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, March 19 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 Auction & Events Coordinator Sharla Tinsen

Calling all expert designers & crafty aficionados…We need you!

You are invited to the Silent Auction Basket-Wrapping Party on Saturday, March 17, 2012. 

We will be packaging all our donated items into baskets & creative containers.  They will be wrapped for presentation at the 2012 All That Jazz auction.  Bring your blow dryer & creativity.

Date:    Saturday, March 17, 2012

Time:   10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Where: Valley Catholic’s former Elementary School, room 104 (Mrs. Rabe’s old math room, entry level)

Food & drink provided:  Corned beef & cabbage, drinks & snacks 

If you have any special dietary requirements, please pack your own lunch.  We need four teams of four to help package & wrap all the auction goods.  Please R.S.V.P to Sharla or call 503.718.6485.

 Thank you for your help!

Sharla Tinsen
Cell: 503.329.4431

Submitted by English Teacher/Dept. Chair and NHS Advisor Brenna Brown

Once again, National Honor Society will host a Red Cross blood drive on Tuesday, March 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Bloodmobile will be situated in the high school’s back parking lot.

If you would like to donate, please email me to schedule a specific time. Thanks to those of you who have given in the past and to those who will give on the 13th.

As a side note, we exceeded our previous goal of 30 units by one little pint. Perhaps in response to this, the Red Cross has increased this drive’s goal to 45 units, so I encourage you to consider donating on the thirteenth.

Submitted by VCELS Program Coordinator Janet Lynn

The preschool children at the Early Learning School had a special visit from SCRAP (School and Community Reuse Action Project) a few weeks ago. SCRAP’s mission is to inspire creative reuse and environmentally-sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community. With the help of SCRAP’s educational director, the children explored alternative uses for everyday items (that might otherwise be thrown away) and made a project with recycled pieces.

Thank you, SCRAP!

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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.