KINDNESS SPIRIT DAY POSTPONED TO MONDAY

Due to today’s inclement weather, our February Spirit Day has been moved to Monday, February 28. Come to school Monday wearing red, pink, white, or your most-loved clothes. Our Riverside Red Hawk will be greeting students with a friendly smile in the morning. And, if you haven't already downloaded our Kindness Challenge, we encourage you to participate in spreading kindness!

TREX PLASTIC FILM DRIVE: ROUND TWO!

Since January our school community has collected over 100 pounds of plastic film! Let's keep working together to keep these materials out of our landfills, and join the Green Committee for Riverside School's second Trex Plastic Film Recycling Drive. A Trex collection bin will be outside the front doors February 28 to March 4 for acceptable plastic film materials. Additional off-site Trex collection bins remain available at 32 Hendrie Ave and 28 Chapel Lane. Thank you for your continued support!

LET'S GO WASTE FREE FOR LUNCH AND SNACKS! 

Please join the Green Committee on Wednesday, March 2 for Riverside's Waste Free Lunch Day by packing zero waste snacks and/or lunch! If looking for ideas, Waste Free Greenwich offers helpful tips via "Greenwich Public Schools: Reuse Revolution". 

Packing a waste free lunch with reusable containers has many surprising benefits over single-use disposables:

• Safe! Based on the best available science and guidelines from health experts, reusable wares can be used safely by employing basic hygiene and sanitation.
• Healthier! Choosing reusables reduces exposure to chemicals of concern found in disposable products, like PFAS and styrene, that have negative health effects.
• Saves Money! Packing a reusable lunch and snack instead of disposables can save families over $400 per student annually.
• Better for the Earth! Life cycle analyses show that reusables have significantly less environmental impacts than single-use disposables, including energy use and air pollution.
• Cuts Waste! Every year the average student tosses 67 pounds of packaging and 39 pounds of uneaten food. Food packed in reusable containers could save over 58 million pounds of trash in Connecticut that we pay to haul and burn.

Some tips to turn a wasteful packed lunch into a zero waste meal:

• Buy snacks in bulk and sort them into reusable bags and containers for less waste and expense than individually prepackaged snacks
• Choose reusable lunch boxes, sacks or containers over single-use bags, foil or plastic baggies
• Drink water and other nutritious beverages from a BPA-free reusable bottle instead of single-use plastic bottles, cans, juice boxes and pouches
• Pack a reusable napkin and utensils

Ask your children to bring home uneaten food, so quantities and selections can be adjusted as needed

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FOOD DONATIONS!

Thanks to everyone who donated to the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive before break. We collected 16 crates full of items that N2N specifically requested. Did you know that N2N helps 500 families in Greenwich (up from 350 pre-pandemic)? People must go through the Department of Human Services in order to receive help from N2N. If you would like to continue to support this amazing, local group, every Thursday from 10-11:30 you can drop your food donations at the parking lot at St. Paul’s Church. Just look for the popped trunk. Thanks again!

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE PLAYGROUND

With milder weather just around the corner, we are reminded of how lucky we are to have some great outdoor play spaces on school grounds. Since everyone in our community has access to these playgrounds (outside of school hours), we wanted to share a few reminders:

• Dogs are not allowed to enter the fenced-in K-2 playground
• School grounds cannot be used by the public during school hours
• We encourage you to share this info with others in our community who may not currently have children at Riverside School

Thank you for your cooperation!

THE RIVERSIDE RUN IS BACK...JOIN THE TEAM!

We need your help! Join the team to volunteer to help organize this amazing community event taking place Saturday, May 7! There are volunteer roles both big and small. Roles leading up to race day include publicity, sponsorship, course permitting and volunteer coordination. If day-of volunteering is more your speed, you can help with race registration, passing out medals, handing out water, and more. Please email Riverside Run co-chairs at riversideruncommittee@gmail.com to volunteer!

PART 2 OF "YOUR CHILD'S DIGITAL LIFE" IS TUESDAY

Mrs. Browning is 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.

Please mark your calendars and plan on attending any or all of the remaining virtual sessions from 9:00-10:00am:

• March 1 - Our School's Research Tools and Databases
• March 29 - Getting to Know Schoology and Google Drive
• May 3 - Power Apps Used in School

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS

Upcoming Enrichment Programs

• March 2, 3: High Touch High Tech's Dig It (Grade 3)
• March 4: Author visit with Rajani Larocca (Grades 3-5)
• March 21-24: Poetry Week with Ted Scheu (Grades K-4)
• March 29, 30: High Touch High Tech's Give Me Dirt (Grade 2)

These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you!

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.

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.