7th grader Julian and 6th graders Louisa and Zora work to attract and welcome an audience to The Lion King in the middle school Publicity Elective.
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Greetings!
This week leads up to our Winter Vacation, and we'll finish the second trimester of the year when we return for the 3-day week in March. Please support students with culminating projects and assessments and be ready to read feedback from teachers when it's sent home at the end of March.
Happy Monday,
Nelia
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We are excited to announce that we will be fundraising with High Mowing Organic Seeds this year to support the portion of Riverside's budget that is built off of parent-organized fundraisers. Look for details about this fundraiser, including the order forms that went home with your youngest child today.
High Mowing Seeds is located in Hardwick Vermont; all the seeds are 100% organic and GMO free. 50% of sales go to Riverside, so this is a great opportunity for the parents to reach our final fundraising goal for the year.
To drum up excitement for this fundraising, the class with the most sales will either earn a class party, and both the winning class and second place class will get some seeds to plant in the community garden.
Packets will be due back to Riverside by March 13, and checks can be made out to The Riverside School. The seeds should arrive one to two weeks after we gather all the forms and payment, in time for seedling starts at the end of March.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call or email Cornelia Hasenfuss (8th grader Leo) 802–592–3093 or 617–620-3350. Thanks for your support!
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We’d like to focus on resuming some of the norms from the beginning of the year around where and how students are dropped off. Please try to pull forward all the way to the green/white sign. When you open your doors early, it creates backups out into Lily Pond Road and also leads to students walking in the driveway. Even if the line is stopped, it’s best to wait until you are in one of the first three cars, in front of the cubby room porch.
Students should, if at all possible exit on the passenger’s side. For students who exit the car on the driver’s side, please check for traffic and escort them around the car until they are safely out of the driveway.
One of the first things bus drivers are taught, and a very important thing for parents to remember at pick-up/drop-off is to visually track their child(ren) until they are well clear of the vehicle. It often happens that a child drops a water bottle or bag and bends over to get it as the car is pulling away. This is especially important if you drive a taller vehicle with children passing in front of the vehicle.
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UPDATE: DEFENDING SCHOOL CHOICE |
The VT House of Representatives has now released H.258, their accompanying bill to S.66, which is essentially the same. A few of us were in the House Education Committee meeting last week when it was presented; the way it was explained demonstrated significant misunderstandings about how our state's independent schools serve Vermont students and communities with transparency and accountability.
We are working with leaders of other schools, NEK community and business leaders, the VT Rural Caucus, and the VT Independent School Association to argue against this legislation which would not only hurt Riverside, but the students and the economy of Vermont. Many of us moved to the area because of access to excellent schools, and it is important for legislators to know that.
If you haven't yet, and even if your family is not in a choice town, PLEASE write a letter to your local legislators using Roy's suggested process. If you know constituents in other districts that you could encourage to write as well, that also would help.
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We will hold our annual 3-8th grade Spelling Bee on Wednesday morning in assembly. The top three spellers will advance to the state bee in March, where they’ll vie for a chance to compete in the National Spelling Bee. Join us to cheer our courageous spellers on! |
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LIGHTS ON LYNDON LANTERN EVENT |
Hello from the yurt! All PK-8 students are creating lanterns in art class with Elly. Elementary students have been creating parchment paper lanterns that they have decorated with watercolors and markers inspired by the theme "A View From Space". Middle school students have been exploring the same theme with willow, reed, masking tape, coffee filters and cornstarch paste. We have planets, rocket ships, black holes, ufos, an astronaut helmet, and objects yet to be determined on the make!
This Thursday, February 23 after 5:00 pm, come see the lanterns and celebrate the artists' work at Bandstand Park and all the way down Depot Street (and around the corner on Broad Street) in Lyndonville, as the whole community gathers with events, music, business specials, food trucks -- Kingdom Kreperie and Vermont Foodie (No cooking dinner! Yay!!) -- cool lanterns and more. Elly will have lights to light student lanterns. See you there!
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This Friday will be our annual Winter Carnival, a chance for the house groups to cooperate and compete while celebrating the "winter" season. We may have to make some modifications to the usually snow-inspired activities, but fun will be had in a spirit of patient leadership and supportive community nonetheless.
Keep you fingers crossed for lots of snow in the storm predicted for Thursday, and be sure students are dressed to be outdoors all morning on Friday. Parents are welcome to join us for any part of the morning they wish to if they'd like to join in the fun!
The day will end with an early dismissal for all PK-8 students at 12:30. The PK Afterschool and K-8 Extended Day Programs will run until their usual end times. Please email McKenna or Sean if your child will attend and what time you plan to pick up so that they can plan the long afternoon accordingly. If we don't get any RSVPs, then we won't offer the care.
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SKIING & SNOWBOARDING FRIDAYS |
With the half day on Feb. 24 and vacation on March 3, our last scheduled ski/ride date will be Friday, March 10. |
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The tentative makeup date for the middle school dance is March 10, the Friday before Play Week. Stay tuned for further info. There will be snacks, and students should eat dinner at home beforehand. Pick up is at 9:00 pm, there is no charge.
Some student council members will need to arrive to early to set up, but there is no supervision between 3:30 (or 5:00 if in EDP) and that time.
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Our youngest students will begin their weekly swim program during the last week of March. We are still determining the schedule, but are hopeful that those students will be getting lessons from a combination of Riverside and St. Johnsbury Academy staff at their pool weekly from mid March to mid May, with a pick up there at 3:15 those days. Stay tuned for more details. |
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The 6-8th Publicity Elective is proud to present its REAL poster for The Lion King, Jr! Mark your calendars for Friday, March 17 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 18 at 2:00 pm at the Lyndon Institute Auditorium. Tell your friends! This show is appropriate for all ages and admission is by donation.
These are performance times, there will be additional expectations of the cast and crew.
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UNDERSTANDING RIVERSIDE'S FINANCES |
Thank you to those who have set aside some time to watch Roy's narrated slideshow that explains Riverside's financial picture. We 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. If you can't spare the full 20 minutes, it might help to know that:
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Minutes 0-5 show in 3 graphs our current assets and debt, income, and expenses.
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Minutes 5-11 explain the extra expenses/benefits of a Riverside education.
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Minutes 12-15 highlight how our funding model differentiates us from other schools, both public and private.
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Minutes 15-20 outline the structural problems that we can't fix with tuition income alone.
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5-8 Math Counts Club will meet today from 3:30-4:30. |
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6-8 Hip Hop Dance Club will meet this Tuesday from 3:45-4:30 thanks to helpful parent volunteers! |
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3-5th grade Coding Club will meet Wednesday from 3:00-4:00. |
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We will meet Thursdays from 3:45-4:30. That is during Chess Club, so certamen team members can come for 30-45 minutes after dismissal and then go to chess club.
Because April 8 is passover, we will do only a day trip to the Granite State Certamen in Dover, NH that day. More info will be given to interested students in class, and follow up communications to their parents by email.
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6-8 STEM Club will meet Wednesday from 3:30-4:30.
Riverside students have the opportunity to participate in this year's Technology Student Association's NH State Leadership Conference on April 6 in Manchester, NH. Parents should've received an email from Caroline about this possible field trip last week, please email Caroline if you have any questions.
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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 meet this Thursday from 3:45-5:00, thanks to helpful parent volunteers! |
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There will be no uphill club this week because of the half day on Friday and the start of our winter vacation. We'll pick back up the Friday after break, but might see you out there over vacation! |
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Riverside staff will undergo a training on the prevention, identification, and reporting of abuse on the afternoon of March 7. If any other community members would like to attend, please email Roy for details.
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OUR STUDENTS & PARENTS IN A BENEFIT CONCERT |
On Saturday March 11, at 7pm, at the South Church Hall at SJA, there will be a concert to benefit Ukrainian refugees living in Vermont. The string ensemble that will perform includes 1st grader Hannah Mirkin, 5th grader Raya Mirkin, and parents Kate Renner and Anat Grosfeld. A choir and Ukrainian musicians will be joining us for some pieces well. The ensemble, which is primarily cello and violin students ages 7-18, along with some supporting parents and alumni, has been working really hard to prepare! We would love to see Riverside faces in the crowd. Admission is free but donations will be accepted. |
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ICE SHOW LESSONS during VACATION |
The Fenton Chester Skating School is seeking additional participants for their season-ending ice show, "Island of the Lost Stories," a kind of theater-on-ice. Lesson sessions during the vacation week will support that participation. More info is here. All levels welcome, ages 3+.
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30 Lily Pond Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851
phone: 802.626.8552
fax: 802.626.4156
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