Your Source for All Things Riverwalk

May 1, 2022

Happy Sunday, Pride,

I hope each of you had a wonderful weekend. I can't believe that it's already May and that the end of the school year is just around the corner.

Before we bring the 21/22 school year to a close, we have a few major events remaining, such as state testing, kindergarten, 5th, and 8th grade promotion ceremonies, high school graduation, and who can forget next week's teacher appreciation week.

We will be celebrating teacher appreciation week next week. During this week, we want to appreciate every staff member who works at Riverwalk Academy. Every employee (teacher, teaching assistant, nurse counselor, and office staff) walking through our door is a teacher who impacts our children. We could not do what we do without every person playing their role. I truly believe in the Power of the Riverwalk Pride. It takes us all and each adult makes an impact.

I could go on and on about why I appreciate the Riverwalk Staff, but instead of writing a dissertation on the subject, I'll limit it to just a few bullet points as to why I value our staff.

Our staff does whatever it takes without complaint. They pitch in to help each other. They go above and beyond what is required. They see what needs to be done and do it before I have to ask. They try to work through situations themselves first and only ask for help when they have exhausted their own resources. I often find that they should ask for help more than they do. They truly subscribe to the collective leadership philosophy in that everyone, no matter their title or where they sit on the "Riverwalk Academy Bus" is a leader.

Our staff has a sense of humor. They make me laugh all the time. They don't take themselves too seriously. If there is something funny that happens, it spreads all over the school pretty quickly. Kids do silly stuff. Parents do silly stuff. Teachers do silly stuff. When that happens, they smile and enjoy the ride.

They respond wisely and professionally. They know what is right and do what is right. When they make mistakes, they admit it, make adjustments, and move on. They see life from others' perspectives and value a different point of view. They are empathetic. They know when to say "Yes" and when to say "No." They are mature and see themselves as learners and not just teachers. I often tell them I'm envious of the gifts that they possess. That is really true. I am so blessed to get to work with our staff each day. They push me to become a better leader.

This is a week where we can all applaud their efforts. I hope you will join me in doing just that. They deserve it.

How can you help us celebrate them? Our PTO, a group who I truly am grateful for, has created a few events that we'd like your help with:

Tuesday - bring your teacher(s) a flower
Thursday - students can write a letter(or send an email) , or draw them a picture, of what makes them an outstanding teacher.

Have a great week, Lions!

In Strength and Blessings,

~Dr. Compton

Photo of the Week

This week's photo is of Ms. Carney's class who all became published authors!

Each student researched, wrote, and illustrated a page for the book, "Natural Disasters." They each were able to read their portion of the book to students in K5, 1st, and 2nd grades.

Calling On Our Pride: Blue Envelopes

We have a tradition that we'd like to start with our seniors that we're calling the Blue Envelope. We're encouraging any to consider writing a letter to one of our seniors. We'll be collecting these letters (either through the mail, or dropped off to Ms. Robinson) until May 20th. On the 24th, during their senior breakfast, each senior will receive a large blue envelope that contains all of the letters written to them. If you know any senior, write them a note. If you don't personally know any of them, that's okay too. They'd still love to hear from you.

Our Seniors:

Darby Adams
Ryler Amick
Nathalie Bass
Hannah Cratty
Trinity Fite
Noah Goins
Ian Gray
Matthew Greene
Michelle Mabey
Abby Maloney
Jesse Matthews
Lillie Pruitt
Alex Ray
Chad Salyer
Dakota Thomas
Taylor Walker
Justin Zunker

Mental Health Awareness Color Run & Family Event

We'd love to see our Pride out on 5/14 supporting our friends at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Piedmont Tri-County by participating in this family friend color run. Click here to register for this free event.

School-Wide Family Night

We'd like to say thank you to all the families who came out to our family night. We'd also like to give a shout out to our high school students and teachers who put on such a wonderful event.

9th Grade Student Zion performs at the talent show during our 2022 Spring Family Night. Zion is also the student who designed and led this event.

Mr. Prothero's students decorated their rain barrels and sold them during the family night.

10th grade student, Jazzy, showing off her 1st place medal for winning the 2022 talent show.

State Testing Information

SC Ready/SC PASS (3rd - 8th)

State Testing is right around the corner. Below are the dates, tests and grades they apply to. All testing will begin at 8:30am each morning. Any student arriving after 8:15am will not be allowed to test and will have to wait for the make up testing date. Please refrain from scheduling any routine doctor, dentist or eye appointments during school hours on testing days. Please make sure your student has a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast prior to each test.

May 4, 2022 - SC READY - ELA Part 1 (Writing) (3rd - 8th grades)
May 5, 2022 - SC READY - ELA Part 2 (Reading) (3rd - 8th grades)
May 9, 2022 - SC READY - Math (3rd - 8th grades)
May 11, 2022 - SC PASS - Science - (4th and 6th grades only)

A Parent brochure was sent home with 3rd quarter report cards. A copy of these can be found here: SC Ready & SC PASS.

Students enrolled in grades three through eight will participate in the SC READY stand-alone field test. The stand-alone field testing for the Spring 2022 SC READY English Language Arts (ELA) assessment will include one text dependent analysis (TDA) item with one question.

Our students will take the field test on April 25, 2022. If students miss the field test, they will be required to make it up.

EOCEP (End of Course Examination Program) - high school courses

The End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) is a statewide assessment program of end-of-course tests for gateway courses awarded units of credit in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The EOCEP encourages instruction in the specific standards for the courses, encourages student achievement, and documents the level of students’ mastery of the academic standards. Gateway courses in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies will be defined by the State Board of Education. EOCEP examination scores count 20 percent in the calculation of the student’s final grade in gateway courses. Defined gateway courses currently include Algebra 1, Intermediate Algebra, Biology 1, English 2, and United States History and the Constitution, or courses with other names and activity codes in which the academic standards corresponding to these subjects are taught.

Our students will take their tests on the following dates for the courses listed. As listed above, all testing will begin at 8:30am, any student arriving after 8:15am will not be allowed to test and will have to take the test during the make-up session on May 20, 2022. These are the only dates these exams will be given.

May 2, 2022 - US History (11th grade)
May 16, 2022 - English 2 - Part 1 (Writing)
May 17, 2022 - English 2 - Part 2 (Reading)
May 18, 2022 - Algebra 1
May 19, 2022 - Biology

EOCEP 2021-2022 Parent and Student Assessment Brochure-English

If you have any questions or concerns regarding state testing, please reach out to your student’s teacher or Mrs. Carr, State Testing Coordinator. If you have a student who is particularly anxious regarding testing, please contact their counselor (Mrs. Carr - Elementary or Mrs. Menges - Middle/High) so we can reassure them.

Senior Spotlight: Hannah Cratty

Elementary Guidance with Mrs. Carr

Greetings,

This week we had our English Field Test on Monday. Thanks to your cooperation, we had a successful first day with a great attendance rate. By this Thursday, we had tested all 383 students we needed to test. I also gave a test at York Technical College. It is fun to go over there and see the older students. It is nice when they are excited to see me too.

I am officially finished with classroom guidance lessons for the year, with my last one this past Tuesday in the middle of testing. I like to think the students handled the field test better for remembering my lesson on mindfulness. If you would like a copy of the mindfulness activities I handed out, let me know. They are great exercises for all ages.

Another thing to be mindful of besides what you're thinking and how you feel about things is about your student’s mental health. This is a graphic of the difference between mental health and mental illness and signs for which to watch.

Have a wonderful week and make sure to read all the pre-test day information. Thank you for helping us help your students be successful.

Hugs, Mrs. Carr

Field Day 2022

FIELD DAY IS BACK! May 13, 2022 for all elementary students.

We are planning to have a fun filled day full of activities, including water and a bagged lunch will be provided for all elementary students. Make sure to have students here for all testing days to ensure they don’t miss out on FIELD DAY 2022, as this is also a testing make up day!

Promotion Ceremony Yard Signs

Kindergarten Graduation Yard Sign

Click here to place your order. Orders placed by Thursday each week are ready for pick up in 12 days.

5th Grade Graduation Yard Sign

Click here to place your order. Orders placed by Thursday each week are ready for pick up in 12 days.

Middle/High Guidance with Mrs. Menges

Hello Everyone!

I am really looking forward to the week ahead. There are several exciting things going on that I get to be apart of. On Tuesday, we will be having our first ever high school awards ceremony where we can recognized students for achievements they have made this year! It will be so sweet to see our students there getting to shine from all of their hard work in different areas of their school lives. On Wednesday and Thursday, I will be traveling to Lynchburg, VA to officially graduate from Liberty University with my Masters of Education in School Counseling. It has been a long time coming, and I am so proud of myself for this huge accomplishment. Finally, on Friday we will be having a senior picnic with our students at Ebenezer Park. Here, we will be able to relax and have some fun with our seniors to celebrate all the hard work they have put into this year. We are getting close to the end guys, keep up the hard work and always put in your best effort! Here’s a few reminders for the week…

Things to know:

8th through 10th grade families, this past week I sent home attendance recovery letters with students who have missed more than 6 unexcused days of school. The state requires students taking high school credit courses to meet certain seat time requirements which is why attendance make up is necessary. If students do not make up days required, they will not receive a grade or credit for their course. Attendance Recovery sessions will start May 2nd and run until May 19th on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. They must be paid for prior to the session through the school store. Students will be in the classroom from 3:30-5:00 working on other school work or test prep. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to me at cmenges@riverwalkacademy.com. 11th and 12th grade students will get this form Tuesday and have already started working towards this make up with the teachers at York Tech.

Seniors, I look forward to seeing you all at the senior picnic Friday from 1:00-3:00 at Ebenezer Park!

Middle/High, I have been spending some time working with Ms. Bumgarner planning some additions to the guidance portion of the website. Feel free to check it out!

Parents and Students, please be sure to keep an eye on your attendance as we near the end of the year. If any unexcused absences are gained between now and the end of the year, students will receive an attendance recovery letter with days that need to be made up.

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Menges

Middle School (6th - 8th Grade Reminders)

8th Grade Graduation Yard Sign

Click here to place your order. Orders placed by Thursday each week are ready for pick up in 12 days

Good Luck BPA

We'd like to wish good luck to our Business Professionals of America students who are heading to Dallas, TX on Wednesday to compete in the national championships.

Jesse Matthews -- Extemporaneous Speech

Efua Adabo -- Digital Media Production

Jake Matthews -- Interview Skills

Jazmine Sepulveda -- Entrepreneurship

Jazmine Sepulveda, Zarria Washington, Heidi Kipper, Blake Hawkins -- Broadcast News Production Team

High School Families: Directory & Military Information Opt Out Survey

Please be advised that the SCDE Privacy & Security - Directory & Military Information Opt Out Survey is now available. Please inform your parent community that the survey is available and request they complete the survey ONLY IF they intend for the student’s directory information to be withheld from release to entities such as higher education institutions and/or military recruiters, by logging into their PowerSchool parent portal account. Directions to provide to families are here. We appreciate your assistance! If you have additional questions please contact

US History EOC

Just a reminder to those who are taking US History that their EOC is on Monday at the Riverwalk Academy Campus. Students need to arrive no later than 8:15 am.