Lacrosse Success!

Two Riverdale community Lacrosse teams have made us proud!

The Riverdale Middle School Girl's Lacrosse team has made to the Finals ...

The Final game is Monday, June 11th - 6:50 pm - 8:00 pm at Wilsonville High School's  main Field

Please come and cheer them on !!!!  Go Falcons !!!

Also, a few weeks ago OES-Riverdale Riptide won the Battle of Lake Oswego, a 24-team Select tournament featuring the best teams from the Pacific Northwest. Our boys beat Lincoln in the Final 8, Lake Oswego in the Final 4, and Skyline (Seattle) in the finals to win the championship!

Additionally, Sam Handley was named MVP of the Battle of Lake Oswego All-Star game.

Congrats to Riverdale 5-6 boys lacrosse on a great season!

Lovely Spring Day

Cabbage leaf and early carrots.  The preschool garden is a success!

Principal's Newsletter -- 6/8/12

Principal for the Day here...

Mr. K hard at work

I really enjoyed being principal today I had a great time. I gave waffles to teachers in the morning and ate at Manzana for lunch.  We gave a tour to two ladies and a man who had questions about Riverdale.  I told them I love the school, but my commute is kind of long.  He also showed me the roof, the boiler room, and the generator.  Being principal sure is easy...

Library News

June 1st Last Day to check out books. Notices of accounts with books out will be sent home each Friday. It's a big help if you can get these in and your account clear early.


June 8th All books due


June 5th 2:00-2:30 Jackie Rose children's librarian from the Lake Oswego library will present a promotion of the summer reading program and put on a puppet show to entertain our children.

June 11th Library closed for inventorying and clean up.

Looking for some terrific books to read this summer?

See book lists and the school library webpage.

Principal's Newsletter 5-20-12

Here's an update on our planning for primary multi-age configuration for the Fall.  

On Thursday night I shared about our plans last night, alongside some really gracious and thoughtful folks from Corbett School District who talked about their own experience with the transition.  The meeting was very positive -- we are really building some positive momentum toward the transition.  My big take-aways from the Corbett team were:

1. that the shift to multi-age provided the opportunity for a mindset change, away from thinking about children in terms of their grouping, and toward a vision of children as individual learners with unique pathways.
2. that the focus should be on time for collaboration versus expected resources (the true resource needs will become apparent quickly).
3. that the most difficult part of the transition in Corbett was allowing the adults processing time; the children responded beautifully.

Updates specific to our planning process:

• Our staffing is now set, with teams established for the kinder, 1-2, and 3-4 levels.  We recently continued site visits, with Al leading tours of Corbett.
• The second full planning day for staffing is approaching: May 21st for the 3-4 team and May 30th for the 1-2 team.
• All further professional development time set aside for reconfiguration.  Wednesday early release team is devoted entirely to planning: May 9, May 23, and June 6.
• Summer work sessions, to be defined by new Advisory Task Force

We are establishing a new Advisory Task Force, whose purpose is to bring teacher planning and parent perspectives together, define resource needs, and measure success.  Specifically:

• It will be focused on the K, 1-2, and 3-4 programs
• Develop resource needs list and recommend admin/PTC supports
• Develop formal feedback loops for 12-13 school year
• Debbie Gorenstein and Michelle Sager will represent their respective teaching teams
• Michelle Janke, Christina Clarke, Elaine Lowe will be parent members
• Jeremiah and PTC President Heather Bogaty, as key communicators and resource providers
• Nanci Schneider, where appropriate
• Outcomes of meetings approved by administration and shared with teacher and parent body
• Invite input from Superintendent, NWESD, NW Regional Labs, and others
with experience and expertise in multi-age instruction

In addition, please keep an eye out for these pieces, coming before June 1:

Placement surveys (this week) -- we will be asking for input relevant to placement for the 2012-2013 school year.

"Day in the Life" & "Year at a Glance" documents showing curriculum outline and general day flow in multi-age rooms.  These will give a sense of the way the school year will unfold.  The purpose is to provide a clear and more concrete understanding of what the experience will be, from the child's viewpoint.

5-8 General Staffing Plan -- Many parents have inquired as to how the staffing at 5-8 next year will impact programs.  We will be sharing a comprehensive staffing plan that articulates the general schedule for students for the 2012-2013 school year.  I can share today that it will be based on the following tenets:

• Increased flexibility of assignment (teachers are 5-8, vs. 5-6/7-8)
• Increased quality, offerings of electives
• Increased multi-age emphasis, especially at 5-6
• Consistency of class size
• Focus on the value of common team planning time
• Return to seven period day, middle school electives at end to minimize impact of athletics on core academic courses

Site Council membership notice -- one of the Site Council outcomes for the year was to more clearly define a pathway to parent participation in Site Council.  The meetings, held on the last Monday afternoon of each month, are open.  This month, we will set the procedures for electronic means for nomination and voting for members, as well as finalize the School Improvement Plan for the 2012-2013 school year.

Principal's Newsletter 5-11-12

It's fantastic to be back in the saddle again.  Here are some highlights of the week, and a sneak peek at some great stuff happening soon.


Learning "Targets"

Yesterday afternoon I escaped into the hills East of town to remind myself just how important the Field Studies program is.  I know I am repeating myself here, but I just can't help it.

Field Studies are, by far, the very best thing we do here.  

In three hours yesterday I saw: 6th graders catch and release a tiny lamprey, build a mock-up ecosystem to model the impact of deforestation, run through a salmon life cycle, engage delightedly with high school counselors, and -- yes -- get a bit homesick in a sweet and tired sort of way; and 7th graders eating peas porridge medieval gruel, making chain mail armor, building siege machines, launching arrows at targets, and play their hearts ot in a sunny meadow.  This stuff is good for the soul!  (The ticker and brain too;)  The children at the ESD-run programs are cared for so incredibly well; it is really a remarkable thing to behold.


New Yellow Paint and Orange Vests

A huge shout out is due the parent volunteers who are making our drop off time safer and saner!  Please help us out by noting the following changes.

During the remainder of this school year, parent volunteers will aid as traffic directors at 

the parking lot entrance to guide and resolve left turn congestion during peak pick up 

time, approximately 3:20-3:40 pm.  An additional volunteer will be stationed at the 

crosswalk in front of the main entrance of the school.

   

• Please keep crosswalks and sidewalks clear of vehicles at all times.

 

• No Parking zones have been added on either side of the crosswalk (grade school side of 

 the street).

 

• If traveling North on Breyman Ave., continue past the school and use the triangle area 

 to safely and legally turn around and proceed south on Breyman.  Engage in the line 

 of traffic already waiting.

 

• **Please note that it is illegal to block the flow of traffic when attempting a left hand 

 turn on a double yellow.  A left hand turn on a double yellow is only legal when the 

 turn can be made without stopping traffic.

 

Parent Safety Volunteers will monitor that left hand turns are not permitted, will assist sidewalk safety, 

flow of traffic, and children using the crosswalk.

  

We need 2-3 safety volunteers daily for 20-25 minutes.  

 

Please sign up at http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/3823456324827080111

 

 Before beginning shift, come to the Riverdale Grade School office to get safety vests.

 

Thanks for your support in maintaining a safe environment for the children.

Speaker Series Continues

Radical Parenting

Author Vanessa Van Petten is coming to Riverdale!
Tuesday, May 15th, 7pm in the RGS Gym

“Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded?”

Every parent fears “losing” their child. But youthologist Vanessa Van Petten translates what parents (of kids aged 7-25) want to say into what kids want to hear.

At 16, Vanessa Van Petten started her award-winning website, RadicalParenting.com, in reaction to sudden friction with her parents. Today, Vanessa and more than one hundred teen contributors help thousands of parents build and maintain healthy, strong, mutually-fulfilling relationships with their teenage children—by providing prescriptive advice straight from the source.

From classic fights like dating and chores to twenty-first century issues such as sexting and cyberbullying, she provides step-by-step guidance on every worry, including:

• Lying
• Social Networking
• School
• Peer Pressure
• Sex
• Drugs

It’s never too late to reconnect. Vanessa Van Petten helps you learn what’s really going on in your child’s life, and most importantly—understand when to put your foot down and when to let go. This lecture is helpful for parents with kids ages 7 to 25–the advice is timeless and can help in all parent child relationships.

2012-2013 Staffing

It's hard to believe it is already time to be rolling out staffing announcements, but here we are...

The staffing arrangements for the 2012-2013 school year are in place.  They reflect our configuration transition from mono grade classrooms in primary toward multi-age classrooms, and increased flexibility in the upper grades, including shared ownership of the program across disciplines and embracing the advantages of multi-aged groupings when possible.  Changes in grade level reflect individual teacher professional desire to grow and develop, as well as my own judgement about the continued success of our program.  We will have a seven period day in the middle school, once again, with a more robust elective selection at the end of the day.  The teachers are thrilled to know their assignments and have already begun doubling down on planning for next year!

Very soon, you will receive a survey requesting input into the particular learning environment most conducive to your child's needs.  It will focus on academic, social, and emotional needs, and will be limited to those categories in order that we can design balanced class lists for next year.


Primary Grades:
Preschool -- Barbara Lamb & Tammy Sutter
Full Day Kinder -- Jennifer Schulz
Half Day (AM) Kinder -- Leslie Charuhas
First and Second Grade -- Debbie Gorenstein & Pam Anderson
Third and Fourth Grade -- Lynn Evans, Sharon Whitehill & Michelle Sager

Fifth-Eighth Grades:
Brian Black -- English
Bill Mandis -- English
Todd Migchelbrink -- Social Studies
Jeff Robinson -- Social Studies
Dietrich Nebert -- Science
Jill Leve -- Science
Larissa Reece -- Math
Nick Hershman -- Math
Angela Dawes -- Spanish (ELL)

Specialists:
Leslie Charuhas -- PE
Nancy Helmsworth -- Art
Molly Scholz -- Music
Lisa Becker -- Literacy Specialist & Librarian
Lori Peterson -- Counselor
Sue Jonson -- Special Education

Cub Scouts Raise the Flags

In a serious but joyful ceremony this morning several Riverdale Scouts had the honor of raising the flags out front of the school.

Track Season is Upon Us!

The Riverdale Grade School Track and Field program for 2012 is nearly here! Our program allows students grades 5-8 to engage in skill building activities, running coordination and endurance drills, and goal setting. Each student will have the opportunity to participate during virtually all track meets in a combination of four running and or field events during the season. Because athletes at this age are still learning what is a best fit for them event-wise, coaches will encourage each athlete to explore a variety of events throughout the beginning of the season. We are looking forward to an exciting track and field season – potentially without too many sleet, windy, and or 40 degree days…

Coaches Nebert & Brounstein

Track Information Website:

http://gs.riverdale.k12.or.us/~dnebert/track

On the website you will find the schedule for the season, a printable registration form, and helpful links.

Service Learning at Riverdale

Principal's Newsletter -- March 9, 2012

Two evening events this week encapsulate for me what it means to work in this community, for your children.

The first was a parent informational night we held on Tuesday in the library.

I presented my review of research into multiage classroom configuration. As I said the on Tuesday, one of the first memories I have of observing the community in action was of a packed school board work session focused on the possibility of "blends." The tenor of our meeting this week was positive and collaborative, not without challenging questions and concerns, but genuinely positive. I was so grateful to see so many interested people gather to discuss our transition to multiage classrooms at grades 1-2 and 3-4 next year. That you would spend two and a half hours with me on a Tuesday night to hear about the research, the best practices, and the implementation of this transition means you are truly invested in our school and its success for your children.

I will send out by email a synopsis of the research into best practices in multiage education and a summary of our implementation plan today, in case you were unable to attend.

I will use this format, as well as regular check-in meetings, to share with you our progress in the transition. These will be held on the first Tuesday evening of each month: April 3rd, May 1, and June 5. I welcome you to attend, and will seek your inputs and questions prior to each informational meeting in order to address your areas of interest.

On Wednesday night we gathered for another purpose altogether -- another AMAZING band and choral concert.

The RHS Jazz Band led off with their usual dazzling performance, followed directly by the 5th grade band's debut, the 6th grade band, advanced band, and Riverdale Singers. The finale, though, is what produced the first standing ovation I've witnessed in four years of music concerts. Molly Scholz and her husband created a music video highlighting service learning at Riverdale, from first graders to eighth graders, with inspired music from the Riverdale Singers.

It is an extremely heartwarming product. I will be posting it here as soon as we collect permission from the parents of the children involved.

I am proud to be working in a place where a meeting about classroom configuration brings nearly a hundred parents to work collaboratively, and where -- the very next night -- a teacher-student project brings down the house (and a few tears).

Principal's Newsletter -- March 5, 2012

I am so thrilled to be back among the students this week! In essence, Saturday was my re-entry from my leave, with two momentous events for our school community.

It is an understatement to note that this was an incredibly emotional weekend. On Saturday afternoon many of you attended a memorial to celebrate the life of Susie Stageburg Keeton. We were reminded to embrace life, to be gracious and kind to one another, and to hold dear the moments we have with our families. Personally, my wife and I share the experience of so many people who have joined the Riverdale community in recent years -- Susie could not have welcomed us more warmly four years ago.

The PTC auction came later that evening, and, once again, I was blown away by the generosity of spirit and resources from which we benefit so much in our work with your children. The organizers pulled off a time warp worthy of Midnight in Paris (think: 1920's) and it seemed to me that a grand time was had by all.

This week two evening events are my main focus.

• On Tuesday evening, at 6:30, I will hold a parent informational meeting regarding classroom configuration. I'm really looking forward to the dialogue.
• Wednesday evening, at 7:00, our musicians in grades 5-8 will perform, with an added bonus project developed by Molly Scholz, her multi-talented husband, and Lori Peterson.

Finally, just a last note that this Thursday marks the end of the second term, with no school on Friday. 7-8 grade students will bring home elective selection sheets on Wednesday.

Principal's Newsletter -- 2/20/12

Dear Parents,

It is that time of year again when children and adults are ill with signs and symptoms of colds, flu and other infections. This is an excellent time to remember some healthy habits that may help us stay well.

We have recently experienced an uptick in health-related absences, along with specific reports of viral illness. At school, we are responding by focusing on sanitizing typical contact points like door handles, drinking fountains, and table surfaces. We would love your assistance in reporting any concerning illnesses, in order that we can alert our school nurse.

Please take a few moments to go over the following information with your child:

Keep away from germs!
♦ Cover your cough!
♦ Use tissue instead of hankies when ill, coughing or sneezing.
♦ Cough or sneeze into the elbow bend of the arm if possible, or into the hands and tissue, then….. Wash those hands effectively!
♦ Effective hand washing is the number one way to keep germs from entering our bodies. “Effective” means using plenty of soap and water, scrubbing palms of hands, fingernails, around wrists and in between fingers and under rings for 30 seconds then rinsing and drying.
♦ Wash hands after recess or gym, before eating or preparing food, after using the restroom or blowing a nose, coughing or sneezing and after handling pets.
♦ Do not share food, drinks or utensils; hats, combs, coats or clothing; make-up, lip balm or other personal items.
♦ Do not touch the blood or body fluids of another person. Ask an adult for help.

You will be asked to take your child home if there is:
♦ Rash or unusual skin color or marks with or without fever
♦ Skin lesions or sores that are “weepy” fluid or pus filled or draining
♦ Fever of 100.5 degrees or higher
♦ Vomiting
♦ Diarrhea
♦ Colored (yellow/green) drainage from eyes or ears

Call your health care provider for any unusual or concerning signs and symptoms:
♦ Stiff neck or headache with fever
♦ Behavior changes of irritability, sleepiness, fatigue or complaints of illness with inability to participate in school activities
♦ Prolonged diarrhea (three watery or loose stools per day or last more than three days).
♦ Breathing difficulties
♦ Yellow color to skin or eyes (jaundice)

You may contact the School Nurse or the Principal if you have any questions about this
information.

Parent Volunteer Opportunity

Recently, a number of parents have approached me with concerns about our street-side safety -- more specifically: with concerns that without a thoughtful intervention to a continuing problem, somebody may be hurt.

Obviously, I share these concerns. The positive news is that several parents have volunteered to participate in helping to create a solution. This is to ask if you are interested in partnering with me and several other parents, to devise and implement a more permanent plan. If so, please contact Betsy, and she will organize a meeting date and time for this work very soon!

a lovely poem, a former student

I am shamelessly stealing this post from Paula Robinson's RHS Principal blog -- a parent steered me in the direction. It is apropos because of something I've been feeling especially strongly as of late, affection for former students now attending the high school. Elanor's poem is just lovely.

Student Achievement:

Eleanor V B - GOLD KEY Award for Poetry - Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Her poem is below --

Boxed-In Rain

At nighttime, I like to think

Of rabbit-raced brambles

And heated midday dirt.

Blueberries tarter than going a day

Without seeing you.

I bled till raw,

I picked it pink.

And it hurt, and it hurt.

But I forgave the things I went through.

If you don’t remember, you must forget

Unequivocal stares

And boxed-in rain.

Cross-stitched knuckles folded

Under covers,

Our secrets piled

Like dust.

Everything I don’t want is everything that does.

Back-seat stories,

Spoken ghosts I created.

Split in two if you must,

But please, speak the words as we did.

Then when my water begins to rust,

And like you I brave my fears

The dirt is hot, the berries bright,

And we don’t disappear.

Ping Pong Results!

And the winners are...

Grades 1-2:
first: Claes J
second: Edward B

Grades 3-5:
first: Justin N
second: Grant N

Grades 6-8:
first: Connor F
second: Seb F

Adult Beginner:
first: Tugrul D
second: Lanelle F

Adult Intermediate:
first: Ajay D
second: Ben H

Adult Advanced:
first: Olaf J
second: Jodi F

Thanks to Heather Westing for her superb organizational work!

Spirit Week!!!

Monday is Sports Day

Tuesday will be Twin Day (not limited to two, or three, or...)

Wacky Wednesday

Thursday is Pink Day (Breast Cancer Awareness Day for our older students)

and Friday is PJ Day

Enjoy!

What We're Working On

Visitors to my office this week may have noticed a series of chart paper posters sticky-noted to the walls, one each for the nine grade levels K-8, as well as a few others with grid-like matrices encompassing all grade levels. This work is an intermediate product of our focus on curriculum this year, spurred by Oregon's adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I figured it is high time to let you know about the nature of our work, what we're finding, and the implications for curricular growth and redevelopment at Riverdale.

First, a bit about the standards themselves. The CCSS initiative is aimed at creating a consistent platform for educational expectations across the country. It is not, however, emergent from the Federal government. Rather, it stems from the work of the Governors' Association and that of State School Superintendents. Until now, because the standards movement resulted in wildly different standards in equally diverse states, one has only a triangulated method of comparing data from state to state. The initiative's mission statement is here:

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

At Riverdale, we are approaching this work as an opportunity to examine current practice, align to the new standards, and to keep our focus directed toward providing deep, rich, context-relevant learning opportunities for children. Here I am talking about the experiences like the 3rd grade Egyptian study, the 8th grade mock trial of the Dred Scott case, and our field studies programs across the board.

More literally, we have spent hours determining a draft of which of the English Language Arts standards are "priority standards" at each grade level, checking for continuity in the student experience, as well as in the way our classrooms and instructional maps are organized. ELA includes the sub-topics (each of which has a number of standards at each grade level): Reading Informational Text (10), Reading Literature (10), Writing (10), Speaking & Listening (6), and Language (6). Standards for science, technology, and social studies will follow, as well as mathematics. It is quite a bit of work, to be sure, but the level of conversation emerging from these discussions is exciting. As we continue this work I will be able to share and publish our documents -- it is very healthy for this work to be completed transparently.

In the coming weeks I will be writing more and more about how the new curriculum standards will impact the state testing in which we participate each year, how it interfaces with parallel work on our Continuous Improvement Plan and District Literacy Plan, and how the curriculum redevelopment will inform the move to multiage classrooms.

Principal's Newsletter -- January 13, 2012

This edition of the newsletter is going to read like a bulletin board I am afraid. There's just so much going on that I want to cover as many bases as possible.

Are you gearing up yet for the ping pong tournament? I am in serious training. (Art, I'm coming for you.)

In the past week I have thoroughly enjoyed watching our middle school girls and boys in their first basketball games of the season. Typically, games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I encourage you to come join in the fun. At this point, after a week of league play, each of our four teams already has a win under the belt.

It is helpful, every so often, to remind ourselves of safety concerns around the parking lot area. Please help the flow of traffic by remembering to approach the lot fro the north on Breyman, making right turns as opposed to left turns. Additionally, it is important to keep the entrance and exit as clear as possible for visibility. Thank you -- I really appreciate your assistance with this!

This coming Wednesday our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have the opportunity to hear from a panel of Riverdale High School students. This is modeled on a very successful event held recently at RHS wherein recent graduates speak to current students about their college and university experiences. Anymore our students start their thinking so early that including 6th and 7th graders will hopefully give them a clear insight into what they can do to prepare for high school.

Remember that there is no school this coming Monday, and that we release at 12:05 on Friday!

The March 8th 5-8 concert is being moved to Wednesday the 7th.

Mr. Mig conducted the Geography Bee once again, and we have some students to honor: Donald R., Finn J., Connor F., Gavin W., Jordan M., Max S., Glenn S., Danny T., Kamron S., were the successful participants. In the end, our school winner was 4th grader Zack W.