Upcoming Events
Sunday, November 3rd - Election Day, remember to VOTE!
Sun, November 8th - Virtual Día de los Muertos ofrenda will go live online
Wednesday, November 11th - No School, Veterans Day
Tuesday, November 17th, 6:30 - 8:00 - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
Wednesday, November 18th, 5:30 - 6:30/7:00pm - Parent Council Meeting (Zoom)
There will be no Principal Tea this week!
2020/2021 Calendar (Please see the end of this post for more details)
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Fall days can be beautiful. Fall nights are lovely too. Did you take in the full moon, also known as a blue moon last month? Plus the evening sky was recently graced by four planets visible to the naked eye: Uranus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Fantastic! Such events help me to keep a cosmic perspective.
Now for news closer to home. The school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee has reformed. Several parents that once served have rejoined. If you would like to join or rejoin the committee, please send an email to Becky and me expressing your interest or your questions. We will have quarterly evening meetings at 6:30 pm. The first evening meeting is November 17th. There will also be 3:00 pm meetings. The next afternoon meeting is November 9. We’ll conduct meetings at both time slots on two different days to make attendance easily accessible.
Metrics for Reopening
As Andy Peara, executive director, and I shared in an email last Friday, the governor and the Oregon Department of Education revised the metrics for determining when and how schools may reopen or if necessary return to CDL. Our staff is anxious to follow the new guidelines and reopen when it is safe for our school community to do so. Based on the current data about case count and infection rates in Lane County, our school must remain in CDL mode. If you would like to learn more about the current metrics, please use the following links.
As citizens of Lane County, the more we follow the guidelines to mitigate the spread of the virus, the sooner we will be able to open our campus for a hybrid version of school. Thank you for doing your part and for kindly showing others that together we can make a difference in the health and safety of our community.
Sincerely,
Bob Kaminski
Village School Needs a Licensed Contractor
As reported last Spring, we completed several painting improvements to hallways, the Commons and the Gym. This Fall, we are working on upgrading the heating system in the lower wing and the roofing to the breezeways. The new roofing will include 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.
Village School Kitchen News
Happy November Friends.
We hope you have been staying warm and eating well.
Check out Klara's pumpkin pie!
"Klara spent countless hours in the kitchen and whipped up this pie - what a deep orange is it!!! Thank you Village School for amazing ingredients, nourishing our bellies and hearts. " Kerstin
This week we have delicata and shallots from Horton Road. Their farm is officially done for the season; we got the last of their shallots at market this weekend! Lettuce will be from Camas Swale. We lucked out with getting the first of their new crop of butterhead. We are committed to supporting local farmers for as long as we can in the season.
Sweet Creek is now canning a new batch of enchilada sauces. You will receive jars of this special offering this week along with beans and corn tortillas. Look in your inboxes tomorrow for recipe suggestions. Also, check out The Village School Kitchen facebook page for the Barrick Family's recipe for an easy weeknight frittata using ingredients from weekly food bags.. We love it when families send us recipe recommendations!
Con cariño,
Toña Aguilar The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285 c - 541-510-8604 taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org
Dia De Los Muertos!
Maestra Sarah is putting together a slide show and she needs every student's help! Make sure that your child's loved ones have a space on the virtual altar this year.
Our principal, Bob Kaminski, celebrates Dia De Los Muertos in style!
Parent Council
Parent Council will be having our second meeting of the school year on Wednesday, November 18. 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 November 18 meeting will 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 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
Social Emotional Support
From the Gottman Institute
8th Grade Survey on Current Issues:
Our 8th grade class at The Village school, in Eugene, was assigned a project to study issues affecting our community. Our group decided to examine how covid-19 and the local wildfires impacted our community. We understand that Covid-19 is a subject that is brought up frequently, but since it is such a large part of our lives right now, it is hard to ignore. We decided to conduct a survey of community members and create a video from the results. In the video we will summarize the survey and the results, this will hopefully educate the rest of our community about what people are going through.
ABOUT US: Our class divided its efforts in two major directions. Some of our class did research on written materials, whereas our group decided to interview our community on some of the most pressing current issues: Covid-19 and the Oregon wildfires. Covid has brought a lot of pain and the fires have brought destruction. We want to ask the community to tell us their story
Thanks for your participation!
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 - RULE CHANGE
The Village School is partnering with Comcast to provide 6 months of free Internet Essentials services to 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
Title I Reading and Math Services, 2020-2021
Every fall, winter and spring our Title I staff and teachers are required to administer 4j’s Easy CBM reading and math assessments to each of our students. If a student scores below the 30th percentile, she/he may be recommended by our team to receive instructional interventions in reading and/or math, with his/her progress monitored. If we feel that it is in your child’s best interests to receive additional reading or math instruction, we (classroom teacher or one of the Title I Coordinators) will notify you.
Supply Contribution Forms
Be sure to get your supply contributions to Tristin soon! This contribution covers art supplies and other class needs that every student enjoys. If you are able to contribute more than the suggested $80 amount it will go a long way toward providing supplies for all Village School children.
Supply Contribution Form. You also can make your contribution online here
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.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020 Veterans Day (No school)
Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27 2020: Thanksgiving
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
