Riverside School PTA Newsletter

Friday, March 18th, 2022

PTA Highlights


Dear Riverside families,


In honor of Ted Scheu “That Poetry Guy” returning (in person!) to Riverside next week after a pandemic-related hiatus, we’d like to dedicate this letter to our favorite literary device, the alliteration. After all, March Madness – and its abundant accompanying alliterative phrases – is here and we couldn’t resist…or rather, couldn’t control the compulsion.


Riverside Run Registration: Speaking of something returning after a pandemic-related hiatus, the Riverside Run is back for its 37th year! Registration is now open for the 3-mile walk/run and the Kids Fun Run. Don’t forget to register online now to get your name printed on your race bib.


Riverside’s Recipes & STEM Showcase: Don’t forget to order your Riverside School cookbook by March 31, and don’t forget to register for next month’s STEM Fair by March 29. The next board handout will be this Tuesday, March 22. 


Leading & Learning: With the launch of Mr. Weiss and Ms. Key’s newsletter, Leading & Learning at Riverside, you’ll notice the Peek is a little shorter. The Peek will now be your source for PTA information, district updates (primarily related to local PTAs & Greenwich PTA Council) and select community happenings. School information and certain district updates can be found in “Leading & Learning”. What does this all mean? Make sure to read both newsletters to stay fully informed!


Dates & deadlines to document:

March 21-24 – Poetry Week with Ted Scheu

Tuesday, March 22 – STEM Fair board handout

Friday, March 25 – No School (Teacher Professional Learning Day)

Tuesday, March 29 – STEM Fair registration closes & final board handout

Thursday, March 31 – Cookbook order deadline


Wishing you a warm(ish?) and wonderful weekend.


Carey Bisbee & Allison Maus

PTA Co-Presidents



PTA News

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REGISTER NOW FOR THE RIVERSIDE RUN!

The Riverside Run is back! Time to swap your snow boots for your running shoes and start training for the 37th Annual Riverside Run!

Race Day: Saturday, May 7

8:30am for the 3-mile Run/Walk ($30 registration fee)

9:30am for the Kids Fun Run ($15 registration fee)

REGISTER HERE

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THE STEM FAIR RETURNS TO THE GYM

Register now for Riverside's annual STEM Fair and pick up display boards next Tuesday, March 22!



The STEM FAIR will be held April 6-7 (please note this is different from the April 5-6 dates we originally communicated, as a result of changes to the space we’ll be using inside the school). The Fair gives students a chance to work individually or with a group to sharpen their STEM skills. Students will have the opportunity to present their projects to their class during the school day, and at an evening Fair where all families are welcome! Each participant will receive a certificate and a medal. STEM Fair is voluntary but all students K-5 are encouraged to participate.

 

For more information, visit RIVPTA.ORG. Registration is open until March 29.

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ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE RIVERSIDE COOKBOOK

The Riverside School Cookbook is now available for purchase! Parents can order here (staff members can order here) to purchase a copy. A portion of the proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit which is currently serving meals to Ukrainian refugees.


Families who have already ordered should have received an email today with pickup details.

 

For more details please visit our Health & Wellness page.

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SPRING AFTERS IS IN THE WORKS

The Afters Committee is thrilled to announce that we have several fun and engaging offerings planned for the Spring Afters Session. Classes will kick off the week of April 11 and run for approximately 8 weeks. There will be a mix of returning favorites taught by Riverside teachers as well as classes taught by external providers, some of which our children enjoyed pre-Covid! Registration will open in late March, and more detailed information will be sent out next week so stay tuned!

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UPCOMING TEXTILE DRIVE: SPRING CLEAN & GO GREEN!

Eager to start spring cleaning? Ready to clear out closets and drawers? Go GREEN by recycling old textiles in Riverside School's upcoming TEXTILE DRIVE! Cosponsored by Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board (GRAB) and Fairco-Greentree Recycling, collection bins for clean, dry textiles will be in front of the school April 4-14. Please do not donate wet or moldy items. Additional details about the textile drive will be shared in the coming weeks. 


Accepted: Clean, dry textiles in good condition. Please do not donate textiles that are wet or moldy. All clothing items including footwear, hats, coats and jackets; linens & bedding including sheets, towels, pillowcases & cotton blankets; extra fabric & bolts (no small scraps), tablecloths, drapes & curtains; backpacks, lunch bags, pocketbooks, wallets & belts.

 

NOT Accepted: Pillows, mattresses, rugs, scrap fabric & material cuttings, foam stuffing, plush toys & stuffed animals.

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DONATE OLD T-SHIRTS FOR AN EARTH WEEK PROJECT

Need a reason to part with old t-shirts? Turn your rags into reusable riches by offering old t-shirts to the Green Committee! As part of Riverside School's Earth Week celebration, the Green Committee will be assisting students in creating reusable bags out of old t-shirts. To ensure all interested students are able to make a bag, please consider donating clean t-shirts with no large rips or holes (adult sizes preferred) . Collection bins will be outside the front doors April 4-11. Thank you for your support! 

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INTRODUCING OUR "HAWKS WHO HELP" WEBPAGE

The Riverside Community Service Committee now has a page on the PTA website called “HAWKS WHO HELP” detailing local outreaches within the community, many in which our children can also get involved. There are two local drives supporting the efforts in Ukraine organized by Too Sparrows Gives and the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Stamford. We have also included drives for other local needs, including local Afghan refugees that Jewish Family Services of Greenwich is assisting in their acclimation into our community. Please check it out!

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THANK YOU FOR DONATING TO THE PAJAMA DRIVE!

Thank you to the entire Riverside School community for your donations to this week's pajama drive. Thanks to your generosity, the Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford will be able to distribute more than 65 pairs of new pajamas to the children of families that utilize their services. What a wonderful way to give back in our own back yard!  

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"YOUR CHILD'S DIGITAL LIFE" SERIES

Mrs. Browning is leading a four-part series of sessions for parents about digital citizenship, research tools, and the key apps used in school. This is a terrific opportunity for parents with kids in all grade levels to see how their children and their teachers use digital tools not only for occasional remote learning but also for instruction in the classroom and for homework assignments.


Please mark your calendars and plan on attending any or all of the remaining virtual sessions from 9:00-10:00am:


  • April 12 (NEW DATE) - Getting to Know the Google Ecosystem
  • May 3 - Power Apps Used in School

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS

Upcoming Enrichment Programs

  • March 21-24: Poetry Week with Ted Scheu (Grades K-4)
  • March 29, 30: High Touch High Tech's Give Me Dirt (Grade 2)
  • March 31, April 1: High Touch High Tech's Smarty Plants (Grade 1)


These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you!

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 items, including tees, shorts, sweatshirts, ROPES shirts, water bottles and more. Go to RIVPTA.ORG to shop now! Orders placed by noon on Thursdays can be picked up between 7am-7pm on Fridays at 41 Owenoke Way.

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.



5th Grade News

YEARBOOK REMINDER - INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PAGES DUE MARCH 21

Please note that individual student pages are due this Monday, March 21. Each 5th grader gets to design a yearbook page that reflects them and their time at Riverside. Detailed instructions for creating student pages are found on the 5th Grade Yearbook page.  Please contact Heeyoon Slater or Mercedes Ahumada with questions.

ADVANCED LEARNING PROGRAM (ALP) - DATES FOR GRADE 6 PLACEMENT

  • March 31 or April 1 - Placement notifications will be emailed to parents.



District News

UNDERSTAND THE LINKIT DATA WAREHOUSE & ASSESSMENT PLATFORM

Have questions about LinkIt and want to spend some more time understanding it? Please join members of GPS Administration for "Understand the LinkIt Data Warehouse and Assessment Platform" on March 29 at 9am. Please see the flyer for more detailed information and the link to join. If you can't make it live, the session will be recorded.

RAISE YOUR HAND TO JOIN PTA COUNCIL GREENWICH

PTA Council (PTAC) Greenwich is the umbrella organization formed by the fifteen PTAs of the Greenwich Public Schools. PTAC is in search of volunteers for the 2022-2023 school year and would love for you to get involved. If you or someone you know might be interested, please contact Liane Tel at vp-nomininating@greenwichptac.org by Friday, April 8.


Open Board positions include: First VPTreasurerand VP of Nominating

Open Committee Chair roles include: Afters, Curriculum Enrichment, Digital Learning, Green Schools, Historian, Scholarship.

READ “ALL ABOUT ALP” FOR INFO ON THIS YEAR’S PLACEMENT PROCESS

For parents interested in learning more about ALP spring timelines and assessment protocols, please refer to the latest edition of the GPS ALP newsletter, All About ALP.  https://www.smore.com/vznch-all-about-alp?ref=email

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, March 24, 2022
  • Thursday, April 28, 2022
  • Thursday, May 19, 2022
  • Thursday, June 2, 2022 (Retreat, no public comment)
  • Thursday, June 16, 2022

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.


Community News

Central Middle School Presents “Bye Bye Birdie” on March 25 & 26

Buy your tickets to see CMS’s production of Bye Bye Birdie on Friday, March 25 at 7pm and Saturday, March 26 at 7pm. Over 80 CMS students will be part of this epic performance. Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of a rock 'n’ roll singer, Conrad Birdie, whose agent and faithful secretary concoct one final national publicity plan before Conrad’s induction into the army. When he bids a typical American teenage girl goodbye with a kiss on the Ed Sullivan show, it sends the girl’s hometown of Sweet Apple, Ohio into a spin! Online ticket purchases are encouraged (for an additional fee, a limited number of tickets will be available to purchase in person before the shows).

Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival at GHS Performing Arts Center on March 26

With the support of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the festival has been a GHS tradition for 34 years. Happening in the Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 26 from 9:30am-6:30pm, nine outstanding high school jazz ensembles, including the GHS Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band, are scheduled to perform. At 1:00pm there will be masterclasses given on Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Bass, Guitar and Drum Set. At 2:00pm there will be a one-hour performance of favorite standards by a renowned group of jazz masters. A $10 donation at the door is kindly suggested. Questions may be addressed to greenwichband@gmail.com.

ISD PTA’s 5th Annual Greenwich Color Challenge Is Happening Saturday, April 9

The Greenwich Color Challenge is a color fun run that includes a 1.5 mile-run/walk and obstacle course including 10+ obstacle stations and 6 color powder stations where participants are dusted with color. It is a wonderful celebration of color, family, friends and fun where everyone gets decked out in their most colorful accessories and comes ready to run, walk, jump, climb, dodge, duck, laugh and have a great time! Come with friends and family and enjoy this fun morning! Register now at www.GreenwichColorChallenge.org. Use promo code EARLYRAINBOW to get 20% off before March 20. Remember to log out of Membership Toolkit if you are not an ISD family to register as a guest. 

Tasty Tuesdays: Support BGCG by Visiting Local Restaurants

The Torch Club (Grades 5-8) and Keystone (Grades 9-12), leadership/community service groups at Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, are bringing back Tasty Tuesdays. On Tuesdays in March & April, you can visit a designated local restaurant which will make a donation to BGCG. In turn, the Torch and Keystone Clubs will use the funds raised to support local youth. See BGCG’s flyer for a list of participating restaurants. Participants can send photos of their meals to cferrara@bgcg.org.


PEEK AT THE WEEK
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Office: 203-637-1440 - www. greenwichschools.org/rs