Riverstone International School
May 21, 2015
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 Hi All,
After the excitement of our many outdoor adventures last week, we are headed into the final stretch of the school year. I hope to see you at our Graduation next Thursday. It is a truly great Riverstone event in which each senior speaks about their time here and a teacher speaks about the unique, wonderful, and sometimes quirky attributes of each student. It is always evident how well our teachers know the students and how wonderfully they articulate what has made each student special.
I would also like to take a minute and recognize our host families for this school year and Jane Kaserman, our International Student Coordinator.
Under Jane's guidance, our host families bring international students into their homes and make them a part of their family, providing what is often a life changing experience for those students. These host families get to see a different culture first hand and make a connection with a student that can last a lifetime.
Having someone new in their homes for an academic year and taking responsibility for the well being of a student is a commitment that these families take seriously, and every day I see first hand how generous these families are with their time and how kind and caring they are.
Our host families this year are:
Bill, Ktrina, and Emma Cresse
| Marshall and Tabatha Simmonds
| Martha and Joel Daltoso
| Blake and Tammy Slater
| Lancer and Alyson Erwin
| Alison and PJ Steven
| Terry and Kathleen Gilton
| Marcus and Amy Tam
| Toni Himmelman
| Cindy Thornton
| Kurt and Treacy Liebich
| Jeff and Angela Treadwell
| Wendy Marchant
| Hongjie Zeng
| Robyn and Andy Olnes
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So please join me in thanking Jane and all of our host families for making our international program a cornerstone of our community.
Bob Carignan
Head of School
bcarignan@riverstoneschool.org |
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RESERVE YOUR SENIOR DESSERT TICKETS BY FRIDAY
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 Honor the Seniors Dessert will be held Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM at Crane Creek Country Club. This special event is a wonderful way to wish the Class of 2015 well as they prepare for graduation the next day. Tasty desserts, great stories, and a class video are part of the evening's festivities. Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for students (Riverstone, college, etc); and free to the Class of 2015. Cash, check, credit, or billing by Kevin Richmond are all acceptable forms of payment!
Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2015 on Thursday, May 28 at 4:00 PM at Kennedy Gymnasium (all welcome - no tickets needed)
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 It's time for our last two Friday Morning Music Recitals for the school year. We are featuring the Kindergarten and First Grade Violin Program under the direction of Jonelle Darrow.
We begin the recital at 8:00 AM, so bring your coffee and start your day with the sounds of beautiful music. Below is a listing of the performers for these two weeks. It has been wonderful to share our music with our community all year. Contact Laura DeLaney with any questions.
Friday, May 22 at 8:00 AM
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Kindergarten Violins
Jack P (K)
Hadley D (Gr 2)
Kai Y (K)
Caroline W (Gr 2)
Brooks R (K)
Gwen D (Gr 11)
| Friday, May 29 at 8:00 AM
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First Grade Violins
Molly M (Gr 2)
Shoki T (Gr 2)
Lilly S (Gr 2)
Quitterie D (Gr 1)
Salma S (Gr 5)
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 Riverstone International School will be closed on Monday, May 25 in honor of Memorial Day. This holiday is in remembrance of all those who died in the country's armed forces.
Please have a safe and relaxing weekend.
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 As we come to the end of this year, we are still looking for a couple of host families for students who would love to attend Riverstone.
Bringing in students with diverse backgrounds is just one way that we help broaden our students' international understanding. We would love to accept these both of these students, but must have confirmed host families before that is possible.
If you or someone you know is interested in hosting one of these students, please contact Jane Kaserman.
Alejandro is a boy entering Gr 11 from Spain who loves sports, being outside, and going to soccer games. His parents are both teachers and he has one sister. He would like to try American sports like football or baseball. He is looking forward to his year as an exchange student in the United States with a a host family.
Katharina is a girl entering Gr 10 from Germany who enjoys volleyball, being outdoors, and cooking. Her German family is very active and likes to go to ice hockey and basketball games. Katharina speaks German, French, and English. She would like to go rafting and looks forward to experiencing school spirit.
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 Our final Passport Club testing is next Tuesday, May 26! Happy studying!
Thank you to all of our Passport Club volunteers with special thanks to Passport Club Coordinator, Julia Davis.
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 Over eight weeks, 26 Grade 5 students worked in eleven groups studying 10 real-world issues and completed 83(!) unique community-based action steps to positively impact our community.
On Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 PM, you are cordially invited to attend the Riverstone Grade Five Exhibition, the culminating project for the Primary Years Programme (PYP).
Please join us for a celebratory evening as students share their Exhibition inquiries into real-world issues and resulting community-based action. For more information on each project, download this spreadsheet and this action chart.
Please contact Stacey Walker or Trevor Lindsay with questions.
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We need volunteers for this year's Elementary School Field Day which -- thanks to our International Parents Committee -- has an Olympic Games theme!
Field Day will take place on Thursday, June 4 from 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM on the Riverstone Field.
Please contact Demi Dlouhy to volunteer. Thank you!
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3RD ANNUAL RIVERCAMPS ADVENTURE RACE
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 The 3rd Annual Adventure Race Competition returns! Next week, students in Grades 6-12 will have their last two advisory gatherings.
On Tuesday, advisory groups will gather together for a planning session to organize each student into competitor roles in the Adventure Race.
The Adventure Race will take place during the afternoon of Friday, May 29. This unique relay race requires each student to participate in one of five legs: kayaking, orienteering, kite flying, biking, and climbing, as well as two whole group challenges.
This fun competition encourages students to work together, cheer each other on, and builds community. The reigning champs from the 2014 competition are the students in the the Kootenai Advisory Group. Who will take home the Gold in 2015?
Please contact Tarrah Elam with questions!
Middle & High School Advisory Adventure Race: Friday, May 29 from 12:05 - 3:05 PM
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MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVERSITY CELEBRATION
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 In late April, students in Grades 6-8 took part in our Middle School's first Diversity Celebration. There were two terrific keynote speakers, breakout sessions, a collaborative art project, as well as a sampling of foods from around the world.
Over the two days, students rotated through the following sessions:
- Celebration of Diversity Though Art (finished product below)
- Perspectives: Ethical and Moral Dilemma Role Play
- Human Rights and Diversity: LGBT Topics
- Acceptance Through Tolerance and Repsect
- Insider vs. Outsider: A Mini Theory of Knowledge Lesson
Students were surveyed before and after the event. After the event, the students rated themselves in the following manner:
- I am more comfortable about who I am as an individual and what my values are 91%
- I feel more compassionate and empathetic towards others 93%
- I feel more empowered to speak up to support my peers when issues arise 93%
- I have increased my knowledge and awareness of issues of diversity 97%
See photos and read more on the school blog. Thanks to Judge Gutierrez, Dr. Kaufman, our Middle School Staff, Sarah C (Gr 8), Olivia D (Gr 8), and the International Parent Committee for helping to make these celebration days a success! Special thanks to Middle School Director, Alex Ide, for organizing this tremendous opportunity for our students and staff. |
 Join us to celebrate the end of another great school year immediately following Field Day! Teachers and administrators will flip hamburgers and hot dogs for all students and parents.
We would love some help, though. If your last name begins with:
A - F: please bring a dessert G - L: please bring a salad or side dish with serving spoons/forks M - S: please bring a 6-pack of soda or bottled water T - Z: please bring chips and dip Don't forget to label all serving dishes, plates, or utensils! We look forward to seeing you there!
All School BBQ: Thursday, June 4 from 3:30 - 5:00 PM outside of the Kennedy Gymnasium
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 Gretchen Arguedas, Riverstone's College Counseling Director, is touring colleges on the East Coast and sends the following note:
Tonight, I am in Elon, North Carolina. The chirping cicadas, lightening bugs, and the ubiquitous threat of a Southern lightening storm stand in stark contrast to the Boise May I left behind.
I hope, as I have the opportunity to tour colleges in the Virginia and North Carolina regions, to reach out to colleges who are uneducated about the amazing work we do at Riverstone. I also hope this trip will endow me with information and experiences to share that will cultivate interest in a variety schools and regions amongst our students.
While visiting with a dean at William and Mary earlier today, I posed a question regarding how W&M views the International Baccalaureate. Before I could finish spitting out "baccalaureate," she exclaimed, "We love it!" She shared that in her experience, the I.B. Programme produces uncompromising, principled, and hard-working students who possess a capacious and global outlook.
My travels have taken me to the University of Richmond, William & Mary, and Elon. I will also visit Wake Forest, Washington & Lee, Virginia Military Institute, Salem College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davidson, and University of Virginia. If you or your students have interest in any of these schools, please feel free to contact me!
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 Riverstone is expanding its social media to include Instagram! The content will be geared more towards our High School students and alumni, but we encourage parents to follow us too.
Two High School students will be providing daily photos and updates on what's happening around the school -- with guidance from school staff. We hope this is a great opportunity for our students to learn marketing skills while we get to see our students' perspective.
Check out riverstone_intl_school the next time you are on Instagram!
Just a reminder to follow our Riverstone Facebook page, YouTube account, school blog, and Flickr account.
Feel free to share posts or videos onto your personal pages -- help us share the Riverstone story! (Please note we do not tag students in photos for privacy reasons.)
Please contact Kathleen Gilton with any questions.
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 Since the conclusion of the auction in February, there has been unprecedented participation in events our community has created and donated. The proceeds from these events added greatly to auction totals but even more so, these events have been memorable and great community builders.
Many thanks to Dan Thurber and Brooke Linville for the overwhelmingly fun Minecraft Party that was attended by around twenty dedicated Minecraft fans with very loud voices.
We appreciate Mark and Melissa Nielsen who created wonderful tennis clinics for adults and youth at Crane Creek this month. We've heard great things and hope to make this a tradition with the help of the Nielsen's and Crane Creek.
Last weekend, the first annual Riverstone Golf Tournament was played. With 24 players there was some great competition. The players enjoyed good conditions and created a little rivalry that may carry over to next year. Thanks to Pete Burton for organizing and coordinating!
Last but not least, the Caddyshack Cocktail Party was a hit last weekend. Thanks to Kurt and Treacy Liebich for hosting these all-community parties year after year!
Special thanks to the Koenig family for their generous donation of 90 wine magnums that have been distributed. This donation has become something many members of the community look forward to and it is a uniquely Riverstone item that contributes to making our auction so special.
Still to come: An afternoon on the cricket pitch generously donated by Murali and Pragnyaa Ranganathan!
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 When parents re-enrolled their children for the coming school year, there was a checklist of forms that also needed to be completed. This year, we need all parent information and forms (including copies of immunization records) submitted and uploaded into SchoolAdmin no later than May 30, 2015.
We have had improvement from last week -- we now have 85% of our families with completed forms. Only 15% of our families left to go! Thank you!
It is critically important for staff efficiency to complete the forms on the checklist as soon as possible so we can work over the summer months with the most up-to-date information. This makes a world of difference for us and we certainly appreciate your help.
Log into SchoolAdmin here to complete your school forms. Please contact Lisa Armstrong with any questions.
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PLEASE RETURN LIBRARY BOOKS
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 School is ending and all of the books need to be returned to the library. Please check around your homes, cars, etc. for any Riverstone School library book (there will be a Riverstone barcode on the back of the book).
There are 157 books that are checked out that need to be returned to the library by Friday, May 29.
- Preschool has all of their books in. Yeah!
- Grade 9 has no library books checked out.
- Grade 11 has no library books checked out.
- Grade 12 has no library books checked out.
We are also missing many books altogether. If you have seen any of the following books with a Riverstone barcode around your house, please return them to the library. Click here for a list with images of the book covers.
Berenstain Bears' Science Fair, The (Bear Facts Library)
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games )
Brazil. (Insight Guides)
Ship Of Terror: Adventure Novel (Adventure Unlimited)
There's A Wolf In The Classroom! (Carolrhoda Photo Books)
Fahrenheit 451
Magic (Super Science)
Guinness World Records: To The Extreme
School's Out! Great Vacation Riddles & Jokes: Great Vacation Riddles & Jokes (Riddles And Jokes)
Flyte (Septimus Heap)
Hunger Games
Rules
Spain (Travel Guide)
Rain Forests
Miss Hickory
Say Good Night (Start To Read! Level 2)
Fox Trot En Masse
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 Kylie Mascol, our High School soccer coach, wrote the following:
After a long and hard spring season, the Riverstone Otters ended up finishing second in the spring league -- a feat that has never been accomplished before in Otter soccer history. The final game was hard fought and was a nail biter.
Quinn M (Gr 11) buried the ball in the net after a rebound from Alex M (Gr 10). The first goal was scored and the battle continued to be a tough one. The Otters stuck together and cheered each other on. Jack "Scot Sterling" G (Gr 10) kept Riverstone in the game with great saves.
We ended the season with an amazing team and a great attitude as we look towards the Fall season.
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SUMMER ACTIVITIES & CAMPS
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 Don't miss an opportunity to get your child involved in fun activities at Riverstone this summer. Our summer camps take place starting in June through August and are filling up, so be sure to get your child enrolled. All camps at Riverstone are open to the community, so invite a friend or family member to join the fun.
Download an updated listing of Summer Activities & Camps here.
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EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT RIVERSTONE
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There are several easy ways to support Riverstone International School.
Amazon Smile
 Use Amazon Smile and 0.5% of all purchases can now be donated directly to Riverstone International School. Please bookmark this link so all your eligible shopping will benefit Riverstone! Choose Riverstone International School as your charity -- it's as easy as that!
Box Tops for Education
 Riverstone will earn 10 cents for every box top that you clip from participating products! Please drop off your Box tops with Lisa Armstrong or Robyn Olnes.
View more info about the program here. Download a listing of products with Box Tops here.
Idaho Youth Ranch Collection Hut
 Donate your gently used clothing, shoes, purses, towels, and bedding to the Idaho Youth Ranch collection hut in our Elementary School parking lot. The school receives funds based on the weight of our donations.
Thank you!
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We enjoy sharing what our students are up to outside of school! If you have news to share, please email Kathleen Gilton.
 The Cancer Connection Idaho's recent Write from the Heart teen essay contest inspired young writers from across the Valley to write honestly, and sometimes painfully, about cancer, whether it be their own or that of someone close to them. Congratulations to Rebecca T (Gr 11) for winning 3rd place in the Friends and Family category!
Read Rebecca's essay here.
Gr 11 student, Gabe B, was featured in the Idaho Statesman on Monday, May 18. Read the article here.
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| | Gabe Ball Piano Performance |
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 The following are some of the highlights of the coming week. For more events and additional information, view the school calendar here
Friday, May 22
| Friday morning music
| Monday, May 25
| Memorial Day: No School
| Tuesday, May 26
| Passport club testing
Gr 5 Exhibition
| Wednesday, May 27
| Honor the Seniors Dessert
| Thursday, May 28
| Commencement for the Class of 2015
| Friday, May 29
| Friday morning music
Middle & High School Advisory Adventure Race
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The week's Facebook photo of the week features Tood Predovich, our Facilities Manager, reading "The Custodian from the Black Lagoon" to our Kindergarten class.
Keep an eye on Riverstone's Facebook page to keep up with what's happening at Riverstone!
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