Riverland Times
From Mr. Gil's Desk
A Message from Our Principal
“Grateful to Serve”
Dear Parents, Students, and Community Members:
As we approach the holiday season, I want to be among the first to express how grateful I am to serve the community I once called my own and to work with a staff that is genuinely committed to providing a safe and welcoming learning environment, where all students can learn and work toward academic excellence. As a result, our students have consistently demonstrated academic gains, as measured through analysis of student work, informal, and formal assessments. In order to maintain instructional momentum and best serve our students’ needs, our staff has been actively engaged in professional development opportunities that have enhanced their professional practices.
Having stated this, research clearly shows that students are most successful when the school and home work together. Accordingly, we strongly encourage you to remain active in your child’s education and schedule a minimum of two parent-teacher conferences. Please note that parent-teacher conferences are by appointment and may be scheduled by contacting Mrs. Boorse at (754) 323-7200. All parent-teacher conferences are held on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:20 PM to 3:00 PM.
Also, we want to remind everyone that safety and security continue to be our top priority. As such, we will continue to utilize our single point of entry, through our front office, and keep classroom doors locked at all times. Additionally, all staff members and students will wear school identification badges at all times.
Likewise, we will continue to provide a safe and welcoming environment by closely monitoring access onto our school campus. Accordingly, our school gates will remain locked throughout the school day. Please make certain that you bring a form of photo identification when visiting our campus, as all visitors will be asked to present photo identification when bringing a student to school after our scheduled start time, to sign out a student for early dismissal, or to access our campus for school-related matters. Please note that children will only be dismissed to those individuals identified on the Student Emergency Contact Card.
Additionally, we will continue to practice our monthly fire drills and bi-annual tornado drills. We will also practice Code Red drills and the safety practices outlined in our school’s safety plan on a monthly basis. Please note that we will advise you via ParentLink when these drills take place, so that you are informed and not alarmed.
Please note that in accordance with Florida Statute 1012.34, parents have the right to provide input into the performance evaluations of instructional and/or administrative employees. Parents interested in providing input into the performance evaluations of Riverland Elementary School’s instructional and/or administrative employee evaluations may contact our office at (754) 323-7200 by April 10, 2020.
In closing, we thank you for supporting your children, our efforts, and our common goal, increasing student achievement through a quality education. We also wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season.
Respectfully,
Oslay Gil
Literacy Corner
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
Reading aloud to your child or children, is the most important thing you can do. Find age appropriate fiction and non-fiction books at:
1. Riverland Library
Address: 2710 W Davie Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 357-7455
2. Little Free Library, located at the southwest corner of our school (Riverland Elementary).
Help your child or children develop their vocabulary by using more descriptive words. The following website is a great resource to help with descriptive words:
Enjoy!
ESOL News
As the holidays approach please encourage your child to continue to practice their English skills. One of our areas of growth for English Language Learners as a school is speaking according to ACCESS. ACCESS is an assessment that all our active English Language Learners participate in on a yearly basis. For the 2019 – 2020 school year, ACCESS will be administered from January 27, 2020 – March 20, 2020. This assessment assesses the student’s listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English.
Below are free online resources to build your child’s English Language skills:
Funbrain is a website that provides activities to build a child’s math and literacy skills.
Activities for ESL Students is a website designed for individuals learning English as a second language.
Free Reading provides lessons for parents to help their child learn to read.