This letter was sent home to all VCS families September 2, 2010

Dear Valley Catholic School Families:

In my 18 years as a Catholic educator, it is hard to imagine a school year I have been looking forward to more than this one. Since arriving in mid-July, I have had the pleasure of getting to know several teachers, parents, campus employees, Sisters and administrators.

Some of you may know this is not my first time working on the Valley Catholic campus. Valley holds a nostalgic place in my career as my first teaching job after college. I coached soccer and tennis and taught at the high school for four years in the ’90s. After that, I taught and served as Principal for 13 years at Blanchet Catholic School in Salem. While I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything, I am so grateful to be back here in Beaverton. It’s like coming home.

As President of Valley Catholic, I am here to unify the school community, maximize the opportunities we have to interact with each other, and do what I can to make the Valley Catholic School experience a treasured and worthwhile time for every student we are privileged to teach.

As we get to know each other in the coming months, you will hear me say communication is a high priority. I believe a school thrives when every member of its community has a voice in making it a better place.

With that sentiment in mind, I am considering venues where I can learn more about you, our parent community, and understand what is important to you. I look forward to getting to know all of you who have made the special choice and sacrifice to allow your children to attend Valley Catholic School.

In an effort to communicate well and often, I will send a weekly email to all of you on Fridays, beginning September 10. Each email will include news stories, athletic highlights and important calendar information for the coming week. It will also have an area you can click to get more specific announcements about the activities at your child’s particular school building.

As a school, we will be doing everything we can this year to post all the information you need on our Web site in the news and calendar areas. This is in an effort to reduce the amount of email you receive and streamline how you get information from us. I look forward to hearing how the new format works for you.

We are finalizing the details on an all-new electronic calendar system that will not only give you reliable information for all school activities, but will also alert you via email or text message when changes or additions are made to any group or activity you wish to follow. Look for more information in my September 10 email.

The SSMO Foundation and I will also be sending a letter next week with more information about how you can support our school through fundraising activities. Your participation in these efforts is vital to the financial health of our school and directly benefits our students. We are grateful for all of you. The progress on the new K-8 Education Center has been remarkable over the summer. The building is beginning to take shape as the foundation has been poured and the first pieces of steel have been erected. It’s so exciting to see.

I want to personally invite you to our first gathering as a PreK-12 community this fall. Among our nearly 700 campus families, it would be exciting to see how many of us can gather to support our Valiant football team for its game against Sheridan at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 25. I’m calling it “The Valley Kick-Off Classic.” You are welcome to bring your entire family at noon to enjoy a free BBQ-style meal served up by me and the heads of all four school areas. Be sure to wear blue to show your Valley Catholic pride!

I am sure it will be a hectic time for me as I get to know all of you in the coming months, however, should you wish to meet with me privately or have any special concerns you want to discuss, you may call me at (503) 906-1129 or email me at bweber@valleycatholic.org. Here’s to the new year at Valley Catholic!

The progress on the new K-8 Education Center has been remarkable over the summer. The building is beginning to take shape as the foundation has been poured and the first pieces of steel have been erected. Throughout the construction process, it is imperative that all campus visitors be aware of the safety requirements around the construction site. Students and parents are not to enter the construction site at any time and caution should always be taken when walking around the area. In the past few weeks, the construction crew has started the welding process on the building. All campus students and visitors are reminded that it is hazardous to stare at the welding arc. The SSMO Foundation will continue to keep us in the know about the progress of the construction and the ongoing fundraising campaign.

All parents who are anticipating volunteering at any of our campus schools need to have attended the initial “Called to Protect” training, have a current background check on file and complete the online update training. Please contact the front office of your school for details.

In an effort to standardize all our campus schools, we have decided to lock all the high school exterior doors during the school day except the front door and require all visitors to check in at the main office and receive a Visitors Pass.  Like our sister schools on campus, a family issued Personal Identification Number (PIN) must be used to gain access to locked doors.  For those of you with siblings on campus, your entire family will use the same PIN for access to all the schools for which a family member attends.

Your PIN will provide you access to the main academic building from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. during all school days and additional times that occur outside this window (student meetings, play practice, etc.).  It will also provide you access to the Athletic Center while practices are in session.  The necessary doors will still be unlocked for all public events (games, concerts, etc.).

Please be prepared to use your PIN on the first day of school.  Please keep in mind that you will need your PIN to travel from classes in the modular classrooms to the main buildings and any additional time you need to reenter the building during the school day.

To unlock a door, enter in your PIN followed by the # symbol.

Please keep your family’s PIN in a safe place. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your family.

We will talk more about these changes on the first day of school.

If you have any questions about our efforts or your PIN, please contact Dale French at dfrench@valleycatholic.org.

The construction of the new building has brought about a few changes to the campus policies on drop-off and pick-up of students to the various school buildings. Listed below are both a text description and a color map for each school’s new traffic route inlcuding direcitons for both arriving on and departing from campus. Please review the notes listed below and acquire the maps for your student’s school BEFORE the first day of school. If you have any questions about the new traffic procedures that are outlined, please feel free to ask your school’s administrator for assistance.

VC Middle and High School: Parents of MS & HS students will enter the campus on 148^th Ave. Students can be dropped off in a variety of areas by the MS & HS buildings. After dropping off their student, parents can leave the campus using Murray Blvd (southbound), 148^th Ave. (westbound onto Farmington) or St. Mary’s Drive (eastbound on Farmington). Students that are parking on campus should also use 148^th Ave. on the way in to campus and make their way to the one of the student parking areas.

Arrival Flow for Middle and High School Traffic > 

Departure Flow for Middle and High School Traffic >

VC Elementary School: Parents who are dropping off their child at VCES should enter the campus using St. Mary’s Drive. The new third lane is now open and it will be used as the queue lane for VCES. Parents will wind their way around and into the VCES drop-off area in front of the entrance to the Elementary building. After dropping off their child, parents can leave the campus using Murray Blvd (southbound), 148^th Ave. (westbound onto Farmington) or St. Mary’s Drive (eastbound on Farmington). Parents who are parking and escorting their child into VCES can enter the campus on either St. Mary’s Drive or 148^th Ave., find a parking spot, and walk their child into VCES. Parents are reminded that they must check in at VCES and receive a Visitor’s badge if they plan on entering the building and walking their child to their classroom.  

Arrival Flow for Elementary Traffic > 

Departure Flow for Elementary Traffic >

VC Early Learning School: Parents are to enter the campus on St. Mary’s Drive and drop off students in the turn-around in front of the Early Learning School building. After dropping off their child, parents should exit the campus using St. Mary’s Drive.

Arrival and Departure Flow for Early Learning Traffic >

The drop-off and pick-up of students will run smoothly if parents follow the guidelines and exercise patience throughout the process, especially during the typically hectic first few weeks of the school year. It is important that when picking up students from school that parents not create traffic jams by double-parking, which will prevent cars from getting out of spots and bring the campus traffic to a standstill.

During a summer camp in August, KOIN 6 reporter Mike Donahue visited with Valley Catholic High School football coaches and players. The team has been locally recognized for coaching sportsmanship, team-play and values for life.

Valley Catholic’s first football game is Friday, Sept. 3 against Blanchet Catholic at Willamette University in Salem.

The video link below displays a series of stories featured on KOIN that day. The Valley Catholic Football story is the first one in the series. If you miss the opportunity to click when you see our story, just refresh your screen and you can click on the image of the Valley Catholic Football uniformed players.

Head Coach Justin Denham said to the Beaverton Valley Times, “The key to success is consistency, training and playing to our potential on a regular basis,” and he means it.

With the Valiants Volleyball program entering a new league, its reputation follows it. Three trips to the state tournament in three years shows that the Valiant Volleyball program has what it takes to compete at a high level.

Beaverton Valley Times has a full article on the upcoming season here.

For the second time in five years, the Valiants are switching leagues. This year, the OSAA has moved the school into the Lewis & Clark League. Valiant teams are looking forward to the new challenges ahead.

Other schools in the Lewis & Clark League include:

• Catlin Gabel
• Clatskanie
• Corbett
• De La Salle North Catholic
• Oregon Episcopal
• Portland Adventist
• Rainier
• Warrenton

Miles Vance of the Beaverton Valley Times has full coverage of the league changes here.

For those of you who have been on campus over the summer months, you have undoubtedly seen the great progress made on the K-8 construction project. This past weekend, steel beams began to arrive for the 1st and 2nd floor construction.

SAFETY ALERT:  As there will be quite a bit of welding on these beams, the contractor has indicated that there will be some shielding to prevent viewing of the welding arcs. However, just as it is dangerous to stare into the sun, it is also dangerous to stare at welding arcs. Please be careful to safeguard your vision by refraining from staring at the welding of the steel.

Thank you for adhering to our safety alerts to keep you and your family safe during this exciting time on our campus.

See how the construction site looks right now!

Happy Summer to You!

I hope you are enjoying the time off school and are finding a nice cool place to finish the summer reading or another great book.

I realize school is still several weeks away but at this point you should have received a packet from the front office with some basic information, including the school calendar.  If you have had a chance to look at it, you will see that book buying/registration and new student orientation is on Thursday, September 2^nd.  Book buying and registration is from 12-2p.m. for all middle school students (MS) and orientation is just prior to this time (11:00 - 11:45 a.m.) for all 7^th grade, new 8^th grade students, and new middle school parents.

Also, the uniform exchange materials are in the lobby for the next two weeks.  If you want to look at the items (it has grown a lot since the last time it was placed in the lobby), please feel free to drop in to look.  However, I highly recommend calling the front office to be sure that the doors are unlocked PRIOR to coming to school.  The main number is 503.644.3745.

We look forward to seeing you on September 2^nd and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions prior to that time.
Read the rest of this entry »