MATH MARATHON 2022 RECAP & WINNERS

Thank you to everyone who participated in Math Marathon last week. We had 185 game board submissions and over 100 participants at Greg Tang Family Math Night. We hope you had fun and learned about some local, accessible math resources, including the GPS K-8 math approach, Greg Tang games and worksheets, Bedtime Math website and books, and the virtual and in-person opportunities at the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath).

And now for the winners...drum roll please! The winner of the raffle drawing was Alejandro in Mrs. Theile's Kindergarten class! Alejandro has won a year-long family membership to the MoMath, plus a $50 gift card to the MoMath store.

The homerooms with the highest % participation in their grade (it was very close!) have earned an extra recess: KK, 1M & 1N (tie), 2B, 3G, 4A, 5W.

For those of you who just can't get enough math, the game board links are still live -- feel free to download other levels to give your kids an extra challenge. Thank you again for participating and joining us in celebrating math!

GREEN YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY!

As we prepare to show family and friends love this Valentine's Day, let's show the Earth some love, too! Try avoiding plastic, throwaway trinkets and focus on recyclable store-bought or homemade cards. Cardboard, newspaper, old greeting cards, paint swatches, and magazines around the house make for bold, unique designs and there are endless resources to inspire! Looking for other ideas? Here are a few: Idea 1, Idea 2, Idea 3.

THE RIVERSIDE RUN IS BACK...JOIN THE TEAM!

We need your help! Join the team to volunteer to help organize this amazing community event taking place Saturday, May 7! There are volunteer roles both big and small. Roles leading up to race day range from publicity to sponsorship, course permitting, to volunteer coordination. If day-of volunteering is more your speed, you can help with race registration, passing out medals, handing out water, and more. Please email Riverside Run co-chairs at riversideruncommittee@gmail.com to volunteer!

FOOD DRIVE TO CELEBRATE 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL

We are pleased to announce our inaugural 100th Day of School Food Drive! We want to celebrate this milestone by helping to feed Greenwich. We will be collecting donated food items February 7-11 (the final day was slated to mark the 100th day of school on February 11, but today's school cancellation has changed that). All donations will benefit Neighbor to Neighbor. Donations can be left in bins outside the school at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. To ensure we collect a balanced mix of items that are needed most, we suggest certain items for each grade:

Grade 5 – Pasta sauce

Grade 4 – Peanut butter and/or jelly

Grade 3 – Chef Boyardee WITH meat

Grade 2 – Canned meats like tuna, chicken, Spam

Grade 1 – Cans of chili

Grade K – Cereal/oatmeal*

Please note: Kindergarten teachers will be running their own food drive as part of 100th day activities. We encourage K families to prioritize that effort. But if you’d like to support the PTA’s drive as well, you are welcome to!

VIPS = VERY IMPORTANT PARKING SPOTS

If you happened to read yesterday’s GPS District Digest, the Riverside PTA knows how to get cheeky with acronyms, too! As a reminder, the two VIP parking spots marked with these signs are for the exclusive use of the designated families. They are located just before the handicap parking spaces in front of the gym. We kindly ask that other families refrain from parking in these spots at all times. Please share this info with any family members or caretakers who drive your children to and from school. Thank you for your cooperation!

Interested in getting one of these spots for your family? Be sure to bid on one during our annual Fall Fundraiser that happens in October (you don’t have to attend the event to bid). Two spaces are auctioned off each year.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS & TREX

THANK YOU from the Green Committee for supporting the Holiday Lights and Trex Plastic Film Drives! Riverside families and staff donated 57 broken light strands that were recycled through the Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board (GRAB) and over 90 lbs. of plastic film were collected through the Trex drive! Additional school-based Trex drives will be announced soon, but in the meantime, Trex plastic film bins are available at 32 Hendrie Avenue and 28 Chapel Lane. 

"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:

• March 1 - Our School's Research Tools and Databases
• March 29 - Getting to Know Schoology and Google Drive
• May 3 - Power Apps Used in School

WORLD READ ALOUD DAY CELEBRATION

To celebrate World Read Aloud Day, children's author and Middle School Instructional Coach for Greenwich Public Schools, Valerie Bolling read her award-winning book Let's Dance to our Grade 1 students on Wednesday. Let's Dance is a 2021 Crystal Kite Award Winner and CT Book Award Finalist. This rhythmic picture book showcases dances from all over the world and features children of diverse backgrounds and abilities tapping, spinning, and boogying away!  

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS

Kindergarten's High Touch High Tech Visit about the Weather

On February 1 and 2, our favorite scientist from High Touch High Tech, Narwhal Nina, virtually visited our Kindergarteners for Weather Wizards, a program about weather and climate. The students were introduced to the science that goes into measuring and predicting the weather and performed a hands-on experiment to test their new knowledge.

Gr. 4 Greenwich Historical Society Virtual Visit - Patriots & Loyalists

On Thursday, February 3, our 4th graders were treated to a virtual visit from the Greenwich Historical Society. Students learned what life was like in Greenwich during the Revolutionary War for Patriots, Loyalists, and the prominent Bush family who tried to play both sides. Students then had a chance to look over primary source documents from Greenwich with a professional historian to deepen their understanding of the experience.

Upcoming Enrichment Programs

• 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!

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.