Upcoming Events
Wednesday, April 26th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm, 6th Grade Parent Meeting
Sunday, April 30th, 11:00am - 12:00pm, Neurodiversity and Children Talk (Limited Spots - Sign up here)
Tuesday, May 2nd, 1:15pm - 2:45pm, May Day Celebration
Wednesday, May 3rd, Walk & Roll
Wednesday, May 3rd, 5:30pm - 6:30pm, 2nd Grade Parent Meeting
Thursday, May 4th, 5th Grade Play
Tuesday, May 9th, Parent Council Meeting, (Zoom)
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!
What a lovely weekend!!! We got a good dose of vitamin D from our old, if delinquent of late, friend the sun. We loved getting outside and getting dried out, if only for a handful of hours. Roz is still nursing a few nettle stings from a foraging hike on Sunday. We hope you were able to get outside as well!
Coming up next Wednesday May 3rd is Walk & Roll!!! This is a great opportunity to model good physical activity for students, get some exercise, lower your carbon footprint, and, if you’re lucky, win something cool!
News from the Village is that May Day is shaping up quite nicely. Classes have been spending time singing, dancing, and practicing ribbon weaving. So far it's promising to be a lively and lovely event next week. If it’s not on your calendar, get it in there and stop by to say hello or, even better, check in with Chrissy in the office to see if there are any volunteer opportunities you could plug into. We also need LOTS of flowers for flower crown making! Fingers crossed that the sun will come back…
State testing is well underway, if not finished in some classes. It will be some time before we get all the data, but so far we’ve been quite happy with the results we’ve gotten back in some grades. Thank you for working with us on this endeavor! We know testing can be strenuous at times and it’s good to have a snapshot of where we are with our academic goals. Please feel free to let us know if you have any feedback with regards to testing!
One other bit of news is to say thanks to all of you who became EWEB Greenpower Subscribers and voted for our solar project. Unfortunately we did not succeed, but a very good cause, Friends of Trees, whose director is an alumni parent, won the vote and the grant.
Thank you, once again, for being such an ever present and supportive community. We are grateful for you.
Sincerely,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Volunteers Needed for our May Day Festival
As we (hopefully) usher in sunnier, spring days, we will be holding our annual May Day Festival! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 2nd from 1:15 - 2:45pm. There will be music, May Pole dance performances, wreath making, face painting, and more!
We will be needing plenty of support to make this event a success. Many volunteer opportunities are available such as: Flower donation pick-ups, Set-up and Clean-up Crews, Garland and Wreath Making Supervisors, and more. This is a great way to meet your 20/40 hours of volunteer hours that we ask all of our families to contribute. On Friday 4/28 from 3:15 - 4:15pm, we are looking for two volunteers to help our teachers install the May Pole.
You can sign up for a volunteer shift at this link.
One thing that we are asking all of our families is to contribute flowers. We will need A LOT of flowers this day – for decorating the May Pole and making flower garlands. Please share the beauty of your gardens with the school, and bring flowers to the office at the beginning of the school day on May 2nd!
Please contact chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org if helping out at this sweet festival is something you're interested in, or if you have any questions. If you can help out this Friday with May Pole installation, please let me know right away.
Thank you!
Walk & Roll
Gear Up for the Walk+Roll to School Challenge!
On Wednesday, May 3rd, our school is participating in the Walk+Roll to School Challenge. We’re asking every family to use active transportation like walking, biking, scooting, skating or shared transportation like the bus or carpooling to improve our students’ health, learning and independence and to improve safety and traffic around our school and our impact on the environment! We have great prizes to encourage our students to participate!
If driving is your only option, you could “Park and Stride” by parking a short walk away from school and walking with your child the rest of the way. Students who ride the bus, carpool, or park and stride still be able to enter the raffle for prizes.
Can you help with this year’s Walk + Roll to School Challenge? We are looking for a couple more volunteers for this event. Please contact chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org for more information, or to let us know you can help.
Upcoming Parent Event (Limited Spots)
What: Rachel Young, ADHD & Executive Function Coach will host a Q &A style discussion group on neurodiversity and children. Rachel has been doing professional development with Village School staff, and is excited at how invested our school community is in supporting diverse students.
When: Sunday, 4/30/23, 11 am - 12 pm
Where: Village School Commons
This event is almost full. Please sign up a this link if you are interested in attending.
Each class has a parent rep that will be attending and will share Rachel’s information. This event will not be recorded for privacy concerns.
7th Grade Fundraiser
Student Book Recommendation
Written by Irene, third grade
Book title: Doodleville by Chad Sell
This book is a (genre): fantasy
Why I liked this book:
This is my favorite book ever. It is funny and exciting.
Summary:
It is about a kid and their doodles that come to life. They make a giant doodle and then they have to stop it.
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. Please make sure to leave room for others cars to park, as we have limited parking spaces.
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
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, such as our next big event, May Day on 5/2 and for Walk & Roll on 5/3! 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, May 9th 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
Health Reminders
It has come to our attention that some children have been coming to school sick. It has come to our attention that some parents are dropping off sick children at school. If a sick child arrives at school or a child becomes ill at school, the school will call parents or emergency contacts to pick up the child as soon as possible. Please take a look at the poster below to see what our current policies are. Thank you.
Village Kitchen
Bring on the Heat!
This month our local foods spotlight is shining on a rainbow of delicious hot sauces from Crossroads Farm located just outside of Coburg. The Tilley family grows over 30 varieties of peppers on their land and they sell their sauces, spice powders, plant starts and peppers at the Lane County Farmers Market. You can find a spectrum of heat ranging from the very mild orange habañero to the knock-your-socks-off cherry ghost pepper.
Students had the opportunity to visit a taste testing table at lunch today to experience some spice. Most students started at the mild end and worked their way up.
Nora contemplates the heat from the Bulgarian Carrot.
Spencer's favorite was the Serrano Black Mulberry.
Warmly,
Toña
April Menus
Please join us at the next Parent Council Meeting!
The next Parent Council Meeting will be on Tuesday, May 9th 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
A warming cup of chili on these endlessly rainy, spring days.
The freshest pesto to drizzle over pasta, accompanied by a rainbow of fruits and veggies.
Tacos and all the beautiful greens.
Community Bulletin Board
Wildling Collaborative Arts
Wildling Collaborative Arts is a new local artist collective focused on creating a creative and healing space for the community and was founded by 5 women, three of which are parents of Village kiddos! We are excited to let the Village community know that we at Wildling Collaborative Arts are currently offering Kid & Parent Clay Classes, among many other clay, sewing, and leatherwork classes. We are also offering a Mother's Day event on May 13th, 11am-3pm, at 250 Taylor where kids and adults can come to make gifts for (and even with) moms & caregivers. For more information or to sign up for classes, you can check out our website WildlingCollaborativeArts.com or follow us on IG (wildlingcollaborativearts) for announcements. We hope to see you there!
Ophelia's Place
Ophelia’s Place is a prevention-based nonprofit, serving girls ages 10-18 in Lane and Linn Counties. Their spring calendar of events and activities for youth and parents can be found on their website: https://www.opheliasplace.net/activities-workshops
WordCrafters
See upcoming Workshops and Reading groups from WordCrafters. Wordcrafters provides writers and readers opportunities to strengthen their craft, deepen their connection with literature, and share their knowledge with each other and with future generations.
