Red Pride Weekly - Family Edition

Thanks to all of our Gladiator families who came out last week for conferences. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with our families to make Riverheads Elementary a great place to learn. We are looking forward to our PreK families coming out tomorrow for conferences.

We are also looking forward to seeing our 2nd grade families tomorrow night for their performance of "Swamped!" at 6:00 pm in the gym.

Our staff has a surprise for students this week, Undercover Dress Up Days! Each day a collection of staff members will dress to match a certain theme and our students will have the opportunity to guess what the theme of the day is.

Important Dates

• Monday, October 21 - No school for PreK students; PreK Parent Conferences
• Monday, October 21 - 2nd Grade Program; 6:00 pm, RES Gym
• Friday, October 25 - Fall Picture Retakes
• Wednesday, October 30 - RHS/RMS FCCLA hosting a "Trunk or Treat" at RHS
• Monday, November 4 - No School for Students; Professional Development Day
• Tuesday, November 5 - No School for Students; Election Day
• Wednesday, November 13 - PTA General Meeting; 5:30 pm
• Thursday, November 14 - Literacy Night; 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Shout Outs!

A big shout out to our PTA for purchasing a rock wall for our gym. The rock wall was installed on Thursday and Friday of last week and it looks amazing! Thanks for creating new opportunities for our Gladiators!

Another big shout out to Charley's Cheesesteaks for donating a portion of their Grand Opening proceeds last week to RES, RMS and RHS. We are grateful to have the support of our local businesses!

Finally, a HUGE shoutout to all of our bus drivers for National School Bus Safety Week. We are grateful to our drivers for safely driving our students to school and home every day. Thanks for driving our Gladiators "Safely into the Future."

Please join our 2nd graders for their performance of "Swamped!" on Monday, October 21 at 6:00 pm. Doors will open at 5:30 pm and students will meet their teachers in the cafeteria at 5:45 pm to line up.

Everyone is busy at the swamp getting ready for a festive swamp party! Unfortunately problems arise. The turtles are running late and Bully the bullfrog is being, well, a bully. The tadpoles are worried. They start growing arms and legs, even their voices start to change. The poor dragonflies are even nervous to fly. Whoever heard of such a thing! Join us for this story of friendship, tolerance and courage and you'll find out why "We're Swamped!".

Families, it’s important to talk to your child, or children, about bus stop safety. Here are some tips.

Before the Bus Arrives

Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives. While waiting for the bus your child should wait at least ten feet — five giant steps — away from the curb. Remind your child that the bus stop is not a place to run or play.

Getting On and Off Safely

When the school bus arrives, your child should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver says it’s okay to get on or off. Your child should use the handrails to avoid falling.

Always Use Caution Around the Bus

Your child should never walk behind a school bus. If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, tell them to walk on a sidewalk or along the side of the street to a place at least ten feet — five giant steps — in front of the bus before crossing. Your child should also make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing to make sure the driver can see that they’re crossing to avoid the danger zone. If your child drops something near the school bus, like a phone or book, the safest thing is for your child to tell the bus driver right away. Your child should not try to pick up the item, because the driver might not be able to see them.

Thanks to the PTA, our new rock wall was installed on Thursday and Friday of last week. It is 40' wide by 10' high and is one of the larger rock wall installations locally. It is a great design, using the mat to keep the rocks covered and athletes protected during other sports, but easily being unlocked and dropped to the ground as a protective mat while climbing.

Mr. Armstrong and Ms. Dodson gave the wall a try on Friday. They are definitely excited to get our Gladiators on the wall. Please note, that the red line across the bottom of the wall is the foot height limit for our Gladiators when climbing.

You are invited to an FCCLA Trunk-or-Treating event at Riverheads High School from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, October 30. There will be opportunities for trunk-or-treating, games, face painting and snacks.

Red Ribbon Week is the nation's largest and longest-running drug-use prevention campaign. SCW is teaming up with our School Counselors to celebrate Red Ribbon Week the last week of October. Our students and staff are encouraged to dress up to participate in our Red Ribbon Spirit Week.

Each morning our Gladiators are asked to live up to our Red Pride Pledge by being safe, respectful, responsible, caring learners. Students who live up to our Riverheads Expectations for Success have a chance to be nominated by their teacher or another staff member for the honor of being a Good News Gladiator. Students who earn this honor are given a shout out over the announcements and are allowed to choose a book from our book vending machine.

Please join me in celebrating these Gladiators for showing their Red Pride!

We have been busy recognizing students this month, so be on the lookout for more Good News Gladiators each week.

For those Gladiator Families that have a child receiving Special Education services, please consider completing the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) Parent Involvement Survey. You can find more information and links to the survey online.

Ms. Moser is our new librarian and she has been hard at work this year making the library an engaging learning space for our students. Check out these photos from the library.