Riverstone International School Newsletter
October 3, 2013
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 Hi All, This is just a short note during these two staff in-service days. While my note may feel a little repetitive, it underscores why we believe that we are becoming the best school available for Preschool through High School students. Part of our in-service time will be spent preparing for our final reauthorization visit in November from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme. This will be our third review from an external organization in 18 months. In addition to our reviews by the IB Primary Years Programme and the Northwest Association of Independent Schools last year, we previously were reviewed by the International Baccaluareate Diploma Programme team. Each of these reviews requires a great deal of commitment, collaboration, and documentation of our curriculum and programs prior to the visits, as well as interviews and observations during the visits. We throw open the doors and the teams leave no stone unturned. Please, thank our staff members for all of the hard work that they have done to ensure that our school is recognized and validated. Again and again, these external organizations provide the stamp of approval to parents, students, and staff that we are what we say we are and we do what we say we do. Our students, because of the selfless work and commitment of our entire community, receive a unique and special education based upon our Five Pillars. Riverstone is a place that the community, colleges, and universities know delivers on its promise. Our aim is being the best and that is the standard we are holding ourselves to. Call for anything,  Bob Carignan Head of School bcarignan@riverstoneschool.org |
 School is closed on Thursday and Friday, October 3 and 4 for staff in-service days.
The two day schedule includes collaborative work within divisions and departments, as well as mindfulness training.
Enjoy your four-day weekend! |
Riverstone will be organizing three brown bag lunch discussions for parents. Our first topic will be wellness, which we will schedule following your feedback. We are looking for your suggestions for future topics as well.
Please respond to a short survey to help us determine which times and days of the week would generally work with your schedule.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BrownBagLunch201
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SIGN UP FOR PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
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 Parents are encouraged to attend Parent-Teacher Conferences that will be held Thursday and Friday, October 17 & 18.
Link to the Elementary School Conference Sign Up Sheet here.
Link to the Middle & High School Conference Sign Up Sheet here.
Our Middle and High Schools students will be joining forces in their advisory groups to go out into the Boise community on Thursday, October 17 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Details are forthcoming.
We will be offering one complimentary hour of child care during conferences on Thursday and Friday, October 17 & 18; 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.
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GR 6-12 SERVICE PROJECTS ON THURSDAY, OCT 17
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New this year...
Students in Grades 6-12 will participate in various Community Service Projects on the morning of October 17 during Parent Teacher Conferences.
Students will work together to better our local organizations and community.
Please plan to have your student here by 8:20 AM for some hot chocolate before heading out to the organizations or locations that we are helping. We will have them back to school by noon that day.
Riverstone's bus route will run its normal schedule on the morning of the 17th to accommodate students that use the service.
Please contact Tarrah Elam, Student Life Coordinator, if you have any questions or concerns regarding participation for your student. |
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PARENTS' ASSOCIATION MEETING
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 All parents are encouraged to attend the next Parents' Association meeting to learn more about what the PA is up to and how you can be involved.
Contact Michelle Nenov, PA President, with any questions!
Parents' Association Meeting
Tuesday, October 8
8:35 AM
Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room
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 Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes for you to choose from are coming soon! While you are picking your favorite pumpkin to take home, enjoy pumpkin treats and pumpkin games!
This is a great time to purchase your fall decorations and organic edible pumpkins, as well as purchase yummy baked goods and treats for your family. All proceeds benefit the Parents' Association.
- Donate to the Bake Sale
- Work a shift at the Pumpkin Patch or the Bake Sale.
Thank you to all Grade 3 students and Mr. Jay for making wonderful advertising posters, which include elements of graphic design and are displayed in the Atrium!
Pumpkin Patch Thursday & Friday, October 10 & 11
8:00 - 8:45 AM 3:15 - 4:00 PM Elementary School atrium Bale Sale Friday, October 11 3:15 - 4:00 PM Elementary School |
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MYP ASSESSMENT PARENT COFFEE
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 Join us at a parent coffee, Middle Years Programme Student Assessment, on Thursday, October 10.
Andy Johnson, Dean of Faculty of the Secondary School, will share- How our Grades 6-10 students receive informal and formal feedback from teachers,
- How that feedback translates to grades on report card
- How the MYP is different than traditional classes
This is great preparation before your Parent Teacher Conferences. Please contact Andy Johnson with questions. Middle Years Programme Student Assessment Parent Coffee Thursday, October 10 8:30 AM Middle School |
 Friday, October 11 is our first Middle School Dance! Students in Grades 6 - 9 are invited to join us for the HoeDown - ShowDown!
Come dressed to compete. Overalls, cowboy hats and boots along with a flannel and suspenders is sure to put you in the running for a best dressed prize. First place winners for male and female will each receive an iTunes gift card.
Student Council will be selling tickets in homeroom starting Monday October 7. Cost is $3 before and $5 at the door!
Middle School Dance HoeDown - ShowDown Friday, October 11 Kennedy Gymnasium 6:00 - 9:00 PM |
 Students in Grades 9-11 will be taking the PSATs on Wednesday, October 16. Please be sure that your child is rested and has a healthy breakfast that morning. The tests will be taken all morning.
PSAT for Grades 9-11
Wednesday, October 16
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TUTORING AVAILABLE AFTER SCHOOL
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As we get closer to the end of our first quarter, we wanted to remind you of various services offered by Riverstone to support your student academically.
After school help for all students Grades 6 - 12 is offered in English and Math two days each week. - English tutoring and extra support is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:20 to 4:30 PM in the Middle School building with teacher Hayden Jared and High School student volunteers.
- Math tutoring and extra support is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:05 to 4:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the High School building with teacher Alex McKinley and High School student volunteers.
Faculty members are available across all subjects during their specified after school office hours. We are committed to helping your student, so please encourage them to take advantage of the extra one on one time with their teachers and student volunteers.
If you have any questions please contact Tarrah Elam, Student Life Coordinator. |
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ANNUAL AUCTION: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
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 With the school year in full swing, the annual Riverstone Auction will be upon us in just a few months. The auction is one of our community's largest events; raising money, creating stunning and fun-filled art, and upping the fun factor as we spend an evening together!
Mark your calendars for March 1, 2014 and get ready to have some fun!
We are looking for committee members to bring this auction to life!
Contact co-chairs Amy Bava and Mary Jane Murphy if you are interested in helping or if you have any questions or suggestions.
Riverstone Annual Auction
A Rock 'n Rollin' Evening
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Boise Centre
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CLASS FUNDS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
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The Parents' Association kindly requests that families contribute to a class/grade fund for each child.
Class funds are used throughout the year for class parties (approx. $25 per party), teacher gifts, Merci lunches, etc. A single donation for each child helps make life a little easier for all by eliminating the constant request for class funds throughout the year, the need for parents to purchase individual gifts for staff, and helps the parents who are coordinating class parties know what funds they have available to work with from the get go.
The suggested donation per child is $50, however any amount is welcome.
Download a Class Contribution form here.
Please return the form, along with a check made payable to Riverstone PA, to Lisa Armstrong at the Elementary School front desk or Robyn Olnes at the Middle School front desk. You can also include your child's full name, grade, and teacher in the memo section on your check and submit it without a form. This way we can assure it gets placed with the correct class funds. Thank you!
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After School Activities are off to a GREAT start. Thank you to all the parents who have enrolled their kids and special thanks to the great kids who are taking part in the activities!
In addition to the students having new opportunities to explore new interests, our Outdoor Education and Athletic Student Leadership members have also had a chance to participate in the fun while learning what it is like to be a mentor and coach.
We will be publishing the activities for Session 2 of the Elementary School Activities on October 14. Session 2 will be run from November 4 - December 13.
Watch for the sign up sheet for Session 2! Photos below are from the Mountain Biking Club and Kids' Soccer.
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 Thank you to the Merci Committee and parents who treated the staff to our first Merci lunch of the school year last Friday!
As always, the delicious food and opportunity to relax with other staff members was a gift.
We appreciate your thoughtfulness! |
 Riverstone High School Varsity Volleyball team won in three games against Rimrock with scores of 25-21, 25-15, and 25-14. A home game victory!!
Ellery C (Gr 12) had 9 kills, Natalie P (Gr 10) had 10 digs, Emily D (Gr 11) had 8 serving aces. The Otters record is now 3-9.
Come to Senior Night on Tuesday, October 8 at Kennedy Gymnasium to honor our seniors as they play their final home game for Riverstone. See the school calendar for more info.
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 High School Basketball Coaches Ian Rumpp and Eric Chapman will be hosting open gym sessions for Middle & High School athletes to get some extra practice before basketball season starts. NO FEE!
The next session is Saturday, October 5 and they will continue every Saturday through October 19.
Girls will play from 10:00-11:30 AM. Boys will play from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM.
Attending open gyms is not mandatory for playing on a school team. Please contact Girls Coach Ian Rumpp at ian.rumpp@gmail.com and Boys Coach Eric Chapman at echappy@aol.com with questions!
Open Gym Sessions for Basketball October 5 through October 19 Every Saturday Kennedy Gymnasium See above times |
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PLASTIC POLLUTION COLLECTING LIDS
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Our Grade 8 students are continuing their efforts to raise awareness of plastic pollution and need your help collecting clean plastic lids! They will be creatively re-using the lids at a later time in their project (but that's a surprise).
Bring your clean yogurt lids, peanut butter lids or any other plastic lid that is between 1" and 5" in diameter. Leave them in the collection boxes at the Elementary School and Middle School front desks until Tuesday, October 8.
If you would like to learn more about the Grade 8 service project, ask a Grade 8 student or teacher Eleri Roberts.
Community and Service is one of our Five Pillars.
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 This week's OtterCam entry was done by the Kindergarten Class and Ms. Pierie to celebrate the end of their Unit of Inquiry that had to do with "Who We Are."
Please watch this adorable video, The Best Part of Me, on Riverstone's youtube channel at at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwwv_pWEGbg |
 From Susan Tabb, our Librarian, and all the students who enjoy the library throughout the school year, a giant thank you to:
- Amy Duque and daughter for helping cover books and shelve
- Melinda Rose, Michelle Nenov and daughter, Nimi Sandhu, Laura Delaney and daughter, and Amy Bava, for arranging books
- Paul Slater and family for painting Playground Map
- Tamar Milstein for helping with book leveling
- Gretchen Bates for her donation of new and current books to the Middle School and High School
- All our volunteers who help in big and small ways
The Library could not exist without your enormous help and support!
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 The Otters had two grueling games this past Saturday at Simplot's Sports Complex. In the morning they faced the Swag Hounds, who haven't lost a game yet this season. The Swag Hounds proved to be a tough opponent early on, but both teams fought for the ball back and forth. The Otters played tough considering they were missing a few key players due to injuries and other mishaps. They came together and talked about how it wouldn't do any good to dwell on the loss, but to find some things they could improve on as a team and be ready for the second game of the day. The Otters faced the Ada Valley Renegades for the second time this season (whom they beat 3-0 the first time they met). The Renegades came out fast and hard against the Otters, proving to be seeking revenge. However, every Otter made an impact in the game, many trying out new positions. Michael courageously stepped in for keeper, Bayard B (Gr 12), after he was brutally cleated in the leg while attempting to make a save. The Renegades succeeded in scoring after Bayard was injured, but the referee called back the goal, claiming they had fouled the keeper. The Otters just had five minutes left in the game to hold back the Renegades. Finally the final whistle blew, and the Otters celebrated their intense 1-0 win over the Renegades. The Otters have a break from games this weekend, but will play the Wolves on Saturday, October 12 at 10:45 AM.
The game schedule is on the school calendar. Come on out!
Thanks to coach Katie Stauffer for the great game reporting and coaching! |
 If you did not turn in your October lunch form, you may do so at any time but your child's start date will be delayed.
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Turn form in by
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Start lunch on
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Monday, Oct 7
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Monday, Oct 14
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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. |
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FACEBOOK PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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The Facebook photo of the week was taken during the Grade 3 open house on Thursday. Thanks to all of our parents who joined us!
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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