Kindergarten & New Families 2023-24

 

The Riverside PTA is excited to welcome you and your children to the school. We hope this section will help you get ready for the school year ahead!

 

DROP-OFF AND DISMISSAL

• Doors open at 8:30 am and close at 8:45 am. For more information on school drop-off and dismissal, see the Drop-Off & Dismissal Info page.

 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

• Please see the school's list of 2023-2024 school supplies for items requested by grade level

• If you ordered supplies via the PTA in May, they will be delivered directly to your child's classroom before the first day of school.

 

RIVERSIDE SUMMER READ

The Riverside Summer Read is a shared reading experience for all the students and families at Riverside. For 2023, Riverside School has chosen Caldecott Medal Winner and New York Times Bestseller "Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear" (a picture book for K-2nd grade readers) and the accompanying "Winnie's Great War" (a chapter book for 3rd-5th grade readers). Both books were written by Lindsay Mattick, the great granddaughter of Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian on his way to tend horses in World War I who rescued a baby bear that he named Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg. They tell the story of the journey - true to life in the case of "Finding Winnie" and artfully imagined in the case of "Winnie's Great War" - undertaken by the extraordinary bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, and touch on themes of bravery and the indelible power of friendship.  

 

Read more about the Summer Read Program. 

 

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HOW TO STAY INFORMED

There are many ways to stay up to speed on what's going on at Riverside School. It's important to know that the school and the PTA may use different systems. 

 

 

Update your contact information with the main school office. This ensures you get emails from Mr. Weiss and other district emails. 

 

Riverside School Website. Maintained by the school, the Riverside School website has lots of great information. Take a look and become familiar with it.

 

 

 

PEEK at the Week Newsletters. The Riverside PTA sends out a weekly email on Friday to the entire school community. This weekly blast is full of everything you want to know about what's going on around the school.  You can also view old PEEK Newsletters or on the “Membership Toolkit” App.

 

 

 

Emails. The Riverside PTA sends emails about events, information, etc to help communicate with the parent community. Please ensure to add our email address riversideschoolpta@gmail.com to your contact list to avoid emails going to the junk folder. 

 

 

 

 

Riverside PTA Calendar. Throughout the year, the PTA sponsors events at the school. In the fall, you won't want to miss Picture Day, Boo Bash, and Book Fair, to name a few. You can sync the PTA Calendar with your personal one from the App. 

 

District Calendar. It's always a good idea to visit the District Calendars to enter important dates into your schedule. It's nice to keep track of half days and days of no school so they don't sneak up on you. 

 

 

 

 

Riverside Reel. We have a member-only secure website for photos and videos of the various PTA events happening throughout the year. Take a trip down memory lane or see what happened recently. Two to three weeks after the beginning of the school year, invitations will be sent to parents with profiles on RIVPTA.ORG. Click here to read more.

 

 

 

 

Create a free parent profile on RIVPTA.ORG when prompted to do so at the start of the school year. MyPage is the parent dashboard. Here you can access and update your family information, directory publishing preferences, class trips, ticket sales, event sign-ups, and much more! All open volunteer opportunities can also be accessed from here. 

 

Don't forget to get the App!  Apple or Android

 

 

 

School Dismissal Manager. You can access it from your computer or your mobile device. This system is how parents communicate school pick-up instructions to the teacher as well as documenting absences, late arrivals and early pick-ups.

 

 Get the app for Apple or Android

 

 

 

 

Class Parents. Each class will have two class parents assigned to help the teacher communicate important information. If you ever have any questions, please email your class parent!

 

 

THERE'S AN APP FOR IT!

As the PTA and school become more green and more tech-savvy, we recommend taking a look at some of the apps you can use to help with communication between school and home. Find a list of helpful apps HERE.

 

 

RULES OF THE ROAD

Please review the "Rules of the Road" guide so we can all keep Riverside School safe for everyone at drop-off and pick-up. 

 

We are also always looking for people to help with Safety Duty each morning. Every day from 8:30-8:45am, parent volunteers are needed to help our students get safely out of cars in the drop-off lane in front of the school.

 

 

RIVERSIDE ROPES NOTES

In 2014, Greenwich Public Schools adopted district behavioral norms for all its schools.  Staff members model and reinforce these qualities of good character and work with parents and community members to develop them in students. These district norms are to Be Here, Be Safe, Be Honest, Care for Self and Others, and Let Go & Move On.

 

At Riverside School, if the students are spotted doing something that represents the district norms, they are issued a ROPES note to help encourage kids to be good community members. Along with the special note, they have their picture taken and it hangs in the hallway just outside the cafeteria and gym. It's always fun to visit the wall if you're in school.

 

Want to know what R.O.P.E.S. stands for?

Respect Oneself, Property, Each other and School

 

 

RIVERSIDE SPIRIT DAYS - RIVERSIDE RED T-SHIRTS

 

Many days throughout the year, students are encouraged to wear their Riverside Red Shirts to celebrate Riverside School Spirit. These are special shirts available for purchase through the Riverside PTA Spirit Store (this link won't work until the online store opens at the start of the school year). We will also have a table set up at a variety of events, so you can be sure to pick up a shirt then. The students are often asked to wear their Red Shirts for both field trips and Riverside Spirit Days.

 

 

We hope this information is helpful as your child (and YOU) begins his or her journey at Riverside School. Please reach out if you have any questions. 

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KINDERGARTEN & NEW FAMILY SNEAK PEEK

In the week or two before school starts, you will receive information about your child's placement. There is a lot of information available on the district website.

 

New Family and Kindergarten Orientation is held the day before the first day of school for all children and parents new to the school.  

 

That is usually a great time to see your child's classroom, view other areas of the school, learn important information, meet other parents, and shop Riverside spirit wear. It's also a great time to ask questions and check out the playground, too.

 

If you have any questions or queries, please don't hesitate to reach out to a PTA Committee member.

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PTA WELCOME BACK VOLUNTEER FAIR

After morning drop-off on the first day of school, the Riverside PTA invites all parents to its annual Volunteer Fair. Here you can meet with other parents, learn about the various ways the PTA works together with the teachers and staff at Riverside School and discover ways that you can get involved. The goal of the Riverside PTA is to enrich the school experience of every student at Riverside while supporting our teachers and fostering a special community for our families. We encourage every parent to get involved, no contribution is too small. For more information, please read about what we do for the Riverside community.

 

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