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Upcoming Events
Friday, October 29th: 1/2 Day, Grading Day + Halloween Hike
Monday, November 1st: No School, Conference Day
November 1-5: Celebramos el Día de los Muertos
2021/2022 Calendar is available here!
Administrator's Message
Dear Village School Families,
The breezy October days with passing showers makes getting out for errands on foot or bicycle a bit challenging. Also, when planning a hike or a long walk during these blustery days the chances of stepping through a curtain of rain increases. The pay off can be exhilarating though -- stunning clouds, refreshing air, and perhaps an atmospheric break providing beautiful rays of sunshine bouncing across the horizon.
Three classes take a one day pause
On October 22, we directed our Kindergarten, 4th grade and 7th grade classes to take a one-day pause and not to come to school on Monday, October 24. This pause will allow the staff to do a thorough examination of seating charts and contact tracing logs. This is necessary because one student in each class is a presumptive positive case. By the time you read this message we will have completed our contact tracing and determined which students, if any, could be considered a close contact, and would have contacted their parents. Remember the privacy of students and adults at our school must be protected and names of people that are presumptive or positive will be held in the strictest confidence. Furthermore, we work closely with and must follow the mandates issued by Lane County Public Health.
Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching. Check with your classroom teacher about how they are managing the use of costumes by children. Three major points to remember about costumes. If your child wears a costume on Friday to school:
No part of the costume can depict blood or gore.
The use of masks or weapons of any kind are not allowed.
Some children use one costume for school and a different one for at home festivities.
Please remind your children not to bring any Halloween candy to school.
When your child comes home from school on Oct 29, which is a half day of school, you may want to ask them about the Halloween Hike. The staff, with limited parent volunteer help, are creating a path with jack-o-lanterns and decorations for each class to walk, safely distanced, while remaining on the school grounds.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent teacher conferences will be held on November 1 and November 12. Each teacher manages these in their own style. Please see their newsletters and emails to keep abreast of how to sign up for a conference.
COVID Home test kits
Another five students are participating in the at-home COVID test kit program. We now have 148 students participating in this program. To sign up, it’s a two step process. 1) Go to At Home Testing, fill out the application. 2) Be sure to bring the paper form from your signup to the office. Your student will get a kit each Tuesday to return on Wednesday morning. You will be texted the results in a couple of days!
Walk & Roll
Walk & Roll to School concludes soon. On Wednesdays, students’ transportation will be tallied and those who Walk or Roll will be entered into a drawing to win prizes! It’s still rollin’ on. Participate & enjoy!
To help keep the entire community as safe as possible, please continue to follow all the protocols we’ve established for our school plus the ones you follow at home and during social times with friends and families. We also appreciate it when you keep ill children stay at home, especially if they have COVID like symptoms.
As we reported last week Lane County Public Health has confirmed that it is highly likely the Pfizer vaccine for children will be ready for distribution by the week of November 15th. We will tell you as soon as we know where their mobile clinics will pop up and how a person may sign up to receive a shot for a child.
As the wind rustles the leaves around our footsteps and we notice reflections of light in the ponding water, let’s continue to work together and care for one another throughout this fall.
Respectfully,
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!
Celebramos el Día de los Muertos
Our 2021 school Día de los Muertos celebrations will be held over the next two weeks. Village School children have been learning about the history and the importance of this, mainly, Latin American holiday. They are learning about the joy and remembrance that this special day brings. An understanding of the indiginous roots of the day along with the fusion of Spanish and Christian European traditions allows students to see how ancient the holiday truly is. More Día de los Muertos history
This year we will not be holding an evening event. In its place, we will be celebrating by taking part in the following ways:
The traditional school Ofrenda will be placed in the Commons from October 28-November 4. Students are welcome to place photos of loved ones on the Ofrenda. All students will have the opportunity to view the Ofrenda on Friday, Nov. 5. Families are welcome to come through the commons during conference hours on Monday, November 1.
Students have been creating artwork to be displayed in the Commons during the time the ofrenda is up. Paintings, papel picado, and other Día de los Muertos works of art will be available for viewing on conference day.
A special Oaxacan lunch will be served to students eating the school lunch on Friday, Nov. 5. Nati and Ana (our wonderful custodians) will be cooking traditional veggie memelas for us. ¡Sabrosísima!
The middle school students (grades 7 and 8) are creating Día de los Muertos slides to be shared digitally next Monday.
We hope that you and your family have a joyous day celebrating those who have passed, lending wonderful memories and much happiness.
Sinceramente,
Maestras Sarah y Toña
Parent Council
The next Parent Council Meeting will be on November 10th at 5:30 pm!
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
Walk + Roll to School
Be sure to walk, bike, scooter, or take the bus on Wednesday! Those who participate will be entered into a raffle for weekly prizes, culminating in a grand raffle during the final week of the event: to give away two deluxe scooters!
Walk and Roll for the month of October is now underway, and we encourage you to walk, scoot, bike, ride the bus, or skateboard to school every day and not just on the raffle day Wednesdays. If you must drive, try parking at Market of Choice and walking from there to school, giving yourself a great start to your days!
Check out the graph in the primary breezeway. It's fun to see, schoolwide, how everyone is getting to school. We tally participation and add to the graph each Wednesday.
This is a Title 1-sponsored event, so your support and involvement help to ensure that our wonderful Title 1 program, which includes classroom support and funding for special events, continues.
Let's Walk and Roll!!
Enter the Safe Routes to School Art Contest
This fall we’re asking students why they walk+roll! Is it for health, community, fun, climate, or other? Students can draw their answers and submit them to us by Sunday, October 31 to be entered to win a walking or biking pack plus fun Walk+Roll prizes. Click here to learn more and submit your child’s artwork.
LTD Passes Coming Soon!
The Village School is working with 4j and LTD to make touchpasses available to students! More news to come!
Village School Kitchen
This Friday is an early release day for all students. The kitchen will be providing free to-go sack lunches for any student that would like one. Sack lunches will include a Rubinette apple, a carrot from Organic Redneck Farm, a Z bar and a bagel and cream cheese. Vegan and gluten free options will be available. Middle school students will pick up their bags in the courtyard after they are released at 11:45. Grades K-5 will have their sack lunches delivered to their classrooms prior to release time.
Big thanks to Teyah and Ryan, parents of first grade student Flora for bringing beautiful corn stalks and winter squash from their farm to decorate our courtyard. Ryan is one of our morning volunteers as well. He folds laundry once a week for us which is extremely helpful! We still need a few more morning laundry folders. Even 20 minutes of napkin folding after drop off would be so helpful! November menus are out! We recommend printing them (or you can pick up a paper copy from the office) and putting them on your refrigerator. Check them out here: November Breakfast Menu November Lunch Menu Warmly, Toña Aguilar
Warmly,
Toña Aguilar taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org
Library News
For the last few weeks I have been visiting first through fifth grade classes with books for students to check out and take home. Ask your child or their teacher if you don't know their library day.
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 from last year 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.
Please stay tuned for more information about participating in Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) this year!
Thanks!
Molly Bautista
VS Librarian
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.
Free and Reduced Lunch
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
Title I Student/Teacher/Parent Compact
There is no need to sign or return this sheet, simply discuss it with your child and family and work together to commit to the agreements.
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!
