Riverside Report

Monday December 2, 2024 Be Amazing Club 3:45-4:45

Lego Club 3:40-4:40

Tuesday December 3, 2024 Crochet Club 3:00-3:30

Ukulele Club 3:45-4:30

Lego Club 3:40-4:40

Wednesday December 4, 2024 Chess Club 3:00-3:30

Team Blue Jay Club 3:00-3:40

Thursday December 5, 2024 Crochet Club 3:00-3:30

Monday December 9, 2024 Be Amazing Club 3:45-4:45

Lego Club 3:40-4:40

Tuesday December 10, 2024 Crochet Club 3:00-3:30

Ukulele Club 3:45-4:30

Lego Club 3:40-4:40

Wednesday December 11, 2024 Chess Club 3:00-3:30

Thursday December 12, 2024 Crochet Club 3:00-3:30

Monday December 16, 2024 Lego Club Holiday Party 3:40-5:40

Tuesday December 17, 2024 Lego Club Holiday Party 3:40-5:40

Wednesday December 18, 2024 Chess Club 3:00-3:30

Team Blue Jay Club 3:40-4:45

Monday December 23, 2024- Wednesday January 1, 2025 NO SCHOOL- WINTER BREAK

Thursday January 2, 2025 First Day Back to School

Wednesday January 8, 2025 Chess Club 3:00-3:30

Team Blue Jay Club 3:40-4:45

Monday January 13, 2025 Winter Concert Practice at the Middle School for grades 1, 3, and 4

Be Amazing Club 3:45-4:45

PTO Meeting 6:00-7:00 in the Riverside Conference Room or via Webex

Tuesday January 14, 2025 Winter Concerts at the Middle School

1st Grade 5:00-5:45

3rd Grade 6:00-6:45

4th Grade 7:00-7:45

Wednesday January 15, 2025 Winter Concert Practice at the Middle School for grades K, 2, and 5

Chess Club 3:00-3:30

Thursday January 16, 2025 Winter Concerts at the Middle School

Kindergarten 5:00-5:45

2nd Grade 6:00-6:45

5th Grade 7:00-7:45

Monday January 20, 2025 NO SCHOOL

Wednesday January 22, 2025 Chess Club 3:00-3:30

Team Blue Jay Club 3:40-4:45

Thursday January 23, 2025 PTO Event-Sylvan Hill Sledding from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Monday January 27, 2025 Be Amazing Club 3:45-4:45

Advanced Learner Parent Meeting 5:30-6:30 in the library

Starting Monday December 16th 2024, Riverside will be adding some fun activities and dress up days to our calendar as we count down to the official start of Winter on Friday December 20, 2024. Students will be off for winter break from Monday December 23- Wednesday January 1st 2025. Students will return on Thursday January 2, 2025.

The holiday season is the perfect time to curl up with a good book and dive into a new adventure! As the days get colder, encourage your child to grab a blanket and explore magical lands, solve exciting mysteries, or learn something new with a nonfiction favorite. From holiday tales to wintertime stories, there’s something for everyone! Remember, reading together each day – even for just a few minutes – strengthens literacy skills and creates lasting memories. This December, let’s celebrate the season with the joy of reading. Happy Holidays and happy reading! 📚✨

Dear D.C. Everest Families,

As we prepare for the upcoming winter season, we would like to make you aware of the snow day procedures we have in place in the event of inclement weather.

The D.C. Everest School District allotted two "built in" snow days for the 2024-25 school year. In the event we use both of those days, the third snow day will be made up by having students attend class on June 6, 2025.

If we exceed three snow days, and students cannot attend school in person due to inclement weather, students will learn from home. A summary of these plans is included below. Additional details would be shared by your student(s)' teacher(s) in the event we exceed three snow days.

DCE Middle School, Junior High and Senior High

• Teachers will post the day's lesson plan to their Canvas page by 9:00 a.m.

• Teachers will be available via WebEx during listed open office hours that will take place between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Students are encouraged to meet with their teacher virtually to ask questions and get support.

• If a teacher's identified office hours do not work for a student, students should send a request to their teacher to meet virtually at another time.

• Attendance will be taken based on completion of assigned tasks. If a student is unable to complete assigned work due to extenuating circumstances, the student should inform their teacher upon returning to school.

DCE Idea School

• Advisors will email a plan to students and parents by 9:00 a.m.

• Advisors will respond promptly to emails and be available via WebEx between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Students are encouraged to email or meet with their advisor virtually to ask questions and get support.

• If an advisor's identified office hours do not work for a student, students should send a request to their advisor to meet virtually at another time.

• Students will complete a Home Study Day sheet with their work plan for the day and have it signed by a parent/guardian.

DCE Elementary Schools

• Teachers will host a 9:00 a.m. virtual morning meeting that students should attend if they are able.

• Teachers will post the day's lessons to their Canvas page by 9:00 a.m.

• Teachers will be available throughout the day to answer questions via email.

For more information, please visit the District's weather-related closure webpage.

If you have any questions, please contact your building principal.

Sincerely,

Jeff Lindell, D.C. Everest Assistant Superintendent of Learning

During pick-up time, we need to keep both lanes of traffic open on River Road. If you have a large vehicle which will stick out into the traffic lane, we ask that you park in a spot in the lower parking lot. There are times that it is hard to see around large vehicles, which makes it hard to exit the parking lot safely; or large vehicles are blocking the traffic lane. If you are parking in the top parking area, please pull forward as far as you can, so that your vehicle is not blocking the lanes of traffic. We also ask that nobody park past the painted lines at the west side of the parking lot, so that the buses are able to turn into our parking lot at the end of the day.

Thank you to everyone who donated! This fundraiser has been going on for 22 years and is organized by the fifth graders. In December, Fifth grade students will do the shopping at Target to pick out the gifts. The gifts will get wrapped and will be able to be picked up in mid December. The focus of this effort is to raise money to buy presents for Riverside families that otherwise may not receive a lot during the holiday season. With your help, Riverside can help make Christmas a little brighter for our Riverside Bluejay families!

Students will be practicing for their winter concerts Tuesday January 7-Friday January 10th here at Riverside. Please make sure that your child has their tennis shoes at school during this time, as snow boots are unsafe on the risers.

They will also have a Winter Concert Practice on Monday January 13th, 2025 for 1st, 3rd, and 4th grades, and on Wednesday January 15, 2025 for Kindergarten, 2nd, and 5th grades at the middle school.

This year, all concerts will be held at the Middle School in the Auditorium.

Winter Concerts are at the following dates and times:

Tuesday January 14, 2025

5:00 First Grade

6:00 Third Grade

7:00 Fourth Grade

Thursday January 16, 2025

5:00 Kindergarten

6:00 Second Grade

7:00 Fifth Grade

Advanced Learner Parent Information Meeting

This year the parent meeting will be on Monday January 27th, 2025 at 5:30 pm in the Riverside IMC or via WebEx

ADVANCED LEARNER/CHALLENGE PROGRAM NOMINATION PERIOD

The nomination period for the 2025-2026 Advanced Learner/Challenge Program Magnet Program will begin on Thursday January 2, 2025 and runs through Friday January 31, 2025. The D.C. Everest Advanced Learner/Challenge Program is open to students in 2nd through 5th grade and is housed at Riverside Elementary. In addition to an accelerated curriculum, emphasis is placed on the higher level cognitive skills, problem solving, logic, and creativity. Students selected for placement in the program need to acquire academic knowledge quickly, apply this knowledge in creative and productive ways, and demonstrate a strong desire to learn. Parents and teachers are encouraged to nominate students in 1st through 4th grades who have demonstrated advanced academic capabilities. Nomination forms will be available in elementary school offices on Thursday January 2, 2025.

Thank you to all of our generous families who were able to contribute to this years food drive. We were able to add 1,922 items to the van this year, to be donated to our local food pantries! All food donated will stay in our Everest community. Thank you to Mr. Podeweltz and our Peyton's Promise advocates who helped organize and check dates on all of the donated items.

Clubs at Riverside fluctuate from year to year. The clubs that we currently have are led by our staff and are based on their interests and availability. Most of our clubs are available to 3rd- 5th grade students. Some clubs have a limited number of seats for students to sign up, and some do not. We also offer some clubs during recesses, and others are after school hours.

We will have a few additional clubs that will be starting after winter break. Watch for a sign-up sheets for Culture Club (led by Mrs. Her), Everest Youth Anglers (led by Mr. Lekie), Reading Cafe (led by Mrs. Wendorf), and Soccer Clubs (led by Mr. Kollross). Sign up forms are sent home with students who indicate that they are interested. If you want to sign your child up for a club, but they did not bring home a sign up form, you can either contact the teachers above who are leading these clubs, or the main office.

If you would like to order Riverside Apparel, we have a new site for you to check out!

If you would like to place a Riverside Spirit Wear Order with the new site, you can do so using the following link. Riverside Apparel with GTCC

If you prefer the items on our previous site, you can still order from them as well, using the following link. Riverside Apparel with MS Graphics

There are ship to home and ship to school options with both companies. We will send home items with your children as they arrive at school.

If you will have a 4K student for the 2025-26 school year, please join us at Weston Elementary from 6:00-7:00 on January 6, 2025, for the 4K Registration Information Night. 4K registration starts in early February.

A Reminder that there is no December PTO meeting.

We will see everyone at the next PTO meeting, which will be Monday January 13, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in person, or via Webex

This year's Sylvan Hill Sledding will be on Thursday January 23, 2025 from 6:00-9:00 pm.

Pre-sale tickets will be available, and you will be able to purchase tickets the night of the event as well. Please watch for more information closer to the event. This event will be held unless the Marathon County Parks Department closes Sylvan Hill due to cold temperatures.

We always welcome volunteers, and if you are interested, there is a posting in the Volunteer Tracker for this event! We will mostly need help with food/ hot chocolate sales throughout the night.

Your Help is Needed!

Our Ice Cream Social Event is one of our biggest events of the year, and it takes the help of a lot of people to make it such a memorable and successful event. Please watch for Ice Cream Social Volunteer Opportunities in the Volunteer Tracker soon.

Please let us know if you would like to join one of the following committee's. We would like to have 3-4 people on each committee. Currently, our committee's have only 1 or 2 people on each committee.

• Food Committee

Make copies and send home the letter for food donations and volunteers. Each grade level is asked to bring certain types of foods (buns, ice cream toppings, etc.). Help to organize & inventory the food donations, and purchase additional items as needed.

• Games Committee

Decide on the game stations for this year's Ice Cream Social, purchase game supplies & prizes, assemble games/prizes as needed.

• Donations Committee

Business donation request letters have been sent out already, follow-up phone calls to local businesses, pick up items from businesses, assemble into baskets as needed.

• Raffle Committee

Make copies and send home Pre-Sale ticket order forms for parents to complete before the event. Fulfill ticket orders for distribution at school. Send out letter for raffle basket donations. Each grade level is asked to bring in certain types of items (board games, crafts, summer fun, etc) Assemble raffle baskets.

Please contact one of our PTO officers if you would like more information about these committees riv-pto@dce.k12.wi.us.

President: Carissa Brittenham

Vice-President:

Secretary: Holly Pagel

Treasurer: Megan Behnke/Amanda Walters

Many agencies, businesses, churches, nursing homes, schools and neighbors provide a little extra help over the holidays. Please see the following information if you need help with something this holiday season.

There are also many opportunities to give help to members in our community over the holidays. There is something for all ages, and can be such a rewarding experience.

Greetings! During Guidance with me in the month of November, through the 7 Mindsets Curriculum, your child(ren) practiced thinking positive and focusing on his or her strengths/passion. In connection with the Zones of Regulation, these are two great strategies to add to your coping “toolbox” to help with self-regulation. Thinking positive is part of the “Everything is Possible” mindset and focusing on strengths/passions is part of the “Passion First” mindset.

Think Positive – People with a brighter outlook on life are not only happier, but also accomplish more. We must believe there is more for us in life, expect good things from others, and find the positives in all situations. These simple acts make us happier in the moment, and the future becomes infinitely brighter.

Focus on Strengths – We all have things that we do well. When we do what we’re good at, we perform better and get better results, which benefits both us and those around us. It is critical to play to our strengths and spend our time doing what we’re best at in order to create the most value. It is also important to know that our strengths are much more than what we do well, as they also include the situations in which we thrive and the people with whom we’re at our best. Understanding all of these strengths will multiply our successes.

The Passion First Mindset teaches us that we are all unique expressions of human existence. It’s vital to find out what our individual strengths and talents are so that we might connect them with our goals and visions for the future. In this mindset, we work with students to understand their unique gifts, their skills and strengths, and how to share them with the world to the maximum extent possible. Not only will they explore their interests, they will begin to identify their core values and what they stand for. The next step is helping them learn how to make their dreams into reality, tapping into both the courage and perseverance needed to overcome any challenges they encounter in pursuit of the lives they desire.

For more Do’s and Don’ts at home, critical components and activities to do with your child(ren), check out the Passion First Parent Newsletter.

In December, students will continue to “focus on strengths,” “explore their interests,” “take a stand,” and be introduced to the next mindset - We Are Connected.

To learn more about the 7 Mindsets, visit their website at www.7Mindsets.com.

What Can I Do For My Health As We Head Into The Holidays?

The Teenshealth website offers these 5 tips for those looking to beat the holiday blues.

Mom's in stress meltdown, the kids are fighting over the last cupcake, and Uncle Bob is coughing up a lung as he carves the turkey. Hello, holiday memories!

'Tis the season to beat sickness (not to mention tiredness, stress, or other holiday downers). Fortunately, you can stay well and have a good time even if everyone else is falling apart.

Follow these 5 tips to boost your body's defenses:

1. Fend off germs. Family gatherings, airports, travel stops and shopping malls — they're all places germs like to mingle. So protect yourself: Get a flu vaccine and wash your hands a lot. The holidays are all about sharing, but some things you'll want to keep to yourself: forks, spoons, and drinking utensils. People can be contagious before they know they're sick, so even just a sip from someone's drink puts his or her germs in your body.

2. Chill. "Can I afford it?" "Will it be perfect?" Even things we look forward to, like parties or gifts, can come with worries attached. If you feel stressed out, stop what you're doing for just a moment. Take five deep breaths — all-the-way-down-to-your-belly deep. Concentrate on each breath as you inhale and exhale. Walk over to a window and look out at the sky. Then go back to what you were doing, realizing that holiday drama will happen. Just hope it leaves you with some great stories to tell.

3. Eat healthy and be merry. Holiday foods can be high in calories and low on the nutrition you need to battle germs and boost energy. Make it a priority to eat five or more fruits and vegetables a day (choose the whole fruit instead of juice so you feel full longer and avoid added sugar). Carry an apple or a bag of baby carrots so you always have a healthy snack available. And don't give your exercise routine a holiday. Exercise gives you energy in addition to burning calories.

4. Beat the blues. Holiday depression doesn't just happen in songs. For some people, it's seasonal, brought on by shorter days, longer nights, and colder weather. Other people are going through difficult life events like a breakup or a move. If you feel down, go outside, even if it's cold where you live. Sunlight and exercise are great mood lifters. Try a seasonal activity to put you in the holiday spirit, like ice skating, sledding, or neighborhood carol singing. And don't hesitate to talk to someone you trust, like a parent or teacher, about how you're feeling.

5. Get some ZZZs. Getting 8½ to 9 hours of sleep a night during the holidays can help strengthen your immune system, give you more energy, and make you less vulnerable to stress.

One of the top things to do for your health is to get out and have fun. Forget about the tough stuff for a while (except for your safety, of course).

Laugh and enjoy yourself — the holidays only come once a year.

REMINDER!

As the temperatures get colder and the snow falls, please remember that we are here as a resource if you need assistance. Each year, several organizations offer to help Riverside families that are in need. Please do not hesitate to let either your child’s teacher, me (Mrs. Tatro), or Ber Yang (School Social Worker) know if you are in a situation where you would benefit from assistance with either clothing or food. I want to assure you that this is a very discrete, confidential process. Since hardships happen year-round and not just at the holidays, remember that we are here to help any time. We have several resources that can assist with needs for clothing, food and more. We care for ALL of our students and their families and we would like to be able to find ways to help meet your needs. If you have ANY questions, please reach out. We are glad to help!

Wishing you and your family a healthy, safe and magical holiday season!

Email: jkrautkramer@dce.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.dce.k12.wi.us/riversideelementary
Location: 166543 River Road, Ringle, WI, USA
Phone: 715-359-2417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DC-Everest-Riverside-Elementary-781561655213872/