Wednesday, March 8 

Riverdale Grade School News

Turkey and Syria Fundraiser

As many of you may know, there was a ginormous earthquake in Turkey and Syria. And when I heard about it watching the news I felt terrible for the people there, so I decided to do something myself. I have decided to raise money for the Oregon Turkish American Association, if you go to the website you can learn more about how they’re helping.

We are asking Riverdale families to bring coins or small bills to the front office and put them in the labeled jar. We are starting now until March 24. Thank you so much for taking the time to help.   

- Maxfield W.

Read Across America

Dressed in their pajamas, elementary students celebrated the annual reading motivation and awareness program, Read Across America, on March 2. Established by the National Education Association in 1997, this special day highlights the importance of reading and encourages all children to read their favorite books. 

Thank You for Donating Care Kits!

Thank you to the kindhearted community members for the generous donations to people in need! Over 900 items were donated by the third grade class - who won our grade level competition. Congratulations to them - and thank you to everyone who helped us collect so many items as a school! We had the opportunity as a Leadership Class to take a field trip and drop off our items at a local houseless shelter called Just Compassion. We met with social workers who taught us more about the experiences of houseless people in Portland. It was something we will never forget.

- By 7th & 8th Grade Leadership

Elementary Families

With Oregon weather comes damp and dirty clothing from recess activities, so we’re asking elementary students to have extra socks, pants and underwear stored in their cubby or backpack in case of emergency. 

March 16 Music Concert 

Join us in the RGS gym for a 1st and 2nd grade music performance on March 16 from 6-6:30 p.m.

Claim Lost & Found Items

Please claim any lost and found items before spring break! The L&F rack will be moved into the RGS main lobby under the stairs for easy collection. We appreciate your help in clearing the rack. 

Last Call

Kids Heart Challenge 

Dear Families – KHC is coming to an end this Friday! Our students have done an amazing job learning how to keep their hearts healthy, while helping others! So far, 9 families have learned the steps to Hands-Only CPR, and together our school has raised $12,045 in lifesaving donations and helped to save 241 lives!! Great job!

We would like to share with you our very own heart hero right here at Riverdale Grade School! Meet Heart Hero Will!

Please consider signing up and raising donations to help save lives and further research for people with special hearts, like Will!

If we get to our goal of $20,000, Mr. Anderson will be slimed! Students with $200 will get a cup of slime!

Every $5,000 raised will unlock a teacher getting PIED!
       ○ $5,000: Mr. Anderson! UNLOCKED!
       ○ $10,000: Mr. Street! UNLOCKED!
       ○ $15,000: Music teacher! SO CLOSE TO UNLOCKING!!
$20,000: GOAL! Ms. McDonald! 
Again, you have until THIS Friday to turn in any donations! 

REMINDER

PTC Auction

The PTC Auction is coming up on March 18th and features a sit-down dinner, Silent and Live Auction, Paddle Raise, and is a chance to celebrate our schools, our community, and our children. Ticket sales end on Friday or until sold out! Purchase yours HERE today.

If you can't make the auction, please consider donating to the Paddle Raise to enhance both our schools' campus security infrastructure. Paddle Raise donations will be available online through a secure portal after the event for a few days.

The Online Auction, which features an assortment of unique experiences, vacation rentals, kid-friendly packages, and more will run March 10 - March 18. The auction website will direct you to the Online Auction.

REMINDER

Input Needed: K-2 Curriculum Adoption at RGS

Riverdale Grade School has been involved in an extensive vetting process for instructional materials in English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum. K-2 is completing the adoption by piloting two programs that are aligned with brain science reading practices.

Here are the two programs we are piloting and reviewing for K-2:

• EL Education/Imagine Learning
• Wit and Wisdom/Geodes

We are seeking public input on EL Education/Imagine Learning and Wit and Wisdom/Geodes to help us finalize our decision. Please complete this Google Form before April 1. 

REMINDER

Join Us on March 14

Please join us at Riverdale High School for an Event with Award-Winning Author Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai.

We would like to invite community members to join us at Riverdale High School from 2-3 p.m. on March 14 for an author visit with Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. She will be reading from her new book, Dust Child, ahead of her event at Powell’s Books later that evening.

Students in grades 7th-12th will be attending the assembly and have been reading Quế Mai’s work in their language arts classes. 

Here is more information from Quế Mai:

Born and raised in Việt Nam, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the author of the international bestseller The Mountains Sing, runner-up for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winner of the 2020 BookBrowse Best Debut Award, the 2021 International Book Awards, the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, and the 2020 Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for Fiction. She has published twelve books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in Vietnamese and English and has received some of the top literary prizes in Việt Nam. Her writing has been translated into twenty languages and has appeared in major publications, including the New York Times. She has a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University. She is an advocate for the rights of disadvantaged groups in Việt Nam and has founded several scholarship programs, and she was named by Forbes Vietnam as one of twenty inspiring women of 2021. Dust Child is her second novel. For more information, visit: www.nguyenphanquemai.com.

- Abby Rotwein (she/her), Director of Equity & Inclusion

Important Dates

• Thursday, March 16 - 1st & 2nd Grade Music Performance at 6 p.m. in the RGS gym 
• Saturday, March 18 - PTC Auction at The Foundry at 6 p.m.
• March 27-31 - Spring Break
• Monday, April 3 - RGS Spring Sports begin