Upcoming Events
Tuesday, January 17th, 5:30pm Board Meeting - Library
Saturday, January 21st, 10:00am Prospective Parent Information Meeting
Thursday, January 26th, 6:00pm Prospective Parent Information Meeting
Sunday, January 29th, Sibling Applications Deadline
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!
We hope your Martin Luther King Jr. day was filled with a sincere passion for social justice and self evaluation! Five days ago, Bernice King gave a speech at the King Center. She said
...for the past fifty five years there have been commemorations in honor of my father’s birthday, not only in this nation, but around the world. Many have recited his words, and since the inception of the Federal holiday thirty-eight years ago, many have performed numerous acts of service. While I’m beyond honored to be the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and witness the myriad ways that people who are inspired by him have chosen to celebrate him, I am also exhausted, exasperated, and frankly disappointed, that after all these years we have seen minimal progress around eradicating what he called the triple evils of poverty, racism, and militarism. I’m disappointed that little to nothing has changed in our hearts and minds, in our homes…, in our houses of worship, in our communities, our schools, our politics, in our media and entertainment,...our nation, and world, that aligns with the true King. We love to quote King in and around the holiday and even pause to do acts of service, but then we refuse to LIVE King, 365 days of the year.
It is one of our goals in this community to teach the values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., if not 365 days of the year, at very least the 163 we have with students, and hopefully the tools we teach will reach into the weekends and vacation days. We want to facilitate change at our school and in our community through normalizing radical self reflection. And it is our fervent intention to honor the memory of a man who died standing against racial and economic injustice by exploring every possible path, turning over every stone, and peering into every nook and cranny of our own beliefs, biases, and behaviors so that we can model healthy change to our students.
With liberty and justice for all,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Annual Giving Campaign
Improve Theater Facilities at The Village School We have begun purchasing items with funds for the Annual Giving Campaign, including the new wireless stage microphones. They made an incredible difference for the 8th grade play last month. You could hear everything the students were saying. We will implement items from the campaign as funding comes in.
This year’s campaign aims to enhance our theater experience with improved lighting, sound gathering and mixing, video projection, seating and window blinds. The entire goal is to allow everyone to experience our plays and presentations in full view and sound.
We have raised roughly $2,000 towards our campaign of $20,000. In view of our commitment to music and the performing arts, the proposed changes will greatly improve the experience in our theater. We hope you will join us in our efforts to Improve Theater Facilities at The Village School.
Donations may be made in the office or at ANNUALGIVING.US
Sibling Applications
Priority applications for siblings of current Village School students or children of staff members will be due by Sunday, January 29th. Please submit your sibling application before this date.
Grandfriends Day
Grandfriends Day is happening this year on Friday, February 10th from 8:30 to 12:30. Please let the Grandfriends (grandparents or nearby grand friends) in your life know that they can RSVP here or on the Village School Website. We look forward to having them join us!
The Office Can No Longer Share OTC Medications
There are some school nursing policies that we are changing. One new rule that goes into effect immediately is regarding the dispensing of over the counter medications in the office. If you would like the office to give your child any kind of over the counter medication (Advil, Tylenol, Benadryl, throat drops, etc), please bring in a bottle of that medication with your child's name clearly marked on it, as well as the dosage to be given. (This may not exceed the dosage for their age range/weight that is printed on the bottle.) It must be in original, unopened packaging. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.
Volunteering!
Village School families are asked to contribute and record at least 40 hours of volunteer work at the school each year, and single parent households are asked to contribute 20 hours. It is this support that allows us to offer such strong programs with limited financial resources. We also welcome grandparents and other relatives to volunteer in your place!
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.
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, January 10th 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. If you
Winter Weather
As the colder, winter weather continues, here is some information on how Village School will let families know about closures or delays.
When hazardous weather is a concern, decisions regarding schedule changes are made in the early morning, before school, when current weather conditions can be assessed. Village School follows the district (4J) when making decisions, although there may be instances where we will declare a closure, even if 4J does not.
How To Find Out: If there is a change in the school schedule, it will be announced through our school phone message system, normally before 6:30 a.m.
Delayed Starts and Early Dismissal: The district generally will avoid delayed starts and early dismissal due to weather. However, it is possible that unpredictable or sudden weather conditions will require such a decision to be made. Delayed start times will not alter school dismissal times.
Parent Choice: On any day when inclement weather is a concern and school is in session, families are encouraged to consider road conditions in their areas and make their own decisions based on safety. Please call your school if your child will be absent. Parents’ individual decisions about school attendance for this reason will be honored.
If you are concerned about the weather and have not received a phone call by 6:30 a.m., check the 4J website, radio or TV for information about closures, delays or snow routes.
8th Grade Fundraiser: January 20th
The 8th Grade Fundraiser will be taking place on January 20th at the Village School Commons! A song request link will be available soon. We look forward to seeing you there!
If you plan to attend the event, click here to make a song request for the Karaoke.
3rd Grade Canned Food Drive
Please help the 3rd graders with our canned food drive for Food For Lane County!
Bring non-perishable items to the bin by the office. Items especially needed for our friends and neighbors include:
Masa, dried chiles, specialty spices
Pasta, cornmeal, rice
Hearty soups, stews, beans, and broths
Peanut butter and tuna
Applesauce, dried fruit, low sugar canned fruit
We hope to fill up our bin (or maybe make it overflow) by Valentines Day! And please remember that a monetary donation to FFLC (online or at the grocery store checkout) goes a long way, too! Thank you!
Health Reminders
It has come to our attention that some children have been coming to school sick. Please take a look at the poster below to see what our current policies are. Thank you.
Heart of the Village Call for Donations
Dear VS Families,
This year we are excited to be bringing back our annual Heart of the Village festival! This is a hands-on showcase of music, arts, crafts, and food from Village School students and the community. It is the biggest fundraiser of the year that benefits the Parent Council.
We are looking for donations for Heart of the Village. If one of our school families has a vacation home, perhaps a ski cabin or a house at the coast, and you’d be willing to donate a weekend for our silent auction, please let us know! Or if a school family owns a business that would like to donate a gift certificate or other item? If you’ve already donated to the 8th grade fundraiser, please don’t worry about this. Please contact Jenny Jonak (jenny@jonak.com) with any family donation ideas - thanks!
3rd Grade Cooking Class
This past week's cooking class was a lesson in making Japanese Onigirazu (rice balls, also more commonly known as Onigiri). Thanks to Ms. Emily, wonderful volunteers, including a 4th grade helper, and the 3rd graders enthusiastic participation, many beautiful Onigirazu were made and devoured! (BTW: our Village Voice coordinator, Chrissy, was a key inspiration and helper in this project - Village Voice editor, Andy Peara)
5th Grade Projects
Each Friday, the 5th grade class does community service. Recently, they have been hard at work, re-siding the playhouse. This playhouse was originally built by a former 5th grade class!
Student Book Recommendation
Written by Cora, 5th grade
Book title: George* (Or, Melissa's Story/Melissa) by Alex Gino
This book is a (genre): realistic fiction
Why I liked this book:
It has good writing.
Summary of the book:
George is about a transgender person who struggles to find her place in school where not everyone is accepting.
*Ms. Molly's note: This book was originally published with the title George. After it was published, the author decided it was important to update the book title to reflect the name the character chooses for herself by the end of the story. Libraries and book owners were encouraged to update the books in their collection by crossing out "George" and writing "Melissa's Story" on the cover. This is how the book appears in our school library. Updated copies of the book are titled Melissa. If you are interested in learning more about the change, you can read this article.
The Village Kitchen
The Village School Kitchen's collection of cloth napkins is quite eclectic! Over the years people have donated a few from their home collections, grandmothers and handwork teachers have sewn us some and even a graduating student gave us some they sewed just for our program. Offering cloth napkins at breakfast and lunch service is one of the many ways our program is unique.
Kindergarten student, Clementine, holds up her favorite napkin.
Kitchen napkin numbers dwindle surprisingly rapidly. We do a sweep of classrooms on occasion and encourage students not to stick them in their pockets on their way out of the cafeteria. If you have any cotton napkins to spare, we'd love to add them to our collection!
Last week we served up our focaccia pizza. Eighth grade students, Bellah and Fisher, enjoyed learning how to gently press the freshly made dough into large sheet pans and then top it with just the right amount of our marinara and mozzarella cheese.
We are still looking for a Tuesday morning lunch prep helper. Get your volunteer hours by joining us after drop off on Tuesdays to chop fresh produce for our salad bar or blend up a couple of our delicious salad dressings!
Toña Aguilar
541-345-7285
taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org
January Menus
Village School Lunch Diaries
Focaccia Pizza lovingly made from scratch with fresh greens for days!
It's easy to "eat the rainbow" at the Village School. Sushi Rice with Orange Tamari Tofu day is no exception.
As with all sauces, the Village School pesto is made at our kitchen. It is always vibrant and delicious.
Parent Council
The next Parent Council Meeting will be on Tuesday, February 14th 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!
Rules for a Safe Morning Drop Off
Please do not park in either of the parking lots when dropping students off in the morning. These lots are 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
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.
Community Bulletin Board
Mature Blueberry Bushes from Willamette Valley Family Farm
Bare root Draper and Liberty blueberry plants from a family farm in the Willamette Valley that are over 13 years old and about four feet tall. After over a decade of growing blueberries, the family is slowly replacing the farm with Hazelnuts, which is why these are available. What is left on the farm are the largest bushes!
Each plant is $50.00, and instructions for how to reserve bushes are below. Deliveries to Eugene will happen on the following dates and times:
Friday January 27th at 4 pm
Friday February 24th at 4 pm
Friday March 3rd at 4 pm
Bushes will be delivered to the parking lot at the Wayne Morris Family Farm in Eugene, located at 585 Crest Drive. SUVs, trucks, and trailers are most ideal as the plants are large. Limited home delivery for large orders. Payment will be collected day of and cash is preferred. Look for the box truck and you will find your berries!
To reserve bushes, please send your order to Jen at jenjackson1110@gmail.com with your full name, cell phone number, number of plants and variety type, and chosen delivery date. And please, if you reserve plants, please be sure to show up on time to pick them up. Thank you!
