Upcoming Events
Tuesday, September 19th, 5:30pm, Board Meeting in Library
Wednesday, September 20th, 5:15pm-7:30pm, Back to School Night
Wednesday, October 4th, Walk & Roll
Tuesday, October 10th, 6pm, Parent Council Meeting
Thursday, October 12th, Walkathon
Monday, October 16th, Picture Day
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!
It’s the third week of school already! Time is flying already. We’ve got so much planning going on behind the scenes: Walk & Roll, the Walk-A-Thon, new assemblies, after school classes, Back to School night, parent teacher meetings, the September board meeting, and Parent Council, and the Diversity, Equity, and Belonging committee are all on the books or moving forward. It’s been a flurry of activity! There are so many awesome things in the works to look forward to and read on in this edition of the Village Voice for more information!
On another topic, some of our Village School middle school students approached us last week voicing a concern about safety crossing the street at drop off and pick up times. They said that a number of times they’ve tried to cross the street at the crosswalk on Willamette, with the lights blinking, and cars have crossed through while they were crossing the road. Under Oregon law, vehicles are required to yield to pedestrians at any intersection, whether it’s marked or not. At any crosswalk, marked or not, drivers need to stop and wait until pedestrians have cleared BOTH lanes in the road. It is especially important to stop and yield in a school zone, where children are leaving the school grounds. Slow down, give yourself extra time so you’re not in a hurry; leave room around your vehicle; and always have an eye on the sides of the road for pedestrians. It is not worth a potential injury to get through the crosswalk a few minutes early!
We hope everyone is as jazzed about the great start of the year as we are! In honor of how our school year is coming together like a great orchestral feat, and because it would’ve been her 148th birthday today, we will leave you with a song by the French harp prodigy Henrietta Renié. Check out her life story! It's cool.
Back to School Night
Announcement!
Back-To-School Night is Wednesday, September 20
**Please pay special attention to the times for different meetings**
The schedule is as follows:
5:15-6:05 - Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade meetings, held in each classroom
6:10-6:38 - All School Meeting for parents of all grade levels, held in the Commons
6:40-7:30 - 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grade meetings, held in each classroom
**Childcare is provided starting at 5:10 for children in grades K-5**
After School Enrichment Programs Sign Up
The Village School
After School Enrichment Program
Fall Session 2023 (October 2 - December 14)
Dear Village School Families,
We are pleased to announce that the Village School will be offering a 9 week session of complimentary after-school enrichment classes beginning the week of October 2 - December 14 for grades 1 - 8. Class size is limited so please fill out the registration form as soon as possible to ensure a position. Registration forms are due no later than Thursday, September 28. Please click the following link and fill out one form for each Village School child in your family that is interested in attending the After School Enrichment Program.
Please contact Rachel Burk-Bayer bayer@eugenevillageschool.org with any questions you may have, or if you are unable to access the form on-line.
Enrichment classes offered:
Book Worm’s Club / Mercedes Cervantes - Grades 5 - 8, Thursdays, 3:05 - 4:25 (Library)
Welcoming all skilled and enthusiastic readers to the 2023-2024 Village Book Club!! With all of the joy of reading to yourself, isn’t it fun to ponder the pages with friends alike? Come join the middle school enrichment that caters to the book worm within you. We will join our forces and collectively pick a group book that we all follow together. Some chapters may be read in the club time, but mostly done at home. Alongside a week to week meeting of chapters read in the comfort of your own nooks we will have activities like:
Creating quizzes based on the characters and situations from the chosen story
Weekly chats over warm tea and snacks reviewing the chapters and diving deeper into the symbolism and foreshadowing throughout the book
Audiobook days while bracelet making and crafting
End of the semester movie based on the book read or one of our favorite books! *this would be our last class before break
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to email me directly:
Mercedes@eugenevillageschool.org
Ceramics / Donica Beath-Bigongiari - Grades 3- 8, Tuesdays 3 & 4, Thursdays 5 & 6, Wednesdays 7 & 8, select one day only. 3:05 - 4:30 (Spanish Room)
In the Ceramics class, students will explore hand building techniques such as pinch, coil, and slab; as well as using wooden, plaster, or paper molds, and Sgraffito. Students will have the opportunity to make pots, cups, tiles, shakers, monsters, and sculpture.
Bookbinding - Printmaking / Frederique Chateau* - Grades 5 - 8, Wednesdays, 3:15- 4:45 (6th grade classroom)
Get ready to make fabulous one of kind prints and showcase them into your own handmade books! This creative class will introduce students to several forms of printmaking, including carving and reduction techniques for block printing, stamping using found objects, monotype and cyanotype printing. Using traditional bookbinding techniques, students will design and stitch their own journal and make an accordion fold book to showcase their prints. Each class will offer a journey for the artists to experiment with new techniques and materials, explore the various elements of art and composition, and cultivate their artistic expression.
ART Seeing, Feeling and Reimagining/ Frederique Chateau* - Grades 1 & 2, Thursdays 3:15- 4:45 (6th grade classroom)
This 9-week art class offers a journey for students to cultivate their unique artistic expression through new ways of seeing and expressing the world around them. The young artists will explore the building blocks of art (shapes, lines, colors, values and textures) and a variety of techniques using different art mediums such as paint, pastels, pencils and paper collage. The beginning of class will include a quick art history introduction of a famous artist or art movement and their work. We will also have a chance to explore seasonal themes as a source of inspiration. Art can get messy and students are encouraged to dress appropriately.
MARIMBA - advanced class, INVITATION only / Chris Halaska, Thursdays 3:05-4:05
Title 1 Reading and Math Services 2023-24
Every fall, winter and spring, our Title 1 staff and classroom teachers administer
reading and math assessments to each of our students. If a student scores below
the 30th percentile, he/she 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 1
Coordinator will notify you.
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 take part in. Some events that we have coming up are our Día de los Muertos celebration and Math Night. We are also still looking for volunteers for the Village School Kitchen!
*Please note that we ask families to contribute 40 hours of volunteer hours per year, and single parent households to contribute 20 hours*
One of the ways to contribute to our school community is by attending Parent Council Meetings! We will be holding our next meeting on Tuesday, October 10th at 6pm in the Village School Library. 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!
Volunteer packets are available in the office.
Please talk to the Volunteer Coordinator, Chrissy Barry for more information!
chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org
541-345-7285
Don't forget to sign in and out at the office when you volunteer, as well as to sign up for HelpCounter and report your hours so we can see the amazing contributions from our Village School Families
How to keep children safe during
Drop off and pick up at
The Village School
*We require students in grades K-3 to be walked to their classroom door by a parent or guardian. Parking is available on 35th ave, Glen Oak Dr, Knob Hill Ln, and Donald St.
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.
The Village Kitchen
Greetings from The Village School Kitchen!
Today's lunch was yummy soft tacos with a side of quinoa. Some children come through the service line not knowing what quinoa is. We love introducing them to new foods! Quinoa is a flowering plant in the amaranth family native to the Andean region of South America. It is grown primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and dietary minerals in amounts greater than in many grains. Many students enjoy it with a bit of tamari, nutritional yeast, chimichurri or sour cream mixed in. On Tuesday afternoons, a couple of lucky 7th grade students get to come into the kitchen at the end of the school day to help us with a few tasks such as creating the menu board for the next day. Leah and Mateo were proud of their art work this past week.
We are blessed with many new volunteers this school year. Thank you to everyone who contributes to making our unique food service program possible!
Toña Aguilar
September Menus
September Breakfast and Lunch Menus are now available to view below! You are also welcome to pick up a paper copy in the office.
Free and Reduced Lunch
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! Families of four earning up to $90,000 qualify for free meals.
If you have not yet done so, take a moment to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application. (the site is up and running)
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@eugenevillageschool.org
How to Pay for Meals
Please log in to the LunchTime School Payment Portal to pay for school meals and to check your balance at https://www.schoolpaymentportal.com/Login.aspx
Below is a QR code to use to access the handy phone app.
1st Grade
Some sweet moments from the first grade classroom--they are busy learning and playing.
New Staff
Please give a warm welcome to our new staff members!
From top left, clockwise:
Emily Nance (Recess Supervisor)
Ellis Moore (7th Grade Teacher)
Anchen Texter (Handwork Assistant)
Katy Williams (Reading Educational Assistant)
We are looking forward to a wonderful year with them!
The Village School Math Night
Math games for all ages including parents! Prizes! Pizza! Wednesday, November 8, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Sponsored by Title 1 and Mathnasium of Eugene
Please let us know if you would like to volunteer for this fun event!
Village School Fundraising
Shop locally or online and raise funds for Village School with your
back-to-school shopping, and throughout the year!
We encourage everyone to use the following fundraising programs that help local vendors and bring fundraising dollars to our school. Even if you have registered before, please take a moment to make sure your accounts are updated with current credit/debit card information.
eScrip – Market of Choice
eScrip is a program that earns a percentage of your purchases for local retailers such as Market of Choice. eScrip has an online mall and dining program as well. To register:
Log onto www.eScrip.com
Create an account
Register debit & credit cards. Site is secured.
Enter Our Group I.D. 9130886 (If you do a search by name, enter "The Village School") Shop at eScrip merchants [Market of Choice], online mall, and local dining.
Use the cards that you registered in eScrip for all your purchases.
Be sure to update your cards in your eScrip account when they change numbers.
Sequential BioFuels
Sequential BioFuels, located at 18th and Chambers and at 86714 McVay Hwy (just off 30th ave and Interstate-5), will donate 5 cents per gallon of fuel if you mention The Village School at the time of purchase.
Fred Meyer Community Rewards
Earn the Village School rewards when you shop at Fred Meyer. Go to: https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards, establish an account or login to your existing account. Go to "MyAccount". Under the Community Rewards tab, click "edit", and when prompted, enter either 80855 or Village School. Click the entry tab next to Village School and "save". Once this is set, your purchases made with your Fred Meyer rewards or card will create donations to The Village School.
Amazon.com
Go to https://eugenevillageschool.org/support-us. By clicking this link and accessing Amazon.com, you can earn The Village School up to 15% of your purchase through Amazon.com. Bookmark the initial link, attach it to your browser and let this be your link to Amazon.com.
Office Depot/Office Max
Give 5% back to the Village School when purchasing school supplies! Simply make a purchase of qualifying school supplies, provide your school ID at checkout and your designated school will receive 5% back in credits for FREE supplies! The Village School ID number: 70115184
Village School Lunch Diaries
Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, salad greens and apples.
Yumm bowl Wednesdays!
Tofu pad thai with plenty of cilantro, broccoli, and fresh salad and fruit.
Soft tacos with quinoa, kale and apple slaw, and gloriously juicy and sweet watermelon.
Health and Safety Announcement
August 2023
Revised quarantine and isolation guidelines for Village School
If a STUDENT, STAFF or VOLUNTEER tests positive for COVID: Isolation for 5 days is required. The infected person may return to school on day 6 if all symptoms are resolved, and has been fever-free for 24 hours without medication. One negative test is required in order to return to school, either on day 6 or later. Wearing a mask is strongly recommended until day 11.
Or, isolate for 10 days and return to school or work on day 11 without the requirement of testing, if symptoms are resolved and fever-free for 24 hours without medication.
If a STUDENT, STAFF or VOLUNTEER is exposed to Covid outside of the home regardless of vaccination status: Advise family to watch for symptoms. Strongly recommend that the student, staff, or volunteer tests for COVID 5-7 days after exposure, or at the onset of symptoms.
If a STUDENT, STAFF or VOLUNTEER is exposed to Covid within the household, regardless of vaccination status: If the exposed student, staff, or volunteer is symptom free they may continue coming to school. Advise family to watch for developing symptoms. Strongly recommend that the student, staff, or volunteer tests for COVID 5-7 days after exposure, or at the onset of symptoms. Strongly recommend that the student, staff, or volunteer wear a mask during the duration of the family member's illness.
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: $26 per hour for Teachers, $18 - $20 per hour for Assistants
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Benefits include our healthy lunch service, PERS coverage.
Parent Council
The next Parent Council Meeting will be on October 10th at 6:00pm! We will be meeting at the Village School Library.
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 - Parent Council Meetings are open to all parents and guardians on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
You can also engage with Village School families on the Parent Council Facebook page, The Village Vine!
LTD Bus Passes
Free LTD Transit Pass!
All students in 4J schools can get a student pass to ride Lane Transit District (LTD) buses for free. Student transit passes can be used to travel anywhere within the LTD service area. Student passes can be used at any time—after school, on weekends and during school breaks, as well as to get to and from school each day.
To get a free LTD student transit pass, available as a tap card or Umo smartphone app, guardians/parents can make the request for elementary students; middle and high school students can request their own passes at the front office or at high school registration events. Passes are valid from September 1 of the current school year to September 30 of the following year and can be renewed by the school each year for ongoing free service.
Community Bulletin Board
Eugene - Springfield Youth Orchestra String Academy
Registration is now open!
Village School Ultimate Frisbee
Village School Ultimate starts Tuesday, Sept. 12. If you have a middle schooler who would like to join check out the information and registration page for Emerald Valley Ultimate. Practice is Tue/Thur 3:45-5:15 at Tugman Park. Games are Saturdays and will likely be at Ascot Park (Monroe Middle School).
