Secret Santa Week

December 11th-15th

It's officially Secret Santa week! Time for all our secret elves to make it or bake it, craft it and wrap it, etcetera!

Families are welcome to join us for the final gift exchanges Friday in the Library at 10 am. Afterwards we'll enjoy a Finger Food Festival lunch together (sign up below!) and a musical afternoon. All are welcome.

The last day of school Music Festival will take place at 1:30 and families are encouraged to join and are welcome to leave with their children ( and ALL their things...) after a quick clean up.

There are loads of volunteer credit options for the week if you're able to help, but of course , all are welcome to simply join the chaos and fun of the last day of school festivities.

Have you seen Lindsay's email with your code for your total hours? Families are still welcome to pay their volunteer waiver if that feels like a preferable option!

Secret Santa excerpt from

the Riley Handbook..

The week prior to winter vacation, children choose a name from a hat and become that person’s “Secret Santa.” Throughout the week, small handmade gifts, treats or notes are left for the chosen person. The children are supported to create these themselves during the day. The emphasis is on the giving of joy and on creating surprise. The emphasis is on HAND MADE and SIMPLE. It is not a competition. Parents are encouraged to remind their child to deliver a little something every day. If your child is absent for a day - please bring two on the next day... On Friday morning, each person brings a handmade gift or treat, and each participant tries to guess who their gifts were from. Children often create elaborate delivery systems to disguise their identity. Participation is encouraged but is optional. 

Weather Your Way

Sleepover Monday December 11th,

Broadcast Tuesday December 12th

5:45 - 7 am

We are so excited for Weather at Your School with Channel 8 - WMTW’s Ted McInerney this coming Tuesday morning, December 12 at 5:45am! While your child may not be participating in the sleepover, we wanted to share with our whole community the activities happening on campus around the event.

Weather Morning for Everyone

Tuesday 12/13

• The children will be on air from 5:45 until 7:00 am. Pancake breakfast and a weather lesson by Ted will immediately follow for participants.

• Please wear WARM clothing and OUTERWEAR! Hats, gloves, snow pants, and jackets. Hand Warmers are also a great idea! The children will be spending a significant amount of time outdoors that morning and it will be cold! We will have opportunities to go inside and warm up, but let’s show everyone that Riley children know how to dress for the cold weather!!! 

• They will be wearing colorful weather themed T-shirts!  

Sleepover for Middle and Upper School Monday 12/11

We are eagerly awaiting the upcoming sleep-over and to have this opportunity to be on TV, however we are treating this school night just as you do at home; quiet activities and going to bed ( extra) early. We save the slumber party atmosphere for Tent Out.  

The intrepid facilitators spending the night are Anna, Ginger, Alicia, and Tori.

( please be sure to thank them!)

What to bring: 

• Sleeping bag/pillow
• Toothbrush etc.
• PJs
• Full change of clothing for the next day
• Snack and Lunch and Water Bottle for Tuesday (we can store Tuesday lunch items in our refrigerator if needed )

Warm clothing (see below)

• Please no games and/or snacks from home. A book to read and stuffed animals are appropriate.

Drop Off:

• Drop-off begins (after dinner at home) at 6:30pm with no arrivals later than 7:30pm

• The children are sleeping in the Library. Parents, you MUST walk them there and check in with a Riley facilitator. ** We are asking you to park by the theater or in the faculty parking lot and walk them across the field - There are motion alarms by the farm animal zone!!**

We very much appreciate your support! Don’t forget to tell friends and family to wake up early to watch at 5:45am!!! You are welcome to join us anytime between 5:45-7am for the broadcast. followed by breakfast. For any Wade Acres and Lower School. or children who did not sleep over, parents must remain with their child until regular dr0p off at 8:30am and are welcome to participate in the pancake breakfast.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Alicia!

Holiday Toy Drive for

Connections Across Cultures

Donations due Wednesday 12/13

Thank you to all who have dropped off donations this week! Deadline for our toy drive with Connecting Across Cultures is this Wednesday December 13th. You can drop off unwrapped new toys in the office!

Volunteer Hours Opportunity: Holiday Gift Wrapper & Riley Representative at The Grasshopper Shop in Rockland

The Grasshopper Shop

400 Main St. Rockland

Sunday December 17th, 1-3 PM

2 adults needed

Saturday December 23rd, 12-2 PM

2 adults needed

Want to log some final volunteer hours for the year? Interested in chatting with locals about Riley? LOVE putting together a wrapped packaged with crisp corners? Well we have a wonderful volunteer opportunity to collect donations from Grasshopper Shop customers in exchange for working their holiday gift wrapping table!

The Grasshopper Shop of Rockland will provide all the materials: gift wrap, ribbon, tape, scissors, etc. All we need are 1-2 enthusiastic volunteers to wrap and talk up our school! 

The Grasshopper Shop has more time slots available if people want to reach out to the fundraising committee via email, fundraiser@rileyschool.org , with availability the week of 12/17 and we can see if we can get more times from Grasshopper.

Sign up via the Board Fundraising Committee

or speak to one of our star volunteers this week,

Caroline (Sebastian's mom) or Sarah (Ally and Robert's mom)

Text: 603-359-4687

email: fundraiser@rileyschool.org