The Gilberts hosted a potluck for teachers and their families to welcome Carrie and Will Albritton not only to Riverside, but to the NEK of Vermont. The Albrittons and their two sons have just arrived from Florida. We are so glad they've joined our team! |
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Greetings!
We hope this messages finds you well, finishing your summer bucket lists and making the most of family time together. Below is a bunch of information to have in mind as we begin to plan for the start of the 23-24 school year!
Happy August,
Nelia
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Earlier this month you should've received our August Mailing by post, which included a letter from Roy with some important updates, annual enrollment forms, and a school calendar. Please return all enrollment forms by August 25. Not having them until the first day of school delays a lot of logistical work related to lists and permissions.
Please also look out for documents regarding tuition vouchers from choice towns. We believe the ones from NEK Choice/Essex North went out by email in the last couple weeks.
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We believe that a small and purposeful amount of academic work over the summer will help students to stay engaged and help next year's teachers to start the year effectively. Expectations for summer work can be found in the lesson plan docs below, be sure to click on your student's grade level for the coming, 23-24 school year. This information was also mailed in hard copy in June, and can be found on the new Summer Work page of our website.
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Our PAG, who support communications, mentorship, and participation at Riverside, are gearing up for the year just like the staff are. Chairperson Kim Adams (7th grader Cora and 8th grader Gabe) has met with Roy and Nelia to set goals for the year and help coordinate some of the fall community events. Other PAG members have been reaching out to new families in their classes to welcome them. We are so grateful for this team supporting our school. The first PAG meeting (to which all parents are welcome) will be later in September at 5:00, stay tuned for the date announcement in a future Monday Memo. Remember that the parents listed here are prepared to support other parents.
- PK: Katie Baker
- 1: Amanda Anderson, Alex & Tonia Brown
- 2: Kate Renner
- 3: Dee Royer, Stephanie Smith
- 4: Linnzi Furman, Shawntel Sechrist
- 5: Molly Moghari
- 6-8: Courtney Daffinrud, Katie DesJardins, Arcelie Reyes, Kim Adams
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Our parent community is excited to have planned its first event, a fun and simple family pool party at Powers Park in Lyndonville, with admission by donation to Riverside. There will be refreshments for sale as well. We look forward to seeing you there! Please plan to supervise your own children.
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On August 22nd, 8th graders are encouraged to attend a retreat day at Siskin Coutts in Derby (intentionally the same location as our Fall Field Trip), from 10:00-2:00 pm. Parents: please organize carpools/transportation accordingly. 8th graders should bring lunch, snack, water bottle, swimsuit, towel, sweatshirt, and raincoat. During their time there they will engage in some challenges together and get specific training relevant to their leadership of activities on the Fall Field Trip.
A broader Riverside Leadership training and planning logistics for the first day of school will happen on Monday, August 28. All 8th graders should plan to be here at school from 9:00-2:00 pm. Students should bring a snack, water bottle, lunch, and comfortable shoes for playing and working.
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BACK TO SCHOOL ORIENTATION |
We welcome all families to join us on the afternoon Tuesday, August 28th!
4:30 pm:
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information session for new families in the barn
- a few chores returning families can help with in order to have us at our best for the start of school
5:00 pm: classrooms open to visit
5:30 pm: potluck in the pavilion, please bring a salad or entree to share with serving utensils and an ingredient label. Riverside will provide water and lemonade, your welcome to bring any other drinks of your choice. Please also bring a chair or blanket for seating around the orchard and the soccer field.
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Since the first day of school will be a Wednesday, we will order pizza for lunch. You are welcome to pack a lunch for your child(ren) instead or as well. If they want pizza, talk as a family about how many slices students will have your permission to order, and $2/slice will be charged to your School Store bill. Options are plain cheese, pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, or pineapple. |
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This year's Fall Field Trip will be to Siskin Coutts Camp in Derby, VT. 4-8th graders will depart by bus to spend September 13-15th, and K-3rd graders will join us there on Thursday, September 14 thanks to parent chaperones and carpool drivers. Parents and siblings are strongly encouraged to join us, as your schedule allows. You might spend one or both nights, or maybe just join us for dinner or an evening campfire. We also will be needing a lot of help with meal planning and cooking. Please let Nelia know if you can help with organizing food/cooking, or if we should plan a bed for you. Details about the schedule, packing list, etc will be in future Monday Memos.
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Riverside soccer this year will look similar to last year: with 5-6th and a 7-8th grade teams, and the potential for a couple games with mixed grades. Though Sean is trying to schedule most games on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there are already a couple Friday games on the books. As always, the primary focus of soccer at Riverside is to have fun and bolster school spirit. All skill levels are welcome. Games will begin a couple weeks after school starts, and we look forward to posting the detailed schedule in the Monday Memo ASAP.
Parents: She would love help from a parent volunteer with coaching the 5-6th grade team. Please reach out to him if you are interested in helping out.
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We are happy to announce that our new PK-8 Art Teacher will be Abby Johnson. Many of you may know Abby as the former children's librarian at The Cobleigh Library, and mom of former preschool student Florence. The hiring committee was impressed with the diversity of Abbie's background, which includes being a teaching artist, and her ability to integrate art learning goals and the use of different artistic tools into her sample lessons. We look forward to having Abby back as part of the Riverside community and hope you'll make her feel welcome when you see her.
We have also developed a new administrative structure that not only includes our team leaders (Emily Spring for PK-2nd, Hanna Wheeler for 3-5th, and Caroline Thompson for 6-8th), but also Deandra Early as Director of Special Education (to oversee academic needs and supports) and Joel Gilbert as Dean of Students (to oversee behavioral supports). Deandra and Joel will work together to lead our Student Support Team.
And our K-8th Spanish teacher Karin celebrated her wedding this summer to Steve Welch, and will be changing her name to Karin Welch. Her email address will change accordingly.
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Riverside parents have also organized a potted mums sale, with $3 from each plant going to support Riverside's programs, and the the parent-led fundraising goal. Order yours here by September 5. Plants be available for pick up at school on Friday, September 15 and bulbs will be shipped directly.
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LABEL ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD BE LEFT AT SCHOOL |
We all know having special personal items labeled with a name makes them much easier to keep track of! In fact, Riverside (and most other youth programs) ask that sweatshirts, water bottles, backpacks, mittens, etc all be labeled with your child's/family's name. Right now you can shop for and order tags, labels, and other individualized items with Mabel's Labels, and 20% of all sales will come back to support Riverside and its mission. Simply follow this link and type "The Riverside School" in the central search bar that comes up. Our fundraiser will run until mid October, so plan your purchases and share this link with friends and family now!
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Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 21, from 3:00-7:00 pm (the date was incorrect in Roy's cover letter in your August mailing). We hope students, teachers, and parents alike will register to participate solo, or as a team, primarily to have some fun together out on the Kingdom Trails, an extraordinary community resource.
You'll keep track of points earned by completing laps and fun stations, on foot or on wheels! Stay tuned for links to register and print a pledge form. Start talking to your friends, neighbors, and extended family about why you think more students should be able to attend Riverside and why they should pledge money toward your success in the race. The money raised by your pledges will go directly to Riverside's tuition assistance/scholarship programs.
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FALL SPORTS WITH KINGDOM EAST |
David McGinn, Athletic Director of Kingdom East School District, has shared the sign up form for Riverside students to join their programs: Cross Country Running and Soccer for students in PK-8th grade. Your attention to completing the sign up form early, allows time to determine how many teams we can field, and ensure we have enough coaches for each team.
The only paper document now is the Wellness Form for your Dr. to complete. You can download the form from the Athletics page under Parent Information. That should be returned to David.
You will also see tentative start dates on the Athletics page. As he gets a clearer picture of our enrollment, you will be contacted with more specific information (dates, times, and locations).
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SUMMER WORK & SCHOOL SUPPLIES |
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30 Lily Pond Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851
phone: 802.626.8552
fax: 802.626.4156
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