To educate the mind, nurture the spirit, and foster the development of the whole child.
Riverside Presbyterian Day School provides students with a carefully planned academic program within a supportive environment where respect for the individual, community, and Christian values are promoted. Riverside recognizes that each child is an individual and gears teaching strategies to ensure that children will experience success at their level of learning. Students are challenged to rise to higher goals and achievement through the use of curriculum that addresses a variety of learning styles and exposes children to rich literature, problem solving opportunities, and cooperative learning experiences.
Different levels of academic ability, social development, and learning styles are respected and used to design and implement curriculum. A comprehensive curriculum guide built around a challenging academic program includes subject matter in the academic areas, the arts, physical education, STEAM, guidance, Bible instruction, and technology. The curriculum inspires children to become life-long learners and equips them with the skills and dispositions necessary to adapt to an ever-changing world.
The Riverside Way is composed of traits that can be heard daily throughout our campus. They are used by our faculty, staff, students, and parents. Using the RPDS acronym, The Riverside Way stands for respectful,
dependable, dedicated, seek and serve.
The Riverside Way is more than eight words. It’s about the way we carry ourselves in the classrooms, the hallway, in Chapel, on the playground and in the community. It’s the way we care about those inside and outside our campus. And it’s the way we want others to care about us. The Riverside Way is about showing God’s love through our actions and putting others before ourselves.
responsible, persevere, praise,
“At RPDS, children grow in knowledge and faith respecting the differences of others in preparation for life in a global community.”
- Ben Ketchum Head of School
• Founded in 1948
• PreK 3 - 6th Grade
• 380+ Students
• NAIS & FCIS School
• 14-18 Average Class Size
• Need-based Tuition Assistance
• 33 Zip Codes
• 22% Students of Color
• Weekly Chapel, Leadership Development, and Service Learning
• Riverside in the Afternoon (RITA) and Afternoon Academies
At Riverside Presbyterian Day School we believe that embracing inclusivity and belonging enriches our school community and prepares our children for a global, multicultural world. The RPDS community loves and respects all human beings in a manner consistent with our school mission. Each family completes and contributes to the body of Riverside. We strive to foster relationships by encouraging our school community to appreciate, understand and learn from others, thus demonstrating God’s unconditional love.
Jan
Reeder,Director of Diversity & Inclusion at jreeder@rpds.com
Riverside provides a broad and enriching curriculum to which children respond with the highest academic achievement. Our curriculum intentionally spirals, and our experts in early childhood & elementary education deliver this learning to our students. • Amplify Science • Differentiated math instruction • Singapore Math, Dimensions
Differentiated reading instruction • Fountas & Pinnell
Global Studies
Grammar instruction
Handwriting Without Tears
History
Interactive read alouds
Orton Gillingham
Spelling and creative expression
Riverside provides an enriched curriculum designed to deepen and broaden children’s thinking in ways that foster leadership, creativity, physicality, lifelong learning, and happiness, thus supporting the development of the whole child. • Music & Performance
Physical Education • Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)
Spiritual Formation
Bible Class, Chapel, & Rinse N’ Shine
World Language
Spanish & Chinese
Before and after an academic school day, RPDS is here for your child with Riverside in the Afternoon; often referred to as its acronym, RITA. We value every moment we have to equip students with the foundations of academic and lifelong success, and our extended day program is no exception. RITA opens its doors at 7:00 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m. in the evening on regular school days. Activities include art, crafts, outdoor play, homework time, and more. RITA is available to students from PreK 3 - 6th Grade at an additional cost.
As the school day concludes, more than 40 Afternoon Academies begin! There are a variety of activities from which to choose, all tailored to delight, entertain, and enrich each child’s afternoon experience at RPDS.
For our younger students, tumbling, art, and music lead the way. Older students enjoy exciting activities ranging from creating LEGO worlds, playing musical instruments, cooking, painting, exploring technology, acting, and playing sports!
RPDS is dedicated to providing students with a transformative education; therefore, we welcome families to apply annually for Financial Assistance. Approximately 20% of our students receive need-based financial assistance.
The Financial Assistance Committee relies upon information supplied by families to FAST, our need analysis provider. In computing the amount of the award, RPDS considers factors such as family size, income, expenses, assets, liabilities & spending priorities. Understanding financial pictures can be complex; therefore, we encourage the online submission of a Family Letter within FAST. A Family Letter can provide further information that may be helpful to the Financial Assistance Committee.
Families applying for financial assistance must submit all required information, including tax documentation for the most recently closed tax year. Following the timeline below is a critical step in the process.
Financial Assistance Deadline
November 1, 2022
February 10, 2023
Failure to meet deadlines and complete the application in full jeopardizes your opportunity for Financial Assistance as there is not a guarantee surrounding the availability of funds. Families seeking assistance after February 10, 2023 will receive consideration based upon available funds.
1. Submit an online FAST Financial Assistance Application and non-refundable $48.00 fee
2. Upload all required tax documentation to FAST
• Signed copies of Federal Income Tax Return (1040), including all schedules for the most recently closed tax year
• W-2s and 1099 Forms
Riverside Presbyterian Day School admits students of any race, creed, color, sex, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. The distribution of awards will adhere to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) principles of Good Practice for Financial Aid with special attention to fairness, equity and confidentiality.
Grants from outside funding sources (for example, Step Up for Students) will be considered part of the student’s Financial Assistance award and must be disclosed to RPDS.
Tavia Mullen, Director of Admissions at tmullen@rpds.com
Visit rpds.com to create a username and password within our online admissions portal, myRPDS; this is the hub to register for events, submit an online application, and complete steps in the admissions process.
Parent Tour (September - February)
Visit campus to explore teaching and learning at Riverside; register via myRPDS.
Admissions Application (Due January 27)
Apply via myRPDS
• New prospective families are asked to complete the Riverside Admissions Application and submit a non-refundable $100 application fee (per applicant).
• Current RPDS families are asked to complete the Riverside Sibling Application and submit a non-refundable $50 application fee (per applicant).
Coordinated by the Admissions Team upon submission of the online admissions application.
• PreK 3: No On-Campus Assessment required; however, children must be school ready and potty trained.
• PreK 4: On Campus Assessment for overall readiness and maturity.
• K-6th Grade: On-Campus Visit and Assessment
Confidential FCIS Teacher Recommendation Form (PreK 4-6th grade applicants)
• Completed and submitted directly by your child’s current teacher (email smilne@rpds.com).
Transcripts (1st-6th grade applicants)
• Current school records must be requested by parents via the Transcript Release Form and sent directly from your child’s current School.
Apply via rpds.com through FAST
• Awards are based upon demonstrated financial need.
• Admissions decisions are made without regard to whether a family has applied for financial assistance.
