United We Thrive » General

SAFETY ALERT: Safeguard Your Eyes – Welding Activity on Campus

Thomas Kohler — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:24:06 +0000

For those of you who have been on campus over the summer months, you have undoubtedly seen the great progress made on the K-8 construction project. This past weekend, steel beams began to arrive for the 1st and 2nd floor construction.

SAFETY ALERT: As there will be quite a bit of welding on these beams, the contractor has indicated that there will be some shielding to prevent viewing of the welding arcs. However, just as it is dangerous to stare into the sun, it is also dangerous to stare at welding arcs. Please be careful to safeguard your vision by refraining from staring at the welding of the steel.

Thank you for adhering to our safety alerts to keep you and your family safe during this exciting time on our campus.

See how the construction site looks right now!

Friends of VCS and SSMO Break Ground on New K-8 School!

Karen Crandal — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:59:20 +0000

Click here to see the Groundbreaking video and other great school moments on our Web channel www.valleycatholictv.com

Nearly 200 parents and friends of Valley Catholic and the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon attended the festive groundbreaking event for the new K-8 School Wednesday, May 5. The site where the school will be built was transformed into a Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Everyone gathered to eat, drink, celebrate and watch school representatives don hard hats and dig in the dirt with golden shovels.

VCES Principal Susan Friesen said, “You folks threw a fabulous party last night!!! Some of us are still shaking ourselves awake to the fact that it is really happening. Teachers are talking excitedly about having rooms that are actually big enough for 28 students per classroom, with sinks and more than just one or two outlets to boot, plus modern technology to assist us with our teaching.”

Students and teachers are excited that construction has begun as more space and newer facilities are a welcome change from being housed in the 1930s Convent and in portable buildings.

Pre-schooler Simon Armstrong digs in the dirt to start the construction of the new K-8 School where he'll be able to attend Kindergarten.

The new facility will be a 67,000 square foot state-of-the-art building, constructed to achieve a Gold rating with the United States Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. The building will emphasize controlled natural lighting, energy saving mechanical systems, “green” and recycled materials and other strategies as a part of a commitment to sustainable practices. The construction project also calls for a new improved traffic flow for the campus as well as additional parking.

The new K-8 School will be open for students in September of 2011.

A similar groundbreaking event was held for all students earlier the same day where everyone was given commemorative water bottles and ice cream. Pictures will be available at a later date. To view a gallery of pictures from the evening event, please click on this link.

CONSTRUCTION ALERT: Beloved Annex Coming Down for Construction on New K-8 School Site

Karen Crandal — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:52:21 +0000

Valley Catholic High school students said goodbye to their beloved annex which has housed Physics and English classrooms for decades. With permission, the students went inside the building and were allowed to show their love for their classroom space and memorialize their old friend before its removal from the site of the new K-8 school. The “graffiti” happened on the inside of the structure so as much of the exterior wood as possible can be re-used and recycled.

To the right are some of the photos taken from inside the annex before it was closed.

Annex demolition will occur throughout the month of May.

CONSTRUCTION ALERT: Watch Construction Live on our Two Web Cams!

Karen Crandal — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:52:53 +0000

Thanks to Valley Catholic’s phenomenal Information Technology Department, we have two live Web cams filming our construction site so that any time, day or night, you can tune in and watch the progress of the building. One camera faces the north end of the property and the other the east end.

While it will be interesting at any time to observe the activity, it will be especially noteworthy when major events happen such as the demolition of the annex, the felling of trees, and the raising of the walls on the actual building. The cameras are in real-time and will also make it possible for us to create a time-lapsed version of the K-8 School’s construction when the project is complete in the summer of 2011.

You can get to our Web cams any time from our home page at www.unitedwethrive.org. You can also see them here. Be sure to bookmark the site and visit often.

What Is Happening to Your Campus? Stay Informed!

Karen Crandal — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:33:24 +0000

Now that our contractor is on site and construction is heating up, we want to make sure there are as few surprises as possible when you are on the campus. As exciting as it is to build a 67,000 square foot building, create new roads and design new landscaping, all the activity is bound to make a mess at times. Roads, parking and power may all be affected at some point in the next year and a half until the grand opening in September 2011.

The latest information about the construction project will be posted on all our campus Web sites as it becomes available. Any news that could effect students, parents and employees will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

The best part is, if you want this information delivered directly to your email inbox, all you need to do is SUBSCRIBE HERE by entering your email address. Announcements will be sent to you as an email once a day if any news items are posted that day.

We welcome any suggestions about how best to communicate with you during this exciting time of growth on our campus. Please direct your comments to Director of Marketing & Communications Karen Crandal.