Riverstone International School
May 12, 2016
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Hi All, There are certainly days that make you reflect upon your life more than others - and today is one of those days. I remember moving to Idaho 16 years ago in June with a son about to start first grade and a two-year-old daughter. When my family was looking for places to start our new life, we knew we were not willing to move to a community without a private school that we could send our children to - it was non-negotiable.
That summer, Riverstone was being born at its new location on the East End of Boise; modulars and a forest service building surrounded by a barbed-wire storage facility. Having left a well-established private school in Chicago, I was amazed at the upstart spirit of the parents and staff I met. They were literally building a school from scratch. When I first met then Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ceredig Roberts and Trustee Jerry Sturgill, I was amazed at their vision for the school and their can-do attitude.
During that summer, I joined a small army of parents and staff who went to work doing whatever was needed. One of my jobs was helping to build the deck around the modulars. My son, who idolized carpenters, would come with me to help, outfitted with his kids' tool belt and workman clothes. Despite a few fits and starts, Riverstone opened as scheduled that fall. Two years later, I joined the school as a teacher.
So, this morning, it was with mixed feelings that I helped to remove the decks from those same modulars as we prepared them to be relocated from our campus over the next week. In my mind, I can clearly see working alongside my wonderful little boy when, in fact, he is graduating from college in a week.
From the very beginning, and it is reflected in my family's experience, those founding parents and staff knew that having a thriving private school would be essential for a community. Riverstone's innovative approach to education provides an important option for parents and students, and our experience has improved other Idaho schools. Without exception, it has been a committed and visionary group of parents and staff, first with the modulars and most recently with the endowment, who have created and shaped this wonderful place.
My family has reaped the benefits of attending Riverstone and seen the difference in the lives of our children. I want to wholeheartedly thank our community members, from the early years to now, who have helped Riverstone grow and thrive.
To repeat the words of NWAIS Director Siri Akal Khalsa, "Your school is so hopelessly optimistic for doing what it has done in Boise."
Call for anything,
Bob Carignan
Head of School
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COLLEGE COUNSELING PARENT MEETING: TONIGHT!
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 Parents of Grade 11 students are invited to a college counseling information session with College Counselor, Gretchen Arguedas, tonight, Thursday, May 12 at 6:00 PM in Room 19 (the Mandarin Room) of the Elementary School. The easiest way to access Room 19 is to follow the sidewalk that runs beside the building on the west wing under the big Riverstone International School sign. The door will be propped open.
Bob Carignan will present information that is open to parents of Gr 8 - 10 students tonight as well at 6:00 PM in the High School Spanish room. The front door will be open.
College Counseling Information Session for Parents: TONIGHT! Thursday, May 12 at 6:00 PM in the High School for Gr 11 parents and in the Elementary School for Gr 8-10 parents.
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RIVERSTONE GOLF TOURNAMENT AND HAPPY GILMORE PARTY
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 If you have yet to sign up for the Party or the Golf Tournament, please do so today! Email Amy Bava with any questions.
*Please note the Happy Gilmore Cocktail Party time has changed to start at 7:00 PM.
- Riverstone Golf Tournament: Come play in this year's 18-hole RIS Golf Tournament! On Saturday, May 14 at 1:30 PM at the Warm Springs Golf Course. Tickets are $100 per person (including a round of golf, cart and lunch). Sign up your team of 4 players or sign up solo here and we'll assign you to a team.
- Happy Gilmore Party: Join other Riverstone parents and friends at the Liebich's home (1650 E Holly St, Boise, ID 83702) for the Happy Gilmore Party after the Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 14 at 7:00 PM! $50 per person and all proceeds benefit Riverstone. Please RSVP here.
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 The International Committee meeting will occur next 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. |
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4TH OF JULY DANCE FOR GR 6 - 8
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 Gr 6 - 8 are invited to the last Middle School Social of the year! The "4th of July BBQ" Dance will be on Friday, May 20 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium Foyer.
An American-themed dance, please dress all in blue, all in red, all in white or a combination. Tickets go on sale in homeroom next week. The cost is $5 before or $7 at the door. Please email Tarrah Elam with any questions.
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SAVE THE DATES! GRADE 5 EXHIBITION & MOVE UP
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 Over eight weeks, 27 fifth grade students worked in ten groups studying 10 real-world issues and completed 56 unique community-based action steps to positively impact our community. On Tuesday, May 24 at 6:30 PM, you are cordially invited to attend the Riverstone Grade Five Exhibition, the culminating project for the Primary Years Programme (PYP), in the Kennedy Gymnasium.
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.
And save the date! Please also plan to join us at the Gr 5 Move Up Ceremony on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00 AM in the Kennedy Gymnasium.
Please contact Stacey Walker or Trevor Lindsay with questions. |
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END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION
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 Due to ongoing construction and changes occurring on campus, we have decided to celebrate the end of the year a little differently for the 2015-2016 academic year. Instead of the traditional all-school BBQ on Thursday, June 2, we will have all students (Preschool through High School), teachers and staff come together on the Riverstone lawn and look back on the last year during the last hour of the day from 2:30 PM - 3:05 PM. This short celebration will include teacher recognition for departing staff and an exciting year-end celebratory moment for each grade level. There will be no after-care on the last day of school. Please plan accordingly to pick your child up at the end of the school day. Email Tarrah Elam or Kathleen Gilton with any questions.
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HONOR THE SENIORS DESSERT AND COMMENCEMENT INFO
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Honor the Seniors Dessert
Please join us on Wednesday, May 25 at 6:30 PM at the Barber Park Education and Events Center ( 4049 S Eckert Road, Boise, ID 83706) for our annual Senior Dessert. This is a special event in which family, friends, teachers, and classmates wish the Class of 2016 well as they prepare for their 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; and free to the Class of 2016. Cash, check, credit, or billing by Kevin Richmond are all acceptable forms of payment! Please RSVP by Friday, May 20.
To reserve your tickets for the Senior Dessert, please stop by the Elementary School or Middle School front desk. You may also email Kathleen Gilton.
Senior Dessert: Wednesday, May 25 at 6:30 PM at the Barber Park Education and Events Center (4049 S Eckert Road, Boise, ID 83706) **Tickets required -- please RSVP by Friday, May 20**
Class of 2016 Commencement Commencement exercises will take place on Thursday, May 26 at 4:00 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium. Graduation is another one of our unique-to-Riverstone events: each graduate will be spoken about by a teacher or staff member, and then will reflect on his or her time at Riverstone. The words spoken at this ceremony are truly incredible. We encourage families to join in the celebration of our graduates!
Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2016: Thursday, May 26 at 4:00 PM in the Kennedy Gymnasium (5521 Warm Springs Avenue, Boise, ID 83716)
**No ticket required**
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GR 10 PERSONAL PROJECT EXHIBITION
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Earlier this month, our Gr 10 students hosted their Personal Project Exhibition. A tradition at Riverstone, the Exhibition serves as a culmination of a year long process of independent research, planning, production, and presentation. The projects run the gamut of creativity and are intended to be of personal interest and to be personally challenging for each student.
This exhibition is the capstone event of the students' journeys through the Middle Years Programme. The Grade 10 students summarized why this Personal Project was meaningful to them and what challenges they faced. You can read their full responses in their Personal Project brochure as well as check out the video below featuring Javin S and Christina U talking about their projects.
Thank you to the many advisors who were guides to our students. Congratulations to the Class of 2018 for all your hard work!
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PURCHASE YOUR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK
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If you haven't ordered your Yearbook yet, don't worry - there's still time!
 Order today and the Yearbook will be shipped directly to your home.
2. Enter Riverstone's code: 1014422443653681
3. Enter your information (name, email, birth date) to sign up for an account
4. Purchase your Yearbook for $21.24 - you will receive a receipt via email
5. All finished!
For every book purchased, TreeRing will plant a tree in our school's name.
Again, please be sure to thank Gr 9 Yearbook team Evana A and Frances S for their hard work on this huge project! And thank you to Anna F (Gr 9) for designing our cover art (pictured above) and Louisa G (Gr 7) for designing our Autograph page art.
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RETURNING YOUR LIBRARY BOOKS
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 Please read the following note and request from our Librarian, Susan Tabb:"Well it's that time of year. Please check around your homes, cars, trucks, boats, etc., for any Riverstone Library books so your students may return them by Friday, May 13. Books can be returned to Mr. Hamilton-Vail's Library Basket, Classroom Library Baskets or directly to the Library in the Middle School.
We are also looking for clean copies of "The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel" by Gareth Hind. If your Gr 8-12 student read this book in their Gr 6 year and you still have it, please consider donating it to the Riverstone Library. Thank you for your support." Please email Susan Tabb with any questions or donations.
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We began the process of removing the modulars from campus today! Keep an eye on the Riverstone Facebook page and future newsletters for progress!.
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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 our Head of School, Bob, wishing the Gr 7 students best of luck on their biking trip this week!
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