Upcoming Events
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families,
Spring is in the air! The sun is shining (mostly), the leaves are rustling, the bees are flying from flower to flower…and just like in nature, the Village School community is buzzing. The teachers are working hard to finish up the year’s curriculum, the 8th grade students have finished their mentorship projects and are moving on to their graduation speeches, the fifth grade finished their outdoor school adventure at Mary’s Peak, the sixth grade is heading to the Sunriver Observatory, second grader’s are busy writing their animal reports, and on and on and on! We are so lucky to be a part of such a vibrant community.
Spirit Week: On the note of vibrant communities, don’t forget to help your students participate in Spirit Week this week! Tuesday is pajama and stuffy day. Wednesday (the FIRST DAY OF LGBTQ+ Pride Month!) is Pride Day, Thursday is costume day, and Friday is Decades Day. To help keep campus a safe space for the younger among us, please refrain from allowing students to wear scary masks, etc on costume day. Decades day is when you choose a decade and copy its style…70’s, 80’s, 90’s, etc. Everyone is welcome to participate! Pull out your favorite vintage spandex and Jams…let’s get this party started.
Thanks to Bob! On a final note, our dearly beloved leader Bob Kaminski had his last day as principal on Friday, May 27th. Bob has been an undeniably integral force in the growth and success of our school. His wisdom and his playful humor kept us on our toes and his inspired leadership moved us through many a tricky faculty meeting with smiles on our faces. I have no hesitation in saying that we would not be where we are today without Bob Kaminski and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. To Bob, wherever you be, may the wind be always at your back and may the sun shine warm upon your face. We love you dearly!
Warmly,
Shannon, Sue, and Andy
Health and Safety Announcement
May 31, 2022
Masking
Currently the Covid-19 Community Level, per the CDC, is in the yellow zone (see more below). Should this level rise to the red “high risk” zone, the Village School will require indoor masking for all students and staff. Masking will remain optional outdoors. The CDC updates data every Friday. If Lane County enters the red zone an announcement will go out to all families as soon as the data is available, and masking will go into effect the following Monday.
Sick Child Policy
Please use this guide to help you decide if your child should stay home from school. We aim to keep all illnesses at home, not just Covid. You are also welcome to talk with office staff to help make your decision. Note that a fever of 100.4 or a new cough require a negative Covid test to return to school. We have rapid tests available for all VS families. Please ask if you’d like to have your child tested due to any symptoms, even mild ones, or due to potential exposure.
Covid Update - CDC Community Levels
The CDC "community level" considers the extent of Covid cases and related hospitalizations. As of Friday May 26th, Lane County stayed in the "moderate" risk zone, with rising case loads but slightly declining Covid related hospital admissions. If you are concerned about the heightened level of Covid cases, wearing a mask and getting vaccinated are among the most powerful steps to preventing disease transmission.
Summer Day Camp Subsidies
The Village School is not offering its own summer day camps, but is using its allocation of state summer program resources to help Village School families pay for day camps. The program will provide subsidies to students attending day camps this summer on a scale based on whether their families qualify for free meals, reduced meals or Oregon Extended Income Guidelines. Those qualifying for free meals will receive the largest of these subsidies. That being said, our families may not need these subsidies for some summer programs. Some programs are already providing subsidies for students served by the Eugene 4J school district which includes charter schools like The Village School.
Click here for the survey to let us know the camps for which you would like summer camp subsidy coverage. Your information will be help us determine number of families seeking summer day camp support and the amount of subsidy available. Please enter one survey entry per family.
Next Week is Spirt Week!
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
5th Grade Trip to Mary's Peak
Help Wanted
Volunteer Gardeners
It's that time of year again. While the gardening seasons is getting off to a slower start than usual, the amount of work that needs to happen is ramping up quickly.
The garden needs help with planting, weeding, and path maintenance.
Any and all help is appreciated.
Contact Brett brettj@eugenevillageschool.org to get started.
Handwork Assistant (for 2022-23)
Duties: Assist classroom teacher by working with students individually or in small groups with hand crafts. Qualifications: Experience working with children and adults in a positive manner Knowledge of Waldorf Handwork curriculum including skills in knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch and various other needle work as well as classroom management skills a plus Ability to lift and carry 40 lbs. Willingness to get CPR training Background check required Complete Covid vaccination records Starting Salary Range: $ 14.62 – $16.35 per hour
Strong verbal and written communication skills
1st Grade Teacher (one year position for 2022-23 only)
Qualifications:
Either Valid Oregon Teaching License or Waldorf Teacher Certificate
Minimum Bachelor’s Degree
Demonstrated ability to interact with children and adults in a positive manner
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Commitment to arts-integrated education and familiarity with Waldorf education
Willingness to get CPR training
Willingness to attend Waldorf education trainings
Ability to lift and carry 40 lbs
Salary Range: $41,653 - $64,011, depending on experience and education. Additional variable compensation included. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, PERS and defined contribution pension, and lunch from our healthy kitchen.
Main Lesson Teacher Job Functions
1st Grade Classroom and Title I Assistant beginning 2022-23
Duties:
Serve as 1st Grade Classroom Assistant
Tutor individual or small groups of 1st grade to support reading and math skill building. Collaborate with lead teacher and Title I staff.
Support for OAKS testing and progress monitoring Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree preferred
TSPC license preferred
Strong Reading and Math Instruction Skills
Strong Classroom Management Skills
Knowledge of Waldorf Curriculum Preferred
Previous experience or training is necessary
Ability to interact with children and adults in a positive manner
Willingness to get CPR training
Fingerprinting/Background check required
Ability to lift and carry 35 pounds
Starting Salary Range: $ 17.38 – $19.46 DOE. Benefits include our healthy lunch service, disability and pension coverage.
Check out our Tees and Sweatshirts
Order deadline: 5/31 /22 Order delivery: last week of school Buy One, Give One (BOGO): If you would like to help another family with a shirt, check this option out! Important Note: Threadbare cannot guarantee colors, due to supply chain issues. Please note that you may get a different shade of the color you order All proceeds go to Parent Council.
Village School Guests & Volunteer Vaccination Protocol
Spring 2022
Our volunteer policy is as follows:
Volunteers who work directly with students, including field trip chaperones,
must provide proof of vaccination, along with standard volunteer documentation, to the office before working with students.
If a volunteer is not boosted, they need to fill out exemption paperwork in the office and get tested weekly, or just prior to a volunteer job if preferred.
Chaperones who are not boosted are required to take a rapid test the day prior to and the day of the planned trip.
Volunteer protocol must be followed for all school organized activities, including any off-campus field trips that are planned and sponsored by the school.
Volunteers who have direct contact with students are required to adhere to the above policy.
Vaccination requirements do not apply to volunteers who make deliveries or help setup for events as long as they are not working directly with students.
All parents regardless of vaccination status are welcome to be on campus for pick up and drop off times, and during community outdoor events (such as May Day and the Rose Ceremony) or community events held in the Commons (such as the Mentorship evening and 8th grade graduation).
These decisions will be upheld through the end of this school year. We will take all opinions and new data into consideration over the summer and reconsider our policy for the fall.
Library News
We are coming up on the end of the school year, so that means it's time to start returning library books. All books will be due by Friday, June 3. This allows time for tracking down lost books and organizing the library before summer. Books can be returned to classrooms, the office, or directly to the library. Please be on the lookout for overdue slips sent home or another way your child's teacher chooses to communicate with you about what books your child needs to return. If you think book(s) are lost, try searching cars, bookshelves at home, and desks at school. If you cannot find book(s) by the last week of school, we ask that you make a payment to cover the cost of replacement. Let me know if this is a burden to your family and we will work something out. Thanks for your support of our beautiful library!
Molly Bautista, VS Librarian
Village School Kitchen
Last week was a super busy one for us in the Village School Kitchen! We had a surprise health inspection from Lane County which we passed with flying colors. We also had our audit with the Oregon Department of Education which happens once every three years. This is an intensive process where we provide a lot of information to our state liaison for review and then meet to go over it and answer questions. We meet again this week for our exit interview. We have also been short staffed and short volunteers for over a week now so we particularly appreciate everyone's understanding as we do our best to provide for our students and staff.
On Thursday we served a creamy polenta bowl for lunch. Some children, like Fancy in the 3rd grade, very much appreciated the meal. Other children were not fans, emptying their entire bowl into the food waste bin. Fortunately we have a salad bar stocked full of other offerings for children to load up on every day! We do wish we could satisfy everyone, every day, but recognize how tricky that is. Occasionally we have a student whose lunch consists of a cookie, a container of jelly beans or a bag of chips they bring from home.
Far Left: Fancy said "I love creamy polenta!"
Middle: Farmer Leah from Sweet Leaf w/red leaf lettuce
Right: 7th Graders Liam and Fisher helping in the mornings
Please take a look at the June breakfast and lunch menus with your child and consider sending them with their own healthy lunch or supplemental snack on days when they aren't interested in a school lunch. Nutrition is critical to your child's success at school. Let's make sure every child has a belly full of healthy food!
Today we welcomed Farmer Leah from Sweet Leaf as she delivered lots of freshly harvested red leaf lettuce for our salad bar. It’s great to start purchasing produce from local farms again!
We have really enjoyed the extra help of Liam and Fisher, two 7th grade students, who have joined us for 15 minutes many mornings these past couple of weeks. Their positive energy and interest in kitchen work has been uplifting.
Toña Aguilar
541-510-8604
Please join us at the June 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 last gathering date will be Sunday June 5.
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.
