Upcoming Events
Wednesday, September 4th, First Day of School! 11:45am release (No lunch service)
Wednesday, September 4th, New Parent Orientation, 8:45am - 10:00am
Friday, September 6th, 9:00am, Rose Ceremony
Monday, September 16th, 6:00pm, Parent Council Meeting in the Library
Wednesday, September 18th, Back to School Parent Night for K, 1, 6, 7, 8 Grades
Wednesday, September 25th, Back to School Parent Night for 2, 3, 4, 5 Grades
Thursday, October 3rd, Picture Day
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!
We are so excited to see you tomorrow! We hope you all have enjoyed a healthy dose of sun, fun, and rest this summer and you’re ready to get down to business.
Campus is bound to be a little chaotic on the first days of school, with students finding new classrooms and teachers, rusty pick up/drop off skills, and construction still going on in the courtyard. Please drive slowly and give yourself extra time during drop off and pick up times.
We’d like to take a moment to point out our many staffing changes for this year, in case you missed the message in our letter home! Angelique Brennan moved from the VS kitchen into the role of registrar (Say hi to her in the office), Sarah Lewenberg has moved from Spanish teacher to Reading Assistant, and Katy Williams has moved from Reading Assistant to middle school math tutor. Jennifer Rhee and Max Ritzow have accepted positions as Title I education assistants, and we’re thrilled that Jaime Sutton will be joining our MLT staff as our new first grade teacher. We also hired Carrie Reilly as our Spanish teacher, and Arielle Dorn will be our music education teacher for grades 2-5. Jim Elwell will be taking over for Matthew Rutman as a long term guest teacher in the 5th grade, as Matthew helps his mom and sister work through some health issues. Rachael Wade and Danielle Kimball-Smith have joined our kitchen staff.
Take a minute to check out all the amazing work that was done at our school this summer! New flooring in both the lower wings, completion of the annual giving campaign climbing pyramid on the playground, new sod installation on the soccer field, further work on completing the beautiful courtyard, and we’re sure you will notice the new fencing and gates as you drop off.
Please take note and mark your calendars with the important information below:
All classes begin at 8:25am SHARP!
Regular dismissal is:
2:50 for grades K-3
3:00 for grades 4-8
Morning drop off expectations:
We expect parents of children in grades K-3 to remain with their child until the teacher opens their classroom door, which will be no later than 8:20.
Parents are welcome to join their child in the commons for breakfast, and walk their child to class afterward.
We are willing to make accommodations for families who need to leave campus prior to 8:20. Please reach out to us with your requests and questions.
Pick up policy:
Starting at 2:50pm, all children grade five and lower must be accompanied by a parent or guardian WITHIN ~25 FEET of the child. Any students grades five and below not accompanied by a parent or guardian will be directed to the after care program.
All students (except those in aftercare) should be off campus by 3:15pm, unless otherwise directed by staff.
September 4 -- First Day of School is a ~ HALF DAY, with dismissal at 11:45 for all.
• Breakfast service begins at 8am every day, including the first day of school. See the letter from Toña for more information on our breakfast and lunch program.
• If you are new to the Village School please plan to attend our New Parent Orientation 8:45-10:00 in the Commons, on the first day of school.
September 18 and 25 - Back to School Parent Evenings, 5:30-7
These meetings will be led by your child’s class teacher and held in the classroom. They will be full of important information! We understand that many of you have children in multiple grades. If you are unable to attend a meeting please let your teacher know so that they can provide handouts and notes for you.
September 18 meetings for grades K,1,6,7,8
September 25 meetings for grades 2,3,4,5
We look forward to greeting the children the first day and every day at The Village School!
~Shannon Powell and Roz Romatz, your VS principals
spowell@eugenevillageschool.org, roz@eugenevillageschool.org, or reach us both at principal@eugenevillageschool.org
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
The Village Voice
Welcome to another school year! If you are new here, the Village Voice is the weekly newsletter that is put together by the office staff. You can expect to see it in your email inbox each Wednesday.
Here you will find a highlighted section on upcoming events, quick links to easily access information, updates from the office, kitchen, teachers, and other staff, as well as pictures of all of the exciting things that are happening at the school! Please give it a read weekly, to keep up with what's new at Village School.
2024 - 25 Electronic Device Policy
Teaching students to use technology safely and appropriately continues to be part of everyday learning; however, cell phones have proven to be a distraction in the classroom and detrimental to the learning environment. We are actively working to maintain the physical and mental health of our students, which has led to the re-evaluation of our cell phone policy. Given current research and data, we believe that removing the phone from the student’s physical presence is best practice. Students may freely use/access their phones before and after school. Our middle school students are assigned a computer each year, therefore, there is little need for additional personal devices.
Village School students grades three through eight will be required to place their phones in a locked box that will be stored safely by their home room teacher. An exception will be made for students who use a cell phone for medical needs. Teachers will return phones at the end of the school day. If a student needs to use their phone for legitimate reasons, they can ask their teacher to unlock it for them. However, students who need to call their parents will generally be referred to the office or a classroom phone for this purpose. Cell phones are not allowed for students in grades k-2, unless as a part of a medical plan.
We are hoping that this new procedure will reduce instances of inappropriate use of phones during transition times, reduce anxiety in students who don’t have cell phones or specific apps that other students have, reduce distractions, and increase community connectedness during the school day. Here is a link to a 500 student survey that found significant correlations between high cell phone use, anxiety, and lower grades.
IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT YOUR STUDENT DURING THE DAY FOR AN EMERGENCY OR FOR TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, CONTACT THE OFFICE AND WE WILL GET A MESSAGE TO THEM.
**Students who do not lock up their cell phones at the beginning of the day and are found to be in possession of their device will be required to lock it up and the class teacher will check in with a parent or guardian. The second instance, the device will be held in the office and a parent/guardian will be required to pick it up.
Headphones/AirPods
All electronic headphones are prohibited during the school day unless the student has a medical exemption, or when directed by a teacher.
Village Kitchen
Welcome Back Friends!
Today we received our first delivery from Camas Swale Farm - heirloom tomatoes and salad mix which we will be serving with lunch on Thursday alongside cucumbers from Lisa's Market Garden and corn from Me and Moore Farm. Yum!
Breakfasts and lunches are free for all students this year.
For the first few weeks of school we are going to have breakfast bags to-go available in the upper part of the courtyard before school. Please swing by to say hi and pick up a freshly baked item and fruit.
We are in need of volunteers to help with lunch prep and lunch service M - F. Come check out what folks love about our kitchen, and get to know the school community better as you chop vegetables, fold napkins or dish up delicious and nutritious food once a week.
Please email Toña at: taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org to get more information about volunteering or if you have any questions about our food service program.
Campus Cleanup
Thank you so much to all the parent volunteers who came to spiff up the campus after a long summer break. You tended the school grounds with such care, and we are so appreciative of your help!
Important Library News
Hello Families! I'm excited for my ninth year at The Village School. Library book checkout is happening soon, so please be aware of these important library policies:
-Be aware of your child's library day, and encourage them to take care of their books at home and return them on time. If books are lost or damaged, we ask that you pay the cost of replacement if you are able.
-Book checkout limits are as follows: 1st grade- one book; 2nd-5th grade- two books, 6th-8th grade- 3 books. Books are due after two weeks.
-Our library has a wide range of books that appeal to many ages and interests, including picture books, graphic novels, nonfiction, and chapter books. Student choice in book selection is honored with the understanding that parents reserve the final decision on what their child is reading. Our library has a selection of young adult books that are open to checkout for grades 5-8 or with parent permission. These are books that would be in the teen section of the Eugene Public Library and may have more mature language and themes, such as romance and violence. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns about book choice.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or if you would like to help in the library.
Molly Bautista, VS Librarian
Drop off and pick up at the Village School
*We require students in grades K-3 to be walked to their classroom door by a parent or guardian. Parking is available on 35th Ave, Glen Oak Dr, Knob Hill Ln, and Donald St.
We ask that all parents sign in at the office when coming onto campus once school is in session. If you must pick your child up early, please sign them out at the office, and take an early release pass to hand to their teacher.
If you’d like to drop off your 4th-8th grade student please follow these guidelines:
1. Approach the school from Donald Street. This reduces two way traffic on 35th Ave.
2. Use Drop-Off zone for Drop off only. (At the curb near the stairs leading to the school)
3. Always park in the correct direction and on the correct side of the street.
4. Do not park on the wrong side of the street. Do not stop cars in the middle of the street.
5. Have children exit on Curb side of car, not the street side.
6. Please say your “goodbyes” before you stop, and avoid lingering.
Thank you for helping keep our students safe!
If you are planning on walking or biking to school, here is a handy map for that:
Operation School Bell
The Assistance League of Eugene supports a program of student assistance called Operation School Bell. This program supports families who are experiencing financial hardship to shop at Fred Meyer for up to $130 on school clothes or shoes for their children.
This year the Village School has 12 spots available. If you would like your child to be included in Operation School Bell this fall please complete The Village School Parent/Guardian Request form .
The form needs to be filled out and submitted by Monday, September 16th. Since spots are limited, if we have more than 12 people apply we will run a lottery and notify you if you receive a shopping spot or not.
Volunteering at the Village School
Welcome to a fresh new school year! 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 take part in. We ask families to contribute 40 hours of volunteer hours per year, and single parent households to contribute 20 hours.
One of the ways to contribute to our school community is by attending Parent Council Meetings! Stay tuned for our first meeting date. 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!
*Please make sure to sign in, grab a volunteer badge, and sign out at the office when you volunteer
Please reach out to chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org with any questions about volunteering!
541-345-7285
August and September Birthdays
September Menus
Lost & Found
Gone are the days of railings heaped in jackets! Check out our brand new wardrobe in the breezeway next to the office, where we will be storing lost items.
Health Reminders
Village School Lunch Diaries
Village School Staff were welcomed back with some gorgeous breakfasts and lunches. Here is one of the amazing lunches we got to enjoy, and a preview of the kind of fresh, beautiful food the entire school community gets to have each day.
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