Upcoming Events
Thursday, June 16th, Graduation
Friday, June 17th, Last Day of School (8:25am - 11:45am)
Wednesday, June 22nd, 5:30PM Board Meeting (Zoom)
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families,
We can’t believe it’s the last week of the year and the last Village Voice of the 2021/2022 school year!! What a doozy it’s been. This last stretch has been a busy one, even by Village School standards: the eighth grade is presently glamping near Silver Falls and is set to return on Tuesday; the third grade is taking Amtrak to Salem to visit the Willamette Heritage Center on Wednesday; seventh grade returned late last Thursday from Ashland where they saw the musical Once on this Island; and second grade completed their diorama projects for viewing. All this activity coincides with the completion of the Easy CBM testing (thanks Ms. Alison!), OSAS testing (thanks test administrators!), eighth grade Graduation planning (thanks ⅞ grade parents and Jesse and Justin!), Rose Ceremony planning (thanks Jesse and Alyson!), and finishing up all the final odds and ends of a school year winding to a close, has us on our toes.
Here are some important reminders
Climate Survey: Each parent registered in our student enrollment system should have received an email-invitation to take this survey. We highly encourage you to share your thoughts with us about how we as a school are doing in terms of academics, but also fostering a safe, welcoming environment for all students, parents and staff.
Day Camp Subsidies: Please take note that we are still gathering requests from parents for summer camp subsidy support. If you haven't submitted your information, please see the Summer Day Camp Subsidies article below, and respond to the link below. We will accept requests through June 15th.
Return Library Books: Molly would really appreciate it if you can bring in any outstanding books. Also, see her notes about awesome summer book resources.
It’s been a great year, from our perspective. Our community is tightly woven and stands up to the test of time, pandemics, and cultural upheaval. We hope your summer is filled with new and fantastic adventures and that you return in the fall renewed and ready for a new year. Thank you all,
Warmly,
Shannon, Sue, and Andy
Yearbooks
With help from Parent Council and other donations, we are hoping to get yearbooks to all students later this week. If you'd like to help with efforts to bind the yearbooks, please let us know in the office.
T-Shirts
Our T-Shirt provider, Threadbare, has announced that due to Covid, our order for T-Shirts will not be completed this week. The order will likely be ready by the end of June. Parent Council president, Shannon Boyd, will collect the order and communicate with parents that placed orders about making them available. Shannon's email address is lionessinor@hotmail.com. She thanks you all for your patience!
Spring Concert Videos
Here's a Youtube link to the videos:
Health and Safety Announcement
Masking
The Covid-19 Community Level, per the CDC, moved to the orange zone “high risk” zone, which means the Village School is requiring indoor masking for all students and staff. Masking will remain optional outdoors. The CDC updates data every Friday.
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 June 10th, Lane County moved into the "high" risk zone, with rising case loads and Covid related hospital admissions.
Summer Camp Subsidy Applications Due June 15th
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. We will close the survey after June 15th.
The Village Kitchen
The kitchen has had a particularly stellar group of parent and community volunteers this school year. Thank you to these folks who gave of their time, energy and joyful spirit on a regular basis for many months:
Lindsay Mills, Josh Chamberlain, Shane Rhodes, Eve Mosieur, Kate Hirst, Chrissy Holloway, Melissa Gustafson, Elizabeth Starr Lilly, Ryan Christiance, Paul Khoury, Vicki Shaw, Karlie Tedrick, Jennifer Spry, Nick Seigal, Katie Chamberlain, Jocelyn Hollander, Beth Eiva, Justin Francese, Mike Rubenstein and the many others who came in as subs or served for a few weeks at various times throughout the year.
We could not have had such a successful year without your help!
Many kitchen volunteers get a chance to enjoy a delicious lunch with us after their service. Today Chrissy got to try our popular stacked enchiladas with cilantro chimichurri, sour cream and hot sauce alongside quinoa, apple cabbage slaw, avocado, black olives, orange slices and local greens donated from our dear friends at Longtable Farm!
Thursday we serve our last lunch of the 2021/2022 school year. Stromboli is always one of the students' favorites so we will mix, rise, roll, fill and bake them one last time. We will be serving fruit skewers as a special treat as well.
We will not be serving lunch on Friday which is an early release day.
Have a fun and relaxing summer. We look forward to reconnecting in September!
Warmly,
Toña
7th Grade Trip
7th grade had a fabulous time in Ashland at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We saw the show Once Upon This Island, enjoyed the Lithia spring water, and cooled off in the creek. Thanks to parent volunteers who drove us to and from Ashland.
Village School Alumni News
Congratulations to VS Class of 2018 Graduates, Sahara Valentine (1st row, 2nd from left in group shot) and Elliot Swinney (2nd row, 2nd from left) who competed at the Youth National Rowing Championships in Sarasota FL this past weekend. Elliot's 2-person boat won the gold!
Library News
Wanted: Library books!
It's time to return all library books! Please get them back asap so they can be organized and ready for other students to use next year. If you have lost a book, please contact me about paying for a replacement copy. Thanks for your support of our wonderful library!
Summer Reading
The Eugene Public Library has announced their Summer Reading program. It starts now and goes through August. Children and teens can pick out a new book to keep. They can also pick up a card to keep track of books read, enter a raffle for a chance to win gift cards for local businesses and organizations, and attend free events planned at the library including storytelling, book groups, performances, and workshops. If you are wondering what to read this summer, the library has curated some booklists for children and teens.
Other summer reading programs include:
Barnes and Noble: Children in grades 1-6 can earn a free book from a selection in the store by reading eight books and recording them in a downloadable reading journal.
Scholastic: Children can sign up for a digital reading program and gain access to digital books, games, and author events.
SYNC Audiobooks for Teens: This program is targeted for teens and provides digital access to two free audiobooks a week for 16 weeks. Teens can sign up and see a list of the available books here.
Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB): Booklists for the 3-5 and 6-8 divisions are ready. If you are interested in participating in OBOB next year, you can start reading now. The Eugene Public Library has many OBOB books available for check out this summer.
State Library of Oregon Book Grant
In February, our school was awarded a grant from the State Library of Oregon to purchase new books for our library. I'm very pleased to announce that the grant added 192 new books to our library. The biggest category purchased was nonfiction, followed by books specifically addressing equity, diversity and inclusion. Other purchases include YA (young adult) fiction and nonfiction, early readers, graphic novels, and additional copies of some popular titles. Thank you to the State Library of Oregon for supporting our school library!
Molly Bautista, VS Librarian
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
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 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.
Kindergarten Classroom Assistant beginning 2022-23
Duties:
Serve as Kindergarten Classroom Assistant
Collaborate with lead.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree preferred
TSPC license or Waldorf Certificate 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 coverage.
Job Description Application
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.
Parent Council
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
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.
