Riverdale Review DISTRICT 51J
Inside this issue:
Fall 2014
• Supporting Our Schools P. 2 • Academic Highlights P. 3-8
A message from your superintendent The school year is underway and both students and staff are finding their rhythm, and I am settling in to my second year as your superintendent, a position I am extremely proud to hold. Throughout my career in education I have observed many administrators and a wide variety of teaching styles. Yet, in my short time at Riverdale, I have discovered a great number of unique attributes that set our schools apart from others. I would like to share with you some of my favorite things about the Riverdale School District. Our teachers and administrators are here for kids. As I speak to teachers and other staff throughout the district, I find the common thread when decisions are made is “what is best for kids?” This is a basic tenet of our work around the Coalition of Essential Schools. Read more on Page 3. An informed and involved school board. As I have worked with the Riverdale School Board for the last 15 months I have found an outstanding attitude. They want to stay informed about issues, ask probing questions and believe strongly in maintaining an environment where true discussion can happen. A caring and involved community. I am continually amazed by the capacity of the community. Whether I am speaking to a PTC member during one of their myriad volunteer opportunities, or a community member that no longer has children in school, the kindness and genuine concern for our children is always evident. I am also excited to share with you the progress we have made over the summer and so far this school year. On the following pages, you’ll learn more about our technology upgrade, the upcoming launch of Synergy ParentVUE, our work prioritizing the common principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, our new grade school curriculum for math, and more. I hope you enjoy this issue of our district newsletter. As you will read in the story about our new marketing and communications coordinator, we are looking forward to honing and reformatting our communications vehicles in order to keep our families and community updated on all that goes on in our district. I think you will enjoy what is in store. Sincerely, Terry Brandon
Riverdale Review
• Faces of Riverdale • Athletics - Fall-Winter
P. 9 P. 10-11
• Events and Activities
P. 12
Riverdale’s latest technology boost RIVERDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT – Thanks to generous contributions from parents and the community collected during last year’s auction paddle raise, this summer was filled with ambitious technology projects to prepare for the school year.
Wireless infrastructure upgrade
Increasing the number of wireless access points throughout the grade school and high school buildings has dramatically increased the capacity of our wireless infrastructure. Additionally, our wireless range now extends across the majority of each campus. “As Riverdale moves toward having one device per student, this will significantly improve the ability of teachers to feel confident using digital tools and for students to leverage these tools to maximize learning,” says Sean Williams, the district’s technology innovator.
Mounted projectors and sound
We moved all the classroom projectors to ceiling mounts and added distributive sound to the classrooms. This project frees up class floor space, removes a lot of wires and cables and provides for students to hear what is played no matter where they are physically located in the classroom.
ParentVUE launches Oct. 15
The latest ambitious project is preparing to open the ParentVUE portal for Synergy, our student information system. Parents of 5th-12th graders will soon be able to view attendance, check students’ class schedules and course history, see assignments and grades as they are posted, and update some of their personal contact information. While not all features are intended for K-4th, those parents will still have access to some functions. ParentVUE launches on Wednesday, Oct. 15. On that day, parents will receive an email with instructions for accessing the portal with a unique access code. The codes will also be available during conferences, Oct. 16-17. Once activated, you can set your own username and password. A mobile app is also available.
Supporting our schools Annual Campaign begins in October, sustains ‘Riverdale education’
A new look for communications
RIVERDALE FOUNDATION – The Riverdale Foundation’s Annual Campaign kicks off Monday, Oct. 6, and runs through Friday, Nov. 21. As a member of the Riverdale community, we hope you’ll join the longstanding tradition of school support. A personally meaningful contribution at any level makes a difference and is much appreciated. What is truly important is that every Riverdale family participates. Money raised helps cover the gap – as high as $6,000 per student – between what the district receives from the state and the actual cost of providing the exceptional education every Riverdale student deserves. This year, the foundation’s goal is $1 million. Pledges may be redeemed through April 30, 2015, and families are welcome to make monthly payments. Suggested giving levels are $3,500 for resident and transfer families with children in 1st through 12th grades and $500 per child for tuitionpaying families and those with kindergartners. Community members are also encouraged to give at the $500 level. Families who add $1,000 to their total donation will be recognized as going the “extra mile.” Families are also encouraged to apply for matching grants from their employers, if available. Donations to the Riverdale Foundation support the district’s operating budget. Your donations help protect small class sizes across the district and fund: • Teacher salaries • Building maintenance • Curriculum development • Grade school ‘extras’ such as music, PE, art, library and technology • High school electives • Financial aid for students who need it Pledges and donations may be mailed to the Riverdale Foundation at P.O. Box 69015, Portland, OR 97239, or made at www.riverdalefoundation.org.
RIVERDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT – We are pleased to welcome our new marketing and communications coordinator, Heather Crow, who joined us Sept. 15. She comes to us with extensive experience and fresh new ideas for communicating with current and prospective Riverdale families and the Dunthorpe community. “There are so many great stories to tell about Riverdale – from the unique style of teaching to the plentiful student accomplishments, and everything in between,” Heather says. As she explores new ways of sharing these often-untold stories, look for changes to existing communication tools. News will be shared more often and through a variety of channels. This school year, you’ll see the launch of a new e-newsletter providing quick snapshots of Riverdale news, events, leadership messages, classroom fun and spotlights on the people who make our schools what they are – the teachers, students and parents. We are also exploring the use of social media channels later in the school year, so get ready to join the conversation.. If you have opted-out of receiving Riverdale’s e-blasts, you’ll want to update your record so you receive our new communications and any urgent school news. To get back on the distribution list, please email hcrow@riverdale.k12.or.us. Also, please notify your child’s school should your email address change.
PTC provides enrichment for parents and teachers PARENT TEACHER CLUB – To stay informed, look for weekly "PTC Parent Pack" newsletters and occasional e-blasts in your email inbox. In both the grade school and high school newsletters, you’ll find notices of upcoming events, fundraisers, calls for volunteers and much more. In addition to keeping you updated and engaged in your child’s education, our very active Parent Teacher Club provides funds for classroom enrichment, teacher support, extracurricular activities and community building, as well as athletic support through the Booster Club. This summer, PTC paid for teacher training, in-class libraries and microscopes for the grade school. At both schools, technology was upgraded through funds collected during last year’s auction paddle raise. Be sure to mark your calendar for this year's annual fundraising party on March 7, 2015. For news or to get involved, visit www.riverdaleptc.org.
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Calling all photographers If you or your students take photos at any Riverdale events, including field trips, athletics, clubs, plays, etc., we ask that you share them with us, so we have a selection to choose from when writing newsletters and updating the website. Photos can be sent to photos@riverdale.k12.or.us. If you do not want your student's photograph published, be sure to notify the school.
Riverdale Review
Academic Highlights Prioritizing the CES principles
through math problems and expression of thoughts through art. Many different subject areas can be linked RIVERDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT – The Coalition of Essential together through integrative themes, helping to Schools stresses small, personalized learning communities in reinforce learning. Many lessons use hands-on group which teachers and students know each other well in a climate projects to spark learning and inspire exploration of trust, decency and high expectations for all. Per our district and collaboration. Through group dialogue, students strategic plan, our schools are establishing CES implementation learn to make sense of the work and foster long-term goals, providing professional development on CES principles, understanding. identifying focus areas based on those principles and integrating “The grade school is focusing on school CES and Common Core State Standards into the classroom. improvement through a CES lens,” says Joanna Recently, both our high school and grade school principals Tobin, grade school principal. “For example, how can were accepted into Sizer Principals’ Network, comprising instructional technology assist students in learning to 16 principals across the country who lead CES work in their use their minds well?” schools. It is designed to provide direct, hands-on support and Four Riverdale teachers attended the consultation as we strive to implement the CES philosophy. recent Oregon Tech Cadre in Eugene. Not only Through this affiliation, Paula Robinson and Joanna Tobin receive did participants learn of new applications and personalized mentoring during the year and guidance through instructional practices, they honed best practices in participation in online meetings with leaders in the field. teaching through discussion and by engaging in ways to inspire student learning. The entire staff will learn ‘Unanxious expectation’ in the high school some of these ideas and approaches during upcoming Two recent CES professional development days in the high professional development time. school focused on dissecting the CES Common Principles in order to identify top priorities. After discussing, reflecting, analyzing and sharing ideas and understanding, one principle A true reflection of Riverdale rose to the top for the whole team. graduation rates The seventh CES principle calls for the tone of the school to “explicitly and self-consciously stress values of unanxious RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – With various expectation (I won’t threaten you but I expect much of you), transitions in student information systems and of trust (until abused) and of decency (the values of fairness, staff over the past few years, there had been some generosity and tolerance).” It also stresses the use of incentives confusion over the proper way to record certain appropriate to the school’s students and teachers and the students who did not “graduate” with their class at the involvement of parents as “key collaborators and vital members end of senior year, such as foreign exchange students of the school community.” (Coalition of Essential Schools 2014). who returned to their home countries and fifth-year “We addressed the areas in which our students experience seniors who graduated after the state’s anticipated anxiety around school expectations, the practices we implement graduation date. to consciously reduce anxiety for students, where we can better Riverdale High School has a 98 percent four-year support our students, where we cause them undue anxiety, graduation rate and a 100 percent completion rate and what we can do tomorrow to better implement unanxious for the adjusted cohort (meaning after removing expectations,” says Paula Robinson, high school principal. “We those who transfer to other schools, all students also discussed how to be more transparent about this goal with graduate). However, if you view the Oregonian’s our students.” School Guide, you’ll notice graduation figures that do not match our true figures. The Oregon Department of Education data used by the Oregonian showed a 2013 ‘Using their minds well’ in the grade school The grade school is focusing on the first principle of helping graduation rate of 86 percent, which included the students “learn to use their minds well.” Essential school districts miscoded students in its calculation and showed them as drop-outs. In fact, one of these “drop-outs” is now recognize that in order for students to use their minds well in high school, their grade school learning must give them the tools enrolled at Harvard! to do so. Therefore, staff were recently asked to discuss what the We are now recording all students in the correct concept of “using one’s mind well” looks like in their classrooms. manner, and while 2014 data may also appear incorrectly on the Oregonian’s School Guide page, we The CES philosophy involves engaging children as workers are confident that it will be correctly reflected for 2015 with an intellectual focus centered on language. This does not and other classes moving forward. just mean reading, writing or talking, but also involves thinking Riverdale Review
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Academic Highlights Making math fun
Named students were acknowledged by their peers during a recent community meeting. Missing is Matthew Mogck.
National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes eight seniors RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – On Sept. 10, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Among them was Riverdale High School senior Nathaniel Klein. The program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Nathaniel now has an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth close to $33 million that will be offered next spring. Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition, where more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship and earn the Merit Scholar® title. Additionally, seven Riverdale seniors were among 34,000 academically talented high school seniors in the nation named “commended students.” Cary Hagan, Sophie Hamilton, David Hugel, Megan Larkin, Matthew Mogck, Lucas Rosevear and Patricia Torvalds placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition by taking the 2013 PSAT. Please join us in congratulating these students!
Advanced placement success RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – While the high school offers no specific AP classes, our rigorous academic curriculum prepares students to succeed in the exams. We encourage our students to take AP exams and we proctor the tests at the high school. In 2014, 28 students from the junior and senior classes took an AP exam – approximately one in five students. Of those, 87 percent earned a score of three or greater, the requirement to earn college credit. And 37 percent earned a five, the highest score possible. 4
RIVERDALE GRADE SCHOOL – “How do I engage learners and also ‘make math fun’?” This is an essential question math teachers have pondered for years. This year, the addition of Bridges in Mathematics second edition curriculum has only enhanced the amount of math “play” used to develop math skills in the grade school. Learning activities tap into the intelligence and strengths of all students by presenting mathematical material infused with language, pictures and movement. “It’s accessible for all learning styles – visual, auditory and kinesthetic or hands-on,” explains Larissa Reece, 5th grade math teacher. A recent lesson had her students using hands-on building techniques to solve a problem: How could they help a baseball salesman lower his costs for sending a set number of baseballs to his customers? To find the solution, students created multiple structures to contain the necessary volume of balls within the smallest surface area. They also drew illustrations of their prototypes in order to document their findings. “Students develop hypotheses, describe observations, explain their methods and ask questions,” Mrs. Reece says. “They decompose problems and use different methods for solving them than the common algorithms.” While our kindergarten through 2nd grade classes had been using Bridges, this year is the first year for Riverdale to utilize Bridges second edition seamlessly for grades K-5th. Mrs. Reece says it’s now rigorous at every grade level and so well structured that every lesson is a direct line into what they’ll learn next. “It builds connections between concepts – that’s what I love so much,” she says. “The way they’ve put together the plan and process for reaching the big picture.” The meaning-based program prompts students to identify the meaning behind the concepts, so they understand when and how to incorporate the practices they learn. Parents can help by questioning how children are arriving at their answers and encouraging the exploration of multiple approaches to solving problems.
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Academic Highlights Learning beyond the classroom RIVERDALE GRADE SCHOOL – At Riverdale, learning isn’t confined to the classroom. Students are encouraged to stretch their wings and expand their minds through a variety of field studies. Two annual grade school trips perfectly illustrate this practice: Bull Run Watershed and Mount St. Helens.
At the Bull Run Watershed, students experiment with testing the water's turbidity, after collecting samples from different depths.
Mrs. Whitehill’s 4th graders enjoy the view during the Bull Run Watershed field trip.
A water lesson at Bull Run Watershed
All 4th graders study the science of water, learning about its properties, evaporation and condensation, and surface area. They also discover how droughts affect their food supply and how girls in third-world countries miss out on an education because they have to travel miles to collect water for their families. But what really ties the classroom learning together is the annual trip to Bull Run Watershed, one of the only unfiltered water supplies in the country. Guided by a professional water resources educator, they learn about Portland’s primary drinking water supply and how it stays so clean. “The trip gives kids ownership of the water,” says Sharon Whitehill, one of two 4th grade teachers. “They learn where it comes from, that it isn’t magic and that they have to conserve it and take good care of it.” It’s a memorable excursion for the students. Emily, from Heidi Hutchinson’s class, recalls counting the steps on the two staircases in the dam. “There were 243 going down and 270 going up,” she says proudly. Her classmate, Helen, explains how tree branches in the forest create shade to keep the water cold and help filter out air pollution. “Without the trees, they’d be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on filters,” explains Tommy, from Mrs. Riverdale Review
Whitehill’s class. Students learned how the water is tested regularly. “It was pretty cool how they had these machines that could tell the turbidity,” says Helen, referring to the water’s clarity. Her classmate Trevor explains how each group collected water samples from various depths and found the water in the middle was the clearest. "That’s because the sediment sinks to the bottom," he says. Back in the classroom, Mrs. Hutchinson’s class built their own thermometers to see what happens to water when it is heated and cooled. They observed the changes and recorded their observations, as any scientist would. After all, that’s exactly what they are! Story continues on next page.
Mrs. Hutchinson’s students are excited to see their “thermometer” levels rising when placed in hot water, and falling when placed in cool water.
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Academic Highlights
Learning comes alive on Mount St. Helens On Sept. 30, a group of 42 5th graders eagerly set out on a Riverdale grade school rite of passage. The Mount St. Helens field study trip has been a tradition since 1983. Tying in to classroom learning about plate tectonics, volcanoes, natural history and plant succession, the fourday camping trip began on the volcano’s south side with a discussion about why it remained intact during the eruption. “We’re studying earth systems, and what better way to make it come alive for the students than to get out in the field and explore an active volcano?” says Dietrich Nebert, 5th grade science teacher and trip leader. Various hikes included viewing an ancient basalt cliff valley, crossing a suspension bridge and spotting herds of elk. Other highlights included a Native American presentation to learn about early inhabitants of the land we call home, ranger talks and spelunking in a lava tube cave. At the re-opened Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, students used GPS units to go geo-caching in the blast zone. Their searches yielded hidden treasure bins 6
containing hands-on activities and cognitive exercises that used evidence of the 1980 blast to help them learn about the eruption. At the Johnston Ridge Visitor Center, students had a spectacular view of the mountain, then went inside for additional activities that shed light on what caused the eruption and its devastating effects, and how it created beautiful new landscapes, lakes and canyons. Although the area around Harmony Falls looks like a desert, students learned how forest succession will someday return the area to a thick forest, almost as it was prior to the eruption. On the last day, some of the students hiked down to the edge of Spirit Lake to see logs that have been floating since 1980, while others hiked towards the crater to view the exact area of the largest landslide in recorded history. They also spent some creative time using watercolor paints to capture the beautiful scenery. Students kept a record of what they learned at each stop in their trip journals. They also traveled with vocabulary cards to reinforce their knowledge, which was tested in the final day exam. “The kids had a great time,” Mr. Nebert. says “And they couldn’t believe how big it was.” Riverdale Review
Academic Highlights
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Academic Highlights Gearing up for college RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – The high school offers comprehensive college counseling services, and our college acceptance rate is outstanding. Equally important, our students are happy with their college choices. Teachers instill the skills and habits necessary to succeed in a college environment, while advisors help shape the academic and enrichment path students take to get into the right colleges for them.
College visits
Close to 60 colleges have scheduled visits to our campus, which began in mid-September and continue through early November. Since these representatives are usually the first to read student applications, this interaction plays a critical role in the process. A schedule of visits can be found near the front desk, outside the College Center and on Naviance, the robust program we use for the college search and application process.
College applications
The Common Application, allowing students to apply to more than 500 schools at once, and most State University applications are available online now. Seniors already have all the information they need in their college binders, and they should be actively working on applications now. Deadlines vary by school from November for early decision to February for regular decision. Michael Murray and Jill Hall are meeting with seniors during school hours but are also available before, during and after school to meet with students and parents.
College fair
The National College Fair is 1-5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2, and 9 a.m. to noon, Monday, Nov. 3, at the Convention Center. Students can register at www.gotomyncf.com.
Scholarships and financial aid
Seniors and parents should also be paying close attention to the scholarship lists in Naviance, which are continuously updated. Financial Aid Night will be 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5.
For juniors
Junior College Day at Lewis & Clark will take place in January. More details will be provided before the event. To learn more about college planning or Naviance, visit the “College Counseling” page under “High School Academics” on the Riverdale website, www.riverdaleschool.com. 8
Russia comes alive for middle schoolers RIVERDALE GRADE SCHOOL – A new elective has 7th and 8th graders immersed in Russian language, culture and food. Sara Marruffo, who also teaches Spanish, earned her undergraduate degree in Russian literature and has been to Russia six times – three for work, two for education and once just for fun. “Learning Russian has opened doors to radically new and different experiences for me,” Sara says. Her goal is to In Russian Culture and Language, bring a little taste of what students first learn to read and she loves about Russian write the Cyrillic alphabet. culture to her curious students. And taste they will when the class recreates a Russian New Year feast in its last section. This includes Olivier, a traditional potato salad recipe, which they’ll prepare in class the day before the feast. Students have already learned some Russian phrases and practiced writing the Cyrillic alphabet in script. Coming up, Ms. Marruffo says they’ll use what they’ve learned to translate Cyrillic spellings of common ice cream flavors before ordering their selection in a pretend ice cream shop. Then it’s onto Russian fairy tales – the students’ top choice – to explore the culture while also adding a new genre of books to their reading-for-fun choices.
Students earn college credit RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – The Riverdale High School class of 2014 graduated with 320 college credits, many of which were provided via our staff through partnerships with Portland State University and Portland Community College. These included Western Civilizations A and B through PSU and Writing 121 through PCC, totaling 244 college credits. Additionally, many of our students earned off-campus credits through Templeton Scholars at Lewis & Clark or other schools, totaling 76 college credits. This year we have added PSU Geology, which is being taught by one of our instructors on our campus. We are also discussing an additional partnership with PCC to add Writing 122 or 123. Riverdale Review
Faces of Riverdale Student follows passion, teaches high school botany class
Mark Wechter, right, on the podium at the 2014 Highland Games World Championships.
Highland Games win for high school teacher RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – It was a proud moment on the podium for Riverdale High School’s Mark Wechter when, in early September, he placed third at the 2014 Highland Games World Championships in Scotland. “I wanted to see what I was capable of if I put everything into it,” says Mr. Wechter, who finished fourth in last year’s world championships and has won the North American championships three years running. The math and science teacher, who also coaches track and field, took part in his first Highland Games 19 years ago at the urging of his older brother. A javelin thrower before injury caused a switch to power lifting, the traditional Scottish games allowed him to use his strength in eight different events. These include stone throw, hammer throw, weight for distance, weight over bar and caber tossing, which he considers his best event. “You have to have everything for caber,” Mr. Wechter says about the sport that involves tossing a 100-180 pound log endover-end to face directly away from you. “You have to be strong and fast, but you also have to have technique.” According to the competition’s website, Mr. Wechter also impressed the crowd after the contest when he tossed the famed Inverness Stone, weighing 252 pounds, over a five-foot bar three times without touching the bar equipment. Riverdale Review
RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – High school senior Cole Burchiel has had several chances to lead classes over the years, but instructing a high school botany class for an entire trimester this year is his biggest teaching experience so far. “My interest in botanical science stems from my experience as an outdoor school student leader,” Cole says of his sophomore experience teaching 6th grade Animal Science, followed by what he calls “the far superior” 6th grade Plant Sciences. “Since then, I've had a passion for plants, for which I've assembled an ever-growing plant-themed library.” In his junior year, Cole and his classmates each took turns teaching a lesson in Laurie LePore’s Comparative Zoology class. During a conversation with Ms. LePore about their shared fascination with intricate, slowly observed science, she revealed her desire for a botany class in the high school. Cole jumped at the opportunity to teach it. So far, Cole says the term “has been going swimmingly!” He expected the additional workload to be intense, but did not anticipate how time-consuming operating a class would be. He has learned to balance teaching, schoolwork and the many extra-curricular activities in which he participates, but he shares that this process has been “an adventure in adapting to uncomfortable situations with a lesson in humility and selfcontrol around every corner.” What he’s really looking forward to is the end of the term – not because class will be over, but because his final lessons focus on ethnobotany, the study of the human-plant relationship. “This is really why I wanted to teach this class,” Cole explains, “as I'm not sure that high school students are fully aware of the role plants play in our lives.” Cole wants to encourage his peers to investigate the legitimacy of what they hear. “I'm excited to have the class investigating the controversy around pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and GMOs,” he says. “The intent is to provide the tools for students to formulate their own opinion about the foods they eat and what changes they might make to their diet or shopping habits based on this knowledge.” Cole Burchiel, at right, stands next to the Tryon Tree, the oldest tree in Tryon Creek Park, while leading a botany lesson.
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Athletics Fall sports off to a strong start RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL
RHS Cross Country sweeps meets
Both the boys' and girls’ teams have set the bar high this fall. The boys’ program finished in the top three spots in each of its races thus far and collected the school's first ever sweep in the race at Nestucca, capturing the top five finishing spots. Senior Guy Eroh has finished first in each of the races he participated in, including the Nike Pre-Nationals at Portland Meadows. The girls’ program has steadily improved over the season and took first place at the last meet at Nestucca, completing a Riverdale first place sweep for the day. Sophomore Lilah Abrams lead the way for the Mavericks as she finished second place overall.
days. The Mavericks finished with a 2-2 mark on the week, but more matches are still to come as they enter league play. A late goal against Westside Christian kept the girls' soccer
program undefeated as they opened up league play. The girls fought hard, and their excellent conditioning and teamwork earned them a tie. The Mavericks unfortunately dropped their next match against No. 2 ranked OES, but are poised for future wins this season.
RHS Volleyball’s long-awaited win
The high school began it's first season as a 3A school by snapping a lengthy losing streak at the first tournament of the season against Clatskanie High School, where the varsity team went 1-2, and defeated the host Tigers.
RHS Soccer fights hard
Boys’ soccer holds a 3-2 overall record, beginning the year strong with an undefeated 2-0 mark before hitting a tough stretch playing four matches in seven 10
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Athletics RIVERDALE GRADE SCHOOL Season bests for RGS Cross Country Several Riverdale cross country runners posted their best times of the season at the season’s third meet at Catlin Gabel, and the boys’ team finished with a seventh place overall finish. Jalen H. finished fourth overall in the race.
RGS Soccer plays hard
Boys' Division 1 soccer remains undefeated this season with a mark of 4-0. In their closest game of the season, the Falcons defeated Portland Christian by a score of 4-2. Girls' Division 1 soccer struggled in the preseason, dropping a 1-0 heartbreaker to Meadowglade. Yet the team shows steady signs of improvement. The Falcons battled to a 2-2 tie with a tough Portland Christian team and earned an 11-1 victory over Catlin Gabel. Boys' Division 2 soccer dropped its first contest against OES, but had solid wins against Life Christian and Catlin Gabel and is 2-1 in the early season.
RGS Volleyball gives it their all
After moving up from Division 2 to Division 1, the Falcons have had several tough contests, dropping their first three matches of the season. Two of the first three matches went to a decisive third set where the Falcons battled hard. However, the Falcons turned the tables by earning their first win against Kingsway Christian in two sets.
Winter sports kick off Nov. 17 RIVERDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT – Riverdale winter sports include boys’ and girls’ basketball for grades 5-12, high school co-ed swimming (now a district sport), and high school club sports skiing and snowboarding. Practices begin: • Monday, Nov. 17 - High school • Monday, Dec. 1 - 7th and 8th graders • Monday, January 5 - 5th and 6th graders All sports fees ($350 for high school and $300 for grade school) and paperwork must be turned in prior to the first day of practice. For those who have already participated in a fall sport, only the fee is needed. Paperwork and fees should be directed to Sam Ziff at the front desk of the high school and Jeff Robinson, assistant athletic director, at the grade school.
Are you up-to-date on sports physicals?
RIVERDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT – Sports physicals and the required OSAA form are good for two years. In alternating years, you need only have your doctor complete an Alternate Year Clearance Form. Both forms can be found under “Links, Forms & FAQs” on the "Athletics" section of Riverdale's website, www.riverdaleschool.com. Riverdale Review
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Events and Activities 'Grease’ is the word for fall musical, Oct. 29-Nov. 2 RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – Most of us know the lyrics to the musical “Grease”, particularly its theme song: “Grease is the word, is the word that you heard. It's got groove, it's got meaning. Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion. Grease is the way we are feeling.” And Grease is the way we’ll all be feeling when Riverdale High School Drama presents the beloved musical Oct. 29-30 and Nov. 2-3, at the Dolores Winningstad Theatre at Portland’5 Centers for the Arts, located at 1111 SW Broadway Ave. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $15 for students, and can be purchased beginning Thursday, Oct. 9, through the theater’s box office or www.portland5.com/events/ Winningstad-Theatre. “You’re the one that we want” to attend the performance, where the cast will be “hopelessly devoted to you” through every scene and song.
Join us for High School Open House, Nov. 16 RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL – Each fall, Riverdale High School opens its doors to prospective students – including our families transitioning from Riverdale Grade School. We strongly encourage all 8th grade families to join us for this in-depth look at life in the high school. Of course, 7th grade families are also welcome to start planning ahead. Please share the news of this event with friends who may be considering Riverdale High School. The High School Open House will be held from 1-3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 16. Families will have the opportunity to tour the school and hear from the principal and student speakers. They will get acquainted with Riverdale through guided discussions on curriculum and campus life led by teachers, parents and students, and through visiting several observation classrooms to learn more about specific programs, clubs and sports. This is the perfect chance to experience all that our high school has to offer and get answers to your burning questions. We hope to see you there! 12
Mark your calendar Oct. 15 PSAT (RHS) Synergy ParentVUE launches Oct. 16-17 No school - Conferences Oct. 17 Homecoming Soccer Game (RHS) Oct. 22 Senior Parent Night (RHS) Oct. 26 Fall Carnival (RGS) Oct. 29-30 Fall Musical: "Grease" Nov. 1-2 Fall Musical: "Grease" Nov. 2-3 College Fair at Convention Center Nov. 5 College Financial Aid Night (RHS) Nov. 7 Fall Dance (RHS) Nov. 11 No school - Veteran's Day Nov. 16 High School Open House (RHS) Nov. 17 Winter sports begin (RHS) Nov. 24-28 Thanksgiving Break Dec. 1 Winter sports begin (RGS - 7th-8th) Dec. 22-Jan. 2 Holiday Break Jan. 5 Winter sports begin (RGS - 5th-6th) Riverdale Review