Riverstone International School
August 5, 2016
|
Hi All,
Full speed ahead at Riverstone!
Division Directors are finalizing schedules, teachers are coming in to set up their classrooms, and... a crane is her today to raise the walls of "Phase 1" of our new Middle and High School building into place. As I have said many times, it is a milestone time to be at Riverstone, so exciting!
As I mentioned last week, please take the time to carefully read the newsletter or class emails over the next few weeks as they will be loaded with important information. We want to ensure that the year starts off as smoothly as possible.
Enjoy August,
Bob Carignan
Head of School
|
|
READING THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
 Our weekly newsletters over the next month will be filled with important information regarding the upcoming school year - just over 3 weeks away!
Please make sure the following email addresses are saved in your contacts. This is particularly important for Gmail and CableOne users to ensure our emails are not limited by your spam filter.
bbrock@riverstoneschool.org
|
 Robyn Olnes will be transitioning from wearing the three hats of Middle and High School Administrative Assistant/Registrar/College Counseling Assistant into assisting with Middle and High School special projects in order to spend more time with her family in Alaska. Although we won't see Robyn on a daily basis, we will still see her welcoming smile when she is assisting with outdoor trip preparation and chaperoning outdoor trips, as well as special projects in the Middle and High School. Robyn has been an instrumental member of the school for many years, has two children who graduated from Riverstone, and opened her home while hosting 18 international students throughout the years. We are grateful for her continued involvement at the school!
Tarrah Elam, our Student Life Coordinator, will not be returning this fall. Tarrah began her ten year career at Riverstone teaching Middle School Spanish, transitioning into Riverstone's first Student Life Coordinator four years ago. In this new role, she developed and coordinated opportunities for Riverstone students outside of the classroom, including student travel, social events, advisory program, and after school activities. Tarrah writes, "The opportunities granted to me through my time at Riverstone will never be forgotten. I feel lucky to have built special relationships with students that have a true desire to learn and make the world a better place, and build programs I believed in." We appreciate Tarrah's many contributions to our students and school. We wish her all the best with her growing family; we will miss her.
Randy Gawith will be our new bus driver this year. Randy was referred to us by Pete Burton and is very excited to meet all of our students. He has been a bus driver for the past 5 years and before that he worked with Les Schwab for 31 years. Please join us in welcoming Randy to the Riverstone community!
|
|
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASS LISTS
|
 As Rachel Pusch shared in last week's newsletter, we will be welcoming 68 new students in the fall! Many of these new students are in various stages of the application process which is very exciting for our school community. As a result of these continued enrollments, we will be sharing class lists for Elementary School parents during the week of August 15-19. Please be sure to watch your inbox for an email from James Hamilton-Vail, our Elementary School Director.
We also anticipate sharing a preview copy of the Student and Parent Directory at that time. |
Students and parents are invited to get a sneak peak into the next school year by joining us for Meet the Teachers on Friday, Aug 26.
Come and meet your child's teachers, check out the classrooms, reconnect with old friends, and meet our new families!
Meet the Teachers Schedule on Friday, August 26:
|
Grades
|
Time & Location
| |
Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten
& Kindergarten
|
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Elementary School
| |
Grades 1-5
|
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Elementary School
| |
Grades 6-12
|
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM*
Gym Foyer
|
*Please arrive by 12:15 PM for introductions and announcements.
|
 All parents are invited to join us for our 5th Annual Riverstone All-School Convocation.
Our All-School Convocation will be held on Monday, Aug 29 at 9:00 AM in the Kennedy Gymnasium.
We start the school year celebrating what we know to be one of Riverstone's unique qualities and one of our Five Pillars, our strong sense of community. Convocation is always fun and will last approximately 30-45 minutes. Let's pack the gym with students, staff, and parents!
|
 Sad to see your little ones head to class for the first time OR are you ready to shout "Yahoo" towards the sky? No matter your preference -- we will have the tissues and high-fives ready!
Immediately following the All-School Convocation, plan to to stop by the Parents' Association tables in the Gym Foyer. Chairpersons for PA activities will be available to talk with you about what PA programs are taking place this year and how they can help match your skill set and interests to some of the important needs for our school.
Being involved is good for you, your child, and the school. We're looking forward to meeting you! Contact Natalie Geffros, PA President, with questions.
PA Boohoo Yahoo: Monday, Aug 29 at 9:30 AM in the Kennedy Gymnasium (immediately following the All-School Convocation) |
|
AFTER SCHOOL ICE CREAM SOCIAL
|
 Join us after the first day of school on Monday, Aug 29 starting at 3:30 PM outside the Elementary School for our Ice Cream Social celebrating the start of the 2016-17 school year! Thank you to our wonderful PA for hosting this annual event.
After School Ice Cream Social: Monday, Aug 29 at 3:30 PM outside of the Elementary School Atrium
|
 Fall Trips will be here soon! Make sure you have all of the information regarding your student's trips by reading through the notes from Ben Brock, Outdoor Education Director, below.
Elementary School For Elementary School students, the Back to School Rafting Trips during the second week of school are a fun community-building event; family members are encouraged to come out and meet new Riverstone families and to start the year off with a splash! Shortly thereafter Grade 4 will spend a week at the McCall Outdoor Science School and Grade 5 will spend a night camping out at the Intermountain Bird Observatory.
Middle and High School
Middle and High School students who traditionally venture a little farther from home will want to pay close attention to the calendar at the beginning of the year as this fall's activities have seen a bit of restructuring and rescheduling.
Please note that Middle and High School students will be on campus for the first two weeks of school and ALL of the following trips will take place during the 3rd week of school: -
Grade 6 will spend four days writing and investigating in and around Yellowstone National Park,
-
Grade 7 will ride 70+ miles of the Weiser River Bike Trail,
-
Grade 8 will spend a week floating the Main Salmon River, and
- Grades 9-12 will spend three days backpacking in the mountains of central Idaho.
Action Needed!
As the beginning of the year approaches, please keep Outdoor Education details close at hand and help do your part to ensure everything runs smoothly by:
- Referring to the Outdoor Education Calendar on the school website for dates.
- Referring to the Resources page on the school website for individual trip letters, equipment lists and permission slips. (Right under the school supply lists.)
- Trip Letters will provide nuts and bolts information about each trip.
- Equipment Lists can be printed off and used as checklists as you're packing.
- Permission Slips help the school gather the most up-to-date health information about your children so that we can provide the best care possible.
|
|
OUTDOOR TRIP DATES, PERMISSION FORMS & EQUIPMENT LISTS
|
|
Grade(s)
|
Dates
|
Information, Permission Slips & Equipment Lists
| |
Preschool and PreKindergarten
Raft Trip
|
Tuesday, Sept 6
|
| |
Kindergarten - Gr 2 Raft Trip
|
Friday, Sept 9
|
| |
Gr 3-5 Raft Trip
|
Thursday, Sept 8
|
| Gr 4 McCall Outdoor Science School
| Monday, Sept 19 - Friday, Sept 23
| Online Registration
(password: learning)
Equipment List
| Gr 5 Intermountain Bird Observatory Overnight Trip
| Thursday, Sept 29 - Friday, Sept 30
| Stay tuned for details!
| |
Gr 6 Yellowstone Trip
|
Tuesday, Sept 13 - Friday, Sept 16
|
| |
Gr 7 Weiser Bike Trip
|
Tuesday, Sept 13 - Friday, Sept 16
|
| |
Gr 8 Main Salmon River Trip
|
Monday, Sept 12 - Saturday, Sept 17
|
| |
Gr 9-12 Fall Backpacking Trips
|
Wednesday, Sept 14 - Friday, Sept 16
|
|
|
|
RIVERSTONE CO-ED SOCCER SIGN UPS
|
 Students in Gr 9-12 are invited to sign up for Riverstone's Co-Ed High School soccer team, coached by Mark Stilinovich. The season runs September - October and practice will be three days per week with games on Saturdays.
There will be one Varsity team and practice will begin in the new school year. Stay tuned for more information and sign up here!
|
 Mir Yashar ("Yash") Seyedbagheri, Class of 2005, has two short stories that have been accepted for publication in online literary magazines in the past two weeks. Please join us in congratulating Yash and read the stories at the links below!
"The Real Romanovs: Taped and Shot Before A Live Studio Audience" via Gone Lawn - new seasonal issue featuring this piece to be released shortly.
"Waltz of The Flowers" via Five on the Fifth
Yash is about to start his second year in the Colorado State University MFA Fiction program. You can read his CSU Graduate Profile here!
|
|
WE APPRECIATE YOUR REFERRALS
|
 A note from Rachel Pusch, Director of Enrollment Management:
We still have openings in several grades available for enrollment this August and would appreciate your help in recommending Riverstone to friends and family.
As a reminder, we are offering an incentive for families who are interested in enrolling for the fall.
We will waive the usual $75 application fee for families who start their applications* prior to August 15, 2016 for the 2016-2017 academic year. Please encourage friends to inquire online now; we will email them the appropriate code to use to waive the application fee.
We offer financial aid that does not need to be repaid and scholarships as well. We encourage prospective families to ask about financial aid. There are many factors that are considered; we do our best to work with families who are mission-appropriate.
Again, referrals from current families are always valued and much appreciated. Thank you for your help!
*Day students only; not applicable for residential students
|
 Book and Supply Lists are now uploaded to the Resources page of the website for the 2016-17 academic year. Please also find direct links for each grade below.
For any questions regarding the Elementary School supply lists, please email James Hamilton-Vail and for any questions regarding the Middle and High School supply lists, please email Andy Johnson.
|
This week's Facebook photo is of the Takagi family from our Family Play Date at Municipal Park earlier this week. Thank you to everyone who joined us in the sunshine!
|
|
