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Village Voice - Volume 25, Issue 30

Upcoming Events


  • Friday, May 1st, May Day Festival - Volunteers Needed, Sign up Here!

  • Thursday, May 7th, 5th Grade Science Fair

  • May 4th - May 8th, Staff Appreciation Week

  • Friday, May 8th, No School, Professional Development Day



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! 


Holy Wow, it’s nearly May already!! I can’t believe how quickly the year has passed. May Day has never arrived so quickly as this year! 


Speaking of time passing, we have an important announcement: As we look ahead to next school year, we are also marking the close of a chapter. After five years of sharing both the sixth grade and principal roles, we will be concluding our job-share model at the end of this year. This structure has been a meaningful and collaborative way to serve the school, and one that we have both deeply valued.


Next year, Shannon will move into the full-time principal role, and we will be hiring a new sixth grade teacher. We look forward to welcoming a new member of the faculty and continuing to support our students with care and continuity through this transition.


I’ll also be making some changes next year, with a few exciting possibilities in the works, and I look forward to sharing more as plans become clearer. Thank you for five years of amazing collaboration at this beautiful school! (Actually, Roz has been faithfully serving here since 2005 - so her time at Village School has been quite a bit more than just 5 years!)


Hopefully we will see you on Friday at the May Day Celebration! 


Sincerely,

Roz, Shannon, and Andy




Talent Show

There were so many fun acts and incredible talent displayed at the annual Talent Show and 8th Grade fundraiser. Thank you to the 8th grade families who put so much hard work into making it happen for the students!



May Day

Our annual May Day celebration is happening this Friday on May 1st! We will need plenty of flowers to make Flower Crowns and to adorn the Maypole. Please share the bounty of your gardens - we will have buckets placed outside the office on the morning of May 1st. We are still looking for a just a few more volunteers. Thank you so much to everyone who has already signed up! This is the last big celebration of the school year, and a great opportunity to meet your volunteer hours.

You can sign up here to Volunteer!



Coming Together for a School Family


Our Village School community is coming together to support Ashley and her children after a sudden death in their family. This fundraiser helps provide stability and care during a difficult time. If you're able, please consider donating or sharing to help surround their family with support.


Link: 


Environmental Club Announcement: Loose Plastic Recycling Competition.

Each classroom will collect soft plastics in designated boxes.

How to Win

The class that brings in the most qualifying plastic by the end of April wins!

The winning class gets a popcorn and popsicle party.


What Happens to the Plastic?

• Collected weekly

• Weighed

• Posted on a leaderboard

What Counts?

• Bread bags

• Tortilla or bagel bags

• Ziploc bags

• Plastic grocery bags


Reminder

Make sure plastics are clean and dry.

Start bringing in plastic from home and help your class win and help the planet.


Plastic Film & Our Planet: Why Bread Bags and Grocery Bags Matter

Plastic film includes thin, flexible plastics like bread bags, grocery bags, plastic wrap, and packaging. Because it is lightweight and used once, much of it becomes waste. Understanding its impact can help us make smarter choices and protect the environment.

Key Facts

  1. Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags each year — about 300 bags per person.

  2. Plastic film can take 10–20 years (or longer) to break down, and it never fully disappears — it turns into microplastics.

  3. Only about 5–10% of plastic film is recycled because it can clog recycling machines.

  4. Plastic waste in oceans harms more than 800 species of marine animals worldwide.

  5. Real-World Impacts on Plants and Animals

  6. Sea turtles often mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, which can block their digestive

  7. system.

  8. Birds and fish can become tangled in plastic film, making it difficult to move or eat.

  9. Plastic in soil can block water and air from reaching plant roots.

  10. When plastic breaks into tiny pieces (microplastics), it enters food chains and can affect entire ecosystems.


How You Can Reduce Plastic Film Use

  1. Bring reusable shopping bags to stores.

  2. Choose products with less plastic packaging.

  3. Reuse bread bags or plastic wrap when possible.

  4. Use reusable containers or beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap.


How to Recycle Plastic Film

  1. Do not place plastic bags or film in curbside recycling bins (unless your city allows it).

  2. Many grocery & retail stores have collection bins for clean, dry plastic bags and film.

  3. Remove food or crumbs before recycling.

  4. Look for labels that say "Store Drop-Off" on plastic packaging.


Small choices — like using reusable bags or recycling correctly — can help protect wildlife, plants, and our planet’s future.



Village Community Council Updates


Funding Request Update:  The Obstacle Course that was emailed out in a school wide vote had an overwhelming 'yes' approval!  Construction will hopefully begin within a month. 


We LOVE our staff, so let's come together and celebrate them next week for Staff Appreciation Week!    We need your help to make it happen (especially for the brunch potluck on TUES, so please sign up to make a poster or bring a food/drink item- thanks!)


Teacher Appreciation week!  May 4th-8th

Families will celebrate staff by showing appreciation every day of the week!

 

Monday 5/4: Write a letter, card or poem for a staff member

Tuesday 5/5:  Bring in a flower or piece of nature for a staff member and staff Brunch Potluck


   **Staff Appreciation Brunch on Tuesday.. 

Parents will be honoring staff with heartfelt banners and a breakfast/brunch in the staff lounge.  Each class will be responsible for a different aspect of the event:


Brunch Sign up HERE.   


Please sign up to help shower our staff with appreciation :)


3rd-8th: Please bring donations to the staff room (next to the library) on Tuesday morning, preferably before 8:15am.


Wed 5/6: Create a drawing for a staff member

Thursday 5/7- Wear your teacher’s favorite color, team or animal 

Friday 5/9- No school for students, VCC will pay for lunch at staff in-service

 

Current STAFF LIST

 

Alison Cantril

Title I Coordinator

Amy Roberts

Speech Pathologist

Andrea Gomez

EA, Recess Supervisor

Andy Peara

Executive Director

Angelique Brennan

Registrar/ Records Coordinator

Anna Szmidt

Handwork Teacher

Audrey Striker-Lock

Kitchen Assistant

Blaise Stewart-Bradley

Aftercare and Recess

Brett Jacobs

Guitar Teacher, Building Manager

Chrissy Barry

Office Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator

Emily Nance

Aftercare and Recess

Hiroko Cooper

Handwork Assistant

Danielle Kimball-Smith

Kitchen Assitant

Chris Halaska

6th - 8th Marimba Teacher

Denise Huebner

Kindergarten Teacher

Emily Nance

Recess Supervisor

Emily Swenson

2nd Grade Teacher

Fréderique Chateau

Art Teacher

Grant Bruckner

Recess Supervisor

Hailey Duhn

Kindergarten Assistant

Hiroko Cooper

Handwork Assistant

Jaime Sutton

1st Grade Teacher

Jennifer Horn

3nd Grade Teacher

Jesse Gammon

8th Grade, Humanities/LA 7th & 8th

Justin Boe

7th Grade, Math & Science Teacher

Karen Kirkman

Special Education Resource Teacher

Katy Williams

Math Tutor

Kelsey Khatter

Music Teacher

Laura Griffin

Special Education Resource Teacher

Logan Flores

Movement Teacher

Matthew Rutman

5th Grade Teacher

Max Ritzow

Title I Coordinator

Meridith Kidder

Title I & Test Coordinator

Merrily Ellestad

4th Grade Teacher

Molly Bautista

Librarian & Reading EA

Rachel Burk-Bayer

Kindergarten Assistant

Rachel Land

Kitchen Assistant

Rebecca Macemon

School Counselor

Robin Loehrke

Kitchen Assistant

Roz Romatz

Principal/6th Grade Teacher

Sally Grimsrud

Title I Coordinator

Santi Lopez

Spanish Teacher

Sara Redig

1st Grade Assistant

Sarah Borchers

Handwork Assistant

Sarah Lewenberg

Reading EA

Shannon Powell

Principal/6th Grade Teacher

Taylor Zeigler

Kitchen Assistant

Toña Aguilar

Kitchen Coordinator

Zoe Ridge

Recess Supervisor

 

 

State Testing

Spring brings with it OSAS testing… Parents may submit an opt-out form at any time. Preferably the forms are submitted to Angelique in the Village School Office, on paper or via email (angelique.brennan@eugenevillageschool.org) 30 days prior to the administration of the tests.  If you have any questions please send an email to principal@eugenevillgeschool.org.

Here are the opt out forms:

We’re hoping you have some fun plans: travel, rest, play, eat, read, breathe in some fresh air, whatever. I’ll leave you with another poem by a favorite of mine:



Annual Giving Campaign - Commemorative Tiles

Our first round of commemorative tiles are on display just outside the office. Our long term plan is to create a more permanent display once we get more tiles. You can order a tile at https://polarengraving.com/eugenevillageschool or use the following QR Code:

With a tile purchase, you will help us towards our goal of raising funds to install a new merry go round. We hope you'll join our efforts!


Village Kitchen News

Richard from the 2nd grade is a big fan of green salads. Check out his tray from lunch today. He enjoyed the mesclun mix we recently purchased from the friendly folks at Winter Green Farm.


Village School grandmother, Dana, sewed and decorated new aprons for the kitchen this month. Thank you Dana. We love them!


Looking to fulfill your volunteer hours for the school year?

We have a couple of bi-weekly spots we'd love to fill with helpers for the remaining few months of the school year. Contact Toña at taguilar@eugenevillageschool.org or pop by the kitchen to say hi and get more information.



May Menus





1st Grade Field Trip


The 1st graders got to take a field trip led by Nearby Nature. Thank you to all of the parent chaperones who supported this excursion!



LTD Passes




Health Reminders



Community Bulletin Board

Rose Children's Theatre's production of Something Rotten Jr is open for just 1 more weekend! Come see Village School Middle Schoolers, Alison, Indigo, Marie, Serena, and Mandala perform!




NAMIWalks Lane County is a free family & pet friendly community event to bring awareness to mental health. There will be giant yard games, laser tag, face painting, sensory zone, and balloon twisting!




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 Camps

Summer camp with our very own Ms. Blaise!







 
 
 
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