Upcoming Events
Thursday, February 13th, 7:00pm, Heart of the Village Meeting
Monday, February 17th, No School, President's Day
Tuesday, February 18th, PC Coffee/Tea & Heart of the Village Signups
Tuesday, February 18th, 5:30pm, Board Meeting
Wednesday, February 19th, 4th Grade Play
Thursday, February 20th, 1st Grade Field Trip to the Library
Friday, February 21st, Grandfriends Day
Saturday, February 22nd, Heart of the Village Festival
Friday, February 28th, Middle School Dance
Quick Links
In the interest of reducing the sheer length of the Village Voice, we have replaced several repeating items with links to shortcuts:
Village Vine This is the Village School Facebook Community.
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!
We have just over a week before Grandfriends Day and Heart of the Village! These two events in tandem are community favorites due in part to the games, cake raffles, good food, friends and family, art, and musical performances. It’s always so awesome to see so many folks of all ages engaging in these events! There are still some volunteer opportunities available if you want to roll up your sleeves, see below for more information.
A quick reminder for folks picking up and dropping off students at school, for safety and sanity:
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.
If you’d like to drop off your 4th-8th grade student please follow these guidelines:
Approach the school from Donald Street. This reduces two way traffic on 35th Ave.
Use Drop-Off zone for Drop off only. (At the curb near the stairs leading to the school)
Always park in the correct direction and on the correct side of the street.
Do not park on the wrong side of the street. Do not stop cars in the middle of the street.
Have children exit on Curb side of car, not the street side
Please say your “goodbyes” before you stop and avoid lingering
After School 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 in 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.
A little historical factoid for the week, from Foyle’s Philavery, to reward/entertain those who read this message all the way to the end: In the 16th century people played Flap-Dragon, a game in which they grabbed raisins floating in flaming brandy and swallowed them whole. While we find the name of the game quite entertaining, we don’t recommend trying it at home! It’s described as “rather arduous” and may have caused significant singeing.
Thank you for being a part of our vibrant and compassionate community!
Sincerely,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Help us Draft a Statement of Support for All Students
In the past few weeks, we have seen several executive orders aimed at removing protections for undocumented immigrants and students who identify as LGBTQIA2S. Consistent with our Diversity Equity and Inclusion Mission Statement, we would like to invite staff, parents and board members to a meeting to draft a statement that expresses clear support for all students, including those targeted by the recent executive orders. If you would like to help us in the process of drafting such a statement, please sign up here. We'll put out a Doodle poll to those who sign up to figure out a good time to meet and work on a statement that we can run by our board for approval.
Winter Weather Information
Here is some key information families need to know:
When hazardous weather is a concern, decisions regarding schedule changes are made in the early morning, before school, when current weather conditions can be assessed. We follow the 4J District's lead for delays and closures. However, if they choose not to close, we may assess our area, and make our own decision.
Our main concern is the safety of our students and staff. We also believe students and families are best served when schools are open. We will always do our best to make the best decision possible, taking into account all of the factors.
If there is a change in the school schedule, it will be announced normally before 6:30 a.m., by phone and email message.
NO NEWS = NO CHANGE. If there is a change in the school schedule due to inclement weather, we will announce the change.
LTD buses may also be delayed or detoured when there is ice or snow on the ground. Detour information will be posted on the LTD website, www.ltd.org, and publicized to local news media.
Delayed Starts and Early Dismissal: We generally will avoid delayed starts and early dismissal due to weather. However, it is possible that unpredictable or sudden weather conditions will require such a decision to be made. Delayed start times will not alter school dismissal times.
Parent Choice: On any day when inclement weather is a concern and school is in session, families are encouraged to consider road conditions in their areas and make their own decisions based on safety. Please call the office if your child will be absent. Parents’ individual decisions about school attendance for this reason will be honored.
*Be aware: It is impossible to guarantee phone and email message delivery 100% of the time, and your alert may be delayed or blocked. If you are concerned about the weather and have not received a text alert by 6:30 a.m., check the 4J website, radio or TV for information about closures and delays and then check our website. At times, our lot and incoming roads are untenable and we may need to call a delay or closure when 4j does not.
Annual Giving Campaign
These are samples of the Artist's, Kari Johnson, work projected onto our Courtyard wall.
The annual giving campaign has reached $7,100, so we are more than 1/2 way towards our goal of $12,000! Our campaign aims to recognize our 25th Anniversary with a new mural to cover the south wall of our courtyard. Our vision/theme for the mural is to capture in a big epic flowing "Diego Rivera" style of the "9 Year Arc" of the Village School experience, spanning kindergarten to 8th grade. The mural will feature rites of passage from each of the grades such as the Rose Ceremony in 1st grade, raising salmon in 4th grade, Greek Games in 5th grade, and Shakespeare in 8th grade,
Grandfriends Day
Grandfriends Day is happening next week on Friday, February 21st from 8:30 to 12:30. The last day to RSVP is tomorrow (2/13)! Please let the Grandfriends (grandparents or nearby grand friends) in your life know that they can RSVP here or on the Village School Website. We look forward to having them join us!
Volunteering Needs
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. There are a couple of events coming up including the Heart of the Village Festival, as well as classroom and kitchen opportunities that can help to meet these hours.
Toña is still in need of a couple of kitchen volunteers. Please email her if interested at taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org
Our Handwork teachers are looking for some parent volunteers to read stories to the kids while they sew and knit their creations. Please email Chrissy at chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org if interested.
Ms Frédérique is looking for one or two volunteers to help hem a set of small tablecloths for the art room. Please, emailfrederique@eugenevillageschool.orgif interested.
- The art room is also looking for a kitchen blender to make handmade paper. Please, contact Ms Frédérique if you wish to donate a used blender in working condition.
Heart of the Village will be held on Saturday, February 22nd. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Parent Council. Please sign up for a volunteering shift here.
Heart of the Village
Heart of the Village is just a little over 1 week away! (2/22) It is the biggest fundraiser for Parent Council of the year, a gift to our community and kids, and is only made possible with your help! You are invited to stop by the Parent Council Table outside of the office on Tuesday, February 18th right after drop off for coffee or tea and to sign up for a shift!
This is what we need in order to make this festival a success:
Please sign up to bring something to either/ both the Bake Sale and Musical Cakes. You can put your name down on the sign up sheets outside your classrooms or on the
There are still many volunteer shifts that need to be filled. Please take a look at the Volunteer sign up sheet and sign up for a shift that works for you! Heart of the Village is one of the last major events of the school year, and a great way to work towards your 20/40 hours of volunteer time. If there are no shifts left in your grade, you are welcome and encouraged to sign up for a shift in any of the grades that have openings.
Please also help to support the Silent Auction by reaching out to friends, family, and local businesses for donations. You can use the silent auction tracker sheet to see what has been requested and confirmed already. Thank you!!
If you happen to own a lemonade stand/puppet theater stand and wouldn't mind lending it to us for Heart of the Village, please let us know!
We are still working on the schedule, but make sure to mark your calendar, as there will be performances at Heart of the Village from our students - marimba and singing! We will send you the detailed schedule as soon as it's set.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your class coordinators, our PC head
Cory Byers - cory.byers@eugenevillageschool.org
or Chrissy - chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org
Heart of the Village Pre-Sales
Get your Heart of the Village tickets here in advance to skip the line! You can also use the QR Code below. Once you purchase your tickets, we will get them ready for you to pick up in the office.
Heart of the Village Scholarships
Parent Council is offering a limited number of Heart of the Village scholarships to families who need them. Please fill out this form if you are interested in receiving one.
Parent Council
Please join us on Thursday, February 13th at 7pm for our next Parent Council Meeting! This will take place on Zoom, so you can join us from the comfort of your home. Here is the Zoom Link. We look forward to seeing you there!
Every Village School parent and guardian is a part of Parent Council - Parent Council Meetings are open to all parents and guardians on the 3rd Monday of each month.
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
ASEP Announcement
Dear Village School Staff, Parents & Guardians:
As many of you already know the Village School offers an After School Enrichment Program (ASEP). Our next session will begin Tuesday, April 8 and run through Friday, May 30. ASEP is open to students in grades 1 - 8. (This does not apply to ongoing after-school middle school marimba, as this is separate from our ASEP classes).
We are currently looking for instructors to teach an enrichment class during this session. Prior experience working with children is highly recommended. We have listed prior offerings, and others that families have suggested. If you know someone who would be interested in teaching, please contact me no later than January 31. If you have a suggestion for a class not listed that you would like to teach, please let me know (bayer@eugenevillageschool.org). This is a paid position. To get details on rate of pay, and compensation for materials, please contact Andy Peara at (apeara@eugenevillageschool.org).
The enrichment classes are divided by grade. Typically we divide the groups as follows: 1 -3, 4 -6, and 6-8. Instructors would be able to select the age group and day of the week for their class(es). Instructors may teach more than one class per week, but for different age groups. Classes are taught directly after school is dismissed, and last between 1 hour to 90 minutes. Those who are not on staff, or have not taught an enrichment program at the Village School would need to have a background check.
Suggested classes:
Music
Robotics
Art
Science
Outdoor Physical Education
Gardening
Acting/Theatre
If you have any questions regarding ASEP please feel free to contact Rachel through email at bayer@eugenevillageschool.org, or call / text 805-975-7778.
Village Kitchen
Stickers!
Often, the produce we get through Organically Grown Company comes with stickers on each fruit or vegetable. Unfortunately, they are not able to send us produce without the stickers so we carefully take them off before washing produce and make sure they go in the garbage, not the compost as they are made from plastic. A couple of our 8th grade helpers were excited to see the stickers on our delicata winter squash and asked if they could keep them. So sweet. We do have plans in the works for a piece of artwork utilizing various produce stickers to create a mosaic!
We have a tradition of preparing fruit kebabs for our students and staff when school falls on Valentine's Day. We plan to serve this special treat on Friday. Fruit kebabs will be served the fruit component a part of school lunch. If your child would like one we would LOVE to provide one for them as a part of their school lunch. Just a reminder that if a student gets a school lunch they must take at least three of the five daily food component groups we provide. The five food components available with each lunch are: fruit, vegetable, milk, protein and grain. If you would like more information about this program requirement, I am always happy to provide more detailed information.
Stay warm!
Toña Aguilar
The Village School
Eugene, Oregon
w - 541-345-7285
c - 541-510-8604
State Testing
Under Oregon law, a parent or student age 18+ may opt out of Oregon’s annual statewide math and language arts assessments by filling out an annual opt-out form, which starting this year can be submitted online. Exemptions from the English language proficiency (for students whose primary language is not English) or science tests may also be requested based on a student’s disability or religious beliefs.
We will only be accepting online opt-out forms for English and Math until we return from spring break. If you would like your 5th or 8th grader to opt-out of the Science testing, you must fill out a paper form and return that to us. The template for this and the online opt-out form for English & Math can be found below, along with some other helpful information:
Village School 25th Anniversary
Save the date!
Community Bulletin Board
Dance into the new year by joining us for enrichment, connection, and growth. Parenting is a practice. Let’s explore together!
Register on-line.
TELL YOUR OUT OF TOWN FRIENDS: On-line 4 series parenting class now offered.
Blessings on your journey,
Nina
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