Upcoming Events
July 1, 2021-August 1, 2021 : Village School Office is closed
July 6-August 6 : Summer Program!
September 8, 2021: First Day of School! (half day)
2021/2022 Calendar is available here!
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families
Today is the Summer Solstice. This celestial event reminds us of the rhythm of the seasons. Seasonal rhythms are an important aspect of The Village School. We look forward to the next school year and reinstating the festivals and celebrations that help us connect our students to various aspects of our curriculum and bring our school community closer together.
As we look forward to the next school year we will not forget the widespread disruptions in our students’ school experiences during this past year. Next year we will strive to:
Reconnect -- Rebuild our community connections and reestablish how we celebrate each day, the rhythm of the seasons, and the growth of our students.
Support -- Continue to provide authentic social and emotional learning activities and resources so that each child has a sense of belonging and knows they are surrounded by caring staff members.
Accelerate -- Be creative in how we accelerate learning and the concepts we hold dear at The Village School, such as the pursuit of truth, beauty, and the appreciation of the whole child and the development of their imagination.
The school office will be serving summer school hours beginning July 12th, and reopening for regular hours August 2nd.
Have a great summer.
Sincerely,
Bob & Andy
Vote for The Village School! - Greenpower Grant
The Village School has submitted a $50,000 EWEB Greenpower Grant application to help with our Solar Panels project. The grant selection process comes down to a vote among EWEB Greenpower subscribers. You may recognize some of the other applicants
If you subscribe to Greenpower by June 22nd, you can vote in the election.
Otherwise, if you know any Greenpower subscribers, please encourage them to Vote for the Village School's application!
Many Thanks and Well Wishes on New Journeys!
Susanne Woelbing
We are sad to say goodbye to Susanne Woelbing, our beloved handwork teacher. Susanne is returning to Germany to be closer to family. Susanne's time at The Village School began 20 years ago, during our 2nd year of operations. When her daughter entered school in 2001, Susanne volunteered to help with our handwork program. Two years later, we hired her as an instructor, a position she has held for the last 18 years. This makes her one of the longest serving staff members in our history.
Virtually every student who entered our school and attended handwork classes has experienced Susanne's warmth, compassion, patience, and commitment to the art and technical mastery of handwork. We all owe a tribute to her dedication, kindness, and passion for learning. She has also applied her craft and leadership in many other skillful ways, coordinating classroom volunteers, the handwork raffle fundraisers, and the boundless inventory of handwork materials.
Susanne leaves big shoes to fill, but has set a wonderful example for her staff, Ms. Anna Szmit and Ms. Beth Mettler who will continue on in handwork. We will miss her!
Cheers for a Special Volunteer - Kathryn Riordan
With the 8th grade graduation of her younger child, we say goodbye to Kathryn's familiar face after her long service to the Village School.
Kathryn has provided support to both parents and children, beginning with her oldest child's entrance into the Village School 11 years ago. She has served as the head of Parent Council, planning and executing many events including the Heart of the Village, the school's largest fundraiser. Since 2015, she has served on the Village School Board and plans to continue on, using her years of knowledge to help the school to continue its growth!
Before and after becoming a board member, Kathryn spent years walking the halls of the Village School, talking with parents, reminding families to contribute to the Annual Giving Campaign, to find or make donations to the Heart of the Village auction, and keep parents aware of everything happening at the school. While we will still have Kathryn's help with some aspects of the school, we will dearly miss her bustling, caring, and supportive presence in our halls.
Thank you Kathryn for all of your hundreds (thousands?) of volunteer hours over the last 11 years!
Village School Summer Program
Deadline: Friday, June 25th
Thank you to all of you who showed interest in our Summer Program by completing the interest survey! I now need you to complete the official registration form. This form will supply us with the required information about your child, including emergency contact information, health-related needs, etc.
If you did not complete the interest survey but have decided to register your child, that's great! There is no need to complete the previous survey.
If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Powell: spowell@eugenevillageschool.org
I look forward to seeing you this summer,
Shannon Powell Summer Program Director
Village School Kitchen
Uweeeee! It is hot in the kitchen today. We set up some fans to suck the cool air into the Commons when we arrive at 7:45 tomorrow morning to start putting food bags together. We also set up a shade umbrella on our back deck over the picnic table where we can take our lunch breaks throughout the summer. We are very grateful to Parent Council for funding that gift!
It has been fun to get some recipes and photos from families using the heirloom flageolet beans we sent home last week. Check out the dinner that the Leona/Mentzer Family shared:
Mama Windy wrote "I just soaked the beans overnight, boiled them with salt, cooled them and threw them on salad. Delicious and so easy! I plan to make yumm bowls with the leftovers today."
Don't forget that if you send us a photo of a dish you made with the flageolet beans you will be entered into a drawing for an extra special treat. The winner will get to choose from either a bottle of organic maple syrup, a pound of organic awakened almonds or a pound of dried organic mango. Send us a recipe along with your photo for two entries by the end of this month.
Bags tomorrow will come with pizza dough and marinara along with some possible vegetable toppings. My kids love to make their own mini pizzas so we will divide our dough up into four pieces but you can also roll it out into one big pizza pie for a yummy and easy dinner this week!. Enjoy!
With more people feeling comfortable taking trips this summer, we are already noticing the need for many substitute drivers. If you are willing to be on our call list, please let me know.
Warmly (literally),
Toña
Toña Aguilar The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285
8th grade Rose Ceremony and Graduation
8th Grade Class of 2021 students show off the roses that they received from their first-grade buddies, ushering them out of middle school and on to new adventures!
8th grade main lesson teacher, Jesse Gammon, introduces the graduates!
Wellness Resources - The Well
School Psychologist Kelly Korach created a wonderful resource for Village School families. Please check out The Well for wellness resources for parents and children!
Parent Council
Parent Council meetings are done for this year but that doesn't mean you can't join in to the conversation!
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 each month starting again in the fall!
Until then engage with us on Facebook!
Village School Frisbees!
Get your own Village School Frisbee, perfect for the summer! Frisbees are available for $15 in the office or from Ben Fogelson (father of Jun in 8th grade and Hero in 3rd grade!). Travis Eiva and Ben have spearheaded this fundraiser and Ben can be reached at 541-514-4567 to purchase one from him personally!
Principal Kaminski practicing with the new Village School Frisbee!
Return Computers!
We have over 75 laptop computers to collect from families. Before the end of the school year please
1) Clean the computer: gently and carefully clean the outer case and screen of the laptop with glass cleaner and dry towel.
2) Wrap up cords for power supply, webcam, and headphones (whichever ones you have)
3) Bag: Place items in a bag marked with your student's name.
4) Deliver: to office.
Please let us know if you have any questions: support@eugenevillageschool.org
Handwork Returns!
Wanted: Handwork Materials!
Please return all handwork materials to the office or the silver bin just outside the office.
Thank you!
Age 12 and Older Vaccination Clinics
There are still plenty of appointments available at COVID vaccine clinics for anyone 12 years of age or older. Anyone 15 years old and older can consent to their own vaccination but people under the age of 15 years of age must be accompanied by one parent or guardian (due to space limitations each person being vaccinated may have a maximum of one person with them if needed for reasons of the consent). The vaccine being administered at these events will be Pfizer.
Library News
WANTED: Village School Library books!
I need your help getting back Village School library books that were checked out last year. Some students still had books checked out when in-person school ended in March, and several families came in and checked out books while school was closed. Please check around your home for any books that belong to the Village School. They will have a label on the back that says “The Village School” with a barcode. If your child participated in OBOB this year, now is the time to return OBOB books.
There will be a bin outside the office to return books, or your child can give them to their teacher. If you cannot get them back to school, please let me know and we can make other arrangements to have books picked up. Please also contact me if you know books have been damaged or lost. Thank you for your help keeping our library stocked with amazing books!
Molly Bautista, VS Librarian
