Red Pride Weekly - Family Edition

Greetings Gladiator Families!

What a busy week! We had many opportunities to come together as a school and school community and we are grateful for the time together. Please check out the notes and pictures below.

We have Red Ribbon Week to wrap up October and we look forward to seeing our students show their Red Pride through the SCW sponsored dress-up days.

Upcoming Dates

• Monday, October 26 - Start of Red Ribbon Week (see below)
• Thursday, October 29 - Nothing Bundt Cake Fundraiser forms go home
• Friday, October 30 - Vocabulary Dress Up Day
• Monday, November 2 - No School for Students - Professional Development Day
• Tuesday, November 3 - No School for Students - Election Day / PD Day
• Thursday, November 12 - Innovation / Literacy Night
• Friday, November 13 - Progress Reports
• Monday, November 16 - 1st Grade Performance
• Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Break
• Saturday, December 5 - PTA hosting Breakfast with Santa

Shout Out

This week's shout out goes to Emily Glenn , our Music teacher, and our 2nd graders for a fantastic performance of "Meet Me at the Pumpkin Patch" on Monday night. We are so proud of our Gladiators and are grateful to Mrs. Glenn for the continued opportunity to showcase musical performances.

Red Ribbon Week is the nation's oldest and largest annual drug-use prevention awareness campaign. Our SCW is sponsoring a series of dress up days to show our commitment to a healthy, drug-free life. Please note that we continue to look for Spirit Week dress up days that are low cost, manageable opportunities to show our Red Pride!

Monday — Wear Red

“We Stand Together”

Students wear red to show that our school stands together in making healthy, drug-free choices.

Tuesday — Hat Day

“Put Your Thinking Cap On”

Students wear a hat to remind us that making healthy choices starts with thinking about how our decisions affect our future.

Wednesday — Favorite Color Day

“Be Yourself”

Students wear their favorite color to celebrate what makes each person unique and to encourage students to be confident in who they are.

Thursday — PTA Shirt Day

“Stronger Together”

Wear your PTA shirt to celebrate our school community and the healthy choices we make together.

Friday — Vocabulary Day

“Words Have Power”

Dress as a vocabulary word. Teachers are sharing guidance to families on appropriate vocabulary words for the grade level.

We are continuing our fundraising partnership with Nothing Bundt Cake this year. This Thursday, 10/29, be on the lookout for the Nothing Bundt Cake form coming home with your child. There are a wide variety of flavors available and each individual "bundtlet" costs $7. The sale runs through November 12 with a pickup date of November 19 (3:30 - 6:00 pm).

Thanks for your support of Riverheads Elementary. These funds are being raised to support our teachers and their efforts to provide innovative and engaging activities for our Gladiators.

Please plan to join us on Thursday, November 12 for an Evening of Innovation & Literacy. The event starts at 5:00 pm with dinner served in the cafeteria from 5:00 to 6:45 pm. Stations showcasing innovation and literacy activities will be provided in different classrooms around the school.

If you have not already, please RSVP by this Friday, October 30 so that we can order enough pizza.

Thanks for coming out on Friday to support the Boo Bash! We estimate that close to 500 children came through on Friday night... very exciting!!

As a reminder, breakfast and lunch are free for all Riverheads Elementary students. Gladiators in grades PK, K and 1 will have breakfast delivered to the classroom and they will select their breakfast there. Gladiators in grades 2 - 5, will need to stop in the cafeteria on their way in the building to pick up their breakfast before heading to their classroom. All students in grade K-5 make their lunch choices when they arrive in the classroom each morning

You can also find the breakfast and lunch menu on our website by going to Our School > Menu.

Please note that menus are subject to change.

1. All sandwiches served with option of dark green lettuce & tomato slice.

2. All side salads & chef salads are made with romain lettuce and/or fresh spinach.

3. Raw Veggie Cup = may contain a mixture of celery, cucumbers, cauliflower, & green peppers.

4. Manager's Choice (USDA) may be substituted for one of the other entrees listed above.

November breakfast and lunch menus are attached. Please note that these read very differently from previous versions of the menu. A lunch menu sheet has also been included so that you can help your child identify the lunch choice for each day as A, B or C.

Each month we will celebrate a different aspect of life at Riverheads Elementary. October is Bullying Prevention Month, and we know that encouraging Empathy is one of the most successful ways to prevent bullying. When students are able to put themselves in someone else's shoes and see the world from their perspective, they will be less likely to pick on or bully others. Please help us support our Gladiators by encouraging empathy, kindness and respect for others.

Counselors School-Wide Activity

Counselors built on the theme of Empathy with a new school-wide book and art project inspired by Beneath by Cori Doerrfeld. (See picture below)

Students explored the idea that there is often much more to a person than what we can see on the surface. Everyone created a two-sided quilt square showing a little of what others see and what makes them who they are “beneath” the surface. Hundreds of individual squares came together to create one giant school-wide quilt mural. Our message: “You can see my square, not my whole story.”

School-wide Assembly

We had Leslie Rob, a teacher, comedian, and an author, present to our Gladiators on her book, The Butter Bus Bullies. She is from VA and often tours with the Bored Teachers comedy circuit.

For October, we’re kicking off “Strive for 5!” Each week, five students who have perfect attendance with no tardies for that week will be selected to receive a special prize! We hope this encourages our Gladiators to show up on time, work hard, and make every school day count!

October is also National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a great opportunity to talk with your child about kindness, respect, and standing up for others. Remember, bullying involves repeated, unwanted aggressive behavior and a real or perceived imbalance of power. While disagreements, unkind words, and conflicts between peers should always be addressed, they are not automatically considered bullying. We encourage students to speak up and seek help whenever something makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

As always, Mrs. Cheyenne and Mrs. Mack are here to support our students and families! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to help. We will also be available during Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday if you would like to stop by and meet with us.

Thank you for helping us make Riverheads a place where every Gladiator feels safe, supported, and ready to grow!

Mrs. Cheyenne: lewis.ct@augusta.k12.va.us
Mrs. Mack: mcmanaway.pa@augusta.k12.va.us
Riverheads Elementary: 540-337-2535

Riverheads Elementary is excited to be planning a Thanksgiving Gathering for our school families on Tuesday evening, November 24!

Our hope is to bring our Riverheads families together to enjoy a warm, sit-down Thanksgiving meal and time together as a school community. We want every Riverheads family to have the opportunity to gather around the table and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together.

Right now, we are trying to get a general idea of how many families may be interested in attending so we can plan for enough food and seating.

This is NOT an official RSVP and does not commit your family to attending. A formal RSVP with additional details will be sent at a later date.

If your family thinks you may be interested in joining us, please complete this short interest survey and let us know approximately how many people from your household might attend.

Thanksgiving Gathering Interest Survey

Thank you for helping us plan! We are looking forward to sharing a special evening with our Riverheads community.

You are cordially invited to attend an OPEN HOUSE at Valley Career and Technical Center (VCTC) and Shenandoah Valley Governor's School (SVGS) on Monday, November 2, 2026 from 4 pm -7 pm!

The event is a unique opportunity for students to learn about programs offered, meet staff, and discover the academic and technical programs that define student experiences at VCTC and SVGS. Business/industry representatives, educators, local leaders and our communities are invited to see our labs/shops/classrooms, connect with our teachers, and network with each other.

Open House attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Tour facilities, including classrooms, shops, and labs.
• Meet with current students and staff. Our instructors will be on hand to share what makes each program unique and answer your questions
• See it, try it, do it! Explore student-made projects and experience hands-on activities.

The event is free and open to the public. Visitors may explore programs at their leisure with student guides and staff available to assist them. Local food trucks will be serving up delicious eats throughout the evening.

Link to OPEN HOUSE SVGS Facebook Post

Link to OPEN HOUSE VCTC Facebook Post

The Adapted Physical Education Program will be holding a Silent Auction & Craft and Vendor Fair on November 8 at Stuarts Draft Middle School from 1-5 pm.

Augusta County Public School Elementary School Handbook for 2026-2027

Each morning our Gladiators are asked to live up to our Red Pride Pledge by living up to our Riverheads Expectations for Success. They do this by being...

• Safe
• Respectful
• Responsible
• Caring
• Learners

Fall is in full swing and her are some shots from this week at RES.

Our 4th graders have been learning about clouds and what the cloud formations mean in terms of weather.

Our 5th graders have been learning about circuits and had the chance to build their own during class.