Dear Victory Families,
As we slowly transition into February and the Spring months, it is my goal to be communicate consistently with you (a Newsflash every Monday) so that everyone has the same information--and at the same time! This week, I am three days behind my goal. I promise an update will arrive on Monday, the 27th, however. Below, you will find many new items of interest.
Friendly Reminders and Items of Interest (New)
A New Face Around Victory: Kelly Stafford
Kelly joins us as an intern from Ball State University, where is working on her Master’s in ABA, with an emphasis in Autism. Kelly is placed in the Fremont classroom on Mondays from 8-12; on Fridays, she spends her day partially in Sellwood and then rotates through classrooms the rest of the time. Please welcome Kelly, when you have the opportunity.
Reminder: Scrip Deadline
The next Scrip orders are due Monday, January 27th. Orders can be dropped off into the secure box, located in the school office. ***Please note that there is a new form on the parent portion of the website.
Reminder: Parent Discussion Group
On Wednesday, January 29th, from 2:30-3:30, Lauren Corder and Diane Solomon will lead parents in a conversation about “thoughts”. Specifically, this discussion will be a safe place for parents to share about any thoughts they have about their child’s Autism (or Autism in general)--both good and bad.
Please email Tricia by Friday, January 24th, if you plan to attend. Students whose parents are in attendance will stay in their assigned classrooms until 3:30. Other students should be picked up at the 2:30 dismissal time.
Help Needed: Victory Work Party
On Friday, February 7th, (6:30-9:00 p.m.), please consider helping “spruce up” Victory for our Sunday, February 9th Open House and Tour and Accreditation Visit Tuesday--Wednesday, February 11th and 12th (more information below). Every year, a group of parents fulfills some of their service hours, while helping with those tasks that never seem to get done: cleaning, small maintenance and painting jobs, and clerical work. It’s always been a fun time with lots of conversation between workers. Pizza included!
Please contact Tricia if you are available and willing to help--much appreciated!!!
Mark Your Calendar: Victory Academy Open House and Tour
On Sunday, February 9th, Victory will host its annual Open House and Tour, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. If you know of interested families, please encourage them to attend. The formal presentation begins at 2:00, with all teachers and specialists present afterward to answer questions and to tour classrooms.
Mark Your Calendar: Accreditation Site Visit
On Tuesday, February 11th and Wednesday, February 12th, Victory will participate in its first formal Accreditation site visit. So far, our Accreditation Team consists of The Oregon State Director of Accreditation, Administrator for Teaching and Assessment (Beaverton School District), and Director of Student Services (West Linn/Wilsonville School District).
Victory has been preparing for months for this visit, including drafting several documents and reports. I am posting several of these, for your reading pleasure, in parent documents (login required) on the website. I appreciate your on-going support, as Victory is the ONLY accredited school for students with Autism in Oregon. We strive to maintain excellence throughout our programs, and as noted in the reports, are prepared to improve in areas of documented need.
Mark Your Calendar: No School, Monday, February 17th
Mark Your Calendar: Special Olympics Parent Information Session
On Wednesday, February 19th, representatives from Special Olympics will be in the school lunch area to provide additional information about student participation. The meeting will be from 2:00-2:30, prior to early dismissal. If your child plans to be a Special Olympics athlete, I encourage you to attend this meeting. Victory Academy is thrilled to be a partner to Special Olympics and support our students and their families in these events.
Mark Your Calendar: Parents’ Night Out!
On Friday, February 21st, Victory will offer its first Parents’ Night Out for the 2013-2014 school year. If you are new to Victory, these evenings offer parents respite time on a scheduled Friday evening. Students stay after school, are engaged and fed by staff, and parents pick up by 10:00 p.m.
The evening is theme-based and includes art activities, games, and dinner. In the past, it has been a very popular event and “spots” go quickly.
This Parents’ Night Out is even more special, as Ashley Hatchett, Kiely Corti, and Shaun Goodman have volunteered to gift all proceeds to Victory’s Capital Campaign. The staff is steadfast in their commitment to help Victory raise money toward the $200,000 matching gift.
Details:
*$60 for one child/$100 for child and sibling
*3:30-10:00 p.m., dinner and all activities included
*Sign-up sheet will be posted on the school office door Monday, January 27th, at 8:00 a.m.
Reminders: (Old Items)
Capital Campaign Parent Meeting: Notes
First, a BIG thank you to those in our community who attended the meeting and generated discussion notes below. I realize that many of you are engaged with work and other commitments in the morning, but I respectfully ask that you read through these notes and join us to make the Capital Campaign successful. It will take all of us to hit the goal of 5.5 million in order to build the K-12 Victory Academy for the 2014-2015 school year.
In summary, JB and I shared exactly where the CC stands to date. Specifically, we are at $2,781,625.00. This total includes the 2 million line of credit/loan from Capital Pacific Bank, dollars that are available for us to use if necessary. The $781,625,00 are funds raised only from Victory's families, close friends, and some local businesses thus far. BRAVO!!! And we've only just begun. . . Within the next two months, Victory will apply to over 100 foundations for CC monies. We have already submitted to several, and if successful, these foundation dollars will greatly impact our bottom line. The other dollar sources include some high net worth individuals, corporations, targeted fundraisers, and our own networks.
With respect to our personal connections and networks, I agree that it's hard to ask for money. I certainly find it one of the most challenging new aspects of my job. BUT I know that I'm not asking for money to fund my personal life; it's for Victory and our kids--and future children and families. That makes THE ASK a little easier. On the website, under parent documents, you will find a pdf document that JB prepared to help all of us with reaching out to others. Please let us know if you have any questions about this. For example, I know that Laura (Tanner's Mom) spoke with her neighbor this weekend, who is willing to advocate for Victory at his place of work. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
Timeline: We need to have enough dollars in hand before breaking ground. Our hope is to start this process in June 2014. Once the bulldozers arrive, it's harder to convince donors to give us money for the project, as they think the dollars are already secure. So, we are balancing the fundraising with a tight construction timeline. We are working on negotiating staying at our campus through August 2015, but NewLife has made clear that there is no more room for growth or negotiations of space at this site.
The Match: We are so GRATEFUL to our donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) for the $200,000 MATCH CHALLENGE. What this entails is that we have until the end of December 2014 to raise $200K amongst our own networks. I know we can do this!
Other notes:
1. Please contact JB if you know someone who is able to give an "in kind" gift such as playground equipment, furniture, cement, lighting, etc.
2. All CC materials are now housed in the office under the large white board. Please come in and pick up packets, brochures, pledge forms, etc.
3. If you own your own business, please consider helping us with your own network of contacts. Local businesses care about projects like this!
4. All donors receive a personal thank you and tax donation form from Tricia within one week of the contribution.
It is a privilege to work for you and your children. While this is a stressful time, it is an exciting one too.
