Friday, December 16, 2022 |
Dear Riverside Parents, We were delighted to see so many children and families at last week's Holiday Sing. What a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season! As we get ready to wrap up 2022, we would like to thank our entire school community – students, teachers, staff and families – for an incredible year. We hope that everyone enjoys a restful and fun holiday break, and we look forward to getting back at it in the new year. Early 2023 promises great things at Riverside including Matilda, Jr. on the stage, Math Marathon, Winter Afters, and the return of Pizza Bingo on March 3rd. Speaking of Winter Afters, registration will continue through Wednesday, December 21st at 5pm. There are still some spots available, including spaces in two new classes and some returning classes offered by Riverside's own Spanish, Gym and Art teachers. Please see below for more information. Please note that this is our last newsletter of the year! Thank you for reading the Peek, and a huge thank you to the team who makes our newsletter possible every week. Just a few remaining calendar reminders for 2022: - December 21 – Last Day for Winter Afters Registration
- December 23 – Early Release
- December 24-31 – Holiday Recess (school resumes January 3)
We wish you a very happy holiday and a wonderful new year. Allison Maus & Clare Johnson
PTA Co-Presidents |
| REGISTER FOR WINTER AFTERS BY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21 Registration for Winter Afters remains open and will close Wednesday, December 21st at 5pm. There are still some spots available, and you may enroll your child(ren) in more than one class. We hope your students will enjoy the exciting array of offerings, including two new classes offered by Riverside's own Spanish teacher, Ms. Morganti, Gym with Mr. D'Andrea, Art with Ms. Roth, Scratch Jr. and Roblox with Code Ninjas, Writing with Written Out Loud, and STEAM with the Bruce Museum! If you haven't already done so, you can set up an account and profile for one or more children on Eleyo, Flex's registration platform. Please refer to the Riverside PTA Afters Page for class descriptions and other important information. |
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| STUDENT COUNCIL DRIVE TO HELP KIDS IN GREENWICH The 4th Grade Student Council will continue its Holiday Donation Drive benefitting Kids in Crisis through December 21st. Clothing, shoes, toys and toiletry items for girls and boys, ages 7-14 are kindly requested. In an effort to ensure that all needs are met, each grade is responsible for a different donation category: - Kindergarten - Slippers and shoes
- Grade 1 - Pajamas
- Grade 2 - Socks and underwear
- Grade 3 - Hats/gloves/scarves and coats
- Grade 4 - Toys (for ages 7-14 years old)
- Grade 5 - Gallon-size Ziploc bags filled with travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc
This year, Student Council is made up of 45 eager, young leaders who continue to give back to their community. Please join in helping them achieve their goal this month. |
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| THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE YALE NEW HAVEN CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL TOY DRIVE Not surprisingly, the Riverside community really showed up for last week's toy drive. Luke McQuillan, a healthy senior at GHS, who was a patient at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital when he was at Riverside School, sent the following note of thanks for the many toys and donations that were received. Dear students and parents at Riverside School, Thank you SO much for your contributions of gifts and time to my charity. I am very grateful for your continued support to the patients at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. I am sure that many children will now find enjoyment during the holiday season from all of the gifts and cash donations that you have helped to collect. Thank you all and I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season! |
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| ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS Dinosaurs Rock This week, 2nd grade students were visited by one of Riverside's favorite enrichment programs, Dinosaurs Rock. Dinosaur expert, Lina, used museum-quality, life-size specimens as the backdrop to explore the world of dinosaurs and fossils with the students. The students learned about plant vs. meat-eaters and the theory of dinosaur extinction. Students also got to discover and keep genuine fossils (dinosaur bones, shark teeth, ammonites, petrified wood and more). Upcoming Enrichment Programming - December 19: Riverside Rhythms, violinist Renee Oliver (All Grades)
- December 21: Author Visit with Jerry Pallotta (Grade 1)
These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you! |
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| EARLY MORNING PROGRAM IN THE GYM Let your children run off their energy before school! The Early Morning Program will head to the Gym at 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, giving students a bit more exercise as the weather outside gets colder. If dropping off after 8am, please bring them to the front door. The drop-in rate is $18 per day, and you may register your child and get more information here. Please contact Melissa Goldstein or Anne Akyuz with any questions. |
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| SAFETY DUTY: MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN JUST 15 MINUTES! 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 children as they exit their vehicles in the front driveway from 8:30am - 8:45am daily and help to enforce the “Rules of the Road.” Sign up online. For more information, contact Sean Sullivan. |
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WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERY 5TH GRADER IS IN THE YEARBOOK! Please upload the following pictures hereBY TODAY, DECEMBER 16: - A baby photo of your child for the "Guess Who?" section. To see examples, click here.
- Photos of at-school events from Kindergarten through 5th Grade - think First Day of School, Boo Bash, Field Day, etc.
FAQs - I'm having trouble uploading photos to the Google Drive. What should I do? Click here and scroll down for instructions.
- When do you need the pictures mentioned above? By December 16th! (Of course photos from 5th grade can continue to be uploaded through February.)
- When should I work on my child's individual page? Stay tuned for details in the new year. Every student will design his/her own page, uploading his/her own photos (which can include activities outside school) and designing the page using a software program to which we will give you access. Currently, please only upload the pictures mentioned above to our Google Drive.
- Do you have enough volunteers working on Yearbook? NO. We can't make this happen without more help. If you have time January - March to work on a small section of the yearbook (i.e., pictures from 1st grade), please email Luisa Lander
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Greenwich Public Schools Board of Education Meetings You can attend this year’s Board of Education meetings in person or on Zoom – which makes it easier to stay informed! Here is a list of 2022-2023 academic year Greenwich Board of Education meetings. Information on how to access the meetings virtually can be found on the GPS Accessing Virtual BOE Meetings page. All meetings start at 7:00pm unless otherwise noted. - Thursday, January 19, 2023
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 (Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, February 23, 2023
- Thursday, March 16, 2023
- Thursday, April 20, 2023
- Thursday, May 18, 2023
- Thursday, June 1, 2023 (Retreat, no public comment)
- Thursday, June 15, 2023
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PTAC Academic Excellence Committee Workshops "The Colors & Sounds of Art and Music at GPS" Workshop The PTAC Academic Excellence Committee hosted a workshop on December 1 on the topic "The Colors & Sounds of Art and Music at GPS" with Guest Speaker Laura Newell, GPS K-12 Coordinator for the Arts. Laura Newell says, "All too often we hear the words 'I can't draw' or the ever so popular, 'I can't sing.' But in Greenwich Public Schools, we believe that every child is an artist. Our Art and Music teams use their expertise to cultivate your child's creativity and passion to reflect their culture, inspire ideas, and collaborate with their peers." Parents who weren't able to attend the AE Workshop can view a video recording of the workshop (passcode rM^V!u2V ) and the presentation slides to gain a better understanding about what children learn in their Art and Music classes; why artistic development is a critical part of every child's brain development and social growth and how it will continue to shape their lives as adults; how parents can collaborate and be a partner in their children's artistic endeavors; and also find the answer to the age-old question, "why on earth do students learn to play the recorder?" "Fostering a Love of Learning at Home" Series We have another opportunity for elementary school parents to learn more about hands-on strategies they can use to support their children at home, both with review and enrichment. OGS Principal, Jennifer Bencivengo, has put together a four-part series, "Fostering a Love of Learning at Home." All GPS elementary school parents are invited to join the conversation. All sessions will be offered both in-person at OGS' media center and virtually through Google Meets. If you are interested in attending any or all of this discussion series, you must register by using this link. The second session in the series - "Fostering a Love of Math, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving" - is scheduled for Tuesday, January 25 at 9:15am. |
ALP Program Update and Grade 2 Placement Grade 2 ALP Enrichment Placement Recommendation Notifications will be made on January 3, 2023. |
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. |
Greenwich High School Theater Arts Presents: High School Musical Greenwich High School Theater Arts, winner of the Outstanding Schools Theater Program Award, presents the Broadway Musical Workshop production of High School Musical, December 14-17, 2022 at the G.H.S. Blackbox Theater. Performances are at 4:30pm and 7:30pm. Order your tickets now! |
| 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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