Who can resist running to this treasured jungle gym when passing by it on the Valley Catholic campus? Hundreds of children play here year round. Due to the preparation for the new construction for the K-8 School, this special area is being re-located to be near the high school track.

The last day students can play on the structure in the field near Valley Catholic Early Learning School is Friday, April 30. The jungle gym and tire swingset will be moved Monday, May 3 and return in its new location Monday, May 10. Thank you for your patience during this transition.

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. Read the rest of this entry »

YOU ARE INVITED!

The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon are pleased and honored to announce that they will break ground for the new K-8 Education Center on Wednesday, May 5. Taking on the largest capital project in SSMO history, the Sisters are proud to begin construction for what will be an amazing home of learning and prayer for Valley Catholic’s students, teachers, parents and the broader community.

Many of you may know that the Sisters will celebrate their 125th anniversary as a religious community from March 2011-March 2012. Over these 125 years, the SSMOs have witnessed the learning and transformation of more than 10,000 young people. They describe building a new, spacious and sustainable school home for their K-8 students as a dream come true and a wonderful way to punctuate their value of striving for excellence in the realm of education. The school’s grand opening will occur in September, 2011 — in the middle of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon’s 125th Jubilee year.

The entire campus is invited to meet under the tent at the corner of St. Mary’s Drive and 148th for a true Mexican fiesta with appetizers, drinks and music!

Please Note: Because a student celebration will be held earlier in the day, the evening event is intended for adults only.

PGE Pole Setting; Some 148th Ave. Parking Removed

PGE will be working in the lane at the south side of Elementary School at 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 19. The path that runs along the west side of the Elementary School will be blocked off to prevent anyone from walking south toward the pool. The south entrance to the Elementary School will remain open and will be the designated path to the pool. This will be clearly marked and PGE will have personnel there for safety. To access the covered play area, the west entrance shall be used to leave the school and classes will have to use the sidewalk along the Grotto. We hope PGE will be in this area for only a couple of hours.

After this new pole is set, PGE will be moving to 148th Ave. to set the new pole in front of the new guest house and an additional pole in front of Our Lady of Lourdes house (next to the one that is there already). There may be some brief traffic disruptions, but they will be clear of the area by 2:15 p.m. If they need more time, they will come back Tuesday, April 20 at 8:30 a.m. and will be completed well in advance of the afternoon.

We have asked PGE to avoid drop off and pick-up times to prevent traffic congestion. However, when PGE is planting these poles, they may need to block the roads and will need to maintain a safe perimeter from their work equipment.

Additionally, the small group of parking spaces on the west side of 148th Ave. will be blocked off Monday morning at 6 a.m. and will be no longer available for the duration of the construction project.

You will start to see spray paint on the grass areas and on the asphalt around the property. These are “locates” and place markers for our new electrical vaults and transformers.

Contact Director of Marketing & Communications Karen Crandal with any questions or concerns.