Riverside Report

Dates to Remember

November

Monday November 2, 2026 NO SCHOOL

Tuesday November 3, 2026 Bluejay Unified 3:50-4:50

Lego Club 3:50-4:50

Wednesday November 4- Wednesday November 18, 2026 Huntdown Hunger Food Drive

Thursday November 5, 2026 Crochet Club 3:50-4:50

Tuesday November 10, 2026 Lego Club 3:50-4:50

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

Thursday November12, 2026 Crochet Club 3:50-4:50

Monday November 16-Monday November 23, 2026 Give A Little Coin Drive

Tuesday November 17, 2026 Be Amazing 3:50-4:50

Lego Club 3:50-4:50

Thursday November 19, 2026 Crochet Club 3:50-4:50

Wednesday November 25, 2026 NO SCHOOL, THANKSGIVING BREAK

Thursday November 26, 2026 NO SCHOOL, THANKSGIVING BREAK

Friday November 27, 2026 NO SCHOOL, THANKSGIVING BREAK

December

Tuesday December 1, 2026 Bluejay Unified 3:50-4:50

Wednesday December 2-Friday December 4 Mr. Hughes class to Twin Oaks

Monday December 7-Wednesday December 9, 2026 Mrs. Lorge's class to Twin Oaks

Tuesday December 8, 2026 PTO Meeting at 4:00 in the Riverside Conference Room or via Webex

Wednesday December 9-Friday December 11, 2026 Mr. Aleckson's class to Twin Oaks

Monday December 14-Wednesday December 16, 2026 Mrs. Berry's class to Twin Oaks

Tuesday December 15, 2026 Be Amazing Club 3:50-4:50

Wednesday December 23, 2026-January 1, 2027 NO SCHOOL, Winter Break

Monday January 4, 2027 First day back from Winter Break

Fall Food Drive

Riverside will be holding our annual food drive to support Peyton’s Promise, Blessings in a Backpack, and our local food pantries. This years food drive will run from Wednesday November 4- Wednesday November 18th 2026.

Please return all donations of nonperishable, non-expired food items in the paper bags provided.

Items needed include things such as:

Pancake mix, ramen noodles, pasta and pasta sauce, whole grain cereal, rice, oatmeal, soups, mac-n-cheese, canned meat/fish, canned fruits/vegetables, and canned/ dry beans.

All donations are greatly appreciated.

Session 2 Club Sign-Up

This year we will be dividing most of our clubs into three different sessions. Students were able to sign up for year-long clubs during the first session sign-up. Please note that extended year clubs that you may have signed up for in session 1, may impact what clubs your child can sign up for in session 2 and 3. The second session of clubs will start after our Thanksgiving break, and the third session will start on March 30th.

Session 2 Clubs include:

Craft Club

Ukulele Club

Board Game Club

Drum Club

Bead Club

Chess Club

Battle of the Books Club

Crochet Club 2

Bracelet Club

Sewing Club

To sign up for second session clubs please use this link. The last day to sign up for second session clubs is Thursday November 19, 2026.

Advanced Learner Information Nights

The nomination period for the D.C. Everest Advanced Learner Program will run from Monday, January 4 through Friday, February 26, 2027. Parents and teachers are encouraged to nominate students currently in 1st through 4th grade who have demonstrated advanced academic capabilities. Riverside Elementary houses the District's Challenge Program which serves selected students in grades 2nd through 5th. This program is designed with an accelerated and differentiated curriculum. Instruction time will emphasize higher level cognitive skills, problem solving, logic, and creativity. Students qualifying for placement in the program need to acquire academic knowledge quickly, apply knowledge in creative and productive ways, and demonstrate a strong desire to learn.

This year, the district is offering several information sessions about the Advanced Learner Program prior to the nomination period opening in January. Please see the below flyer for a list of upcoming information sessions. The intent of these sessions is to provide an overview of the program, to explain the screening/testing procedures, and to address your questions and concerns. Please use the below QR code to reserve your spot at one of the following information sessions.

Love And Logic

Love and Logic will help build positive relationships with your children, teach them to be responsible and help them be prepared to learn in the classroom. You can register online using the QR code or by sending the form back to school. Love and Logic Registration Form

Literacy Corner: Grateful for Good Books!

November is the perfect time to slow down, cozy up, and be thankful for the stories that inspire us. As we celebrate gratitude this month, encourage your child to read books about kindness, community, and thankfulness. Whether it’s sharing a story together before bedtime or exploring a new series, reading helps us connect and appreciate the little things. Let’s fill this season with warm hearts, good stories, and a love of reading that lasts all year long. Happy reading! 🍂📚🦃

Supporting our Young Readers

Young readers need practice, and teaching kids to read is a team effort! Try a few of these tips with your children to help them become more confident in their reading.

Don’t leave home without it

Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor’s office. Always try to fit in reading!

Once is not enough

Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.

Dig deeper into the story

Ask your child questions about the story you’ve just read. Say something like, “Why do you think Clifford did that?”

Be patient

When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.

Pick books that are at the right level

Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.

Play word games

Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.

I read to you, you read to me

Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.

Gently correct your young reader

When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.

Give A Little Makes A Big Difference

Each year, the fifth-grade students at Riverside organize a coin drive to collect money as a gift giving fundraiser. Then, we take the funds and go shopping to purchase Christmas gifts for Riverside students that might not otherwise receive many gifts.

This year, our coin drive will be from Monday November 16-Monday November 23, 2026. Each class will have a coin drive competition to see who collects the most change. Small amounts can add up to great gifts. Please consider donating to this amazing opportunity for our kids!

With your help, Riverside can help make the holidays a little brighter for our fellow Blue Jays! Thanks in advance for your GENEROSITY!

Save the Date- Spring Music Concerts

This year we are moving our music concerts to be in the spring!

Spring Concert Dates:

Monday March 8, 2027 at Riverside Elementary in the Multipurpose Room

5:00 Kindergarten

6:00 1st Grade

7:00 2nd Grade

Thursday March 11, 2027 at the Middle School in the Auditorium

5:00 3rd Grade

6:00 4th Grade

7:00 5th Grade

Our Students are always excited to share their talents with all of you!

Winter Clothing Reminder

The snowy weather will be upon us soon. Please remember that all students in grades K-5 will need boots, snow pants, jackets, gloves/mittens and hats for outdoor recess when snow is present (both in the fields and on the blacktop). Parents should start looking for these items now as they quickly disappear from store shelves when the first snow arrives. If your family need help acquiring these items please reach out to Mr. Kampmann, Mrs. Tatro or Mrs. Welsh for assistance.

Setting Goals and Celebrating Success!

Each year, our school sets academic and behavioral goals to help students grow and succeed. Last year, we challenged our K–5 students to increase reading and math proficiency by 5%—and we did it! As a reward, Mr. Kampmann and several staff members took turns in the dunk tank at our end-of-year celebration. The students had a blast!

At a recent all-school assembly, we introduced our goals for this year. We will continue working toward another 5% increase in K–5 reading and math proficiency. Reaching this goal takes everyone giving their best effort each day. We reminded students that they can choose their attitude and how much effort they put into their learning.

To celebrate students who show G.R.I.T. on reading and math assessment days, teachers will award G.R.I.T. tickets to students who:

Give their best effort.
Check their answers and Redo their work when needed.
Take Initiative and get started right away.
Take their time and do their best work.

Our second school-wide goal is to show respect for others. This means treating others kindly, listening, following school expectations, and treating others the way we want to be treated. We will monitor our progress by looking at disciplinary referrals throughout the year.

If we achieve our goals, our Be Amazing Club will help determine our end of year award. We are excited to see what we can accomplish together this year!

You Matter Day & Inclusion

Riverside Blue Jays celebrated You Matter by talking about Inclusion. We had representatives from Trailblazers and Special Olympics join our assembly to talk about ways people with all different abilities can be included with things like marathons. We also talked about ways we can include people who might have different abilities throughout our school day. We also celebrated the tremendous work our Bluejay Unified has done to build programs of inclusion throughout our building.

Riverside was awarded as a National Banner School by the Special Olympics. Schools who are eligible for this, must demonstrate 10 National Standards of Excellence by promoting inclusion through Unified Sports, student leadership, and whole-school engagement. Riverside is proud to be an inclusive school. Every Bluejay Matters. Every Bluejay Belongs. We are all connected!

Field Trips, Clubs, and Events

3rd Grade Squid Dissection

Riverside and Hatley's 3rd grade students have an ocean unit as a part of their Wit and Wisdom curriculum. Thanks to a Riverside PTO grant, they got to have the fun, hands-on experience of dissecting squid.

First Grade went to Twin Oaks

The first graders got a chance to go to the school forest. It was a fun filled day, where they got to explore in nature and learn about owls, spiders, bats, and wolves. They learned about ecolocation and other characteristics of owls that make them successful at night. How animals live in packs, how spiders survive using their webs in our changing seasons, and about bat behaviors and their impact in nature and our environment. What a great day to be outdoors!

2nd Grade went to Twin Oaks

Our second graders spent the day at the school forest learning about nature, how to be good stewards of our natural resources, making friends, and getting lots of fresh air. They learned about rocks and fossils, caterpillars and butterflies, seeds and plants and wildlife habitat.

Run/ Walk Club

Take a look at the fun our Run/Walk Club had! They enjoyed some beautiful weather for their sessions around the neighborhood. High School students even came to run with club members this year!

Riverside Farms Hydroponics Club

Riverside Farms hydroponics club recently turned a variety of apples into lots of fresh River”cider.” First we used an apple crusher to mash up all the apples. Then we used a press to squeeze all the juice out of the apple mash. It was so cool to see and be a part of the whole process. It truly was a farm to cup experience! Special thanks to Wilson Creek Apple Orchard in Wittenberg for the variety of apples, and our own Miss Margie in the cafeteria to help along with Miss Wanda helping clean up our not so little mess! Each club member got to take home some of their freshly made cider.

Fire Safety Week

Thank you to the Ringle Fire Department and Smokey the Bear for coming to Riverside for Fire Safety Week!

Our 1st and 3rd Graders got to experience the smokehouse. Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades got to experience the fire truck. This year, the firefighters had to leave early- to help those in our community who needed them, so they came back another day to speak with our 5th graders. Thank you to our Ringle Fire Department for your dedication to our community!

Smokey the Bear

As part of Fire Prevention Week, students in Kindergarten and First Grade got to see Smokey the Bear. Ask your child about Smokey's five rules.

Smokey the Bear's Five Rules:

1. Only you can prevent wildfires

2. Always be careful with fire

3. Never play with matches or lighters

4. Always watch your campfire

5. Make sure your campfire is completely out before leaving it.

If they wanted to they even got to give him a high five before he left!

Riverside PTO

PTO Meeting

Thank you to our PTO for another successful Fall Festival event. We had about 330 people come out to the event this year! It is so much fun for the kids to play together, and for parents to get to know each other as well. Our next event will be Sledding at Sylvan Hill on Sunday January 17, 2027 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Watch for more details closer to the event date!

Thank you to our PTO and parent volunteers for providing meals for our teachers during parent teacher conference nights. Your support for our staff is truly appreciated!

Our next PTO meeting is on Tuesday November 10th 2026, at 4:00 in the conference room. Or join us via Webex

First Ice Cream Social Meeting

The first Ice Cream Social Meeting of the year, will be held following the regular PTO meeting. We would love to hear new ideas if you are interested please contact our PTO, riv-pto@dce.k12.wi.us to get more details.

We will start to establish the following Ice Cream Social Committees. This is our biggest event of the year, and we appreciate the help of so many to make this night happen each year!

Volunteers (send communication out to get volunteers for each volunteer shift the night of the event, including set-up and clean-up. Work with Food/Games/Raffle/ PTO Board to coordinate on number of volunteers needed for each station & time slots)
Food (planning menu & prices, coordinate donations from local businesses and help prep food stations the night of event.)
Games (planning what games & prizes, locations, bounce houses, determine tickets for games/bounce houses)
Raffles (Arrange Blue Ticket Sales, phone calls to local businesses, coordinate classroom themes & donations, making baskets)

Marathon County School Based Counseling

Students may experience personal/social problems that may affect their mental health. Parents can provide an open environment by keeping lines of communication free, observing moods and behavior, and knowing when to seek outside guidance.

To assist our students and their families with mental health issues they may be facing, we have partnered with the Marathon County School-Based Counseling Consortium to provide students with on-site access to professional mental health professionals. This on-site service allows students to receive professional counseling without having to leave school or having a parent/guardian miss work to transport the child to appointments. Click here to learn more.

If you have questions about this service or are interested in referring your child, please contact our School Counselor, Sara Tatro at statro@dce.k12.wi.us.

Holiday Resource Fair at GTCC

Counseling Connection with Mrs. Tatro

Greetings! During Guidance in the month of October, students in Grades 1-5 completed the Fall 7 Mindsets Insights Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment. Insights helps measure student perceptions across the seven mindsets—Everything is Possible, Passion First, We Are Connected, 100% Accountable, Attitude of Gratitude, Live to Give, and The Time is Now—with results highlighting growth areas for individual students, classes, and our building. The assessment will be administered 3 times this year (in the fall, winter, and spring). If you have questions about your child’s participation, please reach out to me.

Students in Grades 1-5 also dove a little deeper into lessons from the Zones of Regulation Curriculum. Kindergarten students were introduced to the Zones of Regulation following a review of Tucker Turtle, which they are familiar with from preschool (3 & 4 year old Kindergarten). The Zones curriculum supports a learner’s social and emotional development and regulation skills and provides a simple way for learners (and the adults who support them) to understand, communicate around, and care for their feelings. Following the October Life Skills lesson, your child should have brought home a “Zones Bridge” letter/resource to inform you of their learning.

Students:

Explored feelings and practiced building emotional awareness.
Learned how to recognize body signals like energy level, heart rate, breathing, and body movement related to our feelings.
Practiced identifying situations, triggers, and sparks that impact our feelings and those of others.
Explored a variety of regulation tools and practiced using some. Check out 50 Coping Tools for Kids.
Learned that it’s important to pause to problem-solve before acting on our impulses.

Your involvement is essential for your learner to successfully apply what they learned about The Zones into your setting. Check out Zones in the Home. You can learn more about The Zones of Regulation here: zonesofregulation.com/how-it-works/. Please reach out with any questions.

Click on the button below for the Life Tools for Littles Family Toolkit PDF

Life Tools for Littles Family Toolkit

Tips For Good Mental Health This Holiday Season

Get enough sleep. When stress interacts with a lack of sleep, it has a profound impact. If you’re not getting enough sleep, try to take 10 to 20 minutes during the day to meditate or relax by listening to music or reading a book. If you haven’t slept well for a night or two, try catching up with an extra hour the next night.

Don’t take on too much. This time of year, it’s easy to get swept up into raising your hand one too many times to organize gatherings or other festive activities. While volunteering your time can make you feel good, be careful to not overdo it, as a heavy workload in the holiday season can cause undue stress.

Eat and drink in moderation. Be realistic with yourself. Know that you’re going to have a couple of big meals over the next several weeks, and that’s okay; you shouldn’t feel guilty. Give yourself permission to enjoy yourself as long as you don’t overindulge night after night.

Spend time (safely) with people you enjoy. Catching up with close friends/family who you truly enjoy being around can give your mood the boost it needs to feel refreshed. In person or virtually, push yourself to grab coffee with that friend you’ve been meaning to see, your mood will thank you for it.

Perform an act of kindness. Giving your time to help someone else can lift your spirits. By volunteering or giving to others, you’re not only doing good for other people, but for your mental health as well.

Plan gifts earlier than later. A lot of stress can come from deciding what gifts to buy for loved ones. Plan ahead to relieve pressure of late shipments or scrambling from store to store at the last minute.

Check out the 2026 Holiday Get Help Guide.

Holiday Give and Get Help Guide

Give and Get Help Guide Link

Riverside Elementary School

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/

Riverside Report