Riverstone International School Newsletter
March 20, 2014
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 Hi All,
I just wanted to reflect on our Community and Service Pillar. Community and Service has always been a core value at Riverstone, and over the years, has continued to flourish and to inspire our students.
When you receive this newsletter, we will have just completed our second Riverstone Middle and High School Day of Service, the first of which was last October. In just two days, Riverstone students contributed over 1,000 volunteer hours to non-profit community organizations!
I am very proud of the can-do spirit that our student advisory teams embody when they go into our community for these days of service. The organizations that we worked with were extremely grateful and complimentary about our students. Whether the kids were painting, moving wheelbarrows with bark, pulling weeds, or doing outside spring cleaning, they did so with enthusiasm. Thank you to Tarrah Elam, our Student Life Coordinator, for bringing this new program to life and extending what so many of our students are already doing to make Boise a better place.
Days like today, and the service that is done from preschool through high school, is a true reflection of who we are. You can see it in the seniors' completed Creativity, Action, and Service projects that I wrote about last week; in many of the Personal Projects that our Grade 10 students are completing; in the grade level projects that are going on all the time in Elementary and Middle School; and in the wonderful example of parent involvement during Rake-Up-Boise, our two days of service, and daily volunteering at the school.
Bayard B (Gr 12), interviewed by KTVB.com today while working at Fort Boise Park, gave the reporter some insight into what Riverstone stands for: "What Riverstone is all about, I think, is preparing kids for their future beyond high school, and getting kids ready for college, where you're part of the community and part of the bigger community every single day."
I hope you all have a safe and restful spring break!
Call for anything,
Bob Carignan
Head of School
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 Spring break dates!
Spring Break: Saturday, March 22 - Sunday, April 6
Teacher & Staff Inservice: Monday, April 7
Classes resume for students: Tuesday, April 8
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APRIL LUNCH FORMS DUE FRI, MAR 21
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 Create Common Good, Riverstone's healthy lunch provider, has put together a new menu for April. Check it out!
Please return completed lunch forms to the Elementary or Middle School front desks by Friday, March 21.
Download an Elementary School lunch form here.
Download a Middle & High School lunch form here. |
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REGISTER FOR SUMMER ACTIVITIES
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Sign up now for Riverstone summer activities and camps!
Elementary Activities include ceramics, plein air painting, cooking, Spanish language learning, cycling, science, math skills strengthening, Camp Invention® and more!
Middle & High School Activities include creative writing courses, agility training, SAT Prep with Hunting Learning Center and art and more! Riverstone camps and activities are open to families and friends. Invite your neighbors or kids' friends to join us! We hope to have online registration within the next week. In the meantime, please feel free to pick up extra copies of the forms at the Elementary & Middle School front desks and return your registration in person! |
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REGISTER NOW FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES SESSION FOUR
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New activities available for Session Four for both Elementary School and Middle & High School! Check out all the great options here!
Registration is open for all activities until classes are full. Please return your completed forms to the Elementary and Middle School front desks.
Please contact Tarrah Elam, Student Life Coordinator, with questions. |
 The Parents' Association will be holding their next monthly meeting on Thursday, April 10. All parents are invited!
Be sure to mark your calendars for Meet the Seniors on Tuesday, April 15 at 8:45 AM in the Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room. Hosted by the PA, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet our our graduates and hear how their experience at Riverstone impacted them.
If you would like to learn more about the PA, please contact PA President Michelle Nenov via email.
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SPRING BREAK PHOTO CONTEST
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 Traveling to someplace scenic for spring break? Staying closer to home but looking for an excuse to get outside? Grab a camera!
The Elementary School Outdoor Education leaders from Student Council would like to encourage you to get outside and enjoy all that the outdoors has to offer. They are organizing a Riverstone Spring Break Photo Contest. Here's the scoop:
Photo Contest Guidelines
- Photos must be taking during spring break by the person entering the contest
- One photo per category per person
- Email your entries to Ben Brock, Director of Outdoor Education, by Friday, April 11 (bbrock@riverstoneschool.org)
Categories Include
- Birds
- Wildlife
- Scenery
- People
- Black & White (can be in any of the categories)
Contact Ben Brock, Director of Outdoor Education, or an Elementary School Student Council rep with questions. |
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BIRDING BIG BREAK CONTEST
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 Bird with a friend! Bird in your backyard! Bird by the river! No matter how you do it, give birding a try this spring break!
Join in Riverstone's 3rd Annual Big Break Birding "Competition" that really is just about fun. Keep a list of the birds that you identify over spring break and submit the list to Ben Brock by Friday, April 11.
Raffle tickets will be given for every list submitted, the longest list, oldest birder, every bird not on someone else's list, and best bird photograph! Everyone has a chance to win!
Feel free to contact Ben Brock, Ms. Fitz, or Kim Liebich, our resident birding experts for tips on getting started! |
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Congratulations to our High School Academic Decathlon team for their recent success at the Idaho state competition! Academic Decathlon is a ten event, multi-disciplinary scholastic competition. Alex Ide, Director of Secondary Education, coached the team.
Congratulations to the following students:
Sam L (Gr 11) Silver medal (Science)
Marie H (Gr 11) Silver medal (Science), Bronze medals (Art and Economics)
Mackenzie R (Gr 11) Gold medal (Art), Silver medals (Social Science and Speech), Bronze medal (Math) Emily D (Gr 11) Bronze medal (Math) Susannah H (Gr 11) Silver medals (Science and Art), Bronze medal (Interview) **Gold medal (Overall 10 event individual award, $300 scholarship)** 
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VOLLEYBALL CAMP FOR GRADES 5-8
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 Girls in Grades 5-8 are invited to a three-day volleyball camp being held April 8-10 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM hosted by Riverstone's Volleyball coach and High School Volleyball players.
Attendees will learn basic volleyball skills and fundamentals such as passing, setting, serving, and more through drills, 6v6 games, and conditioning. Download a flyer here.
Riverstone's head volleyball coach, Demi Dlouhy, and Riverstone High School Volleyball players will lead the camp.
Contact Tarrah Elam, Student Life Coordinator, to sign up. Contact Demi Dlouhy, Athletic Director, with questions.
Volleyball Camp for Girls in Grades 5-8
April 8-10
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Kennedy Gymnasium
Cost $60/player
**SIGN UP NOW**
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SPRING BREAK MEANS THAT SPRING TRIPS ARE NEARLY HERE
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 Please refer to the school calendar and make sure that you have the dates for 2014 Spring Trips listed in your personal calendar!
Kindergarten: Montour Wildlife Refuge Gd 1: Given's Hot Springs Gd 2: Hagerman Gd 3: Horsethief Gd 8: Hell's Canyon Gd 9: Grand Gulch Gd 10: Sheep Creek
Information Letters and Equipment Lists will be circulated and posted soon!
For the most part, non-cotton clothing that sufficed for Winter Activities will work great on Spring Trips as well, but make sure that base layers, fleece insulation and rain gear still fit. Students in Grades 8, 9 and 10 should take advantage of Spring Break to break in new hiking boots which, come May, will need to cover up to 30 miles of trails, blister-free! Contact Ben Brock, Director of Outdoor Education, with questions about Spring Trips. |
 An update from High School Soccer Coach Casey:
The 2014 Spring for Riverstone's High School soccer team is off to a stunning start!
With the team having only a few seniors, younger players have stepped up and taken a leadership role on the team. The team is filled with young talent, eager and ready to take on the spring season.
The first game came with a tough, but close loss. Going into game 2, the Otters did not let this influence or alter their mindset. They arrived at the game ready to win, which showed with a 3-1 outcome.
This season is looking bright and as a team they are ready to tackle their next competition on April 5. Please check the school calendar for games.Go Otters! |
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REMINDER FOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES NOMINATIONS
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 Each year, the Riverstone Board of Trustees elects generally from two to four new members to replace trustees whose terms are expiring. New trustees typically assume their office immediately following the Board's annual meeting in May of each year and serve one or two consecutive terms of three years each. The Board welcomes suggestions from the Riverstone community for individuals who might make a positive contribution to the Board for a term commencing in May 2014. The Board is particularly interested in candidates with experiences and skills that will enable it discharge those responsibilities most effectively, in particular at this time individuals with finance, marketing, facilities/operations and development expertise. We are interested in hearing from you if you believe you are an appropriate candidate or know of someone else who might be, regardless whether they are presently a member of the Riverstone community. Applicants should submit a brief summary of their qualifications (preferably no more than a page in length) by April 9, 2014 to the attention of Board Nominations at the Elementary School front desk. Contact Michael Bergmann with any questions. The Board will then reach out for further discussions with applicants who it believes are an appropriate fit for the Board at this time. Thank you! |
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HOST AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IN 2014-2015
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 Many of our families have hosted several students over the years and continue their friendships long after the student has returned home or gone to college. Whether your kids are younger or older, everyone benefits from learning together about each other's cultures.
Please consider including the following student as part of your family next year!
Tianrun L - a student from China entering Grade 10 this fall Tianrun (or Sky, as he prefers to be known) lives in Xi'an, China and is keen to come to America to study. He knows about Riverstone through his family, who live in Idaho Falls. Sky's English level is high, and he currently attends a school that offers the AP curriculum. He cites his favorite subjects as physics and math. He loves to play badminton, soccer and chess, and likes all kinds of music. When asked what he thought would be a great way to integrate with a new host family, he said he would like to learn how to cook American food and would enjoy helping out in the kitchen to share Chinese cuisine. He is eager to learn to ski and to participate in the school's outdoor program. Camping sounds like a great new adventure to him. Sky's teachers indicate that he is a very hard worker, is honest, reliable, and charming.
Hugo S - a student from France in Grade 11 this fall
Hugo is a 16 year old male from a western coastal town in France, who has chosen Reiverstone for his year abroad. Hugo comes to us from ASSE, a company with whom we have worked for many years. Hugo enjoys tennis, skiing, running and sailing, and also video games and art history. Ultimately, Hugo hopes to have a career in design and is fond of drawing, painting and design. Hugo has 3 siblings and several step-siblings. He says that he would like to see the American's way of life and to perfect his English to become completely fluent, although his English proficiency is already quite high.
Please contact Rachel Pusch, Director of Admissions and Institutional Advancement, or Jane Kaserman, our ELL teacher and International Student Coordinator, for more information! |
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SPIRIT WEEK & FLASHMOB AT RIVERSTONE
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Thank you to the Elementary School Leadership by Example leaders from the Student Council who organized a fun-filled spirit week!
More photos from Wacky Wednesday on the school Facebook page!
On Wednesday, our Gr 3 students made Wednesday even wackier by surprising the lunchroom with a flashmob performance of "Best Class Ever!" Watch their performance here on the school Youtube channel.
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 Just a reminder that our new trees that were planted with last year's Fund A Need proceeds are still establishing roots and getting settled into their new homes. Unfortunately, we have had some accidental damage recently.
Please be good stewards of these new trees and remind kids to be careful when playing around them. Thank you!
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 Looking ahead to summer...the school will be closed from Wednesday, July 2 - Wednesday, July 9. Otherwise, we will be around to answer questions, prepare for the upcoming school year, and continue to recruit new families!
Summer hours for administrative staff will be 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. |
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FORMS, SCHEDULES, AND INFO AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
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 Just a reminder...
Lunch and activity forms, as well as outdoor education equipment lists, are available on the school website.
Review the school calendar to identify dates for winter outdoor education activities, athletics, Spring Break, graduation, etc.
If you are a Middle or High School parent, please remember to check Managebac for information on your child's progress, assignments, messages from teachers, and more.
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FACEBOOK PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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The Facebook photo of the week featured our Preschool class who proudly presented their unit of inquiry, How We Express Ourselves, to the rest of the Elementary School at the assembly on Wednesday.
Link to our school Facebook page here.
Follow the great things happening (or about to happen) at Riverstone!
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Just a few photos from our projects at Create Common Good, Head Start, and Boise Parks and Recreation! More photos, including those from other locations, will be posted on the school Facebook page soon!
    
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