Winter Paddling with Mike

I've heard from lots of folks about joining us next Saturday for winter paddling.  There are 17 folks signed up to paddle!

There is still time to join the trip...I need to know by Wed.

If you have not filled out the liability waiver (attached) please do so ASAP and return it to me.

Also, if you've not done so, please fill out the emailed permission slip (copied below).  It has a place on it where you can enter the sizes of gear you will need.  Mike needs to know this by next Wednesday at the latest, so he can organize the gear and have it ready to go on Friday night.

We are meeting at NCS at 8am.  There are lots of kids going and a few adults.  If you are able to drive a few River Kids in your vehicle, please plan on doing so and let me know how many you can take.

Thanks!

Ben

River Kids General Meeting Friday

There is a general meeting for all RK members on Friday in the library from 4-5pm.

We will be discussing the year's proposed projects and dividing into groups that will serve as planning committees for each project.

Note: You will not be charged for Extended Day services on any day your child is meeting with River Kids. Your child should go straight from school to Extended Day for snack.  River Kids will then be sent to the library from there at 4pm.

Ben

--
Jack Biggs

Winter Paddling

So, in case you weren't there, Mike Clark came to visit Friday afternoon and explained to the group about the necessary gear for a winter paddle.  I'm attaching the documents he brought with him...One is an explanation/checklist of what to bring on a trip.  (FYI - It includes a rental list on the last two pages that doesn't apply to our situation.)

The other document is a pricelist he put together with options for our families.  The prices on that sheet are after discount but have approximate shipping costs included.  So the price on the sheet is exactly what you would need to pay.

Mike also agreed to provide gear for any kids or adults who do not wish to purchase their own.  I'm thrilled about this and didn't know that before the meeting or I would have said so.  So YOU DO NOT NEED TO PURCHASE GEAR in order to take part in any of the paddling trips.  We will have to let Mike know what gear he will need to provide.  So I'll gather that info before each trips and forward to Mike.

If you still want to purchase gear at the discounted prices, you will need to get your order info to me by Tuesday.  Mike wants to place the order as soon as possible, so it's here for the next trip.

Please also include a check with your order for the necessary amount.  Make checks out to "River Kids at New City School" and I'll have one check made out for the whole amount.

My offer to place an order for you that will provide the basic gear for a kid at $150 (boots, wetsuit and gloves) or an adult at $180 (boots, wetsuit and gloves) still stands. However, I'd like to hear again from anyone who wants me to do so, simply because now it's not NECESSARY to purchase gear and that may have changed some minds.  Just pop me an email confirming that you would still like me to take care of this for you.  If I don't have your sizes, send that info as well.

The pricelist has many extra options on it...so if you are interested in purchasing more than the basics, use the form and bring it to me by Tuesday with a check for the necessary amount.  Again, please make checks out to "River Kids at New City School."

The next trip is definitely going to be on December 19.  More details will be sent closer to the trip, but know that we are intending to spend the whole day from 8am-4pm on the trip.  All River Kids and Adults are invited to join us.  Lunch, snacks, and drinks (beyond your necessary water bottle) will all be provided.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all about the gear or paddling trip.  Mike has offered his contact information to you all as well: mike@2muddy.com and cell - 314-610-4241.  He is willing to answer any gear questions or trip-related questions as well.

Looking forward to some EXCELLENT paddling experiences soon!

Ben



Attached files are located here and here.

Mike Clark Tomorrow

Mike Clark will be here tomorrow (Friday) from 4-5pm.  He will be talking with the River Kids about winter paddling and the gear you need in order to be safe.  He will also be showing a slideshow of images he's taken on trips to the three islands along the Mississippi just north of St. Louis - Maple Island, Duck Island, and Mosenthein Island.

Mike still plans to offer all of us the chance to order anything we'd like from the NRS catalogue at about 60% of the retail value.  This is an amazing chance to grab some gear or maybe secure a gift or two for some young paddler you know.

In order to take advantage of this offer, you may visit the online catalogue at www.nrsweb.com and find the items you'd like.  Then either join us during the latter half of the meeting to write your order in with Mike, or send me an email with what you want and I'll figure your total and collect from you later on.

Mike will not be taking any orders from kids directly at the meeting.  Only parents may do the ordering.

The next paddling trip is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 19 - 1st Day of Winter Break - 8am-4pm.  We're hoping this will be a great way to kick off break.  We won't have the time constraints associated with the evening trips...we'll paddle out to Mosenthein Island (around to the East side) and clean for a couple hours, making piles of the biggest items and carting off bags of the smaller/lighter things.  Mike tells me the lack of leaves makes it easy to see a tremendous amount of trash, including some bigger items that will take a great amount of effort to remove.

Mind you, if we don't clean up these islands, no one else will.  There's no way to access them except by boat, so there are very few people equipped (and willing) to carry out a venture like this.  River Kids ROCK!

Mike tells me that we can take AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE WANT.  He will commandeer the boats, equipment and guides to help...so if the ENTIRE River Kids clan and all its friends want to go, we'll make it happen.  Of course, winter paddling gear is a MUST, so gear up now and enjoy the trip later!

Hope to see you all soon!

Ben

River Kids Meeting Friday

Hello all,

The RK Board met recently to lay out ideas for projects for the year.  It was a very productive meeting ending with each Board member taking on the task of leading a project or two.  At an upcoming meeting, those leaders will present their project ideas to the whole group and all members will sign up to work on one project as part of a planning committee.  (Schedule permitting, and with parent permission, kids may sign up to help out on more than one committee.)

It was our intent to have this happen at the next meeting, but I've heard from Mike Clark that he is able to reschedule his winter paddling workshop with the kids for this Friday.  SO mark your December RK calendar with these changes:

• Dec 4 - General Meeting - dedicated to presentation from Mike Clark
• Dec 11 - (Previously a Board Meeting) General Meeting - dedicated to project introductions and committee work

We will also be adding a new date for paddling with Mike.  We are planning to shoot for a SATURDAY now, or perhaps one of the days on Winter Break.  It gets dark VERY early these days, and Mike is trying to make the switch for us this time around.

A little more info on how the committees work:

RK Projects are driven by the work done in by the small groups who take charge and lead the way.  This is a great way for all the kids to participate in some of the decision making and problem solving that has in the past led RK to success.

We will have times during regularly scheduled meetings for these groups to work.  However, many of the groups will need more time to work between meetings.  We will set up afterschool meetings for those groups in the 3:30-5:00 range and will usually work in my room when it's available.  I work with each group to pick a day that seems best for most then we will publish those meeting days and times for all.

Some will not be able to make it to those additional meetings because of other commitments.  Those who can make it do their best to keep others in the loop as decisions are made.  There's really no other way to keep things moving, especially on some of the bigger projects.

I also work with teachers to set up meetings during recess when it fits. Sometimes there's a quick decision that needs to made, or some extra work to be done that can fit in that time frame.

So, NEXT WEEK - I will send out a list of all the committees ahead of time. Project leaders will give details at the Dec 11 meeting and we'll split into groups to work.

It's been a quiet fall after the benefit, but watch out...River Kids are on the move.  :)

Ben