Riverbend Families,

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. The 2nd Trimester has gotten off to a great start, and we're looking forward to all of the awesome things our students will do this winter. One of the more challenging things about this Trimester is helping students maintain a structured routine with the various holiday breaks in November and December. Now that Thanksgiving break has concluded, we'll have 3 weeks of school before our Christmas break. Some students may be struggling to adjust to the on-again-off-again schedule during the holidays. If you notice your student having some difficulties, consider trying out some of these strategies:

• Create a flexible schedule:

  While not sticking strictly to school days, designate specific times for studying, completing assignments, and engaging in learning activities to maintain some structure.

• Prioritize sleep:

  Emphasize the importance of consistent sleep schedules to maintain energy levels and focus.

• Manage distractions: Identify potential distractions like excessive screen time and create strategies to minimize them during study periods.

• Use technology wisely: If your student doesn't have any work to complete over break, consider limiting access to their chromebook. While at school, students build up a lot of screen time completing assignments. Keeping the use of their chromebook for non-school related activities to a minimum will give them a much needed break.

• Promote balance: Encourage students to enjoy holiday celebrations while still maintaining a healthy study routine.

• Positive reinforcement: Acknowledge and praise students' efforts to stay focused and engaged during the holidays.

Finally, I'd like to wish you all a Happy Holiday Season, and a healthy and successful 2025!

Exciting News

Riverbend is moving forward to the next stage in becoming a State School of Character. During November, the application process was completed with the help of students, staff, parents, and community members. We greatly appreciate your involvement in this important process. Your feedback is a valuable component in showing the success of our character education initiatives. Our next step is a site visit from evaluators from Character.org. This will allow them the opportunity to see the great things happening at Riverbend firsthand. It will be scheduled to take place sometime during the month of December. Final results will be determined by the end of January. We will update you all when we have the final results.

Winter Sports In Full Swing

Wrestling, basketball, and cheerleading squads are all beginning their seasons this week. As a reminder, any student attending home athletic events must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Unaccompanied students will not be allowed entry to these events.

CHADS Presentations

Students in 7th and 8th grade Social Studies classes will be viewing presentations regarding suicide awareness and prevention on 12/18 and 12/19. Please see the attached form for more information. If you do not wish to have your student participate in these presentations, please fill out the opt out portion of the form and return it to Mrs. Vitale. If you have any questions, please contact her at pvitale@mvr3.k12.mo.us.

Sincerely,

Todd Dempsey

December 7 - Riverbend Craft Fair from 9 am - 2 pm

December 10 - EF Travel Meeting with Mrs. Smith at 6:00 pm

December 11 - Choir Concert at 6:30 pm at PHS

December 15 - Band Concert at 2:30 pm @ PHS

December 17 - Long Range Planning Meeting

December 18-19 - CHADS Suicide Awareness & Prevention Presentations

December 20 - Last Day of School before Winter Break

December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break - No School

Big Smiles Dental Visit

We are pleased to offer an opportunity for your child to see a dentist right here at school! If you’re interested in taking advantage of this convenient service, please either fill out the form your student brought home or visit the following link to register: https://www.myschooldentist.com/RSMVMO_schsrm.

All applications are due before December 12th.

District policy for medication/ medication drop off

Please be aware that all prescription medications need to be dropped off by an adult/guardian to the school Nurse or Principal. Students should not be carrying medication at any time per district policy.

No medications, including over-the-counter medications, are to be carried in backpacks, purses, or on person for the safety of all of our students.

You can use the link below to access both breakfast and lunch menus for our building. Would you like to see something on the menu that's not there? Email Ms. Gail at gsimpson@mvr3.k12.mo.us your suggestions. Breakfast ala-carte is continuing to be offered. In order to purchase, your child must have money in their account.

The 5th Annual Riverbend Craft Fair will be held Saturday, December 7, 2024. Please join us for a day of shopping and supporting local crafters and vendors.

We love to see our Riverbend students supporting each other at the various extracurricular activities around our district. Please note that all Riverbend students must be accompanied by an adult in order to attend an extracurricular event at any of our buildings around the district. Unaccompanied students will not be allowed to enter an event. If there are changes to game times, please check out the link below for additional information.

Helping students reach full potential through innovation, engagement, character, and community.

Website: mvr3.k12.mo.us

Location: 2085 Hwy N. Pacific, Mo. 63069
Phone: (636) 271-1481
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RMSIndians