Riverstone International School Newsletter
September 19, 2013
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 Hi All,
At this week's Middle and High School assembly, Ben Brock recognized Karoline W and Mackenzie R (both Gr 11) for their excellent leadership on the Grade 7 Main Salmon River trip. The Grade 7 students applauded enthusiastically and both girls were thrilled. Last week, some wonderful older students took time out of their busy schedules to play with and supervise Elementary Students while their parents attended Back to School Night. Look at the volunteers at the Carnival tomorrow and you will notice that many of them are our Middle and High School students. There are many other examples of how our Leadership by Example pillar comes to life at school; it is always powerful to witness.
While we have always valued leadership and mentoring, this year we have introduced "leadership tracks" for Middle and High School students. Ben Brock will lead Outdoor Leadership, Abby Grafft will lead Athletic Leadership, and Eleri Roberts will lead Positive Change Leadership. These optional programs will provide in-house opportunities for our students to develop in areas of interest to them. The activities associated with the programs will help build bonds across grade levels and division levels. As an example, our Athletic Leadership students not only run the scoreboard and assist at home games, they are currently leading the Elementary School soccer clinic.
Under James Hamilton-Vail's initiative, we have asked our Grade 5 and Grade 3 students to begin developing these leadership and mentoring skills during lunch. As a school that values the uniqueness of each student, we feel that it is imperative that we also enable them to grow with a sense of shared values and citizenship.
My strongest belief is that engagement and purpose are at the heart of what keeps students moving in a positive direction. When combined with kindness and gratitude, students are happy and thrive. By giving students opportunities and the expectation of purposeful engagement, we will continue to strengthen our community. Please reinforce this belief out of school as well.
On a similar note, parents Suzanne Long and Adam Kaplan have volunteered to lead our Culture Committee and they share my belief that deliberately and positively building a culture that reflects these values is something we can all work towards. As a result, Riverstone will continue to shape itself to reflect the values that we hold dear.
Call for anything,
Bob Carignan
Head of School
bcarignan@riverstoneschool.org
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 Hope to see everyone at the Riverstone Fall Carnival tomorrow night, Friday, September 20.
There are many ways that you can help make this event a success! - Join us! Bring your family and bring a friend!
- Come hungry! We have Street Tacos for $7 and Pizza by the Slice for $2. Beverages available as well.
- Bring your reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.
- We still need volunteers. Please sign up to supervise a ride or a game for one shift by clicking on the following link to our Communities Opportunities sheet.
- Buy or sell tickets for our raffle!
- Thank all of our hardworking Carnival Committee members, including Betsy Bader-Hellstrom and Julie Worthington, our Co-Chairs!
To volunteer or ask questions, please contact: Riverstone Fall Carnival
**Fun for all ages** Friday, September 20
5:00 - 8:30 PM
Kennedy Gymnasium area |
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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER LUNCH ORDERS DUE
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 At this time, we will continue to offer lunch five days a week through our partnership with Create Common Good. We are working closely with them to ensure that we are providing nutritious, kid-friendly selections throughout the year.
Please return lunch order forms for the October-November time frame no later than Friday, September 20.
Forms may be dropped off in the Hot Lunch folder in the Elementary School atrium, with Lisa Armstong in the Elementary School, or Robyn Olnes in the Middle School.
Download an Elementary School lunch form here.
Download a Middle and High School lunch form here.
Please contact Kevin Richmond, Business Director, with questions. |
 Grade 8 students invite you to stop by their table at the Carnival!
As part of their efforts to raise awareness of plastic pollution and encourage everyone to use re-usable bags, they will have a fun game to educate you about what can and cannot be recycled.
If you would like to learn more about the Grade 8 service project, ask a Grade 8 student or teacher Eleri Roberts.
Thank you Eleri for leading our service component of the curriculum for Grades 6-10!
Community and Service is one of our Five Pillars. |
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USING LINKS IN THE NEWSLETTER
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Besides sharing news, our newsletter is set up with links to webpages, downloadable information, and email addresses for questions.
Watch for names or words in bright blue with underline that indicate a link is embedded! |
 All parents are invited to a parent coffee, IB Diploma Programme Success, next Tuesday, September 24.
Even if you don't have a child in the Diploma Programme yet, this is a great time to learn more about this rigorous program of study and requirements that our Grade 11 and 12 students embark upon. The Diploma Programme is much more than a series of classes! Please plan to join us!
According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, "The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. It has been designed to address the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students. The programme, has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities."
Andy Johnson, Dean of Faculty of the Secondary School, and Alex Ide, Director of Secondary Education, will share how the program is structured and the strategies that the school is utilizing to give our students' the best preparation and support as they proceed through the two year program.
Please contact Alex Ide with questions.
IB Diploma Programme Success Parent Coffee Tuesday, September 24 8:30 AM Location to be confirmed but meet by the library: please check the school calendar **All welcome** |
 Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 explore the world through our Passport Club, without actually leaving home! Every month, students will receive a map that corresponds to their grade. Starting in Kindergarten and Grade 1, students focus on identifying five countries per month. In comparison, students in Grade 5 learn 25 countries and 5 capitals each month!
Students in every grade will answer one research question based on their current Unit of Inquiry, integrating the Passport club with the IB philosophy.
It may sound daunting, but our students are very successful, and the program builds upon itself year after year.
We have posted the dates for the testing on the school calendar. We are also looking for volunteers to help with the testing -- no experience necessary!
Please contact James Hamilton-Vail if you can help or have questions.
Passport Club Testing
Tuesday, September 24 |
 Send your kid to school next Wednesday looking his or her best because it will be Picture Day. Please watch your email for information!
Picture Day for All Grades
Wednesday, September 25
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Merci is our parents way to say "thank you" to our Riverstone staff.
This is a program that is sponsored by the Parents' Association and is always appreciated by our staff who can sit down and enjoy a healthy meal together in the midst of their busy day!
We will be hosting a Welcome Back Luncheon for Staff on Friday, September 27, 2013 and would like help from our parents!
Please volunteer by clicking on the following link to the Merci Community sign up sheet. Look for the tab on the bottom marked Sept 27.
Please contact Monica Macha, Merci Program Chair, via email with any questions or to help!
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COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES GOOGLE DOC
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You have heard or read the phrase, "Sign up on the Community Opportunities Sheet" or "Sign up on the Google doc," and wondered, "What are they talking about?"
Well...a few years ago, we wanted to create a single place for parents to find Volunteer Opportunities at the school. The easiest mechanism was using a shared Google document! The benefits are that we can tailor every event or project on the document and parents can look and sign up to help at any time of the day, wherever they happen to be.
Using our Community Opportunities Sign Up Sheet has reduced emails and helped our event organizers immensely.
Check them out by clicking on the blue underlined links above!
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 In the past three weeks, Director of Outdoor Education, Ben Brock, has organized rafting, cabin camping, and backpacking trips for 325 students! All have proceeded without a hitch and the positive impact of the shared experiences continues to improve our kids' classroom experiences.
Ben has carefully crafted our Outdoor Program, starting with challenges appropriate for our Preschool students all the way through High School.
Please watch this short video in which Ben explains our Outdoor Education program. Share the link with a friend!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PPs9qd1dII
Thank you to Beth Madland from putting this video together all the way from Minot, North Dakota!
Outdoor Education is one of our school's Five Pillars that also include Academic Excellence, Community and Service, Leadership by Example and International Understanding.
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CHILD CARE DURING TEACHER IN-SERVICE AND CONFERENCES
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Riverstone will be closed on Thursday and Friday, October 3 & 4 for a teacher in-service. We will be offering childcare for $30/day per child.
We will also be offering childcare during Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday and Friday, October 17 & 18. We will be offering one complimentary hour of child care during your conferences; full day childcare will also be available for $30/day per day.
Contact Director of Elementary Education, James Hamilton-Vail, to ensure a spot for your child or if you have questions. |
 Congratulations to our JV and Varsity Volleyball teams who won their match against Ambrose earlier this week! JV won in three games (21-25, 25-22, 15-7) and Varsity took home the win in four games (25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23). Both teams played really well. They came out with a lot of energy and were determined to take their first conference victory! Ellery C (Gr 12) led with 14 kills, Emily D (Gr 11) had 10 digs, and Carly L (Gr 10) added 7 service aces.
Please view the school calendar for game times.
Thank you to PE teacher and Coach, Demi Dlouhy, for leading the Otters! |
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The Middle School Volleyball team is steadily improving, with their best performance coming during today's game against Victory! Thanks to coach Jessica Davidson-Almuveder, our Middle School Spanish teacher, for working with the team this season!
Photos of today's game will be posted on the school blog and Facebook soon!
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Who better to explain what they are doing in a classroom than our students? To that point, we are introducing quick video snippets geared to give you a taste of what our students experience in their daily activities at school.
This week, we have two Grade 3 students explaining what they have been doing in music class.
These are not scripted but quick impromptu explanations. You'll be impressed with how well our students can articulate what they are learning and why!
Please take 45 seconds to watch this super short video. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6U1G56UwC4 |
 Our Riverstone co-ed soccer team came out strong for their second game of the season on Saturday morning, beating the Ada Valley Renegades 3-0! The game quickly proved to be a little tougher than the Otters had faced the weekend before, in which they slid by easily with a 10-0 win.
Almost the whole first half of the game against the Renegades remained scoreless, until Berkly M (Gr 10) won the ball on the left hand side of the field, powered through three or four opponents and slotted the ball into the lower left hand corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. The Otters used half time to pump each other up and to develop a defensive strategy for the remaining 45 minutes of the game. About midway through the second half, midfielder Alex P (Gr 12) rocketed the ball into the upper V from about 25 yards away, resembling a goal seen in the English Premier League! Although the score was 2-0, the Renegades kept creating opportunities on the other side of the field, keeping the otter's goalie Bayard B (Gr 12) on his toes. Bayard proved to be an aggressive part of the defense, stepping out of his box multiple times to catch shots and corner kicks.
Finally, in the last ten minutes of the game, forward Michael B (Gr 9) received the ball up top and slipped it behind the defense for midfielder Drew K (Gr 12) to run onto. Once Drew was behind the defense with the ball at his right foot, there was no stopping him. Drew drove the ball into the lower corner, sealing the game with a 3-0 lead. The most noteworthy fact of Saturday's game was that the Otters utilized each and every player on the team to come out on top. Every player who came into the game off of the bench made an impact and showed an enormous amount of effort. It was clear Riverstone came to the field seeking a W, and that's exactly what they got.
The game schedule is on the school calendar. Come to the game and cheer on the Otters!
Thanks to coach Katie Stauffer for the great game reporting and coaching! |
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FACEBOOK PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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The Facebook photo of the week was taken during the Varsity game between Riverstone and Liberty.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Riverstone-International-School/585822794765761?ref=hl
Follow the great things happening (or about to happen) at Riverstone!
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