Dear Valley Catholic Families,

This is the second installment of information about the transition into our new K-8 Education Center.  As with the previous update in October, many of the questions I answer in this piece will involve the 6^th grade as it becomes part of our middle school program.

Q. What is the current status of the construction of the building?

A. The project is still ahead of schedule and, barring any unforeseen weather issues this winter, the school will be finished in the early portion of the summer. This will allow us plenty of time to move in before the start of the 2011-12 school year.
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Due to the changes in the local youth Lacrosse programs, and the new affiliation with feeder high schools, Valley Catholic School is investigating the possibility of fielding Lacrosse teams for our elementary and middle school students. 

If you think your 3^rd – 8^th grade student might want to play Lacrosse for Valley Catholic starting this spring 2011, please send us an email so that we may make an initial assessment of the possibility for offering Lacrosse to our students. 

Send your response to Jeff Gallagher at jgallagher@valleycatholic.org.

Valley Catholic is hosting its annual Science Fair on April 8, 2011. This event is attended by middle school students all over the state and is organized by June Poling, who won an outstanding teacher of the year award in science in October.

This will be the ninth year that Valley holds this special event, and all 6th-8th grade students are welcome to attend.

You can download all the forms here.

Valley Catholic Middle School eighth grade student Sannah Braun will be performing in this year’s production of Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree.

Watch Christmas come alive at the Keller Auditorium as Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree opens its 48th season. This full-scale theatrical presentation with over 250 adult and youth voices, a full orchestra and special guests Georgene Rice, Timothy Greenidge, Michael Allen Harrison, Audra Cross, Ali Mills, and the Jefferson Dancers will start your Christmas holiday season off right!

Theatrical scenes range from a Victorian village to a manger in Bethlehem. From Santa and Rudolph to shepherds and kings, there is something for everyone. Breathtaking beauty, outstanding costuming and moving pageantry result in an unforgettable experience, renewing the true spirit of Christmas in the hearts of all who attend.

Many families make attending one of the performances a holiday tradition and come back year after year.

Call Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree box office for best pricing at (503) 557-8733, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Valley Catholic 2003 grad and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mariel Zagunis is a fencing world champion yet again. She defeated Olga Kharlan of Ukraine 15-11 in the finals in Paris Nov. 6.

Read the full Beaverton Valley Times article here.

How would you like to satisfy your volunteer hours doing what you love in your slippers at home?

The VC Auction is in need of a Layout Artist to help lay out the auction invitations and catalog on Adobe InDesign. Interested? We can put you to work right away!

Please email Danielle Tomich or call (503) 718-6405.

Students have the creative privilege and responsibility to bring the VCMS Annual Yearbook to life. Elements of photography, design, and layout characterize several phases of planning and construction. Students work as a team with peers, teachers, and professional representatives to fuse their talents and creativity into an exciting final product. An extracurricular time commitment is involved, as this class will require several after-school meetings throughout the year in order to complete the yearbook.

Download the application here.

Conflict Managers are middle school students who assist VCELS preschool students and sometimes VCES students – depending on the schedule – to resolve conflicts constructively during lunch recess or during after-school playtime (approx. 3:20 – 3:50 p.m.).

The middle school student’s role is to encourage and teach peer-to-peer resolutions to common school yard problems. They will help teach skills of clear communication, problem solving and empathy. Helpers in Peace (H.I.P.) members will also teach the younger students new games and ways to use their recess and after-school time in an effort to prevent conflicts in the first place.

Interested in joining the team? Application and eligibility requirements can be found at here.

In honor of Veterans Day this week, we thought the timing was very poignant to announce some news we recently learned about a purchase of property near our campus. Within the first three months of 2011, our campus will have a new neighbor. The Salvation Army has recently announced plans to open a service for veterans in the location that previously housed the assisted living center known as Normandy Woods at 14825 SW Farmington Rd.  The Salvation Army will use this facility for a program that provides transitional housing to veterans. Read the rest of this entry »

Yearbook Update
Yearbook is an after-school club that meets one day a week after school from 3:15 – 4:00 (day TBD). However, yearbook meetings may also take place during selected lunch periods, early dismissal days, and assembly times when it is closer to the final production deadline.

We are currently looking for a lead parent to work with Mr. Manning and a team of four parents to assist the students (ideally two seventh and two eighth grade parents). The lead parent will receive a small stipend. In addition, all parent helpers will receive training on how to use the online yearbook program.

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