River Valley Ready for Fifth Graders

The desks have been brought over, furniture has been moved, teachers have been in and out collaborating for the year ahead and there is a feeling of anticipation in the air as you walk the halls. River Valley School is ready for the 2014-15 school year.

Although there are many changes as each school year begins, the most noticeable change comes in the relocating of fifth grade from Old Quarry Middle School to River Valley School.

“We are thrilled with the decision to have fifth grade housed at RV,” said Principal Debby Lynch. “When we looked at all the factors to consider, moving fifth grade to River Valley seemed like the right solution.”

Along with furniture, teacher materials and supplies, staff were also relocated and hired to meet the needs of the growth in population at River Valley. The building will house roughly 750 students compared to the 500 that were there in the 2013-14 school year.

Lynch spent the summer creating schedules, hiring staff and preparing class assignments for the fall, but the most exciting work came in working with teachers in the area of curriculum development and enhancement. Important dates and details will be sent to parents in an email the week of August 11th but can always be found on the district’s webpage calendar (www.sd113a.org). Once the school year is underway, events can also be found in a student’s assignment notebook and on a teacher’s webpage. Every student at River Valley receives an assignment notebook the first day of school. Immediate dates to consider are:

August 19: Meet & Greet

August 21: First Day of School

September 4: Curriculum Night

Lynch will hold her first Town Hall Meeting with students the first full week of school. There she will introduce herself and explain the expectations for the year ahead.

“In just a few short weeks students will enter River Valley School for a year of education and they only get one third, fourth or fifth grade year, it’s up to us to make it the best one they can have,” said Lynch as she reflected on the year to come.