THANKSgiving!

It's fall, y'all! This time of year is truly a time to slow down a bit and give thanks for the many blessings we all have in our lives. From the smallest to the grandest, I've listed some of my special school moments for which I am most thankful:

Photo by Chelsi Hardin

• daily greetings from students when I walk down the hall - makes me smile!
• multi-color flip chart markers

• displays of student work posted in hallways
• a student who returns the $20 bill that another student unknowingly dropped from his pocket
• stromboli served in the cafeteria
• teachers working with one another to develop a plan to meet the needs of a particular student
• pictures in front of the green screen of students dressed for a special day
• See You at the Pole events
• industry and college tours for students
• band performances
• tea parties in the Family Consumer Science room
• colleagues who support one another and enjoy one another's company  
• JROTC community service
• technology that works - 99.9% of the time!
• shiny hallway floors
• Rivercrest Voices singing at community events
• completed projects (almost!) - stadium, bus shop, locker room, door replacements ...
• perfect attendance celebrations
• football players carrying flags to honor our veterans
• college acceptance announcements
• Fall Break - I hope everyone enjoys time with family and friends! I know we will all come back renewed and refreshed to finish the semester strong!

Rivercrest School District - I hold this district near and dear to my heart. It is the place where I graduated from high school, where I began my teaching career, and where very special children (including my grandchildren) attend. What an honor it is to serve in this community! #WeAreRivercrest

Professional Learning Communities at Work

Rivercrest Elementary was selected to participate in a Professional Learning Community (PLC) pilot project through the Arkansas Department of Education. On-site consultants are working with faculty to refine curriculum in mathematics and literacy as well as providing support for strong instructional strategies. We are striving to address four critical questions:

• What do we want students to know and be able to do?
• How will we know if they are learning?
• What will we do if they are not learning?
• What will we do for the students who already know their work?

We have been challenged to revisit our mission, vision, and collective commitments as we strive to meet the rigorous goals that have been set. We are "smack dab in the middle" of a continuous cycle of improvement! We are examining our curriculum, analyzing student achievement, and determining our next instructional steps based upon the data. I can't think of a better methodology to meet the needs of our students. Our ultimate goal is to create an environment of high expectations and intensive support in which each student is able to achieve. 

Heather Friziellie - Solution Tree

We are striving to expand this work throughout the district. We are evaluating what is working well - as well as assessing opportunities for growth. We are considering the structures that we have in place - including scheduling, course offerings, and services provided. Many of the initiatives are working as designed, but we realize there is room for improvement in other areas. After all, we are a learning organization. We will continue to learn and to grow and to impact student achievement in a positive manner. As we reflect upon our mission, vision, collective commitments, and goals, I know that we will gain insights for working collaboratively to ensure the future-readiness of all of our students. #WeAreRivercrest

Spotlights

The Rivercrest School District is continually striving to improve teaching and learning opportunities in order to help all students achieve success.  I have highlighted some key moments below.

• Teachers are not settling for students' lack of effort. I can think of more than one teacher who has encouraged a student to "re-do" an assignment - and the student was able to to truly demonstrate what had been learned. Oh, how I wish ALL students would give their best every effort the first time - every time!
• Numerous students in the elementary were recognized for both academic achievement and perfect attendance. I appreciate the parental support for helping those students in their endeavors.
• Lower elementary students used Book Creator to make classroom books. The students were the authors and the illustrators, and they did a fantastic job. 
• Rivercrest Voices performed at the Johnny Cash Music Festival and did a great job singing not only the Rivercrest Alma Mater, but also a collection of songs highlighting Johnny Cash.
• High school teachers are analyzing their curriculum as well as student data. They are looking for ways to better support high levels of student learning.
• And what about the Rivercrest Band? Those students have worked extremely hard, and their competitions scores are the best the band has ever received.
• Elementary teachers are continuing to learn about the Science of Reading through the RISE Initiative. I'm excited that our students are learning from the most well-trained staff ever!
• The football concession stand is nearing completion! It is going to be great to have this round of construction projects finished. 

This first nine weeks of school is in the books! I'm looking forward to the activities that come with the second nine weeks: enjoying the Fall Festival on November 3rd, finishing strong in football, beginning basketball, and relaxing during a week-long fall break. Those activities help round out the full experience of our school community. However, we will never lose sight of learning targets as we strive for continual improvement. #WeAreRivercrest

Yearbooks

10 Reasons to Buy a Rivercrest Yearbook
#10 - Who wouldn't want to have a lasting reminder of their fabulous hairstyle and their current fashion statements?

#9 - What other publication will you ever own where people have written all kinds of wonderful things about you?

#8 - Who knows, you might actually end of with the autograph of someone who becomes famous?

#7 - Your yearbook will serve as a great reference to figure out who all the "old" people are at your high school reunions.

#6 - The yearbook will entertain your future children as they look back at your pictures!

#5 - Social media posts come and go!  Snapchat and Instagram posts are fleeting moments. The high school yearbook is an analog book that chronicles all school activities.

#4 - The yearbook is a conversation starter! It can serve as reference when someone's name is mentioned. Now, who was that guy in the junior class who...? Do you remember our science teacher...? Who was on the football team?

#3 - Someday you may have to prove to someone that you actually were on the basketball team! or the cheer squad - or in the band - or in the library club - or.... The yearbook connects the person you are now to the person you become in ten or twenty (or thirty or forty +) years.

#2 - The yearbook is a bargain! You can purchase a yearbook in October for only $35.00.  If you wait until November, the price goes up to $45.00, and in January it will cost you $55.00. Buy one now! Just think for only $55.00 tops you can have a priceless treasure that only becomes more meaningful over time.

#1 - Bottom line, the yearbook is truly a keepsake that one values more and more with each passing year.

Yearbooks can be purchased from jostensyearbooks.com. 

Yearbook staff members will also be more than happy to sell you a yearbook.

You don't want to miss out on an opportunity to display your Colt Pride because #WeAreRivercrest!

Homecoming 2018

October 1 - 5, 2018

Homecoming is a special time at Rivercrest. We are a district with strong traditions that foster Colt pride in both our current students and our alumni. I am sure we can all recall a fond memory from a past homecoming. As a student at Rivercrest, I remember the excitement of planning how to dress for the designated days, deciding who would compete in the mini-Olympic events, writing a class skit, and decorating the class float for the mini-parade around the gym. Though
some of the events have changed through the years, the same level of excitement is enjoyed. Please feel free to share your positive homecoming memories. I've shared a couple of mine in the above pictures!

The student body had a great voice in this year's planned activities. I appreciate the creativity and simplicity of the designated days. Thought was given to provide everyone with an opportunity to participate. Costumes aren't elaborate, and the main idea is to have fun. I particularly like the "Snack Attack" event where each class is challenged to bring 40 snacks to add to their class count homecoming points. The food items will support the district's Backpack Project. I think this says a great deal about our student body! # ColtPride

I look forward to high levels of student participation. This is a time to have fun, get in the spirit, and support our school. An overview of our activities is listed below.

Monday -

• Holi"day" - Dress as a holiday-inspired character. 

Tuesday

• Class Color Day - Wear your class colors in order to be counted!  Beginning with the senior class, the colors are as follows: black, white, blue, orange, pink, and green. Elementary class colors are as follows: PK-blue; K-black; 1st-gray; 2nd-green; 3rd-black; 4th-green; 5th-red; 6th-blue.
• Mini-Olympics @12:05 in the gym

Wednesday

• Squad Day - Dress as a duo or a "squad"! Suggestions include peanut butter & jelly, M & Ms, etc. Keep it simple in the elementary if you like by finding a buddy and wearing the same color t-shirt.
• Male Cheerleaders/Powder Puff @12:05 in the gym

Thursday

• Dress for Success - Dress for  your dream career.

Friday

• Red & Gray Day 
• Court Presentation/Pep Rally @ 2:40 at Cortez Kennedy Field at Colt Stadium
• Alumni Tailgate & Pep Rally - Tables and chairs will be made available on the new bus lot on the Rivercrest campus for any graduating class. We hope all classes celebrating their reunions will make this their gathering spot. You may bring your grills and tents. Please do not bring any glass containers. Our cheerleaders and band will lead the pep rally at 5:45!
• Football Game - We play Highland for the big game. The homecoming court will be presented at 6:30, and the game will begin at 7:00. If you haven't been to a game at Colt Stadium on Cortez Kennedy Field aka "the Tez" this is a perfect opportunity!

Saturday

• Memorial Service -Plaza next to the cafeteria. The ceremony will begin at 9:00.

Please encourage your student to participate, and I hope you all will plan to attend the football game. I think it is important to celebrate our traditions and build upon those strengths for future generations. After all, #WeAreRivercrest!

Do I have to go to school today?

Are you familiar with the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein?  It begins:

“I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps."

Missing 10% or more of school for any reason – excused or unexcused  - is defined as chronic absenteeism. It is an indication that a student is academically at risk due to missing too much school. This starts as early as kindergarten. Chronic absenteeism is a warning that students are headed for academic trouble and possibly even dropping out of high school.

Good attendance = more success in both the work force and in college.

Chronic absence – missing 10 percent of the school year or more – affects the whole classroom, not just the students who miss.  (www.attendanceworks.org)  The time can accumulate quickly!

Arkansas' Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan identifies Student Engagement as a School Quality and Success Indicator. Each Arkansas student can gain a full point on the Student Engagement indicator by missing less than five percent of school days in a year. A student is absent if he or she is not physically on school grounds and is not participating in instruction or instruction-related activities. This amounts to missing about 18 school days during the school year. Coming to school late and checking out early also has an impact. 

Students are expected to be at school for 178 days of instruction each year. Teachers work to plan lessons and activities to facilitate learning for each of those days. In answer to the question “Is my child going to miss anything if I don’t send them today?” the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Check this out!

The Hamilton Project has an interactive map that displays information regarding school chronic absenteeism. As you hover the mouse over states, school districts, and schools, the rate of chronic absence by student and school district will appear.  

Good school attendance supports the following:

•          Hope – for a better future
•          Faith – that school will help you or your child succeed
•          Capacity – resources, skills, knowledge needed for future 

      We all know that student attendance is vital for student achievement.  Chronic absenteeism is a solvable problem. I appreciate your support in promoting good student attendance at school - each and every day.  #WeAreRivercrest

BTW - You can finish the poem by clicking here.

  F

Communication, Communication, Communication

In the Rivercrest School District we are working to improve our communication with our stakeholders. We have spent quite a bit of time reviewing what works well - as well as what doesn't work well.

Open house this year was in a meet-and-greet format. We have received positive feedback regarding that change. Our required Title I meeting was held separately, and we distributed individual student score reports from our state assessment on that evening. We didn't get quite the turnout we had hoped for, so we will work to improve that format for next year. Our required public meeting is September 11th at 5:30 in the Parent Center. This is a board meeting where district information is shared. Stakeholders are welcome to attend. The public meeting will be followed by our regular monthly board meeting.

One of the major changes we made was adjusting our school calendar. The 2018-2019 school calendar (developed in January) reflects our Parent-Teacher Conference schedule. During the first and third quarter, conferences have been set in the middle of the quarter rather than at the end of the quarter. We hope this will give parents an opportunity to have conversations with teachers in an early intervention method. We want your support in helping our students achieve at high levels.

Now, I realize that we have scheduled an "away" junior high football game on that same night. So our system isn't perfect, but that is something we will address when we plan the 2019-2020 school calendar. I appreciate your understanding that we are involved in a continuous cycle of improvement, and we don't always get it exactly right the first time. However, we will learn from our mistakes and make the proper adjustments moving forward (just like we do with students at school).

We have several other methods of communication as well.

• Home Access Center - This allows you to check your child's grade at any time. 
• Remind - This is a messaging system used by teachers as well as the district.
• District Web Page - This is the official information page for the district. Here you will find links to key information as well as news.
• Facebook - This is our social media presence. 
• Twitter - Another avenue for quick bits of information. We are currently promoting these hashtags:  #WeAreRivercrest and #ColtPride
• Instagram - I admit that I don't know much about this media!

All district employees have a school e-mail address, and we encourage parents/guardians to contact the school with any questions or concerns - or to share good news about their child's learning experiences! Each teacher has a daily planning period, and individual conferences can be scheduled as needed. Many teachers have web pages of their own, and some teachers share newsletters as well. In the elementary, "red folders" are sent home daily with students. 

We strive to have open, clear communication with our stakeholders. It is important for you to know what is going on in the school. It is important for you to have conversations with your child's teachers. Your partnership is vital to your child's success. Thank you for your support!