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HEADlines
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RIVERMONT COLLEGIATE
Where there are no spectators, only participants!
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August 19th, 2011
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Mission Statement
Rivermont Collegiate is dedicated to academic
excellence and maximizing the potential of each student through a nurturing,
stimulating, and structured environment that advances the individual's
intellect, character and creativity while guiding the student on a path of
life-long learning, prepared to engage fully in his or her local, national, and
global communities.
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Dear Rivermont Community,
Welcome to our 128th year! It has been an exciting week getting reacquainted with old friends and meeting new ones. You could feel the energy as you walked around campus. Wednesday was especially exciting as new staff and students were sorted as Imps or Tigers. We are not sure when the tradition began or why it is Imps and Tigers, but I have a trophy in my office that goes back to 1909. (The Imps won that year!)
Thursday, August 25th 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 (weather 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. From there, PreSchool-Grade 12 parents will visit classrooms in an open house fashion. The PS-5 teachers will make 20 minute presentations while Specials Teachers and 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. Families that are fortunate enough to have more than one child enrolled in the Lower School at Rivermont will have the opportunity to meet briefly with the other children's teachers after the initial PS-5 presentations.
We are in the final stages of equipping our classrooms with interactive whiteboards and touch tablet projection systems. All our buildings have WiFi access for faculty and students and the entire network has been upgraded. A drawing tablet will be added to the art room and we will be learning about robot building through FIRST Lego League. We are very excited about the upgrades and new opportunities available to us through a more robust and integrated network and the purchase of additional hardware. We are grateful to the foundations, parents, and trustees who have supported Rivermont's goal to provide our students with an exciting and innovative technology experience. This experience places Rivermont at the forefront of the sometimes mind-boggling explosion in information, logistics, and communications.
Although technology is critical to learning and working in today's world, it is vital that an appreciation for nature and human dynamics be part of that experience. Building on our Outdoor Learning Experience (OLE) Day, we will launch (our alums will say re-launch) an outdoor education program that will take Upper School students to northern Wisconsin for camping, canoeing, climbing, and outdoor survival and leadership training. This week away from the books will deepen student relationships, expand their knowledge of the natural world, and promote resilience and positive risk taking. Having been involved in leading outdoor education trips for over 20 years, I am very excited to expand the Rivermont Experience. The lessons learned and experiences shared can be life-changing. It is truly a "whole child" experience. Watch for outdoor education opportunities for our Lower and Middle Schools students as well.
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 participating in committees and in the Parents' Council. First assignment: Come to the Back-to-School Night and BBQ, Thursday, August 25th at 5:00 PM!
Rick St. Laurent
Headmaster
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Kudos!
Amazing things happened over summer break!
Summer Readers!
Congratulations to the following students who completed the summer reading program at their local library.
Moline Public Library - A Midsummer Knight's Read
Angela Jones, Isabella Jones, and Nandini Reddy
Bettendorf Public Library - One World, Many Stories
Miley Ashby, Connor Denike, Aidan Sears, Olivia Schroeder, Emad Haque, Nandini Reddy, Mahum Haque, Aditya Shah, Bennett Teitle
Summer Swimmer!
Sixth grader Aviana Zahara competed at Zones for Team Illinois, coming in 7th overall for the 50 backstroke and 4th with her Team Illinois freestyle relay team. Aviana was presented the "Best Sportsmanship" award by the Team Illinois coaches - given top honors for wishing good luck to her competitors and exuding a general air of positivity for all of her Team Illinois teammates, many of whom were her direct competitors at the Illinois State meet the week prior. Zones is the highest level of competition a USA Age Group Swimming member can achieve - swimmers competing at Zones are among the top 1% of swimmers in the country.
Summer Scientist!
Senior Meghana Pagadala participated in the STARS (Students and Teachers as Research Scientists) program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis this summer, conducting intensive research with St. Louis-area professionals and professors. Meghana is a recipient of the LMI Aerospace/D3 Technologies Award for Excellence in Research for her project,The Mechanism by Which CD8+FoxP3+T Cells Regulate Osteoclast Activity. This award is given to those participants in the STARS program who best exemplified difficulty and complexity of research, appropriateness of research methodology, quality of writing, and overall quality of research process.
Summer Triathlete!
Sixth grader Keenan Dolan swam, biked, and ran his way to 2nd place in his age group at the HyVee IronKids Triathlon in July! Keenan will be traveling to Des Moines in September for the National Championship to compete against the top 5 boys in his age group. Competitors for the National Championship came from 15 different states!
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School Bus Parking
Please leave the yellow painted area under the big tree near the Mansion Circle open for our school bus. Although the bus is usually there before afternoon pick-up begins, schedules can run late and the bus needs to pick up students in a safe area. Thanks for you cooperation!
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Afternoon Pick-Up
Every effort is made to keep traffic moving safely around campus. Please move about the campus carefully and slowly. Be especially cautions as you move from one lane into another. The Mansion Circle sometimes functions as a rotary. If students are not ready and waiting for their ride, we ask that cars make another loop around the Circle. This way others may leave with their students who are ready, while cars waiting for students do not block traffic. Grades are picked up at these locations:
Mansion Circle - 1st, 2nd, and 6th-12th
Lower Entrance to Becherer (Lower Parking Lot) - PS, JK, K, and 3rd-5th
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Fall Sports
Middle School Girls' Volleyball and Boys' & Girls' Cross Country practices begin Monday right after school.
Volleyball will practice from 3:40-5:00 p.m. and Cross Country will practice from 3:40-4:30 p.m. Leigh Ann Schroeder will coach Volleyball, assisted by Ryan Pillow. Girls in grades 5-8 may participate. Ed Knupp will coach Cross Country for boys and girls in grades 5-12.
Complete practice and game schedules will be distributed to parents and students by Monday.
Go Lions!
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Fundraising News
Shopping at K&K Hardware? Simply mention Rivermont Collegiate to the cashier when making a purchase and we get 5% back! The cashier will make a copy of your receipt and Rivermont gets a cash rebate! That was easy!
Magazine Drive - Save your magazine subscription renewals for the fall Magazine Drive! On Monday, August 29th, Rivermont Parents' Council will be kicking off the Magazine Drive to benefit our students! Rivermont receives 40% profit from your order when you renew or subscribe through the drive. Consider giving magazine subscriptions as gifts! Tell friends and family members about the fundraiser!
If you want to renew sooner, visit www.qsp.com and shop online to support Rivermont (all online orders count towards the fall school-wide goal):
Rivermont Account Number: 1086684
SCRIP gift cards are back! Parents' Council is offering gift cards through the SCRIP fundraising program again this year. This is an easy way to raise funds for Rivermont! Simply purchase gift cards through Rivermont SCRIP and retailers give us a percentage back - it doesn't cost you anything extra!
New this year...
Burlington Coat Factory
Dunn Brothers Coffee
Whole Foods
Bed, Bath, and Beyond now available in $100 gift cards!
Bonus percentages for this month:
Lands' End - was 10%, now 18%
Red Robin - was 9%, now 11%
Shutterfly - was 9%, now 14%
Questions?
Contact Melissa Sears at jmlsears@mchsi.com or (563) 343-5652
Order forms are available at both main entrances - the Mansion and Becherer Hall.
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Back-to-School Night BBQ
Thursday, August 25th
5:00 p.m. - BBQ Dinner Outside
6:00 p.m. - Back-to-School Night
Rivermont faculty, staff, students, and their families are invited to the annual Back-to-School BBQ and Open House on the Rivermont campus. Enjoy a BBQ dinner, meet your child's teachers, discuss academic goals for the year, see the classroom and teaching materials, and ask questions.
Join us to kick off the beginning of another excellent school year!
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Upcoming Events
August
25 Beginning Band Meeting & Instrument Reservation
3:00 - 5:00 PM in the Mansion
Back to School Night & BBQ - Serving begins at 5:00 PM
Program begins at 6:00 PM - Parking is tight that evening
You may park in the lot at the corner of 18th & Mississippi Blvd.
26 O.L.E. Day (Outdoor Learning Experiences)
28 Visit the Rivermont Lion at the River Bandits Game!
29 Parents' Council Magazine Drive begins
September
2 College Colors Day
LS Student Council Elections, 8:30 AM
5 Labor Day - No School
6 Admissions Event: Open Tours, 8:30 - 10:00 AM
6-10 Upper School Outdoor Leadership Trip to Wisconsin
12 All School Morning Meeting - Commemorate 9/11, 8:20 AM
14 Parents Council Meeting, 8:30 AM in the Cafeteria
19 Second Annual Rivermont Golf Outing at Crow Valley
20-21 School Pictures - Dress Sharp! - Schedule TBA
23 Fall Mini Imp-Tiger Day, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
24 Founders' Day - 1884
27 Upper School trip to American Players Theatre
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