Riverside Report

September

Friday August 28-Friday September 11, 2026 Fall Fundraiser

Friday September 4, 2026 No School

Monday September 7, 2006 No School

Tuesday September 8, 2006 PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the Riverside Conference Room or via Webex

Tuesday & Wednesday September 8-9, 2026 Vision & Hearing Screening

Thursday September 10, 2026 Run/Walk Club 3:50-4:50

Wednesday September 16, 2026 Picture Day

Thursday September 17, 2026 Run/Walk Club 3:50-4:50

Thursday September 24, 2026 Run/Walk Club 3:50-4:50

October

Thursday October 1, 2026 Second Grade to Twin Oaks

Run/Walk Club 3:50-4:50

Friday October 2, 2026 Second Grade to Twin Oaks

Monday October 5, 2026 No School

Tuesday October 6, 2026 Bluejay Unified 3:50-4:50

Thursday October 8, 2026 Run/Walk Club 3:50-4:50

Fall Festival at Schairer's Autumn Acres 4:00-7:00

Monday October 12-Friday October 16, 2026 Book Fair

Tuesday October 13, 2026 Mr. Podeweltz's class to The Little Red School House

PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the Riverside Conference Room or via Webex

Wednesday October 14, 2026 Mrs. Hammond's class to The Little Red School House

Thursday October 15, 2026 Mrs. Gauger's class to The Little Red School House

Run/Walk Club 3:50-4:50

Friday October 16, 2026 Mr. Lekie's class to The Little Red School House

Tuesday October 20, 2026 Picture Retake Day

Be Amazing Club 3:50-4:40

Wednesday October 21, 2026 First Grade to Twin Oaks

Thursday October 22, 2026 First Grade to Twin Oaks

Monday October 26, 2026 Vision & Hearing Rescreen

Tuesday October 27, 2026 Fall Fundraiser Pick Up 4:00-7:00 in Multipurpose Room

Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-7:30

Thursday October 29, 2026 No School, Parent Teacher Conferences 11:30-7:30

Friday October 30, 2026 No School

Mrs. Lang- 3rd Grade Teacher

Mrs. K. Hammond- 4th Grade Teacher

Mrs. Salisbury- Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Sendelbach- Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Kaminski- Math Interventionist

Mrs. Carle- Associate

Mrs. M. Hammond- Special Education Associate

Mrs. Belanger- Special Education Associate

Mrs. Stefonek- Special Education Associate

We also want to welcome Mrs. Carlson back as a Kindergarten Teacher this year.

We are excited for another great year at Riverside!

We still have positions available for the 2026–27 school year if you are interested in working at Riverside!

We currently have an opening for an Education Assistant. This position offers school-friendly hours that align well with your child’s schedule, along with summers off, school breaks and holidays, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in students’ lives. You’ll also have the chance to work as part of a supportive school team and build rewarding relationships with students and staff.

Interested in joining our team? Job postings and application information can be found on WECAN using the links below.

Education Assistant – Riverside Elementary and Rothschild Elementary https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/272118

Screening will begin immediately, and candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

🚗 Parking on River Road is changing for this school year.

Pick-Up and Drop-off Time Reminder – Help Us Keep Traffic Flowing Smoothly!

To ensure a safe and efficient pick-up and drop off process, we kindly ask all families to help us keep both lanes of traffic open on River Road:

• In the top parking area, be sure to park parallel to River Road.
• Please do not park past the painted lines on the west side of the parking lot—this space is needed so buses can safely turn into the parking lot.

• At drop-off, please pull forward all the way before dropping off your child.

• Make sure your child is exiting on the right side of the vehicle, and walking down the median, to the cross walk to safely cross the bus lane.

Additionally, let’s all work together to be good neighbors by:

✔️ Driving on the right side of the road
✔️ Watching your speed

✔️ Parking is only available on one side of River Road

Your cooperation helps keep all of our students and families safe—and keeps the neighborhood happy, too. Thank you! 💙

Our Fall Fundraiser has started! This year our goals are to raise money for field trips, bussing, reading programs, and more.

On Friday August 28, 2026, our school kicked off our Fall fundraiser with Cherrydale. It will run from August 28, 2026 through September 11th 2026. The fundraiser will be with both online and in-person order forms. Your child(ren) will come home with a books and order form, along with an information sheet. For paper orders, Please make checks payable to Riverside PTO. For online selling you will need to register online at www.ShopFund.com. Once registered, you will be able to share the link with family and friends. You can sign up multiple students under one account. Also the dashboard will track your sales and show you what prizes you’d receive. There is free shipping to your home with any $125 order. If you have your items shipped to school, Pick-up will be in the multipurpose room, on October 27th, 2026, from 4:00-7:00.

If you would prefer not to participate in the fundraiser but would still like to support Riverside, donations are always appreciated. Please make checks payable to Riverside PTO and write “Donation” in the memo line.

Please reach out to Riverside PTO (riv-pto@dce.k12.wi.us) with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support throughout the school year!

Photographers from Lakeshore Photography will be at Riverside on Wednesday September 16, 2026 to take student pictures. All students will be photographed for the yearbook, so please dress accordingly—and don’t forget your smiles!

After picture day, you will receive a proof order form and can order pictures online. Additional information will come after picture day.

This year we will be dividing most of our clubs into three different sessions. Students can now sign up for clubs offered this fall at Riverside along with clubs that will run throughout the school year. Our first fall clubs will start as early as 9/8/26, so please register ASAP. Please note that year round clubs may impact what clubs your child can sign up for in session 2 and 3. The second session of clubs will start December 1, 2026. and the third session will start on March 30th, 2027. Most clubs are offered to 4th and 5th grade students, and there are a few clubs open to 2nd and 3rd grade students.

Clubs are fun ways to build additional connections with others and explore new activities or hobbies. Some of our clubs are offered during recess and some occur after school. Parent transportation home is required to participate in an after school club. Please note that some clubs do have limited space. Student placement in clubs will be determined on space availability and with the goal of including as many students as possible in our clubs. Parents will be emailed a confirmation of what clubs your child will be participating in, or if your child is put on the waitlist.

The deadline to sign up for session 1 clubs is Thursday September 3, 2027.

Please click on this link to sign your child up for a club.

Marathon County Health Department staff will be at Riverside to conduct a vision and hearing-screening from Tuesday September 8th- Wednesday September 9th, 2026. Students in grades K, 1, 3, and 5 are screened.

This program is only a screening. Participation in the screening is optional. If you do not want your child to participate in the screening, send a written, signed note to our Health Assistant, Jennifer Lilly, telling us you do not want your child screened. If your child wears glasses, please make sure that they wear their glasses for the vision screening.

Any student who does not pass the initial screening will be re-screened by the health department staff in 4 weeks. If your child does not pass the re-screening, you will receive a letter and a phone call from the health department to discuss their findings and their recommendation for your child.

Formal conferences will be held twice each year to permit teachers and parents to discuss a student's progress in school. An e-mail will be sent out to parents to select a 15-minute conference time that works best for your family. Since it is important for a teacher and parents to communicate with one another, the school annually sets a goal of 100% parent participation at conferences.

FIRST SEMESTER

Tuesday October 27, 2026 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday October 29, 2026 from 11:30-7:30 p.m. (No School Day)

SECOND SEMESTER

Tuesday February 16, 2027 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday February 18, 2027 from 11:30-7:30 p.m. (No School Day)

Thank you to the Riverside PTO for setting up the Fall Festival event at Schairer's Autumn Acres! (154 Hwy-45, Birnamwood, WI 54414) The event will be on Thursday October 8, 2026 from 4:00-7:00 p.m.

The kids will enjoy 2 corn mazes, “I Spy,” duck races, corn box/play area, bale fort, human hamster wheels, petting zoo, pumpkin checkers and apple launcher and Barnyard Basketball.

It is a great time for parents and families to meet and chat with all of our wonderful families here at Riverside. We hope you can join us!

D.C. Everest Families,

D.C. Everest School District looks forward to beginning the 2025-2026 school year with you and your student(s). The D.C. Everest Student Services team is preparing for the first weeks, and will be here to assist you and your student(s) with educational, career, personal/social and health needs. We have a variety of staff available, including our community partners. Our role in Student Services is to provide students with assistance as needed and connect them with relevant school and community resources. We encourage you and your student(s) to reach out and we will find a way to assist and/or support. Primary student services contacts can be found on our D.C. Everest website.

D.C. Everest School District also has a collaborative partnership with the North Central Health Care Center Crisis Center, Everest Metro Police, Rothschild Police, Wausau Police, and Marathon County Sheriff’s Department for immediate mental health emergencies.

Immediate Crisis Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the following numbers:

North Central Health Care Crisis Line: 715-845-4326; 800-799-0122

National Suicide Prevention Line: 988 : National Crisis Text Line: 741741

Call 911 for any emergency

We look forward to a positive 2026-2027 school year. Please reach out at any time if you or your student(s) is in need of any academic, career, personal/social, or health support.Your school's student services team can be reached via email or phone. For additional questions you may also reach out to Erin Jacobson, Mental Health Navigator/ School Social Worker, ejacobson@dce.k12.wi.us

At the end of every school year, we recognize student achievements, growth and perseverance throughout the year, with an end of the school year awards assembly. Listed below are the awards that will be given to students this year, as well as the criteria that we use for these awards. This may be a great opportunity to discuss with your child(ren) the purpose of these awards and set goals with them about how they can achieve them. Some teachers will also have their own additional awards that they choose to recognize students in their classrooms. Please note that this year we have included a Principal Award. This award is based on the portrait of an elementary graduate which identifies skills, competencies and behaviors that are often aligned with future success in middle school, high school, college, future careers and life in our local community.

Principal Award (Gr. 3-5)- based on Portrait of a Elementary Graduate (see below)

• Grade Proficiency in both reading and math per end of the year iReady assessment

• Attendance (less than 10 days absent- special consideration for medically excused absences)

• Behavior- 1 or less major behavior referral for the year

• Participation in at least 1 school club or outside sport/activity (options offered at recess, after school, or in our community-will be self reported by student/parent)

• Civic Readiness/Community Service- 5 hours of volunteer service either at school or in community (i.e. helping to set up chairs during recess for a parent event, helping a teacher during recess, volunteer at our Ice Cream Social Event, volunteer to help in our local community-will be self reported by student/parent)

Outstanding Academic Achievement (3-5)

• Above grade level in reading or math based on spring Forward Exam results

The Blue Jay Way Character Award (K-5)

• Students will be selected who regularly demonstrate positive behaviors throughout the school year, based on our core Riverside values (being respectful, being responsible, being productive, being safe, and being kind to others).

Art, Music, STEAM, Physical Education, Excellence Awards (3rd-5th only)

• Students who regularly demonstrate positive attitude, leadership in area, hard worker

Presidential Award of Academic Excellence (5th grade only)

• Eligibility

Forest Goetsch Award (5th grade student)

An award given to a 5th grade student who demonstrates determination, perseverance, dedication, motivation and character. Forest was a Riverside student who passed away during a cross country practice at the JR. High in the 8th grade. He will always be remembered for his sense of humor being a good friend, love of sports, love of the outdoors, and love of school.

Infinite Campus is one way that we will communicate information to you. Campus Student and Campus Parent put school information at your fingertips with real-time access to announcements, assignments, attendance, grades, schedules, and more!

If you have never set up an Infinite Campus parent portal, please send an e-mail to Riverside's Administrative Assistant, Jessica Krautkramer, at jkrautkramer@dce.k12.wi.us to request your activation code and set up directions. Please provide your name, and your child’s name.

If you have set up an account in the past, and are a parent/guardian experiencing difficulties with registration or log-in, please email PortalAccount@dce.k12.wi.us. Please provide your name, your child’s name, and school they attend.

For Infinite Campus directions and also helpful information on how to set up notifications, click on the blue button below.

All volunteers must complete a volunteer application via Volunteer Tracker.

Level 1 volunteers do not require a background screening. Background checks will be conducted for Level 2 and 3 volunteers as part of the online application.

Level 1 volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Book Fair Helper

• Campus Beautification Crew

• Classroom Party Parent Helper

• Concession Stand Helper

• Fundraising/Family Night Helper

• Guest Speaker

• Judge

• One-day Class Project Helper

• Performing Arts Volunteer

• Proctor for Testing

• PTO Event Volunteer

• Track & Field/Sporting Event Volunteers

Level 2 volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Booster Club Member

• Building/Classroom Clerical Helper

• Class Project/Multi-Day Helper

• Classroom Help

• Field Trip Chaperone

• Library Helper

Level 3 volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Youth Recreational Sports Coach

• Assist with Transporting Students

• Community Partners/Agencies in Building

• Mentor

• PTO Board Member

• Reading Buddy

Have Questions? Please contact:

Sara Pinsonneault

Community Outreach Coordinator

spinsonneault@dce.k12.wi.us

(715) 359-6561 ext. 4326

After creating an account, you will be able to log-in and see the current available opportunities. If you need more information about the volunteer process- Click on the blue button below.

For purposes of understanding: A “visitor” means an unpaid person who attends a district-sponsored event or activity. As part of D.C. Everest Board Policy 8410 school safety plan, all doors to the school are locked during the school day. Visitors will need to press a call button located near the center of the front doors to enter the building. All visitors are required to register in the school office.

• “Visitor” is typically a parent/guardian/family support person attending a school event, sporting event, theater production, class choir, or school family event OR is a parent/guardian dropping off/picking up their child from school.

• Visitors attending school events shall report their presence and sign in at the school office, using Visitor Aware (bring your ID), if the visit occurs during the instructional day; but may not be required to sign in if the event or activity is after the instructional day.

• Visitors dropping off/picking up their child from school outside normal drop/pickup times will press the call button located near the center of the front doors to enter the building and drop off/pick up their child in the office lobby area.

HEALTH ROOM - Students in need of any medical care should report to the health room with permission of a staff member. The health assistant, with input from the student, will determine if a parent/guardian will be contacted or should pick the student up from school, depending on the illness of the student. Students who feel they need to go home due to an illness must allow the health assistant to make initial contact with the parent/guardian. A student should not make initial contact by personal phone to be picked up from school for medical reasons. This practice ensures quality medical care and accurate attendance of all our students. If the initial contact is not made through the health office and the student is picked up, it will be documented as excused per parent/guardian and will count towards their 10 days of allowed absences.

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL - The purpose of the medication procedure is to keep your student safe and provide him/her with the medication ordered. District staff will not give any medication - prescription and/or Over The Counter (OTC) - to any student unless the following criteria is met:

1. School Medication Consent Forms are available in the main office, health room, or online. A new medication consent form must be completed each school year or when the dose of the medication is changed and/or discontinued.

For Over The Counter (OTC) Medications:

• Parent/Guardian signature is required for OTC medications.
• A physician’s signature is required if the dose needed of the OTC medication is more than the recommendations listed on the label, or if the medication is not FDA approved.

• Parent/Guardian and physician signatures are required for all prescription medications.

2. Medication Bottles and Labeling

• Prescription Medications must be in the original labeled pharmacy bottle. The label must clearly state:

• Student’s full name

• Name of medication

• Time to give medication and dose needed

• Physician’s name

• Date medication was dispensed

• OTC Medications must be in the original container or single dose unit package. Write your student’s name on the container.

Staff cannot give any medication sent in a plastic bag or envelope.

3. Handling and Storage of Medication at School: Medications are stored in the original labeled pharmacy container and in a locked cabinet.

• During the school year, parent/guardian is called to pick up all unused, discontinued, or outdated medications.
• At the end of the school year, parent/guardian must pick up all medication.

Any unclaimed medication will be disposed of at the end of the school year.

4. Special Considerations

• Emergency Medications: Students are allowed to self-carry emergency medications with physician’s authorization. Emergency medications must be labeled as outlined above. Parent/guardian must complete the appropriate form even if your student self-carries the medication. All students who receive an emergency medication will be taken by ambulance to the nearest emergency room. Parent/Guardian will be notified.

• Bring your student’s medication to the health office.
• Send only limited quantities of medication to school.
• No medication will be given to your student without your written consent.

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

The Wisconsin state immunization requirements for 2026-2027 school year are listed below. Students need the listed vaccinations by the first day of school.

Grades K-6

• DTaP/DTP - 4
• Polio - 4
• MMR - 2
• Hep B - 3
• Varicella - 2
• Tdap - NA

Immunization Waivers

• Parents/Guardians do have the option to decline any and/or all immunizations based on personal, religious, and/or health reasons. If you choose not to immunize your child, check the appropriate waiver (Step 4) and sign the form. Immunization waiver forms are available online.
• Please contact your student’s doctor or local health department to determine if your student needs additional immunizations. Schedule appointments to receive the immunizations needed or sign a waiver indicating what vaccine(s) you do not want your student to receive. Report the dates of the immunizations to the school health assistant.

Please contact Jennifer Lilly, Riverside health assistant, at 715.359.2417 extension 5323 if you have further questions or concerns.

Your PTO Board members for the 2026-27 school year are:

President: Carissa Brittenham

Vice President: Natalie Carle

Secretary:

Treasurer: Megan Behnke

The PTO meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 4:00-5:00 - Please mark your calendars! Meetings take place in the Riverside Conference Room. If you cannot join in-person, join us Via Webex by clicking here.

We appreciate the continued support and dedication of these individuals, and we welcome new members, ideas, and support!

Please reach out to the PTO, with questions or ideas, riv-pto@dce.k12.wi.us

The Parent-Teacher Organization (P.T.O.) is a vital part of education at Riverside School. Parents work with teachers to help our children receive the best education possible.

Welcome back to another school year! It is going to be a GREAT year and we are anxious to see the hallways bustling once again with lots of chatter and smiles!

Have you asked your children how their first few days of school have been, and they reply with a one-word response, something like 'okay?’ If this happens often and you were hoping to find out more about what went on during their day, here are some ideas that might help, shared by author of “Little Spot of Emotions” Series, Diane Alber. It's important for children to learn good communication skills and teaching them a variety of questions that encourage conversation can help!

So, what questions can you ask instead of "how was school?”

2. Tell them something about YOUR day.

Once again, this gives you a lot of freedom to choose the direction the conversation would go. You can tell them a fun part of your day and ask if there was something fun or exciting in theirs.

3. Play/Invent a Game

Playing quick games is always a fun way to communicate with children. They get really into it, and you can see the enjoyment they get out of it. A great example of a game for this would be two truths and a lie.

4. Ask them how others are doing?

Sometimes children have a hard time speaking about their life, but they’re pretty good at chatting about other people. So you can ask them:
How are your teachers doing? Did any of your teachers help you out with something today? How are your friends doing? This way, they’ll naturally start speaking about their interactions with others and how they were doing throughout the day. And if something rare occurs, like one of their teachers was sick that day, you can help them express gratitude by writing a quick note for the teacher once they return to school.

5. Ask them about specific details in their day?

• What book was read in class today?
• Can you tell me about it?
• Who did you sit next to at lunch?
• Was there something that someone else was eating at lunch that you would like me to get for you?
• What game did you play at recess?
• Who did you play with at recess?
• Did you make a new friend?

CHECK OUT 5 WAYS TO FOSTER SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS

https://www.cacfp.org/assets/pdf/5+ways+to+foster+social+emotional+skills/

Email: kkampmann@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/