Upcoming Events
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families,
This is Staff Appreciation Week & May Day Celebration is tomorrow.
Let’s celebrate! Celebration is an active state, it is not passive. It is an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. Celebration is giving attention and assigning meaning to our actions and our world.
Let’s celebrate and give thanks to the 55 people that create the curriculum and maintain a lively, clean and caring environment for our children. A sweet way to thank someone is to write a note, draw a picture, or provide a small handmade decoration. (Main Lesson and speciality teachers were honored this Monday – but it is never too late to give thanks.)
Tuesday, May 3 -- Kitchen, Recess Supervisors, Librarian, Maintenance, Village Care and Afterschool Program Specialists
Wednesday, May 4 -- Teaching Assistants, Title I Staff, Office Staff, Counselor, Special Education Staff, Custodian
Thursday, May 5 -- ALL Staff
Friday, May 6 -- is a no-school. It is a professional development day for staff.
BTW: It's ok to send a thank you note on any day of the week or any day of the year!
May Day Celebration is Tuesday, May 3.
Let’s celebrate the passage of the seasons through art, music and story as we strengthen our connection to the rhythms of nature. This is a joyful time for our school community. Registered volunteers must follow the COVID protocols and wear an identifying badge. Together we can maintain a safe and healthy school environment.
We need A LOT of flowers for this day. Please drop off flowers on a table outside of the office Tuesday morning.
Warmly,
Shannon, Sue, Bob and Andy
Staff Appreciation Week!
Staff Appreciation 2022: Scroll through and see all of the decorated doors! Thanks to parents for their awesome work!
Facilities Updates
For the final in our four part series, we are hoping to update the flooring in 4-5 rooms that have old, worn carpets. We're not sharing a photo because, well, you only need to use your imagination to picture the floors that need resufacing. This improvement falls under the category of "clean-ability" which is one of the main goals of the Federal stimulus money for schools.
Volunteering is Back!
As we work toward reuniting our Village School community, more opportunities to volunteer are coming up! 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 enjoy.
One of the ways to contribute to our school community is by attending Parent Council Meetings! We are still holding these meetings by Zoom so they are easy to attend (even while making dinner or folding laundry) and 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!
Don't forget to sign in to HelpCounter and report your hours so we can see the amazing contributions from our Village School Families
Library Notes - May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Here are some recommended books by Asian American authors that can be found in the Village School library. You can also visit the Library of Congress' page on Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to learn more about Asian American history and to see a schedule of online events.
Grades K-2
Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang
A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui
Jasmine Toguchi: Drummer Girl by Debbi Michiko Florence
Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
Grades 3-5
The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida
Copper by Kazu Kibuishi
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Ann Xu
Stargazing by Jen Wang
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin
Grades 5-8
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy
Dear America: The Story of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
Grades 7-8 (YA)
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Displacement by Kiku Hughes
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
As always, please contact me with questions or concerns.
Molly Bautista, VS Librarian
Keep Sick Children at Home
It has come to our attention that several parents are dropping off sick children at school. Though Covid-19 conditions have receded, it is our longstanding policy that sick children stay home. If a sick child arrives at school or a child becomes ill at school, the school will call parents or emergency contacts to pick up the child as soon as possible.
Village School Kitchen
What a fun surprise to come to school this morning and see this awesome door decoration!
We were short staffed and short on volunteers today so when 7th grade students Viv and Kaia stopped in at lunch time to see if they could help we were thrilled to welcome them. They served lunch to the younger students who enjoyed seeing "the big kids" dishing out quesadillas and fiesta rice.
We are still looking for a Monday morning prep volunteer and a Thursday morning laundry folder. If either of these could work for your schedule, please consider signing up to volunteer for the last few weeks of school. Our style of food service program requires a lot of intentional input from many loving hands!
Toña Aguilar
541-510-8604
Art Musuem Features 5th Graders' Art
The 5th graders went on their first field trip of the year! They enjoyed a guided tour at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. The NewArt Northwest Kids exhibit was especially fun to see. This exhibit features art by students in Lane County, including four Village School 5th graders! You can learn more about it here : https://jsma.uoregon.edu/NANK
Click the slider to see all 4 students' works featured at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the topic of bravery
3rd Grade Mother's Day Sale
Starting tomorrow thru Thursday the third graders will be selling handmade gifts for a dollar or less until 3:30. If you can, please tell your students to check it out. There are little vases, lavender sachets, stained glass flowers, bath bombs and little terrariums. The money we make will be donated to a local charity.
Is State Testing Happening this year?
Yes, For the 2021–22 school year, state testing will return to normal. The Village School is required to administer annual statewide assessments of language arts and math for students in grades 3–8 and science in grades 5 and 8. Testing at The Village School will begin after April 11. You will be notified which days the test will be administered once the actual days are determined. One bit of good news is that the assessments are much shorter than they were several years ago. They were shorted in 2019 and have since then been shortened some more.
All public schools in the U.S. are required to systematically assess student learning and report participation and results in school accountability systems. Students in Oregon are assessed periodically to measure proficiency in state and district standards, including completing statewide assessments in certain grades. State test results provide important information for students, parents, teachers, schools and districts.
Can students opt-out of state testing?
Yes. Under Oregon law, a parent or adult student may opt out of Oregon’s summative statewide assessments of math and language arts for any reason, by annually submitting a form. 2021–22 state testing notice and opt-out form (English / Español). For students who opt out of a particular assessment, their test score will default to a “Non-Proficient” rating. This could affect our proficiency ratings in subject areas across the grades as it is used as a performance indicator in our annual state Report Card. Further, our participation rate is evaluated by the 4J School District and is part of our compliance requirements. If we do not meet 4J’s participation expectations, our evaluation could be negatively impacted. Parents may submit an opt-out form at any time. Preferably the forms are submitted 30 days prior to the administration of the tests. If you have any questions please send an email to principal@eugenevillgeschool.org
For the science assessment, there is no opt-out form. Requests for exemption must
Be submitted in writing to principal@eugenevillageschool.org
Include the reasons for request (disability or religion)
Propose an alternative learning activity for the student
Exemption requests are subject to review and determination whether to approve.
Please join us at the May Parent Council Meeting!
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 of each month.
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
Don't forget to sign in to HelpCounter and report your hours so we can see the amazing contributions from our Village School Families
Monthly LGBTQ+ and Allies Gathering!
Sarah Maxwell and her family will be "hosting" a monthly gathering at Tugman park, the first Sunday morning of each month at 10:00 am, at the picnic tables on the Hilyard side of the park. The meetings are open to all LGBTQ families & allies, with the simple mission of just building community.
There is no need to RSVP or commit to bringing anything, and masks are welcome but optional. Students of all ages and their families are welcome and encouraged to join in! The dates of the gatherings will be Sunday May 1, and June 5.
Wanted Participants for
The 1619 Project Book Club!
Thursday, May 12th! 6:30-7:30pm
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Book Study
Let’s celebrate our commitment to studying history. We had a good showing of folks at our last meeting. Thursday May 12, 6:30 to 7:30 PM, via Zoom. Please come, even if you haven't read chapters 1 and 2. Please join in this community event. Our dialogue is part of the courageous conversations our school community is having about diversity, equity and inclusion. There is a loaner copy of the book at the school office. Call if you want to reserve it. You may want to listen to a free Apple Podcast about the book, HERE. It is also possible to purchase an audio version of the book (or take advantage of a free trial) via Audible Books. Here is the LINK
LTD Passes Available!
If you have signed up for your child, their touchpasses are waiting! Come on into the office and pick it up this week!
The Village School has worked with 4j and LTD to make touchpasses available to Village School students!
Fill out the form below to sign up and provide permission for your Village School student to have a card. Then come into the office to have a card assigned to your child!
If you have a child that does not attend Village School, please contact their school to see if they have touchpasses available for students. We are only able to provide passes to Village School Students.
