The Riverwalk Roar
September 29, 2019
Note from Dr. Compton
Pride,
We're a day away from wrapping up September and making our push into October. I wanted to take a few moments to share with you why school attendance matters.
Student attendance really does matter....but why? Is it really a big deal when a child is absent a lot? Are they really missing out on much if they have some tardies (or early dismissals) regularly? If they are a few minutes late or leave a few minutes early, surely they don't miss much. Hmmm...... Let me give you some perspective.
- Attendance affects achievement. We can't teach them if they aren't with us. They lose the opportunity to learn content (i.e. reading, writing, math, science, and social studies). As a school that believes in a project-based learning approach, students lose precious and crucial collaboration time from their peers and from their teachers when they are not there. We strive to take kids from where they are and move them as far as they can go. Their learning is impacted when they are not with us. A teacher cannot ever give back the same amount of time in helping a child catch up as when he/she taught the material the first time.
- Poor attendance is frustrating for kids. They feel that they're always trying to catch up with what they missed. They can't connect with what happened the day before (or an hour ago) because they were not there to experience it. Many kids thrive on structure and consistency and when that is interrupted, it upsets them.
- Poor attendance steals time away from other children's learning. We usually think that only our child is impacted if he is absent or late or leaves early. The truth is that 22 other students are affected. Think about it. The teacher has to stop and catch the child up. Kids are distracted from their own learning by the interruption. The office calls into the classroom and all learning stops until the student is dismissed. Consider how much time is lost if multiple kids are absent or late or leave early. Any and every interruption hinders children from learning.
For children and teachers, we know that there are times of sickness or family emergencies or extenuating circumstances when we can't be and shouldn't be at school. Life happens. We also know that we, as educators, need to be just as responsible in being present as we want our students to be. For all of us, when we show up to teach and learn, we are being good stewards of the resources we have to promote the greater good.
Attendance matters to everyone in order to accomplish the hopes and dreams we have for our kids. Let's make this a focused effort.
Next week, I can't wait to tell you what goats, chickens, and lions have in common.
Lions, on behalf of the staff, I hope each of you has a great week!
This Week's Newsletter Photo
On Monday, our middle and high school Beta Club inducted its newest members. Congratulations to these inductees, and to all of our Beta Club members for showing both high academic aptitude and high moral character.
Spirt Wear Sale
Believe it or not, Fall is right around the corner. We're running a 2-week sale for spirit items from the outstanding folks at Rock Hill Screen Printing. We have plenty of options to meet everyone's needs.
- short sleeve shirts (youth and adult, two colors)
- long sleeve shirts (youth and adult, two colors)
- sweatshirts (youth and adult, two colors)
- hoodies (youth and adult)
The deadline to order is Sunday, October 13th at midnight and items will be delivered by November 5th.
Check out our store at this link to make your selection. A sampling of items are below. Check out our store for all the options.
$150.00 in Free Money - Thanks to You
Parents, thanks to you, we've hit triple digits. We currently have 1,078 box tops packaged and ready to be shipped, plus 105 that need to be called in, due to a packaging error with Ziploc. That's $120 in clipped tops, $30 even currently in the app, which gives us a current total of $150.00 of free money. THANK YOU and keep up the great work!
Want to help out? See below:
Thank you for your support!
The Riverwalk Academy App Is Coming Soon
#RiverwalkOnTheGo
Agriculture Class Bake Sale
Reading to our Cubs
Make sure you check out our new weekly series, Reading to our Cubs. We release these videos each Sunday at 7:00 pm on Facebook. Tonight's story is sure to be a treat.
Read Your Way to the Big Game
USC and Clemson University, in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education, are again sponsoring the Read Your Way to the Big Game Contest. All kindergarten through 5th-grade students who read 6 books will qualify to win tickets to the Palmetto Bowl on November 30. Once students have completed their readings, they should turn in the list of books read to their teacher. Winners will receive four tickets and pre-game sideline passes to the Clemson vs. South Carolina game. Teachers have to input the students by November 1, 2019 deadline. Click on the link below for more information. If we have 70% of our school to participate, we could win a $2000 grant for library books as well. If you have questions, please contact our Literacy Coach, Ms. Christman.
Read Your Way To The Big Game
USC and Clemson University, in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education, are again sponsoring the Read Your Way to the Big Game Contest. All 6th-grade through 8th-grade students who read 6 books will qualify to win tickets to the Palmetto Bowl on November 30. Once students have completed their readings, they should turn in the list of books read to their teacher. Winners will receive four tickets and pre-game sideline passes to the Clemson vs. South Carolina game. Teachers have to input the students by November 1, 2019 deadline. Click on the link below for more information. If we have 70% of our school to participate, we could win a $2000 grant for library books as well. If you have questions, please contact our Literacy Coach, Ms. Christman.
Student Drivers
10th grade students may be eligible to drive/park at Riverwalk Academy. Click here to view the student parking requirements. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Graham.
- Agriculture Class Bake Sale
- Cross Country Practice @ 3:15 pm
- Swim Practice @ 3:30 pm
Tuesday (10/1)
- Marathon Kids (Yellow Group) 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
- Swim Meet @ 5:30 pm at Rock Hill Aquatics Center (against South Point)
- Cross Country Meet @ 5:30 pm at Chester High School
Wednesday (10/2)
- Cross Country Practice @ 3:15 pm
Thursday (10/3)
- Marathon Kids (Green Group) 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
- Cross Country Practice @ 3:15 pm
Friday (10/4)
- Terrific Kids Celebration @ 8:30 am
About Us
Email: info@riverwalkacademy.com
Website: www.riverwalkacademy.com
Location: 5750 Mt Gallant Rd, Rock Hill, SC, USA
Phone: 8033278400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riverwalkacademy
Twitter: @RiverwalkLions