There is a one-time $20 supply fee per child. This fee is for consumable supplies that will be used throughout the year. It replaces the usual supply list.

Please DO NOT purchase any supplies or send any supplies from home. Your child’s teacher will purchase supplies over the summer. This fee is NOT optional.

A community supply method will be used. There are many benefits to this method for the parent, child, and classroom teacher. It will save parents money because we are able to buy in bulk, allowing us to purchase a larger variety and better quality of supplies. Students feel more equality because all supplies are the same color, style, size, etc. Students also learn many social skills from sharing supplies. By purchasing supplies over the summer, our classrooms are set up and ready for the first day of school with the supplies that are needed.

Please send the supply fee with your child on the first day of school. It is helpful to put it in an envelope with your child’s first and last name on the front.

If there are circumstances that create a hardship in paying the fee, please see your child's counselor or principal.

Bicycles at VPWalk and Bike Challenge Month is now in full swing! Students are logging their active trips on a chart in the classroom, and we're keeping track of how we're doing as a school. You can view results so far for all participating schools at walknbike.org.

New this year: an online tracking system called “Fire Up Your Feet.” Parents/guardians can sign up online and track how their students get to and from school each day, as well as other physical activity during the day! Our school can earn challenge awards through this program, too – Fire Up Your Feet will be holding drawings for cash prizes for schools who participate the most.

Need something to do? Here are some resources.

OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) has a $2 admission day the first Sunday of every month. Explore chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, astronomy and more for only $2 per person!

The Oregon Zoo offers $4 per person admission on the second Tuesday of each month.

The Portland Art Museum always has free admission for children ages 17 and younger, but on the fourth Friday of each month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., admission is free for everyone.

Midland Regional Library has books, computers and more that you can use free of charge. They also often have free programs for children, teens and adults.

OAKS stands for Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. At Ventura Park, all students in grades 3, 4 and 5 are tested in reading and math, and 5th graders are tested in science. The OAKS test measures students' mastery of Oregon content standards. It does not affect the student's grades. We will begin OAKS testing on February 11.

You can help your child prepare by promoting good attendance, a healthy diet, and plenty of sleep. You can also review practice tests online if you would like to at OAKS Online (you must use the Firefox browser to access practice tests).

Please click the link below to download a PDF copy of our school newsletter.

Please click the link below to download a PDF copy of our school newsletter.