Riverstone International School
January 28, 2016
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 Hi All,
I was just reading about how shared family stories are integral to building well-adjusted and resilient children. As someone whose family has been a part of this community since 2000, I relish the stories that I have been able to share. Our students' narratives, past, present, and future are grounded in their appreciation for the teachers, peers, and parents who nurtured them through good years and bad.
When I read the Liebich's note in the endowment newsletter earlier today, I was struck by how similar our stories are. Laurel and I look at our senior's experience in much the same way; with gratitude and a deep held belief that this is a place that has prepared my children for what is the journey of a lifetime. We are excited for where our children are now and have trusted Riverstone to give them the tools that they take with them - optimism, resilience, and the ability to "fail forward." We trust that these tools will enable them to find meaning and joy in an ever more complicated and changing world.
This story, Riverstone's story, is an important one. We have changed education in Idaho, and will continue to do so. Knowing that Riverstone is here makes Boise a stronger city, not only for our students, but also as a choice for all students. It is imperative that we ensure that students can get this education long into the future; and that is why an endowment is so important. It will allow us to have reserves and weather any storms.
The idea that we could add another $2 million from the Malone Family Foundation is a once in a generation opportunity. We simply could not raise a $3 - 4 million endowment on our own - just imagine being able to put those kind of financial numbers under our school! Riverstone is an amazing story made up of all of our voices. The stories of generosity are central to our success; to our facilities, our programs, and our commitment to small and differentiated classrooms. The story that we need to be able to tell the Malone Family Foundation and our past and future community members is that in a great moment in school history we responded greatly; as a unified community, with the goal of creating courageous journeys of academic and personal exploration that enable our students to lead purposeful lives.
I hope that you are able to join us at one of the two events in February that the Liebich's are hosting at their home. More information about the events is below.
Please stop by if you have any questions. |
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RIVERSTONE ENDOWMENT: YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERS
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 We are hosting two events for you to learn more about Riverstone's endowment campaign, Navigating Forward. Parents, grandparents, and friends of the school are invited to join us!
Please note the date correction from this week's endowment newsletter. The events will be held at the Liebich home (1650 E Holly Street, Boise, ID 83712).
Please RSVP to Treacy Liebich via email if you will be attending.
Download more information about the endowment here.
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FRIDAY MORNING MUSIC TOMORROW
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 Please join us tomorrow, Friday, Jan 29 at 8:00 AM in the Elementary School Atrium for our first Friday Morning Music of 2016!
If your child would like to perform at a future Friday Morning Music event, please email Nicole Golay or Damon Brown. This is a wonderful opportunity for students who study music privately to participate in a supportive recital setting.Friday Morning Music: Friday, Jan 29 at 8:00 AM in the Elementary School Atrium. |
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LAST DAY OF SPIRIT WEEK IS TOMORROW!
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 There is one more day to turn up your school spirit with OTTER UP day! Wear Riverstone school colors of navy blue and light blue (white is always good too) tomorrow.
And come cheer on the Girls Basketball team for SENIOR NIGHT in the Kennedy Gymnasium at 6:00 PM!
Friday, Jan 29: Last day of Riverstone Spirit Week and the Girls Basketball SENIOR NIGHT in the Kennedy Gymnasium at 6:00PM.
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STUDENTS AND ANXIETY FOLLOW UP DISCUSSION
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 Did you go to last week's parent coffee with school counselors Andrea and Shirley? Or did you miss out and are still hoping to gain insight on anxiety? Tomorrow, Andrea and Shirley will be holding a follow up conversation concerning anxiety. They will be providing additional resources and coping mechanisms to help your child work through their anxiety and stressors.
Here are some quick tips for helping your child when they are anxious:
- Validate their feelings. Anxiety can be scary.
- Remind them that they're not alone.
- Ask them what you can do to help.
- Practice deep, slow breathing.
For more ideas, please join us tomorrow, Friday, Jan 29 at 2:15 PM in the Library. If you have any questions, please reach out to Andrea or Shirley.
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LEARNSTORM KICKS OFF TOMORROW
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 LearnStorm, the free, 9-week math challenge designed to build perseverance and grit through mastery of math skills, kicks off tomorrow, Friday, Jan 29!
Students in grades 3-7 are already registered. Encourage your kids to participate as much (or as little) as they'd like. This is a great chance to reinforce math skills and participate in an exciting statewide math challenge! Login here to Khan Academy.
Students in Grades 8-12 are welcome to participate as well! Register here.
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 Please tell your family and friends about our upcoming openhouses! Visitors will learn about Riverstone and tour the school.
Your referral is greatly appreciated and important to our community!
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Open House
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Date
| Elementary School
Preschool - Gr 5
| Tuesday, Feb 9 at 9:30 AM | Middle and High School
Gr 6-12
| Thursday, Feb 11 at 9:30 AM |
Open houses begin in the Elementary School atrium.
Additional open house dates throughout the rest of the semester may be viewed on our website. Please encourage friends to RSVP here or contact Sarah Taylor with any questions.
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PRIORITY APPLICATIONS & FINANCIAL AID REMINDER
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 Priority applications for siblings of current students and financial aid applications are due this Sunday, Jan 31! Please check out the information below and submit your application today.
Priority consideration for siblings of current students We give priority consideration to siblings of current students if they have completed their application by January 31, 2016. Please contact Rachel Pusch with any questions. Current families wishing to apply for financial aid for the 2016-17 school year If you would like to apply for financial aid for the upcoming year, please complete your online application (http://sssbynais.org/parents) and provide supporting documents to Kevin Richmond, Business Director, by January 31, 2016.
More information may be found on the Riverstone website.
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NATIONAL HISTORY DAY JUDGES NEEDED
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 This year's National History Day (NHD) regional competition will be taking place on Saturday, Mar 5 at Sacred Heart Catholic School. It is an exciting day where students from around the area are able to present projects that they've been diligently working on for the past few months centering on this year's theme of "Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange."
We are seeking judges to participate in the regional competition. No prior experience with NHD is necessary, only requiring that one have an interest in history and working with kids. Please take the time to view this video to get a sense of what the day will entail for you as a volunteer judge. (It is a full day commitment - going from about 8:00 AM until about 3:00 PM).
Our students need parents to volunteer to be judges at this competition. Whenever we talk to the kids at the competition, they are always proud to tell us, "My parent is a judge this year."
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Please be aware of the safety of our students when driving through the school parking lot.
- Please stop before all crosswalks and allow students using the crosswalks to proceed safely
- Do not stop in the crosswalk in front of the Elementary School to drop off your students
- Please park your car in designated spaces and have your student use the crosswalk to access the building
- Check the Greenbelt as you enter/exit Riverstone's parking lot
- Drive slowly
- Refrain from cell phone use
We appreciate your cooperation. Thank you! |
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Best of luck to Riverstone's Middle School Science Bowl team, the Free Radicals, who will be competing on Saturday, Jan 30 at the 2016 Western Idaho Science Bowl competition at Boise State University.
Thank you to the team's coaches, teacher Samantha Cole and parent Kim Liebich. Go Otters! |
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SCHOLASTIC WRITING AWARD WINNERS
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This week, nine Riverstone students were recognized for excellence in writing by the Idaho Scholastic Writing Awards - an affiliate of the national organization that works to honor and encourage the voices of young writers. Student submissions were blindly judged by panels of leading writers and artists in our community.
The students who were honored at the Idaho level (names included below) will be recognized at a spring ceremony at Boise State University. All Gold Key and Silver Key recognitions will be submitted to the national awards, which entails massive scholarship opportunities and a possible invitation to the awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall. For more detailed information about the awards, please visit their website here.
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Haydee B (Gr 8) - Honorable Mention
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Ellie C (Gr 10) - Silver Key
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Aela D (Gr 10) - Honorable Mention
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Yasemin H (Gr 8) - Honorable Mention
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Giovanna P (Gr 11) - Honorable Mention
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Olivia P (Gr 11) - Gold Key
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Rowan P (Gr 11) - Silver Key
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Ethan T (Gr 11) - Silver Key
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Kelli W (Gr 8) - Silver Key
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CARNIVAL AROUND THE WORLD VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
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 The International Committee is planning a special event for Elementary School students to celebrate "Carnival Around the World." The committee is building upon last year's event, Mardi Gras, and focusing this year on celebrating Carnival in Brazil. The committee is preparing displays featuring how different cities and countries celebrate Carnival. Currently, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and New Orleans will be featured. It would be great to have more countries represented. If you have experience with celebrating Carnival, own something Carnival-related that we can borrow, or would like to be involved in this fun celebration, please contact Sumiko Gomi. The display will be in the Atrium from February 1-12, with our special student celebration, including Brazilian treats during lunch on Tuesday, Feb 9. |
 Mix it up with a little of this and a little of that! Polka dots, plaid, stripes, neon, Hawaiian, western, crazy socks and accessories.
All students in Gr 6 - 8 and their guests are invited to our Mix-n- Match Dance Friday, Feb 26 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium Foyer.
Tickets will be sold the week of February 22 in Homeroom and are $5 if purchased before the dance and $7 at the door. Guests are more than welcome to attend with a signed Guest Permission Form. Please download and return to Tarrah Elam prior to the evening of Friday, Feb 26.
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STUDENT HOSTING OPPORTUNITY
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 Riverstone is currently accepting applications and evaluating prospective international students for the 2016-17 school year.
We accept two types of international students:
- F-1 Visa holders who are multi-year students who will be living in our new residential boarding facility
- J-1 Visa holders who study in the US for one year primarily for learning about the culture and language. The J-1 students are required by the US State Department to live with host families.
Although it may seem early, we are now seeking host families for J-1 students for the 2016-17 school year as it is a requirement that we must have a confirmed host family for every J-1 student that we accept. By having host families paired with students now, we have more opportunity to enroll outstanding students who will become part of our school community. Our community has hosted over 200 students over the past ten years. Hosting can be a very rewarding experience for families that leads to lifelong friendships and wonderful memories.If you family would be interested in hosting either of the two students below, or have questions regarding hosting, please contact Jane Kaserman or Rachel Pusch. Josephin is a young, outgoing girl from Germany who likes swimming, cooking, working with younger students, music, and drawing. She has a younger sister and enjoys spending time with her. Josephin likes to ski and has recently learned how to snowboard. In addition to enjoying social activities with friends and family, Josphin likes animals. She has a dog and two horses and wouldn't mind being in a house with pets. She is hoping to come to America to learn more about the culture, to meet new people, and to share her culture with her host family and friends.Hugo is from France and is very excited about the idea of coming to the US. Hugo is the oldest in his family of four boys. All of his family enjoys art; his father enjoys sculpting, his mother dances and all of the boys play music together. Hugo plays double bass and bass guitar. In addition to music, Hugo enjoys reading, movies, and sports. Hugo hopes to study politics or business and he hopes improving his English will help him in his future. In his own words, "I chose to go to the USA because I want to improve my English, to discover a new culture and a new land, to meet many people, to discover beautiful landscapes, and to see the life in one of the best countries of the world." |
Next Parents' Association Meeting
Please join us at our PA Meeting next Thursday, Feb 4 at 8:45 AM in the Library. Auction Committee Volunteers Needed
It's time to giddyup! The auction committee needs your talents and energy. Contact Amy Bava, co-chair of this year's auction, if you would like more information or if you would like to get involved. |
 A note from Middle School Boys Basketball Coach Jacob Sanders:
"This past weekend we played in a tournament at The Ambrose School. The team won one game and lost the other. Our first game was against Rimrock Middle School, in which we played a great defensive game and won. Our second game was against Greenleaf Academy and did not result in a win for the team, but it was a well played game. This tournament gave all the players some valuable court time in preparation for the upcoming season.
We opened up the season at home against Greenleaf Academy earlier this week and both the A and B teams won this time. The B team turned in a great defensive game and held them scoreless. The A team also put together a great game being lead on both sides of the court by Nick L (Gr 7). The Otters are looking to keep the momentum going with another home game with Rolling Hills this week!"
 A note from High School Girls Basketball Coach Wally Bashaw:
"The Riverstone girls basketball team is on a two game winning streak after beating Wilder 45-5 and going into Victory last night which will give them the home court advantage in the upcoming district tournament. It was a toughly fought contest with neither team getting favorable bounces on shots. Pressure placed on Victory throughout the game finally wore them down giving Riverstone a chance to get a lead and hold it and win the game 24-18. The last two regular season games will be at Horseshoe Bend on Wednesday, Jan 27 and at home against Compass Charter onFriday, Jan 29. The girls would love to see a full house at home for Senior Night and feel an electric atmosphere propelling them in to Districts next week."
 A note from High School Boys Basketball Coach Eric Chapman:
"The Boys High School team is now 9-5 on the season after splitting our last two games both on the road. The Varsity squad lost a heart-breaker at Wilder 44-46 in a hard fought double-overtime defeat last Friday. It was a great learning experience for the boys to have to execute multiple last second plays at both ends of the court and it should prepare us well for the critical conference games we have remaining.
The Varsity bounced back with a key win on Tuesday night at Victory Charter 59-43. Although forced to play short-handed because multiple players were unavailable due to injury and illness, our three seniors Zach C, Neal M, and Regan Z provided key contributions to solidify the win. Exchange student Andres G (Gr 11) also dominated inside posting game highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The results from our junior varsity squad were reversed as they captured a solid road win at Wilder 36-27. Freshman Orion B had his best outing of the season leading the way with 13 points against the Wildcats. Unfortunately, the illness bug and far too many turnovers caught up to us at Victory Charter as we struggled to handle their pressure defense and lost 29-40. Jackson C (Gr 9) and Ben M (Gr 11) were our top scorers and Gavin S (Gr 10) knocked down the first 3-pointer of his young career.
We have a critical contest at home this Friday night against Compass which could determine if we are able to place high enough in the standings to earn home-court advantage for the first round of the district playoffs next month. We hope you will cap off our Spirit Week in style and help cheer these boys to victory on Friday!"
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 There are many great hot and cold lunch options for this week, please look through the entire spring menu here. If you are planning to order pizza, please only select the number of slices you'd like to purchase (do not adjust the pizza size). |
This week's Facebook photo of the week is right before Outdoor Education Director Ben Brock and the amazing Robyn Olnes headed up to do annual yurt maintenance at Skyline Yurt outside of Idaho City with two Outdoor Leadership students. We are so proud of this crew for giving back!
Keep an eye on Riverstone's Facebook page and Instagram to keep up with what's happening at Riverstone!
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