Dear Riverside Families, Thank you to everyone who participated in the CSC food drive for Neighbor to Neighbor this week. It was wonderful to see full bins out front, and we can't wait to hear the grand total of items collected. Collection bins will be outside the school until 4:15pm today so it's not too late to contribute! Registration for the STEM Fair is ongoing, and board pick up starts next week. Please encourage your children to sign up and join the fun! Lastly, we are excited to be participating alongside the Student Council, the Riverside Rangers, and the entire school community in supporting this year's Plunge for Elodie at Lucas Point on April 2nd. We can't think of a better reason to jump into the Long Island Sound at this time of year, and we would LOVE to see you there! Please see below for more information on the Plunge and additional ways to support EB research. Calendar reminders for the next few weeks include:
March 13 – School Closed, Elementary Conferences
March 15 – Early Release, Elementary Conferences
March 16 & 17 – STEM Fair board pick up
March 22 - STEM Fair registration closes & final board handout
March 24 – Pizza Bingo (New Date) Have a wonderful weekend! Allison Maus & Clare Johnson
PTA Co-Presidents |
| UPDATE YOUR CALENDARS! PIZZA BINGO IS NOW ON MARCH 24. Due to the Snow Day last week, Pizza Bingo has been rescheduled for Friday, March 24th. Event details will remain mostly the same for the new date: Check-in begins at 6:15pm
Bingo from 7:00pm-8:00pm
Greenwich High School Student Center | 10 Hillside Road We realize this new date might not work for everyone due to schedule conflicts. If you cannot make it and would like to treat your ticket purchase as a donation to the school fundraiser, you do not need to do anything further, and we thank you in advance. To request a refund, please email rivptapublic@gmail.com by Tuesday, March 21st. Ticket sales remain open for those who can now attend! |
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| REGISTER FOR THE 2023 STEM FAIR BY MARCH 22! After registering, your children can begin to brainstorm what type of project they'd like to create and with whom they would like to work. We can't wait to see what the students put together!
As a reminder: - All students from Grades K-5 are encouraged to participate.
- Students can work individually or with friends (or siblings). There is a limit of 4 students per group.
- Each participant will receive a certificate and a medal.
- The STEM Fair is not competitive and is not required.
Key dates are as follows: - March 16 & March 17 – Display boards available for pickup after school
- March 22 – Registration deadline
- April 4 – Open House (K - 2nd Grade: 6:00pm - 6:45pm, 3rd - 5th Grades: 6:45pm - 7:30pm)
- April 5 – Students visit the Fair with their classes
The complete program schedule and the 2023 STEM Fair Handbook can be found on the STEM Fair page. Please email Lauren Law or Kelly Kessler with any questions. |
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| FINAL DAY FOR DONATIONS - NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR FOOD DRIVE TODAY is the last day to donate to the Community Service Club's food drive to benefit Neighbor to Neighbor (NTN). While all non-perishable donations are much appreciated, each grade has been given a specific item to donate so that we are providing NTN with a variety of exactly what they requested. The grade with the highest number of their designated item donated per student will earn extra recess! Donation bins will be available all week, outside the front door of the school. - Kindergarten: Cereal or oatmeal
- 1st Grade: Canned fruit or canned vegetables
- 2nd Grade: Canned chili or any Chef Boyardee with meat
- 3rd Grade: Canned tuna or canned chicken
- 4th Grade: Pasta sauce
- 5th Grade: Peanut butter or jelly
Thank you for your support in helping to feed our local community! |
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| TASTE THE RAINBOW CHALLENGE! Riverside will celebrate Nutrition Week from March 20-24 with a "Taste the Rainbow” challenge! All school cafeterias will incorporate specific colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables into the lunch menu for students to taste and explore. If your children bring lunch from home during Nutrition Week, they can participate by bringing in “color of the day” fruits and veggies: Monday (Red), Tuesday (Orange), Wednesday (Green), Thursday (Blue), Friday (Purple).
Parent volunteers will be present throughout the week to encourage students to try new food and to help make nutrition fun. If you would like to help out, please SIGN UP! |
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| SAVE THE DATE: PLUNGE FOR ELODIE The Riverside Community will once again be plunging on April 2nd in Old Greenwich (Lucas Point) 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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| THE DRY PLUNGE: AFTER SCHOOL ARTY PARTY! Support the Plunge for Elodie by creating your own set of beautiful wings! Ms. Roth will lead a special art class where students will create their own unique image of a butterfly. Each butterfly will start its transformation with a lovely hidden tribute to Elodie! These wonderful masterpieces will be hung throughout the school in support of the Plunge for Elodie. After the Plunge is over, we will collect the artwork for students to take home.
When: Wednesday, March 29th
Time: 3:15-3:50pm
Where: Cafeteria Limited to 50 students (Should more than 50 students sign up, we may be able to hold a second session. You will be notified one way or the other.)
Cost: $20/student (All funds will go to the Plunge for Elodie. We will send payment information once we have the final list of participants.)
If you are interested, please click here, and complete the sign-up form. The sign-up form will be available until March 22nd. |
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| ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS Stamford Museum and Nature Center's CT Rocks and Minerals This week Stamford Museum & Nature Center conducted CT/NY Rocks & Minerals with the 3rd grade. Students explored rock types, the conditions in which they form, and the history of their formations in our local area. They investigated and learned to identify local rock specimens, explored how fossils form, and discovered how earth materials are used every day! Upcoming Enrichment Programs - March 27-31: Dance Residency with Hip Hop Fundamentals (All Grades)
- April 18: Journeys into American Indian Territory (Grade 3)
- April 20: Visit and Workshop with Pat Schories, illustrator of the Biscuit series (Kindergarten)
- April 25: Riverside Rhythms presents “A Taste of Opera” featuring former Riverside School parent Brett Kroeger (All Grades)
- April 26: Stamford Museum and Nature Center’s Plants for Sprouts (Grade 1)
These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you! |
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| EARLY MORNING PROGRAM: FRIDAY LOCATION CHANGE 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 but rescheduled to Friday, March 24th from 7:00-8:00pm. Check-in begins at 6:15. 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 DUE MARCH 17 Our Committee is hard at work on the yearbook design and layout! 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 details and helpful tutorials here. Pages are due on Friday, March 17th. |
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. |
St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 19: March with GPS! On March 19th, at the invitation and encouragement of BOE Chair Joe Kelly, many of our GPS schools will march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade and make a show of the schools' central role in our community. Please meet at the Havemeyer Building at 1:30 PM and march together with BOE and GPS Administration members in the parade. The GPS Administration asks that everyone please RSVP so they know who (and how many) are planning to march. Parents must march with their children (no drop-offs!). PTAC suggests that everyone bring noisemakers or instruments, snacks and drinks. Please also consider wearing Riverside apparel to show your school spirit! |
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 |
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. |
Get to Know the Town of Greenwich Sustainability Committee The Town of Greenwich Sustainability Committee represents a diverse partnership of individuals and organizations committed to a sustainable Greenwich based on shared values of protecting, preserving and restoring our natural ecosystems while enriching the character of the Town and our schools. Learn more about the important work of this committee by viewing their March Sustainability Community News. |
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Friends Friday Films: Where the Crawdads Sing - Tonight, March 10th Greenwich Public Library, Berkeley Theatre: 7:00-9:30pmThe adaptation of the best-selling novel brings vivid life to the story of an abandoned girl raising herself in the marshlands of North Carolina, reaching almost folkloric status in a community that is both fascinated by and afraid of her. As she comes of age, she learns to navigate trust and love and becomes entangled in a dark mystery that haunts the town. 2h 5m. PG-13. Check out a trailer here! To get early access to the Library's Friday Films events, sign up here for the Friday Films email newsletters. |
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St. Catherine's Players Presents: Willy Wonka Join Willy, Charlie Bucket and others as St. Catherine's Players bring to life Roald Dahl's fantastical Willy Wonka tale and take you on a delicious journey through the mysterious chocolate factor.
When: March 10, 11 & 12, 2023, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 7pm, Sundays at 2pm
Tickets: go here to purchase your tickets! |
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The Open Arts Alliance Presents: The Wizard of Oz This spring: find yourself on the yellow brick road, somewhere over the rainbow!
When: March 18, 2023, 2pm & 7pm
Where: Westport Country Playhouse
Tickets: go here to purchase your tickets! |
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Women’s History Month Commemoration: The Flappers - March 11th |
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 22nd. 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 High School in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents The 36th Annual GHS Jazz Festival The public is invited to the Essentially Ellington Festival, Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center, Saturday, March 25th, 8:00 am to 7:30 pm. With the support of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the festival has been a GHS tradition for 36 years. Thirteen outstanding high school jazz ensembles, including the GHS Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band, are scheduled to perform.
At 1:00 pm there will be masterclasses given on Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Bass, Guitar and Drum Set.
At 2:00 pm there will be a one-hour performance of favorite standards by a renowned group of jazz masters from the New York area. A $10 donation at the door ($5 for students) is kindly suggested. Questions may be addressed to greenwichband@gmail.com.
This is a wonderful all-day drop-in event with tickets sold at the door! |
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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