To combat the winter slump and foster a culture of resilience, the Indian River Central School District has launched two concurrent health and wellness challenges. Running from 📆January 12 through February 6, 2026, the district is hosting its Second-Annual IRditarod Wellness Challenge alongside a new partnership with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Kids Heart Challenge & American Heart Challenge.
As the new year begins, limited daylight and routine fatigue can often lead to increased stress. The district’s goal is to turn this difficult time of year into an opportunity for connection. By combining these two events, Indian River is taking a holistic approach to student and staff welfare—targeting physical heart health, mental well-being, and emotional resilience simultaneously. For more information:
IRCSD Kicks Off 2026 with Dual Wellness Initiatives: The IRditarod and American Heart Challenge: https://www.parentsquare.com/feeds/68658496
We will stand out as an exceptional learning institution by igniting opportunities for our students.
We will educate and inspire all students to be impactful citizens who contribute to the world around them.
We will make all decisions based on professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence.
We will educate and empower our students by supporting learning opportunities led by exceptional staff.
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If there's anything we've learned this week, it's that our IR Yeti sure likes to keep us guessing!
Between early dismissals, school closures and delays, it's hard to stick to a consistent routine when the weather is unpredictable. So many of you are rising to the challenge, making daily entries in your IR-Ditarod Activity Tracker. Keep up the great work! You're doing great!
If you're struggling to find motivation, that's okay too. Keeping active in cold weather months is hard to do, and you're not alone.
Regular exercise helps your body and brain in so many ways. It makes your heart stronger, helps your muscles and bones grow, and gives you more energy during the day. Being active also boosts your mood by releasing “feel-good” chemicals in your brain, which can help you feel less stressed, less anxious, and more focused in school. Exercise can even help you sleep better at night and fight off colds and other illnesses.
Luckily, there are tons of ways to stay active in the winter, even if running on a treadmill or lifting weights isn't your thing. Plus, the activity conversion chart in the Activity Tracker lets you calculate miles from nearly any activity, so you can still help your school win the IR-Ditarod Challenge!
Here's a few ideas if you want to play outside. Just remember to dress in warm layers, wear a hat and gloves, and take breaks if you start to feel too cold.


[Tuesday, Jan 27 at 11:31 AM]
Swim Lesson Registration for this February session has been rescheduled for Wednesday 1/28/26 during open swim (6p-8p).
For questions: Contact the IR Pool by phone 315-642-0936
[Wednesday, Jan 28 at 3:26 PM]
Due to No Afterschool Activities Today 1/28 - these sign-ups have been postponed.
Per IR Pool: Please be on the lookout for future communication of new dates for Swim Lessons and registration.


To our Indian River Community:
First, it's important to give a shout-out to our motivated Wolves for a stellar first week of the IR-Ditarod Wellness Challenge, and you're still going strong in Week #2! For those who have yet to log your miles for your school, there's still plenty of time through our Activity Tracker. Keeping active in cold weather months is hard to do, and your dedication to wellness is inspiring.
But wellness isn't just about exercise. It's about taking care of yourself and being safe. With our weekend forecast predicting lots of snow and below zero temperatures, it feels like the perfect time to talk about staying safe in the heart of a north country winter.
Here's our top tips for cold weather safety:

To combat the winter slump and foster a culture of resilience, the Indian River Central School District has launched two concurrent health and wellness challenges. Running from 📆January 12 through February 6, 2026, the district is hosting its Second-Annual IRditarod Wellness Challenge alongside a new partnership with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Kids Heart Challenge & American Heart Challenge.
As the new year begins, limited daylight and routine fatigue can often lead to increased stress. The district’s goal is to turn this difficult time of year into an opportunity for connection. By combining these two events, Indian River is taking a holistic approach to student and staff welfare—targeting physical heart health, mental well-being, and emotional resilience simultaneously.
Sponsored by the District Wellness Committee, the IRditarod is designed to help students, staff, and families build consistency and healthy habits. This challenge focuses on the strong link between regular physical activity and improved mood, focus, and anxiety reduction.
Participants are invited to log miles through walking, running, biking, or other physical activities. The event features friendly competition across grade levels, individual buildings, and individual participants.
The IRditarod is more than a fitness challenge; it is an opportunity to support mental health, model healthy habits for our students, and reconnect as a school community. Whether you’re aiming to move a little more each day or cheer on your building, this is designed to meet everyone where they are.
We look forward to partnering with families as we encourage students to start the year feeling healthy, connected, and ready to learn!
Running in tandem with the IRditarod is the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge. Through this partnership, students will learn how to support their physical well-being while learning ways to be heart-healthy together and raising funds to help kids with special hearts.
Families are encouraged to download the AHA Schools App to participate in "Finn’s Mission," an interactive learning experience where students can:
Learn the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR.
Learn how to recognize the signs of a stroke.
Earn "lifesaver" gifts and entries for prizes, including Super Bowl tickets.
The challenges are open to all Indian River students, staff, and families.
👟Get Moving: Log your physical activity miles for the IRditarod to help your school win district bragging rights (and Wolf Paw medals).
📱Get Connected: Look for weekly messages via ParentSquare offering small, actionable tips for heart health.
📋Register Online: Families can register for the AHA challenge by downloading the AHA Schools App or visiting the specific link for their school building:
Antwerp Primary School:Register Here
Calcium Primary School:Register Here
Evans Mills Primary School:Register Here
Indian River High School:Register Here
Indian River Intermediate School:Register Here
Indian River Middle School:Register Here
Philadelphia Primary School:Register Here
Theresa Primary School:Register Here
Together, the Indian River community is moving into 2026 with a shared purpose: to be strong, supported, and connected. We appreciate your support and look forward to kicking this off with our students as we make a difference in the health of our community!
#IRStrong #WeAreIR


Congratulations to our Indian River students, staff and parents on completing your first week of the "IR-Ditarod" Wellness Challenge!
If you haven't started, there's still plenty of time to break out your running shoes or snow boots and get moving! Every mile logged on our Activity Tracker goes toward supporting your school to see which building can move the most.
But you might be saying to yourself, "It's too cold outside this time of year. How can I exercise and stay active with all this snow on the ground?" Even in the winter, our bodies still need exercise to stay strong and healthy. Being active helps our hearts, muscles, and bones grow strong. It also helps us feel happy and have more energy for school and play.
There are many fun ways to stay active in winter. You can go sledding, build a snowman, have a snowball toss, shovel snow with an adult, go for a winter hike, or play tag in the snow. Check with local ice rinks that offer open skating hours and ice skate rentals. Take a skiing/snowboarding lesson with a qualified instructor at Dry Hill.
But what about when it's really cold? Like, "below zero" cold?
There's still plenty of options for fun indoor play! Ask an adult to put on a dance or yoga class to follow on Youtube. Try balloon volleyball (AKA "Keepy Uppy" if you're a Bluey fan!). Imitate animals by doing bear crawls, crab walks or frog jumps. Check out the Indian River's Athletics page to access the Fitness Center, Indoor Track and Pool schedules. Or, try any of the American Heart Association's 25 Ways to Keep Moving.
When playing in the cold, always remember to:
- Play where an adult can see you.
- Be careful on icy spots so you do not slip and fall.
- Wear extra layers with a warm coat, hat, gloves/mittens, scarf, and boots.
- Keep your exposed skin and lips moisturized to prevent chapping.
- Make sure your clothes and socks are not wet, because cold wet clothes can be dangerous for your skin.
- If your fingers, toes, ears, or nose feel numb, go inside right away to warm up.
- Drink plenty of water and take breaks when you feel tired, just like you would in the summer.
And don't forget! ANY activity can go toward the "IR-Ditarod" Challenge. Whether it's swimming, jumping rope or bowling, there's a way to log your miles using the Activity Conversion Chart, conveniently located in the Activity Tracker.
Let’s keep our bodies moving, stay warm, and enjoy all the fun winter has to offer!