Village Voice - Volume 25, Issue 21
- Chrissy Barry
- Feb 11
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 17
Upcoming Events
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, ZOOM, 5:30 PM
Wednesday, February 18th, Village Community Council Meeting (Final meeting for Heart of the Village!), Zoom
Friday, February 20th, Grandfriends Day (See below to RSVP)
Saturday, February 21st, Heart of the Village (See below for volunteer signups!)
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!
Do you have Grandfriends Day and Heart of the Village on your calendar? They are coming up soon, and I know that there are lots of activities in need of volunteers. You can have a little fun and fulfill some of your volunteer hours at once, if you’ve got a few hours to spare! See below for more details.
Along with the upcoming testing season, we will be participating in the SEED survey. Back in 2023-24, the state of Oregon began to require (HB 2656) school districts to make the Student Educational Equity Development Survey (SEED) available to all enrolled students in grades 3-11. The content of the survey varies by grade level. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and measures student perceptions in four core constructs:
Access to learning resources
Opportunity to learn
Self-efficacy and
Sense of belonging
The middle and high school versions of the survey also include questions about extracurricular engagement and career and technical education. High school versions of the survey further include questions about post-graduation planning. A full list of survey items is available online.
Parents or guardians can opt their student out of taking the SEED Survey by completing this form: SEED Survey Opt-Out Form OR SEED OPT-OUT Spanish and turning it into the office.
Students may decline, at any time before or during the survey, to participate in the SEED Survey via their answer to the first SEED Survey question.
In August, the Oregon Department of Education releases aggregated and suppressed SEED survey results to schools and districts through the Achievement Data Insight (ADI) application, and on ODE’s public website.
Though not a test, the survey is distributed via the OSAS (state testing) portal, and it's open during the testing window.
Thanks for reading, and we hope your dunkelflaute months are zipping along as well as can be.
Sincerely,
Roz, Shannon, and Andy
Annual Giving Campaign - Merry-Go-Round
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:
Grandfriend's Day - Friday Feb 20th
Mark your calendars for Grandfriend's 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. Sign up here or on the signup sheets 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
We have a tradition of preparing fruit kabobs for our students and staff for Valentine's Day. This special treat will be served on Friday. If your child would like one we would LOVE to provide one to them as part of their school lunch. Please remember that if a student gets a school lunch they must take at least three of the five daily food component groups we offer. This is a reimbursable meal requirement of the National School Lunch Program. The five food components available with every school lunch are: fruit, vegetable, milk, protein and grain. If you would like more information about this program requirement, please don't hesitate to reach out for more detailed information.
Did you know you can dye fibers with avocado pits and peels? One of our beloved volunteers, Anchen, recently asked us to save avocado pits for a fiber dying project. The wool turned out a lovely shade of earthy pink. So cool!
Parents, guardians and siblings are welcome to join us for breakfast and/or lunch. We just ask that you purchase a meal ticket from the office first. Thank you for your ongoing support! We love feeding our community.
Toña Aguilar
Handwork Happenings
Village School students, Calliope, Irie, Clara, and Dave Dave with some beautiful Handwork.
State Testing (OSAS)
Under Oregon law, a parent or student age 18+ may opt out of Oregon’s annual statewide math and language arts assessments by filling out an annual opt-out form, which starting this year can be submitted online. Exemptions from the English language proficiency (for students whose primary language is not English) or science tests may also be requested based on a student’s disability or religious beliefs. We will only be accepting online opt-out forms for English and Math until we return from spring break. If you would like your 5th or 8th grader to opt-out of the Science testing, you must fill out a paper form and return that to us. The template for this and the online opt-out form for English & Math can be found below, along with some other helpful information:
Village School Lunch Diaries
Quesadillas with red beans and fiesta rice
Yumm Bowls
Ramen Bowls
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!
Summer camp with our very own Ms. Blaise!
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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