Maine Maple Sunday

A HUGE THANK YOU to musicians, face painters, fire tenders, pancake flippers, hot dog cookers, volunteers, facilitators, attendees, and everyone in between for helping make this year's Maine Maple Sunday one for the record books. It was a sweet treat to see all of your shining faces and goodness what a lovely surprise to have the sun join us!

This past week it was incredible to witness the Riley community's indomitable spirit in action. Despite being faced with unexpected early dismissals and evacuations midweek, the facilitators, children, and parent volunteers of our wonderful community still managed to work tirelessly and enthusiastically in preparation for Maine Maple Sunday, our largest annual community event. We could not have done it without each and every one of you!

An extra big thank you to Lindsay Harlow for taking lead on this year's event! Your work really paid off, Lindsay, and we appreciate you so much!

Riley Community Cookbook

As most of you are aware, this year marks the 50th anniversary of our dear little school and everyone has been hard at work thinking of ways to mark this milestone. With the help of my Reflection group and their associated adults and my friends at Wade Acres we are going to undertake a potentially amazing project that will last for the next 50+ years and has not yet been done: a Riley Community Cookbook! 

Each family will be asked to provide one recipe per child for the book that the Riley children will transcribe and meaningfully illustrate, from our smallest citizens all the way up to leadership. This will result in a book that will be available for purchase and should arrive in time for the end of the school year. 

The recipes can be anything! Old family favorites (bonus for any recipes from 1972), quick weeknight standbys, best lunch box, potluck classics- you name it! Ideally, it will be one that your child could also share their feelings about in a little blurb on their page but does not need to be that. 

We will need recipe submissions by March 28th to ensure enough time for the children to complete the page work in time for the publication deadline. Please feel free to reach out to me (michelle.buczacz@rileyschool.org) with any questions you may have and thank you for making our community just that little bit brighter by being here!

Warmest regards,

Michelle Buczacz

Riley Community

Book Club & Discussion Group

March 30th, 4 p.m.

March's Topic

Screens, Social and Scroll:

How our devices affect kids and adults

Just 10 days until the first ever Riley Community Book Club and Discussion Group! Haven’t read the book? Not to worry, you can go to our recommended links document to watch interviews with the authors, read articles and listen to podcasts on the topic, reading the book is not required to attend! 

Meeting the last Thursday of every month we will come together to discuss a monthly topic. This month we will focus on screen time and focus, for kids and adults alike, with two books recommended; Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari and Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World by Devorah Heitner. Please contact Caroline Saxe-Cobaugh at caroline.saxe.cobaugh@gmail.com with any questions. Snacks will be served.

One Month Left to Donate to Riley's Spring Auction!

In celebration of Riley’s 50th year we will be holding an online spring auction with items donated by Riley community members and local businesses. Are you an artist, maker or craftsperson? Do you have a skill you could use or teach someone to do? We want the auction to be inclusive and community led! Contact Caroline Saxe-Cobaugh at caroline.saxe.cobaugh@gmail.com with questions, donations or if you want to volunteer.

The teachers have come through with many generous donations, including artwork, musical performances and more. Parents, now it’s our turn! Get creative, this is not your typical auction, and any ideas or contributions are encouraged and nothing is too small.

CMCA ArtLab x Hurricane Island

ArtLab Vacation Week Video Series

Monday – Thursday, April 17 – 20 | 2:00 – 5:00pm

Grades 6 – 8 | Limited to 12 campers

$175 CMCA member household; $200 non-member household

CMCA ArtLab

We are excited to have you join us in person for Webbing Marine Science and Art, a collaboration between Center for Maine Contemporary Art and Hurricane Island. This camp will include a marine biology component incorporated into an art project inspired by contemporary artists featured in CMCA’s 2023 Biennial. Registration required; closes Friday, April 14. 

Become a steward of your watershed! Whether you are an experienced naturalist or are curious about what’s going on in your watershed, join Herring Gut and Georges River Land Trust in conducting community science surveys to test the quality of our waters. From salty coastal waters to fresh inland waters of the St. George River, you will identify and catalog both marine and freshwater invertebrates living in the St. George River Watershed as well as other water quality parameters. Each site will have other conservation focuses such as invasive species monitoring, bird observations, and rockweed surveys. Data collected in this community science project will be analyzed and used for future monitoring and management of our natural resources. 

Ages: Open to scientists and their families ages 10 and up!

Each trail is about a half mile. While most trails are flat, participants should be prepared for uneven terrain to access the water. When seasonally appropriate, boots may be needed. More details will be sent 1-2 weeks prior to each event!