7th graders Isabel and Kate enjoyed an outdoor art class recently. |
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Greetings!
With 35 students and 6 teachers out today, we are grateful for our supportive parents and our substitute teachers! Thanks to you, we are confidently keeping our doors open to most of our families.
Happy Monday!
Nelia
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SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY NIGHT |
Thank you to everyone who joined our virtual meetings on Friday night. We hope it was helpful to hear the perspectives of our Head of School Roy Starling, Board President Eric Daffinrud, and PAG Leaders Kim Adams (5th grader Cora and 6th grader Gabe) and Ellen Moore (8th grader Macy) for the 21-22 school year. That whole Community Meeting was recorded, it's about an 18 minute video. The smaller meetings afterwards were meant to help parents learn more about the teachers' priorities and expectations. If you missed a meeting, please reach out to the teacher (fristname.lastname@theriversideschool.org) for a recording or notes.
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Riverside's Annual Yard Sale will be returning to its traditional fall date: October 2. This is a well known event in the broader community, organized by Riverside parents, that raises needed funds for our programs here at school.
Volunteers: We need you! In anticipation of a successful Yard Sale, our goal is that most parents will volunteer to work a shift for the event: setting up on Friday, October 1, or managing the sale or cleaning up on Saturday, October 2. Thank you in advance for any help you can give. You can sign up to volunteer here.
Donations: We cannot accept donations after this Friday, Oct 1 at 9:00 am. Parent Anna Crytzer (4th grader Fiona) will probably be here most days from 2:45-4:00 to help you unload and get things to the right, pre-sorted locations. Please note the signs with yellow stars and the labeled bins for clothing of different sizes.
Please organize, pre-sort, and pack your donations according to this list of categories. Your effort on this will save our volunteers lots of time and energy next week. When you drop off, you can find different areas (marked with yellow-starred signs to put your items:
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Clothing (sub sorted as: Men's by size, Women's by size, infant-18m, 2T-6, 6-8, 10-16, outerwear, winter accessories, costume/dress up
- linens,
- books,
- toys,
- sports equipment, yard and garden, tools, and pet supplies
- office and craft supplies
- bags,
- artwork
- housewares and artwork
- furniture - please try and not deliver to the cedars tent until Thursday, if this is problematic for you, reach out to the chair-people below
We CANNOT take:
- Clothing that is torn, stained, or has broken zippers
- Electronics
- Particle Board furniture
- Magazines
- video or audio cassettes
- Encyclopedias
- Car Seats
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POSITIVE CASE COMMUNICATION |
We had done a lot of planning and thinking about this possibility before we had our first case on campus on Friday. You should know that we are acting in excess of state guidelines in almost every situation. If we do have a case of COVID, we will do a school-wide phone robo-call letting you know there has been a positive case, and that you should check your email for specifics. If you did not get a robo-call from us on Saturday morning, please let Krystal know so she can resolve that. There will be three categories of emails:
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A message to students who were close contacts and exposed: This is most likely classmates, but may also be podmates. Close contacts of a positive case will receive the state’s quarantine letter from me instructing them to quarantine and test on days 2 and 7 after the exposure date, which we will define in the letter. They may return to school after a negative result on the day 7 test. Families opting not to test will have to stay out 14 days from the last possible exposure. Siblings of close contacts also need to stay out until testing is done.
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A message to students who may have been exposed: This is a “wait and see” email. It would go to a broader group of students than the first message. This will give us time to do a thorough contact tracing by looking at the schedule, talking to teachers, etc. At this point, another message will go to this group- either a message saying you are a close contact, a message saying you are “all clear,” or a message asking for a negative result before coming back. The latter message is used for when a student may have been around the positive individual, but it would have been outside and not long enough or close enough to qualify as an exposure using state guidelines (6’ for 15:00).
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A message to students who are “all-clear:” Most people would get an email saying there was a case, but their child was not exposed. Depending on the timing (i.e. if I find out about the case when I am away from the computer and have to send these emails from my phone), you may get this message and one of the other messages. It will say in the “all clear” email that if you got one of the other messages (which go out first), you should follow those directions around testing or quarantine.
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STAY HOME GUIDELINES AND TESTING |
This is a reminder that if your child has any symptoms at all, we are asking you to keep them home and have them tested, regardless of vaccination status. They may return to school with a negative test result and improvement of symptoms (including 24hrs fever-free).
If someone in the household has symptoms, we also want you to keep your Riversider(s) home, regardless of vaccination status, until that person gets a negative test result. We strongly recommend a high-quality PCR test. Those who opt for the off-the-shelf rapid antigen tests must take both tests in the kit with a 24-hour interval between tests. Because of the high volume of student (and teacher) “precautionary absences,” please send us documentation of the negative result which, in the case of a rapid test, can be a picture snapped from your phone.
I recognize that the stay-home policy may seem excessive and can be highly inconvenient for working parents. Our goal is to stay open for in-person learning for as many students as possible, and so we have set some standards for Riverside that are above and beyond the CDC’s and Vermont’s recommendations. Even if your child has a common cold, keeping them home helps prevent that cold from spreading through the classroom and other children having to stay out. Your support on this is vital to us remaining safely open. We are deeply grateful for all you are doing to help keep us safely open.
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ARE YOU READING THE WHOLE MEMO? |
We know the Monday Memo is long, there's just so much good stuff going on at Riverside for you to know about! If you read the Memo on your phone, it's likely truncated, with a small "View Entire Message" link at the bottom. Be sure you click on that to read through all our notes AND to find the green buttons at the bottom that link to the specific classroom information teachers want you to know. |
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Help Needed: we need two referees for tomorrow's home game at 5:30. Please email Sean if you can help.
Practice this week: None, because of the home games.
Games this week:
- Tuesday, Sept 28 - vs Barnet @ Home - 6-8th grade at 4 pm; 3-5th grade at 5pm
- Thursday, Sept 30 - vs Concord @ Home - 6-8th grade at 4:30pm.
Remainder of Game schedule:
- Tuesday, Oct 5- @ Good Shepherd (United Baptist Church) - 6-8th grade at 5:30
- Tuesday, Oct 12 @ Home vs Waterford - 6-8th grade at 5:00 pm.
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PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES |
K-8th grade Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences are scheduled for next week: Wednesday and Thursday, October 6 and 7. Students will be dismissed at 12:30 those days, and virtual conferences via Google Meet will begin at 1:00 pm. You can sign up for an appointment at the relevant link below. Students are welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings, especially at the middle school level. We look forward to hearing from them about what's going well so far in the year, what's been challenging, and what questions and goals they have.
Preschool Conferences are postponed, considering the closure of the program this week. October 6 and 7 will be full days in preschool next week, if the COVID situation in that class is resolved enough. McKenna will offer conference appointments on Monday, November 22 instead.
The Extended Day Program will run on October 6 and 7 until 5:00 pm, but not any clubs. If your child does not usually attend, but will that day because of the unusual schedule, please email Sean in advance to let him know, so that he, Lucia, and Zane can plan accordingly.
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School picture day will be Friday, October 8. Order forms went home with students last week and must be returned in advance of picture day. Even if you don't want to order any prints, we ask that you return the envelope with a note on it.
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Water bottles are essential at Riverside, as we have few water fountains, mostly sinks, and we keep the students very active during the day. Please ensure that students pack them daily, and that they have their names on them.
If your child is missing their water bottle, please have them check lost and found, where we have many un-named, un-claimed ones.
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DRESS FOR THE WEATHER, EVEN INDOORS |
Please remember that in addition to the enhanced air handling and filtration, we are leaving windows open to the greatest extent possible. We are also trying to create as much unmasked outdoor time as possible for the students. As the weather starts to turn, it’s helpful for students to wear or pack warmer clothing to be comfortable learning in all conditions. |
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Riverside is beginning a two-year process of reflection and self study, during which we will articulate our strengths, weaknesses, and goals as a school, in the areas listed below. We want parent voices to be a part of the conversation and we need people to join our committees. This process will culminate in a written report and a 3-day visit from other educators in April 2023, and we hope, then being re-accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
- Enrollment
- Governance
- Resources
- Qualified Adult Community
- Health & Safety
- Mission Informed Decisions
- Inspiration & Support for Students
- Commitment to Excellence
- Commitment to Professional Development
- Greater Community Engagement
- Long Term Viability
A decade ago we found this process to be extensive, authentic, and productive work done by our community in order to help us improve as a school, and we believe we are well positioned for that same experience again. People from all over the Riverside community are invited to join in the process, while all faculty and trustees will be taking on this volunteer effort. Please use this survey to let us know if and how you might like to participate. Email Nelia, who is coordinating the self study process, if you have any questions.
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We are still in the process of finalizing dates/times for many of the clubs, but here is a list of what we know will be offered this year, and any additional info we have about them so far. There are generally no fees associated with club participation - thank you to the volunteers who are leading them! If your child(ren) is typically in the Extended Day Program and will be doing a club instead, please let the EDP staff know.
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Mountain Bike Club: Wednesdays, this week-end of October (weather permitting). As this is a currently running club, there is more in its own section below. Open to all ages.
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Book Club: Every other Monday at lunch time for 6-8th graders. Led by 8th grader Maceo Kramar. If you plan to join, please let Maceo know directly.
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Adventure Club: Mondays (beginning postponed to Oct 4) from 3:45-5:00 for grades 4-8. Led at Riverside by two students from NVU who will bring participants out into the natural environment to explore and develop adventure skills. Week 1 will be in the river, so students should be prepared to get wet. Space is limited, email Sean to sign up.
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Nature Club: Wednesdays (beginning Sept 29) from 3:30-4:30 for grades K-8. We will explore the bountiful nature on our school grounds. When the weather's good we'll be outside creating habitat for birds and insects, making species lists, exploring and learning. On inclement days, we'll be inside learning about feathers (and so much else), writing about nature and watching nature films. Special guests will join us! Led by parent Mel Finn (7th graders Molly and Pearl).
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Crazy 8's Math Club: Wednesdays (Sept 29-Dec 1, excluding Oct 6 and Nov 24) from 3:30-4:30, for grades 3-5*. Students will build, run and jump, make music, make messes and make memories with friends. It's a totally fun kind of math club! Some of the activities include Glow-in-the-Dark Geometry, Bouncy Dice Explosion, and Pirate Treasure Hunt. It's full of hands-on games that get kids fired up about math. Led by Caroline; we are excited to have 8th graders Lydia and Camryn Reimert as junior coaches!
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Math Counts: Thursdays after the soccer season, for grades 6-8 from 3:45-4:30, led by Caroline and parent Kim Adams (5th grader Cora and 6th grader Gabe).
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Chess Club: November-February, all ages, details TBD, led by Mr. G.
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Latin Club: grades 6-8, details TBD, led by Nathan and/or Roy
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Scholars Bowl: grades 6-8 details TBD, led by Roy.
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Straw or sawdust or hay for our compost piles - email Hanna or deliver to garden area
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Adventure Club is cancelled for today because of so many students being absent. The club will begin next Monday. |
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This Wednesday the beginner/intermediate group (shorter, easier ride) will meet at East Burke sports at 3:30 and be led by Sean. The Advanced group (longer, more difficult ride) will meet at Village Sports Shop Trailside, on Darling Hill at 3:45 and be led by Marie. Please write to the respective leader if you have any questions or need for transportation. Kids must have their own bike, helmet, and KT pass.
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30 Lily Pond Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851
phone: 802.626.8552
fax: 802.626.4156
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