throughout our morning.
Once at the park, the class gathered in a circle under a large, mossy tree, and Mr. Matthew invited each student to take a moment to read a poem or short passage they had written to the salmon, words of gratitude and appreciation to send them with as they began their journey onward.
As the rain steadily fell, each child was then offered multiple opportunities to transport one salmon at a time from a communal bucket to the river. I watched children walking mindfully with small cups, being sure not to jostle the salmon swimming inside, referencing them by name, and navigating around peers, soggy branches and leaves before gently releasing each one into the rolling river. I overheard encouraging words for safe adventures and hopeful wishes that the salmon might one day make their return to Eugene.
I am certain this experience, of being curious learners and steadfast caretakers while working together toward a common goal, will be one they look back on as a highlight of their Village School days.
4th grader Eown shared a beautiful poem:
Parent Council
The next Parent Council Meeting will be on December 12th at 6:00pm! We will be meeting in the Village School Library. For those who would like to join us from home, here is the Zoom link
Please join us and send questions and ideas to parentcouncil@eugenevillageschool.org.
The notes from past meetings can be found here (updated).
Every Village School parent and guardian is a part of Parent Council - Parent Council Meetings are open to all parents and guardians on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
Volunteering
Please reach out to chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org with any questions about volunteering! We ask families to contribute 40 hours of volunteer hours per year, and single parent households to contribute 20 hours. If you would like to know how many volunteer hours you have accumulated this year, please let Chrissy know. There are many events coming up, as well as classroom and kitchen opportunities that can help to meet these hours.
Another way to contribute to our school community is by attending Parent Council Meetings! We will be holding our next meeting on Tuesday, December 12th at 6pm in the Village School Library. If you would like to attend virtually, here is the Zoom link
*Please make sure to sign in, grab a volunteer badge, and sign out at the office when you volunteer.
Village School Lunch Diaries
Some beautiful Village School Kitchen meals from this past week.
Help Wanted
Substitute Teacher & Substitute Educational Assistant
Duties: Serve as substitute teacher or substitute classroom assistant.
Qualifications: Experience working with groups of children. Knowledge of Waldorf curriculum a plus.
Teachers require Valid Oregon Teaching License:
[Main lesson (K-8), Movement/PE, Spanish, Music, Handwork]
Instructional Assistant (BA and fingerprint background check required) Willingness to get CPR training Background check required Complete Covid vaccination records Salary Range: $26 per hour for Teachers, $18 - $20 per hour for Assistants
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Benefits include our healthy lunch service, PERS coverage.
Community Bulletin Board
Ophelia's Place has just released its Winter Calendar, packed with engaging and empowering activities. See below or visit https://www.opheliasplace.net
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