Friday, February 24, 2023 |
Dear Riverside Families, We hope that everyone had a nice, relaxing winter break and a smooth first week back. B-I-N-G-O! We are very excited for the return of Pizza Bingo on March 3rd. With almost 500 tickets sold already, you won't want to miss this fun evening. Please see below for more information and opportunities to volunteer at this important fundraising event. Lastly, registration for this year's STEM Fair opens on Monday, February 27th. It's time to start brainstorming STEM ideas and forming project groups. We can't wait to see what the children choose to explore. Calendar reminders for the next few weeks include:
February 27 – STEM Fair registration begins
February 27 – CSC Meeting (for students who have RSVP'd)
March 3 – Pizza Bingo
March 13 – School Closed, Elementary Conferences
March 15 – Early Release, Elementary Conferences Have a wonderful weekend! Allison Maus & Clare Johnson
PTA Co-Presidents |
| PIZZA BINGO IS BACK! TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! For the first time since 2019, Pizza Bingo will return on Friday, March 3rd from 6:00-8:00pm at Greenwich High School! Check-in begins at 6:00pm with bingo at 6:30pm. It’s a fun evening for the kids with bingo, prizes, pizza and a raffle for fantastic gift baskets. Tickets are $15 per person and include one slice of pizza, a drink, and a bingo board. There is also an option to purchase raffle tickets and additional slices of pizza. You can buy tickets here and sign up to volunteer here! If you would like to help with donations or have questions about the event, please contact the co-chairs, Lindsey Kintner or Kelly Vives. We are looking forward to a great event! |
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| THE 2023 RIVERSIDE STEM FAIR IS COMING SOON! Registration for Riverside School's 9th annual STEM Fair opens on Monday, February 27th. STEM Fair is an exciting chance for students to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math! All students from Grades K-5 are encouraged to participate. Students can work individually or with friends (or siblings) in groups up to four children. Each participant will receive a certificate and a medal. The STEM Fair is not competitive and is not required/or graded. Please visit the STEM Fair landing page to review the 2023 STEM Fair Handbook and to learn more details about the complete program schedule. |
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| SAVE THE DATE: PLUNGE FOR ELODIE The Riverside Community will once again be plunging on April 2nd in Old Greenwich (exact location TBC) to find a cure for kindergartener Elodie Kubik who suffers from a rare disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa ("EB"). Children who suffer from EB are often called butterfly children because their skin is as fragile as butterfly wings. There are no approved treatments for this disease and EB patients currently have a life expectancy of 30.
Please join Elodie's friends and family to fund important research, change the treatment paradigm for this disease and save lives. Visit plungeforelodie.org to learn more about the event and to find Riverside School's grade level donation pages. You can also check out this cute video featuring Emma Watson and Greenwich residents, Kermit the Frog & Elodie.
Please reach out to Emily Kubik or Jessica Dunne if you have any questions or would like to get involved! See you on the beach! |
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| WAY TO GO RIVERSIDE! A huge thank you for the amazing support you all gave to both the Community Service Club's pajama drive and the monetary collection on Pajama Day. Thanks to your incredible generosity, the Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford has 107 new pairs of pajamas to share with the children who use the organization's services. The Connecticut Children's Hospital will receive the $774 your children and families brought in (or donated online) on February 10th for Pajama Day. How wonderful it is to see our community come together to help others! |
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| UPCOMING COMMUNITY SERVICE CLUB MEETING On Monday, February 27th, the Community Service Club (CSC) will be meeting after school to hear from Neighbor to Neighbor and its incredible mission of improving the lives of residents in need throughout the Greenwich area. If your 2nd-5th grader is interested in joining and you are not on the CSC email distribution list or are on the list but did not receive an email on January 30th with additional details, please email Wendy Browning-Lynch. As a reminder, all students must RSVP in advance to join. |
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| ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS Upcoming Enrichment Programs - March 8: Stamford Museum and Nature Center's CT Rocks and Minerals (Grade 3)
- March 27-31: Dance Residency with Hip Hop Fundamentals (All Grades)
These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you! |
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| EARLY MORNING PROGRAM: FRIDAY LOCATION CHANGE Effective today and continuing through March 24th, the Early Morning Program will meet in the Media Center on Fridays. If dropping off your child(ren) from 7:15-8:00 am, please use the door to the Media Center which is next to the Kindergarten entrance. If dropping off your child(ren) from 8:00am onwards, please ring the main door bell to be admitted to the building. Additionally, the Early Morning Program now heads to the Gym at 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, giving students a bit more exercise. If dropping off after 8am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, please bring your children to the front door. The EMP 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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PIZZA BINGO BAKE SALE Pizza Bingo is back! (Friday, March 3rd from 6:30-8pm) The Pizza Bingo Bake Sale is our 2nd (and final) fundraiser for the 5th Grade Class Gift and we could use your help. If you can bake (or buy) a treat for the bake sale, or volunteer to help at the table please sign up here. |
YEARBOOK - INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PAGES Thank you to everyone for uploading your 5th grader's baby photo and event photos from Kindergarten through this year! We have a great collection of pictures and the committee is hard at work creating layouts.
The next step is to have your child create his or her INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PAGE! Students are to design a page that represents them and their time at Riverside. They can add pictures of themselves, friends, family, teachers, etc. (these do not need to be from at-school events). Parent help may be needed. There are two steps: 1) Set up the page, and 2) Design/Submit the page. You can find all details here.
Pages are due on Friday, March 17th. |
VOLUNTEER TO CHAPERONE The 5th Grade has two upcoming field trips which require chaperones:
WILTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY (March 21st) Join the 5th graders from 9am-2pm on Tuesday, March 21st as they visit Wilton HIstorical Society to learn about 18th century life.
PHILADELPHIA FIELD TRIP (April 27th) Accompany the class on a day trip to Philly on Thursday, April 27th. All chaperones must attend the entire time and ride on the bus with the kids. We will leave early in the morning (6-7am?) and return late in the evening (8-9pm?) (Exact times TBD based on the teachers' itinerary.)
If you are interested in chaperoning either field trip, please email Kelsey or Luisa by end of day today, Friday, February 24th. We will choose by lottery if we have lots of volunteers. |
SAVE THESE DATES! Visit 5th Grade Families to learn about upcoming events from Gaga Ball Night on May 19th to the end-of-year parent party on June 10th. Mark your calendars!
Contact Kelsey Mayhall or Luisa Arevalo with any questions. |
The PTAC Nominating Period is Now Open! If you or someone you know is interested in working to make the Greenwich Public School the best they can be as a PTAC Committee Chairs or as a PTAC Executive Board member for the 2023-2024 term (or would like to learn more about the roles), please contact the PTAC VP of Nominating. Open Committee Chair positions include: Academic Excellence, ALP, Curriculum Enrichment, Digital Communications, Directory, Facilities, Scholarships, SES, Special Programs, 2E, Financial Review Open Board positions include: First Vice President, Vice President of Curriculum, VP of Nominating |
Distinguished Teacher Awards: Now Open for Nominations! Do you know a teacher, social worker, or specialist who goes above and beyond in his or her work with students? If so, we encourage you to nominate him or her for the 2023 Distinguished Teacher Awards! Visit the GPS webpage dedicated to DTA for information on eligibility, nomination procedures and forms, and key dates. Completed nomination forms can be submitted in person or electronically in a single email by March 9th at 5:00pm. |
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. |
February is Black History Month Black History Month / African American History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and their central role in U.S. history. Black History Month is a great time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society—from activists and civil rights pioneers such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and many other leaders in industry, politics, science, culture and more.
The month-long recognition originated in 1915, a half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, based on the work of Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian, and Jesse E. Moorland, a prominent minister, at an organization they founded that is known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month and it has been recognized in February ever since -- coinciding with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. For more information, please visit Black History Month - History.com.
Please visit the PTAC DEI Websitefor more events and information!
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Dancing for D.C. The Greenwich Alliance for Education and the 8th Grade DC Trip Fundraising Committee invite you to Dancing for DC, an event to benefit the 8th Grade Washington DC Trip Fund. Please join us Wednesday, March 8 from 6-9pm at the Old Greenwich Social Club for dancing and live music by local band The Tide. Cash bar and food available for purchase. Ticket sales directly fund our effort for this year and beyond; the Old Greenwich Social Club will also donate 10% of all food and beverage sales that evening.
Tickets are $50 per entry and must be purchased in advanceHERE.
We also have an exciting RAFFLE with prizes from your favorite local merchants. You do not need to purchase event tickets or be present at the event to win! Raffle tickets can be purchased HERE.
Thank you to our local businesses who have generously donated prizes: Rinaldi’s Country Deli ~ Roost ~ The Pampered Pooch ~ Greenwich Cheese Company ~ Wildacre Rotisserie ~ Fjord Fish Market ~ Sweet Peas Baking Company ~ Abigail Fox Designs ~ Old Greenwich Butcher Shop ~ The Fred Shop ~ Ada’s ~ Feast and Fettle ~ Splash Car Wash ~ Threads and Treads ~ Pretty Nails ~ Arcuris
Can’t attend? Consider making a donation to the 8th Grade DC Trip Fund via our partners at the Greenwich Alliance. Click here and indicate "DC Trip" under "Allocation.” |
The Flinn Gallery: "GLOW" The Flinn Gallery (our town’s non-profit art gallery), located on the second floor of Greenwich Library, is hosting its 4th show of the season, "GLOW", until March 22. GLOW features four abstract artists with two- and three-dimensional artworks that intersect with themes of color, transparency, process, and materiality that invites visitors to lean in and examine the close relationship between colors and discover the way ambient light plays upon color illuminating artworks that appear to glow, pulsate, and float in space. |
Greenwich Alliance For Education: Trivia Challenge It is time to start practicing your trivia and gathering friends and family far and wide for this year's Trivia Challenge, sponsored by the Greenwich Alliance for Education, on Friday, March 3th. The event will once again be virtual and promises to be another great night. Click here for event details, buy tickets or donate an item to the Auction! |
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The GHS Boys Hockey Boost Club: Middle School Hockey Challenge is Coming Week of March 13th! |
GEMS Kids Triathlon Early Bird Registration The third annual GEMS Kids Triathlon will be held on Sunday, June 11th. The event format will be pool swim, on-campus bike course, and on-campus run course and is open to children from 6 to 14 years of age. There will be participation awards, T-shirts, goody bags, and age-group awards. Click here for event details and to register! |
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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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