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DATES TO REMEMBER |
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January 26
STARS Rehearsal, 9:00 A.M.- 2:00 P.M.
Math/Science Meet at Elkins
Girl Scout Father-Daughter
Square Dance,7:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M.
January 28
Cupcake Sale
Conference Basketball Games - T.B.A.
Conference Soccer Games,
8th grade boys vs. St. Michael's (home), 4:00 P.M.
Girls vs. St. John's (away), 5:30 P.M.
January 29
M.S. Progress Reports
Daytime Open House for prospective parents, 9:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M.
Fine Arts Photos, during music classes
Conference Basketball & Soccer Games, T.B.A.
January 30
Math/Science T-Shirts
Medieval Feast Rehearsal, Second Period
January 31
Set-Up for Medieval Feast, Koehl Gym, 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
"Second Cup of Coffee" with Amy Nelson, 8th grade cafeteria, 8:00 A.M.
Conference Basketball & Soccer Games, T.B.A.
February 1
Spirit Shirt Day
Math/Science T-Shirts
7th Grade Medieval Feast, Koehl Gym,
11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M.
STARS Rehearsal,
3:30 - 6:30 P.M.
Math/Science Workshop,
3:30 - 6:30 P.M. |
| Re-enrollment Packages |
January 2008
Dear Village School Parents,
Re-enrollment packages will be mailed during the week of January 28, 2008. In order to reserve a spot for your child for 2008/2009, please complete, sign, and submit the re-enrollment contract by February 22, 2008. We have had an increase in the number of applicants to The Village School and, therefore, anticipate waiting lists for a number of our grade levels.
Along with your re-enrollment contract, you will also need to remit a $1,000.00 deposit for your first child and a $500.00 deposit thereafter, payable to The Village School. This non-refundable deposit includes the registration and several fees as well as a portion of the tuition. We do recognize that this deposit amount is greater than has been required in the past. However, in order for The Village School to remain competitive in the independent school marketplace, the School must make commitments to faculty and programming earlier in the spring than has been the case in the past.
After receiving your re-enrollment contract, if you have any questions regarding re-enrollment, tuition, or fees, please contact our business office at your earliest convenience. It has been a pleasure serving you and your child this year, and we look forward to working with your child for another exciting year at The Village School.
The Village School Administration | | |
| Appointment of Mr. Stéphane Ruz |
 The Village School is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mr. Stéphane Ruz as its first Director of the new Village High School. Mr. Ruz was one of five finalists to visit and interview for the director position. During his visit, in which he met with school officials as well as a group of Village School 8th graders and parents, Mr. Ruz impressed all with his warmth and passion, and his vision for what our new high school will become.
Mr. Ruz has demonstrated great versatility over the past fifteen years in three very competitive school environments, most recently as the Chair of the Foreign Language Department of The Ensworth School (Nashville, TN). Prior to his time at Ensworth, Mr. Ruz worked for three years at The Middlesex School (Concord, MA), and for seven years at The Awty International School (Houston, TX). Mr. Ruz has built a language department, coordinated trips to Spain and France, taught AP French Literature, AP French Language, IB French at the B and A levels, Spanish, and AP Art History. He has supervised dormitories, chaired the school's discipline committee, and served as faculty sponsor for the school newspaper. He has also been a very successful coach of varsity soccer. In addition to his studies at La Nouvelle Sorbonne (Paris, France), Mr. Ruz earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in French Literature (University of Houston, TX).
Mr. Ruz has a reputation as a wonderful educator and communicator and, therefore, will be a tremendous fit for The Village School. One of his former heads of school wrote of Mr. Ruz: "He is highly respected by his colleagues for his professional and personable approach to students, parents and colleagues. He is adored by students and athletes he coaches. He brings the best out of the people with whom he works because he cares deeply for others and has the ability to organize and motivate others to achieve along side of him. He has a deep knowledge and appreciation for art, for literature, and for cultural and international affairs."
Mr. Ruz will be joining Dr. Silver, President of The Village School, in February at two private school hiring conferences, in Atlanta and New York City, to interview candidates for other Village High School faculty positions. And, in March, he will visit The Village School for a more formal and personal introduction to our community and rising 9th graders. |
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 Medieval Feast February 1st
11 A.M. - 2 P.M. |
Please join the 7th graders as they particpipate in this years Medieval Feast Friday, February 1, 2008. Lot's of hard work has been put into this year's event.
All 7th grade family and friends are welcome!
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P.S.I.A. On-Site Drawing Try Outs |
 If you would like to try out for P.S.I.A. On-Site Drawing you may do so on either Monday, February 4th, or Wednesday February 6th, from 3:30-5:00 P.M. The try-outs will be in the Art Room in the Fine Arts Building. Pick-up will be at 5:00 P.M. in the far-back parking lot. To try out, you must fill out the form linked below and you must be available to compete on Saturday, March 8, 2008, at 9:00 A.M. Further, if you win at the District Competition at St. Francis, you must be able to go to the State P.S.I.A. Competition in Ft. Worth on Saturday, April 26, 2008. This is fun and you get lessons that will improve your drawing. Students who make the team as 6th graders have traditionally stayed with the team throughout Middle School. Come and make your school proud of your talents.
Mrs. Frazier, Art Teacher
Click the link below, download the form, fill it out, and turn it in to Mrs. Miller.
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SCOUT PICTURES, Wednesday (2/6) |
ALL scouts are welcome to have their pictures taken for the yearbook. You do NOT have to be in a Village School troop. Please report IN SCOUT UNIFORM (no one will be photographed if they are not in a scout uniform) to the Koehl Gym on February 6th. Middle school scouts report at 8:00 A.M. and lower school scouts report at 9:00 A.M. |
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CUPCAKE SALE 1st - 8th GRADE |
Monday, January 28th
50 cents
All proceeds will be donated to the BEAR room at Child Protective Services.
Sponsored by VMS students and Mrs. Merrifield's Homeroom!! |
| A Note from the Nurse |
 There are a large number of absences, especially in middle school, due to high fevers, vomiting/diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses. Please help us break the cycle of infecting others by not allowing your child/children to return to the classroom until they are completely symptom free for a period of at least 24 hours without medication, including Tylenol or Motrin. As always, drinking plenty of fluids and getting additional rest is encouraged. |
| Physician Order for Medication |
The flu season is upon us and the clinic is seeing a high volume of headaches and fevers. Additionally, many students having orthodontic work may need pain relief. A large number of students do not have the proper documents required for Tylenol and Advil to be administered. If your child is in grades 1 through 8, and you wish to exercise this option, it is necessary to submit the completed medication forms that can be located at this link (click here).
If there is any doubt as to whether or not your child has a form on file please submit an additional form properly signed by the parent and physician. Without this form, your child will not be able to receive pain medication. The clinic will no longer be contacting parents regarding the absence of necessary documentation to dispense pain relievers. |
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Basketball News |
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Windermere--Meritas tournament site |
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Conference Tournament action runs this week Monday, January 28th through Thursday January 31st for the globetrotting 8th grade girls' and boys' Viking basketball squads, fresh off their strong performance at the Meritas Tournament at Windermere, Florida last weekend.
At Windermere, the 8th grade girls captured the Meritas indoor third place in the nine team field, with wins over North Broward (FL) Prep. 26-6 and Instituto San Roberto (Mexico) 20-19. The girls captured the outdoor half-court first place championship with 2 wins in 2 games over Windermere (FL) Prep. 20-2 and San Roberto 12-6.
The 8th grade boys placed fourth place in the indoor boys nine team field, with wins over Heritage Oak (CA) Private 21-11, Collège du Léman(Switzerland) 29-26, and Heritage Oak 27-17. The boys were undefeated outdoors, with wins over Windermere 19-17 and San Roberto 12-8. All players and staff were outfitted with Meritas hooded sweatshirts and treated to post-play visits to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on Friday, and to the Orlando Magic versus Portland Trail Blazers N.B.A. game Saturday.
Back in Viking Kingdom, Tuesday, January 22, the 8th grade girls took care of resumed conference business with a 29-14 home win over River Oaks Baptist, with Hanna Healy pouring in 15, and Nikki Hanshaw and Lauren Reischman adding 7 each.
All Village players, staff, and families wish to thank Meritas, Athletic Directors Danny Haney and John Lykins, and Windermere for their generosity and hospitality. Coach Harvey applauds his players and Coaches Vieth and Berry for their efforts and good spirit in the grueling tourney. Thanks also to Judy Flack and Betty Moore for getting us there and back. Go Vikings! | |
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| SPELLING BEE |
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Our school spelling bee to pick the top student to represent our school at the Houston Chronicle Spelling Bee was held Tuesday, January 22nd.
The five finalists who participated--Vinay Gajula-5th grade, Sita Yerramsetti-4th grade, Eric Lee-7th grade, Hannah McMorris- 5th grade, Julia Rowley- 4th grade--received a medal.
Mrs. Koehl, Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Arend were all present at the Bee. Mrs. Koehl pronounced the words.
The winner was Vinay Gajula-5th grade. Julia Rowley-4th grade, was second. She will be the alternate.
Vinay will represent The Village School at the Area level of competition on February 27th.
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Fine Arts Photos, Tuesday, (1/29) |
Band, choir,
and orchestra students should come to school in their performance UNIFORMS (including proper shoes, tights, socks, pearl necklaces, etc.) on Tuesday, January 29.
Students should bring their regular school uniform with them, as well. Don't forget your athletic shoes. They will change clothes after the photos are taken.
To order the photo, which will be included in the yearbook, please click on the link below and download the order form.
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| Second Cup of Coffee with Counselor Amy Nelson on Thursday (1/31) |
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Join Counselor Amy Nelson on January 31, 2008.
8:00-9:00 A.M.
Topic: Help! My Child Turned into a Teenager!
8th Grade Cafeteria
If you plan to attend, please email your RSVP to:
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| What is Spring Fling? |
It's a time for family, staff, friends and the community to come  together for a day to play games, ride rides, eat terrific food, meet people, and relax. Come see our children, their families, and all the booths they design and create to have fun. The tremendous support from the families at The Village School make this day so popular and successful. It's a day for our families to laugh and have fun together.
The Spring Fling committees are almost complete. We do need a few more volunteers to help expedite the process of creating a great carnival. We have exciting new members as well as awesome seasoned members working together. Our t-shirts have been created and order forms will be available on V-Flash starting next week. The themes for each booth have been chosen, and room mothers will be contacting you about the games and asking for decorating ideas for the booths. Our carnival is on its way!!
Any questions? Click to email Roberta Bernstein or call 281-493-5325. Click to email Jane Deyhimi or call 281-578-5564. | | |
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MERITAS SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES |
Institute of San Roberto in Monterrey, Mexico and Collège du Léman in Geneva, Switzerland are offering summer programs. Exact dates have not been set, but they are most likely offering two sessions (6/29-7/19 and 7/20-8/9).
These programs are being offered first to all Meritas schools and then to the public.
Click Collège du Léman website, for more information. The cost of this program is approximately $5,200.00 plus airfare.
Click San Roberto Instituto website for more information or click on links below for an overview of the Spanish Immersion Program and the application form. The cost for a three week session in Monterrey is approximately $2,950.00 plus airfare.
If you are interested or have questions, email Judy Flack.
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FEBRUARY IS PTA MEMBERSHIP MONTH |
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A membership drive will be taking place in February for our newly formed PTA. Watch this space for information on joining this important school organization. You must be a member in order to vote.
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| Care Highway Fundraiser |
(notecard design #5) |
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Parents, please support the non-profit Care Highway Humanitarian Organization by purchasing packs of cards and wristbands. One pack of cards costs $5 and a wristband costs $2. The profits will go to orphaned children in Kenya, Africa.
Your child(ren) should have received an order form in school. If it has been misplaced or you wish to download it, click the link below.
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| Labels and Boxtops for Education |
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Continue to collect those boxtops and labels!! The next collection day will be Wednesday, February 6th.
For a list of eligible Campbell's Products, click the link below.
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La Gloria Donations |
The VMS Student Council wish to thank all the families who have already contributed to our La Gloria Charity Project. We will continue to accept donations in the front office of gently used clothing, shoes, linens, and blankets through Friday, February 8th. We are eager to deliver your contributions to the community of La Gloria, Mexico, on Saturday, February 16th. Your generosity has amazed us! |
Mexico Dance Showcase  Nuevo Leon, Mexico |
| A weekend of fun around DANCE is the agenda for a dance showcase to be staged at Meritas sister-school Instituto San Roberto. Dancers of all types and abilities are encouraged to participate. It will be a noncompetitive environment in which each student can feel comfortable with his or her own dance progress. Master classes will be offered for students to learn the most up-to-date dance moves and choreography.
If you are interested in attending this showcase, please email Sharon and Kristi for more details.
The approximate cost for the weekend will be $100.00 plus air fare of about $350.00.
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V-FLASH |
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We hope you are enjoying The Village News Flash (or V-Flash). The deadline for submitting articles or announcements to Sharon or Kristi is Wednesday at 5:00 P.M. Feedback is always welcome!
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