Dear Rivermont Community,

Welcome to our 127th school year!  This first week of school has been full of excitement and energy.  Everyone has enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and classmates while also welcoming many news Lions to the pride.  Tuesday's retreat gave our Middle and Upper Schoolers an opportunity have some fun while setting the stage for an action packed year.  In spite of the drizzle, everyone maintained a sunny disposition!  If you heard a loud rumble after lunch Wednesday, that was most likely o

Sam likes the new library chair and the Imp & Tiger blankets.

ur Imp-Tiger sorting assembly when new students and staff were "sorted" as either Imps or Tigers.  The thunderous shouts welcomed each new member.  Although the Imps were victorious last school year, the slate is clean as the houses compete for points to determine this year's winner.  Who will rule?   IMPS?  TIGERS?

Thursday, August 26 is our Welcome Back BBQ and Back to School Night.  (Keep your fingers crossed for good weather.)  The BBQ is a great way to start the school year and enjoy each other's company while setting the stage for Back to School Night.  The festivities will begin at 5:00 PM on the Mansion Circle (weathe

Organized chaos

r permitting) with hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs prepared by our very own Chefs June and Kathy.  Bring your family and a blanket and enjoy the food.  At 6:00 PM we will all convene in the Auditorium for "Evening Meeting" for important information and messages.  From there, PreSchool-Grade 12 parents and their children will visit classrooms in an open house fashion.  The PS-5 teachers will make 20 minute presentations w

Smiling faces and beautiful flowers!

hile the Specials Teachers and the 6-12 subject teachers will be in their classrooms. Although student schedules will be available for Grades 6-12, parents will not follow their child's schedule for the evening.  Rather you are free to visit any and all classes you wish, when you wish.  Remember, this is not an evening for individual conferences but rather one to learn more about the curriculum and expectations for this year.  We hope this new format will result in a more relaxed and casual evening for everyone.

Once again, welcome to the school year.  The calendar is full of activities and there are many opportunities to be part of our school community.  We hope to see you at school events and particiapting in committees and in the Parents' Council.

Rick St. Laurent
Headmaster

 

Come join us on the Mansion Circle for hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, salads, cake, and lemonade at 5:00 PM.  No charge.  (Cafeteria in case of rain.)

Back to School Night begins at 6:00 PM and will follow the format of an Open House so parents and students can visit classrooms at their leisure. PS-5 classroom teachers will make special presentations.  6-12 teachers will be available in their classrooms.

Students are welcome to visit classrooms with their parents! 

Junior Joann Weeks won third place in the Quad City Arts Heritage Poetry Contest and will read her poem at the opening of the Roots Exhibit, Friday, 20 August, 7:30 pm at the Quad City Arts Center in Rock Island.  Bravo Joann!

Special thanks to Vicki Wallace and Amy Telleen for bringing a bright spot of color to our school entrance.  Thanks for digging in making Rivermont more beautiful!

Beginning today, Friday August 20th, for 4 days only Lands' End is offering their popular $10 Polo promotion. This exclusive deal is available only for an extremely limited time.

Each fall, we kick-off our gift and magazine subscription fundraiser to benefit our students. The success of the program depends on your participation.
 
Please save your magazine subscription renewals for our sale.  It is only when you renew directly through our program that our school receives 40% profit from your order. 
 
You can support us today, you can shop on-line!

It's easy
visit www.qsp.com
click on 'Shop Now'
enter school code #: 425008927 and make your selections.   It's that simple!

     - Consider giving magazine subscriptions as gifts this year!
     - Let friends and family know about our fundraiser and ask them to save their orders for our program!

As Rivermont students begin a new year, they will see small but significant changes in the college application process. Some are straight forward such as fine tunings of the Common Application (this month seniors will be offered a mini course workshop in the Common Application). Other changes are less easily grasped: the waxing and waning of college admission's philosophical views of what constitutes an ideal curricular background for applicants. See what I mean?  What philosophical views? Currently, two areas are under scrutiny: Advanced Placement courses and PreMedicine preparation.
 
Many believe that the best avenue to medical school acceptance lies in taking as many hard science courses as possible, to the detriment of humanities courses. Rivermont Collegiate, however, continues to believe students ought not to be lopsided; an education for any field is a well rounded education and a preparation for life. Colleges and universities may be poised to act on a long held debate over "whether pre-med courses and admission tests produce doctors who know their alkyl halides but lack the sense of mission and interpersonal skills to become well-rounded, caring, inquisitive healers."
 
A recent study compared the "outcomes for 85 students in the Humanities and Medicine Program with those of 606 traditionally prepared classmates from the graduating classes of 2004 through 2009, and found that their academic performance in medical school was equivalent."
 
This study was conducted by Humanities and Medicine Program at the Mount Sinai which since 1987 has guaranteed a small number of students a place in med school (skipping the MCAT) if they took a humanities based program.  Will this new study result in colleges and universities following suit and making changes in admissions? I will keep you posted.
 
Next week, a look at the changing face of Advanced Placement courses.

Bonnie Campbell
College Counselor

 
Check out the full article
New York Times: July 29, 2010
Getting Into Med School Without Hard Sciences
by Anemona Hartcolli

On Monday, September 20, 2010, Rivermont will host our first ever Golf Outing event to benefit the students of Rivermont and their pursuit of academic excellence.
 
We cordially invite you to join us at the golf outing and ask for your support by taking advantage of one or more of the many sponsorship opportunities available. Support from individuals and families like yours will help create the essential resources needed to enrich the education of students in our community. 
 
If you are interested in playing golf, attending the after party, or taking advantage of one or more of the sponsorship opportunities, please contact Drew Boster at 563-359-1366 ext. 306 boster@rvmt.org to discuss your sponsorship options and to discuss any questions you may have.
   
On behalf of the faculty and staff, Board of Trustees, Golf Outing Committee, and Golf Outing Committee Co-chairs Tom Licea and Todd Ashby, thank you for supporting the educational needs of Rivermont Collegiate students!

English and Math teacher Kelly Turner and her husband Shannon welcomed the newest addition to their family a bit early.  Cayden was born on Monday, August 9, 11:00 PM.  Initially 5 lb. 10 oz, 19 in. Cayden was in NICU however both are home now and doing very well.  Several teachers visited on Wednesday and report that Cayden is adorable.  Big sister Reilly thinks he's cute too.

Reilly and Cayden