Riverside School PTA Newsletter | Friday, February 11th, 2022 | |
PTA Highlights
Dear Riverside Families,
And just like that…we've made it to February break. It’s hard to believe that when we return, there’s only a handful of days before March arrives. Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow may have indicated that we had six weeks of winter left, but it sure does feel like spring’s going to be here in a flash!
Thank you to everyone who donated items to this week’s food drive benefitting Neighbor to Neighbor. If you haven’t yet contributed, there is still time to drop donations in the bins at today’s dismissal. Planning for the Riverside Run – arguably our largest event of the year – is ramping up. If you’d like to get involved, email riversideruncommittee@gmail.com. Lastly, we’ve got our February Spirit Day coming up on February 25 (see details below).
While the Olympic cauldron remains aflame, with the Games largely being broadcast mere miles from us (bonus points to anyone who has spotted an A-lister around town), we’re going to milk the sports analogies for all they’re worth. With that in mind, we hope everyone’s winter break is as:
- Extraordinary as Nathan Chen’s record-breaking short program
- Sublime as Lindsey Jacobellis’s long-awaited snowboard cross victory
- Awesome as Chloe Kim’s indomitable halfpipe performance
- Smooth (and feels like it passes as slowly) as a curler’s measured glide
As a reminder, there is no school Monday, February 21 (Presidents’ Day). See you back at school on Tuesday, February 22!
Carey Bisbee & Allison Maus
PTA Co-Presidents
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KINDNESS SPIRIT DAY IS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25
Let's spread kindness and love to our Riverside friends & community!!
Come to school wearing red, pink, white, or your most loved clothes.
We will be sending an online Kindness Checklist and encourage all students to do as many acts of kindness as possible!
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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!
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GREEN YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY!
As we prepare to show family and friends love this Valentine's Day, let's show the Earth some love, too! Try avoiding plastic, throwaway trinkets and focus on recyclable store-bought or homemade cards. Cardboard, newspaper, old greeting cards, paint swatches, and magazines around the house make for bold, unique designs and there are endless resources to inspire! Looking for other ideas? Here are a few: Idea 1, Idea 2, Idea 3.
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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!
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VIPS = VERY IMPORTANT PARKING SPOTS
If you happened to read last week's GPS District Digest, the Riverside PTA knows how to get cheeky with acronyms, too! As a reminder, the two VIP parking spots marked with these signs are for the exclusive use of the designated families. They are located just before the handicap parking spaces in front of the gym. We kindly ask that other families refrain from parking in these spots at all times. Please share this info with any family members or caretakers who drive your children to and from school. Thank you for your cooperation!
Interested in getting one of these spots for your family? Be sure to bid on one during our annual Fall Fundraiser that happens in October (you don’t have to attend the event to bid). Two spaces are auctioned off each year.
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"YOUR CHILD'S DIGITAL LIFE" SERIES
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:
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March 1 - Our School's Research Tools and Databases
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March 29 - Getting to Know Schoology and Google Drive
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May 3 - Power Apps Used in School
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ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
On February 7 & 8, our first graders zoomed to the moon! Nina from High Touch High Tech joined the classes virtually to explore eclipses, the phases of the moon and how clouds and craters are made. The students got a hands on experiment to test what they learned.
On Wednesday, February 9, musicians from Bash the Trash virtually visited the fifth grade classrooms for a science enrichment program, Lost at Sea. With the help of musical instruments built from reused and recycled materials, the Bash the Trash musicians took the students on an online high seas adventure. As community-scientists they joined the performers on an expedition to the Great Garbage Patch, and discovered the effects of plastic pollution. They faced monster storms made worse by climate change and ultimately found that they would have to be creative with resources.
Upcoming Enrichment Programs
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February 25: Rajani Larocca, author visit (Grades 3-5)
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March 1, 2, 3: High Touch High Tech's Dig It (Grade 3)
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March 21: Poetry Week with Ted Scheu (Grades K-4)
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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!
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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.
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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.
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ADVANCED LEARNING PROGRAM (ALP) - DATES FOR GRADE 6 PLACEMENT
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March 31 or April 1 - Placement notifications will be emailed to parents.
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5TH GRADE PARENTS - IT'S YEARBOOK TIME!
It's time to start thinking about the 5th grade yearbook! Our committee needs your help in gathering and submitting pictures from your child's time at Riverside School from Kindergarten to 5th grade (think field trips, concerts, first day of school, etc.). In addition, we ask every family to submit a baby photo of your son or daughter. Full instructions for uploading pictures can be found on the 5th Grade Yearbook page. The deadline for submission has been extended to Friday, February 18, 2022. Interested in helping with the yearbook this year? We are looking for a few more volunteers! Please contact Heeyoon Slater or Mercedes Ahumada with questions or to volunteer.
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NOTIFYING THE SCHOOL IF YOUR CHILD RECEIVES THE COVID-19 VACCINE
If your child has received either dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and you choose to share this information with the school, kindly email Nurse Melissa Luiso evidence of your child's vaccination card so that the school's medical records can be updated accordingly. Thank you!
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NOTE FOR PARENTS: ITEM DROP-OFFS
As a reminder to parents, when dropping off items for children, please make sure the item is labeled with the child's name and teacher. Sometimes office personnel cannot immediately obtain items from the bins due to other obligations, and clear labeling will minimize confusion and inefficiency at the time of retrieval.
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ORDERING LUNCH
Thank you to everyone that has been so diligent in placing online lunch orders for their children. This information is truly helpful in planning for the amount of food needed each day. As a reminder, you may enter an order up to FIVE days in advance. We do ask that you do not exceed that timeline, and order for the weeks ahead. We have noticed a lot of duplication when this occurs, and also some date errors that are missed sometimes. To help alleviate some confusion, we will be clearing the form over the break and starting fresh for orders to be received for our return on 2/22/22. If you have placed an order for a date past TODAY (2/11/22), you will need to re enter starting Monday, February 21, 2022. We appreciate your continued help with this process.
Please visit the Lunch Page on rivpta.org for information on submitting lunch orders and a link to the school's order form.
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PTAC GREENWICH PUBLIC PRESENTATION: PARTNERS IN LEARNING
Join PTA Council Greenwich on Friday, March 4 at 11:00am via Zoom as they welcome Patti Jomo of Willow Road Consulting (and former PTAC President) to discuss ways to improve family-school engagement.
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/94395443695?pwd=ZjFIVlZXSHVrc3FFWFVsWWNtOE5odz09
Meeting ID: 943 9544 3695, Passcode: ptac
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REGISTER FOR THE MARCH 4 GREENWICH ALLIANCE TRIVIA CHALLENGE
Gather family and friends from far and wide to test your trivia knowledge and support the Greenwich Alliance for Education on Friday, March 4 from 7-9pm. The team competition includes six rounds of trivia, as well as an online silent auction and paddle raise. Visit the event page for additional information and registration.
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"UNDERSTANDING ADVANCED SCIENCE" WITH TARA FOGEL ON MARCH 8
Want to learn more about the Middle School Advanced Science Pathway Projects? Please join speaker Tara Fogel, GPS Program Coordinator for K-8 Science on Tuesday, March 8 at 10:30am. Please see the flyer for more detailed information and the link to join.
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REMINDER TO OPT-IN FOR GPS DAILY HEALTH ALERTS
As of Monday, January 24 GPS families are no longer receiving daily health alerts from school principals with the number of reported positive COVID cases. Instead, GPS has created a new daily district report for those who wish to receive them. To subscribe, please go to the GPS Daily Health Alert page (from a computer), click on the "Follow Greenwich Public Schools" box on the right, and enter your email address to be automatically added to this specific distribution list. GPS will continue to send a single email each Monday through Friday at the end of the school day.
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DISTINGUISHED TEACHERS AWARD: NOW OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS!
Do you know a teacher who goes above and beyond in his/her work with students? If so, we encourage you to nominate that teacher for a Distinguished Teachers Award! Visit the GPS Distinguished Teachers Awards website for information on eligibility, nomination procedures and forms, and key dates. Completed nomination forms must be submitted electronically in one email by Friday, March 18 at 5:00pm.
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GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS
Board of Education meetings are easier to attend now that they be viewed on Zoom--stay informed! Here is a list of 2021-2022 academic year Greenwich Board of Education meetings. Information on how to access the meetings can be found on the GPS Accessing Virtual BOE Meetings page. All meetings start at 7:00pm unless otherwise noted.
- Thursday, February 24, 2022
- Thursday, March 24, 2022
- Thursday, April 28, 2022
- Thursday, May 19, 2022
- Thursday, June 2, 2022 (Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, June 16, 2022
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SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEWSLETTERS
Make sure you are receiving GPS e-newsletters directly to your inbox! To subscribe, select the relevant newsletters below and click the orange "Follow" button on the right side of the page.
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Learn About Summer Camps and Programs at SummerFare 2022!
Visit SummerFare 2022, sponsored by the Greenwich High School PTA, on Tuesday, March 1 from 6:00-8:00pm (snow date: March 2) in the Student Center at Greenwich High School. Meet 100+ representatives who will share information about summer camps, programs and internships. Open to families of elementary, middle and high school students. Admission is free.
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COVID Resources from the School | |
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LATEST GUIDANCE ON ISOLATION & QUARANTINES
The CDC and CT DPH now support a five-day isolation after a person tests positive, with a return to school on Day 6. On the advice of its health professionals, GPS has implemented this new five-day rule for students and staff.
For those who test positive for COVID:
- Stay home for five days
- After five days, if you have no symptoms or once you’ve been symptom-free for 24 hours, you can leave your house
- Continue to wear a mask around others for five additional days
- If you have a fever, continue to stay home for 24 hours after your fever resolves
For those with COVID symptoms, regardless of vaccination status:
- Test for COVID, either self-test or at a testing site, and stay home
- If test results are negative, return to activities when fever-free for at least 24 hours and other symptoms are significantly improved
- If test results are positive, isolate for at least five days, return to activities on Day 6 or later when fever-free and symptom-free for at least 24 hours
- Wear a mask at all times when around others for an additional five days when returning to activities
Please remember to complete the COVID-19 Symptom Self Checklist before attending school each day and thank you for following all health and safety protocols in place that help keep us safe.
Students or staff that are symptomatic during the school day will be given a rapid antigen test in the nurse’s office (with parental permission for students). It is recommended that this is to be followed with a PCR test outside of school. The PCR test is the “gold standard” test for diagnosing COVID-19 because it’s the most accurate and reliable test.
Please visit the district’s GPS COVID-19 resource page for more information, and please contact the School Nurse, Melissa Luiso (melissa_luiso@greenwich.k12.ct.us) with any questions.
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SUBMISSIONS
Have something to add? Email us at: peekweekriv@gmail.com Deadline for submissions is 3pm on Wednesday of the school week
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