Riverstone International School
February 25, 2016
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Hi All,
I am in San Francisco and have been meeting with other Malone Foundation Heads of School. Our meetings are always filled with great discussions about the state of private education around the country. I have also visited several of the city's best K-8 private schools to talk about Riverstone and our new residential program. I share all that makes Riverstone special: engaged students, dedicated staff, small classes, inquiry-based learning, and Five Pillars. As always, I am so proud of our school. As you know, re-enrollment contracts were emailed on Tuesday, Feb 23. We ask that you respond and re-enroll for the next school year by Friday, March 4, 2016. The re-enrollment process is a critical piece of the chain of events that will take place between now and next August. After our re-enrollment for current families, we will combine that information with new enrollments to determine the number of classes we are able to offer for the upcoming school year. Our directors can then ensure we have staffing and schedules in place to support our students. The prompt completion of your child's re-enrollment contract will help ensure that we retain our amazing faculty. It is always an exciting time of the year for us as we thank our current families for their commitment to re-enroll while we welcome the many new families who are looking for an educational experience like we offer at Riverstone. If for any reason, you do not anticipate re-enrolling your student, please contact Rachel Pusch. If you would like to learn more about financial aid opportunities, please contact Kevin Richmond by Monday, Feb 29. I would also like to add an extra note of thanks to our staff and parents who are supporting our students in so many ways. Many thanks to our art teachers who help our students create wonderful art for the auction coming up on Saturday, March 12. And a very special thank you to the auction committee as they give so much time and energy to making our school's biggest celebration of the year memorable. Call for anything,
Bob Carignan
Head of School
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RIVERSTONE BY FRIDAY, FEB 26!
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RSVPs Due This Friday!
Only 16 days 'til the big event:
"Boots, Chaps and Cowboy Hats" Auction event on Saturday, Mar 12 at 5:00 PM at the Boise Centre. RSVP online or in-person at the Elementary School front desk.
Online auction
Our online auction is live for only 7 more days! Start yer biddin' here before it ends on Thursday, Mar 3 at 9:00 PM.
Additional Auction Opportunities
- Dessert Auction - sign up to contribute a dessert or cash donation of $40.00 to go towards our dessert auction this year! Sign up online or visit the Elementary School front desk. Desserts will need to serve 10 people and be delivered to the Boise Centre on the morning of Saturday, Mar 12.
- The donations received so far are exciting and diverse and we are still searching for a few items to complete a our yeehaw-worthy packages. Fill out your donation form today!
- Order your Koenig Wine Magnum for the big event. Only 96 bottles are available and will feature labels made from this year's student artwork.
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Re-Enrollment Agreements were sent out via email yesterday - please check your email inbox* to confirm that you've received yours! If you have any questions about this process, or if your circumstances have changed for the upcoming year, please contact Rachel Pusch immediately. *Please note the email address sending the agreements out is info+riverstoneschool@schooladminonline.com. If you have not received your agreement, please check your spam inbox.
We are asking for all re-enrollment contracts to be submitted no later than next Friday, Mar 4, 2016. Once you submit the agreement, you will be guided to a checklist of additional forms needed for registration. Although that deadline is April 1, we would certainly appreciate your assistance to get all of your forms submitted by next week as well.
The instructions for the online Re-Enrollment process are copied here for your convenience:
- Open the email entitled "Riverstone International School ReEnrollment Agreement for 2016-2017 Now Available."
- Click on the red link to access your parent portal account.
- If asked, your authentication code is shown in blue.
- Once you have signed in, you will see your currently enrolled students listed and will be able to complete the Re-Enrollment Agreement.
- Click the "Complete Contract" for each student in your family to complete the process.
- You will be asked to make a $1,000 Re-Enrollment payment for each student at this time; payments can be made in the following formats: (1) credit card - please note a 3% convenience fee in addition to the $1,000 payment (2) electronic check or (3) submit check to Business Office on the next business day
- After submitting the Re-Enrollment Agreement and Re-Enrollment payment, you will also need to submit the checklist items to provide critical information for the upcoming year. The additional checklist information must be submitted no later than April 1, 2016. Expediency in finalizing these forms is critical for our staff, so please be mindful of this date.
- If you have submitted a financial aid application and have received confirmation of all of your documents having been received, you will see your award listed. If you have not yet submitted your application for financial aid and intend to do so, please notify Kevin Richmond in the Business Office immediately. Questions regarding financial aid should also be directed to Kevin.
Again, please submit your signed Re-Enrollment Agreement and Re-Enrollment Payment online no later than Friday, March 4, 2016 by 3:30 PM MST.
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GR 6-8 MIX-N-MATCH DANCE TOMORROW
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 All students in Gr 6 - 8 and their guests are invited to our Mix-n- Match Dance this Friday, Feb 26 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium Foyer.
Tickets 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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 Just a reminder that the next Passport Club testing is Tuesday, Mar 1 for all Elementary School students.
Please remind your students to prepare for the testing! Contact Julia Davis with any questions.
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Parents' Association Meeting
Please join us at our next PA Meeting next Thursday, Mar 3 at 8:45 AM in the Library. International Committee Meeting
Thank you to everyone that came to this week's International Committee Meeting! The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Mar 16 at 8:50 AM at Full Steam Bistro (920 E Park Blvd, Boise, ID 83716). All parents are invited to join us! |
 As a part of their Unit of Inquiry focusing on "How We Express Ourselves", Mr. Burton's Grade 2 class is performing William Shakespeare's The Tempest on Thursday, Mar 3 at 9:00 AM and at 6:00 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium!
Please attend whichever performance that best fits your schedule. Audience members are in for a treat and we look forward to seeing you there! Please email Pete Burton with any questions.
In order to give back to their community, the students will also be performing the play for an audience at the Idaho Veterans Home.
In the photo to the right, Grade 12 students help Grade 2 paint the scenery for "The Big Book" which will be their backdrop for The Tempest.
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CLASSICS TO COMEDY SENIOR RECITAL
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 Join us at the 2016 Riverstone Senior Recital: Tuesday, Mar 8 at 6:30 PM at The Terraces ( 5301 E Warm Springs Ave, Boise, ID 83716)! The Senior Recital will include performances of original compositions by students Cat C, Zach C, and Carter G, as well as a solo performance by Gabe B on piano. You will be impressed by the musical talents of our seniors -- we hope to see you there! Please contact Damon Brown with questions. |
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DIPLOMA PROGRAMME INFO SESSIONS FOR PARENTS
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 Parents are invited to learn more about the Diploma Programme at Riverstone! Jami Whitmer, our Diploma Programme Coordinator, and Andy Johnson, our Middle and High School Director, will be explaining what the DP requirements are, what courses Riverstone offers, how students should approach choosing their courses, what the benefits of the DP in college preparation are, and more.
Although of utmost importance to parents of current Gr 10 students who will be entering the Diploma Programme next fall in Gr 11, all interested parents are encouraged to attend.
Information sessions will be held on Thursday, Mar 10 at 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM in the Library. The sessions will last about an hour and include time for questions. Please contact Jami Whitmer with any questions.
Diploma Programme Information Sessions for Parents: Tuesday, March 10 at 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM in the Library.
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GR 6-12 MORNING OF SERVICE
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 The tradition of service continues!
On Thursday, Mar 17 all Grade 6-12 students in their Riverstone Advisory Rivercamps will go out into the community from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Advisories will be helping a variety of organizations such as The Cabin, The Botanical Gardens, Boise City Parks Department, Idaho Youth Ranch and more.
Would you like to be part of the effort? Parent volunteers are welcome! Please contact Tarrah Elam with questions or your interest in volunteering. |
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PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES DAY CARE
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 We will be offering Child Care to students ages 3 to 11 during Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday and Friday, Mar 17 and 18 from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
One hour of free childcare will be offered to parents attending conferences. Any child left for more than one hour will be charged the $30 daily usage rate.
Please email Tarrah Elam to sign your child up for full day childcare as well as shortened hourly childcare, which will be located in the Multipurpose Room in the Elementary School.
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LEARNSTORM WEEK 3 RESULTS
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Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the first round of the Khan Academy LearnStorm competition!
Riverstone students represented themselves and our school like champions!
Check out the Week 3 and Cup 1 Leaderboard results below.
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Riverstone Week 3 Leaderboard Results
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Riverstone Cup 1 Leaderboard Results
| | Total Mastery Points: 20th Place | Total Mastery Points: 25th Place | | Mastery Points per student: 12th Place | Mastery Points per student: 17th Place | | Total Hustle Points: 3rd Place | Total Hustle Points: 6th Place | | Hustle Points per student: 1st Place | Hustle Points per student: 2nd Place |
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 Christina U (Gr 10) recently competed in the USA Swimming Snake River Section Winter Championships in the 15-19 year old age group. Christina achieved several personal records in the 50 yard butterfly, the 50 yard backstroke, and the 100 yard butterfly and placed 4th, 5th, and 7th, respectively in those events. Christina is close to qualifying for the Western Senior Zones in the 50 free and the 100 fly and hopes to meet those qualifying times in the coming year. Congratulations Christina!
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RIVERSTONE LIVE! THANK YOU AND SAVE THE DATE
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 Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Riverstone LIVE! event last Friday night at the District Coffeehouse! Sloth Patrol, The Regular and Lone Tree River had an awesome time performing for everyone who came out. Save the date for the next Riverstone LIVE! event on Friday, April 22 at the HUB ( 2675 W Main St, Boise, ID 83702). |
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HOSTING OPPORTUNITIES: WE NEED YOU
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 We are seeking host families for the following students who will be in grade 10 and would like to enroll at Riverstone for one year. Hosting can be a very rewarding experience for families that leads to lifelong friendships and wonderful memories.
Josephin
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
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."
If you are interested in hosting a student for the next school year, please contact Jane Kaserman or Rachel Pusch for more information. |
New Sport Opportunity!
Come join Riverstone's Middle School Ultimate Frisbee Team. Ultimate frisbee is a co-ed, challenging, competitive activity that focuses on teamwork, sportsmanship and fun. It is a fast paced game and full body workout. The growth of this sport is amazing and this is the first year that the Boise community has offered a competitive league for middle schoolers. Students will be able to play against other middle school teams in the Treasure Valley. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, grow in athletic skills and work together.
This opportunity is for all students grades 6-9. Games will be held on Mondays at 4:30 PM at Optimist Sports Complex and practices will be Wednesday mornings at 7:30 AM on the Riverstone campus. Games begin Monday, Mar 7, and practice will begin Wed, Mar 3. The season will run from next week through Wednesday, May 4.
 A note from High School Boys Basketball Coach Eric Chapman:
"The Boys High School Basketball team is making an exciting run through the District III Tournament. The boys won their opening game at home last Thursday over the #5 team from Compass Charter School in commanding fashion after grabbing an 18-4 lead in the first quarter and maintained the lead throughout for a 48-31 victory. The tournament shifted to the neutral site of Columbia High School in Nampa where the team faced the #1 team The Ambrose School in the semifinals last Saturday. The team put forth a terrific effort limiting Ambrose to their lowest point total and the closest game any league team has given them all season before falling 33-48. The boys competed hard and opened a lot of eyes around the league with their effort.
Now faced with an elimination game moving forward, the team rebounded to grab their second tournament win over Horseshoe Bend School 51-42. It was a methodical but determined game by the boys as they gradually built a 20 point lead after three quarters before we were able to empty the bench and get all of our players some tournament experience. The boys have had a balanced offensive attack with a different player leading in scoring in each game of the tournament. The key has been our defense, as we have limited Compass' leading scorer to 9 points, Ambrose's leading scorer to 8 points and Horseshoe Bend's leading scorer to just 7 points in the three games to date.
We face off in the consolation final game versus Notus High School for 3rd place in the District tonight back at Columbia High School in Nampa at 7:00 PM. It should be a close competitive game from start to finish. With a victory, the team could advance to a Regional play-in game for the State Tournament on Saturday. It has been a season full of firsts for this hard-working team and it would be great to have a big crowd of friendly supporters out in Nampa to help cheer us on."
High School Boys Basketball Qualifying District Tournament game: TONIGHT at 7:00 PM at Columbia High School (301 S Happy Valley Rd, Nampa, ID 83687).
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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 of Riverstone fans cheering on the High School Basketball Boys' team. Go Otters!
Keep an eye on Riverstone's Facebook page and Instagram to keep up with what's happening at Riverstone!
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