Marty's Monthly Memo

July, 2008

Upcoming Events
July 4 Fri Independence Day – No Camp
July 5,6,7 SSM Reggio visitors at RCDS; Amelia Gambetti, Liaison for Consultancy in Schools for Reggio Children, and Ellen Hall, Executive Director of Boulder Journey School
July 11 Fri RFA Friday Night Out for Infants – 3 rd grade; 5:30pm-11pm
July 17 Thurs RFA Board Meeting in Library; 8:30am
July 23 Wed Riverfield Night at Cosi Restaurant (71 st & Yale) with portion of proceeds benefiting RCDS; 5-9pm
July 25 Fri RFA Friday Night Out for Infants – 3 rd grade; 5:30pm-11pm
Aug 1 Fri EVERYONE invited to Riverfield’s 25 th Year Kick-Off Celebration from 5-7pm; RSVP by July 25 th
Aug 5 Tues New Family Orientation (childcare provided with RSVP); 5-7pm
Aug 8 Fri Last Day of Camp, 3pm Dismissal for ALL
Aug 11-15 M-F Staff In-Service Week – No School
Aug 16 Sat Swim Parties at Camp Loughridge; 4 th /5 th grade: Noon-2pm, 9 th -12 th : 2-4pm, 6 th -8 th grade: 6-8pm
Aug 17 Sun Open House for all families, 4-6pm
Aug 18 Mon First Day of 2008-09 School Year

Arrival and Pick Up Procedures
Safety is our primary concern at all times during the day. This summer we have noticed some Pre-School families dropping off and/or picking up their children in the outside playground area, rather than coming in the building to sign in them and out. It is very hard for teachers to monitor arrival and departure when this is done. For safety’s sake, PLEASE sign your child in and out in the appropriate notebook then, if the class is outside, take your child to meet their group.

Raven Pride Workouts
Raven Pride summer workouts have begun for 6 th – 12 th grade athletes. All workouts are from 7– 8:15am in the Clark Gymnasium, with girls on Tuesday and Thursday and boys on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. All Middle and Upper School athletes (not just football players) are strongly encouraged to attend.

Young Rembrandts Camps Coming Up
Young Rembrandts is a fun, creative after school art program with all supplies provided. Sign ups are available by the front desk. There are two camps available in July.

Elementary Artists: July 21 – 24 3:15 – 4:15pm $40 Animal theme
Pre-K Artists: July 14 – 17 3:15 – 4:15pm $40 Vacation theme

Immunization Notice!!!!!
Families are making good progress on turning in updated immunization records but we are still lacking several. August 1 st is the deadline for immunizations for 2008-09 school year students. We know this is not always easy, but it is a requirement of the State and we must all comply. Please take care of this now so this is taken care of in a timely manner.

Nut Allergies
After putting a notice about peanuts in June newsletter, we learned there are several students that are allergic to nuts like pecans and walnuts too. Please do not bring any tree nuts to school. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding on this matter. Our kitchen is trying out Soy Butter, which is a surprisingly tasty alternative to peanut butter. You and your children might like it too.

Summer Reading Lists
Summer Reading Lists for K-12 th were emailed last month. We hope everyone is enjoying some reading time this summer! There are also enrichment workbooks available online for students K – 6 th grade at innisbrook.com (use RCDS code 116109).

SAVE THE DATE: AUGUST 1 st for our 25 th Year Kick-Off Celebration
Riverfield’s 25 th Year Celebration, 5 –- 7pm. Make plans to join us to begin celebrating our 25 th year. Please help us spread the word to Riverfield friends, former students and their families, and former faculty and staff. We would also love for you to bring friends who might be interested in joining our RCDS family. Please RSVP by JULY 25 th to frontdesk@riverfield.org . In true Riverfield style, if you would like to bring a Pot Luck salad or dessert, please do! Main course will be provided by RCDS.

Blue Rose Café Special Recipe
Last week was Blue Rose Café camp, a great RCDS summer tradition led by Mrs. Sherwood. In the course of the week, campers shopped for groceries, decorated menus, determined their roles within the “restaurant”, prepared the food, and then waited on their parents and school staff. Mrs. Sherwood has been gracious enough to share her famous Poppy Seed Dressing with us for this memo:

Mrs. Sherwood’s Poppy Seed Dressing
½ c. sugar

2 T. honey

2 T. salt

1 tsp. mustard

1/3 c. vinegar

1 large slice of red onion

1-2 T. onion juice

Blend all ingredients in blender. Slowly add 1 cup of salad oil and 1 1/3 tablespoons poppy seeds. Keep refrigerated.

From sports to adventures, from spies to princesses, it has been a great summer so far. We are looking forward to a fun last month of camp. There are still some openings so check out the camp brochure online at riverfield.org or email Camp Director Tiffany Crowl at tcrowl@riverfield.org

Change in Parent Summer Study Book: “Just Because It’s Not Wrong Doesn’t Make It Right” by Barbara Coloroso
If you have already started to read “Kids are Worth It”, go ahead and finish as Barbara Coloroso’s theme is consistent in all her books. Ms. Coloroso recommended the change in titles because she said the idea of raising children ethically is so critical now.

Plus this book has a perfect subtitle for RCDS, “From toddler to teens, teaching kids to think and act ethically”. Books will be available for purchase at RCDS in the next few weeks at a very reasonable price of $15. We invite you to please join us in this fascinating study.

Here’s some exciting news: Ms. Coloroso will be at Riverfield Tuesday, September 30 th . She will meet with groups of Middle and Upper School students in the afternoon and will speak with parents and teachers from 6 – 8pm. Dinner will be available from 5- 5:30pm for any families who wish to eat at school and there will be childcare from 6 – 8pm. Put this on your calendar now and tell your friends as the seminar will be open to the public. This is Riverfield’s gift to our own community and the Tulsa community to celebrate our 25 years of innovative education.

Cosi Night – July 23 rd
Cosi Restaurant at 71 st and Yale supports education by hosting School Nights, and ours is Wednesday, July 23 rd . Make sure you tell them you’re with Riverfield, and Cosi will donate a portion of the proceeds back to the school. If you want to get a sneak peek at their menu, visit www.getcosi.com . We look forward to seeing you there!!

New Family Orientation- Tuesday, August 5 th at 5pm
All new Riverfield families for the upcoming school year are encouraged to attend New Family Orientation on Tuesday, August 5 th at 5pm. This meeting is for parents only and childcare will be provided for Infants – 5 th grade in the Main Building beginning at 4:40pm so parents can arrive at their meeting in the Upper School’s Clark Gymnasium promptly at 5pm. More information will be sent shortly to new families about this very important meeting.

Would You Like To Be A Mentor Parent?
When new families first come to Riverfield, it is very helpful to have another parent to call if they have a question about an event, a procedure, or just a general question. We understand there are many things to learn and do and that another parent is often the perfect person help with this process. If you would be interested in being a Mentor Parent please email Jennifer Nation at frontdesk@riverfield.org by July 21 st and tell her which of the following ages you prefer: Infants, Toddlers, 2s, 3s-5s, K-1, 2 nd /3 rd , 4 th -5 th , 6 th -8 th or 9 th -12 th . It would be very helpful if Mentor Parents came to the New Family Orientation on Tuesday, August 5 th from 5-7pm. Childcare will be provided for Infants – 5 th grade.

Fall After School Arts Programs
There are several after school programs available through Riverfield in the fall. New this year, Paul Knight, RCDS Band Director, will offer individual lessons on the piano/keyboard, voice, strings, percussion, and guitar as well as group lessons for several, if not all, of these instruments. Also in its first year will be a new Drama program instructed by RCDS teacher Leslie Long. A class with parent participation will be for 3s-5s, in addition to a class for K-1 and 2 nd /3 rd students. Pied Piper will be teaching gymnastics, ballet, and Taekwondo classes as well this fall. Information about all of these offerings will be sent out in the packet later this month.