Hello River Bend Families!

We had a great week. Check tornado drill off the list! We conducted that on Tuesday. We had our first red carpet assembly Wednesday and recognized so many students for demonstrating our core values. I was more than impressed with student behavior, especially since it was our first assembly of the year...and for some students, their first assembly ever!

We had a wonderful informational evening sharing about our curriculum, instruction, and assessments last night with our kindergarten, first, and second grade families. We are looking forward to next week's evening with families of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

We wrapped up our first unit of Benchmark Advance today and students took the end of unit assessment. They did a great job! Even our kindergarteners took the assessment online! We enjoyed animal crackers at lunch (smart snack compliant through Parkway) and students got to enjoy hanging out with their stuffed animals they brought today.

We are kicking off Unit 2 Monday. It is another 3 week unit. This time students will dig into fiction. We have a little character scavenger hunt for everyone on Monday. We are loving building excitement around learning. Look for the blue sheet called Home Connection that will be coming home with your child on Monday. Don't forget there are supporting activities on the back. Scroll down a little and check out all of the essential questions for each grade level.

We want to remind students that the school bus is an extension of the classroom and school. Students are expected to be safe, kind, and responsible. Students should not be eating any food on the bus.

Our Student Services Department shared a resource that I would like to pass on to our River Bend families. Living in a world where we have technology at our fingertips (literally) is wonderful. It can also create negative and even tragic situations when not utilized appropriately.

Online Safety Resources for Parents/Guardians

Lastly, as we get into the school year and volunteer opportunities become available, be sure you have completed the necessary Parkway process to be a volunteer. This is especially important if you plan to go on a field trip. Unfortunately, if you have not completed the Parkway background check, you will be unable to chaperone a field trip. It takes several weeks, so I encourage you to complete it early. There is a "button" at the end of the newsletter where you can find the information you need.

Have a great weekend!

Each child as my own,

Jaime

Sunday, September 15th

• First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month

• International Dot Day

Monday, September 16th

• D Day

• Hearing Screenings

Tuesday, September 17th

• E Day

• Choir Practice- 4:00 PM

Wednesday, September 18th

• A Day

• Happy Birthday Mrs. Rosenblum!

• Honors Choir Rehearsal- 8:00 AM

• E-Hour Lego Motorized- 4:00 PM

Thursday, September 19th

• B Day

• Choir Practice- 8:00 AM

• Curriculum Night for Grades 3-5- 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:50 PM)

Friday, September 20th

• C Day

Thursday, September 19th (6:00 PM) - Curriculum Night for 3rd-5th

Wednesday, September 25th - School Picture Day

Wednesday, October 2nd - Rosh Hashanah

Saturday, October 5th - VICC Family Meeting at the City Museum (10 AM - 2 PM) & River Bend Carnival (4 - 6 PM)

Monday, October 7th - PTO Raising Canes Night Fundraiser

Wednesday, October 9th (7:00 PM) - Parkway Board of Education Meeting

Thursday, October 10th - Early Release Day, 2:00 PM Dismissal

Friday, October 11th - Monday, October 14th -- FALL BREAK

Essential Questions

Kindergarten: How are characters different?

1st Grade: How do we learn about characters?

2nd Grade: What can we learn when we face problems?

3rd Grade: How do our actions influence our lives?

4th Grade: How do we reveal ourselves to each other?

5th Grade: Why do we value certain qualities in people?

Our district has a Comprehensive School Improvement Plan and so does our building. We have goals for students to be successful in School and Life. Our River Bend goals are listed below and all of our strategies and action steps are delivered through a lens of equity.

Success in School

Achievement: Ensure each student is academically successful and fully prepared to respond to an ever-changing world.

• River Bend students, in grades 2-5, who meet their individual reading growth goal will increase from 57% to 70% as measured by NWEA.
• River Bend students, in grades 1-5, who meet their individual math growth goal will increase from 49% to 60% as measured by NWEA.
• River Bend students, in grades 2-5, will maintain at least 80% in Achievement on the NWEA and improve by 1-2%.

Well-Being: Ensure the social-emotional well-being of each student and staff member.

• 90% of students will feel respected by peers and valued by at least one adult in the building as measured by pre and post school climate scans.

Success in Life

Relevance and Real World: Each student will have the opportunity to connect their learning to relevant and real-world experiences.

• 90% of students will be able to identify at least one interest or passion as measured by pre and post school climate scans.

During Monday's Motivational Meeting, we shared with students that they would be moving into Lesson 2 of our unit and continue talking about:

• paying attention

• distractions

• making mistakes is okay

• making a plan to reach a goal

• practice to get good at something

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