Riverstone International School Newsletter
September 11, 2014
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 Dear Riverstone Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to welcome you to the 2014-15 school year. For those of you who I have not yet met, my son, Matthew graduated with the Class of 2011. I served as Chairman of the Board many years ago when the school was in its early stages. I am honored to be returning to the role. It is clear to me that in addition to the school maturing in many wonderful ways, our community's commitment to our students' success is as strong as ever.
The Board of Trustees has two primary roles: to provide guidance to the Head of School and to act upon its fiduciary responsibility to ensure the school's long-term sustainability. Please note that we are not an appellate board. Each fall, we welcome new members to the Board and prioritize our goals. This October, Bob Carignan will formally introduce the 2014-19 Strategic Plan that will set the school's direction for the next five years.
As I assume my new role, I would like to thank Kurt Liebich for his six years of service as Board Chair. His leadership has been invaluable, and we are fortunate that Kurt has agreed to remain on the Board as a Trustee. I would also like to thank Michael Bergmann, Mickey Myhre, and Peter Wachtell who completed their terms as Trustees, and Jennifer Dye who has relocated to Florida.
We welcome four new Trustees, including Juan Carlos Duque, Suzanne Long, John Perl, and Scott Peterson. Juan Carlos Duque has over 20 years of experience in private equity investments throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Latin America.
Suzanne Long is the Director of Corporate Initiatives with Albertsons LLC, a Boise-based food and drug retailer. John Perl II, MD is currently a partner at Boise Radiology Group. Scott Peterson is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley & Co. All four have strong ties to Riverstone while bringing a wealth of experience to enhance our Board as a whole.
Our Board of Trustees also includes Mort Hardwick (Vice Chairman), Mark Liebich (Vice-Chairman & Secretary), Jeff Russell (Treasurer), Brian Bava, Tory Goltry, Kurt Liebich, Teresa Poppen, Ben Schwartzman, and Nicole Toeldte. Please take a few moments and visit the school website to read the biographies of our Trustees.
I look forward to sharing more about the Board of Trustees in future newsletters. Until then, thank you for being part of our Riverstone community.
Jerry Sturgill
Chairman, Board of Trustees
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WARM SPRINGS ROAD CLOSURES
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For more information about the Warm Springs City Sewar Project, scheduled work, and associated detours and road closures, visit the ACHD website here.
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MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
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Middle and High School parents are encouraged to attend Back to School Night!
Middle & High School Back to School Night for Parents: Wednesday, Sept 17 at 6:30 PM
**Meet in the Elementary School atrium; please arrive for a prompt 6:30 PM start**
If you have any questions, please contact either Alex Ide in the Middle School or Andy Johnson in the High School. |
 Students in Gr 9-12 are invited to Movie Night on the Lawn!
On Friday, September 19, we will be showing Idaho's favorite movie, Napolean Dynamite, on the Elementary School wall. We know this sounds totally cool and everyone will want to attend but please remember that this is a Gr 9-12 student event only!
Gr 9-12 Movie Night on the Lawn: Friday, September 19 at 8:00 PM at Riverstone
If you have questions, please contact Tarrah Elam, Student Life Coordinator. |
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PARENTS' ASSOCIATION & NEW PA HANDBOOK
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Wow! What an amazing way to kick off a new school year!! Thank you to all the parents who attended the first Parents' Association meeting this morning! Signs point to a fabulous year!
One of the big projects that the PA leadership has been working on is creating a Parents' Association Handbook. The idea is to make it easier for parents to understand how the PA works, what the responsibilities are for different roles, what the activities are that the PA organizes, and how parents can get involved. It is a living document so will be updated as the year progresses. It's a wonderful documentation of all that is the PA! Please link to the Parents' Association Handbook here.
Thank you to Natalie Geffros for joining the PA Board as Vice President!
Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make last week's Ice Cream Social a blast, including Ellen Jordan, Julie and Wren Worthington, Kim Fall, Sumiko Gomi, Yukina Fukushima, and Heather Webster. Special thanks to Ethan T (Gr 10) for sporting the Otter costume! Photos on the Riverstone blog! The next PA meeting will be Thursday, October 9. Join us!
If you are interested in learning more about the Parents' Association, contact Michelle Nenov, PA President, with questions or click here to visit the PA page on our website. |
 The Fall Carnival Committee will be meeting weekly and would love your help! No experience required! Enthusiasm welcome!
Fall Carnival planning meetings will be held at 8:45 AM in the Library on the following dates:
- Thursday Sept 18
- Thursday Sept 25
- Tuesday Sept 30
- Thursday October 9
If you'd like to get a jump on signing up to contribute baked goods for the cake walk, help set up/cleanup, or help during the carnival, check out our Community Opportunities Sheet here.
Please invite your family and friends to Riverstone's favorite family event. Games, food, and camaraderie for all ages!
Fall Carnival: Friday, October 10 from 5:00-8:00ish PM outside of the Kennedy Gymnasium
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 Merci lunches are a longstanding tradition at Riverstone where families express their gratitude to the staff through the gift of food. Families, organized by grade, provide a themed potluck lunch to their Division's staff, i.e., Preschool - Grade 5 provide lunch for the Elementary Staff (30 people) and Grades 6 -12 provide lunch for the Secondary Staff (35 people). The two lunches occur on the same date. Each grade typically hosts one to two lunches per year.
The full Merci calendar is available on the Community Opportunity Sign Up Sheet so you can look ahead and see when it is your grades' turn to provide lunch. Potluck theme ideas will be offered, but creativity is always welcome and encouraged!
Room parents will notify their grades' families through email. Families can sign up on our google doc to contribute. If possible, try to involve the students by making a fun sign, thank you notes, etc. Be creative!
The Holiday Merci lunch is an All Staff luncheon, and families in all grades are invited to contribute.
The Merci Coordinator organizes two meals and three snacks for the entire staff throughout the year. The first is a School Year Kick Off Luncheon held during staff preparation week before the first day of school. The other meal is at the culmination of Staff Appreciation Week, the first week in May, and is held at an off-site location. For the Teacher In-Service Days, the Merci Coordinator will organize snacks to be brought in for the staff. Sign ups for the In-Service Days' Snacks can also be found on the Merci Calendar.
Please contact Heather Webster, Merci Coordinator, if you have questions or would like to assist with the Merci Committee.
Suggested Merci Lunch Themes:
- Let's Tailgate! (Football tailgate food; think sliders, chips & dip, etc)
- It's a Small World (International potluck with specials from around the world)
- Mexican Fiesta
- Breakfast for Lunch
- Southern BBQ (Cornbread, baked beans, ribs/pulled pork, etc)
- Finger Foods
- Pasta Bar
- Our Favorites-selection of your grade's families' favorite dishes
- "Soup"er Lunch (Selection of delicious soups)
- Salad-Themed Potluck (All different types of salads)
- Baked Potato Bar with all the Fixings
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 The Riverstone High School Girls Volleyball Varsity team defeated Victory Charter School in a high intensity five set match last Thursday night. Congrats to Carly L (Gr 11) for 8 serving aces, Emily D (Gr 12) for 10 kills and Kennedy B (Gr 10) who capitalized with 4 solo blocks. Tonight the Otters face Liberty Charter School. The High School team is being coached by Riverstone's Elementary School PE teacher and Athletic Director, Demi Dlouhy. Demi played collegiate volleyball at Montana State University and Lewis-Clark State College. Thanks to Demi's outstanding coaching, the Riverstone volleyball team is becoming a force to be reckoned with! Upcoming volleyball games include:
Mon Sept 15 Middle School Girls Volleyball @ home vs. Rolling Hill at 4:00PM
Tues Sept 16 High School Girls Volleyball @ Wilder High School at 6:00 PM
Thurs Sept 18 Middle School Girls Volleyball @ home vs. Ambrose School at 4:00PM
Thurs Sept 18 High School Girls Volleyball vs Ambrose School at 6:00PM
Please come out to any Riverstone athletic event and cheer on our athletes! They love your support. Go Otters! We will highlight the Middle School Volleyball team next week!
If you have any questions, contact Demi Dlouhy, Athletic Director. |
 Riverstone's High School Soccer team started off their season strong with two wins this past Saturday over the Capital/Eagle and Meridian teams. The team competes in the Idaho Rush Select Division. As a nod to their international contingency, the team is called the Riverstone School Fútbol Club.
Check out photos from the games on the Riverstone Facebook page.
RSFC Games: Saturday, September 13 at 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM at the Simplot Fields. Both games on Field #15.
Come cheer on the team! Go RSFC!
RSFC is coached by Raymond Adjanohoun who was born in Benin, a small French colony located in West Africa where he played professional soccer. He moved to Boise more than a decade ago and holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics from Boise State University. He currently works at Syringa Networks and has many years of coaching experience. Raymond wrote, "I always have had a huge passion for soccer and knowing that I am getting old for a professional career in soccer, I believe that I can help children to learn from my experiences and skill." So far, the team is flourishing under Raymond's coaching! Thank you Coach Raymond! Special thanks to Nimi Sandhu, team mom, for keeping everyone organized! |
 Our school community had a busy summer reading some great books!
If you haven't yet done so, please turn in your log sheets or enter your information on the online community reading log. We are creating a giant bookworm from links for each book that was read and don't want to miss a single link.
The question is...will the bookworm have enough links to stretch all the way around the gym?
Thanks for participating!
Dewey the Bookworm and Mrs Tabb our Librarian
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 Music teacher, Damon Brown, created teaching videos this summer as a fun way for students to learn musical concepts outside of class. Students can watch the videos to prepare for class discussion, review content from class, or add more advanced techniques to their music.
Damon is currently planning a series on chords and chord analysis. According to Damon, the videos have saved hours of class time already and have allowed much better discussion and practice on each topic during our precious in-class time.
Link to Riverstone's YouTube channel and view Damon's videos here. |
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MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL DAY OF SERVICE
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 Parents of Middle and High School students in Gr 6-12:
Please remember to mark your calendars for Thursday, October 16 for the Middle & High School Day of Service. Students are expected to be at school and volunteering with their Advisory Groups at local non-profits from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM.
Middle & High School Day of Service: Thursday, October 16 from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
This is a special way that Riverstone students give back to our local community and show our commitment to Community & Service, one of our Five Pillars. If you have questions, please contact Tarrah Elam, Student Life Coordinator.
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FACEBOOK PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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This week's Facebook photo of the week features Andy Johnson, our High School Director...ManageBac Man!
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