8th grader Lyric and 6th grader Conall paused between classes to work on a puzzle of Africa in the kitchen, commenting on what they noticed about the shapes and (some pre-colonial) names of the countries. |
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Greetings!
6-8th graders are at UVM today, competing against teams of Vermont high school students in lots of elements of classical knowledge. Send them good luck and check out our instagram for updates throughout the day!
Happy Monday,
Nelia
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UNDERSTANDING RIVERSIDE'S FINANCES |
Roy has made a really helpful narrated slideshow to offer you a better understanding of Riverside's financial resources, what affects our budget, and what our goals are for improving Riverside. It is 20 minutes long, and we hope parents will set aside some time this week to watch it. We typically say that the first step in being part of our supportive community is knowing what's going on, so we hope you will take the time to learn about this element of our school.
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Please scan your silverware drawers at home for forks and spoons (no knives please) that don't belong to you. Our supply is short once again! |
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UPDATE: DEFENDING SCHOOL CHOICE |
THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has already participated in our letter/email campaign to defend Vermont's "school choice" model of education, which is currently under attack (again) in the Vermont Legislature. If you would like to help with this effort, just write a letter or email expressing your support for school choice, address it "To Whom It May Concern," and email it to Alex Donn, who will forward it to the legislators on the House and Senate Education Committees. (If you'd like to send the letter directly to the legislators, just email Alex and he will send you their email addresses, or look them up on these websites: House, Senate.).
Right now, the point of our letters is just to show our strong support, generally, for school choice -- because no bill affecting school choice has actually been introduced yet, and many different proposals are being considered. Our advocacy will become more focused -- and we will be asking for your help again -- as soon as a bill is introduced.
Finally, the Vermont Independent Schools Association (VISA) is holding an event supporting school choice at the Statehouse on February 16. Roy will be participating, and it would be great to have as much support as possible. We will share more details about this when we have them.
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As explained in Riverside's statement of philosophy, "we believe in the importance of independence, and we give our students the opportunities and guidance to practice appropriate risk taking, both in and out of the classroom." We also believe that sledding is an essential and joyful part of growing up in the northeast, and provides an opportunity for exercise and gross motor skill development.
There have been some bumps and scrapes in recent weeks from sledding. Of course it is inherently risky, especially because variable snow conditions regularly change the experience, and we are intentional about making every effort to reduce that risk. Decisions are made daily about whether the conditions are appropriate for sledding, we ensure that supervision is effective, and we strive to protect students from accidentally encountering obstacles like trees and streams. We also set expectations with students about which sleds are used for which slopes and coach and assess the skills (steering, speed control, bailing out) that must be mastered to try particular elements.
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The next meeting of the Parent Advisory Group is scheduled for this Thursday, February 9 at 5:00 pm. All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. The agenda will be:
- why annual giving matters
- help needed for hosting the Visiting Committee for our Self Study for Accreditation
- School Choice legislation
- Fundraising Goal ($25,000) update
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SKIING & SNOWBOARDING FRIDAYS |
This Friday K-8th graders will be out on trails again this week, with the usual routines, pick up times, and locations.
Note in the calendar that we are not skiing on Feb. 17 (regular dismissal at Riverside at 3:00/3:30) or Feb. 24 (early dismissal at 12:30).
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5-8 Math Counts Club will not meet today. |
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6-8 Hip Hop Dance Club will not meet this week because of a staff shortage in the EDP program. |
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3-5th grade Coding Club will meet Wednesday from 3:00-4:00. |
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6-8 STEM Club will meet Thursday from 3:30-4:30. |
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K-8th grade Chess Club will meet Thursday from 3:30-4:30 (elementary)/5:00 (middle school). |
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6-8 Indoor Soccer Club will not meet this week because of a staff shortage in the EDP. |
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Uphill Club will meet after skiing on Friday afternoon, at at the lower mountain at 3:45. With the sun setting a bit later, we will push to try to get a bit further up the mountain, and will aim to be back at the base by 5:30 at the latest. If your child can bring a headlamp just in case that would be great, but not required.
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30 Lily Pond Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851
phone: 802.626.8552
fax: 802.626.4156
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