Upcoming Events
Monday, September 27nd: The first chapters of the Wizard of Oz are available!
Wednesday, September 29th, 5:00pm: Kindergarten parent meeting (link in email)
Thursday, September 30th, 6:00pm: 4th grade parent meeting
Friday, October 8th: No School
2021/2022 Calendar is available here!
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families
We are six days past the autumnal equinox. We are now into fall and that means different things to each of us. For our teachers and staff, they will endeavor to put the changing seasons into perspective for the students -- finding connections to rhythmic cycles of nature. We hope that you and your family are doing well and adjusting favorably to the seasonal changes.
Each fall we hold our All School Meeting and Title I Information Night. We are thankful to the over fifty families that attended last Wednesday. There is a recording of the meeting available here. One important outcome was the announcement that all parents are asked to complete a Free and Reduced Lunch application -- even if you think you don’t qualify. Please follow through via this downloadable form here or this online application. The more parents that apply the more likely we can retain funding for Title I programming. Our Title I staff assist students in their reading and math skills, and frankly they are fabulous educators and help to improve our teacher to student ratio.
We now have 108 Village School students participating in the free weekly home COVID test kits. This is great news! Let’s grow that number! You can still sign up. 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!
We are publishing numerical data on COVID-19 cases for students, staff and volunteers who have been on-site, to raise awareness and provide our community consistent, transparent access to current, relevant information. A case at our school does not mean that all students at that school or in a cohort have been exposed to the virus. Families of students considered to have been exposed to COVID-19 are notified directly. You can find the link to our COVID-19 case reporting on The Village School COVID-19 case dashboard.
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.
As we cycle through the school year, we are thankful to every one of you for the level of support and collaboration you bring to the school community. Working together we can maintain a safe school environment and provide a valuable learning experience for each student
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
Scenes from our middle school sewing enrichment class - Pillows!
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!
“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
This morning we made chimichurri as well as a citrus herb vinaigrette and balsamic vinaigrette dressing for our condiment tables. Students stop at the condiment tables after they pass through the salad bar and receive their entree at the service window. Today we had the chimichurri and both salad dressings out along with our hot sauce, salsa from De Casa, tamari, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We also put out ketchup for the upper grades to eat with roasted potatoes. Yum!
Big thanks to today's kitchen volunteers! Jessica Jackowski cut oranges and potatoes this morning. Shane MacRhodes served lunch to all staff and students and Fran Gillooly cut potatoes and rolled burritos as well as helped with clean up. We couldn't do what we do without the help of our amazing volunteer friends!
Warmly,
Toña Aguilar
Toña Aguilar The Village School Eugene, Oregon w - 541-345-7285
6th Grade Art Class
Art teacher, Frederique Chateau, had 6th grade students spend 48 hours with a potato. Then during class, students drew their potatoes from memory and then compared them to their potato friends!
Title 1 Reading and Math Services, 2021-2022
Every fall, winter and spring, our Title I staff administer reading and math assessments to each of our students (Easy CBM assessments provided by 4j). If a student scores below the 3oth percentile, she/he may be recommended by our team to receive instructional interventions in reading and/or math with their progress monitored. At The Village School, all students receive up to 90 minutes of language arts and 60 minutes of math instruction each day. If your child will be receiving additional reading or math instruction, his or her classroom teacher or the Title I Coordinator will notify you.
Counseling Corner
Last week I went into the 2nd grade class as they were reading Anh’s Anger where the main character learned to sit with his anger until it leaves his body. We then practiced a new breathing technique together that I would like to share with all of you.
Feeling Breath
Place both hands on your rib cage, feel your ribs on the front and back of your body. Inhale, feeling your rib cage expand. - You can challenge your child to hold their breath for an extra moment at the top of the inhalation and try to take in one more sip of air as if sipping through a straw before exhaling.
Exhale, feeling your rib cage close.
Try this during a hectic morning once everyone is settled in the car or on bikes or in the middle of the day to calm and relax yourself.
Rebecca Macemon
rmacemon@eugenevillageschool.org
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!
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