Riverstone International School
April 21, 2016
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Hi All, I have always said that I am incredibly lucky to work at Riverstone, and this week that luck took on a new dimension. A community member anonymously donated a $50,000 winning lottery ticket to the school! While a portion of the funds will be directed towards our operating budget, the majority of this gift will be added to our endowment fund at a perfect time.
We have had a wonderful response to the newsletter earlier this week from Kurt and Treacy Liebich, our campaign co-chairs. We just surpassed $1 million in gifts! As was explained in the newsletter, we are hoping that the Malone Family Foundation will agree to grant us $2 million at their Board of Trustees meeting in May. Who could have ever imagined us having this possibility?
As to the question of what now, we will continue to accept gifts to increase the endowment fund but will move from actively campaigning here at school. We will be writing grant applications to foundations, engaging our community in planned giving, and asking our alumni and alumni parents to consider a gift to the endowment as part of their charitable plans. As we have discovered, exciting opportunities present themselves when you have an established endowment!
Thanks to all of you who supported our efforts to create this special legacy. Once again, our community has paid it forward to ensure that we can offer the best education in the Treasure Valley for years to come.
Call for anything,
Bob Carignan
Head of School
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 Stacey Walker, one of our two Grade 5 teachers, is graduating with her master's degree in Educational Leadership from Boise State University in a few short weeks. To pursue her passion for empowering fearless learning through dynamic leadership, Stacey accepted a position as the principal of a new charter school in Nampa. Stacey will open Gem Prep: Nampa, a K-4 blended learning model under the umbrella of Gem Innovation Schools. She is thrilled for this incredible opportunity to grow professionally and impact education in Idaho.
In reflecting on her years at Riverstone Stacey writes, "Riverstone has been an integral part of my development professionally and personally. In my six years here, I cannot thank the Riverstone community enough for the support, encouragement, and love like a family. My relationships with students, faculty members, and the parent body will forever be cherished, and, just remember, Nampa isn't that far away!"
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RESIDENTIAL BUILDING FEATURE IN IDAHO BUSINESS REVIEW
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We are so excited that construction continues on our Residential Building downtown! Check out the recent feature about Riverstone's Residential Dorms in the Idaho Business Review here.
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 Please note the newest sign in our Elementary School parking lot reminding you to stop before reaching the pedestrian crosswalk.
Thank you for your cautionary driving during our rush hour school traffic!
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SENIOR ART SHOW - TONIGHT!
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 Parents, students, and friends are invited to the Senior Art Show TONIGHT: Thursday, Apr 21 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM in the Elementary School Atrium.
Meet the artists, admire their art, and socialize! If you are lucky, you may get a great deal on a piece of art for your home!
Please contact Jim Harper, DP Art teacher, with any questions. Art (on the right) by Gr 12 student Erin S.
Senior Art Show: TONIGHT! Thursday, Apr 21 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the Elementary School Atrium. |
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RIVERSTONE LIVE! TOMORROW NIGHT
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 Join us tomorrow night, Friday, Apr 22 from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM at the HUB (1408 W State St behind Fanci Freeze) to watch Riverstone student bands perform.
Featuring the Middle School Ensemble (in the photo to the right), several High School groups, and Lone Tree River - it's sure to be a great night filled with great music. Grab some dinner at Fanci Freeze and then come over to enjoy the show. Please contact Damon Brown if you have any questions.
Riverstone LIVE! on Friday, Apr 22 at 6:30 PM at the HUB (1408 W State St behind Fanci Freeze). |
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MEET THE SENIORS FULL VIDEO
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Thank you again to everyone who came to last week's Meet the Seniors event! It was wonderful to hear from each individual in the Class of 2016 about their experience at Riverstone.
If you were unable to attend, we've included the full video below. Please feel free to also look through the Meet the Seniors Brochure and read about each of our Seniors.
We would also like to say a huge thank you to the PA for sponsoring this Riverstone tradition!
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PERSONAL PROJECT EXHIBITION
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 Riverstone's Gr 10 class has completed their Personal Project, which is a key event in each Riverstone Sophomore's life and is a compulsory element of the Middle Years Programme (MYP). It also serves as a marker of each student's completion of the MYP.
Each Sophomore conceives, plans, researches and develops a project over the course of their Gr 10 year. This project is designed to exercise all of the learning skills a student develops over the course of their experiences in the MYP.
This year's Personal Project Exhibition will be held on Thursday, Apr 28 at 2:00 PM and again at 6:30 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium.
Please plan to come and support the Sophomores as they share their work with the school community. See you there!
Gr 10 Personal Project Exhibition: Thursday, Apr 28 at 2:00 PM and 6:30 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium.
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 Help Gr 5 Students Take Community-Based Action!
In the final year of the Primary Years Programme, students participate in a culminating project known as the Exhibition. Students engage in a collaborative transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. The Gr 5 students broke into groups and identified ten real-world issues to study, and now they are looking to take meaningful community-based action related to their issue.
Our definition of action is any experience that takes students outside of the classroom and allows them to interact with members of the community, including interviews, volunteer opportunities, attending events, etc. Last year, our students completed 83 unique action steps, and we're looking for even more this year!
We are reaching out to the entire Riverstone community asking for your help identifying potential contacts (individuals or organizations) who are actively involved in any way with these important issues. Please access the spreadsheet here to read each group's real-world issue and central idea, and add as many contacts as you can. Thank you for your support; your contacts help make the Exhibition more meaningful. If you have any questions, please reach out to Gr 5 teachers Stacey Walker and Trevor Lindsay.
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This year's All-School Spring Arts Festival features a return to the true roots of community festivals with an intimate format and new opportunities to experience what our students are learning and creating. Each day is a unique combination of visual art and music, hosted and presented by our amazing students.
Arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the music performances so you can enjoy coffee and view the art from Preschool through High School students on display in our hallways. Student ambassadors will be there to provide directions, guide you to our interactive art stations, and answer questions.
We hope that you love the fresh vibe of this year's festival. Mark your calendars and plan to join us!
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Date
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Time**
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Class Music Performance
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Tuesday, May 3
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9:00 AM
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Preschool, PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, and Gr 1
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3:00 PM
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Gr 6 & 7
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Wednesday, May 4
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9:00 AM
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Preschool, PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, and Gr 1
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3:00 PM
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Gr 8 & 9
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Thursday, May 5
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9:00 AM
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Grade 2
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10:30 AM
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Grade 3
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3:00 PM
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Gr 11
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Friday, May 6
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9:00 AM
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Gr 4
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10:30 AM
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Gr 5
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**We suggest you arrive 30 minutes early to any session so you have time to enjoy our preschool through high school artists' works that will be on display, as well as take part in interactive art stations.
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 A quick reminder that Tuesday, April 26, is the next Elementary School Passport Club testing!
Happy studying! And good luck!
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FRIDAY MORNING MUSIC ON FRIDAY, APR 29
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 Start your day off on a good note and join us in the Elementary School Atrium next Friday, Apr 29 at 7:45 AM - 8:20 AM for this month's installation of Friday Morning Music! Please note last week's newsletter listed this month's Friday Morning Music date incorrectly.
This is a wonderful opportunity for students who study music privately to participate in a supportive recital setting. If your child would like to perform in future events, please email Nicole Golay or Damon Brown. Friday Morning Music: Friday, Apr 29 at 7:45 AM in the Elementary School Atrium.
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While we are always encouraging our community to be conscious of their use of energy and water, we love focusing even harder on those goals during Earth Week! Campus Energy Usage
We are able to view our energy usage through the Idaho Power website and this Monday was considerably lower than past Monday's energy usage ratings. Great job everyone and thanks to Ben Brock and Alex McKinley for leading the initiative in trying to reduce our energy usage! Water Bottle Filling Stations
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the PA for sponsoring the water bottle filling stations. We have filtered nearly 14,000 liters of water in the Middle and High Schools! Taking into account the Elementary School and the Gym, we are easily over 20,000 liters since these were installed. So great that our community is using their water bottles!
Power Down for Earth Day!
If at all possible, join us in going as energy free as possible tomorrow, Friday, Apr 22. |
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FIELD DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
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We will be hosting our annual Elementary School Field Day at Riverstone on Thursday, June 2 and we need your help!
We will have outdoor activities, games, and a water slide. To make the day a success, we need many volunteers to supervise the games and activities, set up and clean up the events, and loan us their sun canopies.
If you would be willing to loan us your sun canopy, or supervise the fun during one (or more) of the time slots below, please contact Demi Dlouhy.
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Volunteer Activity
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| Set Up
| 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
| Activities Supervisors
| 12:15 PM - 2:30 PM
| Clean Up
| 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
| Canopy
| Dropped off by 9:00 AM on Thursday, June 2
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DP EXAM VOLUNTEER PROCTORS NEEDED
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 The International Baccalaureate examinations are just around the corner. Riverstone's Seniors will take between 15-18 different examinations in their six core subjects as part of the requirements of the Diploma Programme (DP). Our Seniors will begin taking their end of course examinations on the Monday, May 2.
We need volunteers to proctor an exam or exams. This is a great opportunity to volunteer and gain insight into the level of knowledge and skill our Seniors have developed during their time at Riverstone.
A proctor's responsibilities include:
- Ensuring a quiet and orderly examination environment
- Supervising and making notes about start and stop times for examinations, noting irregularities and for making notes about anything germane to the examination session underway.
Andy, Robyn, Bob or Jami will be there to start and stop examinations and to secure the examination materials. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up here and contact Andy Johnson or Robyn Olnes with any questions. |
Parents' Association Meeting
Please join us at our next meeting which will take place on Thursday, May 5 at 8:45 AM in the Library.
Staff Appreciation Week Chairperson Needed
We are looking for someone creative to assist the PA with this wonderful Riverstone tradition. If you are interested, please email Natalie Geffros for more information.
PA Volunteers for 2016-2017
We are still looking for willing hands to help support PA activities and events. Please read more here about positions that are available (second page) and about the process of getting involved. There are still several openings available.
There are jobs that take no more than a couple of hours per month, some that are seasonal and a few that require a routine commitment. If you have any questions, please contact Natalie Geffros.
International Committee Meeting Thank you to everyone that joined us for this week's International Committee meeting. We will meet next on Wednesday, May 18 at 8:50 AM at Full Steam Bistro (920 E Park Blvd, Boise, ID 83716). If you would like more information or you would like to be involved, please contact Sumiko Gomi. |
 The Riverstone soccer team has been practicing hard and are excited for the season! Please see a note from their coach, Mark Stilinovich, below:
"The soccer team is looking great! We are in first place and hungry for more. Come out and cheer them to a victory this Saturday at 1:00 PM on Field 16."
Soccer Game: Saturday, Apr 23 at 1:00 PM at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex (off of Hill Road) on Field 16.
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 We are very proud of Jack J (Gr 11) for being accepted into the National Security Language Initiative - Youth. He will be traveling to Dushanbe, Tajikistan in June for an intensive six week course in Tajiki language (very closely related to Persian, the dominant language of Iran) and culture. He was awarded this opportunity after an extensive application and interview process and the program is sponsored by the State Department as part of our country's critical language program. Jack J is the second Riverstone student selected for this program in the last five years. He will return to Boise in early August. Congratulations, Jack!
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HOST FAMILY OPPORTUNITIES
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 Now is the time to consider hosting a student for the next academic year. The students listed below have all chosen Riverstone as their top choice of US schools to attend. Of course, the students and their families are anxiously awaiting news that they have been accepted to the school of their choice. Please consider helping make one of these students' dream come true. We cannot accept any of these students until we have host families; now is the time!
Carlota: A 16 year-old girl from Spain. She is interested in basketball, soccer, and other sports. She likes music, movies, and shopping. Carlota has two sisters and a cat. She says she is very sociable. She wants to come to Riverstone to meet new people, try new experiences, and learn more about America.
Fin: A 17 year-old boy from Germany. Fin visited the US one time and has wanted to come back ever since. When he heard about Riverstone, he decided this was the place for him. Fin says his passion is tennis, but he likes skiing and spending time with friends, too. Fin is hoping that Riverstone will give him the chance to try all kinds of new things and to share his culture while learning about American culture.
Josephin: A 16 year-old girl from Germany. Josephin 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.
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 Next week's menu is listed below. If you haven't registered, it's easy and quick, and so is ordering. You can purchase meals for one day or an entire week, or month.
There are many meal options, so look through the entire spring menu here. If you are ordering pizza, please only select the number of slices you want to purchase. Please do not adjust the pizza size (small, regular, large) for your order.
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This week's Facebook photo is of one of our Gr 7 students changing a bike tube - an important skill to have before heading out with your class on the Weiser River Trail for 4 days!
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