WHIMS February 2017

  
Welcome to Winter at Riley!

Now that Mother Nature has made good on snow,
let's see how we're making the best of it at Riley. 


Calendar updates
February 2017 

Friday, 17th:  Winter Festival

Monday-Friday, 20th-24th:     NO SCHOOL! Winter Vacation
February Vacation Camp

Monday, 27th:  Financial aid applications due
March 2017 

Tuesday, 2nd: Outerwear and sports gear exchange (see below)

☕️ JOIN US for COFFEE in the Gallery, Friday March 3rd at 8am
      Re-enrollment deadline  (packets will be mailed this Friday, Feb 17th )

Sunday, 26th: Maine Maple Sunday

Thursday, 30th:
 All-school Special Interest Presentations at 6:30pm

Friday 31st: NO SCHOOL! Faculty Workshop

Community Events

Saturday, February 25th:  Touch tank open from 1-3pm at Coastal Children's Museum, Sharp's Point South, 75 Mechanic St., Rockland. FMI call 596-0300.

Free Car Seat Checks:  Third saturday from 9am-1pm. PBMC Child Passenger Safety Program at Fuller Auto Mall, Camden St., Rockland. FMI call 921-8711.

Fiber Arts Group: First & third Tuesdays from 3:30-5pm at the Rockport Public Library. FMI call 236-3642 or visit rockport.lib.me.us.

 
Help spread the word 
Riley's enrollment season is upon us!

  • Put a sticker on the car... come by the office for a decal (vinyl removable!)
  • Bring friends... help us meet new people and increase our enrollment!

 
Reminders
  • Winter Festival: Friday morning there will be all-school games and activities outside, weather permitting. Please ensure children have adequate outdoor clothing, and extra indoor clothing items.
  • Please bring WARM clothes and changes of footwear and socks.
  • We need volunteers for Friday Activities! If you have time to spare please come and help out.
Wishlist
  • The Lower School is looking for a few items for projects...
    shoe boxes and padlocks with keys.
  • Flat Styrofoam trays (from packaged mushrooms/veggies/lunch)
  • We will use to teach printmaking techniques
  • Various Gauged Wire or old wire hangers for Sculptures
  • Dyed or Undyed natural wool for felting
  • Paintbrushes for children's use
  • Art Drying Rack or shelving
  • Bubble Wrap
  • Twine
  • Yoga mats
  • Square carpet samples for sitting
  • Any odds and ends you think could be repurposed for art.

    Many thanks to you all!
 
Outerwear Exchange

March 2nd

Are your children already growing out of their coats? Let's host an exchange!
On Thursday, March 2nd, bring in all your too-small outerwear, boots and sports gear (all seasons) and for a nominal fee of $5 you can find something "new" and find a good home for your old gear.


 
Amazon Smile 

Use the Amazon Smile program to benefit The Riley School
 
Choose Riley as your charity through the Amazon Smile program.
 
Riley receives .5% of every purchase with no additional cost to you!
 
Since November, Riley has received $47.17 from Amazon. Every purchase helps.
 
The Smile Amazon page looks and works the same and you can use it with Prime memberships too.
 
Simply go to the link below and bookmark the page, or google "Amazon Smile."
 
(It is necessary to take this step, the regular site and the "Smile" site are not linked)
 
Here is the link:  http://www.smile.amazon.com/
 
This link also appears at the bottom of all Whims.

 
Clynk Competition

February 17th - April 27th

For every $1 raised, Riley will receive 50 cents.
Top 3 schools will receive cash prizes.
Last year Riley came in 3rd and won over $200.
Stickered bags are in the shed,
Please return to Hannaford.
Thank you!

 
Art Week 
Dear Community and Family Members, 

Greetings from The Riley School Art Program! As many of you know, part of our celebration of spring at Riley is our annual Art Week in which children have the opportunity to participate in several creative workshops led by both family and community members. While this is my first time coordinating this event, I am truly looking forward to collaborating with our community to create a week of artistically enriching workshops that will fuel the creativity and inspiration of our children. 

Leading Workshops

This is an initial message to reach out to you all and see if you have interest in either leading a workshop at our school or having a group meet you at your studio space. Workshop offerings can be anything within a creative category; sculpture, pottery, fiber arts, yoga, dance, music, etc.! Central to the ethos of our school is embracing creativity in all its many forms. 

Art Week workshops will be taking place this year from May 1 st -  May 4 th  with a presentation day on May 5 th . We will have several workshops offered every afternoon from 12:45pm-2:45pm. These workshops can be single or multi-day offerings. Each workshop will have a Riley faculty, staff, or parent present to help you get to know the children and to make sure your workshop runs smoothly.

Volunteering

If you are not interested in running a workshop but would still like to be a part of this fun and dynamic celebration of the arts, we would love to have you as a volunteer! Each workshop will need at least one Riley parent or faculty present to assist the artist with the children during the workshop.

Above all, our goal for Art Week is that it is fun, inclusive and exploratory for our children. We welcome any thoughts on workshops you would like to run and look forward to hearing from you!

Please respond to me via email if you are able to either run a workshop or to volunteer for Art Week 2017

Many thanks and looking forward, 

Nina Devenney
Arts Facilitator
The Riley School

Please get in touch with Nina via email at nina.devenney@gmail.com.

 
Parent Corner

I'm a Riley mom, looking for a room or small office space in or near Rockland.

We live in Bristol, an hour south of the Riley School and I'm looking for a place to work during the day while my son is at school, Monday - Friday, 8 - 3.

I'm looking for something from now until the end of the school year, (and next school year, if possible). I have checked out Sharp's Point South, but it's more than I can spend.

I'd be grateful for any leads at all, & I'd be willing to share a space.

Please email me at alkortemeier@gmail.com.

Thanks so much!
Angela Kortemeier, Conrad's mom.

Remember, it's your Whims!

Get involved and communicate with other parents here... What do you need? What are you trying to sell? What are you involved in that other families might like to know about?
 
Please contact us with your news 
or to correct inaccuracies: 
director@rileyschool.org or 

 
Did you guess who's who?
In front are Kevin Mattson and Tony Oppersdorff. 
In back are Jonathon Schoeck in the striped shirt and Randy Hasting wearing a cap.

 
Amazon will donate .5% of every
purchase  to the Riley School if you go to 
and choose Riley as your charity,
at NO additional cost to you! 
The Riley School | P.O. Box 159, Rockport, ME 04856 | 207.596.6405

In its employment and admissions practices, Riley is in conformity with all applicable federal and state statutes and regulations. We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, color, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, creed, ancestry, national and ethnic origin, or physical or mental handicap. Riley is a nonprofit organization, gifts to Riley are tax deductible 
The Riley School guides children to become independent, lifelong learners and innovative thinkers. Founded as a Progressive, ungraded elementary school in 1972, Riley recognizes each child's unique learning style. The individualized curriculum challenges children to express themselves and develop their own intellectual and creative capabilities through doing, questioning and by discovery. We foster a sense of responsibility towards our natural world, our community, and each other. We value cooperation over self and honor the balanced development of social, emotional and physical with academic growth.