Riverside School PTA Newsletter |
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DROP BY THE OUTDOOR APPAREL SALE TUESDAY 3/9
Join us for an outdoor apparel sale on Tuesday, March 9 from 9am-12pm at 41 Owenoke Way. Shop the entire collection of Red Hawk gear and take advantage of 50% off all flannel PJs, fleece pants and wooly hats! Shop early while supplies last! Masks and social distancing required.
Can’t make it to the sale? Shop our collection of Red Hawk apparel and accessories online at the Spirit Store (discount not valid online).
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ALLERGY AWARENESS PROGRAM ON MONDAY, MARCH 8
Kyle Dine, musician and performer, will be visiting Riverside virtually on Monday, March 8 to create awareness of food allergies and encourage inclusion and safety for all students. Kyle will deliver two age-appropriate digital programs for Grades K-2 and 3-5, as well as a live virtual Q&A session for Grades 4 & 5. Ask your kids what they learned! Kyle has performed for over 750 schools across North America. You can find out more at his website www.kyledine.com.
This program was made possible by your donations to the PTA. Thank you!
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UPCOMING ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
March 17: Bash the Trash assembly (Grade 2)
March 19: Storyteller Lot Therrio (Kindergarten)
March 22 & 24: Bash the Trash workshops (Grade 2)
March 22: Eli Whitney Museum Magnetic Pendulum Ecosystems (Grade 4)
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SPECIAL EDUCATION REVIEW UPDATE
Please feel free to email PCG with anonymous feedback at programreviewfeedback@pcgus.com. The survey has closed, but PCG is still gathering information from those who want to provide feedback via email. This is for all parents, not just parents of those with IEPs. This email address will remain available until March 31, 2021.
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PROTOCOL FOR FAMILIES TRAVELING "OUT OF CONNECTICUT"
Families traveling "Out of Connecticut" for more than 24 hours (current exceptions are the states of New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and the USVI), must complete the State of Connecticut Travel Health Form. If you are traveling to one of the states or countries with a travel advisory, it is mandatory to fill out the Connecticut form or face a fine from the state.
The following is only in effect if your child is in-person at Riverside School:
Anyone who is traveling (and meets the criteria above) should:
- Let the teacher and nurse know
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Provide a "Negative" PCR test that has been performed not more than 72 hours prior to your arriving back in CT (or after your arrival back in CT). All PCR tests, rapid or regular, are now accepted as of 1/11/21, however, subject to change per Governor Lamont.
Addendum per CT State Travel Advisory has been noted:
According to #19, the travelers "may" get tested WITHIN 72 hours of their arrival back to CT but NO MORE than 72 hours. This means, if they are arriving Sunday night, the test results should state 72 hours from the actual swab being performed, not the Test results themselves.
Anyone who has not received their PCR Tests prior to attending school must quarantine and remain home until test results have been received. Once you receive your results, please forward to the school nurse for clearance.
Note: some states are mandating Negative tests prior to traveling there (such as MA) and upon their return. These items are very important to follow and can result in penalties from each state. Please review the links above for more information.
Further questions can be directed to our school nurse, Sarah Flynn, who will be able to return parent phone calls and emails during the school day.
Thank you.
- Mr. Weiss, Ms. Key, Nurse Flynn
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IN-SCHOOL COVID-19 SYMPTOM PROTOCOL
The Nurse’s Office has received many questions about how the school is making decisions about when the school is sending students home. Extra precautions are being taken in order to do our best to keep students in school. Unfortunately, there will be many students sent home this year even though they may have normally been allowed to stay in school and we hope all families will be understanding.
Greenwich Public Schools COVID Symptom Protocol:
- If a student exhibits 1 low risk symptom (fever of 100.4 or greater, congestion/runny nose, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, sore throat, headache, muscle aches) and has had no exposure to a COVID-19 positive person, the student may return to school 24 hours after symptom resolution (without medication for fevers)
- If a student exhibits 2 or more low risk symptoms (see above) or has 1 high-risk symptom (new cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste/smell) AND has had no exposure to a COVID-19 positive person, the student must be seen by a healthcare provider.
- If the student has a negative PCR swab test for COVID, the student may return to school 24 hours after symptom resolution (without medication for fevers).
- If the student has lab testing and evaluation, or an alternative diagnosis, the student may return to school 24 hours after symptom resolution (without medication for fevers).
- If a student has a positive PCR swab test for COVID, the student may return to school after 24 hours without fever (without medication) AND symptoms improving AND approval of local health department (10-14 days); AND release by the primary care provider will be required
- If a student is exposed to a COVID positive person, the student may return to school 14 days after last contact unless symptoms develop. If symptoms develop, the student must obtain a swab.
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ORDERING LUNCH (IN-PERSON STUDENTS)
PLEASE NOTE: All orders MUST be submitted prior to the date ordering for (and up to five days in advance). Orders entered for same day lunch may not be seen, and cafeteria staff don't want students missing out. Please visit the Lunch Page on rivpta.org for information on submitting lunch orders and a link to the school's order form.
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LEARN HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED WITH GREENWICH PTA COUNCIL
Greenwich PTA Council has several openings for Board and Chair positions for the 21-22 school year, and its nominating chair is considering volunteers. Learn more about the PTA Council, what it does, the time commitment etc...at a forum via Zoom on Tuesday, March 16 at 8pm. The session will be recorded and made available for those who can’t attend but have interest in learning more.
Meeting ID: 834 6203 0439
Passcode: ptac
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NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE PTAC ESSENCE AWARD BY APRIL 30
The PTAC Essence Awards recognize up to two outstanding PTA members of the Greenwich Public Schools PTA communities, who through exemplary achievement, have inspired others, demonstrated selfless spirit and made a significant difference in our school community (individual school or district wide). Parents, teachers, staff, students, principals, administrators or members of the Greenwich community may submit nominations. It would be great to receive at least one nomination from every school! The application consists of an essay of no more than 500 words, and must be submitted through this online form. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 26 at 10am. Location to be determined based on COVID guidelines. Contact: essence@greenwichptac.org.
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DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS AWARD: NOMINATIONS DUE MARCH 10!
Our teachers have gone above and beyond for our kids this year-- so let's make sure that we give this event the attention it deserves! Please see the attached flyer and video for more information. Nominations must be submitted via email by March 10, 2021 at 5pm.
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REGISTER FOR THE MARCH 19 GREENWICH ALLIANCE TRIVIA CHALLENGE
Gather family and friends to test your trivia knowledge and raise critical dollars for the Greenwich Alliance for Education on Friday, March 19 from 7-9pm. The team competition includes six rounds of trivia, as well as an online silent auction and paddle raise. Visit the event page for additional information and registration.
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REPLAY OF 2021-2022 SCHOOL BUDGET FORUM NOW AVAILABLE
On February 24, PTA Council and LWV Greenwich co-hosted an hour-long virtual forum where info about next year’s school budget and the approval timeline were shared. This was followed by a Q&A session with GPS Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones, BOE Chair Peter Bernstein, and First Selectman Fred Camillo, where there was much discussion around prioritizing improvements to aging school buildings in the district (including Riverside School). A second Q&A included a discussion of the issues involved in the budget approval process with members of the town’s Board of Estimate and Taxation and RTM Education Committee. A video replay is currently available to view.
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PUBLIC MEETINGS INFO: NEW PAGE ADDED TO DISTRICT WEBSITE
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THE 2020-2021 GPS TUTOR BOOKLET
Need a tutor for your child? Each year, Greenwich Public Schools also compiles a list of GPS staff who are willing to tutor outside of school hours. Please see the 2020-2021 Tutor Booklet for teacher names and contact information.
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GPS TEMPORARY POSITIONS AVAILABLE
GPS is circulating this flyer to broaden its search for substitutes to ensure they have a robust list of people who can help cover staffing needs throughout the year. GPS is in need of two types of substitutes: instructional and classroom monitors.
For example: a teacher who is on maternity leave would have an instructional substitute who has at least a Bachelor’s Degree. However, GPS also expects to have secondary teachers who may be quarantined for two weeks due to an exposure at a personal event (grocery store visit, etc.). If the teacher is deemed to be the only one having been exposed, this would allow their students to still be in the classroom. A substitute for this type of situation would simply be a classroom monitor to make sure that the smartboard is on and that the teacher can be seen and heard from home by the students; the classroom monitor would not be providing academic instruction.
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BOE MEETINGS NOW VIRTUAL
Board of Education meetings are easier to attend now that they take place over Zoom--stay informed! Here is a list of 2020-2021 academic year Greenwich Board of Education meetings. Information on how to access the meetings can be found on the GPS Accessing Virtual BOE Meetings page. All meetings start at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
- Thursday, March 25, 2021
- Thursday, April 8, 2021 (Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, April, 22, 2021
- Thursday, May 13, 2021(Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, May 20, 2021
- Thursday, June 3, 2021
- Thursday, June 17, 2021
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UPCOMING KEY BET BUDGET MEETINGS
Greenwich Public Schools accounts for a significant portion of the town’s annual budget. As the Town of Greenwich 2021-2022 budgeting process continues, residents can attend Board of Estimate & Taxation meetings that take place over Zoom--stay informed! Here is a list of upcoming key BET budget meetings. Information on how to access the meetings can be found on the Greenwich BET 2021-2022 Budget Meeting Calendar page. A full listing of this calendar year’s BET meetings can be found on the BET Everything Calendar.
- Friday, March 5 from 9am-4pm (Budget Decision Day 1)
- Monday, March 8 from 9am-4pm (Budget Decision Day 2)
- Monday, March 29 at 7pm (Public Hearing)
- Thursday, April 1 from 9am-9pm (Decision Day)
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GPS WEEKLY DISTRICT DIGEST
Subscribe to receive the Greenwich Public Schools weekly "District Digest" e-newsletter directly to your email inbox.
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Learn More About the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting (RTM)
The Greenwich RTM is hosting a number of Zoom information sessions to help residents learn more about the RTM’s function within town government and how one could go about being elected to the RTM. To register, email rakhanna@optonline.net.
Sunday, March 28 at 4:00pm
Monday, March 29 at 11:00am
Thursday, April 1 at 7:00pm
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League of Women Voters Greenwich Student Essay Writing Contest
The LWV Greenwich second annual essay contest will be in honor of America’s first female vice president. This year’s theme is Dear Madam Vice President, where Greenwich students grades K-12 are invited to write a letter (up to 500 words) to Vice President Kamala Harris, sharing their stories, advice and wishes. Submissions are due Sunday, March 21. See flyer for additional information.
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Free Online Tutoring at My STEM Help
My STEM Help is a local nonprofit aiming to provide free, high quality online tutoring sessions to students K-12 who are in need of after-school academic support. The support is especially needed during the time of pandemic. These help sessions are conducted like a teacher's "office hour" where students can drop in to ask homework questions or get help on test prep. The tutoring sessions are run by local high school volunteers. There are rigorous tutor selection and training processes in place to ensure the teaching quality (check out the "Meet the Tutors" page for more details). Each session is also monitored by a trained adult volunteer to safeguard online security.
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Neighbor to Neighbor Food Donation Drive
Every Thursday at St. Paul's Riverside from 10-11:30am. The need right now is particularly high. Items of greatest need are proteins such as beans, peanut butter and canned tuna, but all non-perishables are gladly accepted and appreciated. Just drive up, pop open your trunk and St. Paul's will get your donations to N2N.
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SUBMISSIONS
Have something to add? Email us at: peekweekriv@gmail.com Deadline for submissions is 3pm on Wednesday of the school week
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