The Riverwalk Roar
October 6, 2019
Note from Dr. Compton
Pride,
As I was closing out the week on Friday, one thing stood out for me. The number of student-led projects that we have going on right now is quite impressive (and sometimes a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with).
Friday morning, I was heading to the high school to go visit with a class when I noticed a slew of activity. For starters, Mr. Ogburn is teaching an outdoor education class on Fridays and his students have been building some flat garden beds, along with a compost area. Just a few feet down from this area was Ms. Kunde's agriculture students who are cleaning/painting a "barn-style" building getting it ready for the goats that they have purchased for the school. Attached to this building is a chicken coupe, where we have 4 chickens. As if this wasn't enough, we have a detached garage on our property where Coach Wilson and Mr. Waddle are working with their advanced-PE students to transform this into a weight room.
We also have a group of 10th-grade students who are exploring different uses of the "house" that is on our property. This student project is a joint-class project with Mr. Ogburn's Marketing class and our 10th-grade student leadership impact class. They are still early in their research, but their first concept of building a high school collaboration room is quite impressive.
As Friday was winding down, I was sent some updates from our 2nd Grade team. The 2nd Grade helped different organizations in the Rock Hill community. Throughout the unit, students learned all about how their community has changed from then to now, different locations in the community, and how they can help make a difference in their community. Check out their videos to see how they helped make a difference.
Then there's this upcoming week. A year ago, a group of 7th-grade students (now 8th graders) asked, "How do we, as Riverwalk Academy students, create awareness about our rich Hispanic culture and the effect that it has had in our school and the surrounding communities?" This group did a phenomenal job last year with their project, which included an elementary assembly and even included some media coverage. This year, they asked if they could do it again. This student-led project includes a letter to our elementary parents, a week's worth of themes including a school-wide assembly on Friday. Here's a look at their daily themes for this upcoming week (which all students are encouraged to participate in):
- Musica Monday: Students listen to Hispanic music throughout the day! (Music is a very important part of Latin America, this music is the foundation of traditional dances in Latin America)
- Taco Tuesday: Students wear outfits that express themselves. ( A taco is composed of certain components; Hard or Softshell, Beef, Tomatoes, Cheese, etc. Just like these tacos Riverwalk Academy is composed of many students’ characteristics)
- Colorful Wednesday: Wear the most colorful and most exodic outfit you can find! (Hispanic countries have very exotic costumes when they are doing their traditional dances, in this way we can show the students that even when you are in your most exotic outfit, there is beauty)
- Sombrero Thursday: This is the one day where students would be able to wear hats. (all of the Latin American countries have the males wear some sort of hat, the hat will almost never be the same)
- Fútbol Friday: On this day students will come to school supporting their favorite sports team. (Just like America, Latin America have a variety of sports) { Keep note that this is also the day of the assembly}
Pride, as you can see, we have a lot of outstanding things that are happening. What makes this so exciting for us is that each of these ideas and projects is student-led. Our students' passions are driving their efforts and, in return, they are having a deeper connection to Riverwalk Academy and to the surrounding community.
Let's have another outstanding week, Lions!
~Dr. Compton
This Week's Newsletter Photo
This's week photo is from our PAWSitively Terrific Kids celebration that took place on Friday. The PAWSitively Terrific Kids celebration is a combination of our previous PAWSitive Awards with our new relationship with the Rock Hill Kiwanis' Terrific Kids. Each month we recognize a student from each of our elementary classrooms who exhibited that month's character trait. In September, our character trait was positivity.
Spirt Wear Sale
~7 More Days Remaining~
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 is below. Check out our store for all the options.
Introducing Riverwalk Academy, On The Go
We are proud to announce that the Riverwalk Academy mobile app is live and ready for you. It is here that you can keep up with all things Riverwalk while you're on the go.
We do suggest that you allow for "push notifications" and that you enable your location settings for this app. The reason is that at times we will push a school-related notification straight to your phone. These notifications could range from a simple, "check out our latest news", to something more urgent, like an emergency notification (we will still use call/text in the event of an emergency). Additionally, let's say we are having an issue with our dismissal one day, we can push out a "location" notification which will be sent to everyone who is within a certain distance to our school.
We hope you like this app and that you find it useful. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let us know.
Click the graphic below to take you to the links to download on your Apple or Android device.
#RiverwalkOnTheGo
Lion Artists of the Week (picked by Dr. Compton's daughters)
Check out Riverwalk Academy's online art gallery at Artsonia. Artsonia is the World's Largest Student Art Museum. Yet it's so much more than that! It's a free, safe, educational program designed to connect parents and families with their child's creative activities at school.
Self Portrait
Colored Tree Silhouette
Self Portrait
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.
Hugo's Book Bus
Hugo's Book Bus from the Charlotte Hornets will be visiting Riverwalk's kindergarteners- third graders on October 24th. Hugo gets everyone involved in his entertaining performance with the goal to motivate students to read every day. We can't wait to see Hugo! If you have any questions, please contact our Literacy Coach, Ms. Christman.
Rivers' Fun Run
Please save the date for the K - 5 Rivers' Fun Run, which takes place on Friday, October 25th. The schedule of events is listed in the graphic below and our pledge envelopes, which contain all the information you need, will be sent home on Monday, October 14th. Parents, we'd love to have you out to run with your child, however, we're still needing volunteers for the day. If you are interested in volunteering for the event (you can still run with your child), please sign-up by clicking here.
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.
Rivers' Color Run
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.
Lady Lions Finish in 3rd Place
Congratulations to our Lady Lions for their impressive 3rd place finish during Tuesday's varsity cross country meet at Chester High School. 7th Grader Maya Losee, came in 5th place overall. Both teams, boys and girls, travel to Clover on Tuesday for their final regular-season meet of the season.
Varsity Swim Season Comes To An End
On Tuesday, our inaugural varsity swim season came to an end as the Lions swam against South Point High School, Catawba Ridge High School, and York High School. The event was held at the Rock Hill Aquatics Center. During this final meet of the season, all 7 swimmers swam a personal best. Rivers even found a way to make his way there to cheer on the Lions. Way to go, swimmers, we're proud of you.
Rivers' Color Run
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.
- Cross Country Practice @ 3:15 pm
Tuesday (10/8)
- Marathon Kids (Yellow Group) 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
- Cross Country Meet @ 5:30 pm at Clover High School
Wednesday (10/9)
- Cross Country Practice @ 3:15 pm
Thursday (10/10)
- Marathon Kids (Green Group) 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
- Cross Country Practice @ 3:15 pm
Friday (10/11)
- Hispanic Heritage Elementary Assembly (an 8th student-led project)
The Pride on Parade
Each week, we'll share photos of members of our Pride wearing their school gear out in the community. If you have any photos to share, please send them, along with a short description, to Dr. Compton.
This week's photo is of 9th grader Allie Harker, who took her Riverwalk Academy gear to the friendly skies.
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