Riverside School PTA Newsletter | Friday, January 28th, 2022 | |
PTA Highlights
Dear Riverside Families,
During these times of uncertainty, there are a few things we can be sure of: 1) Old Man Winter and Mother Nature are conspiring to deliver a textbook Nor’easter tomorrow, 2) Sunday’s NFL conference championships won’t be nearly as thrilling as last weekend’s divisional playoffs, and 3) You won’t want to miss Mrs. Browning’s “Your Child’s Digital Life” series, which kicks off next Tuesday.
We hope everyone enjoyed Monday’s Family Math Night with Greg Tang and this week’s Math Marathon! Don’t forget to submit a photo of your child’s completed game board via My Page by Sunday, January 30 at 5pm.
Did you know the 100th day of school is right around the corner? We kid you not. To celebrate the milestone, the Community Service team is organizing a food drive from February 7-11, with the final day marking the 100th day of school. See below for all the details.
Your calendar reminders:
January 30 – Submit completed Math Marathon game board by 5pm
January 31 – Deadline to submit recipes & student drawings for cookbook
February 1 – “Your Child’s Digital Life” (Part 1: Digital Citizenship in School and Beyond)
February 7-11 – 100th Day of School Food Drive
Enjoy this weekend’s snowy weather.
Carey Bisbee & Allison Maus
PTA Co-Presidents
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MATH MARATHON WRAPS UP SUNDAY!
Don't forget to submit your completed game boards by Sunday, January 30 at 5pm! Haven't started yet? Don't worry, you can sprint to the finish by completing the exercises over the weekend. Check out all the details about Math Marathon at RIVPTA.ORG. The winning homerooms per grade and the individual raffle winner will be announced by Friday, February 4.
Note: Attendance at Family Math Night is not required to submit a game board and participate in Math Marathon!
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ART & RECIPES FOR RIVERSIDE COOKBOOK DUE MONDAY
Do you have an aspiring artist at home? Encourage your child to enter the cookbook art contest! We will be looking for pieces for each of the cookbook categories (Breakfast, Main Course, Dessert, etc.). Print these instructions and ask your child to sketch an original food-related drawing. Add their name, grade, class and food category.
Ms. Roth has kindly offered to help us with the judging, so submissions can either be handed directly to her or emailed to rivcookbook@gmail.com. Please submit drawings by Monday, January 31.
PLUS: It's not too late to submit your favorite family recipe for the Riverside School Cookbook! We are extending the deadline to January 31. Please visit the Health & Wellness page to find a link to the recipe template, categories and more. Please email recipe submissions to the cookbook committee at rivcookbook@gmail.com.
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"YOUR CHILD'S DIGITAL LIFE" KICKS OFF TUESDAY
Mrs. Browning will be 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. The first, about digital citizenship, is happening Tuesday, February 1.
Please mark your calendars and plan on attending any or all of the following virtual sessions from 9:00-10:00am:
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Tuesday, February 1 - Digital Citizenship in School and Beyond
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Tuesday, March 1 - Familiarize Yourself with Our School's Research Tools and Databases
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Tuesday, March 29 - Getting to Know Schoology and Google Drive
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Tuesday, May 3 - Power Apps Used in School
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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, with the final day marking the 100th day of school. 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!
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ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
Upcoming Enrichment Programs
- 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 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.
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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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5TH GRADE PARENTS - IT'S YEARBOOK TIME!
It's time to start thinking about the 5th grade yearbook! Our committee needs your help in gathering and submitting pictures from your child's time at Riverside School from Kindergarten to 5th grade (think field trips, concerts, first day of school, etc.). In addition, we ask every family to submit a baby photo of your son or daughter. Full instructions for uploading pictures can be found on the 5th Grade Yearbook page. The deadline for submission is Friday, February 11, 2022. Interested in helping with the yearbook this year? We are looking for a few more volunteers! Please contact Heeyoon Slater or Mercedes Ahumada with questions or to volunteer.
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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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REMINDER TO OPT-IN FOR GPS DAILY HEALTH ALERTS
As of Monday, January 24 GPS families are no longer receiving daily health alerts from school principals with the number of reported positive COVID cases. Instead, GPS has created a new daily district report for those who wish to receive them. To subscribe, please go to the GPS Daily Health Alert page (from a computer), click on the "Follow Greenwich Public Schools" box on the right, and enter your email address to be automatically added to this specific distribution list. GPS will continue to send a single email each Monday through Friday at the end of the school day.
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“OLD MATH, NEW TRICKS” INFO SESSION – REPLAY AVAILABLE
If you missed the recent virtual workshop with Mike Reid (GPS Program Coordinator for K-8 Math) hosted by the PTAC Academic Excellence Committee, the one-hour recording (passcode: !iN3Q?pV) is now available. The session explores why the district teaches math the way it does and provides a better understanding of critical concepts like breaking numbers apart and visualizing through models. We encourage you to check out the supplemental materials Mike has shared:
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PTAC GREENWICH PUBLIC PRESENTATION: WELCOMING AFGHANI FAMILIES
Join PTA Council Greenwich on Friday, February 4 at 11:00am via Zoom as they welcome Rachel Kornfeld, Chief Executive Officer of Jewish Family Services Greenwich, to share more about JFS and Afghan refugee resettlement efforts, and how Greenwich PTAs can help. To learn more, listen to a recent podcast (or video) about the topic featuring Rachel Kornfeld.
Zoom info: https://zoom.us/j/91527467521, Meeting ID: 915 2746 7521, Passcode: ptac
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DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS AWARD: NOW OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS!
Do you know a teacher who goes above and beyond in his/her work with students? If so, we encourage you to nominate that teacher for a Distinguished Teachers Award! Visit the GPS Distinguished Teachers Awards website for information on eligibility, nomination procedures and forms, and key dates. Completed nomination forms must be submitted electronically in one email by Friday, March 18 at 5:00pm.
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ADVANCED LEARNING PROGRAM: IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Placement for Grade 6
- Assessment testing for current 5th grade students thru February 3
- Parent input forms due by February 4
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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, 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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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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