Roadrunner News

Happy December to you all! It is hard to believe that this is the final month of 2023. I wish you all a very blessed holiday season.

First Grade Teacher Change:

Mrs. Jade Besh will be returning to Riverside on Wednesday, January 3rd. She was involuntary transferred to Hunt A+ Elementary at the beginning of the year. Hunt has hired a new teacher, which means Mrs. Besh will return to Riverside. This also means that Ms. Erika Nelson will be returning to her role as a Title One Reading teacher at Riverside.

Thank you, Mrs. Melackrinos:

We want to wish a fond farewell to Mrs. Maruisa Melackrinos. Mrs. M has served as our counselor for the past three years. Her husband was recently transferred to the Chicago and so the family is relocating to that area. We are so grateful for all of her hard work and dedication to our students and families. We will miss her.

Mrs. Courtney Pottebaum will be taking over as the counselor at Riverside on Wednesday, January 3rd. Mrs. Pottebaum has been able to visit Riverside during the past week and we welcome her to our school. She has been a counselor in the District at the secondary level and is excited to start working with elementary students. Welcome to Riverside, Mrs. Pottebaum!

End of the Second Quarter:

January 11 is the end of the second quarter and first semester of school. Report cards will go home on Thursday, January 18. There is no school on Friday, January 12 so that teachers can complete report cards.

Attendance Matters:

Is your child arriving at school on time? Most of our classes start with literacy instruction right away in the morning. If your child is consistently late, they are missing crucial reading and writing instruction. Please make sure your child is in school and is on time. This can make a huge difference in their education.

Cold Weather:

The weather is going to be getting colder. Please make sure your child has a warm coat, hats, gloves/mittens and proper shoes to wear. Students will be going outside if the real feel temperature is above 15 degrees. If you need assistance in getting any of these items for your child, please let us know. We would be happy to help if we can.

Questions:

Please call the office if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you all this school year.

Mrs. Thode

Our Music Concerts for our students will take place in February and Mach of 2024

Third, fourth, and fifth grade students will have their concert on Thursday, February 8 at 6:00pm.

Kindergarten, first, and second grade students will have their concert on Thursday, March 14 at 6:00pm.

We hope to see you at Riverside Elementary for these concerts.

Monday, Dec. 4-Friday Dec. 6: AEA Hearing Screenings

Wednesday, December 6: 9:00am- West High Madrigal Performers at Riverside

Friday, December 8: Second Grade Field Trip to the Orpheum Theater for The Nutcracker

Thursday, December 21: 1:30 Dismissal for Winter Break (1:15 for Preschool)

Friday, December 22-January 2: No School- Winter Break

Wednesday, January 3: School Resumes

Thursday, January 11: End of the Second Quarter/First Semester

Friday, January 12: No School- Teacher Work Day

Monday, January 15: Third Quarter Begins

Thursday, February 8: 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Music Concert 6:00pm

Friday, February 9: Fifth Grade to Career Academy at 627 4th Street

Monday, February 19: No School- Teacher Professional Development

Riverside Elementary is collecting Box Tops and Hy-Vee Receipts.We also collect pop-tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. We have a place to collect all of these items in the office.Thank you!

Families using MySchoolBucks may notice a Fall 2023 Program Fee of $2.50 on their next transaction. The fee will only be charged in connection with the first payment made during November and December 2023. MySchoolBucks is charging the fee to help offset increased costs related security and privacy on its platform.

If you have any questions about the program fee, please contact MySchoolBucks directly at 1-855-832-5226.

Winter break is quickly approaching! School will dismiss two hours early on Thursday, December 21. School will not be in session from Friday, December 22 through Tuesday, January 2, resuming on Wednesday, January 3. Have a wonderful break!

Parents and guardians have the right to decide to keep their child home on any day they feel it is unsafe for their student to be in school because of weather conditions. If you believe the weather provides a sincere reason why you may have to keep your student at home, or take your student home when classes are scheduled to continue, you as a parent or guardian will simply need to contact our school office to let us know.

The District sends out important information regarding school closings and cancellations and other updates to our families via phone, email, and text. Additionally, our school will contact you in case of an emergency or student health concern. Make sure your contact information is updated in our system and that your phone accepts the school’s phone calls. Doing this will ensure you receive school communication promptly and we can reach you in case of an emergency. To make updates to your contact information, please contact our office.