TOILETRY DRIVE SUPPORTING KIDS IN CRISIS
JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 6
(DRIVE TIME EXTENDED)

 

 

The 4th Grade Student Council is collecting toiletries for Kids In Crisis. 

  • WHAT: Please bring in travel size: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. The 4th Grade Student Council will organize these goodies at their next meeting on Friday, January 30.
  • WHEN: January 20 - February 6
  • WHERE: Please leave all items in a donation bin that will be placed in front of the school entryway path.

Thank you so much in advance for your generosity and kindness!

 

 

CANNED FOOD DRIVE SUPPORTING NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR
JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 2
(DRIVE TIME EXTENDED)

 

 

The Community Service Club will hold a canned food drive to benefit Neighbor to Neighbor, and the grade that generates the most donations in its category will earn an extra recess!

  • WHAT: While all non-perishables are much appreciated, each grade has been asked to donate specific items to ensure that we are providing Neighbor to Neighbor with a variety of the items they need most. 
    • Kindergarten: Canned tuna or canned chicken
    • Grade 1: Canned fruit 
    • Grade 2: Canned chili or any Chef Boyardee with meat
    • Grade 3: Cereal or oatmeal 
    • Grade 4: Pasta sauce
    • Grade 5: Peanut butter or jelly
  • WHEN: January 26 - February 2 (until 4.15pm)
  • WHERE: Donation bins will be in front of the school all week. Kindergarten donations should be delivered directly to their classrooms.
  • CONTACT: Kimberlee Halperin and Holly Harlow

"SECRET KINDNESS AGENT" SOCIAL WELLNESS EVENT
FEBRUARY 3 - 6
 

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

  • WHAT: Secret Kindness Agent Week will be a 3-day, in-school event in which students will be taught lessons developed by Riverside’s school psychologist and social worker focused on empathy, kindness, and friendship-building. Guided by daily lessons, each of the students will be given a mission: to do small, kind things for others – without revealing who they are.  
  • WHEN: February 3-5 
  • CONTACT: Diana Mehlman and Elizabeth Fazzino

LOST & FOUND PICK-UP EVENT NEXT WEEK!
FEBRUARY 2 - 6
 

All labeled and unlabeled Lost & Found items will be on display next week to give parents, caregivers, and students the opportunity to collect their items. Any items remaining after the event will be donated.

  • WHAT: Lost & Found Pick-Up Event
  • WHERE: Outside the gymnasium
  • WHEN: Monday, February 2 - Friday, February 6

 

RENOVATION ROUNDUP: TOWN’S ANNUAL BUDGET PROCESS BEGINS

 

 

Thank you to everyone who showed their support for the Riverside renovation by attending or speaking at the BET meeting on January 27 and helping to encourage earmarking construction funds in a manner that ensures future phases of the project can proceed without delay.

The First Selectman’s proposed capital plan that was unveiled at the meeting earmarked $43mm for construction at Riverside for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2028—a year later than the Board of Education’s request. This could lead to delays as funds may not be available when the building committee would be ready to go out to bid. 

The BET does have the power to change the year in which the funds are earmarked in the capital plan (should it determine that it makes sense to do so). This may be discussed next week when the BET will dig into the schools budget, with district administrators and a BOE representative(s) present to answer questions.

  • WHAT: BOE Budget Day
  • WHEN: Thursday, February 5, 9:00am-4:00pm
  • WHERE: Town Hall Meeting Room or livestream on GCTV’s YouTube channel

You can email the BET at any time to share your feedback or express your support for funding the project in a timely manner and why it’s important to your family. For more information about the renovation, see the PTA webpage and GPS project page.

 

 

SAVE THE DATE: WESTCHESTER KNICKS
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, 3:00 PM (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: SPRING CONTEST REGISTRATION!
REGISTER BY MARCH 6

 

 

Big congratulations to the 60+ RIV Math Team students who competed in the Fall Noetic Math Contest, earning State Championships, National Honor Roll recognition, and dozens of Honorable Mentions! A huge thank you to Mrs. Hancock and Ms. Arbulu for their exceptional coaching that led to the terrific results.

Spring Contest: Register today! (Deadline to Register: 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 start the week of February 2: 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 – Maintain and update content on RIVPTA.org.
  • Publicity Chair – Coordinate with local press around PTA events. 
  • 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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