Monday, October 15, 2018

Younger Kids News

Dear Parents,

It was so nice to have time last Friday to sit down and chat with so many of you about your wonderful kids!  We look forward to seeing the rest of you this Friday. As a reminder, there is no school this Friday but there is an enrichment camp happening.  If you are looking for something fun for your child to do this could fit the bill! Check out the Newsletter sent from the office yesterday for more info.

Another exciting event happening this Friday is Fun Fest!  Again, the Newsletter has more info for you about this super-fun community event.  It is sure to be a blast for your kiddos and we’d love to see you there!

This week we are starting a three week unit about our new theme; Mesopotamia.  During these three weeks we will be exploring why civilization took root during this time in human history.  Then we will examine all of the amazing inventions that people came up with during this time period. It should be one that captures the inventive spirit of all our students.

As a last reminder, don’t forget that school picture day is this Thursday, October 18.  

Have a super week…

Seth, Rachael and Annie

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/877-2/

Younger Kids News

Monday, October 8, 2018

Hello families, and happy Monday!

The air is getting chilly, which means it’s that time of year again… conferences! We are looking forward to meeting with all of you either this coming Friday the 12th or next Friday the 19th. There will be no school on both of these days, but enrichment camps are available (see newsletter for more information). If you are unable to find childcare, you are welcome to bring your child along and they can quietly look at a book or play with a toy in the hall while we meet.

Cooler weather also means that students need to be prepared for outside breaks at school. Please send them with gear to bundle up in so that they are able to have fun outdoors and be comfortable.

We are wrapping up our topic unit on Oceans this week by talking about the impact that humans have on the earth’s waters. We are excited to share the students’ first theme writing books with you!

We have a special guest visiting Younger Kids on Thursday this week. Former Rivendell teacher Polly Walters will be joining us on behalf of Spellbinders Oral Storytellers. She will be here once per month. We’ve had storyteller visitors in the past, and we’re excited to have one this year. The students are always so engaged and mesmerized by the stories!

Speaking of stories, we have a new author of the month for October- Andrea Beaty! She is well known for the books Rosie Revere Engineer, Iggy Peck Architect, and Ada Twist Scientist.

That’s all for now. Have a great week!

Rachael, Annie, and Seth

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/874-2/

Younger Kids News

Monday, October 1, 2018

Dear Parents,

Thank you all for your participation in our Fun Run last Friday! Even on a cold day, our Rivendell community turned out in full force to cheer on the kids as they ran and ran and ran…what a great job they all did! You should have received your child’s number with the final count of how many laps he/she ran so you can collect your pledges. If you haven’t seen it yet, double check your child’s Friday folder. Please turn in your child’s pledges by October 12th.

We are continuing our Oceans unit with a study of ocean food chains/webs. The kids have been enjoying learning about oceans and the creatures that live in them and have been working hard on their projects and writings!

Parent teacher conferences are scheduled for Friday, October 12th and Friday, October 19th. There are sign-up sheets outside of your child’s classroom door. Please sign up for a half hour time slot that will work for you. If the times posted don’t work for you, please let us know. We will be happy to find another day/time to meet with you. Although your child is welcome at most Rivendell occasions, parent teacher conferences are not a time to bring your child. This is a time for us to talk with you about your child’s progress without them present. If you need to bring your child along we can help to set her/him up with a toy to play with outside of the room while we meet. You may also sign them up for the Rivendell Enrichment Camp that day. We are looking forward to talking with you about your child!

The weather at this time of year is sure to be a mix of warm and cool temperatures. Remember, we go out to play in almost all weather, so please be sure to bring coats and jackets for your child. They will be much happier playing outside if they are comfortable!

Have a wonderful week,

Annie, Rachael and Seth

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/872-2/

Younger Kids News

Monday, September 24, 2018

Dear parents,

We hope that the extra day this weekend for your kiddos was spent well.  We had a very productive day here at school as we worked as a staff on several items including our school-wide literacy curriculum.  These staff work days are so important to us providing the best individualized approach for each of our students.

This week we will continue to explore Oceans as we learn more about the amazingly diverse creatures that live there.  We will be completing another big project together as a group this week and we are excited for you to see the results!  

On Friday there are several special events taking place at Rivendell.  The biggest is our Fun Run. This means that you have four more days to find sponsors!  Please check the Rivendell Newsletter sent yesterday for more information about this event.  

Friday will also bring our first Sharing of the year.  Sharing is our version of Show and Tell. On Friday during the last full week of every month we will invite the children to bring in an item from home that fits a theme to show to their classmates.  The item should be able to be stored inside your child’s cubby until our time for Sharing has arrived. Please help your child to pick out an item that fits the theme so that she/he can bring it to school on Friday.  Help her/him to think of three interesting facts that they can tell the class about their item. It is a great idea to practice with your child at home before our time sharing on Friday. We are shooting for 100% participation for our first Sharing of the year so our theme for this week is very general.  Please help your child to find and bring…

Something Fun!!

We hope that you have a great week!

Seth, Annie and Rachael

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/869-2/

Younger Kids News

Monday, September 17, 2018

Hello parents!

The Fun Run is coming up next Friday, September 28th! Hopefully you have had a chance to look through the packet that came home in your child’s Friday folder. We have talked with all of the Younger Kids about how they can get sponsors for the laps that they run and earn money for new literacy items in their classroom! Although this alone will be rewarding for all of us, we’ve added some extra incentives for them to raise money. We appreciate your support in helping your child with this!

If our grade level altogether can earn…

• $1,000: wear pajamas to school and bring a stuffed animal
• $2,000: pajamas, stuffed animals, and a movie
• $3,000: all of the above plus popcorn

*We will plan a day separate from the Fun Run that we will celebrate with these special prizes. More info to come about that day once money has been totaled…*

This week in our ocean topic work, we will be learning about the many zones of the ocean and the creatures that inhabit them. The kiddos have been so excited to start learning about some exciting ocean animals!

Our Author of the Month for September is Julia Cook. In Younger Kids, we love reading her stories as they are a very powerful teaching tool for the crucial social/emotional skills that we work on every day.  Some topics include: making friends, how to keep from interrupting, following rules, personal space, tattling, taking feedback, teamwork and sharing, asking for permission, managing worries, and the list goes on! We see our students make strong connections to the characters in these books; we encourage you to ask them about what they’ve learned and continue the conversation at home.

• For more information about our approach to behavior management, consider attending the Love and Logic Parent Night next Wednesday, September 26th here at Rivendell from 6-7:30.

The office has informed us that Rivendell is ordering more Scholastic books than ever! It’s great to know that families are reading together at home and promoting the love of reading. When the scholastic orders come in, the deliveries will be made to your child’s hook or cubby. If you’d like to keep the order a surprise from your child, please give the office advance notice.

Reminder: There is no school this Friday, September 21st due to staff In-Service Day.

Have a fantastic week!

Rachael, Annie, and Seth

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/867-2/

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to another full week of school! We have already seen a difference between the first few days and now in the way your kids have grown. There are less tears and more smiles, many developing friendships, and a better understanding of how our Younger Kids’ days flow.

We are continuing our Ocean unit with a look at ocean currents. We have created a game that we’ll play, where kids will act as hot or cold water and run through physical ‘currents’ that  we create on the playground. As they move and run, they will learn how the water in a current is directional, moves faster, and is either hot or cold, depending on its direction. We’ll take a look at a map to show where the major currents are in our oceans, and we’ll follow up with a Theme Writing where students will express what they have learned.

We will also continue with Math, Reading and Journals.  Much of the work done in Math and Reading will come home in purple Friday Folders at the end of the week. There may also be notes about upcoming events, book orders, or other important communication in the folders as well. Please get in the habit of going through these each weekend with your child, acknowledging their hard work, and returning the empty Friday Folder on Monday so we can fill it up again!

As we look at our classroom birthday calendars, we see that we have a few birthdays coming up this month. We love to celebrate with your child and acknowledge their special day. If you would like to bring in birthday treats for your child, please bring in something easy to pass out (cupcakes or cookies as opposed to a cake that would have to be cut) and drop them off in your child’s classroom in the morning. We will find a time during the day to let your child pass out their treats, sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and enjoy eating them with their class.  Your child may then choose a friend to walk around the school with and pass out any leftover treats to other teachers and staff.

As the school year progresses, we will undoubtedly have a few colds or other illnesses here and there among us. Please know that if your child is vomiting or has diarrhea, they must be kept home at least 24 hours after the last incident. We are talking to the kids about washing their hands before eating and after going to the bathroom and it would help if you could reinforce that at home as well. If you have any questions about our illness policy, please refer to your Rivendell Parent Handbook. Together we can keep our classes healthy!

Thank you again for coming to our Back to School Night presentation last week. If you missed it or have any questions, feel free to ask!

Have a great week!

Annie, Rachael and Seth

Younger Kids News

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Dear Parents,

We hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend. It is great to be back with our classes today as we embark on another week of school.

This week we will be adding in more worksessions to our schedule. We are building toward having our first full week with our academic schedule in place next week.  Those Friday Folders that came home with one or two sheets last week will soon be brimming with all of the amazing work that your kids are completing here at school.  If you haven’t done so already, please help your child to return her/his folder back to their classroom prior to Friday. Thanks!

Please plan to join us tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5, from 6:35 – 7:05 for Back to School Night here at Rivendell.  All three of us will be presenting to you during this parent-only informational event. We will have a lot to say, so we will start promptly and end at our scheduled time so that anyone who has another session to attend will not be late.  Thanks for taking the time to come to this important event! If you cannot attend, please be sure to let us know so that we can get a copy of our information packet to you.

One question that we continue to get from many of you is, “What’s the best approach for coming to school in the morning?” While all of our kids are different and strategies can be different for different kids, there are a couple recommendations that we have.  

First of all, plan to be here by 8:15.  This allows your child the chance to choose a Free Choice activity to start his/her day.  It is generally much easier for students to start their day with something they choose rather than coming in and sitting right down to our morning meeting time.  

Secondly, establish a repeatable morning routine with your child.  This can help if getting ready at home in the morning is a challenge as well.  Think about what steps your child needs in order to enter the classroom ready for her/his day.  Then repeat these steps as regularly as you can. It can take a while to establish these routines so it is a great idea to start working on them as soon as you can.

We also have one request for you, after completing the steps of your morning routine, please leave the classroom so that your child has time to play without you present.  As we all know, our kids often interact differently with those around them when parents and siblings are around. It can also be challenging for other parents and students when some parents are playing with the kids instead of leaving during morning play time.  We know that our classrooms are super fun in the morning and it can be hard for you and younger siblings to want to leave! Thanks for your help with honoring this time for the kids in our class by leaving once your child has successfully entered the classroom.

One last reminder, there is a Rivendell Parent Association (RPA) meeting this Friday.  Please review your electronic newsletter sent from the office over the weekend for more details.

Have a super week!

Annie, Rachael and Seth

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/860-2/

Monday, August 27, 2018

Hello parents-

We hope you all had a nice weekend and are ready for our first full week of school! This is our weekly newsletter (specific to YK) that will be sent out every Monday. We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedules to read through our notes. There is also a school-wide newsletter that is delivered via email on Sundays. If you did not receive the newsletter yesterday, please stop into the office to make sure we have your email address in our system.  

Many of you have asked about the protocol for sunscreen. If you wish for your child to wear sunscreen, they must already have it applied by a parent before being dropped off at school. If you request an additional application of sunscreen in the afternoon, please communicate this directly with your child’s teacher and provide a labeled sunscreen that can be kept in the classroom.

The library will be open for our YK students to check out books after their class has been on a library tour (happening either today or tomorrow). Students are allowed to have 3 books checked out. Please remember to return books after enjoying them!

This week we are excited to begin our introduction to the first school-wide thematic unit, Oceans! We will be using maps to identify where oceans are located on earth. Towards the end of the week, we will also be starting to introduce our first work sessions for math, reading, and writing.

Please be on the lookout this Friday for your child’s purple Friday Folder!

Last but not least, upcoming dates to put on the calendar:

• • This Thursday, August 30, 5:30-7:00- Back to School Food Truck Picnic
    • With special ribbon cutting ceremony for the completion of exterior construction!

• • Next Wednesday, September 5, 6:35-7:05- Back to School Night
    • Parents only, please. Childcare will not be provided.

Thank you again for reading through our first Monday note!

Seth, Annie, and Rachael

Monday, May 21, 2018

Younger Kids News

Dear Parents,

It is bittersweet to be writing this final Monday Note to all of you.  As our interactions with our students begin to change to our memories of this school year we know that they will be fond ones.  The final week of school is an important time for us to give closure to our fabulous year with a mix of academic presentations and fun events.

We are always amazed, when looking back, at how and where our students began the year and how and where they end it.  The culmination of their academic growth will be presented to you in several ways this week.

• First on the agenda is the Spring Program happening this evening at Griffin Concert Hall.  We hope that you all can attend. There is more information for you about this evening included in the school-wide email that Tina sent over the weekend.  
• Tomorrow morning, Tuesday, we will have our Author’s Celebration from 8:00 – 9:00 in your child’s classroom.  Please come for breakfast treats and amazing student work!
• On Thursday, final Report Cards will be sent out to you detailing the areas of growth we have seen in your child.

As mentioned, however, this week is not just about reviewing the growth of our students, it is also about fun!  Wednesday is going to be jammed packed with special treats for our students. During the morning, the Younger Kids will be gathering for one last level-wide community event as we watch the hit movie Coco together.  In the afternoon on Wednesday we will meet up on the playground with everyone in the school to enjoy all the fun of Field Day! Wednesday is sure to be a blast for our kids!

Another task that will be worked on throughout the week will be cleaning up the classroom.  We will be sending things home throughout the week with our kids so this is a great week to ensure that your child has a backpack or bag here at school.  

On Friday, our year will conclude with a half day and a celebration for our Fifth Grade students.  We will be gathering in the commons to send them off with a bang and then will enjoy a special treat out on the playground for our last recess of the year.  The day will end before lunch time at 11:30 and there is not aftercare on this day.

Once again, we want to thank you all for being a huge part of a terrific year at a school that we think is a pretty magical place.  We hope that your summers are safe and full of fun and that we see your faces in and around Rivendell once again in the fall.

Have a super Summer!

Seth, Annie and Rachael

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/847-2/

Younger Kids News

Monday, May 14, 2018

Dear Parents,

This will be a busy week as we finish up projects and complete our Topic Work with a closer look at ladybugs.  Some of the chrysalides that we have in our rooms have hatched! Keep an eye out for the rest of our butterflies to emerge this week!

This is the time of the year when we are compiling your children’s Portfolios, Author of the Month Books and Journals and it is amazing to see how much they have grown! Looking at those first day pictures and seeing the writings and drawings that they produced in August as compared to May is truly remarkable, and a bit emotional! We are so proud of your kids! They will be able to show you all of their hard work next Tuesday at our Author’s Celebration (details below).

Please remember to return all library books, if you haven’t already. You may also want to check lost & found and take home any winter clothing or other items that remain at school and are no longer needed.

Please note these *IMPORTANT* upcoming dates:

Monday, May 21 – Rivendell Spring Program from 6:00 – 7:30.  Our Spring Program will take place at Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, formerly Fort Collins High School.  Your child has been working all year on songs to perform on this evening. Children need to arrive by 5:45 p.m. and the program will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. We hope you all can attend this festive Rivendell Tradition!

Tuesday, May 22 – Author’s Celebration from 8:00 – 9:00.  Plan to come a little bit early or stay a little bit late as you drop off your child on this day.  We will have breakfast treats, coffee, and amazing work that your child has completed this year. The centerpiece of this work is your child’s portfolio which we have been assembling from various pieces throughout the year.  

Thank you for reading this! Have a wonderful week,

Seth, Annie & Rachael

https://www.rivendell-school.org/youngerkids/845-2/