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Riverside School Newsletter
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CALENDAR
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WEEK OF 9/15 - 9/19
Monday, Sept. 15
High Tech/High Touch - Gr. 5
Tuesday, Sept. 16
High Tech/High Touch - Gr. 5
High Tech/High Touch - Gr. 2
7:50am Chorus Rehearsal - PT. 1
9:00am PTA Exec. Meeting - Cafe
Wednesday, Sept. 17
EARLY RELEASE
High Tech/High Touch - Gr. 2
Thursday, Sept. 18
7:50am Chorus Rehearsal - PT. 2
7:00pm BOE Meeting - WMS
Friday, Sept. 19
WEEK OF 9/22 - 9/26
Monday, Sept. 22 Tuesday, Sept. 23 GHS Open House PICTURE DAY 7:50am Chorus Rehearsal - PT. 1 Wednesday, Sept. 24 5th Grade Volunteer Fair Thursday, Sept. 25 NO SCHOOL - ROSH HASHANAH
Friday, Sept. 26
7:45am Advanced Band & Gr. 4
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From the Front Office
Weekly Column by Mr. Weiss
September 12, 2014
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You are invited to Riverside School's Open House
To accommodate parents with multiple children at Riverside, we will offer two open house meeting times on Thursday, October 2.
Thursday, October
Grade K-2 6:30-7-15 pm in the classrooms
Grades 3-5 7:30-8:15 pm in the classrooms
Specialists (Music, Art, PE, ESOL, ALP, Reading, Media, etc.) will be available to meet with any interested parents from 7- 7:45pm that evening.
Innovation Advisory Group Forming
Please join us this Tuesday at 7 PM
Riverside family members (as well as members of the Greenwich community and local business owners) interested in being part of an advisory/participant group on Innovation at the school, please join us this Tuesday 7-8:30p.m. in the media center. Please RSVP to Mr. Weiss by Monday so we can better plan how many will attend. Everyone is welcome to join us even if you are not able to RSVP. Please bring a mobile device or laptop to maximize the discussion and learning experience. We will utilize the www.schoology.com platform.
You are Invited! World Maker Faire - in NYC
September 20-21st
As part of our focus this year on Innovation we are letting parents know about an exciting event happing soon in New York City.
Have you heard of the White House Maker Faire that took place last June? Did you know that the World Maker Faire will be held at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY? Mr. Weiss and some teachers will be attending the World Maker Faire on Saturday and we want to encourage any families that are interested to find our more about the event and consider attending sometime that weekend. We hope to hold a Maker Faire here at Riverside this year and we are looking for some great ideas on the project when we visit. You can read more about it here and look up ticket information at http://makerfaire.com/
If you are interested in attending the event, feel free to purchase tickets and let Mr. Weiss know if you plan to attend. Thanks!
iPad Information Meeting for Parents - key information shared
We had a very successful iPad information meeting this past Tuesday. The information shared over the past year and at this meeting is included in the Schoology group "Digital Citizenship Guide to Parents". Information on joining the group will be sent soon.
There is also key information the Digital Learning Environment at Riverside found at:
Next week, students (K-5) will start utilizing their school-issued iPads at times provided for by their teacher as part of their academic work. By the end of September, we will be providing grade 2-5 parents a borrow form for at home use by students of the iPads. Students in grades 2-5 with be able to bring home their iPads for academic use starting in mid-October (after they complete a digital citizenship course in school).
Riverside's Strategic Improvement Plan
Last year, through our SIP plan, we focused as a school on further extending our teachers' explicit instruction in reading comprehension with students through small group work. Our goal was to improve high-level student comprehension as measured on the Beyond the Text portion of the F & P reading assessments. We are happy to report that we saw a strong increase of 8 percentage points from fall to spring of total students reaching the top level of this indicator (76% of all students in grades 1-5 achieved the top score. Special thanks to all of our teachers and support staff for working together to achieve this goal as a school. Congratulations to our hard working students who demonstrated improvement in this key area of reading comprehension.
This year our school-wide focus for our SIP will be Quality Teacher Feedback to Students. Our certified staff has already been working on the topic of feedback and our building data team will be writing our strategic improvement plan with the support of our technology and math committees in the building. Once completed, we will publish our plan. We additionally had an all day visit by consultant Todd White who worked with teachers and the administration on this effort. Additionally, consultant Mike Wasta will be visiting the school this week to continue this work with us.
Greenwich's Attendance Procedure
Please review the new attendance procedure now in place in the district and at Riverside School. The definition of truancy remains 4 unexcused absences in one month or ten unexcused absences in a year. The definition of excused and unexcused absences has changed. Starting with the 10th absence of the year, very specific documentation will be required for it to be considered excused. Please review the new procedure here.
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| PTA Membership Drive |
The Riverside School PTA's goal is to enhance our children's educational experience. The majority of funds we raise support enrichment programs for our children. We also devote a large portion on support for the classrooms, teachers, and school. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the student experience at Riverside.
Please consider joining the PTA. Simply print, fill out and return the form to the "PTA Membership" drawer by the birdhouse in the front hall of the school. Click here for form
As a bonus, you will receive a copy of the Riverside School Directory. This directory is only available for Riverside School PTA members.
Thank you!
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| APPAREL SALE |
 Riverside School Apparel Sale
Thursday, September 18th
at pick-up!
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| PTA FUNDRAISER |
Let's Grow Riverside
Riverside PTA Fundraiser
Please join us for cocktails & hors d'oeuvres as we celebrate our school in a fun, casual and festive setting.
October 18, 2014 ~ 7-9pm
JHouse - 1114 E. Putnam Avenue, Riverside
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| Arts in Education |
Play in A Day
This week professional storytellers from CT Storytelling Center visited our 3rd grade classes to craft a play out of an old fable in a single day. The storytellers guide the students through the process of producing a play which includes: brainstorming a storyline, developing the accompanying dialogue, movement, music and drama! This production is a tremendous exercise in promoting teamwork, friendships and most of all respect for each other - skills the students refer back to throughout the year. The program also aims to teach skills such as speaking clearly, taking risks and being creative.
There are certainly some budding actors and actresses and musicians in the 3rd grade crowd! There was singing, chanting, and a lot of laughter. We hope the parents enjoyed the productions as much as the children enjoyed putting on a show!
The Play in A Day program is sponsored by the Riverside School PTA
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| We still need help.... SAFETY!!!! |
"Many hands make light work"
The safety and well-being of our school community and our children is one of our top priorities. Safety monitors in the morning make the drop-off process easy and safe for everyone. This is in thanks to our PTA volunteers who show-up each morning with a vest and a smile.
We are in desperate need of more volunteers.
Please consider volunteering if you can. It's a 15 minute commitment that makes a huge difference for our school. Any time that you can give us is greatly appreciated (even just one morning a week).
Without adequate volunteers, morning drop-off will not be assisted. If you can help, please contact Gina Frankle (ginafrankle@me.com).
Thank you!
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| SCHOOL PHOTOS |
PICTURE DAY
School Picture day is, Tuesday, September 23rd. Class and individual photos will be taken outside, weather permitting. Order forms should be coming home in your child's Friday folder today. Please fill out the enclosed order form and return it to school to the basket marked "School Photos" near the PTA birdhouse. If you prefer you may order online. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Tami Lopez at thefamilylopez@gmail.com
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| FLUORIDE RINSE |
Please READ for more information.
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| STRIKE UP THE BAND! |
Band lessons for fifth grade students who are scheduled to continue their musical studies will begin on Friday, September 5th. Fourth grade students who signed up last June and any new students will start on Thursday, September 11.
If you haven't already done so, please make rental arrangements at the music store of your choice before the above dates. Advanced students (fifth graders) and students who already signed up last spring do not need to resubmit a form this fall. Enrollment forms will be available for any new students in the instrumental music room. Also band rehearsals for advanced students only will begin on Friday, September 26th at 7:45 A.M. on the gym stage.
All students who were members of the band last year are encouraged to attend these Friday morning rehearsals in preparation for our winter concert.
Thank you!
Mr. Arezzini
David_Arezzini@greenwich.k12.ct.us
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PARENTS AS PARTNERS
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Please click here for informational flyer in English.
Please click here for informational flyer in Spanish.
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CURIOSITY CONCERTS
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GPS families might be interested in Curiosity Concerts - a series of free family classical music concerts held at different venues throughout town. A project of the Greenwich Arts Council, Curiosity Concerts' season opening is Saturday, September 22 at 2:00p.m. with Sonic Escape at Greenwich Library Cole Auditorium. Called "daredevils with instruments," this flute, violin and cello trio presents "The Music Makers," a program that debuted at Lincoln Center last December and weaves folk, classical, pop, bluegrass, and sea shanties into a tale of how North American music came to be. Don't miss an hour of exceptional music designed to inspire parents and children alike. For info on the entire series or to reserve your free seats, visit www.CuriosityConcerts.org.
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Lois Kelly & Sarah Fugelsang
Co-Presidents Riverside School PTA
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