Dear Victory Families,
I hope you enjoyed the amazing sun on Friday and are staying dry today. Such is springtime in Oregon! Yesterday, all of Victory's teachers spent the day at school, collaborating and finalizing student report cards. I am proud to work with such a dedicated, highly qualified group of people, who are fully engaged with our kids and invested in their progress. Please read though the entire Newsflash to stay informed.
Friendly Reminders and New Items of Interest
No School: Friday, March 14th, for Conferences
Friday, March 14th is Spring Conference Day at Victory and a no-school day. However, some of Victory’s teaching assistants will be on-site to engage your child in games and play during scheduled conference times. Please let your teacher know if you are planning to bring your child with you; this allows us to staff accordingly. Classroom teachers have sent out conference sign-ups via email; please sign up if you have not already done so.
Report Cards
In order to make the best use of your conference on Friday, March 14th, you will receive your child's report card both via email on Tuesday, March 11th. Please make sure to read the entire report and bring your questions and thoughts to your designated conference time. As shared in a prior communication, Victory has adopted a new report format, which is consistent throughout all classrooms. Your child's goals and progress are noted in three specific areas: Academics, Electives, and Victory Core.
Spring Break
Victory will be closed on Monday, March 24--Friday, March 28. We will return on Monday, March 31st.
Script
Script orders are due this Monday, March 10th. Script allows Victory to raise additional dollars each month, and it's a win-win for the school and the "purchaser." Please consider filling out a Script form and attaching your check (forms are located in the school office). Thank you!
Special Olympics Informational Meeting
This meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th, at 2:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary Building. Please join Victory’s OT, Carrie Thomas, and representatives from Oregon’s Special Olympics to learn how your student can become involved. The Spring sport will be Track and Field.
Fundraiser/Capital Campaign Updates (Many Thanks to JB and Lisa Handley, Carson Ellis, and Colin Meloy--and The Decemberists)
Victory’s Annual Fundraiser Rescheduled
Since its opening in 2009, Victory Academy has always put on its annual Fundraiser and Auction in the spring of each school year. This year, the date was calendared for May 17, 2014. However, Victory’s Fundraiser has been rescheduled for October 11, 2014. After great deliberation, the Board decided that hosting this year’s Fundraiser in May “distracts from” and “conflicts with” the school’s immediate fundraising effort: the Capital Campaign.
The Campaign has taken on a new sense of urgency. After August 2015, NewLife Church has told Victory that there will “be no lease renewal”. What does this mean? Victory will NEED its new home ready-to-go in September 2015. Please help support the Campaign’s efforts; there are so many ways to get involved.
In fact, there are THREE, parent-driven Capital Campaign Fundraisers taking place in the next few months:
JB and Lisa Handley (Jamie’s parents) have spearheaded a Capital Campaign Luncheon, scheduled for April 25th. The luncheon is focused on cultivating new individual donors and local foundations, thus diversifying the school’s potential contributors to the Capital Campaign. A HUGE thanks to Lisa and JB for introducing Victory to a broader community!
Carson Ellis (Hank’s Mom) has been working with Paddle 8, an on-line art auction company, to launch a Benefit Auction—just for Victory—in April 2014. The auction will include Carson’s amazing illustrations (carsonellis.com), in addition to other pieces recognized children's illustrators, including commissioned work (for example, an illustrator drawing a portrait of your family). I am truly grateful to Carson for making this event happen!
Colin Meloy (Hank's Dad) announced this past Wednesday that his band, The Decemberists, will play the Crystal Ballroom on Friday, May 30th in a benefit concert for Victory's Capital Campaign. "V is for Victory" promises to raise awareness about Victory and the funding needed to build the new school. Many thanks to Colin for putting together such an amazing event--one that SOLD OUT in 15 minutes!!!
Items of Interest (Old)
New Report Cards Coming in March
Since the start of the 2013-2014 school year, Victory has responded to staff and parent feedback about the necessity of revising our reporting system. A Committee was formed (comprised of Tricia Hasbrook, Ashley Hatchett, Tin Callister, Molly Smith, and Brittany Vos; in addition, four parents offered dedicated feedback as reports went through many re-writes and versions). There were three primary goals: 1) to capture a student's customized education plan through detailed, individualized goals 2) to provide parents with objective progress notes and a streamlined coding system 3) to encompass within the report the true nature of Victory's approach to learning: combining academics and therapies, with an emphasis on building language, independence and social cognition skills.
The Committee is proud of the final result, which is a report card that can be used across all of our classrooms, K-8. The report contains three major areas: Academics, Electives, and Victory Core. In addition, every child will have a Teacher's End Note and two Specialist End Notes.
Parents will see the new report cards for the first time in March, prior to conferences on March 14th. Teachers are working diligently to transfer the November goals into the new reporting system and to write additional goals, as needed. Specialists reports are now integrated into the document, enabling parents to reference goals across curricular and therapeutic areas.
If you have any questions, please ask Tricia.
Reminder: Medications and Supplements
As a friendly reminder, Victory staff cannot administer any kind of over-the-counter medication, doctor's prescription, or supplements without a Permission to Administer Medication (etc) Form. While your child's teachers are happy to fulfill your requests, a text, email, or phone call do not suffice as "permission" or offer enough details. For your child's health and safety, please take the time to fill out the required form. *Uploaded into Parent Documents
New Policy and Procedures: Elopement and Wandering
Victory holds itself to the highest standards when working with your children, and their safety is a top priority. Due to the complex nature of Autism, some students demonstrate different degrees of wandering and/or elopement. To ensure that the entire staff is trained and reacts consistently in such an event, Victory has adopted a formal policy and related procedures related to these behaviors.
Your child's teacher sent home these documents in last week's Friday Folder. Please return the questionnaire no later than Wednesday, February 19th. We will use this information to create individualized plans as needed and offer families additional supports.
