8th grader Jeremiah Watson read aloud to kindergarteners Emily and Vivienne during a leadership period last week. |
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Greetings!
What a great first week of school together, and now we are in the full swing of the fall. Read on for information about the upcoming Field Trip Days, Parent Advisory Group meeting, Supportive Community Night, Yard Sale & Fall Festival, and much more.
Happy Tuesday!
Nelia
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Participants: please collect your pledges and turn them in (along with your pledge sheet) to Nelia by September 20. Please also take the time to add mailing addresses for each of your pledge donors, so that we can send them a proper thank you and tax deduction letter.
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The K-8 Extended Day Program is running smoothly so far with the help of Director Sean Fortier and staff members Lucia Dente and Zane Buckminster '13. If possible we really appreciate knowing your family's regular schedule and plans with the completion of the Extended Day Program Registration Form, please also be sure that your child(ren) know their afternoon plans when you drop them off in the morning. If you have a sudden need for care after the school day ends, it's just fine to call Krystal and let us know, and we will add your child(ren) to the list for the day. Charges for the EDP are added to your monthly bill.
Plans for afternoon clubs are evolving as volunteers plan with Sean to lead various activities for different age groups in different seasons. Anyone interested will be asked to sign up specifically for those clubs, which will be supervised by the adult leading them, different from the EDP staff, and most will not have fees associated.
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A MESSAGE FROM ROY REGARDING COVID GUIDELINES |
We all share the common goal of keeping our school open for in-person instruction, and that may be a bigger challenge this year than it was last year: several other local schools have already had to go remote due to cases on campus.
Last year, the additional stay-home protocols and extreme caution shown by our community enabled us to stay open all year, and our children benefited from that. One of the most onerous things teachers had to do last year- and something we were hoping to avoid this year- was juggling in-person and remote learning. It’s become clear that if we follow the same stay-home guidelines as last year, we’ll need to offer some sort of remote or parallel instruction. We hope to have that in place by the start of next week.
Another issue related to the stay-home policy is that with testing so widely available, often there will be a sniffle or cough passing through a household, and several people may have been already tested, but someone new starts to develop the same symptoms. Even if we’re almost entirely sure that the symptoms are not COVID, we still need students to stay home because if even a common cold goes through a classroom, all the other students will potentially need to stay home and test. If the student has had some symptoms and tested negative, we still want to see improvement of symptoms before their return. Even after a negative test result, calling your provider to see if they think your child is still contagious would also be helpful.
We have purchased a few sets of rapid (15 minute) tests to administer in situations where it seems obviously not to be COVID (food poisoning, etc.). These are expensive and, if possible, we’d recommend getting a test at one of the local drive-ups (Littleton offers rapid testing), but we want to be supportive and understand this policy can be a burden.
Thanks again for being safe and supportive. We can do this together.
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The state of Vermont will be providing weekly COVID testing to any students and staff who would like it. Riverside staff will administer those tests, a shallow nasal swab, to K-8th graders on Tuesday mornings beginning September 14. More information about this program was shared by email from Roy on Friday.
If you would like your child(ren) to participate in these weekly surveillance tests, please complete the consent form here. (Note that our "district" is "Riverside School The (IND)". Your child(ren) will not be tested unless you complete the form: EITHER hard copy or online.
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We are, of course, committed to keeping our doors open for in-person instruction. If we do get a COVID case on campus, we will likely have to quarantine a grade-band group (and their siblings) until we get negative test results for everybody. To help us better plan for this, please fill out this survey to let us know what you’d need for your child(ren) to be able to participate in remote learning. If you do not have reliable internet at home and would like to call to tell us what your needs are, we will record that information.
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In regards to sports this year, things will run differently than they have in the past. With the merger of the LAYS and KESD programs, the way they organized age- and sex-banded soccer programs, and the way they have completed their season schedule within their district, there is now a clear choice for our students about what kind of team they want to play with. We believe the option for Riversiders to join KESD is a unique opportunity for our students. It provides a more specialized, developmental, and competitive soccer option for those students looking to take their skills to the next level. Those programs are open to our K-8th graders, and more info is available on their website here.
It also allows Riverside’s own teams to remain what they have always been: open to everyone no matter skill level, and more focused on community and teamwork than the actual outcomes of the games. That said, we will have a 3-5th grade team (with a fairly limited schedule), and a 6-8th grade team at Riverside this year. Most practices will happen during the PE class periods. Most games will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the potential for an additional practice during the week. Kids are welcome, and indeed encouraged, to play for multiple teams if they’d like. Students should let Sean know directly by Wednesday if they’d like to play for Riverside.
Soccer practice will begin next Tuesday the 14th and Thursday the 16th. 3-5th graders will practice from 3:00-4:00pm, and middle school will practice from 3:45-5:00pm. Sean will put out the game schedule by next week.
If anyone needs soccer cleats, you are welcome to shop from the bin of donations we have on the front porch outside Krystal's office.
KESD has also added a cross-country program, which any K-8th grade Riversiders are welcome to join.
Additionally, there are several mountain biking opportunities opening up for our students. Roy and Sean are looking at our options as a school at the moment, but please reach out if your child is interested in mountain bike club, and/or the potential for some races/competitions this fall.
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Thursday, September 9: K-8th graders will be together at Riverside in mixed-age activities for the entire regular school day, with a goal of community building and establishing Riverside culture. If the weather cooperates they will be outdoors (and can unmask if they wish) for most of the day. There will be some all-school games, songs, and performances, and well as team building challenges, art activities, and conversations in smaller groups. While older students are very comfortable moving and mixing all over campus, elementary teachers are preparing their students for that and will be supervising them in small groups to be sure they feel comfortable and engaged.
Friday, September 10:
- K-5th grade will be on campus having another day of mixed age activities, with leadership from the 3-5th graders. They will rotate through a campus scavenger hunt, bouncy house, art and music, and messy science activities, culminating in cotton candy treats.
- Due to sudden transportation constraints (CDL drivers with bus endorsements are in high demand, if you know anyone!), we are unable to take the 6-8th graders to Copper Cannon Camp. We are working on alternate plans, which will involve regular drop off and pick up times at Riverside, and will communicate those directly to 6-8th grade parents ASAP.
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Our Parent Advisory Group continues this year with its goals of communication, facilitation, mentoring, and fundraising. This group consists of at least one family from each grade level, and welcomes any other families who want to join in its efforts.
The group will be meeting for the first time on Tuesday, September 21 at 5:00 pm in the barn. An agenda will be shared here prior to the meeting, if there's anything you'd like to discuss, please email PAG Heads Ellen Moore or Kim Adams in advance. If you would like to join this group, please come!
The Leaders for each class are:
PK: Amanda Anderson, Tonia/Alex Brown
K: Kate Renner, Kate/Travis Keller
1: Deandra/Josh Early
2: Heather Linehan
3: Molly Moghari
4: Courtney Daffinrud
5: Katie/Scott Desjardins, Heidi Andrews
6: Kim Adams
7: Arcelie Reyes, Anat/Alex Donn
8: Ellen Moore
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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.
Donations: We hope you are cleaning out your attics, basements, cupboards and closets to donate items. Please pre-sort your donations to save significant time for our volunteers setting up the sale. Here is some guidance for donations:
We CAN take:
- Clothing, linens, books, toys, sports gear, shoes, bags, yard stuff, artwork, office, houseware, antiques, jewelry, tools, pet supplies, holiday decor & crafts.
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Clothing should be washed, wearable, and pre-sorted by size and gender; please no tears/rips/stains/broken zippers. Thank you!
We CANNOT take:
- Electronics
- Particle Board furniture
- Magazines
- video or audio cassettes
- Encyclopedias
- Car Seats
Donations will be accepted the week prior to the sale, please do not drop them off earlier, or they will be in the way of learning and possibly exposed to the elements.
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 on Saturday, October 2. Thank you in advance for any help you can give. You can sign up to volunteer here.
The organizational committee will be meeting this Thursday. Anyone who's interested in joining, or has other questions about the event, please email Ellen Moore or Arcelie Reyes.
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SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY NIGHT |
On Friday, September 24, from 5:00-7:00 pm, all families are encouraged to attend this informative, community-building evening. We are still sorting out the details, but it will definitely include time in classrooms with teachers sharing specific needs and information, time to socialize specifically with other parents from the same town and/or classroom, and time to share food.
If your child is not usually a part of the EDP, and you will want them to stay at school that afternoon until the event begins, please email Sean by September 20.
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VOLUNTEERING AND PARENT PARTICIPATION |
Choosing to become a Riverside family means making it a priority to take an active role in the life of our school. The success of our mission depends greatly on the commitment of parents to make our program a real part of your family’s time, energy, and resources. Parents participate in a variety of ways, meeting many of our needs.
Below you will find a link to the message we sent out last Tuesday (with apologies for those who had trouble with the links in the Memo on Monday) that explains all of the volunteer opportunities with links to online sign ups for each. Signing the form does not mean you're making a commitment, just that you're willing to be asked when the need arises.
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We are excited to revive this committee, which had begun its work shortly before the school had to close back in March 2020. Our first couple of meetings will focus on defining the scope and goals of the committee. If you are interested in being a part of this work, please email English teacher and 8th grade advisor Peter Sahlin.
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The following are a few easy ways to help support Riverside throughout the year.
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Price Chopper Tools for Schools: This simple fund-raiser benefits the school each time you shop all year long. If you shop at Price Chopper, sign up to support Riverside on the sheet in the front pocket of your Family Handbook. In the past our Price Chopper rewards have earned us much needed sports equipment, a digital projector, and a wireless microphone set.
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Box Tops: Many food products in cardboard boxes have a small logo on the top that says “Box Tops for Education.” These can earn us rewards and supplies. Please collect and bring these to school. Your efforts greatly help!
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Good Search and Good Shop: When you use www.goodsearch.com as your search engine and select The Riverside School (in Lyndonville, VT) as your charity, we get one cent for each search conducted. Set your browsers now! From that site you can link to goodshop.com, which then links to all your favorite on line shopping sites (Amazon, Borders, Staples, Marriott), United Airlines, QVC, eBay). Following that link to complete your shopping, and having the Riverside School (in Lyndonville, VT) set as your charity, will result in a portion of the sale being donated to our school.
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Amazon Smile: Start at smile.amazon.com and select "Riverside School Inc" in Lyndonville, VT. Once you choose us the first time, all you have to do is start your shopping at that url in the future, and .05% of the price of eligible purchases will be donated to us!
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30 Lily Pond Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851
phone: 802.626.8552
fax: 802.626.4156
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