The Riverwood Review
Edition 9
From Principal Kindra Smith 11-19-21
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We have reached my favorite time of the year when we are encouraged to reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives. With just a few weeks of instruction remaining this semester, I am grateful for our students' hard work, focus, and perseverance. I am immeasurably thankful for our teachers and staff who continue to provide quality instruction while fostering a caring learning environment. They continue to transform lives with their dedication to excellence.
Our building staff, bus drivers, and administrative team have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that we all remain safe. I am thankful for the countless hours our custodial team has spent cleaning Riverwood daily. They are the silent heroes among us. Thank you parents for all of the support you have given to Riverwood. We are better together!
Please remember to report any suspected student case of COVID to the Parent Reporting Portal found here: https://fultonschools.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6hWlX46FNk8pNlz. The portal will be actively monitored during the break.
You should report a suspected/confirmed case if you answer YES to any of the following about your student:
-Has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 15 days
-Currently waiting for the results of a test for COVID-19
-Has been in close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes) in the past 15 days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19
My family and I are deeply thankful for so much this year. I hope you are also able to find much to be grateful for and I wish everyone good health next week.
Take care,
Kindra Smith
Principal
Riverwood International
Charter School
Attention Students
Absence/Late Arrivals/ Early Check-out Procedures
Late Start Days- Monday Jan. 24th
What are Late Start Days?
The intention with these days is to allow teachers extra time to collaborate with their peers to plan quality teaching and learning.
What will students be doing?
Students do not have to report to school until 9:20AM. Busses will run on the regular bus schedule. If your student rides the bus, there will be specific areas of the building where students will be assigned during this hour.
When are Late Start Days? What time will school start?
School will start 1 hour later, therefore school will start at 9:20AM on 6 specific days.
9/20/21
10/25/21
11/15/21
1/24/22
2/28/22
3/21/22
Riverwood AP/IB Information Night
Join us on December 1st at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria
Rising 10th and 11th Graders, but all are welcome
UPDATED 2021-2022 COVID-19 Guidance
COVID-19 Clarification Update
COVID-19 contact tracing standards and district quarantining procedures for staff/students who come into direct contact with a COVID-19 positive individual remain unchanged. Close contact with someone who reports a positive COVID-19 test means staff/students should wear a mask for 10 days in order to attend school or must quarantine at home. If a student exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, they should not attend school. Be sure to report any positive cases through the employee or parent portal.
Dr. Looney shared some good news about the number of COVID-19 cases, which appear to have peaked and have been trending downward since early September. As a result of community and staff support, there has been a high level of mitigation compliance across the district, while the district’s strategy to intervene at the classroom, grade and school level has minimized learning disruption. He added the district’s modified quarantine protocol has not resulted in a measurable increase in school based COVID-19 cases. A significant majority of FCS employees are fully vaccinated, and district employees have been declared eligible for a booster vaccine.
Dr. Looney went on to share the impact of COVID-19 on FCS students for the 2021-2022 school year, pointing out that school-level layered mitigations have helped minimize learning disruptions and noting school level COVID-19 data appears to reflect broader community trends.
As always, the district is focused on providing uninterrupted, high-quality face-to-face instruction for students while attending to their social and emotional needs. FCS continues to encourage district employees to become vaccinated and hopes to expand partnerships to provide families with more access to home testing kits. Next steps include modifying the district’s Mitigation Matrix to include local school data when making decisions about masking.
Beginning November 1, 2021, Dr. Looney announced he may waive masking for individual schools if the ratio of cases in a school remains less than .01 of enrollment. Thirty days following the expansion of vaccine eligibility for children five and older, masks will become optional for students, staff and visitors. At the present time, masks will still be mandated on buses. He concluded by reminding the Board this is an evolving situation, but he stands ready to make adjustments as new information comes forward. See Dr. Looney’s full presentation here.
Practices to Continue:
All FCS staff and students are required to report in the portal a confirmed positive case of COVID-19, a pending COVID-19 test result (regardless of the reason for testing), and a direct contact with a person who is COVID-19 positive.
The parent portal can found on the Riverwood homepage www.riverwoodics.org
Following updated Georgia Department of Public Health (GaDPH) guidelines for quarantine procedures, FCS will NOW ALLOW all students, regardless of vaccination status, to continue reporting to school after direct contact if the individual:
(1) is/remains symptom free, and
(2) wears a mask while on school district property for 10 days after exposure.
All students who report a PENDING TEST result may continue reporting to school if the individual:
(1) is/remains symptom free, and
(2) wears a mask while on school district property until the test results are received and reported.
Public health officials strongly encourage individuals directly exposed to COVID-19 to get tested after 3-5 days of the exposure.
- All FCS students are required to report (1) a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 (2) a pending COVID-19 test result (regardless of the reason for testing) and (3) a direct contact with person who is COVID-19 positive.
- FCS students/ parents must use the Parent Reporting Portal (found on the Riverwood website) to make the above COVID-19 report. https://www.fultonschools.org/riverwoodhs
- Reporting students must wait for further guidance from the FCS Health Services Team, Talent Department, or public health officials after submitting a report; do not report to school.
- The FCS COVID-19 Response Team will case investigate all reports in consultation with public health officials. Students will be required to cooperate with response team/ public health department nurses and respond truthfully to all questions.
COVID-19 Quarantine
- All students who meet isolation/ quarantine criteria must adhere to the district's 10-day quarantine directive. Individuals exhibiting symptoms while at school will be directed to leave or isolate until they can be picked up.
- Students who have been fully vaccinated (14 days since the 2nd shot in a 2-dose or single dose of the J&J vaccine) and symptom-free do not have to quarantine. Proof of vaccination will be needed.
- Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months, fully recovered, and symptom-free do not have to quarantine. Proof of COVID-19 diagnosis will be needed.
Student Parking
District Data Trends
Quarantine Tutoring
Fulton County Schools is providing tutoring for students who have been assigned remote due to being quarantined because of COVID-19.
Who can access: When students, classes, grades, and schools move to assigned remote, students can access tutoring through FEV Tutor.
How do I access: The trigger for the three hours of tutoring is the student being marked assigned remote in Infinite Campus. The tutoring hours will be available the following day. Click the link below to access the letter to current students on quarantine:
If your student was previously on quarantine, click the link to access how to set up services for students who were assigned remote prior to services being set up. All students who were assigned remote from the start of the year until September 3rd have access to the three hours of tutoring through October 3, 2021.
Click the link below to access the letter for previous students on quarantine:
Device Exchange
If you have any questions, please feel free to send an email to Ms. Louis at louisv1@fultonschools.org
Transcript Request Choice
Fulton County Schools continues to explore more ways to provide our parents and students with additional choices and options whenever possible. Based on input and feedback the district received from parents last school year, our students now have the choice to send their unweighted transcripts or weighted transcripts to colleges, universities, and for scholarship opportunities. Within the college application process, some universities and colleges apply different treatments to weighted and unweighted grades/NGAs. With the district’s goal to provide students a choice, schools will be required to have students select whether they want to have their weighted or unweighted transcripts sent to colleges.
If you have made a request for your transcript this year, please be sure to also complete the following form (https://forms.office.com/r/hy7g1Z4w52) today to ensure the swift processing of your transcript request.
Future requests will be processed using the choice provided on this form: https://forms.office.com/r/hy7g1Z4w52.
https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/18518
Please allow ten days for the request to be processed except during peak processing times in which the processing times may be longer. All requests will be processed prior to the institutional deadline. For more information, please visit the counseling web page. https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/18518
Contact your counselor of record with any questions
Capital Plan 2027 & ESPLOST
Please click the link below to access all the information regarding Fulton County Schools Capital Plan 2027
Teaching and Learning
Grading Updates
-Students that have not completed an assignment will receive a "0" in the grade book. Please make sure your student is keeping track of any missed assignments on Infinite Campus.
-Per the district, every student is allowed 5 remote learning days. To utilize these days, students must notify their teachers via email BEFORE the missed day and CC Jennifer Williams (williamsjh1@fultonschools.org).
Mark Your Calendars
Blue Crew All Sports Season Pass
AVAILABLE NOW
Only $75
To purchase your Blue Crew All Sport Season Pass, it is available at https://gofan.co/app/school/GA5268 or the GoFan app
Action: Fulton County School Code of Conduct
ACTION ITEM: https://tinyurl.com/34b5navt
Parents & Students please use the link above to access the "How to" document to acknowledge in Infinite Campus that you have received the Code of Conduct above. This must be done by
all students above 10 years of age and their parents, guardians, or other person having control or charge of the child.
Click the link to follow the directions to sign acknowledging receipt of the Code of Conduct and Student Handbook in Infinite Campus. https://tinyurl.com/34b5navt
Student Attendance
Just The Facts: Updated Attendance Policy
For students in Fulton County Schools to learn and achieve to their fullest potential, it is critical they attend school and are engaged in the learning process. Student absences, whether excused or unexcused, impact a child's ability to succeed in school.
FCS has implemented a new attendance notification process. Parents/guardians will be notified more often on absences, regardless of whether a student is excused or unexcused. Families will be notified of student absences via daily robocalls, emails, and texts. Students who accumulate multiple absences will receive letters to notify them of missed learning time, and staff will follow up with supportive strategies for families and students.
High School students' attendance is taken each period. Students must be present for 50% or more of the day to be marked present. High School messages begin going out around 4:30 p.m. on the day of the absence. Parents/guardians can monitor their child's attendance using Infinite Campus.
If a parent needs to excuse a student from attendance, notify the child's school as soon as possible. Notify your child's teacher(s) and CC Jennifer Williams at WilliamsJH1@fultonschools.org
The following must be included in a written note or email:
- Student Name
- Student FCS ID Number (lunch number)
- Parent/Guardian Name
- Parent/Guardian Email & Phone Number
- Reason for Excuse
FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS
School Meals are Free
All students will receive school meals at NO CHARGE for the 2021-2022 school year.
Click the button below to access the Breakfast and Lunch fliers
2021-2022 Health Services Information
Important parent information letter below that all parents need to read for the beginning of the school year from Health Services. Parents please make sure to update your current emergency contact information and follow the procedures regarding student illness/ injury, medication, immunizations, & emergency preparedness.
Click the button below to read the 21-22 School Year Health Services Information
11th grade immunization requirement
Per the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), effective July 1, 2021, children 16 years of age and older, who are entering the 11th grade (including new entrants), must have received one booster dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4), unless their initial dose was administered on or after their 16th birthday.
Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial illness that affects the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis can cause shock, coma and death within hours of the first symptoms. Unfortunately, the concentration of the antibodies seen after the initial
MCV4 vaccine wanes with time. Therefore, a booster dose is needed to stimulate the antibody production and provide longer-lasting protection against meningococcal disease.
If your teen has not been vaccinated against meningococcal disease, we strongly recommend getting your 11th grader, aged 16 years or older, vaccinated before starting the 2021-2022 school year. Getting MCV4 (meningococcal conjugate vaccine) now will not only help protect your child against the ongoing threat of meningitis, it will also meet the new school entry requirement.
Ask your pediatrician or local health department about other shots your child may need including:
• the human papillomavirus (HPV) series
• the tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis shot (Tdap or Td booster)
• an annual flu vaccine; and
• catch-up immunizations, including chickenpox, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and hepatitis B.
If your child does not have health insurance or their health plan won’t cover these vaccines, call your local health department and ask about getting no cost or low cost vaccines. For more information, visit http://dph.georgia.gov/vaccines-children or call (800) 848-3868.
ACTION: Once you have a copy of the immunization please bring or send it to the school nurse, Ms. Shalanda Gardner.
Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.
Shalanda Gardner 470.254.1914 gardners3@fultonschools.org
Click the buttons below for more information about the vaccine
Infinite Campus Access
Please check to make sure you have access to both your student and parent account in Infinite Campus. Gradebook, Student schedules, student course requests, transcripts, transportation information, and emergency contact lists are all available through the Infinite Campus system. We will be using Infinite Campus extensively and all students and parent must have access. Please scan the QR code which will take you to the district's sign up page. In order to sign up, you will need your student's name, date of birth, and their current grade.
Click the buttons below to access Infinite Campus support documents
Accessing Student Information
Parent Support Organizations
We are very fortunate at Riverwood to have some fantastic parent organizations that support our school. Below is some information about each one. If you can support one or more of these groups with your time, talent, or treasure, it is much appreciated:
Parent-Teacher-Student Association "PTSA" – The Riverwood Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is an inclusive organization of enthusiastic parents, teachers, and staff who support our school through volunteering, community-building, and fundraising. Join us and help support our students’ journey to a bright and enriched future by selecting the Join The PTSA button on http://riverwoodptsa.org.
Riverwood Athletic Association "RAA" – The Riverwood Athletic Association's (RAA) primary purpose is to raise money for all Riverwood Raider sports teams and athletic facilities. Riverwood is proud of its tradition of athletic excellence. More than 50% of the student body participates on one of the 21 athletic teams. This past year Riverwood moved up to AAAAAA and our athletes rose to the challenge! Membership is open to everyone and includes some great gifts such as free season tickets, an all-weather blanket, tumblers and more! We are a 501(c)3 corporation, all donations are tax deductible. Join the RAA today!https://www.ricsathleticassociation.com/join-the-raa/
The Riverwood Foundation – The Riverwood Foundation is focused on connecting community, engaging students, and enhancing the learning experience. We support academic enrichment (implementing and sustaining innovative programs such as the MakerSpace and the outdoor classroom and garden), professional learning (training programs to support teachers), global citizenship (programs designed to support cultural exposure and service), and AVID (inquiry-based, student-centered classroom structure). Visit https://riverwoodfoundation.org/ for more information or to donate online.
Band and Orchestra Booster Club "BOB" – BOB's mission is to encourage the advancement of Riverwood’s Award-Winning Instrumental Music Program through service advocacy and financial support including: Clinicians and Coaches, Transportation to Events, Instruments and Equipment, Annual Student Awards and Banquets, Band, Orchestra and Guard Workshops and Competitions, Scholarships to Participate in Co-Curricular Activities, and Large Group Performance Evaluations (LGPE) Music Scores and Recordings. Please consider donating to support band and orchestra at Riverwood: https://forms.gle/4EefF6nqeUo3DsJZ
Performing Arts Booster Association "PABA" – Would you like to “play a part” in the Performing Arts at Riverwood? The Performing Arts Booster Association (PABA) is a group of parents, teachers, and friends working together to support the chorus and drama programs at Riverwood. Membership dues and other fundraisers finance the acquisition of music, scripts, sets, costumes, lights, sound, and other important items. Parents also donate their time to help with productions. Click https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/19785 to access our Riverwood Drama & Performing Arts Booster.
Previous editions of The Riverwood Review
11-4-21 https://www.smore.com/ez2x9
10-22-21 https://www.smore.com/4ugpc
10-1-21https://www.smore.com/8g6x3
9-16-21 https://www.smore.com/e9znk
9-3-21 https://www.smore.com/4ymgq
8-17-21 https://www.smore.com/83wgc
8-6-21 https://www.smore.com/fy0xj7-23-21 https://www.smore.com/z9mq5
About us
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/riverwoodhs
Location: 5900 Raider Drive, Sandy Springs, GA, USA
Phone: 4702541980
Twitter: @RiverwoodICS