River Trail Elementary School
Otters Coming Soon!
Welcome Message
Dear Parents and Future Otters,
It is with much excitement that I welcome you as future students and families at River Trail Elementary School! It is exciting to have the opportunity to be a part of a brand new school family, establish a new school culture and traditions, while carrying out the success that the Fort Mill School District has already established. It is going to be an amazing experience to be a River Trail Otter!
I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I have served the past eight and a half years as principal of Springfield Elementary School. Prior to that, I served as the assistant principal at Pleasant Knoll Elementary and assisted with the opening of PKES in 2009. I began my administrative career as an assistant principal at Orchard Park Elementary from 2007-2009. My teaching career began in Fort Mill at Gold Hill Middle School in grades seventh and eighth with experience teaching social studies and language arts.
As principal of River Trail Elementary, I believe that the partnership between school staff and families is paramount. We will be able to provide our students with an excellent educational experience by partnering together to support each child. There will be many opportunities for you to be involved. There will be three main expectations for our administration and staff. They are to put children first in the decision making process, provide a positive and caring learning environment for our students and each other, and for our teachers to work together in Professional Learning Communities.
Although a lot of work and many decisions are ahead, there has already been a lot that has taken place to prepare for the opening of River Trail Elementary. The school administration has been named. Sarah Baird and Mabra Wayman will serve as assistant principals. The building design and floor plans have been studied in preparation for procedures and safety plan development, and school furniture selection has taken place. The mascot, color selections, and logo design has been completed. Please take a moment to check out the new school logos below!
We will have several opportunities for students and parents to be involved as we prepare to come together for River Trail’s beginning. There will be a “meet & greet” for future RTES families. We will discuss the beginning steps of forming a parent organization for the school at that time. The date, time, and location will be finalized and communicated in the coming weeks. School administration will visit future students at their current schools in late spring to get them excited for their new adventure as River Trail Otters!
I’m excited to meet everyone and work with you to provide a positive and caring educational experience for your child’s elementary school years. Please contact me at anytime if you have any questions. Looking forward to the adventure ahead!
Sincerely,
Peter Olinger
Principal
River Trail Elementary