The Riverview Reader

For translation of this newsletter please click on the "Translate" button above or on the right hand side of this page.

Para traducir este boletín, haga clic en el botón "Traducir" arriba o en el lado derecho de esta página.

Si aad u turjunto warsidahan fadlan ku dhufo badhanka "Turjumi" ee kore ama dhinaca midig ee boggan.

Để dịch bản tin này, vui lòng nhấp vào nút "Dịch" ở trên hoặc ở phía bên phải của trang này.

Riverview Families,

Homecoming week was lots of fun! We had lots of activities that brought our school together and connected us with the Farmington community. Thank you to all the parents/guardians who helped with the dress up days, came to the parade, and did everything else that needed to be done to ensure a fun homecoming week.

Last week was not only dedicated to homecoming, but also to the theme of safety. Students were reminded each day of some of our expectations that we have in place to make sure everyone stays safe at all times. We learned (and practiced) important safety procedures such as lockdowns and fire drills. We also conducted bus safety drills in which students practiced exiting from the back of the bus in case of emergency. We will continue to emphasize safety throughout the year and make sure we are doing everything possible to ensure everyone's physical, mental, and emotional well-being each day.

We are excited for another great week of community and learning. We appreciate your partnership in making sure your child gets to bed at a good time each night, is on time and ready to learn each morning, comes to school with their iPad charged, and comes to school with a good attitude, a willingness to try their best, and a commitment to treating others well.

Best wishes for a great week!

Shawn Peck

Principal

• Wednesday, September 18 - Community Information Session on the Upcoming Levy 7:00-8:00 at North Trail Elementary School
  
• Thursday, September 19 - Absentee Voting Begins For Fall Election
• Thursday, September 26 - Picture Retake Day
• Thursday, September 26 - Family Fun Night (see flyer below)
• Wednesday, October 2 - National School Custodian Appreciation Day
• Monday, October 7 - Fun Run Kick Off Event
• Tuesday, October 8 - Fall Conferences
• Thursday, October 10 - Early Release From School (12:10); Fall Conferences
• Friday, October 11 - NO SCHOOL; Staff Development Day

Greetings and welcome to the 2024-2025 school year from your school counselors, Mrs. Alladin and Mrs. Felipe! We are both so excited to be back at Riverview Elementary to continue to work with the students, parents, and community members of Farmington!

As the school counselors at Riverview Elementary School, we help all students with social/emotional development, self-management, social skills, maintaining healthy friendships, and we also provide support during various transitions in a student’s life (e.g. family change, moving, grief, etc.). This is done through the implementation of direct and indirect student services, including individual counseling, small group counseling, and classroom lessons.

INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Individual counseling is available to students to address your child’s needs, concerns and other barriers to learning (e.g. anxiety, difficulty with peers, family change, etc.). These sessions are conducted one-on-one with the school counselor, typically once per week. These sessions are short-term in nature, and are utilized to address any immediate needs and subsequently monitor student progress. Should a student need on-going therapy, a referral can be made to an outside mental health provider. Individual counseling referrals for students can be made through the request of a student, parent, or teacher.

SMALL GROUP COUNSELING
Small group counseling is offered to students throughout the school year and is based on student need. Group sessions will typically last six to eight weeks, and take place for 25-30 minutes during your child’s school day. Students are invited to join a group based on parent or teacher referral. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or school counselor for further details and a group permission slip. It is our hope that these small groups can provide students additional support socially/emotionally, allowing them to succeed academically. A few of our small groups include:

• ‘Circle of Friends’ Friendship Group • ‘Space Camp’ Social Skills Group
• ‘Worry Busters’ Anxiety Group
• ‘Brave Hearts’ Military Family Group • ‘Banana Splits’ Family Change Group

CLASSROOM LESSONS
There is a strong relationship between academic success and social-emotional learning. As such, our comprehensive school counseling program incorporates classroom lessons on five core social-emotional competencies as defined by the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching: cooperation, assertiveness,responsibility, empathy, self-control (CARES). We meet with each classroom individually in all grades (K - 5) on a monthly basis. During each lesson, we discuss the competency using various activities and books. We strive to make these sessions as interactive as possible to allow students to stay engaged, and empower them to become motivated learners, active team members, creative problem solvers, and kind and responsible citizens.

Family Fun Night is right around the corner and we need YOUR help to make sure it is a great experience for everyone. Please click the link below to sign up for a 1-hour shift at a station. We hope to get get as many volunteers to do a short shift as possible around to help keep things moving.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849ADAF2FA2FDCE9-51392867-2024

The RVES PTP met last week and covered a lot of ground. Mr. Peck shared some of the things happening during the first weeks of school, Superintendent Berg visited to share information about the upcoming referendum vote, and PTP members discussed (and made decisions about many things including:

• Homecoming Events
• Family Fun Night
• The Fun Run
• The Book Fair
• Read-a-Thon
• And More!

Click here to read through the notes from the meeting. We hope you will be able to join this terrific group of supportive RVES parents at the next meeting in October!

Dear Farmington Area Public Schools Parents and Families:

It has been a fantastic week welcoming learners back into our spaces for the 2024-25 school year. I am excited for the opportunities and possibilities for our learners that come with a new school year.

At the end of the last school year, I shared important information regarding a decision made by the Farmington Area School Board at its May 13, 2024 meeting. Along with having a significant impact on our learners and the future of our district, it is a decision that is important for staff, parents and community members to be aware of and learn more about.

As a district we have realigned $4+ million dollars to balance our budget. The board also made a decision to use assigned fund balance dollars to balance the $2.7 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year. However, the district still faces a budget deficit in 2025-26 of $4-5 million. In addition, the current operating levy that was passed in 2015 will expire after the 2025-26 school year. Expiration of this levy would result in a loss of approximately $5 million per year.

To address our financial challenges, the board voted unanimously to schedule an operating levy referendum election for November 5, 2024. The proposal on the ballot will ask voters to revoke the district’s existing operating levy of $696.15 per pupil and replace it with a new levy of $1,556.15 per pupil. The new levy will provide approximately $11 million ($5 million from the previous levy and $6 million from the new levy) per year for 10 years.

If the operating levy is approved the additional levy dollars will bolster the district’s financial stability, maintain programs and experiences, and allow us to invest in:

• Decrease learner to staff ratio (lower class size)

• Learner Achievement

• Literacy

• Math

• Elementary Enrichment

If the operating levy is not approved significant budget reductions will be needed to offset the projected deficit for the 2025-26 school year. These reductions are likely to include, but not limited to:

• Reduce non-classroom support

• Increase learner/staff ratio resulting in larger class sizes

• Eliminate FHS MNCAPS experiences

• Eliminate FHS DCTC/917 CTE experiences

• Reduce middle school elective opportunities and team planning through a schedule change

• Eliminate 5th grade band experience

• Increase athletics/activities fees and reduce non-conference travel

• Limit user group rental of ISD 192 spaces and increase rental fee

More information specific to the referendum and past budget realignments can be found on our website.

There are three community information sessions scheduled this fall:

• September 18 at North Trail Elementary School, 7 p.m.

• October 3 at Farmington Elementary School, 7 p.m.

• October 21 at Farmington High School, 7 p.m.

Please take the time to learn how the proposed levy will affect our school district. It is essential that every voter learn about the district’s needs and then participate in the election.

Sincerely,
Jason Berg
Superintendent of Schools

Farmington Area Public Schools, ISD 192
20655 Flagstaff Avenue, Farmington, MN 55024
Referendum Info: https://www.farmington.k12.mn.us/referendum
Email: referendum@farmington.k12.mn.us.

Farmington Area Schools’ Kid Connection is your best choice for your child’s School Age Care for the Summer as well as during the School Year. Kid Connection offers quality, care at each elementary school in the during the school year and various locations each summer. Kid Connection provides enriching out-of-school-time activities before & after school, on non-school days and during the summer. We’re staffed with dedicated and trained professionals who have a combination of education and experience specific to school age children!

Click here to learn more and sign up for Kid Connection Child Care

If you would like to sign up to sub as a teacher or paraprofessional for the Farmington Schools you will have to apply through Teachers on Call (TOC). Please email or call TOC directly to sign up as we will no longer be filling these positions through Farmington Schools. TOC also offers many benefits including, weekly paychecks, ability to easily sub at multiple districts and many insurance benefit options.

To Apply Click Here: teachersoncall.com

For more information contact Teachers On Call (TOC): 800-713-4439

If a student will be absent, a parent/guardian must call Riverview’s attendance line at 651-460-1605 prior to 8:45 AM each day of the absence. You can call 24/7 and if no one answers, please leave a message. We ask that parents/guardians provide the reason for the absence at the time they call. If the school does not receive a call from the parent/guardian the day of the absence, the student’s absence is automatically marked as unexcused.

September 9

September 2

August 26

August 19

August 12

The mission of Riverview Elementary School, a learner-centered community that transforms the future of learning, is to ensure each individual continuously grows emotionally, socially, and academically to have a positive impact in their communities through:

• Honoring the diverseness of our communities
  
• Learning experiences driven by passions, sparks, and interests
  
• Reflection on the learning process and real-life experiences
  
• Collaborative relationships, trust, and open communication

Our Objectives:

• Each learner continuously demonstrates academic and personal growth.
  
• Each learner develops the skills to understand how they learn best.
  
• Each learner possesses the skills to advocate for themselves and others.
  
• Each learner continuously explores personal interests and passions to drive their learning.

Read more about our Strategic Framework here.

Email: speck@farmington.k12.mn.us
Website: https://rves.farmington.k12.mn.us/
Location: 4100 208th Street West, Farmington, MN 55024, USA
Phone: 651-460-1600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rve192