"SECRET KINDNESS AGENT" SOCIAL WELLNESS EVENT
WRAP-UP
 

For Secret Kindness Agent Week, Your Mission Is: Do small, kind things for others – without revealing who you are! 

 

This past week (Feb 2 - 6), students took part in a three-day Secret Kindness Agent event, a school-wide experience designed to strengthen empathy, connection, and community through simple acts of kindness. 

Each day had a unique mission:

  • Tuesday – Lift Someone’s Day (Theme: Kind words go a long way): Students created handmade kindness notes and drawings and secretly placed them on the desks of their buddy class, spreading smiles and encouragement throughout the school.
  • Wednesday – Thank You for Being Our Helping Hands (Theme: Helping is kindness in action): Classes worked together to create large thank-you cards for faculty and staff, recognizing how their daily actions help the school community thrive. 
  • Thursday – Share the Love (Theme: Kindness connects us all): Students made paper chains filled with kind words and pictures, learning how kind actions and inclusive language help strengthen relationships with friends and the school community.

We are so proud of how thoughtfully the students showed up for one another and for the faculty/staff who support them every day.

 

A special thank you to Valerie Saltz (Riverside School’s social worker) and Alexandra Garofoli (Riverside School’s psychologist) for their help launching this special event! Please contact Valerie and Alexandra with any questions about Riverside School’s mental health services. They can also recommend additional mental health resources in our local area.

For additional mental health support beyond what may be provided at school, refer to the GPS Community Links webpage.

 

RENOVATION ROUNDUP:
BUILDING COMMITTEE IS UP & RUNNING

 

 

As per the January 28 email from Dr. Jones, the Riverside Building Committee has begun its work on the upcoming renovation. The committee’s initial focus will be on securing Municipal Improvement (MI) status, which is the town’s required vetting & review process for changes to town property.

 

We encourage you to follow the project on the district’s dedicated project page, where meeting agendas and minutes will be posted (please note that building committee meetings are public), as well as information about the project as it becomes available. Please see the Old Greenwich School project page for the type of detailed information that may become available as the project progresses.

 

To learn more about school building committees, see the district’s new guidebook. For more information about the renovation, see the PTA webpage and GPS project page.

  

TICKETS NOW ONSALE FOR THE FAMILY OUTING
MARCH 28

 

 

Calling all Riverside families and staff to come together to cheer on the Westchester Knicks! In prior years, Riverside students have enjoyed an annual family outing to see a local team play - including a Bridgeport Islanders hockey game and a NY Mets baseball game. This year we have scored an opportunity to see the Westchester Knicks (the NY Knicks' G League team) for some great basketball in a fun local arena. Tickets will go on sale next Wednesday, February 4, 2026.    

  • WHAT: Westchester Knicks Game, this year's Riverside Family Outing 
  • WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 3:00pm (Doors open at 2:00pm)
  • WHERE: Westchester County Center, White Plains

Please reach out to Katie Rollins or Kristiana Wilson with any questions.

 

RIVERSIDE MATH TEAM:
PREP SESSIONS HAVE STARTED

 

 

Spring Contest: Register by Friday, March 6

  • Contest Date: Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30am (Note this is FREE for all students thanks to your generous support of the Riverside PTA)

Morning Noetic Prep Sessions: Register today on myPage! (See page for dates and details - please look carefully at the dates if your 4th/5th grader is also participating in before-school WordMasters with Mrs. Ciafone)

  • Mondays 7:45am for 4th and 5th graders
  • Tuesdays 7:45am for 2nd and 3rd graders

Questions? Email Math Team Co-Chairs Betsy McIntyre and Sandy Yong at riversideschoolpta@gmail.com.

 

 

WORDMASTERS SPRING SESSION:
REGISTRATION COMING SOON

 

 

ALP ELA Teacher Mrs. Ciafone will again be leading an early-morning WordMasters Spring session for 4th and 5th graders. Note: students in the current Winter WordMasters session will be taking the WordMasters Challenge on February 2!

  • WHAT: WordMasters Spring Session for Grades 4-5
  • WHEN: The next session will take place on the following Monday mornings: February 23, March 2, 16, 23, and 30, April 13 and 20 (challenge test day). 
  • COST: $175 for the session

Reach out to Jimena Castro with any questions.  Stay tuned for further information on registration!

 

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE RIVERSIDE SCHOOL SPELLING BEE 
FRIDAY, APRIL 17

 

 

This year, Riverside will join several other GPS elementary schools in hosting its very own Scripps Spelling Bee.

  • WHAT: Spelling Bee for Grades 3-5. Winners and their homerooms will receive prizes!
  • WHEN: Students will receive grade-level word lists in the coming weeks. After February break, written spelling tests will be administered in homerooms to participating students. Top scorers from each homeroom will compete in the Spelling Bee on Friday, April 17. 
  • WHERE: Riverside School
  • CONTACT: Reach out to Ariel Ramchandani or the Riverside School PTA with any questions or ideas. 

 

HELP US FILL OPEN PTA ROLES!

The Riverside School PTA is looking for volunteers for this year!  Volunteering is a great way to engage with the school and community. If any of these roles sound interesting, please email riversideschoolpta@gmail.com to learn more!

  • Arts Field Day Co-Chair – Coordinate an afternoon "Arts Field Day" to be held on May 20, 2026 offering hands-on workshops in crafts, drama, dance, visual arts, writing and music to students in Grades 3-5.
  • Communications Team: Website Manager – Maintain and update content on RIVPTA.org.
  • Communications Team: MTK & Technology Lead – Primary point of contact for parent technology related queries to Membership Toolkit (MTK). 
  • Safety Duty - Assist children as they exit their vehicles in the front driveway during morning drop-off (8.30am - 8.45am daily) Sign-up Here 

 SUPPORT THE RIVERSIDE PTA BY JOINING TODAY!

Our school community counts on the PTA to deliver an array of events, programs and initiatives that enrich classroom curriculum, support teachers and staff, enhance the school campus, and strengthen the community.

To do this, we rely on the generosity of Riverside School families via our annual Membership Drive, one of the PTA’s most important fundraisers. While your participation is voluntary, we do aim for 100% participation in our Membership Drive.  The PTA does a lot – and we couldn’t do it without your support!

Join the PTA

 INTERESTED IN THE EARLY MORNING PROGRAM?
Sign-up Now!

The Early Morning Program (EMP) at Riverside School is a before school enrichment program that provides a fun, familiar place for Riverside students before the start of the school day and is staffed by a Riverside teacher.

The program runs every Monday through Friday from 7:15-8:30am, and students could be dropped off at any point during that timeframe. Visit the Early Morning Program page for more details.

 

PARENTING WORKSHOP WITH DR. BOGART

Follow-up Resources from October 8, 2025

 

At our Fall PTA General Meeting, Dr. Chris Bogart from the Sasco River Center spoke to us about "Raising Confident and Resilient Kids." He reminded us that stress is inevitable, normal, and even important for development; the hard part for parents is how to model healthy management of stress and struggle.  

Please refer to the following resources from the session:

If you have ideas for speakers or topics for future PTA parent enrichment sessions, please email us at riversideschoolpta@gmail.com.

THE NEW GPS REPORT CARD

Follow-up Note (session held on October 21, 2025)

 

On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Principal Martín and Assistant Principal Collette provided parents with an overview of the new GPS Elementary School Report Cards. You can find the explanation for making the changes in this GPS District Video.

Although details are still being finalized, rather than assessing students' skills on a scale of 1-5, teachers will now assess students' skills as either ES (Emerging Skill), DS (Developing Skill) or SS (Secure Skill). 

The skills being assessed remain the same as in prior years for the applicable grade level, as they are tied to the CT Common Core standards. 

Please note that the first marking period will end at the end of November.

 

Upcoming Dates


    View Full Calendar    
    2025-2026 District Calendar

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