Hi All,   It's been quiet here on campus these past few weeks as we continue into the summer break. The administrative team has been wrapping up last year and beginning to plan for what will be a very exciting start of the 2016-17 school year.

I have been thinking about what it means to experience a truly international school. First, because of our small community, it means that every student will interact with someone who can challenge their ideas in a safe way. The focus is always on growth, not on retreat, and the ability to look at a situation differently is a great one.

At Riverstone, our small yet globally-connected school offers a tangible understanding of the real world in a personal and challenging way. Our students discover that mutually beneficial and positive relationships with the people around you, people who are not exactly like you or may not be your first choice as a best friend, are what helps them develop the skills to flourish within and outside of our community. What these interactions provide is a chance for students to develop empathy, which I would argue is one of the 21st Century's most important skills. 

As Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, "...I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties, there isn't any privacy." Real international education, and the real world, are messy: at times there is no privacy, you have to learn how to carry yourself thoughtfully and, most importantly, with empathy. I see this every day at our small school, in our growing group of alumni, and in our students' ability to adapt to life outside of and after Riverstone.

In the next newsletter, I will share our ISA scores, which benchmark our students on an international level.

Also - we have officially broken ground on the new building and shared the news with the media. Hopefully you will see our school generating excitement in the larger community! 

Call for anything,