The Oregonian Cup and More (September 16, 2011)

The Oregonian Cup:

Riverdale High School has been awarded a great honor this fall.  The OSAA has honored Riverdale with the Oregonian Cup for 2011.

The OSAA writes to us:
“The Oregonian cup is truly about everything we stand for as a high school activities association.  The Oregonian cup began in 1999 and recognizes overall school excellence in academics, activities, athletics and sportsmanship. 

This is the first time Riverdale has received this honor. 

This year’s award was predominantly won in the classroom for the Mavericks.  Fourteen programs finished in the top ten in the Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Award, with several programs finishing in the top three of the classification.  On the activities side, Riverdale had exceptional state performances in Boys Soccer and Girls Basketball.  With the combination of success in the classroom and on the playing field, Riverdale personifies the term “student-athlete.”

            
While each of these accomplishments are outstanding and the aforementioned awards are important in their own right, the OSAA believes that the Oregonian Cup stands alone in its importance.

            
In its truest sense this is a community award.  It seems appropriate to recognize a community that obviously takes tremendous pride in their school and its students.  The pride that teachers have in seeing their students succeed.  The pride that coaches take in guiding students to fulfill their dreams and the pride parents have in wanting only the best for their children.  Most of all this is the pride that you, the student, have in yourselves and each other to work together towards a common goal of excellence.

           

On behalf of the OSAA and the 290 member schools we are proud to present the 2A Oregonian Cup to Riverdale High School.  Congratulations!” (OSAA September 2011).

School Traffic: 
It is true that our drop off and pick up situation is less than optimal.  I am writing to remind you of our courtesy rule for facilitating the movement of traffic as smoothly as possible.  The courtesy rule is this: “When more than one car is behind you as you leave the school lot, turn right”.  If you have to turn right head up Terwilliger Blvd. toward Lewis and Clark, loop through the traffic circle and swoop back down Terwilliger and be on your way.  This choice is much safer for you as well as being helpful.

News from the Counselor: 
The college application season has begun for seniors.  Parents and students have been informed again about our reliance on a widely used computer program called Naviance as a resource to explore college options and to transmit recommendations and transcripts. Seniors should be familiarizing themselves with this program, and check to be sure that the information in their profile is correct and complete.  

Juniors and seniors have been given written instructions about college application procedures, and we have gone over them in Mr. Brown's class.  Next week, they will engage in a college essay workshop to clarify the characteristics of a successful essay.  The college application process will be explained to senior parents during a meeting in the library on Wednesday, September 21 and to junior parents on Tuesday, September 27.  Freshman and sophomore parent meetings will include college information as well.  

The College Center will be open at lunch on Wednesdays, and parents are welcome to come in with questions for Mr. Murray and our parent volunteers.  College visits have begun, and the schedule is on Naviance and announced in the Daily Bulletin.  Most seniors have decided on the colleges that they will apply to.  They should meet the representatives of those colleges when they come on campus.  Juniors should be meeting with representatives in order to explore options.

Dress Code:

The transition from summer fashion to professional student attire has been a tough one for many of our students.  The teaching staffs appreciate your support in checking your child’s choices prior to leaving home for the day.  The length of shorts, shirts worn with no long pants and dresses must be as long as or longer than the longest finger length on an extended arm.  Thank you for managing this, by doing so teachers focus is to manage the business of learning.

Parents Needed:

I am writing to recruit parent representatives for the School Site Council.  School Site Council is a requirement of the State of Oregon (OAR 329.704) designed for the purpose of improving professional growth for staff, improvement of instructional programs and implementation of programs.  The OAR’s require that the School Site Council is comprised of teachers, staff, administration, students and parents.  Currently we have no parents.  Our meetings are held monthly and are scheduled for the following dates:

Site Council - 4:00 pm. - 2nd Tuesday of each month

10/11/11, 11/8/11, 12/13/11, 1/10/12, 2/14/12, 3/13/12, 4/10/12, 5/8/12

2011-12 Senior Yearbook Portraits:

Deadline: end of Fall Term (November 18, 2011)

Students have received a goldenrod half-slip with specifications.  If you have questions that were not addressed on the “handout’ please email Ms. Finnerty at hfinnerty@riverdale.k12.or.us
  
School portraits will be used if you choose not to get pictures taken elsewhere, so do not worry; your student will be in the yearbook if your student received a student body card with a picture on it (by being present on picture day September 15^th).

We are off to a great year; many students have reported their excitement and happiness to be back to school.    Well, I have to go; the Green Club is at my door waiting to present a proposal…

Important Date Changes:  The District Calendar on the website is the most up-to-date calendar -- it reflects the changes that inevitably occur.
Wed. Sept. 21: Senior Parent Meeting in library

Mon. Sept 26: Frosh Meeting in library

Tues. Sept 27: Junior Meeting in library

Wed. Oct. 5: Sophomore Meeting in library

Registration Fair - Thursday, August 18 - 3:00 - 7:00pm

August 16, 2011

Dear Families,

I hope that the summer has been a refreshing distraction to the pace of the school year.  Next week I'll be posting a letter with information that responds to many questions, in the meantime let me share some thoughts about the Registration Fair this Thursday.

Registration Fair is a drop-in event that will inform you about what is available that you might otherwise overlook.  You will be able to ask questions and gain clarification.

ONLINE information was sent via email and is posted on the High School homepage.  We are trying to maximize our budget and reduce our impact on the environment and therefore will not be mailing the packets this year.  Please preview the information packets, print off required forms and sign with your child; drop them off at the event anytime between 3:00 and 7:00 pm.

See what's offered; we have a new Mandarin Chinese Class, and a new Japanese Teacher. Robotics will be there to answer questions.  First Student, our bus company, will be present to share information about routes and stop times.  Be sure to stop by the PTC table to see what our parent organization is all about and how you can be involed.

Athletics Paperwork; Athletic Director Rob Pridemore will be available to talk all things athletic.  The athletic forms must be complete before the first practice.

The registration process has been streamlined to save you time.  It is designed to give us a head start on the collection of information (forms), and signatures that are required to ensure we are best prepared for a smooth transition from summer to the school year.

For those of you who are unable to attend the Registration Fair, no worries, we realize this is late notice. Registration packets are sent electronically this year and will not be mailed (you should have received the links). Please review the materials, fill out your forms, sign your signature pages and bring in the documents to the school office as soon as you are able. We look forward to seeing you!

Best Regards,

Paula Robinson

WELCOME BACK!

Dear Riverdale Families and Students: 
 

WELCOME BACK!

It is exciting to be returning for another dynamic school year!  I look forward to meeting some of you and reconnecting with others during the first few days of this new year.    Families are of great importance to our school community.  I look forward to working together to build your student’s success in life.  Please feel comfortable approaching me in person and/or via email.  We have a great year ahead!

We encourage students to consider joining a fall sport to get to know new peers and represent our school. Sports sign up is August 18th, 3:00 to 7:00 pm (Registration Fair).

If you have any questions or need more information, please call or email us:  503-262-4844 (please note the new school number).

Summer is drawing to a close and with it new beginnings are in sight.  As we prepare for a new school year, please note the information below that will support a smooth transition from summer break.

With warm regards,

Paula Robinson,

RHS Principal

 

UPDATES:

District Registration Fair/Athletics Sign Ups

August 18, 2011 @ 3:00-7:00 pm

This will be our first Registration Fair.  Registration materials will not be mailed this year.  You will be receiving a District email on Monday, August 15th with instructions for printing and/or downloading the materials, as well as information on what to do if you are unable to attend.

You will want to attend the District Registration Fair/Athletics sign-up to turn in your registration materials, meet our food service providers, receive locker assignments, athletic clearance and sign-ups, etc.  

Food Service:

We are happy to welcome Jordan, Mike and Barry Massinger of Xpress Catering, as our food service providers and managers of The Maverick Café.   Plan to meet them at the Registration Fair, August 18.

The Maverick Cafe

Barry Massinger 503-983-5100

Jordan Massinger 503-550-7519

Check out "The Maverick Cafe":

Website - Look for the Maverick Cafe on the left of the web page

Face Book

Email: xpresscatering@gmail.com 

Wednesday Electives:

On Wednesdays our students will be provided a yearlong elective that will earn a .25 credit.  Students will register for their Wednesday elective during the first week of school in Advisory.

Financial Aid Process:

The process for applying for student activity and athletic financial aid will be via submission of a confidential financial aid request form.  The paperwork will be available with the registration materials.  The determination of financial aid allocation will be made based on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines, the same criteria for the federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program.

Please note that we will be transitioning to our new school phone number:

503-262-4844 (the old number will forward to this new number)

PTC Forms ON-LINE:

Please review and submit forms of interest by visiting the PTC web page, we greatly appreciate your support! 

May 27, 2011

Donors Resource Interns Message:

The Riverdale Interns of DonorsResource.org have started transitioning into the new website! It would be great if all you could check out the progress they've made at www.donorsresource.org. If you want to test out the new site, you can donate something that a nonprofit will come and pick up.  Hopefully you have a great time checking out the site and have a great day.  Please check out their work at www.donorsresource.org.

Message from the Principal:

Greetings!

During New Student Forecasting Night some questions came up and others have been posed since.  I am writing to clarify some of them and highlight some changes in our schedule.

Students will remain in their current Advisory Groups, and freshmen will be added to the existing groups.  Advisory and community meeting will continue for conducting school business, bonding and work that does not “fit’ elsewhere in our schedule via an assembly schedule as needed. 

Wednesday’s 50 minute session is changed to provide a .25 elective credit (1 credit over four years) for students.  We’ve named this “The Oldani Period”; teachers will be preparing course descriptions for these elective credits.  You will receive sign-up sheets for your son or daughter in the electronic registration packet in August.

Students will have access to World language level one and two all year.  Math for most students will be all year long.  History 12B will allow students to choose from a menu of three options and English 12B will be from a menu of four selections.

Freshman Seminar has been eliminated and Health will be offered as a single course.  Senior Seminar has been changed from three trimesters to one.  Senior Exhibition will be provided during third trimester.  The projects and skills of the seminar classes will be embedded in other courses throughout the school.

We are excited about the new schedule and eager to implement it in the fall. 

Grading for next year:

Weighted GPA has been eliminated for all graduates after the 2011 class.  

HONORS:

Honors coursework is available to qualified students in all core classes (English, Art, Science, History, Math, World Language) and some electives. It is not a separate class, but an extension of the regular course. Honors encourage deeper thinking and provide greater challenge for students who are interested in and capable of such work. Students who wish to take Honors must be self-directed, able to meet deadlines and work independently. Honors work might include research, reading and writing, leadership and presentation, problem solving, scientific experimentation and investigation, community service, or independent projects.  

Successful completion of Honors will be noted on student transcripts with an H next to the course grade. Honors students must earn a grade of no lower than B (the H will be dropped if the course grade falls below B). An H on the school transcript is valuable in college admissions, as it indicates that a student has taken the most rigorous route for that course. Also, the number of H’s on transcripts may be used to determine Valedictorian and Salutatorian.  

To be enrolled in Honors, a student must submit an Honors contract no later than two weeks into a course. Before that date, teachers will post their Honors Curricula on their Classroom Central sites and explain expectations. Counselors and teachers will encourage qualified students to sign up for Honors. Parents, teachers, and students must sign the Honors contract.

Students who continue to take Honors after parent conferences are expected to complete the Honors commitment. Given the natural period of adjustment to high school, ninth graders may elect Honors in no more than two courses in their first term.

Below is the grade point scale which will be implemented fall 2011:

A+ = 4.0

A = 4.0

A- = 3.7

B+ = 3.3

B = 3.0

B- = 2.7

C+ = 2.3

C = 2.0

C- = 1.7

D+ = 1.3

D = 1.0

D- = 0.7

F = 0.0

Friday, May 20, 2011

Scheduling and Development of Course Descriptions

You may have noticed things are quite busy at the High School this spring.  Our students are working very hard in their courses and on final projects.  Seniors are engaging in conversations and planning for graduation.  Our teachers are spending many hours with Sue Teeter and Michael Murray deliberating with and struggling through the development of the best schedule and offerings for our students.  I am sharing this to be sure you understand why communication may be slower than you are used to.

I am sure the students and our parents will be pleased with the outcomes of these efforts.  Some highlights for next year include, year-long Math during most of the four years, titles in humanities courses that respond to your requests, Foreign language year long, Senior Exhibition third trimester, high level elective options, retention of Music, P.E. and Art. 

Forecasting for new students is next Wednesday, May 25th, and returning student forecasting sheets will be delivered to students prior to the end of this school year.

 

Message from College Counselor

Our seniors are committing to colleges this week, and our juniors are just beginning to think about what colleges they might apply to.  Thus, one college counseling season closes and another begins.  Our senior class was very successful with their college applications, and most were accepted by the majority of schools to which they applied.  We are happy to see that competitive schools like Smith, Occidental, New York University, Bates, Carnegie Mellon, Oberlin, Mills and Boston University have accepted our students.  What's most important, however, is that Riverdale families feel that their graduates are going off to colleges that are appropriate for individual students.  Our goal is to help students find "the right fit," whatever it might be. 

Our faculty wrote hundreds of college recommendations, on top of all the work they do preparing for classes and responding to student work.  Laurie Lepore, for example, wrote more than 40 letters this year!  Michael Murray wrote detailed School Report letters for almost all of our seniors, and made sure that a huge number of polished and complete envelopes of application materials were sent out in a timely fashion. Pat Dannen did an excellent job, as always, preparing this class to make the best possible college choices. 

All of this work by Riverdale staff simply allows colleges to see the strengths of this outstanding senior class.  

Summer Opportunity

Shakespeare revealed!

Unpack the weighty contents of Shakespearean text by demystifying the language through drama-based activities and performance.  We will explore the language of Shakespeare in a way that is real, down-to-earth and accessible to all.  We will approach the works academically while drawing from the experience of the teacher who is a local actor and director and has performed in multiple Shakespearean productions.  Please come to class prepared to move, use your voice, and be amazed.  This course can qualify as either an Art credit or an English credit.  

Contact Ms. Drogosch for details

Message from our Riverdale Donors Resource Interns

Riverdale high school interns stepped up

Over the past couple of months, the nonprofit DonorsResource.org has taken on an internship with nine high school students from Riverdale High School in Portland, Oregon. By taking on specific roles from development officer to program coordinator the students are experiencing learning in real-time.

Head first, the Interns took on the challenge of re-designing the “look” and “feel” of DonorsResource’s website by making it simpler and easier.  The mission of the interns is to make an impact in our community.  “People think because we are teens we don’t care, we’re too lazy -- Well, we the students of Riverdale, disagree. We care. We care about the 300,000 people in our region that live in poverty. We care about the 10,000 people who are homeless every night in Portland. We care about our community” said Kelsey West, Riverdale Intern.  

What: An online launch of the new web face of DonorsResource.org

Where: www.DonorsResource.org

When: May 25, 2011

You can follow them on facebook.

Thank you!

Upcoming Events

May 25th - New Student Forecasting Night

May 26th - Bella Voci Concert - 7:00 pm

May 27th - Open MIC Night - 7:00 pm

Friday, May 13, 2011

“Tristan’s Trees” a tree dedication memory event

June 9th at 6:00 Riverdale High School will celebrate the dedication of thirty indigenous trees which will be planted at Riverdale High School in late May.  The trees are a gift to Riverdale High School through the Grey to Green Grant. The dedication event will be a celebration of life for our former student Tristan S.  Among our guests will be Christine and Jerry S.  The Food for Thought Class will provide catering services. Everyone who would like to participate with us in the dedication of our trees and the celebration of Tristan’s life are welcome to join us.

Graduation Update

Graduation announcements have gone home this week, I noticed there are five orders in Sam’s office that require payment in order to be picked up. 

Caps and gowns are here and will be held until graduation.  Individuals have been contacted about late orders if one did not arrive for a student.

Tickets: Each graduate is allotted 8 tickets.  Sam will have the tickets available for pick up May 27th.  If you do not require all 8 tickets please inform Sam when you pick yours up.  If you hope for more than 8 tickets have Sam place your name and number of tickets on the wait list in order to possibly acquire the additional tickets.

Another Time Another Place 

I was one of the lucky ones that was able to experience the Student Cooking and Performance "Another Time Another Place" to benefit the Riverdale Foundation.  Riverdale's Food for Thought student chefs led by Santha Cassell, and the Bella Voci Choir directed by Michelle Horgen designed the evening.

My table dined on a Mediterranean Vegetarian Feast while others enjoyed Tex-Mex, Indian and Asian specialties.  The food was accompanied by the talents of the Bella Voci Choir and Riverdale student musicians  (Henry L, Collin S and his sister Gillian S).  Our own Dan Palma and Michelle Horgen set the mood while we dined on our appetizer.  In addition to the beautiful music and food, this event raised $1200.  If you want to experience the love:

Another Time Another Place Slide Show

Practice SAT for High School Students
A free fully-proctored practice SAT will show students what to expect in a test-like environment. Students will receive a comprehensive analysis of their performance on the test, detailing individual strengths and weaknesses. Provided by Kaplan. Held in the US Bank Room.
Saturday, July 16, 2011   1-5:30 p.m.       (Session 1 of 2) 
Tuesday, July 26, 2011   6:30-7:45 p.m.   (Session 2 of 2) 

Session 1: Practice Test
Session 2: Exam Follow-up  

Central Library 
801 S.W. 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205 
503.988.5123

Preregistration is required.  Registration opens on June 25th.
See the the event page on the library's EventFinder website

May 6, 2011

Our daily schedule will not change: 

Parents and students were alarmed by an announcement, during the Budget Meeting of April 27th, that schedule changes were being considered for the High School next year.  After the faculty worked hard to consider every possible option, it has been determined that we will not have a different schedule next year.

However, because of the reduction in teaching staff, other changes in the structure of how-we-do-business must be considered.  We are discussing the viability of targeted all year math and foreign language instruction, fewer single-grade classes, and ways to introduce a wider range of activities, independent and group study projects, service projects and community building.  Our goal is for students, faculty and parents to feel that Riverdale is a vibrant place to spend time, offering meaningful challenge and bountiful opportunity for academic, social and individual growth.   We welcome creative ideas from everyone in the community, and will keep you informed about our discussions.  

While functioning with fewer teachers is always more challenging, we expect that our program can be preserved and even improved.  

A parent survey about the schedule was promised at the April 27th meeting.  Because the scheduling decision was made efficiently, to allow us enough time to create a schedule for next year and start the schedule forecasting process, we will not be sending out a survey specifically about the schedule.  Look for a survey about a wide range of topics at the end of the year. 

Graduation update: 

Announcements, caps and gowns targeted arrival is May 11^th.  

We are assured that there will be back up (extra) caps and gowns in the event someone may not be prepared.  Dan from Royal-T Herf Jones planned to call anyone without a cap and gown.  Sam has emergency late forms for order if you know that you have not ordered.

Service hours are culminating.  Becky Kennedy and Michael Murray are working with students to wrap up their projects and hours.  If your child is at risk for not graduating due to their lack of service hours you would have received a letter (twice) and a call from Ms. Kennedy.  Diplomas cannot be awarded without this completed requirement.

Very important: Please notify Sue Teeter or Michael Murray about all grants, scholarships, awards and acceptances your child has been awarded.  I hope to provide your child with mention on the graduation program and we would like to document their cumulative successes.  

We look forward to seeing you all June 7^th at 7:00 pm, Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis and Clark College.  Tickets are limited.

Lastly, I am new to this class, I acknowledge that they are graduating with a new principal and might be missing Ms. Higgins at this time.  It is also true that I have not known them for their first three years at RHS.  I would appreciate any stories, accomplishments or experiences you see as highlights that you might share with me as I begin to think about what to include in my address to this amazing class of young men and women.

A Book Store in the Library?  Yes! -- Book swap is coming... 

The RHS Book Swap is only a few weeks away!  Be part of It.  Here is how it works:

1.  Clean out your bookshelves:  Most wanted items include: appropriate adult and YA fiction, mysteries, historical fiction, sci-fi, graphic novels, non-fiction such as history, current events, cookbooks, travel, art, pets, psychology, sports, essays, philosophy, biography, CDs, & DVDs.

2. Bag it! Bring in your donations (starting now) in a bag or box that is clearly marked with your name.

3.  3=1: We give you one book credit for every three items you donate. So, if you donate 12 items, you earn enough points to “buy” 4 books/cds/dvds at the sale. The more you bring in, the better the choices for everyone.

4.   On the first day of the sale, only those who donated items are allowed to select items.* If you run out of points, you may purchase a title for $.50 for paperback, $1 for hardback/cd/dvd.  On the second and third days, everyone is welcome and all titles will for available for sale at these great prices.
 

This sale is not designed to raise money, but we sometimes make enough to purchase a nice assortment of popular paperbacks to loan for Summer Reading.

Important Dates:

May 7 - Prom at EcoTrust Building

May 9 - School Board meeting 6:00 at the grade school

May 10 - Spring Sports awards at 7:00 at Lewis and Clark Stadium

May 12 - Red Cross Blood Drive at RHS 

May 25 - Forcasting Night for new 2011-2012 RHS students