Riverstone International School

Next Steps

Dear Riverstone Families, Faculty, Staff, and Friends,

As we near the Thanksgiving holiday and end of our 2015 Annual Fund campaign, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for the time, energy, and dedication of the Riverstone community. Since the school was founded in 1997, there have been countless people and organizations who have helped us steadily grow and improve the education we provide. We continue to reflect and refine who we are as an organization and how we best meet the needs of our students. Just as we strive to inspire our students' journeys, we too have our own journey as an institution.

I am delighted to share news of the next big steps in our school's journey.

Earlier this week, the Board of Trustees authorized the administrative team to begin taking the necessary steps to build Phase 1 of a new Middle and High School building with a goal of breaking ground during 2016. Phase 1 will replace our current modulars that are nearly 20 years old and have reached a point of diminishing returns on maintenance expenses. Although plans are still being developed, the footprint for Phase 1 will cover approximately the area where the modulars currently exist. In the future, when Phase 2 of the Middle and High School has been completed, the architecture for the entire structure will complement the Elementary School building.

Committing to the construction of this new building is consistent with our 2014-2019 Strategic Plan with respect to facilities, academic excellence, and managing enrollment. As you may recall, we prioritized the use of permanent building space for instructional purposes and in fact have limited the number of classes being taught in the modulars this year. Both students and teachers will benefit from the improved learning environment of this new building. We also anticipate benefits in terms of greater retention and recruitment of students and faculty.

The early success of our endowment campaign, Navigating Forward, has enabled us to pursue building Phase 1 of the new Middle and High School. In fact, the financial assets of our endowment fund have enabled the Trustees to pursue this opportunity to build Phase 1 without additional fundraising efforts such as a capital campaign. As with any endowment, the principal remains intact and will continue to grow with additional contributions. There will be more information about our endowment campaign in the near future, but please know that we are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the endowment campaign thus far.

Secondly, we are transitioning our model for hosting international students. We have partnered with a developer to design and lease a new residential community in downtown Boise opening in the fall of 2016. Currently, our international students live with host families, predominantly relying upon our school community to open their homes to our students. We have many students and families for whom this has been a wonderful experience. However, you may have noticed by the repeated requests in our newsletter that finding host families for the number of international students who would like to study at Riverstone has been a challenge that has become increasingly more difficult each year. We have in fact, had to turn away students who would be an excellent fit for our school because we could not find host families.

Our residential community also expands our ability to enroll students from other parts of Idaho and even throughout the United States. Although sometimes we take this for granted, an International Baccalaureate World School with small classes, strong teacher relationships, and outdoor education in a friendly, safe city like Boise is a very unique educational opportunity. By providing a residential option for both international and domestic students, we can positively manage our enrollment, build diversity, and expand the global perspective that we strive to develop in all of our students. We will continue to offer families the opportunity to host students who attend Riverstone on a cultural exchange, typically one year or less.

Our approach to both our new construction and residential program will be mindful and thoughtful, with a clear eye towards ensuring that we maintain the values that Riverstone International School holds dear. Our goal has always been to improve the educational experience of our students through the five pillars and ensure financial sustainability of the school; these next steps in our school's journey are exciting and hold great promise for our community.

Please join me on Monday, November 23 at 8:45 AM or 6:30 PM in the school library for a short presentation and the opportunity to answer questions.

I look forward to sharing more as details unfold.

Sincerely,

Bob Carignan
Head of School

bcarignan@riverstoneschool.org

Middle and High School Building
Phase 1 and Phase 1+2 Exterior Perspective

Residential Community Exterior Perspective

5521 Warm Springs Avenue Boise, ID 83716 USA
www.riverstoneschool.org
(208) 424-5000