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The Bear Facts
Riverside Elementary Bears PTA
April, 2015
Riverside Mission Statement
*Every Child’s Learning Comes First at Riverside*
Students and Staff United in Purposeful Engagement at Riverside
Be here Excel A+ attitude Respectful Safe
DATES TO REMEMBER
Mar.30 ‐ Apr.6...........................Spring/Easter Break April 7 ……………………………………..School reopens from Spring Break April 14‐17……………………………….State Testing for grades 3, 4, 5 April 20…………………………………….Citizen of the Month @ 9:15 April 21…………………………………….Field Day April 23…………………………………….Fifth grade field trip to Baton Rouge April 23…………………………………….Interims go home May 4‐6…………………………………...State testing for grades 3,4,5 May 14……………………………………..School Awards May 18……………………………………..5th grade promotion May 22........................................End of 4th 9 Weeks Half Day for Students May 26........................................Teachers’ Day FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Many thanks to the first grade students, teachers,
and Mrs. Garrett for an enjoyable Spring program.
The Art Show, sponsored by Mrs. Gerkin was also a
great success.
The first round of state testing is complete and the
second round will begin soon. Our third, fourth and
fifth grade students will begin testing on Tuesday,
April 14th and continue through Friday, April 17th.
Please continue to support your child and encourage
him/her to do his/her best. It is very important that
every child be at school every day and be on time the
week of testing. We have a limited number of days
for make-up testing. Children who are absent must
have an excuse from the doctor which is written on
doctor letterhead and must be signed by the
physican, not nurse practioner. Students need a
good breakfast before school. Our cafeteria staff is
planning a special protein enriched menu for testing
days. If your child can’t or doesn’t eat at home, we
hope they will eat the school breakfast.
It is hard to believe we only have a short time left
in the 2014-2015 school year. I know everyone will
continue working hard to get ready for next year. We
also know students are involved in spring sports during this time of year. Please remind our students to
remember to keep up with their school work.
We hope that all of our volunteers can come to
Riverside on Monday, April 27th for our Volunteer
Breakfast at 8:45.
FROM THE PTA CO-PRESIDENTS
Spring is here! We hope you are enjoying it. It is
not too late to join PTA. We are still in need of 17
memberships to reach our goal. If you need a membership envelope, please send a note to your child’s
teacher and we will get one to you.
Congratulations to our new board for the 20152016 school year.
Co-Presidents: Jill Jeffrey & Britanee Symons
Vice President: Kayla Crain
Secretary: Janeice Smith
Treasurer: Fallon Laserre
If you would like to contact us, please feel free to
email us at [email protected].
Jill Jeffrey
Jessi Pitman
Co-Presidents
CAFETERIA NEWS
Congratulations to our Riverside cafeteria for
being awarded the USDA Gold Award. This is the
nation’s highest honor in the Healthiest US School
Challenge. Only 370 schools in the country have
achieved this level. We appreciate all the hard word
our cafeteria staff has accomplished to be honored and
in their continuing efforts to operate an outstanding
program!
2015 FIELD DAY
Riverside’s field day will be on Tuesday, April
21, 2015. Once again this year, we are delighted to
have Pearl River High School’s BETA club run our
stations. We will enjoy a variety of relays and games.
Grades 3-5 will participate in field day from 8:45 to
11:40 and 1-2 will be in the afternoon from 12:20 to
2:20.
Please help us make this the best field day ever.
Your children should wear tennis shoes appropriate for
running. They may also bring hats, beach towels, and
water bottles. Please apply sunscreen at home if
needed. We look forward to seeing any family members who would like to come.
CLASSROOM NOTES
First Grade
The end of the year is quickly approaching! This 9 weeks is a very important in 1st
grade. Be sure to send your child to school
everyday to ensure he or she does well on his or
her assessments. In addition, most reading instruction is done in the morning, so if your child
is consistently late, he or she is missing very important instructional time. Remember that your
child must pass both Reading and Math is order
to be promoted to 2nd grade.
Second Grade
Can you believe that we are in the 4th nine
weeks! This year has really flown by, and we
still have so much to learn. The students have
really been working hard learning 2 and 3 digit
addition and subtraction. This is a skill that requires constant practice and review. This includes regrouping and not regrouping. Also in
math, students have been practicing counting
money and telling time on an analog clock.
Riverside’s Field Day is April 21st. Parents
are invited to join us for this fun day. Details will
go home closer to the event. Please remember
that school is not over until the end May. We are
working hard every day to learn new things so
that the students are ready for 3rd grade. Attendance is very important, and this includes being
here on time and not checking out. Keep checking folders, cleaning them out each night, and
signing conduct. Many are forgetting that this
must still be done each and every evening. Let’s
make the rest of the year awesome and full of
great learning!
Third Grade
The third graders had a fantastic time during
Louisiana Day. They learned so much from the
knowledgeable presenters. Students also successfully completed their first round of state testing.
Third grade teachers were so proud to see their
students put forth tremendous efforts to do their
best on the test. This month students will take
round two of the test. Please continue to work
hard with your child on reading each night for at
least 20 minutes and practicing their math facts.
Now that we are well into the fourth and final
nine weeks of school, it is extremely important
that you encourage your child to continue to do
their best. We still have plenty of learning happening in the classrooms to prepare them for
fourth grade. Third graders began reading Because of Winn Dixie and they are truly enjoying
it. They are applying all the skills they have
learned to help them with the book. It is amazing
to hear them be able to discuss the story and
prove that they have deep understanding of the
text.
Fourth Grade
It is hard to believe that we are in the last 9 weeks of
school. This year has flown by! But, we have a lot to do
in these last few weeks. Phase II of testing occur on
April 14 -15 and Phase III will be May 4-7. Please have
your child eat a nutritional breakfast before each day of
testing and make sure they are at school on time. We
start testing as soon as announcements are done. We
want all our students to do their best!
After testing, we still have a lot of new things to
learn in order to prepare students for next year. Please
be sure your child is here all day, every day. Continue
checking take home folders each night for important papers and assignments. Thank you for all you do.
Field day is on Tuesday, April 21. Look for notes coming home regarding times. Classrooms are in need of
supply replenishing. If you are able to donate pencils
and or Kleenex, it would be greatly appreciated. Also
ask your child if he/she needs glue, crayons etc. for their
own use in the classroom.
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade teachers would like to thank all of the
parents who sent in snacks for the students to enjoy after
the first round of testing. We appreciate all parents who
have helped our students be successful by ensuring the
students were well rested and ready to do their best each
day. The students did a great job adjusting to the new
testing procedures, and we are confident they will shine
during the next two rounds of state assessments!
Our Baton Rouge field trip is quickly approaching!
We will leave school at 6:45a.m. on April 23rd, and return at approximately 5:30p.m. If you signed up to
chaperone, please sign and return the Chaperone Guidelines and Acceptance Letter along with the $30 fee as
soon as possible. Everyone attending this trip will be
provided with a school lunch. We encourage students to
arrive to school dressed in their school uniform (spirit
shirt) and tennis shoes. Students may bring a camera,
hat, and sunglasses. They should not bring bags and/or
digital devices. Parents are encouraged to take only
what is necessary. Remember, everything must stay
with you at all times, and all bags will be scanned upon
entering the State Capitol. Students are guaranteed to
have a wonderful learning experience and are expected
to follow Riverside’s EXPECTATIONS!
As the end of the year approaches, fifth graders will
have many opportunities to prepare for sixth grade. An
administrator from Creekside Junior High will be here at
9:30a.m. on Monday, April 27th to discuss scheduling
opportunities in sixth grade. Then, on Thursday, April
30th, all fifth graders will have the opportunity to visit
Creekside’s campus. Parents who would like to participate in this experience are encouraged to meet their children in Creekside’s gym by 8:45. Students and parents
will have a chance ask questions and learn about the opportunities they will have next year.
MARCH CITIZEN OF THE MONTH
FIRST GRADE
C. Flores - Mrs. Buenrostro
J. Anthony - Mrs. Dundas
S. Ferman - Mrs. Hetherington
K. Hansen - Mrs. Lancon
P. Guillory - Mrs. Welch
SECOND GRADE
P. Haisch - Mrs. Babington
L. Jeffery - Mrs. Bennett
C. Pursell - Mrs. Luxich
M. Barrois - Ms. Miller
C. Dubois - Mrs. Ybos
THIRD GRADE
Students and staff Z. Zulli - Ms. Dannehl
S. Skinner - Ms. Galloway
B. Polk - Mrs. Perez
P. Duhon - Mrs. Zechenelly
United in FOURTH GRADE
Purposeful K. Hagadon - Mrs. Coble
C. Struckman - Mrs. Eitmann
M. Ellis - Mrs. Vicknair
C. Flanagan - Mrs. Whitehead
Engagement at FIFTH GRADE
Riverside H. Murray - Mrs. McCoy
M. Morse - Mrs. Burke
M. Richoux - Mrs. Milton
L. Rhody - Mrs. Pope
S. Haisch - Mrs. Smith
ROCKIN’ READERS
Do you like to read? Would you like to
share the love of reading with a Riverside student?
We will pair you with a student for some one-toone reading fun. How is this possible? Through a
grant, Riverside acquired double rocking chairs
and a barrel of books presented to us by Cracker
Barrel Old Country Store. The purpose of the program is for students to have a comfortable reading
space to read with a community volunteer. The
people at Cracker Barrel believe that sharing books
will empower students to be lifelong readers. The
materials are there and ready for you to use. You
are welcome to come read between 9:30-2:30. Together we can share a love of reading. For more
information contact the school at 985-863-3141.
Be here Excel A+ attitude Respectful Safe