April 11th, 2014

Headmaster Letter

Happy Friday Rivermont Families!

It's nice to see the weather improving - the forecast for this weekend is 70 degrees! Take advantage of it and spend some time outdoors. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the recent Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) survey. We had a very high percentage of responses from parents, students, faculty, and alumni and are in the process of compiling and analyzing the data. There were some great ideas offered in the survey and we will be taking a hard look at them over the next few months and summer break.

Throughout this year, Rivermont's administrative team has been very active in reaching out to the Quad City community. We have shared the Rivermont story with a variety of community, civic, and business groups across the area. We have several different presentations, from admission-focused to a retrospective look at our history and traditions. We've also hosted presentations on general education topics, such as preparing for preschool. We are always looking for ways to continue this outreach. If you are a member or know a member of a group that may be interested in hearing more about Rivermont, let us know! Please feel free to contact me (zachary@rvmt.org) or Karen Roebuck, Director of Admissions and Marketing (roebuck@rvmt.org) with suggestions.

A few items not to miss in this issue of Paw Postings:

Upper School Play, Radium Girls - this Friday & Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Mousetrap Car Competition - this Saturday at Williams Intermediate, Davenport
Family Art Night - Monday, April 14th at 6:00 p.m.
Parent Education Series - Wednesday, April 16th at 6:30 p.m. - How to Keep Your Child Safe in a Digital World

Have a fun and safe weekend. Thank you always for your tremendous support of our students and school.

Best,

Todd Zachary, Headmaster

Kudos!

Suhas Seshadri (11th Grade) was recognized as Cosmos Student of the Week by Fox 18. In honor of the TV series "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" that airs Sunday nights, the channel is recognizing local science scholars with this honor. Suhas was interviewed last Sunday evening on Fox 18.

Link to interview - click here

5 Rivermont students will have artwork featured in the Quad City Arts 37th Annual High School Art Invitational. Congrats to Emilia Porubcin (9th Grade), Thomas Rodgers (10th Grade), Teju Kotte (11th Grade), Jennah Davison (12th Grade) and Ming Sui Tang (12th Grade). The exhibit opens this Friday, April 11th and runs through May 5th. There will be a community reception and award ceremony on Thursday, April 17th from 6:30-9:00 p.m.

More information - click here

Maram El-Geneidy (9th Grade) has been chosen as the local chapter winner in the Daughters of the American Revolution Christopher Columbus Essay Contest. One winning essay from each participating chapter is submitted for judging on the state level, then each state winner is judged on the divisional level and winners move on to the national level. The national winner is invited to read their essay at the National Columbus Day celebration in Washington, D.C. Maram will find out soon if she is chosen as the state winner. Good luck, Maram!

More information - click here

Students Head to Concordia Language Villages

Departed Today

Return Sunday Approx. 9:30 p.m.

3rd-6th Grade (select students)

37 Rivermont students departed today for a weekend of language immersion at Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, MN. Students travel to the Mall of America this evening for the Sea Life Aquarium Overnight Experience prior to reaching Concordia.

QCESC Mousetrap Car Competition

Saturday, 4/12

Williams Intermediate School - 3040 N. Division St. - Davenport

8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Team Judging

2:45 p.m. - Winners Announced

3 Rivermont teams will compete at this weekend's Quad City Engineering and Science Council Mousetrap Car Engineering and Design Competition. Students have spent several weeks researching and designing cars in their science classes. Teams will compete in 3 areas of competition: car performance, scientific journal, and car design presentation and team interview.

Team Icebreaker

Nikhil Wagher (8th), Kenton Fee (8th), Ellie Paxton (8th), Gia Eckhardt (8th)

Quantum, Inc.

Clay Douglas (7th), Faith Douglas (8th), Gabe Heaney (7th), Jack Westphal (7th), Pato Salazar (7th)

Unexplained Bacon

Elias Sheumaker (7th), Evan Didelot (7th), Sylvia Freidhof-Cruz (7th)

Upper School Play This Weekend

Radium Girls

Friday, 4/11 & Saturday, 4/12

7:00 p.m. - Becherer Hall Auditorium

Tickets $5 at the door

In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie was an international celebrity, and luminous watches were the latest fashion rage - until the girls who painted the faces on them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Intrigued? Join us! Please note that some material may not be suitable for very young children.

Family Art Night

Monday, 4/14

11:00 a.m. - Jr. Kindergarten separate viewing (JK students & families)

6:00 p.m. - K-12th students & families

Join us for the opening of the JK-12th Grade student art exhibit! Families will also have the opportunity to participate in a large scale collaborative printmaking piece. Pizza will be served, so don't worry about dinner!

View the event flyer - click here

Go Lions! Upcoming Track Meets

Tuesday, 4/15 - Northeast Junior High (away)

4:00 p.m. field events, 4:30 p.m. running events

Wednesday, 4/16 - Moline (Wharton Field House - away)

4:00 p.m. field events, 4:30 p.m. running events

Complete details on the Rivermont website calendar - click here

Parent Education Series

How to Keep Your Child Safe in a Digital World

Wednesday, 4/16

6:30 p.m. - Becherer Hall Auditorium

Rivermont parents are invited to join us as Laura McDonald, Rivermont Technology Integration Specialist, discusses cyber safety. Topics will include online safety, privacy settings, social media, and more.

Have a friend, neighbor, or colleague who may be interested? Feel free to invite them!

For those unable to attend, the presentation will be presented online via livestream - the livestream link is provided in the flyer (link below).

View the event flyer - click here

Mark Your Calendar: No School Friday, 4/18

Link to Rivermont website calendar - click here