Submitted by VCES parent Laura Kuhner

Interested in raising funds for your child’s school while doing everyday shopping? You can buy your grocery, restaurant, movie, coffee house cards, and much, much more!

Although we are no longer selling at the Scrip table, the Scrip team is now accepting orders on the last Monday of each month. This month orders can be submitted until Monday, February 27 at 8 a.m. Drop your completed forms including payment off at the VCEMS office, or email your order. Download the new 2012 Scrip form here or pick one up in the VCEMS office.

For more detailed information about the Scrip program, click here.

Thank you so much for your continued support to the Scrip fundraising program!
The Scrip Team

Submitted by VCS Parent Analizza Lambino

Save the date for our 2nd VCS International Festival – May 19, 2012

Let’s celebrate our cultural diversity at VCS and save the date for our 2^nd campus-wide International Festival – Saturday, May 19, 2012, 2 – 5 pm! There will be lots of exciting things to learn about different cultures especially with participation from the Elementary, Middle, and High School communities! Similar to last year’s International Festival, this year’s event will have the following components: tabletop presentations, cultural presentations, multi-cultural prayer service, and potluck.

We are looking for points of contact for each of the various cultures, so if you are interested to represent your culture, please contact Analizza Lambino. We would like to see as many cultures as possible represented, especially in the tabletop presentations – one table per culture (or group of cultures). 

We are also still looking for volunteers, so if you would like to help make this event happen, Elementary School parents please register here.  Middle and High School parents please email Analizza Lambino to express your interest in helping.

Submitted by VCHS Drama Director, English and Journalism Teacher Ginnie Sutfin

“Oh, the thinks you can think when you think about Seuss!”

Seussical debuted on Broadway in 2000, and has enjoyed great success in regional theatres all over the country ever since. With music from the folks who wrote Schoolhouse Rock, Once on this Island, and the movie Anastasia, Seussical takes us into the magical world created in some of the most famous children’s books of all time.

Audiences will recognize characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, the Grinch, Yertle the Turtle, and others as their stories interweave to tell a tale of friendship, loyalty, and the importance of imagination. This production is suitable for all ages, and will be enjoyed by the young, the old, and everyone in between. With infectious music, delightful dancing, bright, colorful sets and costumes, and an energetic, dedicated cast and crew of 37 Valley Catholic students, this show is guaranteed to leave audiences smiling and inspired with their own “thinks!”

Direction: Ginnie Sutfin
Musical Direction: Jeffrey Childs
Choreography: Elizabeth Esch Brown
Light Design: Bradford Johnson
Set Design: Megan Miller

To see the cast list: click here.

Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Book by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens

Co-conceived by Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens & Eric Idle

Based on the works of Dr. Seuss

Submitted by VCELS Program Coordinator Janet Lynn

Catholic Schools Week was such a great time for our children, staff, and families to express their love for our wonderful school! That love was shown in many ways…

• Our 6th Grade Friends helped children make a cross that spelled out God’s Love
• Preschoolers enjoyed a sing-a-long with Maryville Memory Care residents
• We attended our All School Mass
• At a special prayer time in the lobby we made a large poster listing reasons we love our school (which included “playing, making new friends, laughter, visits to Maryville, the Legacy, and singing songs to Jesus!”)
• We collected 157 lbs of food to benefit the Oregon Food Bank!

We are very fortunate to be a part of this Catholic school and the Valley Catholic campus!

The Valley Catholic community is invited to attend the 10th annual in-house Middle School Science Fair this coming Friday. The festivities begin in the elementary school cafeteria and finish with an award ceremony in the Valiants’ Gym. Please see the schedule below:

Science Fair Schedule:

Submitted by Communications Specialist Danielle Tomich.  Photos by Marketing Production Coordinator Tom Kohler

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, a special Mass was attended by all Valley Catholic students— from preK to seniors in high school—to celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  Father John Kerns of St. Juan Diego presided.  After Mass, the Distinguished Alumni Award was given to Pat Roshak Joyaux ’54.  For the full story regarding the award, please click here.

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Submitted by VCES Parent Volunteer Laura Schultz

The evening of the Family Mass & Banquet began with a Mass in the Convent Chapel. Thank you to Sr. Denise and the Marian Singers for the beautiful music that accompanied the Mass. The dinner that followed in the Eagles’ Gym was a success due to the wonderful participation of the Elementary School Student Council, Dan Schauffler and the High School Jazz Band, and, of course, all of our parent volunteers. Laura Schultz, the event coordinator, would like to thank you all for attending and making the Family Mass & Banquet a great community event.

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Submitted by VCHS Students Hollynd Boyden and Julia Anderson

We would like to introduce Equipment Across Continents, and tell you how you can all take part in this February clothing drive.

Equipment Across Continents has partnered with Coaches Across Continents to provide new or gently used sports equipment and clothing to children in developing countries all around the world.

In the US there are over 42 million youth athletes who participate in sports each year. But in worldwide, there are over 1.2 billion people living on less than $1 per day that will never be able to buy sports equipment or clothes even though they enjoy it as much as we do.

So here at Valley, we are hoping to gather any old sports equipment or clothing and donate it to Equipment Across Continents.

During the month of February, there will be boxes in each of the schools for donations.

Donations can range from running shoes, cleats, t-shirts, shorts and even equipment such as soccer balls or basketballs.

Starting next week there will be boxes for donations to be collected in, so please help and support all the children who cannot afford the equipment they need to enjoy their favorite sport!

Thanks!

Compiled from submissions from VCS school administrators by Communications Specialist Danielle Tomich

Catholic Schools Week is celebrated annually by Catholic schools across the nation. From preschools to universities, Catholic schools will spend the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 4 focusing on and celebrating aspects of Catholic education that set it apart from the rest.

This national program is coordinated by the National Catholic Education Association, founded in 1903. This year the theme is, “Catholic Schools: Faith. Academics. Service.” According to the NCEA website, “The theme focuses on three priorities that Catholic schools establish that make them stand out from other educational institutions. Children are taught faith—not just the basics of Christianity, but how to have a relationship with God. Academics, which in Catholic schools are held to very high standards, help each child reach his or her potential. Service, the giving of one’s time and effort to help others, is taught both as an expression of faith and good citizenship.”

At Valley Catholic School, many activities are planned to celebrate our school’s faith, academics and service.

In the Early Learning School, students will participate in the three themed areas of faith, academics and service. All week they will be collecting food for Oregon Food Bank, and on Tuesday and Wednesday the Wildflowers will visit residents at Maryville Memory Care. They will also hold a prayer time, do special projects in the classrooms, and enjoy a visit from their sixth-grade friends.

In the Elementary School, the focus will move from “Faith, Academics, and Service” in students, in our nation, and in our vocations, faculty, staff and parent volunteers. The week will be packed with special activities; here are just a few examples: 

• Students will write letters to St. Malachy School in South Central Los Angeles explaining why they attend Catholic school and what they like about their school. They will also ask questions of the St. Malachy School students.
• Sisters will visit the classrooms to talk about the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. Students will discuss vocation and ways to serve God.
• Students will write thank you notes to various volunteers, faculty, staff or priests.

The Middle School will be revisiting their year-long theme of “Create in Me,” (Ps 51:10) in light of the Catholic Schools Week theme and how it ties to the Sisters’ mission. They will be holding various activities and special dress themes. In addition, the students will be prepared to share the idea of “Create in Me” and the tie into the “Faith. Action. Service” when they share this with their intergenerational groups (VCELS, Sisters, and Maryville residents). They will also be collecting clothing for the Beaverton School District in conjunction with the High School.

The High School is sponsoring a clothing drive through Catholic Schools Week for gently used school clothing for low-income high school students in the Beaverton School District. These clothing items will go to the Beaverton School District’s Clothes Closet, who will distribute the school clothes to needy students.  Students in the Faith in Action class are making banners for each school to carry at the all-school Mass on Wednesday that will go to each individual school to display for the rest of the week.

The all-school Mass, which will be celebrated Wednesday morning, will be the highlight of the week with many students of all ages taking part.

The final activity of the week will be Community Night at the HS basketball games on Friday, Feb. 3 in the Valiants’ gym. Come to cheer on the HS basketball teams and participants from our ES and MS CYO teams who will play at halftimes of each game.  The girls will play at 6 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.

Submitted by VCELS  Program Coordinator Janet Lynn

Monday, Jan. 23 marked the beginning of Chinese New Year. The children at the Early Learning School celebrated in several ways. One student brought red envelopes to his friends with a special surprise inside, some students dressed up in traditional Asian clothing, while others worked on a Chinese dragon art project and Chinese puppets. It was a great way for the children to be introduced to a different culture.

Gong Xi Fa Cai…wishing you a prosperous New Year!

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