Today is the last day to register for Spring Afters! No late registrations will be accepted. The Spring session will begin on April 17th and run through June 9th. There are still a few spots available, so if you haven't already, please head to Eleyo to create a profile and register for the Spring session. The schedule, dates, course descriptions, and other important information are also available on the Riverside PTA Afters Page. For technical questions, please contact info@flexacademies.com. For any other questions, or to provide feedback about your Afters experience, please reach out to Luisa Lander or Virginia Lockhart. 

REMINDER: For any students that are registered for the Spring Afters session, please be sure to update Dismissal Manager (click on the 3 lines at the top left of the screen and select "Recurring Dismissal," then "AFTERS," then enter the name of the Afters course and the weekly dates). Please also remember to let the office know or update Dismissal Manager if your child is unable to attend his or her Afters session on a given day.

More than 250 students will present their innovative experiments, inventions, and projects!  Participating students should drop off their display boards (with the label filled out on the back) after school on Tuesday, April 4th from 3:00-4:00 pm. 

All families are welcome to attend the evening Open House on Tuesday, April 4th from 6:00-7:30 pm.  K-2 students should visit between 6:00-6:45pm, 3-5 students should visit between 6:45-7:30pm, and families with children in both groups can overlap.

Students will also present their projects to classmates during the school day on April 5th.  Display boards should be picked up after school on April 5th. Any boards that are not picked up will be discarded.

Please email Lauren Law or Kelly Kessler with any questions, and we hope to see you at the Open House!

Calling all runners! Race Day is Saturday, May 13th. The 3-Mile Run begins at 8:30am, followed by the Kids Fun Run at 9:30am. Register before April 21st to have your name printed on your race bib. Students in K-5 can participate in the Grade Level Challenge with a prize for the grade with the highest percentage of runners registered! Register here for the Riverside Run!

Calling all Riverside Families and Staff to come together for a NY Mets game on Saturday, June 17th at 4:10pm. Seats are limited. Be sure to get your tickets! Tickets this year include a Darryl Strawberry replica “shirsey” and a memorable on-field experience.

The Riverside Community will once again be plunging on Sunday, 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.

There will be a few other opportunities to support the Plunge for Elodie fundraising efforts. Riverside's Student Council will be selling bracelets designed by Elodie herself on the day of the Plunge, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting EB research. Additionally, The Big Picture is offering two "Elodie's Craft Kits" chosen by Elodie, with 100% of the proceeds going toward EB research. Take these kits home, or create them at the store!

Please reach out to Emily Kubik or Jessica Dunne if you have any questions about the Plunge! See you on the beach!

A big shout out to all who participated in the Dry Arty Party for EB on Wednesday, March 29th!  More than 60 beautiful butterfly masterpieces were created in honor of Riverside kindergartener, Elodie! The artwork will be displayed around the school over the next few weeks and then will be returned to students.  

We would like to extend a special thanks to the Rangers who helped with the event (Adeline, Adriano, Beatriz, Charlotte, Niamh, Scarlett, and Sirjanhar), in addition to Mrs. Theile, Ms. Kelly, Ms. Rizzi, Ms. Donahue, Mrs. Morganti, Mrs. Gonzalez, Ms. Tepper, Mrs. Mertz, and Mrs. Kubik. Thank you to Mrs. O'Regan for collecting the funds. And, a huge thanks to Ms. Roth for guiding a large group of enthusiastic artists!

The event raised $1,527.75 in support of the Plunge for Elodie!! We look forward to building on our fundraising momentum on Sunday! 

The next Community Service Club meeting is after school on Monday, April 3rd.  We have a great meeting planned, including a discussion on gratitude, some fun games and a special project to surprise the Riverside staff during Staff Appreciation Week. CSC is open to all 2nd through 5th graders who have been marked on the RSVP form as Attending. If you need a link to the RSVP form, please email Wendy Browning-Lynch. All RSVPs must be completed by today, March 31st at 5pm.  

The Green Team needs your help for Earth Week in collecting as many colorful plastics from home as possible!  We will be working with students to create a large ‘Keep Our Sea Plastic Free’ art mural for our Earth Week celebration. Students will showcase their creativity, collaboration and love for the environment by attaching collected plastics to our large, Earth-themed collage throughout the week. Please help us create this mural by donating your CLEAN plastics in all colors, shapes and sizes throughout March and April in designated bins in front of the school! No bags (i.e., plastic film) or clear plastics please! Thank you for going Green! 

Eager to spring clean? Ready to clear out closets and drawers? Go GREEN by recycling old textiles in Riverside School's TEXTILE DRIVE! Co-sponsored by Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board (GRAB) and Fairco-Greentree Recycling, the Green Committee will be hosting their annual textile drive in April. Stay tuned for exact dates and collection details. 

Accepted: Clean, dry textiles in good condition. Please do not donate textiles that are wet or moldy. All clothing items including footwear, hats, coats and jackets; linens & bedding including sheets, towels, pillowcases & cotton blankets; extra fabric & bolts (no small scraps), tablecloths, drapes & curtains; backpacks, lunch bags, pocketbooks, wallets & belts.

NOT Accepted: Pillows, mattresses, rugs, scrap fabric & material cuttings, foam stuffing, plush toys & stuffed animals.

Hip Hop Fundamentals: Dance Residency

This week, Riverside School welcomed the return of the Dance Residency program, featuring the talented hip hop dancers and certified teaching artists from Hip Hop Fundamentals. On Monday morning, the program kicked off with a spirited school-wide assembly about the principles of hip hop and breaking, its history, and the role young people play in this vibrant culture. The dancers showcased their impressive breaking skills before inviting students and teachers alike to the stage to share their own moves, to the great enthusiasm of the audience. Throughout the rest of the week, during gym periods, students explored the basics of breaking through dynamic drills, interactive games, and team-building exercises. It was a fun, memorable experience for the entire school community. Encourage your child to share their new moves with you! 

Upcoming Enrichment Programs

• 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!

Please note that the Riverside Reel will be moving to a new online platform. As a result, it will be temporarily unavailable until the migration is complete. We will provide an update once the new site has launched. All existing albums have been preserved and will be posted to the new platform, and we will continue to create new albums as we receive photos & videos from upcoming PTA events and programs! If you have any questions, please email riversidereel@gmail.com.

The Early Morning Program is back in the cafeteria on Fridays. Additionally, the Early Morning Program now heads to the Gym at 8:00am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, giving students a bit more exercise. If dropping off after 8:00am 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.

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.