The Riverside Roar – September 21, 2020
The Riverside Roar is our weekly newsletter to inform our families of all the great things happening at school.
Download the Elementary Riverside Roar for the week of September 21, 2020 (PDF)
Download the Middle School Riverside Roar for the week of September 21, 2020 (PDF)
Dear Parents and Guardians,
At Riverside we are diving into testing! Why test so early? The results of testing, when used appropriately, make us better teachers. Tests can hold everyone accountable and steer our instruction. I’ve often heard the quote, “What gets measured, gets done.” We know that not all learning can be measured with a test and at times it may feel like tests are taking over our lives, but we must continue to measure and adapt. Please see information from Mr. Gray, Director of Academics, below. We will continue to notify you of important testing dates, so we can work together for our students’ success!
Sincerely, Ms. Lucas
Grab and Go Meals
Hybrid students will bring meals home every Wednesday.
Online families may pick up meals by pulling up to the kitchen door on the east side of the building. Pick up is on Thursdays from 12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M.
Upcoming Events
September 21 – Teacher Professional Development Day – No school for students
October 12 – Parent-Teacher Conferences – No school for students
October 16 – End of first quarter
October 21 – Picture Day
Director of Academics
Mr. Gray
wgray@acariverside.com
iReady Diagnostics to measure abilities in math and English Language Arts were administered this past week. These assessments were given to all traditional and hybrid students while they were in the building and were also administered to online students through Canvas.
Kindergarten teachers are being trained to administer the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. All kindergarten students will participate in this assessment by November 1, 2020. More details on times and dates of administration to come.
This assessment data will be used to make instructional decisions that meet individual student’s needs and develop rigorous, engaging lessons.
Kindergarten/1st Grade
Ms. White – Traditional
Nwhite@acariverside.com
Please make sure to check your child’s behavior report! The behavior reports will provide insight on your child’s behavior on a daily basis. Your child is responsible for showing you their behavior report every day of the week! THERE WAS NO HOMEWORK PACKET FOR SEPTEMBER 14TH TO THE 18TH. Behavior reports and homework will be handled with gloves so you won’t have to worry about my teacher germs! In Kindergarten we will be practicing the following: Tracing and writing letters, retelling a fun story, reading comprehension, writing our numbers, and counting to 30. In first grade we are learning about the following: Sight words, upper case and lower case letter tracing and memorization, reading comprehension, adding and subtracting between 1 and 20, and number bonds!
Ms. Zwirgzdas – Hybrid and Online
azwirgzdas@acariverside.com
This week students have been doing the I ready diagnostic and reviewing the first few weeks of content. In first grade, students were introduced to a fantasy text that taught characters, setting and plot. We also worked on diagraphs sh, ng, and th. In Math we worked on adding numbers up to 20 using a 10 frame. They are also learning about animal characteristics.
Kindergartners are working on number families, i.e. how many different ways you can add numbers to get to 4, 7, etc. up to 10. Kindergartners also counted objects such as starts and moons up to 10. In Reading, we are working on the alphabet, with an emphasis on the letter T. We also learned about the days of the week.
2nd/3rd Grade
Ms. Brown – Traditional
ebrown2@acariverside.com
We are down in another week and we’re getting prepared for the upcoming week. Just a reminder we do not have school Monday due to a teacher in-service so no school for the little kiddos. We will be working on describing connections between scientific ideas in both third and second grade. In math we are going to further understand how to use a ruler as well as start to learn how to use money in second grade. In third grade we are cracking down on multiplication and division. Hope you have a fantastic week.
Mrs. McKalip – Hybrid and Online
amckalip@acariverside.com
Dear Parents and Guardians:
Please ensure that your children are logging onto Canvas every week and completing their assignments on time and are reviewing their course content on time. Third grade ELA live instruction is on Monday through Friday from 9:05am to 9:55 am and third grade math live instruction is on Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 10:50 am. Second grade ELA live instruction is on Monday through Friday from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm and second grade math live instruction is on Monday through Friday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. This week in third grade reading, students will continue to learn about how to improve their reading fluency, spelling, grammar, writing, and vocabulary skills. Third grade students will also be learning about how to identify patterns in math and in science they will learn about the role of gravity. Our third grade social studies learning topic for this week is the Ancient Phoenician Culture. This week in second grade reading, students will learn about the season of fall and will work on improving their grammar, reading comprehension, fluency, spelling, writing, and phonics skills. In second grade math, students will be learning about arrays and they will be learning about animal habitats in science. Second grade students will be learning about the African culture through fables. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at (513)- 921- 7777. I can also be contacted by email. My email address is amckalip@acariverside.com. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ms. McKalip
4th/5th Grade
Ms. Kenner – Traditional
akenner@acariverside.com
Mrs. Smith – Hybrid and Online
lsmith@acariverside.com
Hello to all Parents & Guardians:
This week has been busy with your students taking the iReady Diagnostics for Reading and Math in addition to regular assignments. WOW! This important assessment will allow iReady to tailor lessons specifically to your child’s level in Reading & Math! A thank you to all students who were able to complete the tasks/demands. A special thank you to my parents who are right there participating & asking questions as we all learn together. DON’T FORGET: NOVELS ARE IN THE RIVERSIDE OFFICE. SEE MRS. YATES.
Middle School
English Language Arts
Ms. Brents
adbrents001@acariverside.com
This week the middle school took an assessment called the iReady Reading Inventory that determines reading grade level equivalency for students. If you ask your student what reading level they are on they should be able to communicate that to you. Students also have a sheet that lists specific domains in reading that they may need assistance with, and areas they are excelling in. Ask your student about this document and the goals we’ve set for them this school year. It will be a great conversation starter and opportunity to discuss goals for this school year and matriculating eventually to high school!
Math
Mrs. McConnell
mmcconnell@acariverside.com
Middle school math is going full steam ahead! We were able to finish the iReady diagnostic last week, which gives us a great tool for math education at school or at home. The expectation is that your student spends at least 45 min a week on iReady. If you are a traditional student and need help accessing iReady from a home device, please let me know. We will do what we can to help you. Homework this year in math is focused on practice and demonstrating skills, not on repetition. There may be days when your child has a few problems for homework and there may be times when they were able to finish work at school. Please don’t be concerned if it looks like math homework isn’t coming home. As usual, please contact me with any concerns
Social Studies
Ms. Charley
mcharley@acariverside.com
This week, the 6th and 8th grades finished their first standard. Next week, we will be starting the second standard in both grades. The virtual and hybrid sections are within 2 days of traditional students. Online, we started using some new technology like jam board and EdPuzzle. Remember, virtual and hybrid students have assignments posted at the latest each morning and should be making submissions every day.
Science
Mr. Voegele
SMVogele001@acariverside.com
Good day everyone, this is your weekly middle school science update from Mr. Voegele. I hope everything finds you safe, healthy and happy. This week in 6th grade we are continuing on our voyage into the field of geology. This will last most of the first half of the school year. 7th grade next week will be our midpoint on the periodic table and atoms. This is a short unit. 8th grade will be working on force and motion for some time. Special shout out to my 8th grade traditional students for an excellent job on their first assessment of the year. Average score was an A! Parents please remember that if you students are at home I am holding virtual classes Monday, Thursday and Friday. The times are in their weekly assignment in the Module section of the Canvas. Have a great weekend. Mr. Voegele is out.
Intervention Specialists
Parents/guardians, please check with your student(s) to see if they have finished their online iReady assessments (Math and English). These assessments are very important because they help the student’s teachers know where the student’s strengths are and where they may need some additional help.
Please call us or email the Special Education team if you have any questions about the assessments or about their classwork. Our phone number is: 513.921.7777 ext. 40904.
Our email addresses are:
mbruner@acariverside.com Maria Bruner K-5th grade
tspringer@acariverside.com Travis Springer 6th grade
cfrohlich@acariverside.com Cynthia Frohlich 7th and 8th grade
Physical Education
Mr. Holland
iholland@acariverside.com
We will start off with our normal stretches (arm rotations, push-ups, jumping jacks etc.)
After stretching we will do our cardio/rhythm & dance. This is a fun activity for students. This part of the lesson is big on following directions. We do the cha-cha slide, freeze dance, and freestyle dancing as well.
This week we will learn four of the bodies functioning systems (muscle system, urinary system, skeleton system, and endocrine system). Students will learn what these systems are responsible for. We will watch videos to get a visual of how these systems work, and what they look like.
Music
Ms. Sargent
hsargent@acariverside.com
This week in music class, students K-8 worked on quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. Additionally, students in grades 4-8 are continuing to master sixteenth notes. Grades 2-8 also took a trip to Australia to explore the country’s music, and they studied music by one of the most influential composers, Haydn. Grades 2-8 also began Recorder lessons this week, while kindergarten and first graders began learning the instruments in an orchestra.
