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Writer's pictureChrissy Barry

Village Voice - Volume 22, Issue 12


Upcoming Events

  • Scholastic Book Fair 11/28, 11/29, 11/30, 12/1, 12/2

  • Thursday, December 1st, Reading Celebration Event and Book Exchange

  • Thursday, December 8th, Winter Concert

  • Tuesday, December 13th, 5:30pm Parent Council Meeting Zoom

 

Administrator's Message

Greetings Village School Community!


We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the fact that the upcoming American holiday, Thanksgiving, has a socially problematic history that has been downplayed over the years and to let you know our take on the holiday. The origin story for Thanksgiving tells us that the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and the Wampanoag people helped them when times were grim. Thanksgiving was born when the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag all celebrated together with a festive meal (as the story goes). Left out of this tale is the mistrust that was already alive and well during these first meetings, and also that the relationship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag degenerated over the following years, ending in war and the ultimate destruction of the tribe, a story that repeated over and over for the native people, and continues today.


At the Village School, one of our top most goals in teaching history and social studies is to give the students age appropriate and truthful (to the degree that we know) accounts of what has happened in the past. We also strive to give them stories of the world as a place where they can see and find their own stories, their own reasons to be thankful. In later grades, the students learn a lot about the full history of the US including the massacres of Native peoples. They are presently reading the novel Blood on the River, a story about a boy who lands in Jamestown in 1607 and meets the Algonquin people. The sixth grade read an article from the NYTimes called Thanksgiving for Native Americans: Four Voices on a Complicated Holiday and had a few discussions on the topics. We don’t shy away from these topics, but when we tell truthful stories of times past, we always try to end by leaving students with a feeling of hope and motivation, to encourage them to self-reflect and leave the world a better place than they found it.


Chuseok, Día de los Muertos, Samhain, and Sukkot are all fall holidays that center around giving thanks, enjoying bountiful food, and spending time with family and friends. This is the time of year when the harvests are collected and people turn to look inward and gather together for survival. In this vein, we hope that you feel the bounty of the harvest, that the cold winds stay outside your windows, and that you feel comforted by the community that surrounds you.


Sincerely,


Roz, Shannon, and Andy


 

Rules for a Safe Morning Drop Off

Please do not park in the lower North lot when dropping students off in the morning. This lot is for faculty only.

Parking is available on 35th Ave, Glen Oak Dr, Knob Hill Ln, and Donald St.

*We require students in grades K-3 to be walked to their classroom door by a parent or guardian.


If you’d like to drop off your 4th-8th grade student please follow these guidelines:


1. Approach the school from Donald Street. This reduces two way traffic on 35th Ave.

2. Use Drop-Off zone for Drop off only. (At the curb near the stairs leading to the school)

3. Always park in the correct direction and on the correct side of the street.

4. Do not park on the wrong side of the street. Do not stop cars in the middle of the street.

5. Have children exit on Curb side of car, not the street side

6. Please say your “goodbyes” before you stop and avoid lingering




 

Walk & Roll Smoothie Party

Congrats again to the 5th graders who walked and rolled their way to school with a whopping 75% class participation!! They celebrated with a bike powered smoothie party, and a great time was had by all! Thank you so much to our wonderful volunteers Shane and Jon!



 

3rd Grade Field Trip

The 3rd graders recently went on field trips to Food for Lane County Youth Farm and Mt Pisgah Arboretum. Thank you so much to our volunteers for chaperoning these trips!


 

Walkathon

We have a current tally of funds raised by-grade and it is impressive. Students and families have so far raised over $16,000 and over half of our elementary grades students participated in the fundraising. This is a lot more than our goal of $12,000. It's also worth noting that our 2nd grade has so far raised a record breaking $5,750, but the rest of our classes have also done very well. Congratulations and thanks to all of you. If you have pledges to turn in, please do so as soon as you can. Funds can be turned into the office or via village.raisely.com.




 


Title I Reading Celebration and Book Fair



Come One! Come All to our Title 1 Reading Celebration!


We have a couple of exciting events coming up! First, the Title 1 Program is sponsoring a Reading Celebration in the commons from 5:30-7:00 on Thursday, December 1st. We will start the evening by all gathering in the commons for a welcome and a very entertaining guest speaker. After that we will have various activities to celebrate reading that you can travel through at your own pace. Pizza slices will also be served at this time. Please allow families with grades K-2 students to be served first to avoid crowding. There will be enough for everyone, at least one slice, and maybe more!


Here’s how it works:

  • Enter through the front door of the commons from 5:15-5:30.

  • Sign the sign-in sheet and make sure each child, grades K-5, receives a “passport”. If the children visit and engage with all the activities (5 in all), they will receive stamps on their passports which they can redeem for prizes back in the commons).

  • Find a seat in the commons where there will be a welcome and guest speaker.

  • After that, proceed to pizza eating and visiting the activities.

  • The activities will include:

    • Bookmark making (in the Commons)

    • Book exchange (in the lounge next to the Library)

    • Cuddle Up and Read (in the library) Bring a book from the book fair or book exchange and cuddle up to read in a quiet, cozy place.

    • Musical Book Circle (in the gym) Move around the circle to music, stop on the lucky number and you win a brand new book!

    • Scholastic Book Fair (in the gym) You can do holiday shopping at the book fair, and at the same time benefit our school. There will be a huge variety of books and other items. (See below)

  • No later than 6:50 p.m., redeem stamped passports for prizes back in the Commons.

  • The event will conclude at 7:00 p.m.

We can’t stress enough how important it will be for the families to stay together and enjoy the activities together. We ask that children not be allowed to leave their families and run around the inside or outside of the building. Remember, it’s about the joy of reading!


Our second exciting event will be the Scholastic Book Fair. The fair will be taking place at the Celebration, as well as after school in the gym (Nov. 28, 3:00-4:00; Nov. 29, 2:00-3:00; Nov. 30, 3:00-4:00; Dec. 1, see you at the evening celebration!; and Dec. 2, 2:00-3:00). Children will get a chance to browse the fair at school, but purchasing must be done after school on the above times and dates. We will have baskets for each grade level if you would like to purchase books and donate them to your child’s classroom.




We hope to see you all at these two fun-filled events!



 

Book Exchange



 

8th Grade Fundraiser

To support the 8th grade trip, there will be wreaths for sale: locally made with multiple fresh greenery juniper berries and cones for $28. Pre-sales are going on now through 11/21.


Ways you can order:

  • Find an 8th grader and order directly from them.

  • Order online at the village school store

  • We will have a table set up outside the office for any last sales, as well as for pickup.

We are hoping to be able to hand out wreaths on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.




 


3-5th Grade Field Trip

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders were treated to a field trip to the Hult Center, where they watched the Eugene Symphony Youth Concert play Music of Latin America. The students got to see another performance there by Mariachi del Sol, who performed for us at our Día de Los Muertos celebration!


 

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Library News

Check out the Book lists for the Battle of the Books!



 

3rd Grade Lantern Walk


The 3rd graders initiated the first of 3 lantern walks celebrating the onset of the darker seasons, yet with light of lanterns to guide the way.

 

The Village Kitchen

This past Friday we were honored to welcome Soheila and Javad Kazemi to our school kitchen. Along with their grandson Spencer from the 3rd grade and their daughter Negar, our guest chefs prepared a traditional Persian meal of adasi, barbari and feta. Village School students gave the meal an enthusiastic thumbs up and brought tears to the eyes of more than one chef with their thoughtful and kind words.


Sharing food is a wonderful way to explore new cultures and meet new friends!


Toña Aguilar






November Breakfast and Lunch Menus are now available to view below!




 

Volunteering!

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. Some upcoming events that need volunteer help are:


  • Reading Celebration Event - 12/1

  • Scholastic Book Fair - 11/28, 11/29, 11/30, 12/1

  • Book Exchange - 12/1

  • Winter Concert - 12/8


If you haven't filled out your volunteer paperwork yet, please stop by the office to pick up a packet.


Another way to contribute to our school community is by attending Parent Council Meetings! Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 13th at 5:30 PM. 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!


We adore our volunteers! Village School would not be what it is without you. Thank you so much for making Village School the incredible community it is!


Don't forget to sign in to HelpCounter and report your hours so we can see the amazing contributions from our Village School Families



 

Free and Reduced Lunch & Meal Payments

Please Check and See If You Qualify!


The new free and reduced lunch income requirements have been significantly expanded so please apply, even if you think you may not qualify!


If you have not yet done so, take a moment to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application. 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 do not qualify for free meals, payments can be made in the office or at schoolpaymentportal.com.


If you qualify via direct certification (ie, food stamps), you should have received a letter confirming eligibility for free meals. Please let us know if you have not received this letter.


Contact Tristin in the office for details at office@eugenvillageschool.org


 

Parent Council

The next Parent Council Meeting will be on Tuesday, December 13th at 5:30pm!

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!


 


Village School Lunch Diaries

Pesto pasta with greens, chickpeas and apples. Delicata squash rings are roasted to perfection every time in the Village School Kitchen.


Yumm Bowl Wednesdays!


Decisions to make on sandwich day--PB&J, Cheese, or Hummus?


The most delicious Persian meal prepared by our guest chefs, Soheila and Javad Kazemi. Fresh feta, bread, and lentil soup with cinnamon butter on top--it was incredible. We are so grateful they made this beautiful meal for us!


On these chilly autumn days, there is nothing like a bowl of chili and cornbread to warm you right up!


 


Help Wanted


Substitute Teacher & Substitute Educational Assistant


Duties: Serve as substitute teacher or substitute classroom assistant.

Qualifications: Experience working with groups of children. Knowledge of Waldorf curriculum a plus.

Teachers require Valid Oregon Teaching License:

[Main lesson (K-8), Movement/PE, Spanish, Music, Handwork]

Instructional Assistant (BA and fingerprint background check required) Willingness to get CPR training Background check required Complete Covid vaccination records Salary Range: $24 per hour for Teachers, $15 - $18 per hour for Assistants

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Benefits include our healthy lunch service, PERS coverage.



 

Free Covid Testing


You can still sign up for 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:



  


 


LTD Passes Available!


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.



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