Friday at 4:00
January 21, 2022
From the Desk of Dr. Rodriguez
Riviera has always been a trailblazer in the world of educational technology. From the use of interactive boards and projectors to our one-to-one mobile device initiative, technology in the classroom has been a prominent tool in the education of our students. Our leadership team attends the Future of Educational Technology Conference (FETC) every year as a way to keep abreast of all that can be offered to our students as we prepare them for exactly that: the future. Not only do we learn about the latest gizmos and gadgets, we listen to presentations by technology experts in order to help us to use technology to lead to greater student outcomes. The conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn about what is to come in the ever-growing world of technology, and one our leadership team looks forward to every year.
With all that being said, no amount of technology will ever be able to comfort a hurt child; no software will ever be able to smile back at a child after a joke is said in a classroom; no tablet or smartphone will ever be able to give a child a much-needed hug after a scraped knee from an intense game of kickball out on the courts; and no interactive projector can show a child how to be kind to others. These invaluable moments are all uniquely provided by our teachers, the ones who instinctively know when a child doesn't feel well the moment he steps into a classroom. Our teachers are the ones who lend a listening ear when a child feels the need to express herself and gives solid advice in return. Our teachers are counselors, friends, motivators, and magic-makers. They wear all the hats they need to for our children, and I am amazed by them each and every day.
Have a great weekend, and be on the lookout for next week's edition of Friday at 4:00!
Sincerely,
Dr. Rodriguez
Reminder...
Due to the persistent presence of COVID-19 in our community, we require parents NOT to send their child to school if any symptoms of the virus are present. Symptoms include headaches, stomachaches, nausea, fever, cough, congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell. Any student with any of these symptoms will be sent home, and the requirements listed in the Opening Plan must be met for the student to return to school.
Busy Spelling Bees
Ah, the wonderful worlds of spelling and grammar. Some words have spelling rules; some don't. We have homophones and homonyms and homographs. Confusing, right? Not for our students as we prepare them for the Scripps National Spelling Bee every year and make sure they ask the panel, "Can you use the word in a sentence, please?" Students in grades 1 - 5 are given a list of words appropriate for their grade level, and teachers conduct individual class spelling bees. Then we conduct grade-level spelling bees, and finally, the winners from 4th and 5th grades compete for the title of School Champion and the chance to participate in the county-wide spelling bee in April. Congratulations to the following students for winning their grade level spelling bee:
First Grade - Matthew Coombs
Second Grade - Isabella Vidal
Third Grade - Bianca Tomassetti
Fourth Grade - Tomas Lardiez AND Sophie Maragno
Fifth Grade - Baptiste Rocoplan
And HUGE congratulations to Baptiste Rocoplan for winning our school-wide spelling bee! He will represent Riviera Day School as our School Champion at the county spelling bee later this year, and who knows? HE MIGHT BE FLYING TO WASHINGTON, D.C. TO COMPETE IN THE NATIONAL BEE! It's a tough battle, but we are sure Baptiste will do an excellent job all around.
"Adding" so much to our lives!
"How many in all?" Preschool students are now diving into the magical and mystical world of addition as they learn to group, add some more, and count the final total of any object their hearts desire. They add teddy bear counters, beads, pencils in all of the pencil boxes in the classroom, and even sailboats! Using the interactive panels in the classrooms is always exciting, and students get to show off their extensive expertise in writing numbers. Well done, preschool, well done!
Sailboats
Kazia
Carter
How Bulldogs Keep in Touch!
Email: riviera@rivieraschools.com
Website: rivieraschools.com
Location: 6800 Nervia Street, Coral Gables, FL, USA
Phone: (305) 666-1856