Village Voice - Volume 26, Issue 5
Upcoming Events
Thursday, September 24th, 5:30pm, Back to School Parent Night for K, 1, 6, 7, 8 Grades
Friday, September 25th, 4th Grade Salmon Watch Field Trip
Monday, September 28th, 5th Grade Field Trip to Mt Pisgah
Monday, September 28th, 6:00pm, Village Council Meeting on Zoom
Tuesday, September 29th, 9:35am, Fire Drill
Tuesday, September 29th, 5:30 pm, Board Meeting on Zoom
Wednesday, September 30th, 4th Grade Field Trip to Spencer Butte
Thursday, October 1st, 5:30pm, Back to School Parent Night for 2, 3, 4 Grades
Thursday, October, 8th, Walkathon
Friday, October 9th, No School, Professional Day
Monday, October 12th, Picture Day for K - 4th Grades
Wednesday, October 14th, 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
Dear Village School Families,
I learned something new and cool this week! Do you know what the equilux is? Did you know it’s happening this Saturday? This is not to be confused with the equinox. The equilux is when there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The equinox is when the sun is directly above the equator. These two phenomena do NOT occur on the same day. In the fall the equilux occurs a few days after the equinox. So, happy upcoming equilux! Enjoy the last few days when there is a wee bit more daylight than darkness.
Stay Healthy
I’m sure you have heard about the many illnesses going around school. As everyone works to rebuild their immune systems for a new school year, please take a look at the Symptom-based Exclusion Chart we’ve attached below. Thank you for keeping sick children at home. This will reduce the spread of illness.
Join us for Back to School Nights
We hope that many of you can attend the Back-to-School nights. This Thursday (9/24) parents will meet with the classroom teacher of grades K, 1, 6, 7, 8. Next Thursday (10/1) the remaining grades will meet. This is a great opportunity to learn more about curriculum and classroom events.
On the Lighter Side,
You'll see below that we announced this year's Walkathon last week. Office staff and student teacher Max Ritzow put on a skit to announce the Walkathon with a special emphasis on making waves. In fact, from her zippy scooter, Shannon led the crowd through a wave making exercise, as you might see at a Ducks game. Next time we'll try to get a video!
Shannon and Andy
Back to School Packet 2026-27
Please make sure to take a look at your Back to School Packet if you have not done so yet, and fill out all necessary school forms as soon as possible. Thank you!
Community Service Walkathon
This past week we launched our Community Service Walk-a-thon, one of our truly fun events for grades 1 through 8 that encourages fitness and community mindedness. Students set realistic lap goals. This year's goal is to raise at least $16,000. Half of this will help The Village Kitchen. The other half will support the following eight organizations, which were chosen for co-sponsorship due to their commitment to community values and ecological awareness:
1st Grade: Nearby Nature
2nd Grade: Cascades Raptors Center
3rd Grade: Food for Lane County Gardens
4th Grade: Long Tom Watershed Council
5th Grade: Walama Restoration
6th Grade: Cascades Mycological Society
7th Grade: Whole Earth Nature School
8th Grade: Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council
Students have received pledge packets, but pledging can also be done with Online Pledge System: VillageWalkathon.org. Through the online platform, you can set up your own site, create a family team, and refer people to it via email, Text, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. It's easy to circulate this to a circle of family members or friends. We hope that each family will participate in the walk-a-thon to the best of its ability. If each family raises $90, we will achieve our goal, but don’t stop at that. The more contributions you raise, the more successful we’ll be at achieving our goal of giving back to the community and helping our school.
This week we announced the Walk a Thon and the prize for the class that raises the most money, an eclectic kinetic sculpture that models wave dynamics. We hope you can help our students make waves in support of our kitchen and sponsored groups!.
Thank you very much for your participation!
We are looking for some parent volunteers to help out with this fantastic event! Please find a shift that works for you and put your name down to help here! You can also reach out to chrissy@eugenevillageschool.org with any questions.
Volunteering
We are asking all volunteers to fill out our new online form and background check for the 2026-27 school year. Register to be a Village School volunteer here.
*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!
Current Needs:
The Village School Walkathon
See other upcoming events that need volunteer help below:
Picture Days are Coming Up!
Photo Faces Northwest returns to the Village School this fall for Photo Days 2026.
This year, Photo Days are:
Mon., 10/12 for Kinder - 5th Grade
Wed., 10/14 for 6th - 8th Grade
We have also set aside a half day, Fri., 10/16, as an “overflow," if needed. We expect to complete photography by Wednesday.
Makeup & Retake Photo Day is Wed., 11/18. Makeup and retake photos will be available ahead of the December holidays.
Gallery viewing and ordering
You will receive a personalized link to your student's photo gallery once images are ready. You can view, adjust cropping, and order prints directly from the gallery portal. If your student was absent, or if you are dissatisfied with the images, you may sign up for Make-up & Retake Day photo. After Photo Days are complete, we will send a Make-up & Retake Day sign-up sheet out. Be sure to put your student on the schedule, if you would like them scheduled for a make-up or retake.
Preparation
Please help your student prepare ahead of time for Photo Day—clothing, grooming, and a cooperative attitude. Doing so helps us avoid lost time and the additional work of a retake.
Offerings and delivery
PFNW offers a range of package selections. Photos are delivered to your home address, usually 5–10 days from order placement. Expedited delivery is available for an added fee.
Many goods and services have seen price increases in recent years. We held our pricing steady through several years of rising costs. This year we have made some price adjustments, where needed, including in delivery charges, which are set by the carriers.
Group photo note
All groups come on an 8x10 sheet. This sizing allows us to fit the group to the class—larger classes are wider. Most groups will still be a 6x9 print, as last year's, but with a border. As always, you may contact Photo Faces Northwest with any of your questions or concerns at info@photofacesnorthwest.com. We’re always happy to hear from you.
ParentSquare
School communications are now being shared through ParentSquare. You’ll receive school and classroom updates, attendance notifications, conference and volunteer opportunities, and more.
Download the free ParentSquare app for iOS or Android, or access it online at www.parentsquare.com and make sure you are opted in to receive notifications on both email and text. If you have not registered yet, please do so here.
New to ParentSquare? Watch this short video to learn how to get started: ParentSquare Parent Tutorial
Village Kitchen
This week we received our first delivery of flours from our local mill! Camas Country uses the stone grist method of grinding grains. In this ancient form of milling, the entire grain kernel is ground—bran, germ, and endosperm. The result is naturally whole grain flour with all of the inherent nutrition, vitamins, and minerals of the grain. We appreciate that we can use local, high-quality, and nourishing products in our school food program.
Today, community volunteer, Josh Spoden, mixed up some giant batches of focaccia dough using Camas Country flours. They will do a slow rise in the walk-in cooler over night before being turned into focaccia pizza for tomorrow's lunch.
Student helpers, Remy and Zephyr from the 4th grade had fun watching the process.
Come join us in the kitchen! We have a lot of fun making and serving food to nourish our students and staff. There are many volunteer shifts we still need to fill.
Title 1 Reading/Math Services 2026-27
Every fall, winter and spring, our Title staff and classroom teachers administer reading and math assessments to each of our Kindergarten through 8th grade 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.
Community Bulletin Board
My name is Harrison Wiesert, and I have been playing piano for 25 years and have released multiple albums. My specialty is helping people of any skill level discover the piano through curiosity, play, and creative exploration.
I believe children learn best when they are given the freedom to explore, make discoveries, and develop their own relationship with what they are learning. My approach to piano embraces these Montessori principles by encouraging independence, self-expression, and learning through hands-on experience. Rather than simply following instructions, students are invited to listen, experiment, create, and discover what they can do for themselves.
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