EDLINE ACCOUNT PRIMARY COMMUNICATION VEHICLE STARTING IN JULY

Thank you to all parents who were able to activate their Edline accounts. Since the new principal, Brenda Anziano, will be communicating through Edline frequently, it is our goal to have ALL families activated. We have over 100 families to go to achieve that goal. So, if you have not activated your account with the information that was mailed home, please do so as soon as possible. If you have misplaced your mailing or have any questions, please feel free to email Diane Faiella at dfaiella@fairfieldschools.org.

RIVERFIELD PATRIOTIC DAY

FRIDAY, MAY 25TH @ 9:30am (Refreshments begin at 9:00am)

The following letter was sent via email from the main office on May 10th...

Dear Parents:

On behalf of the Riverfield Community, I would like to invite you to our PATRIOTIC DAY CEREMONY on Friday, May 25.  A rain date is set for Tuesday, May 29.  If it rains on both May 25 and May 29 we will send out a new date once it is decided.

This Patriotic Day Ceremony is an important tradition for us and helps teach respect for our flag and for our country.  We hope that family members, friends and neighbors of our children can join us for this important occasion. If you know senior citizens or other visitors who would like to join us, please extend a special invitation to them.  We would especially like to honor and recognize any armed services veterans this day.

Please join us from 9:00 until 9:30 a.m. for refreshments hosted by our PTA.  At 9:30 a.m., students will join us near the flagpole to begin the celebration! Our school band will play and each classroom will sing songs. 

I certainly hope you can join us for Patriotic Day at Riverfield School.  Please wear and have your child wear red, white and blue.  All fourth and fifth grade students please bring a towel to sit on.  Please remember that the driveway will be closed to traffic at 9:00 to allow us to set up our programs so be sure to arrive on time.

Sincerely,

Paul M. Toaso

FUEL FOR LEARNING PARTNERSHIP/WELLNESS COMMITTEE NEWS

UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS

VEGGIE OF THE MONTH: The May Veggie of the Month is Eggplant! The Fuel for Learning Partnership has teamed up with OHS mom and cooking instructor, Tracy Holleran Mattus to create a new, kid-friendly recipe featuring the selected vegetable each month. For this month's recipe, Creamy Eggplant Dip, go to Tracy's blog, The Secret Ingredient, at http://blog.ctnews.com/holleran. The Veggie of the Month recipe will be posted the first Thursday of each month. Up for June--English Cucumber! For more info about The Veggie Pledge, go to www.veggiepledge.org.

NEW SCHOOL LUNCH UPDATE: School Lunch Update - New rules for school lunch will be taking effect next year but Fairfield is ahead of the curve in May. This month's menu features the exciting changes to the program. You will see more fruits and vegetables, a wide variety of vegetables that include leafy greens like Romaine and orange ones like butternut squash, beans galore, and more whole grain items. In addition, May's Vegetable of the Month is a delicious eggplant Parmesan that all students can try free on May 3rd. Check out our Menu Highlights as well as the May menu to see the great options.

ASTHMA WEBINAR: Free Webinar Hosted by the Association of School Business Officials

What Impact is Asthma Having on Student Learning in Your District?

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @12:00–12:45pm EDT

ASBO International is hosting this webinar in observance of Asthma Awareness Month in May. Asthma is the most prevalent chronic condition in children and accounts for 13,000 million missed school days each year. It is estimated that 1 in 10 children in the U.S. have asthma indicating that a child suffering with asthma could be found in every classroom.

Join Diane Rhodes from North East Independent School District (NEISD) and hear their story of creating healthy environments through the Asthma Awareness Education Program. Since 2006, NEISD has taken great strides in communicating the importance of maintaining a healthy environment as it relates to the student’s capacity to learn. Their program incorporates disease management guidelines and IAQ best practices into school district policies and practice. The district’s four component approach and six key drivers of the IAQ Tools for Schools framework has been effective in implementing this EPA award winning program to ensure the health of all students, especially for its 8,000 environmentally-sensitive students.

Presenter: Diane Rhodes B.B.A., R.R.T., AE-C, R.C.P., Director, Department of Environmental Health
North East Independent School District, San Antonio, TX

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at:https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/692330454

HEALTH, SAFETY & FITNESS COMMITTEE TIPS

Health, Safety and Fitness Committee (HSFC) Tip...Did You Know...?
Studies have shown that lifestyles learned as children are much more likely to stay with a person into adulthood. There is a powerful relationship between childhood obesity and lifelong weight and related medical problems. What can you do? Make exercise a family priority and make time for exercise. Some children are so over scheduled that they do not have time for exercise. Also, children who regularly see their parents enjoying sports and physical activity are more likely to do so themselves. 
For more information http://www.healthychildren.org

Health, Safety and Fitness Committee (HSFC) Tip...Did You Know...?
According to the CDC, the very simple activity of frequent hand washing has the potential to save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention? Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Please remind your kids to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer in school. For more information http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/stopgerms.htm

Health, Safety and Fitness Committee (HSFC) Tip...Did You Know...?
In a well-documented study of fourth and sixth graders conducted by sleep researcher Dr. Avi Sadeh
at Tel Aviv University, a mere one-hour nightly loss of sleep was “equivalent to the loss of two years of cognitive maturation and development.” In other words: sixth graders perform like fourth graders when deprived of just an hour of sleep each night.
This February, in anticipation of National Sleep Awareness Week (March 5-11), The End the Race to Nowhere Movement is urging parents, students, teachers and school leaders to experiment with practices that will restore balance to student schedules and encourage healthy sleep. Take the Sleep Challenge by pledging to take action below and begin to make a difference in your home and community. For more information http://www.endtherace.org/sleep-challenge.

To find out what is going on in Fairfield and surrounding communities please go to Quick Links at the top of this page. Under "Community" you will find links to YMCA, Wakeman, Fairfield Parks & Recreation, Audobon and much more.

Now the Library Catalog is online! The link to access the catalog from home is now located on the Riverfield School Edline website (http://www.edline.net/pages/RIVERFIELD_ES). Under the LINKS section you will see the option to "Look for Books From Home." You can check what books we have at the Riverfield LMC and even what books are available. Parents can use this to give students advice about book selection on days that they visit the LMC!