Happy New Year!

This is the 56th post of 2010. My goal for the next calendar year is to use this tool more broadly, and possibly to open up the comments section...

Principal Newsletter -- December 10, 2010

Last night we paid tribute to somebody incredibly important to life at Riverdale for the last eight years. At the K-4 Winter Music Concert a group of parents and teachers, spearheaded by Leslie Mahler, presented our head custodian Dennis Wiley with a brand new set of custom golf clubs and a sum of money for his use chasing the white ball around the Northwest's numerous courses. In addition, many parents who are members of various clubs and courses donated passes for his use in the years to come.

Dennis is retiring, effective the New Year. We couldn't be happier for him, but he will be sorely missed.

Every morning when I arrive to get set for the day, Dennis is there to greet me with a rundown of the night's goings-on (hopefully none) and the day's work schedule (always full). At the day's close he is there to check that there is nothing else needed before he heads home. In between, he is nothing short of a one-man-fix-it machine.

Truth be told, Dennis is far more than that; he is a fix-it, clean-it, open-it, smile-for-the-kids, move-this-please, supply-ordering, big-picture-thinking machine.

It has been said that he is a man with forty-plus wives. That's because at any given point he is liable to encounter one of forty-plus volunteers with a great idea for a quick fix or who need a hand with something. I personally rely on Dennis' abilities every single day.

Here are a few more things that we will miss about Dennis. The list could go on for pages, so I've combed it for a few nuggets, hoping you might learn something about our fantastic head custodian of the last eight years.

• He is an organic gardener who grows and appreciates some super-hot peppers.
• He used to walk across the Sellwood Bridge to get to work every day, even in the snow!
• His last two summers have been consumed with our two moves. Nobody contributed more to these efforts than he.
• He is about to be a grandfather, again, for the 9th time!
• He wears (literally) two hats -- a Yankee's hat and a Red Sox hat, because they were gifts from students and he wants to give equal time.

Please take advantage of the next week to say goodbye to an incredible man, and also to encourage him to come back and tell us how his handicap is going.

Godspeed, Dennis. Thanks for your hard work and unwavering dedication.


Cabaret News:

Our first "Cabaret Work Session" will be held from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 16th in the Grade School Commons. This session is not only for those who signed up to help, but for ALL 7th and 8th grade parents, to get to know more about Cabaret, your committee members, what your job entails, ask questions and brainstorm.

There are still quite a few slots open and in need of parent sign up. If you have NOT already signed up for a volunteer position, you will have the opporutnity to do so at this work session. Everyone with a child participating in Cabaret will be called upon to help in some capacity. Therefore, we would like to have ALL parents with a child involved in Cabaret attending on the 16th.

If you are unable to attend, or would like to know what jobs are available prior to the meeting, please contact Elisa Klein at elisaklein@comcast.net or Deb Burchiel at tova4@mac.com. Ongoing information about Cabaret will be in Jeremiah's weekly newsletter, so please review weekly to see the latest updates.

Coming Soon:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Principal's Newsletter 12/3/10

Please join us for the Winter primary music concert this Thursday evening at 7:00. It promises to be a lovely evening.

This is the first year we've been able to order the full Book Fair! It will be available all week for students before and during school, in the library. Our PTC is hosting a Book Fair Coffee in the foyer on Wednesday between 8:30-10:00. (SCRIP cards will be available for purchase too.)


The second grade Brownies (pictured here) exemplify the spirit of our focus on community service. They are busily gathering books for their new secret pals at a local hospital!



Coming Up:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Principal's Newsletter November 12, 2010

It's difficult to believe we are approaching the end of the first trimester in our new building. As a celebration, please plan on joining us for Thursday's grade 6-8 music concert, starting @ 7:00 in the gym!

Last year we began honoring our outstanding 7th & 8th grade students with two designations based on grade point average; upon our return from the Thanksgiving holiday you can look for a display honoring students whose hard work and dedication to academic success earns a place on the Honor Roll (all A's, with one B) or Principal's List (all A's).

Coming Up:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday