Riverwalk Roar
Your Source All-Things Riverwalk Academy
9/6/21
Pride,
Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope you and your family were able to enjoy the extra day off and that you were able to use it for rest and relaxation. On Friday, I was meeting with a pair of teachers, then our conversation switched to the paralympics. My family and I are big supporters of the Paralympic Games, which means we watched several of the competitions each night.
Anyway, during the conversation with the tehachers, I found a way to insert some video clips from the paralympics into our conversation., One of the teachers then made the comment, "Dr. Compton, you must watch a lot of videos because you always have a video ready to reference what we're talking about."
Of course, this made me think about the video of the penguin. Check it out here before reading.
Over the past year, I have expressed gratitude for the people who made a difference and for what we have learned. I balance the tension of appreciation with the realities of grief and loss that our children, our parents and our staff experienced. Quite honestly, there have been many days when we felt like the killer whales of disease, isolation, depression, and constant change were pursuing us and we were swimming for our lives. Our children learned much from us this past year about how to handle adversity. The video of the penguin reminded me how we can continue modeling for them how to be resilient.
Killer whales are real. This little penguin was smart to realize that the whales were real and they were coming after him. He would have easily been their next meal if he ignored them. Acknowledging the difficulty of our situations is the first step in knowing how to deal effectively with them. I've tried to wish them away but that seldom works. Our whales are real.
Do something productive. The penguin made a good choice to start swimming away from them. He didn't stay still and give up. He did something to stay alive. Many times, having a good answer can work until we find a better or best answer to a problem. Staying still and staying stuck allows the whales to overwhelm you.
It may take more than one attempt to get there. You finally figure out what your best option is. You know what you need to do...but it didn't work. Were you almost there? Does it need a little extra effort? Can you tweak your game plan? Review, revise and try again. Once the penguin figured out how to get away, it took a few tries to find success. It is much easier to give up and give in than to give it another go. It is what resilient people do.
All of us need safe people in safe places that we can trust. And, we need them nearby. The penguin knew he couldn't make it to land. He knew there was this floating island called a boat. He knew none of the people were predators. Instinctively, he knew these were safe people in a safe place. We need people and places like this to help us survive. They are called good friends. They can be family. They can be counselors. They can be coaches. We all need safe people and safe places to turn to so the whales don't reach us. The whales will pass but safe people and safe places don't. They will always be there for us if we know where to find them. I value the role you play as parents and teachers to always be safe people in safe places for our children. They need us in their boat to guide and care for them.
In Strength and Blessings,
~Dr. Compton
Photo of the Week
This week's photo comes from the Clover Aquatic Center where our Varsity Swim Team took on South Pointe High School, Clover High School, and Catawba Ridge High School.
COVID-Related
We're asking that our families assist us in managing everyone's status by using this form when your child shows symptoms, tests positive, is a close contact, or is a household close contact. The data shared with us is kept confidential. After completing this form, you'll receive an email or phone call from Nurse Donna to discuss your child's specific isolation/quarantining plan.
Linked here is Riverwalk Academy's COVID Dashboard. This COVID dashboard is updated by 3:00 pm each school day. This dashboard can also be found on our website.
We've received a few questions about our dashboard, so I wanted to provide an explanation for everyone. Click here for an explanation of our COVID data.
School Lunches
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.
Picture Day - This Thursday:
THE JOSTENSPIX DIFFERENCE
GET READY FOR PICTURE DAY: SHOW UP LOOKING YOUR BEST, NO FORMS TO FILL OUT!
- After picture day, view your pictures on your device and buy only what you want
- Personalize your photos with a variety of backgrounds and text
- Photos ship directly to your home
- High-res digital downloads available
- If you have more than one child, you can order together and pay once
Please, do not wear green on Picture Day
The Riverwalk Academy Mobile App
Hopefully by now, you've had a chance to check out our new website. If you haven't noticed already, there's the main page, but there's also a dedicated page to our elementary school, middle school, and high school. While each page looks similar, each page's content is different and tailored to the different audiences.
Our new app has now released on the App Store and soon to release on Google Play. Once downloaded, there are two thing's you'll want to do:
- enable notifications
- subscribe to your school (school wide, and elementary or middle or high school)
Below is a short video that demonstrates how to do this.
Elementary Guidance with Mrs. Carr
These first few weeks of school have flown by so quickly! I have enjoyed getting to know most of your students in grades K-5th. Due to MAP testing, I still have a few classes to which to introduce myself and my role. With most of the K-2nd classes I read The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
This is a wonderful book about a fish that learns about sharing and how giving and kindness is the best way to make friends. Ask your kids if they remember the octopus and how I am helpful like she was to the rainbow fish.
For the 3-5th graders, we played a Meet the Counselor Trivia True/False game. Within this game, the students learned more about my job as it relates to them, their feelings, needs, academics and more.
In the next month, I will be introducing the Energy Bus for Kids by Jon Gordon. The adults at Riverwalk in grades K-5th have all read the adult version of the story and now the students will learn all about George and Joy and how to be more positive in life. Positivity fuels our bus and drives us to reach our goals and visions for our futures. Watch out for more about the Ride of our Life at Riverwalk in future newsletters :)
College Application Day by Ms. Menges
Hello Juniors and Seniors,
I am so excited that we are looking at plans for after high school graduation. The opportunities are endless and I know you all will be successful no matter the route you take!
To help you all with the college application process and to give you more information about colleges in general, we are hosting a College Application Month Event in the Multi-Purpose Room on Friday, September 10th from 10:00-11:00. At this event you will be able to ask any questions you may have about the college application process, and a few colleges are sending representatives to be in attendance as well. Please feel free to come see me with any questions you may have about all things college as well!
We are excited and cannot wait to see our students there. Please bring your computers with you.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Senior Make-Up Pictures
Athletic Events of the Week
Swimming:
- 9/7/21 - v Northwestern, Fort Mill, and Blythwood High Schools @ Rock Hill Aquatics Center
Cross Country
- 9/8/21 - at Great Falls High School
Volleyball
- 9/8/21 - v Lewisville High School @ RH Events Center @ 5:00 pm (free)
- No School - Labor Day
Tuesday:9/7
- Band 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Johnston)
- Cross Country Practice 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
- Cheerleading Practice 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
- Volleyball Practice 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
- Swim Meet @ Rock Hill Aquatics Center @ 5:30 pm
Wednesday: 9/8
- Band 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Johnston)
- Swim Practice 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm
- Cheer Practice 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
- Volleyball Game v Lewisville High School, 5:00 pm @ Rock Hill Events Center
- Cross Country Meet 5:00 pm @ Great Falls High School
Thursday: 9/9
- Picture Day
- Band 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (Johnston)
- Swim Practice 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm
- Cross Country Practice 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
- Cheer Practice 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
- Volleyball Practice 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Friday: 9/10
- College Application Workshop at 10:00 am at Riverwalk Academy MPR (Menges)
- Senior Make-up Pictures at 10:00 am at Riverwalk Academy MPR
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