Riverside School PTA Newsletter | Friday, January 7th, 2022 | |
PTA Highlights
Dear Riverside Families,
Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday break. We imagine many of you were eager to bid 2021 farewell (especially the long-suffering NY football fans) and are hopeful about 2022. And Happy Snow Day! After a rather mild December, it was only a matter of time before Old Man Winter paid us a visit. Today, we hope many snowmen are built, many fireplaces are lit and much hot chocolate is consumed.
As we transition from holiday break mode to school mode the PTA is starting to dust itself off, ready to deliver a handful of activities and programs over the next five weeks before we break for the winter recess, which will arrive sooner than you think!
Winter Afters registration is happening next Wednesday, January 12 at 7am. You can create an account and profiles for your children now in Flex’s new, more user-friendly registration system. The Green Committee is also running two drives next week:
1) Collecting broken and decommissioned holiday lights to ensure they are properly disposed, and 2) Bringing back the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge.
If you’re looking to give back this winter, we’ve got just the thing. A January tradition for the PTA, consider providing a meal to those in need at one of Inspirica’s emergency shelters in Stamford. You can help serve the meal in-person or simply do contactless drop-off.
Lastly, your calendar reminders for the next two weeks:
January 10-13 – Holiday Lights Drive
January 10-13 & 18-21 – TREX Plastic Film Drive
January 12 – Winter Afters registration opens @ 7am
January 14 – Cookbook submissions due
January 14 – No School (Teacher PLD)
January 17 – No School (MLK Day)
January 21 – Monthly Spirit Day
Wishing you all a wonderful winter weekend.
Carey Bisbee & Allison Maus
PTA Co-Presidents
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PRE-REGISTER FOR WINTER AFTERS!
Pre-registration for Winter Afters is now open. You can set up an account for one or more children on Eleyo, Flex's new (and improved!) registration platform. Registration will officially open next Wednesday, January 12 at 7am, so please review the class schedule in advance and plan to register then. Please note, due to the limited number of slots, there will be a registration limit of one class per child.
As a reminder, Winter Afters classes will be indoors (Winter Gameday may move outdoors on days there is favorable weather) led by Riverside School teachers.
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RECYCLE YOUR HOLIDAY LIGHTS
Have holiday lights that are broken and no longer work? The Green Committee is hosting a Holiday Lights Recycling Drive January 10-13. A collection bin will be located outside the front doors at drop-off and pick-up with an additional off-site bin at 32 Hendrie Ave. Let's work together to keep dangerous materials out of our landfills!
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THE TREX PLASTIC FILM DRIVE IS BACK!
With the holiday season behind us, let the Green Committee help you recycle your plastic film and packing material with the launch of Riverside's Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge!
For the weeks of January 10-13 and January 18-21, a Trex collection bin for acceptable plastic film materials will be outside the front doors for families and staff. An additional off-site Trex bin will be at 32 Hendrie Ave. Collected materials will be weighed and recorded for when the Trex Challenge culminates Earth Day 2022 and prizes are awarded to winning schools. Let's continue to help Riverside GO GREEN and show how much we care!
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SHARE YOUR FAVORITE MEAL WITH A FAMILY IN NEED
Looking for a great way to give back this winter? Want to share your family’s favorite meal with those in need? Grab some friends and serve together at Inspirica this winter!
Fully vaccinated individuals (children included) may sign up to provide and serve a meal to feed 15 people at the Inspirica Women’s Emergency Shelter at 8 Woodland Place in Stamford. Sign up by accessing Inspirica's volunteer sign up platform.
If you prefer contactless delivery, Inspirica’s Family Emergency Shelter at 141 Franklin Street in Stamford is also in need of meals. They host around 15 adults and 20 children. Please email sdelago@inspiricact.org to reserve a date.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness!
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SUBMIT YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE BY JANUARY 14!
Submissions have started coming in for the Riverside School Cookbook — make sure one of your family favorites is included! If you have a recipe you’d like to submit, please visit the Health & Wellness page of the PTA website. There, you’ll find a link to a recipe template, possible categories and more.
After completing the template, please email it to the cookbook committee at rivcookbook@gmail.com by Friday, January 14.
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RESOLVE TO BE HEALTHY!
Happy New Year, Riverside! This month is the perfect time to set goals for the year ahead. Setting goals helps teach children the values of personal responsibility and commitment. If you’d like to encourage your children to make resolutions this year, please print out this sheet and ask them to write down what they’d like to achieve in 2022. It’s a fun activity for parents, too!
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MATH MARATHON KICK-OFF EVENT JANUARY 24
The PTA is excited to announce details for the Riverside School’s 2022 Math Marathon! The week-long event will kick off on Monday, January 24 at 6pm with a virtual Family Math Night hosted by Greg Tang.
Greg Tang is a master game developer, programmer, and favorite among teachers, students and math coaches and his teachings are used by classrooms around the world to supplement their math curriculums.
Please register for Family Math Night and keep an eye out for more details about Math Marathon in the weeks ahead. All students K-5 are encouraged to participate.
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ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
Upcoming Enrichment Programs
Week of January 18: Rochel Coleman, poet and storyteller (Grades K-5)
January 25: Dirtmeister's Electric Show (Grade 4)
February 1 & 2: Weather Wizards (Grade K)
February 7 & 8: Zoom to the Moon (Grade 1)
February 9: Bash the Trash's Lost at Sea (Grade 5)
February 25: Rajani LaRocca, author visit (Grades 3-5)
These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you!
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VISIT THE ONLINE APPAREL STORE
Whether you're a returning Red Hawk or new to the nest, you can support Riverside School by showing your school spirit! Our online apparel store is open for business and stocked with lots of great new items, including tees, shorts, sweatshirts, ROPES shirts, water bottles and more. Go to RIVPTA.ORG to shop spirit wear now! Orders placed by noon on Thursdays can be picked up between 7am-7pm on Fridays at 41 Owenoke Way.
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SAFETY DUTY: MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN JUST 15 MINUTES!
In addition to making sure everyone is familiar with the drop-off/pick-up “Rules of the Road”, Safety Duty is an important part of keeping our children safe at Riverside School. Volunteers make the morning drop-off process more efficient and secure. Volunteers assist from 8:30-8:45am daily and must wear a mask at all times during a shift. Sign up online. For more info, contact Brielle Goldfaden at brielleg@gmail.com.
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NOTIFYING THE SCHOOL IF YOUR CHILD RECEIVES THE COVID-19 VACCINE
If your child has received either dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and you choose to share this information with the school, kindly email Nurse Melissa Luiso evidence of your child's vaccination card so that the school's medical records can be updated accordingly. Thank you!
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NOTE FOR PARENTS: ITEM DROP-OFFS
As a reminder to parents, when dropping off items for children, please make sure the item is labeled with the child's name and teacher. Sometimes office personnel cannot immediately obtain items from the bins due to other obligations, and clear labeling will minimize confusion and inefficiency at the time of retrieval.
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ORDERING LUNCH
PLEASE NOTE: School lunches continue to be FREE this school year. All orders MUST be submitted at least TWO full school days in advance (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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ADVANCED LEARNING PROGRAM: IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Mid-January: Grade 2 placement recommendations emailed to parents
January 19 & 21: Virtual presentations to explain Grade 2 evaluation scores on January 19 at 7:00 pm and January 21 at 9:30 am
January 19 to February 3: Assessment testing for Grades 5, 6 & 7
For your reference, the district has created two informational graphics about ALP placement for Grade 2 and Grades 3-4. They are also posted on the district's ALP webpage.
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“OLD MATH, NEW TRICKS” INFO SESSION WITH GPS K-8 MATH COORDINATOR
Join the PTAC Academic Excellence Committee for a virtual workshop with Mike Reid (GPS Program Coordinator for K-8 Math) on Tuesday, January 18 at 10:30am. Parents will learn why the district teaches math the way it does and will gain a better understanding of critical concepts, like breaking numbers apart and visualizing through models. Come prepared with paper and pencil to work through some concepts together. Q&A will follow the presentation. Join via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/92097811032.
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WAYS TO FOSTER INDEPENDENCE & RESPONSIBILITY IN CHILDREN
Join the Student Supports department for an interactive workshop with Drs. Alina and Fabian Boies (GPS Behavioral Support Team) who will demonstrate and help you practice effective strategies you can apply right away at home to foster independence, responsibility and positive behaviors in your children. Space is limited to 15 participants and registration is on a first come, first served basis. Reserve your spot here. See flyer for more details (Spanish version is also available).
Thursday, January 13 from 10:00am-11:30am, Town Hall Hayton-Conference Room (3rd Floor)
Tuesday, January 25 from 11:00am-12:30pm, Town Hall Cone Room (2nd Floor)
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GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS
Board of Education meetings are easier to attend now that they be viewed on Zoom--stay informed! Here is a list of 2021-2022 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 7:00pm unless otherwise noted.
- Thursday, January 20, 2022
- Thursday, February 3, 2022 (Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, February 24, 2022
- Thursday, March 24, 2022
- Thursday, April 28, 2022
- Thursday, May 19, 2022
- Thursday, June 2, 2022 (Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, June 16, 2022
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SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEWSLETTERS
Make sure you are receiving GPS e-newsletters directly to your inbox! To subscribe, select the relevant newsletters below and click the orange "Follow" button on the right side of the page.
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Town of Greenwich Christmas Tree Recycling in January
Drop off your Christmas tree from now until January 31 at Byram Park, Bruce Park, Greenwich Point or Holly Hill to be chipped into mulch for town properties. Additional tree recycling details can be found through the Department of Parks and Recreation. Before dropping, be sure to remove lights, stands and decorations! You can also leave them on your property to decompose, providing wildlife habitat and enriching soil.
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Junior League of Greenwich Presents “PositivelyMe!”
PositivelyMe! is a FREE program for 3rd grade girls encouraging self-confidence, leadership, assertiveness, and positive decision making. Sessions will be taking place in January, February, and March. Applications are currently being accepted. Learn more at www.jlgreenwich.org/positivelyme/.
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COVID Resources from the School | |
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LATEST GUIDANCE ON ISOLATION & QUARANTINES
The CDC and CT DPH now support a five-day isolation after a person tests positive, with a return to school on Day 6. On the advice of its health professionals, GPS has implemented this new five-day rule for students and staff.
For those who test positive for COVID:
- Stay home for five days
- After five days, if you have no symptoms or once you’ve been symptom-free for 24 hours, you can leave your house
- Continue to wear a mask around others for five additional days
- If you have a fever, continue to stay home for 24 hours after your fever resolves
For those with COVID symptoms, regardless of vaccination status:
- Test for COVID, either self-test or at a testing site, and stay home
- If test results are negative, return to activities when fever-free for at least 24 hours and other symptoms are significantly improved
- If test results are positive, isolate for at least five days, return to activities on Day 6 or later when fever-free and symptom-free for at least 24 hours
- Wear a mask at all times when around others for an additional five days when returning to activities
Please remember to complete the COVID-19 Symptom Self Checklist before attending school each day and thank you for following all health and safety protocols in place that help keep us safe.
Students or staff that are symptomatic during the school day will be given a rapid antigen test in the nurse’s office (with parental permission for students). It is recommended that this is to be followed with a PCR test outside of school. The PCR test is the “gold standard” test for diagnosing COVID-19 because it’s the most accurate and reliable test.
Please visit the district’s GPS COVID-19 resource page for more information, and please contact the School Nurse, Melissa Luiso (melissa_luiso@greenwich.k12.ct.us) with any questions.
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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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