It is the start of a new school year at Riverside Elementary School District! I hope that you and our students, staff, families, and business partners have been enjoying a restful summer break. The 2012-2103 Academic Year will be full of excitement and learning at both of our wonderful and Highly Performing Schools. In the year to come, we will continue to work hard to support our students in reaching their academic goals based on high expectations and the belief that each student is capable of achieving high academic standards for a future of involved citizenship and prosperity.

We will continue to focus on our mission to provide our students with a “Private Education in a Public School Setting,” our Strategic Plan highlights these efforts by continuing to:

1. Develop and implement a rigorous core standards curriculum aligned to the National Academic Standards through detailed pacing guides and scientifically-supported assessment protocols;
2. Reinforce our current culture of using student achievement data to inform instructional practice and decision making;
3. Expand our schools’ and staff’s capacity to deliver effective, engaging core standard instruction by requiring 70% of a teacher’s overall evaluation be tied to student achievement as formalized through the R2 Teacher Folio evaluation process;
4. Raise our expectations for student achievement, collegial interaction among faculty and staff, and an increase in student ownership of their learning through student-led conferences and student developed achievement portfolio; and
5. Efforts on expanding our instructional day to include before and after school tutoring and enrichment activities for all our students.

As always, family involvement is extremely important, and we continue to welcome parents into our schools. The invitation is always open for parents to communicate with school staff regarding any questions or concerns they may have regarding their children’s academic performance. We continue to request that parents and families talk with their children about what they are learning at school. This connection is very important for our students as it instills in them a value for education.

As we move forward into 2013, we will continue to work toward school and district improvement, meaningful learning opportunities, and most importantly, success for all our students.

To a great magical and learning 2012-2013 academic year!