Upcoming Events
Wednesday, September 22nd: The first chapter of the Wizard of Oz is available!
Wednesday, September 22, 6:30pm - 8:00pm : All School Meeting Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87487020781
2021/2022 Calendar is available here!
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families
The rain this last weekend brought some cool and moist weather to our community. We hope this change in the weather finds you in good health and spirits.
Last Friday was a different story. The smoky air caused the air quality index to reach a level that merited us to move the children indoors to take their lunch. The HEPA air filters in each room were set on high to purify the air. We also had indoor recess, which essentially was a time for the students to sit or move calmly, properly distanced, with masks on and play quiet games, draw and read.
On Wednesday at the All School Meeting we will announce improvements we are making in how we monitor outdoor air quality and notifying families when the students will be eating indoors. When the AQI reaches 150 we will switch to indoor lunch service and recess in the classrooms.
Please put on your calendar the All School Meeting, September 22, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. This will be a Zoom meeting. We will be rolling out our plans for fall classroom meetings and schoolwide events, limited volunteer opportunities, how we will communicate to families about positive COVID cases that happen among students and cohorts, and methods of tracking and communicating air quality and when we shift to eating lunch inside. There will also be information about our Title I federal funded program and the need to fill out those free and reduced lunch forms. Plus, for those that haven’t already met our Assistant Principals, Sue Romatz and Shannon Powell will be attending so you’ll have a chance to see and meet them!
We now have 72 Village School students signed up to receive their free weekly home COVID test kits! There is still time for new parents to sign up. Please consider doing so. The U of O and Oregon Health Authority have partnered to offer free weekly at-home COVID-19 testing. To sign up go to At Home Testing and fill out their form. Be sure to bring the paper form to the office and you will get a kit each Tuesday to return on Wednesday morning. You will be texted your results within a couple of days!
In the interest of being prepared in case of a quarantine, please see the document “Supporting Children and Families during Quarantine and Isolation, A Guide for Back to School Family Planning” published jointly by OHA & Oregon Department of Education.
We are here to create a safe place to honor the whole child. We will continue to use all the resources available to us to provide a safe and caring environment for all children and families.
Sincerely,
The Village School Administrative Team
Bob, Andy, Shannon and Sue
Free Opt-in Testing through U of O and OHA
The Village School has joined other schools in a program that makes weekly testing available to our students! U of O has partnered with Oregon Health Authority to provide free, voluntary COVID-19 testing kits to children attending participating K-12 schools.
Use the link below to opt-in:
Please fill out the following form as well and return it to the office!
OHA COVID-19 Testing General Consent Form
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
Like Dorothy stepping from her front doorstep and into the land of Oz, the past year and a half has been like stepping into an unfamiliar land filled with unpredictability, unexpected friendships and many challenges; and like Dorothy, many of us are seeking a return to the familiar.
The Village School staff would like to lead you along the yellow brick road, bringing together our community with something purely fun and entertaining!
Each day you can listen to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, each chapter will be read by a different staff member (maybe your child can guess who is reading!)
The chapters will be linked on the front page of The Village School Website so check back each day as our children, families and Village School community go on a journey together!
Check this out soon for the next chapter
“The story of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.”
L. Frank Baum
Chicago, April, 1900.
Village School Kitchen
The canopies are now up over all of the tables in the courtyard to provide shade on sunny days and protection from rain when it returns. This weekend we got to see them in action in Saturday afternoon's downpour and were pleased to see how well they worked! Adjustments will be made in the few spots drips made it through.
Breakfast has been a busy time for the kitchen this past week. We enjoy greeting many students when they pick up a bag to eat for breakfast between 8:00-8:20 or to keep for their morning snack. Due to the high volume of breakfast numbers we have had to adjust our monthly menu slightly. Please see the Kitchen page of our school's website for the most up to date menu information.
For today's lunch we served pita, tabbouleh and hummus all made from scratch. The salad bar provided a rainbow of organic produce thanks to many Willamette Valley farms such as Organic Redneck, Sweet Leaf, Horton Road, Moore's Orchard and L'Etoile. We love to support our local farmers who are doing such important work.
Zoe enjoys Thursday's Focaccia Pizza lunch in the courtyard.
We still need a few fine friends to help make our food program thrive. If you have been thinking about how you can volunteer to support the school, please reach out. We can find a way to include you that works for your schedule.
Warmly,
Toña Aguilar
Toña Aguilar The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285
Free and Reduced Lunch
Please Check and See If You Qualify!
This year all students eat for free, but it is vitally important that all families fill out a free and reduced meal application.
If you have not yet done so, take a moment to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application, and turn it into the office. You can also apply online. Extra copies are available in the office. 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
Parent Council
The first Parent Council Meeting of the year will be on October 13th!
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!
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
Library News
I'm very excited to get library book check out started again for many students! I will be visiting several classes with books for students to choose from. Please help students keep track of their books so they don't get lost or damaged. Having one place in your home to keep borrowed books is helpful.
If your student's class isn't having regular classroom visits by me, they can check in with their teacher about drop-in library visits during the school day. Families can also visit the library after school on Thursdays to check out books. If you still have Village School library books at home, please return them to your child's classroom or the office. If you know they have been lost or damaged, please let me know and we can figure out how to get replacements.
Thanks!
Molly Bautista
VS Librarian
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!
