Riverstone International School
October 15, 2015
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 Hi All,
Because this is a busy week, I will defer my discussion on school improvement until next week. However, I would like you to be looking for a short two-question survey that we will be sending you about conferences next week.
As many of you know, each year in October we kick off one of our two yearly fundraisers, the Annual Fund (the other is the Spring Auction). All proceeds from this campaign go to improving our programs now as your gifts will be spent during this school year. This is a five-week campaign that will start next week.
I want to thank Kip and Deborah Martell, parents of twin seniors, for enthusiastically taking on the Chairperson role. They will do a wonderful job representing what they value most about Riverstone. Please join us next Friday, Oct 23 in the Elementary School Atrium for an informal meet-and-greet over coffee following our Friday Morning Music event.
Please make the most out of your conferences and always know that if you need to speak to teachers for more than the allotted time, additional appointments can be made in the coming weeks.
Call for anything,
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PARENTS' ASSOCIATION NEWS
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 Thank you
The Parents' Association would like to thank everyone for their participation in making this past week's Carnival, Pumpkin Patch, and Bake Sale events hugely successful.We appreciate the enthusiasm and would like to invite everyone to our next meeting on Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 at 8:45 AM in the Library.
Last call for PA Contributions If you haven't yet made your donation this year, please fill out a Contribution Form and return it, along with your check made payable to Riverstone PA, to the box located at the front desk of the Elementary School labeled "RIS PA Donation" as soon as possible. A suggested donation of $25 per child (Preschool - Grade 12) is requested. We deeply appreciate your donations. International Committee Meeting The next International Committee will be held at Locavore in Bown Crossing on Wednesday, Oct 21 at 8:45 AM. All parents are invited to join us! We look forward to building our committee's membership and discussing ideas for the upcoming school year. If you are not able to attend but would to find out what is discussed at the meeting, please contact Sumiko Gomi. She is also happy to answer any questions you may have about the committee. |
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Riverstone's High School Student Council Blood Drive is only a week away!
 Did you know that your donation can save three lives and every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood? Sign up today!
We invite all parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, and students ages 16 and older (with parental permission for those under 18) to donate on Thursday, Oct 22 between 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM in the Kennedy Gym Foyer. Donors will automatically be entered to win two free tickets to the Boise State Game on Friday, Nov 20.
Sign-up to donate today at www.redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code "RiverstoneSchool".
Please contact Tarrah Elam if you have any questions. |
 Friday Morning Music will be returning next week on October 23! This is a wonderful opportunity for students who study music privately to participate in a supportive recital setting.
Friday Morning Music takes place from 7:45 AM - 8:20 AM. Please join us in the Elementary School Atrium and start your day off on a good note!
Please also plan time to grab a coffee for our Annual Fund Meet-and-Greet with our Chairpersons, Kip and Deborah Martell, and their Ambassador team!
Friday Morning Music followed by Annual Fund Meet-and-Greet: Friday, Oct 23 at 7:45 AM
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ANNUAL FUND MEET-AND-GREET
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 Please join us in the Elementary School Atrium Friday, Oct 23 following Friday Morning Music -- or after you drop off your kids -- to meet and chat with our Annual Fund team about this year's campaign. Our Annual Fund Chairpersons, Kip and Deborah Martell, and their Ambassador team will be there with coffee and information. Please stop by, grab a cup of coffee, and introduce yourself!
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Our first Merci Luncheon is approaching! On Wednesday, Nov 4, families of kindergarten and grades 6-12 will provide a potluck lunch for the entire Riverstone facility and staff.
These lunches are a longstanding Riverstone tradition and a staff favorite! |
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PRE-ORDER YOUR RIVERSTONE PHOTO DIRECTORY
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Make sure to pre-order your Riverstone Directory on the Community Opportunities sign-up sheet as soon as possible! The cost is $15 and they are expected to arrive in the next few weeks.
In addition to names and contact information, we hope to have a photo of every family in the school! Please send an email to Riverstonepa@riverstoneschool.org with your family photo (1MB digital file). If your child lives in two households, please feel free to send two photos.
Deadline to submit a photo is Sunday, Oct 19.
We are excited about our second year of offering this and we look forward to seeing all of the beautiful (or entertaining) pictures of you and your families! If you have any questions, please contact Treacy Liebich.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARADE
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 Come and enjoy one of Riverstone's favorite traditions: The Elementary School Halloween Parade!
On Friday, Oct 30, the Parade will start promptly at 2:15 PM with our youngest students in Preschool winding through the Elementary School and picking up students in the next grade. Once all the kids from Preschool through Grade 5 have joined, the parade will wind through the Middle School and the High School Quad.
Following the parade, Elementary classes will hold their annual Halloween parties.
Please note: costumes should not include weapons, toy or otherwise. Elementary students should not wear their costumes to school -- they will change into them shortly before the parade.
Elementary School Halloween Parade: Friday, Oct 30 at 2:15 PM.
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Join our Middle School Girls' Basketball Team!
Middle School Girls' Basketball will run from Monday, Oct 26 - Wednesday, Dec 16. If you would like your student to join the team, please contact the head coach Lacie Barker. The first practice will be on Monday, Oct 26 at 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM with a parent meeting to follow.
 High School Girls Volleyball
A note from the coach, Demi Dlouhy
"I want to give a big thank you to all of the fans who came out for the Senior Night match. Riverstone hasn't seen a rocking crowd of that size this season and while the team didn't play as expected in the first game, they focused up and played hard to win the next three. I am very proud of our five seniors. With all the energy they received from the crowd their adrenaline was pumping. They were able to pull off the win against Victory Charter School and I am looking forward to Thursday's home match against Victory Charter School which will determine if we will participate in the District Tournament. Come out and support us this Thursday, Oct 15 at 7:00 PM."
High School Soccer
A note from the head soccer coach, Mark Stilinovich
"The team is looking good after our latest victory! Shout out to Josh H-K (Gr 10). for scoring an incredible goal - his first this season. Looking forward to the next game this Saturday, Oct 17 at 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM on Field #3 at the Simplot Sports Complex. Come out to support the Otters in another victory!"
Please check the school calendar for athletic events.
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 A note from our Carnival Chairperson, Michelle Nenov:
The Carnival was a great success and a ton of fun! A huge thanks to everyone who took part. As a community, we raised nearly $6,000 and after selling over 1650 tickets, our raffle raised over $2,000!
Congratulations to our raffle winners:
Beach Cruiser: The Geffros Family
RIS auction tickets and swag: Janice W
RIS afterschool activity: Joanna W
The Parents' Association is ever so grateful for the volunteers who gave their time and talents. We had over 75 middle and high school student volunteers and parents. This event takes many people to make it possible so from our sponsors to our popcorn makers, from our game keepers to our set-up crew: thank you for all of your time and energy!
We'd like to give a huge shout-out to Amy Bava for all of her amazing support as well as a special thanks to our sponsors: the Ball family, the Coyle family, Melanie Ernst, the Geffros family, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Reeds Cycle, and Sirma USA.
Another special thanks to volunteers Brent Davey, Cindy Lindner, the Eidson family, Julie Worthington, Kim Fall, Kim Liebich, Kris Ball, the Mahoney family, Jill Perl, and Nimi Sandau.
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Thank you to everyone who visited our Pumpkin Patch and especially to Chairpersons Carolina Josar, Janice Clark-Wallace, and Kelly McKenna for organizing this year's event.
Listed below are the winners of the Pumpkin Patch games. Prizes can be picked up at the front desk of the Elementary School, where the Pumpkin Patch is located.
 Guess the number of candy corns Answer: 447
William G guessed 450
Guess the number of tootsie rolls:
Answer: 85
Tai guessed 89
Guess the weight of the pumpkin:
Answer: 207
Stephanie B (Kindergarten) guessed 209
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DAY OF SERVICE - CANCELLED
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Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Day of Service events for our Middle and High School students due to poor air quality. With the air quality restrictions currently in place, our school policy is such that students are restricted from participating in outdoor activities.
We look forward to partnering with several of the organizations that we planned to help on Thursday, Oct 15 during our Morning of Service scheduled on Thursday, Mar 17, 2016.
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ONE STONE THINK CHALLENGE
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 Riverstone students, parents and teachers attended One Stone's 24-Hour Think Challenge: a community conversation and design thinking call-to-action earlier this month engaging students from high schools across the Treasure Valley. Participants were challenged to learn about, examine, and offer new ways to address big complex issues relating to education, life, STEM education and health.
We'd like to give a shout out and extend our sincerest thank-you's to all of the Riverstone parent volunteers who made up the 24-hour THINK Challenge "Riverstone Pit Crew"! The team included Brent Davey, Caroline Sobota, Kurt Liebich, Treacy Liebich, Karen Peterson, Laurel Carignan, Scott Pierson, Susan Cole, and Tom Mahoney.
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WARM SPRINGS ROAD BLOCKAGES
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Please keep in mind that Warm Springs Ave between Eckert Road and Harris Ranch Road will be closed from Wednesday, Oct 7 to Wednesday, Oct 28. Detour signs are posted to navigate drivers through the available detour route via Boise Avenue and Bown Crossing.
A water line is being installed to serve the Harris Ranch North foothills area and they are also working to finish and pave the Warm Springs Ave Bypass/Park Center Blvd intersection. Thank you for your patience during construction!
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 Variety Show auditions are coming!
For those of you who are new, the Riverstone Variety Show is unlike any other show in town. You might see dancing, opera, skits, a numchuck demonstration, a magic show, or a family musical performance. No matter what the show includes, you don't want to miss this one-of-a-kind Riverstone tradition that will be held on Friday, Dec 4.
Online signups to audition will go live on Monday, Oct 26 with auditions beginning on Monday, Nov 2. Slots are limited so plan ahead and be ready to sign up!
All members of our community are welcome to share their love of performance (students, parents, grand parents, teachers). Be creative, be original, be unique! Each performance should:
1. Involve 2 or more performers,
2. Last 4 minutes or less, and
3. Include at least one member in Grade 2 or above
Why are we announcing this so early? We want to make sure that everyone has a chance to organize their act/performance in way to be most successful by the audition dates.
Please contact Damon Brown with any questions.
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NEW OUTDOOR VIDEOS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
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We've added new videos featuring students and teachers on our recent fall trips to the Riverstone YouTube Channel! Check them out at the links below.
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| | Riverstone Fall Trips - Student Perspective |
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 Lunch options have been added to the online lunch ordering system through the rest of 2015. We have collected valuable feedback from parents on the lunch menu and are incorporating those ideas into a revised menu we will roll out in January.
The idea of a "Pizza Wednesday" was raised. We are curious if this is something parents and students would like offered, and feedback can be sent to jeremy@lifeskitchen.org.
You can order lunch online at http://lifeskitchen.h1.hotlunchonline.net and the Riverstone School Code is 211-930.
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 All Grade 6-12 girls basketball players are encouraged to participate in open gym sessions.
Coach Bashaw, our High School Girls basketball coach, and Coach Barker, our Middle School Girls basketball coach, will be opening the gym for players who are wanting to touch up on basketball fundamentals and compete in scrimmages against fellow players. There is no fee to participate.
The days and times for the open gym for girls in Gr 6-12 are:
Friday, Oct 16
| 6:30 - 8:00 PM
| Wednesday, Oct 21
| 6:30 - 8:00 PM
| Friday, Oct 23
| 6:30 - 8:00 PM
| Wednesday, Oct 28
| 6:30 - 8:00 PM
| Thursday, Oct 29
| 6:30 - 8:00 PM
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Please contact Coach Bashaw if you have any questions.
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KEEPING OUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INFORMED
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We have also been asked if we could share the school newsletter with students. We are happy to do so! However, to have this happen, we need students to opt-in to the newsletter.
If your student would like to receive the weekly school newsletter, please have him or her click on the Join our Mailing List button below, provide his or her email address, and opt-in!
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This week's Facebook photo of the week is from the Parent's Association Bake Sale after-school on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone that came out and purchased some delicious goodies!
Keep an eye on Riverstone's Facebook page and Instagram to keep up with what's happening at Riverstone!
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