Dear Riverside Families, Spring break now feels like a distant memory, and we’re in the last stretch of the school year! The PTA appreciates what Riverside School staff members do every single day, and we loved the opportunity to show our gratitude during our annual Staff Appreciation Week. Festivities included coffee and taco trucks, gift cards, fresh smoothies, homemade baked goods and handmade cards from students. A special thank you to Kelsey Mayhall for her creativity and leadership in planning and executing this wonderful week. Teaching truly is a work of heart! Next week, the Green Committee has planned an exciting array of activities at recess in celebration of Earth Week. Students will have the opportunity to learn about pollinators, help create a trash-to-treasure mural, hear about our local ecosystems and conservation efforts in our community from local experts, wear the colors blue and/or green to show their Earth Week spirit, and more! Lastly, we are currently filling key roles for the 2023-2024 school year, and we have a variety of positions available. Volunteering is a great way to engage with the school and meet other parents. Please see below for additional information and a link to our volunteer interest form. Calendar reminders for the next few weeks include:
April 24-28 – Earth Week
April 28 – Spirit Day, wear BLUE and/or GREEN
May 1-5 – Fitness Week
May 3 – Dine at Little Pub to support the Riverside Run
May 13 – Riverside Run Have a great weekend! Allison Maus & Clare Johnson
PTA Co-Presidents |
| EARTH WEEK - APRIL 24-28, 2023 The Green Committee is looking forward to continuing its tradition of celebrating EARTH WEEK - April 24-28, 2023 with an exciting week of special activities planned for the students during recess. Green Committee and parent volunteers will be present to help guide the students through activities each day. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here! |
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| RUN, EAT AND RAISE MONEY FOR RIVERSIDE! Little Pub will donate a portion of the dining check to the Riverside Run for anyone who dines in the restaurant on Wednesday, May 3 from 5:00-8:00pm. Take a night off from cooking and support the Run. All you need to do is mention that you’re there for the Riverside Run fundraiser!
Little Pub is located at 531 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob. |
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| WE’RE FILLING PTA ROLES FOR NEXT YEAR, FIND YOURS! A wide range of PTA volunteer roles are now being filled for the 2023-2024 school year. Whatever your interests or availability, we have many ways for you to contribute and make a positive impact. Our goal is to engage as many people as we can with the school. Please review our open roles and complete the volunteer interest form to express interest in one (or more) volunteer opportunities! If you have any questions or would like to learn more about PTA roles, please contact this year's nominating committee - Allison Maus, Hillary Harper and Betsy McIntrye. We look forward to hearing from you! |
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| SPRING AFTERS IS OFF TO A GREAT START! Please remember to update School Dismissal Manager for any students that are registered for the Spring Afters session. You can add a weekly "Recurring Dismissal" for "Afters”. (Click on the 3 lines at the top left of the screen and select "Recurring Dismissal," then "AFTERS”.) Please 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. |
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| TEXTILE DRIVE CONTINUES FOR ONE MORE WEEK! Next week - April 24-28 - is the final week of the textile drive! Go GREEN by recycling old textiles in the bins outside of school. 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. Thank you for your support during Earth Week! |
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| TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME! 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. |
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| ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS Pat Schories - Illustrator of the Biscuit series
On Thursday, April 20th, Pat Schories, illustrator of the Biscuit series and author/illustrator of many "I Like to Read" books, visited Riverside for the first time. Pat held a grade-wide presentation for all Kindergarten students where she shared some of her own stories. She then visited each Kindergarten class individually to speak about the job of an illustrator and to show the process, beginning to end, of book illustrations. She left each classroom with a sketch and hopes students will try illustrating stories of their own. Journeys Into American Indian Territory
On Tuesday, April 18th, our 3rd graders participated in a cultural arts program by Journeys Into American Indian Territory to learn about the culture of the Native Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands and Plains. Students participated in hands-on workshops exploring how Native Americans of our region met their three basic needs of food, clothing and shelter by using natural resources. Students also learned about traditional games and stories, government and the use of symbols in communication. Upcoming Enrichment Programs - April 26: Plants for Sprouts with the Stamford Museum and Nature Center (Grade 1)
- May 3:Climate Program with the Stamford Museum and Nature Center (Grade 5)
- May 8:Flying Contraptions with Stepping Stones (K)
- May 9:Science of Soil with the Stamford Museum and Nature Center (Grade 2)
- May 10:Animal Adaptations with Animal Embassy (Grade 1)
- May 16: Arts Field Day (Grades 3, 4 & 5)
- May 17: Reptiles and Amphibians with Animal Embassy (Grade 2)
- May 19: Visit from the Second Continental Light Dragoons (Grade 5)
These programs are paid for by your generous donations to the PTA. Thank you! |
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| THE RIVERSIDE REEL IS MOVING TO A NEW PLATFORM 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. |
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| EARLY MORNING PROGRAM: BACK IN THE CAFE ON FRIDAYS 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. |
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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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FIELD TRIPS The 5th graders have two field trips coming up - Philadelphia on Thursday, April 27th and Binney Park on Thursday, May 4th. Please follow the instructions below to pay online (no checks or cash, please):
1. Log in to your rivpta.org account 2. Go to "My Page" under "My Account" 3. Scroll down to "Membership, Tickets & Donations" and you will see the option for 5th Grade Field Trips, specific to your child 4. Click on that form and select the quantity 5. Hit "Save and continue" and proceed to check out the item(s) in your cart
If you have any questions about the field trips, please ask your classroom teacher. |
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. |
PTAC Nominating Period is Still Open! If you or someone you know is interested in working to make the Greenwich Public Schools the best they can be as a PTAC Committee Chairs or as a PTAC Executive Board member for the 2023-24 term (or would like to learn more about the roles), please contact the PTAC VP of Nominating. Open PTAC Committee Chair positions include: Academic Excellence, ALP, Curriculum Enrichment, DC Middle School Trip Special Committee, Digital Communications, Directory, Facilities, Scholarships, SES, Special Programs, 2E, Financial Review Open PTAC Board positions include: First Vice President, Secretary, Vice President of Curriculum, VP of Enrichment, VP of Facilities, VP of Nominating, VP of Student Support |
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Perrot Walks Join us on Tuesday, April 25th at 9:45 am for Perrot Walks! Every Tuesday, weather permitting, members of the community will gather at the Library at 9:45 am for a walk through Binney Park. Step-off is 10 am sharp. We will walk at a moderate pace and enjoy conversation and the beauty of Binney Park. All fitness levels are welcome. Dress appropriately. For more information, contact Judy Sgammato at 203-637-1066 x15. |
Celebrate Diversity Month April continues the celebration and recognition of National Deaf History Month and Ramadan. April is also Arab American Heritage Month, World Autism Day and Diversity Month. Passover, Easter, and Ramadan are important holidays in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions that are all celebrated during April. Check out information about April 2023 Heritage Month, Diversity Month, children's books ideas, events and more! |
Hope Day: A Greenwich Community Wellness Day The 1st Annual Hope Day will be on Sunday, April 23rd from 1:00-4:00pm at the Arch Street Teen Center. Organized by the PTAC Health & Wellness Committee, Greenwich Together, and the Yellow Tulip Project, Hope Day is a Community Wellness Day celebrating the blooming of our Yellow Tulips around town. The Yellow Tulips were planted as part of the national Yellow Tulip Project to smash the stigma around mental health. The family-friendly event is a combination of youth speakers, athletic coaches, musicians, arts & craft tables, yoga & mindfulness, samples from local restaurants, resource tables, and other activities. More about the event can be found here. |
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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Open Arts Alliance: Summer Stage! Registration for the summer program at Open Arts Alliance (OAA) is now open for students in grades 1 through 12! Productions include Finding Nemo Jr., Lion King Kids, and Cabaret. Summer at OAA is a great time to make new friends, try new things and "just keep swimming!" Register here. |
Unbound Innovations XR STEAM Camp In partnership with The Greenwich Alliance for Education, Unbound Innovations XR STEAM Camp is a series of week-long immersive experiences in a broad range of innovative disciplines using virtual and augmented reality. It is taught by a 25-year Greenwich Public Schools veteran teacher with extensive experience in XR technologies. Students entering grades 6 through 12 will engage in World Building with XR tools, Game Design, Immersive Music, and Art Production, compete in challenges coding Robots to perform tasks, and create Engineering Simulations to solve global problems. For more information and registration, please visit www.unboundinnovations.org. |
| 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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