Dear Victory Families,
I hope you are enjoying the sunny (but super cold) weekend. I realized when Haley's dog water was iced over, that it was officially FREEZING OUTSIDE.
There is a great deal happening at Victory over the next two weeks before we go out on the winter break. Please read carefully through the items below, and please let me know (via email, person, or phone) if you have any questions.
Friendly Reminders and Items of Interest (New)
1. Winter Program
I certainly hope that you all can attend this Wednesday's Winter Program, beginning at 9:15 in the Sanctuary Building. The students (along with Music Director, Emily Ross, and Teaching and Learning Specialist, Ashley Hatchett), have been hard at work on a variety of arrangements. This year, the Fremont and St. Johns students will each perform one song within their individual classes. The Broadway, Hawthorne, and Sellwood kids are mixed up across several numbers, and they are also joined by Fremont and St. Johns students. The Victory Choir and Bell Choir will also perform.
The performance is truly a celebration of our students and their varying skill levels, with areas of focus on language and communication, stage presence, and musicality. All of us are VERY PROUD of the progress we have seen so far!
Nuts and Bolts:
Special Olympics Oregon provides year-round sports training and athletic competition opportunities for individuals with a wide range of challenges or disabilities. The Clackamas County local program will work directly with Victory Academy to provide those sports training opportunities as a part of our school day. Special Olympics Oregon offers 14 sports over the course of 3 sport seasons. We have decided to focus on one sport each season for our students to participate in as Special Olympics Oregon athletes.
Starting in April 2014, we are going to begin with athletics (track and field) as a part of our regularly scheduled P.E. classes during the school day. During these sessions, we will be working with our students by using Special Olympics Oregon rules to prepare our students to go to regional (and possibly State) competitions.
Because of this new partnership, the students participating will fall under both the Victory Academy umbrella and also the Special Olympics Oregon umbrella. Special Olympics Oregon –Clackamas County is providing us with the training, equipment and important information we need to be successful.
After the first of the new year, we will be hosting a parent information night where we will provide additional details about the roll-out of this partnership. Representatives from Special Olympics Oregon will be present to answer any additional questions you may have. Important paperwork will also be distributed at this meeting. Please keep an eye out for an announcement after the first of the year.
*Thanks to Victory's OT, Carrie Thomas, for coordinating this opportunity for Victory's kids!
4. Parent Meeting, December 11th: CANCELLED!
Please stay tuned for a new date within the next few days.
5. Specialist Reports
Based on parent feedback from the November Conferences, Victory Specialists are writing individualized reports in the following areas:
*Speech and Language (if your child receives 1:1 therapy from Anna Cox)
*PE and OT Stations (Carrie Thomas will send a report to every parent)
*Assistive Technology (if your child receives 1:1 therapy from Kristina Montgomery)
*Social Cognition (if you child participates in groups or 1:1 with Lauren Corder)
*Music Therapy (if your child receives 1:1 with Emily Ross)
Thank you for your feedback about these reports and your concern about not receiving them in November. You should receive them no later than Thursday, December 19th.
6. Winter Break Reminder
School ends for the holidays on Thursday, December 19th (last day). There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, December 20th. School resumes on Monday, January 6, 2014.
Items of Interest (Old)
1. Food Drive
Spearheaded by Ashley Hatchett, this year Victory Academy is participating in a food drive this year, all proceeds going to the Oregon Food Bank. Please bring in food items by Tuesday, December 17th. All classrooms have food boxes, and there is a barrel in the school office. Teachers will also talk to students about supporting this great cause. Thank you for your participation
As cold and virus season is upon us, please review the policy (copied directly from the 2013-2014 Handbook). Our goal is to keep everyone healthy and the spread of germs to a minimum. Thank you for your understanding!
Illness Guidelines
It is in the best interest of the other children and staff that a child does not come in with a fever of 99 degrees or higher or with vomiting and diarrhea. Victory will send a child home when:
1. He/she has a temperature of 99 degrees or higher.
2. He/she is vomiting or has diarrhea.
3. He/she seems to feel so badly that constant one-on-one care is necessary.
Please keep your child home:
1. Until his/her, temperature has been normal for 24 hours without the use of medication and he/she feels well enough to return to school.
2. Until diarrhea is resolved for a period of at least 24 hours and the child is on a normal diet.
3. Until vomiting has stopped for 24 hours or longer and the child can take a normal diet.
Your child may be at school if:
1. He/she has a MILD discharge from eyes associated with a cold. It is usually viral and needs to run its course. We will request a visit to the doctor if the eye gets red and full of matter.
2. He/she has a MILD cold and feels well enough to attend.
3. He/she is taking over-the-counter medication; parents must provide labeled medications in their original containers.
3. Change in How to Pay Monthly Tuition (From Thea Schreiber, Director of Operations)
As Victory grows and serves more families each year, we are always looking for ways to be both efficient and cost-effective so that we may allocate our dollars to programs that directly benefit our students. With this idea in mind, Victory will moving to an automatic debit system for tuition payments beginning with your January, 2014 payment. After your December 2013 tuition payment, Victory will no longer accept checks or cash payments. The explanation form will be sent to you electronically; please fill it out and return to Thea's desk or mailbox (located in the teacher work area) by Monday, December 2nd. If you have any questions, please email Thea directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you!
