May 2017 Calendar
5/01/17
- May tuition payments due only for students that started after Aug.
- April Lunch Bunch and Afternoon Adventure fees due
- Aug/May 2017-18 payments due for 2’s, 3’s, and Extended day
5/01-5/05
Teacher Appreciation Week: Give a Teacher a hug!
5/05/17
Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!
5/06/17
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Smith (3’s Aide)!
5/08/17
School Spirit Day
* Wear your RDS Shirt
* Timeless Tales Theater “The Reluctant Dragon” - 9:30 a.m.
5/09/17
Muffins with Moms/Grandmas 8:15-9:00 a.m.
5/10/17
Last day to pay fees without penalties
5/11/17
Parent-Teacher Conferences; no school
5/12/17
Parent-Teacher Conferences; no school
5/14/17
Happy Mother’s Day to all our beautiful moms!
5/15/17
* VPK Certificates of Eligibility for 2017-2018
* Last week of school. Check your teacher’s schedule for
End-of-Year party plans
5/17/17
Last day for afternoon classes (AA and Extended Day).
Final payments for May LB/AA are due today.
5/18/17
School Spirit Day:
* Wear your RDS t-shirt
* Chick-fil-A Night 5:00—8:00 p.m. (Hosted by Mrs. Chavez and Miss Paula)
5/19/17
Graduation ceremony for VPK: Bloom 4’s class at 9:20 a.m.
Last day of school!
Have a safe and wonderful summer!!
The Riviera Reporter for May 2017
Ready or Not Kindergarten, Here We Come!
This time of year always comes with mixed emotions. Although we are extremely proud
of our VPK graduates, it is so sad to see them go. We will miss them terribly and, at the
same time, feel so much joy in knowing that they are headed to their next adventure
with the knowledge and confidence to become successful Kindergarteners!
Here are some tips to help prepare your child for Kindergarten:
1) Help him to develop independence at home. Encourage your child to dress himself, use
the bathroom without assistance, wash hands without constant reminders, put on his own
shoes, and accomplish tasks independently.
2) Focus on self-help skills. Your child should be able to wipe her face after lunch without
prompting and blow her own nose without assistance, but just as important, know when
and be comfortable with asking an adult for help as necessary.
3) Teach responsibility. Start transferring small responsibilities over to your child, even if it
is easier for you to complete the task, let him accept the responsibility.
4) Develop and follow routines. Set up a morning routine that will transfer into a school
setting. Getting up around the same time every day, getting dressed, and having an early
breakfast together is a great way to transition to school.
5) Read aloud to your child. Make sure to read to your child every day. Read a variety of
books, read captions in the newspaper, share the comics, etc. Just read!
6) Engage your child in meaningful literacy activities. Encourage him to help write thank you
cards, shopping lists, notes, etc. They may start with scribbles and pictures, move into
scattered letters, and finally recognizable words. Appreciate their attempts and watch their
skills develop with practice.
7) Acknowledge his feeling. Avoid talking about going to Kindergarten too much or at least
wait until the summer is near the end. Your child may express being nervous, not wanting
to go, or alternately, excited to start school. Whatever they feel, take time to appreciate
where they are.
Rather than worry about whether your child is ready to read and write, think
about his skills as a whole. What can they do well that will help them succeed? Rest
assured, they will all navigate Kindergarten together.
We send best wishes to all of our graduating VPK students and to any of our
families that are moving or transferring elsewhere. We send much love and
appreciation for your years dedicated to Riviera Day School. Never forget us as we will
always remember you—love and blessings, Cyndi Chavez, RDS Director
What Do I Pay in May?
There is always some confusion at this time of the school year regarding tuition
payments. If your child started at RDS on the first day of school, then you made an Aug/
May payment last year. That payment covered any days in August 2016 and May 2017.
Your last monthly payment for tuition was April 1st. Only those students that started
after September 1st will owe for May 2017. It comes out to 9 total monthly payments.
If your child is enrolled in the 2’s, 3’s, or Extended Day 4’s for this Fall, then you
owe an Aug 2017/May 2018 payment by May 10th. You should have received an invoice
this month. You already paid the registration for next year so please refer to the invoice
we sent out and only pay for the one month or for the year (with the 5% discount).
Of course, if your child attended Lunch Bunch or Afternoon Adventures in April,
that fee will be due on May . Any days attended in May will be due by May 17th. Hope
that helps a little. If you are not sure, just call us in the office at 727-525-8866.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Conference days are set for May 11th and 12th. There is no school on those days
so that teachers can focus on providing you with a detailed report of your child’s
progress. You should have already signed up for a time slot on your teacher’s sign up
page. It is very important that you make it a point to come on time. The teachers only
have a very limited amount of time to cover lots of pertinent information.
Please remember, if you are unable to come on the scheduled days, and need a
different time slot, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to meet for a conference.
The teachers have to schedule any exceptions during their personal time so please avoid
any alternate times if possible. We have childcare available for your RDS student and
only during your conference time. Please make arrangements for any siblings so that you
can give the teacher your undivided attention. They have lots of wonderful things to
share about your child’s school year!
Muffins with Moms/Grandmoms
PAC committee had an amazing turnout for the Donuts with Dads/Granddads day and
now they are going to do it again. Muffins with Moms/Grandmoms is going to be held on
Tuesday, May 9th, in the Fellowship Hall. Moms/Grandmoms can bring their little ones
anytime between 8:15 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., but you need to RSVP by Friday, May 5th, so
the PAC team can be prepared.
We need some awesome Dads to come help that morning. We really want it to be a
special morning for the moms, so if we could get 3 helpful dads that would be awesome.
No worries—we just need you to replenish the breakfast bar as needed and take some
photos at the photo booth. Please call or email the school office if you are able to help.
Spring Fling Success
Spring Fling was a huge success—we were able to raise $11,000 from the carnival and
auction events. These funds will be used for upcoming school improvements and
curriculum enhancements. Thank you so much to all the fabulous volunteers that helped
to make these functions so successful—we could not have done it without you!
Last Chick-fil-A Night
Please join us for our very last School Spirit night at Chick-fil-A on 4th Street. We will
be there on May 18th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. This month’s special hosts are Mrs. Chavez
and Miss Paula. We thank all of you that have attended our School Spirit Nights over the
school year. RDS usually gets about $150 each time, so about $750 for the year. What a
fun, easy way to raise money for the school!
Teacher Appreciation Week
One of the best ways to say thank you to your child’s teachers is by participating in
Teacher Appreciation Week. We will be celebrating the week of May 1-5. Stephanie
Lightfield and Carrie Plotnick are our chairpersons in charge, but if you have any
questions, just contact your class Room Parent. You may have already received an email
and/or a sign-up genius. The sign-up genius makes it easy for everyone to participate in
some way. Even if you are a working parent and can’t come in to volunteer, you can
always sign-up to help from behind the scenes. Show your teachers some love and
appreciation by being a part of Teacher Appreciation Week!!
Rays Days
What a great response to our Rays Days! We have sold the majority of our
tickets that I ordered in advance. Let me know if you are still interested. Just
stop by the school office and fill out a Rays form by May 2nd. This is such a
fun way to get together in the summer and they put Riviera Day School on the electronic
banner screen in the stadium. Go Rays!!
Timeless Tales Theater
Please join us for a fun School Spirit Day on Monday, 5/8, at 9:30
a.m. in the Church Sanctuary. Timeless Tales Theater will be performing
the play, The Reluctant Dragon. It is a story that sends a message about
never judging a book by its cover and that fighting never solves anything
– great life lessons. Only bring siblings if they can sit quietly through a
45 minute presentation .