ELD Academy for 4th-6th Grade English Learners Ends ~ and Summer Vacation Begins!

We had another fantastic week for our English Learners. Mrs. Flores-Bertrand held the English Language Development Academy this week for 15 of our 4th-6th grade English Learners. She was assisted by two of our teachers; Mrs. LeeAnn Thomazin, 4th grade teacher, and Mrs. Beth Hollenhorst, 2nd grade teacher. This was a great week for our students and, like last week's academy, all students had perfect attendance for the week.

We had a few visitors stop by to observe how we run our ELD Academy. Mrs. Lari Nelson, Principal at Victoria Elementary School and her Title I Coach, Hans Kaufhold, visited for an hour and then met with Mrs. Flores-Bertrand to "pick her brain" about best practices she has found most effective with this group of learners.

This summer I have been inspired by the professional educators I have the privilege working with each day. During the past few weeks, I've had opportunities to meet with Earhart Cluster principals Russ Bouton, Jackii Hall, Randy Caudill, and Vivian Lee, to have reflective dialogue about the past year and the upcoming year. I also met briefly with Assistant Superintent Judi Paredes to share some of my goals for next year. Lari Nelson, principal at Victoria, and I have met to do some planning together. Since she and I have a long history of working together, it is nice for us to meet every once and awhile to bounce ideas off of each other.

Now it is time for some rest and relation and time to regain some balance in my life. As I head out for a few weeks of vacation, the first stop is Portland, Oregon, for a week of fun with my son and his wife and my precious 5-month old grandson. I will definitely be "stopping to smell the roses" at Portland's infamous Rose Garden ~ an awesome sight (and smell!) Then I will be spending a few weeks in Newport Beach which will be a nice relief from the heat of Riverside.

I will back in the office on August 10. I am looking forward to the RUSD Leadership Symposium on August 13-14. Dr. Rick Miller, our Superintendent, has provided the managers with some "homework" to complete prior to the symposium. Yes, even managers have homework! We are reading books, listening to podcasts, and viewing videos. I've found these "assignments" informative, inspirational, and refreshing.

I am excited about the upcoming school year and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our students. The Rivera community is fortunate to have such great students, parents, teachers, and support staff. Together, we will make it a great year for our kids!

Congratulations to Rivera's Students for Completing the ELD Academy!

We are so proud of our 14 English Learners who completed a week of Rivera's English Language Development (ELD) Academy! Each of these students attended three hours of school every day and received instruction in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instruction was particularly focused on language development and reading comprehension. Thanks to Mrs. Flores-Bertrand for her careful attention to differentiating instruction for these first, second, and third grade students. We appreciate Mrs. Setzler and Mrs. Atwood for assisting Mrs. Flores-Bertrand this week. Also, a huge thanks to the parents who made sure that their children had perfect attendance this week!

Next week we will hold the ELD Academy for our 4th-6th grade English Learners. Stay tuned!

July 9 Update

Summer continues to bring opportunities for students to learn at Rivera. This week, Mrs. Adela Flores-Bertrand is teaching an English Language Development (ELD) Academy for 14 of our first through third grade English Learners. The students are excited about the opportunity to attend the academy which is evidenced by the fact that all 14 of them have been here every day!

Assisting Mrs. Flores-Bertrand with the academy are Keri Atwood, our Assistant Principal's Secretary, and Karen Setzler, our 1st/2nd grade Special Day Class teacher. Next week the Academy is being held for our 4th-6th grade English Learners. Mrs. Thomazin, a Rivera 4th grade teacher, will assist Mrs. Flores-Bertrand next week.

Mrs. Alicia Grissom, RUSD Program Specialist, spent the morning at Rivera gathering data for the Special Education Annual Report. It's always nice to see familiar faces on campus during the summer as it can get v-e-r-y- quiet around here at times! Not that I'm complaining! :)

Our custodians, DeShaun, Joe, and Gabe are busy deep-cleaning the entire school. In addition, RUSD painters are on campus this week re-painting all of our doors, ramps, and railings. Our students and staff can look forward to returning in August to a sparkling-clean school!