Pride,
I hope each of you had a wonderful weekend and that you got to spend some time outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. For those of you who know me, you won't be shocked by what I'm about to say . . . I'm not ready to say goodbye to the Winter. Don't get me wrong, I can recognize that the weather today was nice, but if given a preference, I prefer a nice cool 54°.
However, there are things that I look forward to when it gets a bit warmer like going on hikes with my family and even some of the community events like Come See Me. Speaking of, please mark your calendar for the Come See Me Festival. Riverwalk Academy is a key sponsor for the Healthy Kids Zone (23rd) and Sundaes with Mother Goose (24th). Come by and say "hi."
Last week I mentioned the new book by Brené Brown that I was reading titled Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. It's a book about 87 separate emotions and how these emotions shape our experiences. Previously I talked about "wonder" and how wonder is something that I hope each of our students experience now and long into their adult lives.
This week, I want to share some thoughts about the emotion of "Belonging and Fitting In." We can't talk about belonging without acknowledging that belonging (and love) are irreducible needs for all people. There has been multiple studies to show the linkage between a sense of belonging in social relationships and well being.
Brown's research indicates that we all want to be part of something - to experience a connection with others. What we often see in our students is that they sometimes forgo their "real selves" in order to create a belonging with another (or a group). This often creates an internal struggle because "true belonging" occurs when we are able to connect with someone else, but not at the cost of their authenticity, freedom, or power.
As we mature, and when our prefrontal cortex fully develops, we realize that true belonging doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. But since the prefrontal cortex doesn't fully develop until our mid-twenties, "fitting in" for a school age student is an emotional rollercoaster. I don't know about you, but I can see this struggle often with my 14 year old. For her, just like many tweens and teens, belonging or not belonging feels like life or death.
As a parent, my goal is to help my children believe in and belong to themselves, and to know that, no matter what, they always belong at home. It's my hope that my girls know that we (my wife and I) see them and love them for who they are.
As you can imagine, the pressure to fit in is real and unrelenting, but if we can create that sense of inextricable connection (to themselves and to their home), it can be a fierce protector as they navigate the emotion of belonging.
Be here. Be you. Belong.
In Strength and Blessings,
~Dr. Compton
On 2/22/22, DHEC updated its guidance for schools. A summary of the guidance can be found below.
- The guidance applies to individual schools, not entire school districts and childcare centers.
Schools may suspend quarantine once they have had two consecutive weeks with less than 10 percent of all students and staff having COVID-19.
- When quarantine has stopped, contact tracing and testing and masking of close contacts without symptoms is no longer required
The first two-week period ends Feb. 28, 2022
- Based on week-one data (week of Feb. 21) and if the trend of low cases continues, DHEC anticipates that most schools will have the option to suspend quarantine on March 1, 2022.
Schools will continue to report the number of cases to DHEC on a weekly basis.
- If a school that has suspended quarantine and has two consecutive weeks with 10 percent or more of all students and staff having COVID-19, Quarantine will need to be reinstated.
- Isolation requirements for those who have COVID-19 will remain unchanged.
As you can see from our data since January 2022, Riverwalk Academy has been well below the 10% threshold for over a month. Therefore, we are able to suspend our quarantining programing beginning on Tuesday. We will continue to update our COVID related data on a daily basis and if there is ever an uptick or spike in our numbers, we will adjust our processes accordingly. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to Nurse Donna.
Riverwalk Academy is a "bring your own lunch" school where students are encouraged to bring their own lunches. We do offer a fee-based lunch program that is not income-contingent. Our fee-based lunch program is provided by Golden Corral. For more information about this option, please click here.
Pride, if you haven't done so, please take a moment to check out our new and improved website. From the main page, you have immediate access to the latest news, and up to date calendar.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am looking forward to spring and more sun. We live with my father and on the weekends, I often find myself sitting on the front porch talking about a wide range of things with him. He and I both do not like winter and look forward each year to the changing of the seasons to spring, summer and fall. We love watching the return of his hummingbirds and my mother’s tree blooming and all our flowers coming up. It helps me remember to look forward and not back, to keep going and smiling. There is always something to look towards.
In Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade this month, we will read the book Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly Dean. In this book, Pete learns about “looking on the bright side.” We will discuss the emotions found within the text: grumpy, sad, mad, and frustrated. Your students will be encouraged to think of times that they have felt this way. Finally, we will look at the quote by Wise Old Owl, “Remember to look for the good in every day.” This is similar to what we have been discussing all year with the Energy Bus. Joy, the Energy Bus driver, has continually told George to use his positive energy and look for the positives always. Students will be asked to think about the good in their day and illustrate it. The objective of this lesson is to teach students how to recognize their emotions and reinforce the idea of the power of perspective; by doing this we can build resilience and tolerance in our children. When you see their owl picture in their folders, you can extend this lesson at home by asking them the discussion questions below. Remember, students learn from modeling- next time you are frustrated, mad, sad, or grumpy tell them how you feel and then explain how you are going to look on the bright side!
Possible Discussion Questions:
- When do you feel ________________ (frustrated, mad, grumpy or sad)?
- The next time you feel frustrated, angry, grumpy or sad. How can you look on the bright side?
- Tell me about your worksheet and the lesson with Mrs. Carr
For the students in 3rd, 4th and 5th, we will also be talking about perseverance, resilience and staying positive, just like George. Helping our students create an overall mindset of growth vs. fixed, good vs. bad, or positive vs. negative is one of my greatest challenges, especially with the pandemic and the world current events. I found activities helping them escape “the fixed mindset” game room. Hopefully they will enjoy it, learn and gain some growth mindset thinking.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions about the lessons and thanks for your ongoing support!
Hugs,
Ms. Carr
Hello Riverwalk Family!
I hope you all have had a nice weekend and are recharged for this week. If you didn’t know, Fridays I have been teaching a social emotional learning course to 8th grade students. We talk about things like friendships, bullying, career exploration, and more. This past Friday was my last time with that group and honestly, I was sad. I really enjoyed getting to know those students better and interact with them through a classroom environment! I am grateful to have spent that time with them and will miss seeing them in class, but I look forward to the new opportunities to build relationships with 7th graders this second 9 weeks! I am so glad that I get to work daily with your students. They are all special in their own way, and spending time with them is such a blessing to me! Thank you for letting me be just a small part of their lives.
Things to know:
- 9th and 10th graders, I have completed most IGP meetings with students, but will work on finishing those up in the next couple of weeks! I may pull your student during the day to have these meetings.
- Middle and High Students (on Riverwalks campus), I will be sending out an email this week regarding elective courses for next year. Please talk with your students about these courses and help predetermine the ones they may be most interested in. This email will only include the selection, they will fill out a selection form at school!
- 11th graders, if you have signed up for the ACT through Riverwalk on March 22nd, please be on the lookout for an email regarding details of the test day.
- Everyone, I hope to see you all at Empire Pizza on Tuesday night for Spirit night!!
Reach out if you have any questions!
Mrs. Menges
10th Graders, please get your ring orders in soon so they'll arrive in time for Ring Ceremony. Visit jostens.com for more information. Questions should be directed to Ms. Born.
Week Ahead
Monday: 3/7/22
- Track Practice: 3:15 - 4:45 pm (Coach Arizmendi)
Tuesday: 3/8/22
- Beginning Band, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Johnston)
- Track Meet @ Chesterfield High School
Wednesday: 3/9/22
- End of the 3rd Quarter
- Advanced Band, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Johnston)
- Track Practice: 3:15 - 4:45 pm (Coach Arizmendi)
Thursday: 3/10/22
- Start of the 4th Quarter
- Beginning Band, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Johnston)
- Track Meet @ York High School
Friday: 3/11/22
- No School - Teacher Workday
- BPA Meeting: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm (Girard)
Connect with Us
The Mission of Riverwalk Academy is to lead students to achieve through authentic project-based learning experiences with the knowledge and inquiry skills they need to succeed in life, college, and their future careers.
Email: info@riverwalkacademu.com
Website: https://www.riverwalkacademy.com/
Location: 5750 Mount Gallant Road, Rock Hill, SC, USA
Phone: (803) -327-8400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riverwalkacademy
Twitter: @riverwalklions