River Heights Elementary School Newsletter

 

Celebrations!

• Great job supporting the Cache Food Pantry with our Food Drive last month! We had a goal of donating 1000 items and we blew it out of the water with 1538. Thank you so much for showing the Pantry how much River Heights loves and supports the work they do to serve the community at large. Please remember them all month long as there are many more in need than ever before.

Mark your Calendar!

Thursday, 12/11 - PTO Meeting 3:45 PM Media Center
Friday, 12/12 - Super Spirit Day
Monday, 12/15 - SCC Meeting 3:50 PM / Angel Tree Donations due back at school
Wednesday, 12/17 - Choir Christmas Concert 2:45 PM for students and 6:00 PM for parents and relatives. There will be VERY limited seating at the back during the day. We encourage our choir families to come and support them at the evening performance. 
Friday, 12/19 - Last Day! Class parties and pajama day!
Monday, December 22 - Friday, January 2 - Holiday Break
Monday, 1/5 - School starts again!

In the Know...

The Angel Tree

We have such wonderful support each year for our Angel Tree and we are ready to launch our new tree. Angels ARE READY FOR PICK UP starting Thursday, December 4th! We are so excited to be helping EIGHT RHE families have a fun holiday season this year. Please follow the directions below and let the office know if you have any questions. 

• Students, your parents can come in with you to pick out an angel. DO NOT take one off the tree without your parents being with you.
• You and your parents pick one and bring it to the office window. One of the secretaries will mark down which angel you took.
• Your family finds that angel’s present, gets it, wraps it, tapes the angel to it and brings it back to the office by Monday, December 15th.

RACE YOURSELVES…snow is coming and that means more cars in our drop off and pick up zone!

We know we seem to have to do a lot of reminders about the pick up and drop off areas, but that is just going to come with the sheer numbers of parents that pick up and drop off students…and that line up is about it get even bigger as the snow flies. For our numbers, our system does work really pretty well especially when everyone is patient and follows the guidelines. Just two key reminders:

• Crossing Guards - PLEASE BE KIND and PATIENT! They are doing the job to protect our students and when they are out there doing it you are breaking the law if you don’t follow their directions.
• Teachers and Staff on Duty - PLEASE BE KIND and PATIENT! They are also just out there helping to keep things moving and keep kids safe. Please do not be rude or yell at them if they are asking you to do something in an effort to keep the line flowing.
• LINE UP in our humongous pick up line going down 600 South. We established a few years ago that the best, cleanest and most fair way to line up is to make one line down 600 South. This makes it so the buses can make the corner at 600 East and doesn’t cause confusion as to who gets to go next. If you are new to RHE you may just not have known that is the kinda the “way” that helps keeps things flowing. And be sure to not block any homeowners’ driveways as you line up. :)

 Thanks for your support and help.

Come join us for our AWESOME RHE Choir! They have been practicing for over a month and have a fantastic show to help you and yours get into the holiday spirit!

• Volunteers - note where you are going to be in the building
  •  For safety purposes, please indicate when you are checking in where you are going in the building so that in the case of an emergency we can account for everyone that is here.
• Missing a coat? Jacket? Hoodie?
  • Tons of coats and jackets are already accumulating down by the gym. If you are missing things at home we highly recommend you come check the hooks down there!

Safety- SRP - Reunification (This is our yearly reminder!)

• Standard Response Protocol - This is the terminology used by our school district and EMS to make sure we are all using the same lingo in an emergency situation. We practice a drill each month with one of these terms so everyone gets comfortable with what they mean. You are welcome to learn more on the next slide about the SRP codes and strategies for handling emergencies. Let us know if you have any questions.
• Reunification - If we are ever in a situation where something has happened at the school and we will need to take the students to another location to reunify, you will want to be listening to local radio for the location and watching our district messaging system for calls, texts and emails for more details. When you come to the designated location be sure to have your ID. Do not send people to pick up your children unless they are listed on your safe contacts sheet in Powerschool.

 

A Word From the PTO

The PTO will be holding a Talent Show in January this year. Students can submit their video applications through FRIDAY, December 12th. 

When: Jan. 9th, 2026
GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES ARE WELCOME
- No longer than 2 min.
- Must be able to perform on a stage
- Include Student name, teacher and parent contact number
Email: savannahmerrill@gmail.com
Questions: Call Savannah 801-602-0328
 

Check 'Em Out!
Holiday Reads for Emerging Readers:
Santa’s Lost Reindeer by Rachel Hilz
A Snowman’s Song by Marilee Joy Mayfield
The Marvelous, Much-loved Christmas Tree by Kelly Grettler
Dasher by Matt Tarares
The Snowflake by Benji Davies
Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger

Holiday Read Alouds:
Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke
Kringle by Matt Haig
When Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex Smith
Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Glaser

Counselor's Corner... Mrs. Stuart

What is Service? - It’s the act of going out of our way to help someone else. Doing service creates a “ripple effect” like paying it forward. Here are just a few ways that you can help encourage your child to serve others this month. 

• Make your sibling’s bed
• Unload the dishwasher
• Take the garbage out
• Read with a younger sibling
• Help a neighbor shovel snow
• Invite others to play with you
• Compliment someone
• Hold the door open
• Tell your parents how much you love them
• Call your grandparents just to say hello
• Make Christmas cards for people in your neighborhood
• Clean up a mess in your house, even if you didn’t make it
• Babysit for your parents so they can go Christmas shopping
• Set the table
• Take the dog on a walk
• Give a friendly SMILE (:

Have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy your break!