This Week @ Riverside

Very cool, our very own Mr. Kevin Grigsby making an impact: Loudoun Times-Mirror

Riverside High School’s top guitar students were invited to perform at Yale University’s School of Music this past weekend alongside other top students from Heritage, Loudoun County, and Tuscarora High School. The students performed an all Virginia composers program which included a piece by Romana Hartmetz, (previous Riverside guitar teacher) as well as a piece by Miroslav Lončar, Dr. Lončar’s very own father. On the way back, they stopped in New York City to eat lunch at the Hard Rock Café and visited Times Square and the Rockefeller Center. It was a trip to remember, and the kids played their technique and hearts out!

During the month of February the RVHS Library is celebrating Black History Month with a robust book display featuring books written by Black authors and biographies written about famous Black Americans. We are also hosting a traveling exhibit called “The Long March” from the Herb Block Foundation. The exhibit is about the Civil Rights Movement, aligns with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SSGS VUS.13 c, and English 9.2, 10.2, 11.2, 12.2) and includes potentially sensitive topics. Students will have the opportunity to visit the display during their study hall, lunch block, or before and after school. To learn more about the exhibit, please visit the Herb Block Foundation website.

The Loudoun Education Alliance of Families (LEAF) is an advisory group voice for parents to elevate educational concerns and provide feedback to the board on current or proposed policies or issues facing the School Board.

The board is looking to adopt a new calendar for the 2026 -2027 with an earlier start date and end date to more closely align with the AP exams and other testing requirements.

Policy 5030, Assessment and Grading - is currently being updated. To learn more visit www.lcps.org/policyreview

Access Academy, a new high school experience focused on Information Technology. Learn more about it on Feb 27, 6:30 - 7:30 PM at Potomac Falls High School or visit www.lcps.org/accessacaedmy

Athletics and Activities - Learn more about personal trainers at the high schools at www.lcps/org/athletics

This message does not reflect any update on the Academies of Loudoun (ACL) application status for those who applied for the 2025-2026 school year.

Families of all 8th-grade through 11th-grade students are receiving this note regarding a change to next year’s morning transportation schedule for ACL. This message does not reflect any update on the application status for those who applied for the 2025-2026 school year.

In order to ensure shorter commute times and better service, buses serving ACL in the mornings will change to a hub-stop model for the 2025-2026 school year. ACL morning bus (hub) stops will be located at the elementary school where students are zoned. Parents will be responsible for transporting their ACL students from their homes to their designated hub stop.

There will be no change to the afternoon bus service, which will continue to return students to their home high school where they will utilize their regular transportation to get home. This continues the practice of ensuring students can participate in activities at their home high school.

The hub-stop model is currently successfully used for other special programs (IB, HAMSci, ROTC, TJHS). LCPS has moved to a hub-stop model in order to reduce the commute time for students and provide more reliable service for special programs across the county where transportation is offered.

What will families need to do if their student attends ACL in the fall of 2025?

• Starting in July of 2025, log into ParentVue and opt-in for ACL transportation. Complete this action by mid-July to ensure your child has bus transportation in place for the first day of school.
• LCPS staff will assign hub stops and then share transportation information 10 business days prior to the first day of school.
• Morning hub stops are based on your child's Elementary Attendance Zone.
• Students/families will be responsible for getting to their designated Hub Stop no less than five (5) minutes before their bus stop time.
• Buses will transport students to ACL.
• At the end of each school day, students will be transported from ACL back to their home high school, where they will utilize their regular transportation to get home. This continues the practice of ensuring students can participate in activities at their home high school.
• For the end of the school day, pick up from Hub Stops will not be necessary.

Have questions about this new morning hub-stop bus model? Visit our Hub Stop Frequently Asked Questions or contact Transportation via Let’s Talk.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Scott Davies
Director
LCPS Transportation Division

The following is meant to serve as a mass communication for all parents/athletes regarding athletics this spring.

In order to be eligible for tryouts and any off-season practices, all students must have athletic paperwork submitted per the below information.

ATHLETIC PAPERWORK:

All students must have submitted a current VHSL Physical AND have completed the online registration in order to participate in any off-season or in-season workouts. Instructions are posted on RiversideRams.Net under “Required forms for Participation.” All interested athletes, please complete the online registration for the upcoming school year now. Choose one sport per season in which you are interested in participating this year. Please scan and email the completed physical to Matt.Oblas@LCPS.org. Many have already sent in VHSL physicals, much appreciated! Please now complete the online registration to be eligible for athletics this year.

Important Dates:

• Spring Sports Parent Meeting---March 3, 7PM (Main Gym)
• Winter Sports Begin---February 24
• Spring Sports Tryout Times Beginning February 24:
• Baseball, Softball, Track & Field (Stadium), Girls and Boys Tennis, Girls Soccer (Stadium) and Boys Soccer (Bermuda practice field), – all at 4:30pm
• Girls Lacrosse: 6:50am-8:20am (Stadium) and 4:30pm (Practice Turf)
• Boys Lacrosse: 6:30pm (Stadium)
• Crew (all at Maverick Rowing Center): 4:45-6pm (all girls), 6-7pm (novice boys), 7-8pm (varsity boys). Note–times change slightly after Monday.

Booster Club:

The Riverside Athletic Booster Club continues to support all Riverside athletic programs with great generosity. All funds collected by the booster club (membership, concessions, corporate sponsorship advertising) goes completely to our athletic programs. This past year, the booster club gave over $65,000 directly to our teams. Booster club membership is again available to families. We would love for all families to become members of the booster club. Tax-deductible membership only costs $40 and is available for sign-up at:

https://threshold.formstack.com/forms/rams_athletic_booster_2024

ATHLETIC ADMISSION AND SEASON PASSES:

Admission for LCPS athletic contests for the 2023-2024 school year remains $7 per person (under 6 and over 62 years of age are free.) LCPS uses GoFan.Com. GoFan will be the desired and easiest form of purchasing tickets for any LCPS game. LCPS season passes are valid for admission for the immediate family in the same home, and grant permission for all home regular season games at Riverside (there also an option for all home and away LCPS games). The passes are sold through GoFan.com. Season passes are a great savings for families who will attend at least a handful of home games throughout the school year. Search Loudoun County Public Schools on GoFan.Com for season passes. Make sure to choose Riverside off of the drop down menu.

STAY CONNECTED WITH RIVERSIDE ATHLETICS:

• RiversideRams.Net is the primary website/source of athletics information (schedules, department updates, team news and calendars, etc.)
• Sign up to receive email alerts on RiversideRams.Net (select your team/s)
• Follow us on twitter at @RVHSRamsSports
• Follow us on Instagram at @rvhs_sports

Spring Coaches Contacts:

• Baseball: Sam.Plank@LCPS.org
• Boys Lacrosse: Nicholas.Worek@LCPS.org
• Boys Soccer: Kieranp.Harris@gmail.com
• Boys Tennis: Steven.Barbosa@yahoo.com
• Crew: DPassar12@gmx.com
• Girls Lacrosse: Kash@3dlacrosse.com
• Girls Soccer: Amanda.Pruden@LCPS.org
• Girls Tennis: Janine.Jones@LCPS.org
• Softball: KBednoski@icloud.com
• Track and Field: MayaWhitfield08@gmail.com and Samuel.Benzakein@LCPS.org

EARN MONEY FOR YOUR TEAM:

The Riverside Athletic Booster Club has tremendous opportunities to raise money for your team. By selling a sponsorship banner, 100% of the banner profit goes directly to the team of your choosing. If you own a business, work for a business, have a lead with a business, please consider selling this advertising opportunity with banner sponsorship at our athletic venues. The banner sponsorship program is available at https://riversiderams.net/main/bfiles. Make the connection with the business, then connect the business with the athletic office, and we’ll take it from there. This is a great way for teams to fundraise, and for parents to help those teams.

NFHS NETWORK TO WATCH ATHLETIC CONTESTS.

LCPS and Riverside continues its partnership with the NFHS Network to broadcast our Rams athletic events LIVE. That means that if you or family members can’t make it to the game, the live action can be watched from anywhere on your phone, tablet, computer or smart TV. Anyone with a subscription can watch any of our athletic contests. By subscribing to the NFHS Network you get full access to all content on the network for our school and any other broadcast nationwide! Subscribing is easy: 1. Go to NFHSNetwork.com. 2. Enter “Riverside High School—Leesburg, VA” in the search box. 3. Click “Follow” so you can stay up to date on all upcoming Rams broadcasted events. 4. Click “Subscribe” for all subscription options for our school. This subscription is made with the NFHS Network, not LCPS. The subscription can be monthly or annual. Note that the subscription allows viewing for any game on the NFHS Network in the country, as well as all main gyms, stadiums, most baseball fields, and most softball fields in LCPS.

To support students in various capacities, Riverside has provided after-school activity buses for 3 school days each week! This transportation system currently runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with departure times of 5:30.

• See the picture accompanying this for the stops. (may not be your normal drop off)

Monday, February 17: Holiday (President’s Day)

• Possible Girls Basketball District Quarterfinal vs. TBA

• Region Indoor Track Championship @ Shenandoah University (bus leaves at 7am)

Tuesday, February 18: A-Day

• 8:30-4:30: Principals Mtg-Mr. Anderson

• 9:30-10:00 AM School Counseling Team Meeting (Career Center)

• 11:30 AM Admin Meeting (main office)

• 4:30PM - 5:15 PM RAMS Writing Center Club (1130A)

• 6:00 - 8:00 PM LCPS Military Night at Independence HS

Wednesday, February 19: B-Day | Faculty Meeting 8:30 or 4:30

• 8:30 - 9:15 AM RAMS Writing Center Club (1130A)

• 8:30 - 9:15 AM NHS Full Club meetings (cafeteria)

• 8:45 - 9:15 AM Ancient Civilizations meeting (L208)

• 8:45 - 10:30 AM DECA testing (aux gym)

• 4:45 - 6:30 PM PTSO meeting (1130) (Mr. Anderson)

• 6:00 PM -7:30 PM Parents as Educational Partners meeting (library)

• 4:30AM - 5:15 PM RAMS Writing Center Club (1130A)

• Girls Basketball District Semifinal vs. TBA (Mackert)

• Boys Basketball District Semifinal vs. TBA

Thursday, February 20: A-Day

• Mackert out at Math Textbook Adoption

• 8:30 - 9:00 AM NAHS Honor Winter Workshop (1826)

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM DECA Chapter Meeting (auditorium)

• 9:40 AM: IC Meeting (1510)

• 7:00 PM Muslim Student Association Social Night (cafeteria)

• 7:00PM Pre-Assessment Band Concert (auditorium) (Mrs. Northman)

Friday, February 21: B-Day

• Deadline to register for March 8 SAT

• 8:00 AM Calendar Meeting (main office)

• 11:30 AM AP Meeting (main office)

• 7:00 PM Black History Month Celebration (cafeteria)

• 7:00 PM Class Show: Little Women (auditorium)

• Girls Basketball District Championship @ TBA

• Boys Basketball District Championship vs. TBA 6pm (Mr. Anderson)

• State Wrestling Championship @ Virginia Beach

• State Swim Championship @ Stafford

Saturday, February 22:

• State Wrestling Championship @ Virginia Beach

• State Individual Gymnastics Championship @ Lake Braddock

Sunday, February 23:

• 2:00 PM Class Show: Little Women (auditorium)

• 7:00 PM Class Show: Little Women (auditorium)

Coming events:

• February 25: Q3 Interim

• Address: 19019 Upper Belmont Pl., Leesburg VA 20176
• Main Office: 703-554-8900
• Instagram: @Riverside_HS
• Twitter: @RiversideLCPS
• Website: https://www.lcps.org/riverside