Upcoming Events
Tuesday. Dec. 8th - Principal Tea 6:30pm - 7:00pm (click here),
Wednesday, Dec. 9th - Parent Council Meeting 5:30pm - 6:30pm (click here)
Tuesday, Dec. 15th - 6:30-8:00 PM - Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee
Monday, Dec. 21, 2020: Winter Break Begins
Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021: School Resumes
2020/2021 Calendar (Please see the end of this post for more details)
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians
Today I visited a virtual middle school classroom. I was impressed by the quality of the ideas and the manner in which they were expressed by the students. The students were responding to a prompt from their teacher about how they would react if they heard other students in the hallway using derogatory language to cast disparaging remarks about another person’s mental abilities. In short, the responses I heard illustrated the empathy the students consider important to leading a fair and just life. Furthermore, the students detailed how they would address both the perpetrator and how they would stand-up and be an ally for the offended student. The responses from these Village School students were authentic and far from a canned script. This was genuine. A special thanks to the teacher, the students, and their families for working together to make social justice permeate every step we take and not surface only during a written exam.
Speaking of helping one another. The Oregon Health Authority has an excellent website called Safe & Strong. It is easy to navigate and among other things you will find
a Youthline (for teen-to-teen support) and Trans Lifeline (a trans led support group),
The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ and related support),
a Racial Equity Support line (for individuals and families that are mentally and emotionally impacted by racism), and
support links for Veterans and the elderly and others.
Let us continue our work as a school community to do all that we can for ourselves and our neighbors during these difficult times. Even though there may be a vaccine on the horizon, we must keep up our guard and follow all the safety protocols when it comes to masks, social distancing, hand washing, and now socializing at home and putting off those big holiday parties until sometime in the not too distant future.
Sincerely,
Bob Kaminski
Principal
Kindergarten students share their art with us!
Village School Kitchen
Yumm Sauce is back this week. Every child will receive a small glass jar along with a bag of organic black beans and a bag of organic brown rice. Tuesdays have been Yumm Bowl days at The Village School for many, many years now. We look forward to starting up the tradition again when we are together in 2021.
This photo was taken of a kindergartener's lunch tray in the fall of 2012.
We will receive our last delivery of produce from The Youth Farm tomorrow morning. Ted will bring us another batch of yummy carrots for your children to munch on.
When local farmers aren't delivering to us we rely more and more on our friends at Organically Grown Company to fill our produce needs. We are grateful for their efforts to highlight items grown in the Pacific Northwest.
We have some fun treats and seasonal recipes coming up in the weeks ahead. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us too! Check out this colorful dish from the Mosier Family:
"Roasted beet salad with oranges this week! Yummy!"
And look at the color of this juice that the Chamberlain Family pressed:
With the winter holiday season upon us, please remember to let me know if your family would like a break from receiving food bags for a week or two. Wishing you wellness and wonder, Toña
The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285
Village School Needs a Licensed Contractor Bids due December 15th.
As reported last Spring, we completed several painting improvements to hallways, the Commons and the Gym. Contractors are nearly done upgrading the heating system in the lower wing and the roofing to the breezeways. The new roofing includes skylights to brighten the dark outdoor walkways.
We also are working on getting permits approved for the Howard Ingber Outdoor Classroom that was part of our Annual Giving Campaign a few years back. At this stage, we are looking to find a licensed contractor to oversee the construction. It would be ideal, though not mandatory if this contractor can work with volunteers because several handy folks have expressed interest in helping out. If you are interested in bidding on the project, or know someone who is, please contact Andy Peara: apeara@eugenevillageschool.org. He can share the plans and answer any questions. The due date for bids is December 15th.
Skylights are here!
The upgrade to the Breezeway Roofing is complete, and with it are 4 skylights that brighten the dark, tunnel passage. Thanks to Evergreen Roofing and their handiwork.
Library News
Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) will be happening this year! There will not be a regional or state tournament this year, but the Village School is registered to participate and will have full sets of the books chosen for the 3-5 grade and 6-8 grade divisions. Meetings will be via zoom on Tuesday afternoons. Students can still join meetings at any point that they become interested in OBOB and the meetings each week are optional.
The 3-5 grade meeting for this week will be Tuesday, Dec. 8 from 2:00-2:30.
The 6-8 grade meeting will also be on Tuesday, Dec. 8 from 3:00-3:30.
The zoom link will be given through digital classrooms, or you can email me.
Students do not need to sign up for OBOB at this time and we will not be forming "teams" yet. We will talk about the books and later practice answering questions about the books. In late winter we will make teams of students who want to participate in a school battle (probably virtual, depending on how school is set up then). There will be more information coming soon about how to check out OBOB books from the school library, or you can get them through the Eugene Public Library. Contact me if you have more questions.
Molly Bautista
Parent Council
Parent Council will be having our fourth meeting of the school year at 5:30 on Wednesday, December 9. 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 December 9th meeting will continue to be 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 to 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. We are currently looking for Moderators and an Admin who can help support the rules and guidelines of the Village Vine. Click the link to be added to our group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevillagevine
Ophelia's Place Fall 2020 Online Activities & Workshops
Ophelia’s Place is excited to share that our activities and workshops for girls and girl-identified youth ages 10-18 are accessible online! All OP activities are run on Zoom, and facilitated by OP staff and volunteers. When you register, you will receive the meeting link and information you need to join. All events are free of charge, but donations are welcome.
Orientations are required for all girls participating in Ophelia’s Place activities. Orientations are with both a girl and her guardian, and must be completed prior to service. To register for an activity or book an orientation, call at 541-284-4333 or email info@opheliasplace.net.
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 - Extended
The Village School is partnering with Comcast to provide free Internet Essentials services until June 30th, 2021 for 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
Calendar
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.
Monday, December 21, 2020: Winter Break Begins
Tuesday, January 5, 2021: School Resumes
Monday, January 18, 2021: MLK Day (No school)
Monday, February 15, 2021: Presidents Day (No school)
Tuesday, February 16, 2021: Grading Day (No school)
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 (No School)
Monday, May 31, 2021: No School - Memorial Day (No School)
Thursday, June 17, 2021: 1/2 Day Last Day
