Falcon Flyer
October 3, 2016
Riverview Elementary
Website: http://re.usd232.org/pages/re
Location: 21550 West 47th Street, Shawnee, KS, United States
Phone: 913-441-0808
Twitter: @riverviewfalcon
Greetings from the Principal
Dear Riverview Families,
I hope everyone had successful conferences last week, and on behalf of our teachers, thank you for making the time to attend conferences to learn about how your children are doing, and how you can support their education at home. It seems as if last week put an end of the the warmest weather, and now October will bring cooler temperatures (we hope!) and a focus on healthy relationships and healthy choices.
This is Anti-Bullying Awareness Week. First of all, how do you define bullying? Bullying can take many forms. It can be physical, like hitting, kicking, or punching. It can also be social or emotional, like using words to hurt someone, leaving someone out, or gossiping and spreading rumors. Bullying can happen at school, in the neighborhood, or online. We will be focusing in guidance lessons and in the classroom of the importance of kindness, and if someone is not being kind, to report bullying to a trusted adult. Some students are concerned they are 'tattling' when the report seeing someone do something unkind. Tattling is when you are just trying to get someone in trouble. Reporting bullying is stopping someone from getting hurt.
What does it mean to be a Riverview Falcon? Certainly we are not all the same, but there are some common traits that unify our diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Riverview faculty make a concerted effort to focus on what matters most, (to prevent students from acting unkind in the first place) through modeling and reinforcing successful teamwork, empathy, and forgiveness. This is primarily done through building relationships with students to create a warm classroom climate, but also through giving students the social skill practice and problem-solving skills to maintain relationships with each other. Being respectful to all is an example of finding common ground with all ages and stages of Riverview students, and this attitude is regularly highlighted and reinforced through Positive Behavior Supports. Celebrating commonalities and differences by understanding another's point of view helps to develop healthy relationships among a diverse student body.
The end of the month will focus on making healthy choices with Red Ribbon Week October 24-28. Did you know that children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don't, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Now is the time to start! When talking to children about staying drug-free, try presenting it from a place of concern for their health and well-being instead of as a scare tactic. Having ongoing conversations when 'teachable moments' occur can keep an anti-drug message relevant, rather than a once-a-year topic. Discussion can be opened up based on things seen on TV or movies, or in the lyrics of songs.
October is a busy month! Tomorrow night (Oct. 4) is McTeacher's Night 4-8 pm, please considering visiting the McDonald's at 22315 W 66th St, Shawnee, KS 66226 to raise funds for Riverview teachers...you never know which RE teacher might bring you your Happy Meal or take your order! The end of the quarter is October 13. Third graders will kick off the music concert season on Oct. 20. The Bookfair is Oct. 27 and 28, and fall Parties are Friday, Oct. 28 in the afternoon, with Riverview PTA hosting a free Harvest Fest later that evening! Thank you for all of your support!
Finally, please consider nominating a teacher as a Teacher of the Year for Riverview (and possibly Kansas Teacher of the Year!). Riverview educators all work incredibly hard to provide such a stellar education for our students, and this is a wonderful way to say thank you.
Go boldly,
Beth Mildren
Kansas Teacher of the Year Nominations
Peace and Kindness Week
Peace and Kindness Week is October 3-7
Celebrating a bully-free RE
BE a HERO and be KIND
Monday, October 3 – Falcons GO BOLDLY and exercise making good choices by being kind to self and others.
· Wear exercise gear, athletic shoes and or RE spirit wear.
· We will do our annual walk around the building to mark a peaceful zone (bully free).
· Each class will walk with a anti-bullying poster they create. We will follow our school parade route.
Tuesday, October 4 – Falcons GO BOLDLY and use superpowers to keep RE bully free!
· Wear super hero gear or shirts.
· Chalk will be provided at recess for student to write words of respect and kindness.
Wednesday, October 5 – Falcons will GO BOLDLY and know that peace starts with a simple smile.
· Students will perform 3 random acts of kindness during the school day.
Thursday, October 6 - Falcons GO BOLDLY and spread peace and kindness!
· Wear bright colors, tie-dye, and peace signs.
Friday, October 7 - Falcons Go Boldly and stand up to celebrate the differences in themselves and others.
· Wear your craziest socks and spirit wear.
Fall Parties on Oct. 28: FYI
Fall parties are scheduled for Friday, October 28th.
- Morning kindergarten parade/party will begin at 10:45-11:30 am.
- Full Day Kindergarten – 5th grade classes will parade at 2:45 pm and classroom parties will begin at 3:00 pm.
- Thank you to our many parent volunteers who help to make this a fun event for our students! Volunteers may go to the classrooms beginning at 2:30 pm. We will be maintaining our normal daily schedule until then and parents will be asked to wait in the front foyer so that disruptions to the classroom can be kept at a minimum.
You can help us to keep our fall celebration day safely on track by following these easy guidelines!
All visitors must enter through the office and to receive a visitor sticker...even on party days!
Students will change into their costumes before the costume parade, please do not send students to school in their costume. Please remember that although students are invited to wear costumes to the fall parties, those costumes should be school appropriate and designed to be entertaining, not actually scary or gory. We ask that you leave hair, fake blood, and face paint at home with extra costume parts or pretend weapons like swords, light sabers, or daggers. It is best to choose a costume for school that students can independently change into and out of by themselves.
All ages are more than welcome to join us for the parade but per Board Policy, please do not plan to take siblings who do not attend Riverview down to the classrooms, the parties are intended for Riverview Elementary students only. Please make other arrangements for siblings if you intend to attend. This policy also applies to older siblings as well.
To help ensure transportation changes can be delivered to students and teachers, please call the Riverview office by 3:00 pm with going-home changes. Each classroom teacher will have a Student Sign Out sheet available if parents wish to take their children home after the parties are over.
Community Engagement Meetings
Parents, guardians, students and community members are invited to join the school district at one of three Community Engagement Meetings – October 4, 6 or 12.
During this school year and under the leadership of Superintendent Frank Harwood, the district will engage the USD 232 community in a process to establish a vision for the future of the school system.
The big question we have to answer is what we want our district to be for our students. It will take collaborative parent-school-community partnerships to support the continued success for all students in USD 232. We hope you will join us by providing input through one of the three community forums, as we embark on this vital process.
Three meetings scheduled Oct. 4, 6, and 12. Click here for more information.
The forums are just the beginning of this important conversation. The Board of Education will be involved in the visioning process throughout the school year. If you are unable to attend one of the forums, there will be additional opportunities for you to provide input in the future.
Staff Spotlight...Jennifer Carter
Staff Spotlight...Breanna Robbins
My name is Breanna Robbins and I am so excited to be a falcon this year! I’m feeling right at home here at Riverview Elementary in 4th grade. The past two years I have taught 1st grade down the road in the Basehor-Linwood District. It was a great place to start my teaching career, but now I am closer to home and can be more involved in my school! I am a huge KU fan, born and raised near Lawrence, KS in the small town of Oskaloosa. Even though I am a 100% Jayhawk sports fan, my alma mater is farther down I-70 in Manhattan, KS. I have my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Social Sciences from KSU and I am ELL certified. In my spare time I play on a sand volleyball team down at SMBV, read books, swim, cheer on the Chiefs, Royals, and Jayhawks, spend time with my family, and I am an absolute travel bug. Thank you everyone for the warm welcome to both the school and community!
Staff Spotlight...Libby Lamberson
SCHEDULES & Upcoming Dates
Riverview's A-E Day Schedule can be found on our website HERE.
Oct. 3 - Site Council meeting 5-6 pm
Oct. 4 - PTA McTeachers Night at McDonalds 4-8 pm
Oct. 13 - End of 1st Quarter
Oct. 14 - NO SCHOOL; Professional Development In-Service Day for teachers
Oct. 17 - NO SCHOOL; Professional Development In-Service Day for teachers
Oct. 20 - 3rd grade music program 6:30 pm
Oct. 25 - Student Picture Retake Days
Oct. 27 and 28 - Book Fair in the Libbrary Media Center 8:00 am-8:00 pm both days
Oct. 28 - Fall Parties:
- Morning Kindergarten parade/party: 10:45-11:30 am.
- Full Day Kindergarten – 5th grade classes will parade at 2:45 pm and classroom parties will begin at 3:00 pm.
Oct. 28 - PTA-hosted Harvest Fest 6:30-8:00 pm
Veteran's Day
Calling all Veterans
To honor those who have served/are serving in the armed forces, our school is busily planning the annual assembly for veterans.
During the school day Vets will be honored on Friday, November 11th at 9:15 am.
We will, again, have a slide show to honor the vets closest to us at Riverview. Students are encouraged to send in pictures (digital or paper) of a relative or close friend of the family to be included. Paper pictures will be returned after they are scanned. If pictures were sent in during a previous year, and you had a child that attended Riverview last year, your vet will still be in the PowerPoint. There is no need to send them in again. If you have any updates….you are welcome to send those.
Please fill out the form and send it along with your labeled picture by Wednesday, October 19th.
Any digital picture please send to tseyb@usd232.org with the information below typed out in the body of the email.
If you are planning on bringing a vet on November 11th, please send an email RSVP to Mrs. Wilson at trwilson@usd232.org .
Click this link to print a submission form: http://www.tseyb.com/veterans-day.html
Library Volunteers Needed
Mrs. Hallier is looking for volunteers to help in the library this year! If you would like to help with Mrs. Grauer’s Kindergarten Class, please click on the following Sign Up Genius link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044aa9a929a02-mrs If you would be interested in shelving books one day every week for an hour, please click on the following Sign Up Genius link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044aa9a929a02-weekly Thank you so much!
Electronic Flyers
Don’t forget to check out the USD 232 Electronic Flyers webpage for information on events and programs offered by outside agencies.
*Caring & Sharing Results
Thank you Riverview families for a successful supplies drive for Children’s Mercy in August. They were excited to see our donations. We collected:
Crayons – 76 boxes
Markers – 30 boxes
Scissors – 33 pairs
Colored Pencils – 9 packages
Glue Sticks – 109
Paints – 15 packs
Coloring Books – 40
Construction Paper – 8
Play Doh – 24
Variety – 12
A big thank you to the RE parents for their September donations to the Backpack Snacks drive. It was a great drive.
* We appreciate all of the box tops being sent in, the more box tops, the more cash for RE.
*Restaurant Nights
Thank you to those of you who participated in the Papa John’s and The Dessertery Nights in September. Riverview was able to raise $345.55 from Papa John’s and The Dessertery. The money raised will be split among our Explo teachers.
*All Pro Dad - Free Daily Encouragement
Thank you to all the fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, uncles or other father figures who attended our first All Pro Dad meeting in September. You can stay connected all year with All Prod Dad via Facebook (facebook.com/AllProDad) and the free daily encouragement emails. Text APD to 44144 and follow the prompts to receive daily emails. Emails include advice for dads & daughters/sons, single dads, marriage tips, health, balancing work and family and other interesting topics.
Our next All Pro Dad is event is November 2nd. Dads can also be involved in their child’s education through the Watch D.O.G.S. Program, see below.
*Watch D.O.G.S.
We are looking for fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, uncles or other father figures who want to volunteer to serve either a half for full day at Riverview helping at the school. Check the Watch D.O.G.S. calendar for an open date or review when you are signed up. Sign up by using this link.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0945aca72ea13-watch1
10/3/16 – October Reading Minutes Due
If you have NOT entered your child's reading goal it's not too late! Please enter the reading goal before entering your minutes for the month of September. Enter your student’s October reading minutes by following this link. https://sites.google.com/site/refalconspta/reading-program-1/2016-2017-reading-program
Monthly reading awards include the class with the highest participation percentage per grade level and readers who meet and/or exceed established reading goals. If you have questions please email
refalconsreading@gmail.com Winners will be announced October 13th.
10/4/16 – McDonald’s Night 4-8pm
Come see the Riverview Staff in a completely different environment! RE Staff will be working at McDonald’s this evening to help raise money for Riverview! Will your teacher be taking orders, greeting customers or clearing trays?!?!
- Address: 22315 W 66th St, Shawnee, KS 66226
10/13/16 – Citizenship Entries Due
Does your 5th grader have a talent for writing? The Kansas PTA is proud to sponsor, support and encourage Kansas students in grades 5-12 to write an essay or poem on the theme “My generation can change the world by …”. If your student is interested in participating, please contact Ginger Elliott at gingerelliott@gmail.com. Please put "Citizenship contest" in your memo line when inquiring by email, for information on contest rules, forms and rubrics.
10/27/16 & 10/28/16– Fall Book Fair
Volunteers are needed to help customers find books and serve as cashier at the Book Fair. Workers are needed to keep the Book Fair open, so please consider donating a two hour block of your time to help us. Earn $6 in Scholastic dollars for every 2-hour shift worked. To volunteer to help with the Book Fair, sign up using this link or scan the QR code. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4dabac2aab9-fall
10/28/16 – Harvest Fest 6:30-8pm
Bring the kids to Riverview for a fun night with friends at Harvest Fest.
Games, food, teacher lunch raffles, and fun await!
New this year, is the Staff Pumpkin Carving Contest. Bring a canned good and you will receive a raffle ticket to cast your vote for your favorite! The winner will be determined by the pumpkin with the most cans cast as a vote. Donations will be contributed to the local food pantry.
Fall Family Festival Volunteers sign up here
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4dabac2aab9-fall1
Fall Festival Donation Volunteers sign up here
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4dabac2aab9-fall2
Looking ahead:
11/2/16 – All Pro Dads Breakfast 7:30am
11/2/16 – Fall Fundraiser Delivery 3-6pm
11/8/16 – Chipolte Night
Riverview Elementary PTA
https://www.facebook.com/Riverview-Elementary-PTA-129793298871/timeline/