Village Voice - Volume 25, Issue 1
- Chrissy Barry
- Sep 2
- 8 min read
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, September 3rd, First Day of School! 11:45am release (No lunch service)
Wednesday, September 3rd, New Parent Orientation, 8:45am - 10:00am
Friday, September 5th, 9:00am, Rose Ceremony
Monday, September 15th, 6:00pm, Parent Council Meeting on Zoom
Thursday, September 18th, 5:30pm, Back to School Parent Night for K, 1, 6, 7, 8 Grades
Thursday, September 25th, 5:30pm, Back to School Parent Night for 2, 3, 4, 5 Grades
Wednesday, October 1st, Picture Day for K - 4th Grades
Thursday, October 2nd, Picture Day for 5th - 9th Grades
Quick Links
In the interest of reducing the sheer length of the Village Voice, we have replaced several repeating items with links to shortcuts:
Administrator's Message
Greetings Village School Community!!
What a glorious, expansive, bountiful, steaming hot summer we’ve had!! All the fairies we sang to on May Day blessed these PNW gardens with an abundance of vegetables and fruit and worms galore.
Here at the Village School we’ve been nearly as busy as the fairies, organizing supplies, cleaning out cupboards, and making plans for the year. A few things of note:
We’re looking for a new recess supervisor, please see the office if you’re interested. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the students at the school, spend some time in the great outdoors, and get paid to do it. Inquire in the office if you’re interested.
New staff! Molly Bautista will now be doubling up as our beloved librarian AND she will be a new reading EA for the lower grades. We’re also very excited to add Tracy Zehner to our staff as our new music teacher and Hiroko Cooper as our new Handwork Assistant.
The Courtyard entrance has been completed! No more rivulets of rain down the old collar on the way to handwork! It’s looks great. Thank you to Andy Peara and Justin Ross for overseeing this project and thanks to each of the workers who put time and care into making it so nice.
The mural is nearing completion, it should be done in a few more weeks and WOW does it ever look gorgeous. Be sure to take a look, if you haven’t already.
The traffic and pedestrian gates are working now, so if you arrive after 8:25 AM, please use the entrance by the stairs next to 35th Ave. Ring the bell on the intercom. Office staff will let you in. Come to the office & get a tardy pass. Gates will reopen at 2:30 PM.
We are looking for committee members who are available and interested in being a part of the VS Ad Hoc Wellness Policy Assessment Committee. A school wellness policy is a written plan for a school district to create a healthy school environment by promoting student wellness through nutrition and physical activity, and it is a federal requirement for schools that participate in USDA child nutrition programs.It is time for us to assess our school's Wellness Policy. The committee will be composed of various stakeholders from our school community. Meetings will take place after school on the following Wednesdays: September 17, 24 and October 1. Please be prepared to commit to all three dates. Click here if you’re interested in joining us.
Volunteer & Parent Support --There are numerous ways to lend a hand this year. Tell us your interests! We want to know.
On that note, the kitchen is looking for volunteers. There are many time slots available, check in with the kitchen staff for more information.
Don’t forget to pay your supply Fee -- The supply fee is important to help provide the unique materials our students use in their school work
We’ve got lots in store for the year with our Village Community Council, fundraisers, and all school events. Stay tuned for more information on these and other topics.
We are so grateful for our community! Three cheers for a fantastic year to come.
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Drop Off & Pickup Policy
For late Arrivals, please use the entrance at the bottom of the stairs off of 35th Avenue and ring the intercom.
Bike Map
If you are planning on walking or biking to school, here is a handy map for that:
The Village Voice
Welcome to another school year! For those who are new to our school, the Village Voice is the weekly newsletter that is put together by the office staff. You can expect to see it in your email inbox each Wednesday.
Here you will find a highlighted section on upcoming events, quick links to easily access information, updates from the office, kitchen, teachers, and other staff, as well as pictures of all of the exciting things that are happening at the school! Please give it a read weekly, to keep up with what's new at Village School.
2025 - 26 Electronic Device Policy
Teaching students to use technology safely and appropriately continues to be part of everyday learning; however, cell phones have proven to be a distraction in the classroom and detrimental to the learning environment. We are actively working to maintain the physical and mental health of our students, which has led to the re-evaluation of our cell phone policy. Given current research and data, we believe that removing the phone from the student’s physical presence is best practice. Students may freely use/access their phones before and after school. Our middle school students are assigned a computer each year, therefore, there is little need for additional personal devices.
Village School students grades three through eight will be required to place their phones in a locked box that will be stored safely by their home room teacher. An exception will be made for students who use a cell phone for medical needs. Teachers will return phones at the end of the school day. If a student needs to use their phone for legitimate reasons, they can ask their teacher to unlock it for them. However, students who need to call their parents will generally be referred to the office or a classroom phone for this purpose. Cell phones are not allowed for students in grades k-2, unless as a part of a medical plan.
We are hoping that this new procedure will reduce instances of inappropriate use of phones during transition times, reduce anxiety in students who don’t have cell phones or specific apps that other students have, reduce distractions, and increase community connectedness during the school day. Here is a link to a 500 student survey that found significant correlations between high cell phone use, anxiety, and lower grades.
IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT YOUR STUDENT DURING THE DAY FOR AN EMERGENCY OR FOR TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, CONTACT THE OFFICE AND WE WILL GET A MESSAGE TO THEM.
**Students who do not lock up their cell phones at the beginning of the day and are found to be in possession of their device will be required to lock it up and the class teacher will check in with a parent or guardian. The second instance, the device will be held in the office and a parent/guardian will be required to pick it up.
Headphones/AirPods
All electronic headphones are prohibited during the school day unless the student has a medical exemption, or when directed by a teacher.
Village Kitchen
Welcome to a New School Year Friends!
It feels good to be back in the kitchen, serving nutritious and delicious meals to students and staff. This is our 15th year!
Local, organic produce is plentiful during the late summer season and we are thrilled to be utilizing some from our very own school garden.
A couple of weeks ago our garden coordinator and kitchen assistant, Taylor, harvested bountiful basil which he turned into pesto for an upcoming meal. We will also be using a new batch of basil along with tomatoes and cucumbers from the school garden for this Thursday's lunch. Deliveries from Camas Swale Farm, Me and Moore and Horton Road Farm are coming in as well this week to round out our fruit and vegetable offerings.
We need volunteers!
We create magic in The Village Kitchen every school day, turning wholesome ingredients into healthy meals made with love and positive intention. This is possible with the help of parent volunteers who help us prep and serve meals every school day. We are in need of volunteers right away. Please consider signing up for a shift as a fun and fulfilling way to complete your volunteer hours. You can contact the kitchen at: taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org or 541-510-8604.
See you soon.
Toña Aguilar
September Menus
Campus Cleanup Party
Thank you so much to our rockstar parent volunteers who came to beautify our school after a long summer break. There was much weeding, painting, and prepping, and our campus looks so much better for it! We truly appreciate you.
Volunteering at the Village School
Welcome to a fresh new school year! Be sure to watch your email, the Village Voice and the Village Vine for messages from Village Community 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.
We ask families to contribute 30-40 hours of volunteer hours per year, and single parent households to contribute 15-20 hours. Please stop by the office to fill out a volunteer packet if you have not already done so (Background checks are valid for 2 years). All parents have been entered into our online volunteer system, HelpCounter. This is where you can track your hours, and is the system you will be signing in on when you come to the office. You should be receiving an email from HelpCounter soon. Stay tuned!
One of the ways to contribute to our school community is by attending Village Community Council Meetings! The first meeting date is Monday, 9/15 at 6 pm. Meetings are held on Zoom so that you can attend from the comfort of your home. Every parent and guardian's voice is valued in decisions about what funds are used for, events that are held and collaborations with departments and teachers at the Village School!
We are also looking for parent coordinators to represent the kindergarten class. Please let the office know if you are interested in this role.
*Please always make sure to sign in, grab a volunteer badge, and sign out at the office when you volunteer
Reach out to chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org with any questions about volunteering!
541-345-7285
Title 1 Reading/Math Services 2025-26
Every fall, winter and spring, our Title staff and classroom teachers administer reading and math assessments to each of our students. If a student scores below the 30th percentile, she/he 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.
After School Enrichment Classes
Dear Village School Families,
We are pleased to announce that the Village School will be offering a complimentary after-school enrichment program (ASEP) beginning the week of October 6 - December 12 for grades 1 - 8. Programs are funded by grants from the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Community Foundation’s Chintimini Fund. Classes will be held directly after school and will be dismissed between 4 - 4:45 pending on the grade level and the class being taught.
An enrollment form for the After School Enrichment program will be posted in the Village Voice asap. Please keep an eye out for the registration form and fill it out promptly as class size is limited and may be subject to lottery. Applications are accepted on a first come, first serve basis.
If you have any questions about the ASEP please direct them to me bayer@eugenevillageschool.org or you may text, or call me at (805) 975-7778. Due to the daily spam calls I receive, I may not answer immediately so please leave a voice message with your name and reason for calling and I will return your call asap.
Regards,
Rachel Burk-Bayer
ASEP Coordinator / Kindergarten EA
(805) 975-7778
Health Reminders
August and September Birthdays
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