Village Voice - Volume 25, Issue 20
- Chrissy Barry
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Upcoming Events
Monday, February 9th, Village Community Council Meeting (Heart of the Village), Zoom
Thursday, February 12th, 1st & 2nd Grade Field Trip to the Hult Center
Thursday, February 12th, 10:15am & 6:00pm, 4th Grade Play
Monday, February 16th, No School, President's Day
Tuesday, February 17th, Board Meeting
Wednesday, February 18th, Village Community Council Meeting (Final meeting for Heart of the Village!), Zoom
Friday, February 20th, Grandfriends Day
Saturday, February 21st, Heart of the Village
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!!
Happy (slightly belated) Imbolc, aka halfway (ish) between winter solstice (longest night) and spring equinox (equal day and night)! This is the time of year when the seeds of spring are starting to awaken deep underground and life is beginning to unfurl. Take a look around and see if you can note the hints of change!
Springtime heralds another unfurling at TVS…state testing! Here is our annual reminder about what you need to know about state testing:
The Village School is required to administer annual statewide assessments of language arts and math for students in grades 3–8 and science in grades 5 and 8. You will be notified which days the test will be administered once the precise days are determined.
All public schools in the U.S. are required to systematically assess student learning and report participation and results in school accountability systems. Students in Oregon are assessed periodically to measure proficiency in state and district standards, including completing statewide assessments in certain grades. State test results provide important information for students, parents, teachers, schools and districts.
The expected time spent in class on the ELA test is 1.5-3 hours. The math portion of the test is estimated to take 1.5 hours. The length of time and standards of the Oregon assessments have been reviewed again since last year and were adjusted to alleviate long testing sessions and to give a better picture of where the students are in the academic realm.
Can students opt-out of state testing?
Yes. Under Oregon law, a parent or adult student may opt out of Oregon’s summative statewide assessments of math and language arts for any reason, by annually submitting a form. Students who opt out of state tests, beyond a certain threshold for our school, are counted as “not proficient” in our school’s test results that are reported statewide. A student's name or whether they opt-out is not public information. The school’s participation rate reflects the degree to which the number of students opt-out of testing.
Ideally, parents who are opting their students out of testing will do so via an online link. This will save us time, paper, and administrative resources and is much more convenient for you, the parent. However, opting out online must be done before Spring Break. We will NOT be processing paper opt out prior to that time. More information to come on opting your child out of the OSAS test and for the testing schedule.
Last but not least, get ready for grandfriend’s day and Heart of the Village! See this issue for more info.
Hopefully everyone is healthy, contented, warm, and dry,
Sincerely,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Report Cards
By the end of the week you will receive your child’s 1st semester report card. Please keep in mind this is just one snapshot of your child’s progress in school.
The information in the grades K-5 report card is to inform families of their child’s progress and achievements. The information is not intended for the student. Teachers give age-appropriate feedback in a variety of ways to your child at school. Please keep this in mind if you choose to share the report card with your child.
The information in the middle school report cards is intended for both families and students. Middle school students also receive feedback in class, as well as in the form of graded assignments.
We are using District 4J's database, Synergy, for reporting. The Synergy system does not align perfectly with the Jupiter grade-book our middle school teachers use. Your child will receive a Pass/No pass grade for music classes, and “proficiency” grading for all other classes.
Middle School Grading Key:
Jupiter → Synergy
CM (consistent mastery) = HiPr (Highly Proficient)
AM (approaching mastery) = Proficient
BC (beginning comprehension) = NrProf. (Nearly Proficient)
BU (basic understanding) = NtProf. (Not Proficient)
IR (intervention required) = NG (No Grade)
If you have any questions about your child’s report card, please contact the classroom teacher. Thank you.
Annual Giving Campaign - Merry-Go-Round
Our annual giving campaign is progressing towards its goal. We have brought in $3,450 towards our $10,000 goal for a new merry-go-round. We hope you will join us in our efforts to install new playground equipment at The Village School. You can support the campaign if you go to Annualgiving.us or follow the QR code below:
Grandfriends Day - Friday Feb 20th
Mark your calendars for Grandfriends Day! It is happening this year on Friday, February 20th. Here's the sign up form. The event goes from 8:45am to 11:45am, (and later if you join us for lunch.) More details to come soon.
Heart of the Village - Saturday Feb 21st
Here we go! Less than a month until the biggest fundraiser and festival of the year! See below for details and where to sign up for volunteer shifts and silent auction donations.
We are also having two more Heart of the Village planning meetings on Zoom. Please join us on Monday, 2/9 at 6:00pm and Wednesday, 2/18 at 6:00pm both at this Zoom link and bring any burning questions, as well as suggestions!
Each grade is responsible for an event at the festival. Check out the grade specific jobs here.
We are also needing plenty of bake sale and musical cakes donations. Signup sheets are posted in front of each classroom.
2nd - 5th graders will be singing at Heart of the Village! Middle School marimba students will also be performing! Please mark your calendars with the performance schedule;
MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE
11:20-11:50- Village Middle School Marimba Bands
12:00- 12:30 2nd-5th Grade Choir Performances
12:30-1:30- Ruzha Rukuru Marimba Band
1:30-2:30- Magic Show with Bob
Sign up here to volunteer for Heart of the Village.
Sign up here to input any donations you've secured to the Silent Auction.
Heart of the Village Pre-Sale Tickets
Skip the long line, and purchase Heart of the Village Pre-Sale tickets! They can be purchased here or with the QR code below:
Any pre-purchased ticket packages will be available for pickup in the office.
Prices for HOV are:
General Admission for a family of 4 - $20(full), $15(reduced), $10(half price)
General Admission Individual - $5(full), $3(reduced)
Lunch Plate - $8
Lunch Bowl - $5
Heart of the Village Scholarships
Village Community Council is offering a limited number of Heart of the Village scholarships to families who need them. Please fill out this form if you are interested in receiving one.
Village Kitchen News
Class of 2025 graduates, Rolland and Mateo, stopped in to say hi and offer a hand in the kitchen on Monday. It was fun to hear about their high school experience and see how much they have grown since we last saw them in June. We love that they wanted to join us on a day off of school!
Exciting news! We are making the transition from plastic cutting boards to wooden ones. Thank you Ann & Mike Magee and BDA Architecture and Planning for your generous donation. Ann and Mike have supported our school in a myriad of ways since their daughter joined the first grade in 2010. Mike was our board president for many years and designed our kitchen build out when we first moved to this site ten years ago. Mike also serves on the Village School Foundation board. Ann led many successful events at our school, was a class coordinator and played a pivotal role in the genesis and on-going success of our school kitchen.
We are very grateful for this gift and look forward to using wood surfaces instead of plastic for the hundreds of pounds of produce we cut every week for breakfast and lunch.
Toña Aguilar
February Birthdays
7th Grade Field Trip
7th graders took the LTD bus to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History to learn about the history of Chinese immigrants in Oregon. They then got a little taste of college life when they ate lunch on the U of O campus among the university students.
Handwork Happenings
Beautiful finished handwork from 2nd graders Stella, Ffynlo, and Leo, and 3rd grader, Joshua
Village School Lunch Diaries
In case you were wondering, this is what lunch tray perfection looks like, showcasing all of the beautiful, fresh greens that kids and staff are offered every single day. Thanks to Max for sharing his tray with the Village Voice!
Once a year, on conference day, middle school students and staff get to enjoy an exciting Village School Tradition - Breakfast for Lunch! There was a feast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and fresh orange juice.
Winter Weather
Winter weather is here! Here is some key information families need to know.
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. We follow the 4J District's lead for delays and closures. However, if they choose not to close, we may assess our area, and make our own decision.
Our main concern is the safety of our students and staff. We also believe students and families are best served when schools are open. We will always do our best to make the best decision possible, taking into account all of the factors.
If there is a change in the school schedule, it will be announced normally before 6:30 a.m., by phone and email message.
NO NEWS = NO CHANGE. If there is a change in the school schedule due to inclement weather, we will announce the change.
LTD buses may also be delayed or detoured when there is ice or snow on the ground. Detour information will be posted on the LTD website, www.ltd.org, and publicized to local news media.
Delayed Starts and Early Dismissal: We 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 the office if your child will be absent. Parents’ individual decisions about school attendance for this reason will be honored.
*Be aware: It is impossible to guarantee phone and email message delivery 100% of the time, and your alert may be delayed or blocked. If you are concerned about the weather and have not received a text alert by 6:30 a.m., check the 4J website, radio or TV for information about closures and delays and THEN CHECK THE VILLAGE SCHOOL WEBSITE. At times, our lot and incoming roads are untenable and we may need to call a delay or closure when 4j does not.
LTD Passes
Health Reminders
Community Bulletin Board
If you are looking for ways to support families at risk and in fear due to the increasing presence of ICE in our community, please consider donating to Escudo Latino. They are working long hours and playing an important role in supporting those who need it most right now. Thank you!
Free Dental Clinic for Kids 5 & Up on March 7th(free stuffed animals too).
“Our dental hygiene students love kids,” says Michelle Cummins, Lane Community College’s Dental Hygiene Program Coordinator. The abundant stuffed animals with toothy grins decorating the entry way of the brightly-lit clinic seem to agree. Both the toys and the students are ready for Lane’s free, upcoming Dental Clinic for Kids on March 7th.
The clinic is part of “Give Kids a Smile,” a nationwide event in coordination with the American Dental Association Foundation. Under the careful supervision of volunteer dentists and Lane instructors, dental hygiene students will give children ages 5 to 18 free evaluations, sealants, fluoride, x-rays, and preventative dentistry.
Free appointments for kids 5-18 are available anytime between 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 7th, but expected to fill quickly. Interested parents should call the Lane Dental Clinic at 541-463-5206 to reserve their child’s spot today. Patients of all ages can call the same number to book low-cost appointments during regular hours.
Phone (541) 463-5206
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