Riverside School PTA Newsletter


Friday, October 28th, 2016
CALENDAR

WEEK OF 10/31-11/4

Monday, October 31
8:00a Ranger Monthly Meeting

Tuesday, November 1
8:00a Chorus Rehearsal - PT. 1

Wednesday, November 2
Audubon Field Trip - 4A & 4CR
8:50a ROPES Photos

Thursday, November 3
8:00a Chorus Rehearsal - PT. 2

Friday, November 4
8:00a Advanced Band - Gr. 5 ONLY

WEEK OF 11/7-11/11

Monday, November 7
8:00a Student Council

Tuesday, November 8
NO SCHOOL - Election Day

Wednesday, November 9
Audubon Field Trip - 4R
9:00a PTA Exec Meeting

Thursday, November 10
Care For Self & Others - Wear RED
8:00a Chorus Rehearsal - ALL MEMBERS

Friday, November 11
FIRST MARKING PERIOD ENDS
8:00a Advanced Band - Gr. 5 ONLY
QUICK LINKS

Sign up for lunch duty  here

Sign up for safety duty  here

Join the PTA  here

Volunteer for the PTA here

View the Rules of the Road  here

Click here for the Early Morning Program information
PEEK AT THE WEEK

MISSED AN ISSUE?
Access our Peek Archive for past issues

SUBMISSIONS
Have something to add? Email us at: peekweekriv@gmail.com

Deadline for submissions is 3pm
on Wednesday of the school week
COMMUNITY  

Friday and Saturday, October 28th and 29th, 6-9:30pm, visit the Haunted Forest at Audubon Greenwich.  Click  here for more information.

Abilis Gifts is offering a 15% discount to shoppers who bring in a non-perishable food item during October and November.  See the flyer for more information.

Free compost bins and coaching from the Conservation Commission.  Click here to learn more!

St. Pauls Holiday Boutique Thursday November 3-4th. Click here for more info

Click  here  to view the community calendar.
 From the Office
D ear Parents,

If you would like to see the curriculum overview of the various academic programs in the Greenwich Public Schools, you can find information on Math, English/Language Arts, Science, and much more here.

Sincerely,
Christopher Weiss
Riverside School Principal
 School News
NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR FOOD DRIVE
Neighbor to Neighbor is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving residents in need throughout the Greenwich area.  Last year the organization gave out 313,000 meals, 129,000 of which went to children.

The student council is collecting canned meats, fruits, black or red kidney beans, soups, peanut butter and jelly, rice, and pasta.  Collection bins are in every class room. Visitors and parents can drop off donations in the front hallway of the school.  The food drive will continue until Thanksgiving.  Thank you for your support!
ELECTION DAY BAKE SALE
The Student Council will be holding a bake sale at the school on Election Day, November 8th, from 9am-12pm.  Delicious baked goods will be sold, with proceeds given to Neighbor to Neighbor.  
APPLE WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS
We are pleased to announce the SY2016-17 GPS-DLE Apple Workshop series for parents of GPS elementary school students. The workshops will be held from 7-8pm on the dates below in the Greenwich Avenue Apple Store, 356 Greenwich Avenue.   Parents are asked to register using this link no less than one day prior to each event.  Each workshop will be limited to the first 40 registrants. 

WORKSHOP DATES:
Nov. 9: Critical Thinking of Online Content -- Safari and Assistive Technology
Dec. 7: Using Apps to Create (iMovie, Photos, GarageBand
Feb. 8: iPad Intermediate
Mar. 8: Content based on collected  Parent Workshop Feedback

Questions? Email Nona Ullman (DLE project manager) at  nona_ullman@greenwich.k12.ct.us.  
NOTE FROM THE NURSE
Hearing and Screenings for grades 1, 4 and 5 are currently being conducted by the Nurse. This is a state requirement.  If you have any questions or concerns please contact Ruth Holz, Riverside School Nurse.
 PTA News
DONATE UNWANTED HALLOWEEN CANDY!
The Wellness Committee will be collecting any unwanted Halloween candy next week.  All types of wrapped candy are acceptable.  No loose or unwrapped candy, please.  Leave your donations in the marked orange collection box by the school office, Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4. 

Candy will be sent to the troops abroad by local pediatric dentist Dr. Stacy Zarakiotis, who will also be matching $1 per pound collected and donating the money to Operation Smile.  Thank you in advance for supporting this good cause!
HIGH TOUCH HIGH TECH
light_bulb_idea.jpg
This week, the fifth grade enjoyed a program entitled, "The Power of Light."  The students found out just how amazing light is!  They learned that they could bounce it, bend it, and split it up, and also found ROY G. BIV in the electromagnetic spectrum.  Seeing is not always believing when it comes to light!
GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK: WASTE FREE LUNCH!
Lunch bag
The Green Committee spent lots of time in the cafeteria this week speaking with the students about recycling, and we hope that you continue to re-enforce the message at home.  A key theme was how to reduce waste produced during lunch, which is not create it! Here are a few tips for creating a waste-free lunch. More great tips can be found here.

1. Use reusable lunch boxes and containers (not plastic bags and foil)
2. Use reusable drink bottles (no more plastic water bottles)
3. Pack what your child likes to eat (too much good food goes in the garbage!)
4. Have your child bring home leftovers so you can see what he likes and dislikes
5. Cut back on single-serve and heavily packaged items
6. Buy in bulk and send a portion in a reusable container
7. Cut up fruits and veggies (too many apples went in the compost barely eaten)
BOOK FAIR SAVE-THE-DATE
Tuesday, Nov. 15th, 9am-3pm (ice cream social 5:30-7pm) 
Wednesday, Nov. 16th, 9am-3pm

Parents are invited to come during their child's class visit.  The class visitation schedule will be sent out by email next week.   If you are unable to attend, your child can  purchase Book Fair Bucks so they may purchase books independently.  There will be volunteers available to assist anyone who needs help.  Details on how to purchase Book Fair Bucks will be coming soon!

We are looking for more volunteers to assist with the book fair.  If you are willing to help out, please sign up here.  Please choose a time when your child is not visiting the fair.

Ice Cream Social: Tuesday, Nov. 15th, 5:30-7pm.  Riverside's own Stacy Mozer will be our guest author!

Raffle: There will be a drawing for each grade at 6:30pm during the ice cream social.  One boy and one girl from each grade will win Book Fair Bucks!  There will also be a sibling drawing.
MATH MARATHON
Congratulations to the 4th grade for once again taking the lead in the Math Marathon!   Coming in second was 3rd grade, followed by 2nd, 5th, Kindergarten and 1st.  The race is on and is very close so  keep logging in to IXL! 

This year there will be a runner up prize for second place! Results can be seen on the front bulletin board on Monday morning.  

The contest ends Friday, November 4th so there is still plenty of time for all grades to catch up and win!  First place and runner up will be announced Monday, November 7th.
WELLNESS COMMITTEE
The Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) Teal Pumpkin Project is a worldwide movement to create a safer, happier Halloween for all kids. Teal Pumpkin flyers were distributed in last week's Friday Folders. To participate in the initiative, display the
flyer in your window on Halloween or paint a pumpkin teal colored. This indicates that you have non-food treats available. To learn more, click here or contact Melissa De Vries (mapdevries@gmail.com) or Lauren Wenitzky (lauranlee@gmail.com).  
FALL AFTERS
kids exercise
Please note that we WILL be running our AFTERS classes on Monday, 10/31.  If your child will be in school but not attending Afters, please send in a note.

Please contact riversideafters@gmail.com if you have any questions. 
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email us at riversideschoolpta@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Dina Murphy and Jenn Wolfe
Co-Presidents Riverside School PTA

 Office: 203-637-1440   -   www.greenwichschools.org/rs