Hi All,

The start of the school year is a great time for community building both on campus and off. The Parents' Association, which plays such an active role in building community, is seeking volunteers for room parents and events; please think about joining this great organization that means so much to all of us. They will be sponsoring our Second Annual Ice Cream Social on Friday afternoon, please come and enjoy.

Also, please see the note from our School Counselor, Shirley O'Neil, who will be spending more time supporting our students in a variety of ways this year. We are excited about the new programs that she will be involved in.

Many parents have asked about the new modular that is being completed in the southeast corner of the Elementary School. As part of our Strategic Plan, we are focusing on ensuring that our permanent facilities are used for academic purposes. We were able to convert the previous multi-purpose room into two beautiful new classrooms this summer in a very cost effective way. One classroom now houses Grade 1. We used the other classroom to move our Language "B" classes out of modulars and into permanent space. Both of these rooms are used all day. The new modular, which will hopefully be completed in the next two weeks, will host our Elementary School lunches, before- and after-school care, and assorted meetings; this was a great trade for our students and teachers.

Finally, our phones are back up and running with our new system. The main number is 424-5000 and our fax line is 424-0033. More information below!

See you all at the Ice Cream Social!

Bob Carignan

Head of School

Dear Riverstone Parents,

I wanted to re-introduce myself to you as the school counselor for Riverstone International School for 2014-15. I grew up in Boise and am one of the select few to claim "native" status. I attended Stanford University earning a BA in Psychology. I received a dual master's degree from College of Idaho in both School Counseling and Family Counseling and have State Certification for School Counseling for grades K-12, and am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with my own private practice as a partner at Jefferson Street Counseling and Consulting. I spent many years working in schools in the counseling realm, first within the Palo Alto Unified School District. I also completed internships at both BSU and at Bishop Kelly High School. Prior to working at Riverstone, I worked as the school counselor at St. Joseph's School for 7 years.I am the mother of 5 children (ages 28-18), and have long been active in the community. I am thrilled to be working for Riverstone again this year as I love the school, parents, students, faculty and staff. Riverstone's philosophy closely aligns with my educational philosophy as well as my philosophy as a parent. I feel very fortunate to be working you and your wonderful students!

This year I plan on being on campus Tuesday and Thursday mornings, as well as all day on Friday. I am available on a limited basis for 15 min consultations with parents, either in person or over the phone. Please email me at soneil@riverstoneschool.org to schedule appointments. I will also be hosting informational coffees for parents once a month on Fridays on different topics throughout the year. I hope to get to know more parents and provide a forum where I am able to share information and answer questions. As always, I will be seeing individual students and going in to classrooms to teach basic counseling skills that reflect the Riverstone philosophy.

I will also be supervising an intern, Andrea Kuenzli. Andrea has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a specific interest in social psychology from the University of Montana-Missoula. She is currently pursing Master's degrees in Counselor Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling at the University of New Mexico and Boise State University. She has completed courses in school counseling, child and adolescent development, group counseling, multicultural counseling, career development, counseling children and adolescents, family counseling and communication skills. She also completed an internship over the summer at the Boys and Girls Club in New Mexico where she focused on helping students to develop positive social skills and coping mechanisms during a time of crisis. 

As always please feel free to call me at the school with any questions, or email me at soneil@riverstoneschool.org 

Warm Regards,

Shirley O'Neil, M.Ed., LCPC