The Weekly Roar

Hello River Bend Families!

Wowza! The Tiger Express was a last minute idea and was a HIT!

Lindsay Tentindo, Kate Walls, Marjorie Nehring, Sarah Mathis, and Ms. Sam, along with our transportation department, helped us pull it off! Everyone had a lot of fun. We already have some ideas on the logistics for next year to help the evening move a little more efficiently. Thanks to all who were able to come out!

Mrs. Mitulski had a busy week preparing for our Choir Concert and Schoolwide Sing-a-Long last week. Both were amazing!

When we return from winter break, students will have a Building Universals and Classroom Expectations refresher.

We have some updated information and fliers for upcoming events from our fabulous PTO. Check those out near the bottom of the newsletter under River Bend PTO.

No matter what holiday your family celebrates, I hope this time off for our students provides them with whatever it is they need, whether it be a new pair of socks, toy, or just time to relax and break from school work. Please be safe and take care. We will see everyone back NEXT YEAR on January 6th!

Each child as my own,

Jaime

Well, we are halfway through our new ELA resource and we are learning a lot! Teaching and learning looks different with Benchmark than in the past. As you are receiving feedback regarding the end of unit assessments and we are preparing for progress reports, please keep the following in mind...

• Vocabulary and listening comprehension is a big piece of Benchmark.
• The units alternate between nonfiction and fiction.
• The resource is designed to cover learning standards in a spiraling format. This means that students aren't expected to master certain skills until the end of the year. If they haven't scored as high on an assessment as you would like, the skills will come back around in units 6-10.
• We also do not give the entire end of unit assessment. They are extremely lengthy and our students have enough assessments they are required to take through the district. We use assessments to provide students and families with feedback and guide our instruction.
• All students take the assessments online. This is to better prepare them for future assessments they will take as they progress through school. These online assessments can be tricky to navigate and that is a skillset all on its own.
• This new resource is extremely rigorous. Simply put, it is difficult! We predict that each year, students will approach the next grade level with increasing background knowledge and all students will reach and even exceed grade level expectations.

When we return from winter break, we will kick off a new fiction unit. Unit 6 is called, "Themes Across Cultures." Students will be exposed to folktales, fables, and fairy tales. Below is the building progression and a peek at what they will be learning.

Grade Level Essential Questions:

• Kindergarten: How do we know what is right?
• 1st: What can we learn from a mistake?
• 2nd: What can different cultures teach us?
• 3rd: What helps us solve problems?
• 4th: How do we overcome obstacles?
• 5th: What compels us to survive?

You all know how it is living in Missouri. If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute. Below are two links with helpful information in the event the district would have a late start or call off school due to inclement weather.

Preparing for Winter Weather

Closings & Emergencies

Please see this Parkway Kindergarten Guide resource that was created for families. It has everything you need to know including:

• Kindergarten registration information
• link to register to Wonderful World of Kindergarten
• link to Visit Your Elementary School
• information on kindergarten screenings
• information on Jumpstart to Kindergarten
• Adventure Club
• an interactive guide on skills, books and kindergarten readiness activities

January

• 13th- PTO Meeting
• 14th- 5th Grade to JA BizTown
• 15th- Parkway Board of Education Meeting
• 16th- Career Exploration Day, End of Semester, Half Day
• 17th- No School for Students/Records Day for Teachers
• 20th- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day/No School
• 23rd- Progress Reports available in IC for parents/guardians

We are so excited to kick off our 100% survey!! This survey will help us gauge the current climate and culture of River Bend and help shape our character education for the future. We want to hear from every voice. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

River Bend Elementary - Character Survey 24-25

To ensure each student a safe and rigorous learning environment where they feel a sense of belonging, and can grow and lead with a global lens of kindness, responsibility, integrity, and empathy.

Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net/riverbend
Location: 224 River Valley Drive, Chesterfield, MO, USA
Phone: (314)-415-6650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverBendParkway