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District Information Administration News from the Head of Schools (Superintendent) | News from the Head of Schools (Superintendent) |
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Reports from the Head of School to the Rivendell School Board
June 9,2010 Rivendell’s summer program, SummerScapes, is off to a great start. Rivendell provides a variety of summer workshops. Morning programs offer academic enrichment through environmental themes and the afternoon sessions offer camps that allow students to try out different areas of interests such as painting, drumming, dance, rocketry, mountain biking and much more!! Our SummerScapes program is a great way to help students keep reading skills sharp. Students read and learn in engaging and enriching workshops that offer a combination of reading, writing, math and hands-on learning. There has been much research done on summer reading loss. Summer vacations create on average an annual reading gap of about 3 months between children who read over the summer and those that do not. Children who read throughout the summer gain skills; can start the new school year with a better understanding of language and the world around them. Children learn through a variety of activities, and almost everything we do presents an opportunity to read. Reading every day, even if it’s for just a few minutes, improves children’s ability to read and learn all year long. This week we have two academic programs. The Academy Challenge for students in grades 6-9 has 22 students. Tammy MacQueen and Chris White, middle school teachers, are veterans of our summer program and have built a great following of students that enjoy participating in their program. They practice their reading, writing and math skills and also complete their summer reading assignments. There is also an enriching academic program for students in grades 3-5 called Birds, Bugs & Butterflies. Students are learning about the amazing cycles that occur in the natural world through hands-on discoveries and exploration. A K-2 morning program called Eco Explorers II will be offered July 19-30 and an additional grades 3-5 morning program will be offered during those weeks called Things That Fly. While the students are exploring new learning adventures, our teachers are also busy gaining new knowledge in the area of teaching. We have many teachers enrolled in courses or workshops over the summer. Here are a few examples: • Visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL to find primary source documents that will enhance the Slavery and Civil War units for fifth grade. Students and teachers at Rivendell demonstrate lifelong learning and recognize that learning can be fun—even during the summer. As they re-enter the world of school in the fall, teachers will come back with renewed energy and ideas about teaching that benefits our students and our students come back sharing new passions and interests. If you would like more information about our summer programs, call 603-353-2170 ext 109. ...and parents and guardians, don’t forget your child’s summer reading assignments. The end of the school year is approaching and there are many end-of-year celebrations and traditions that will be taking place in the next two months. These traditions mark the end of the 09-10 school year. Our students are beginning to think about their new grade and courses for next school year and our graduates are looking to their futures.
March 15, 2010 February 23, 2010 Science is alive and thriving during our after school program thanks to some great partnerships with local organizations. Students from Thayer School of Engineering have volunteered to teach “Cool Science” to students in our after school program for the last three years. They rotate between Samuel Morey, Westshire and the Academy after school programs. Our Rivendell students love the hands-on inquiry science activities that are taught by the Thayer students. Click on the link below to see some of our students in action during our after school program with the Thayer students. The Montshire Museum has been another wonderful partner. Our partnership with the Montshire already includes providing rich, professional development for our teachers to help them deepen their knowledge of science concepts and inquiry. As part of the HHMI grant between the Montshire Museum, Rivendell and Dartmouth, they have provided “Science Camp” for students in grades 3-8. For six weeks Dartmouth students plan and teach science lessons with our classroom teachers. This year Montshire has received additional funding to provide science fun and learning for our after school students in our VISIONS program. Some of the topics that will be covered are: We are extremely grateful for these partnerships. They enrich our students’ experiences at Rivendell on so many levels. Our students develop relationships with college students who love learning. Our students see that the love of learning does not stop after high school graduation and that learning and science are cool!! Thank you to the Montshire Museum and Dartmouth College Students. Video clips from the Visions Program Students from the Thayer School of Engineering are working with Rivendell Visions students to get kids excited about math and science. During this trip they built towers, boats, and rockets. January 24, 2010  These special athletes touched my heart in a way that I cannot explain. I clapped and cheered for every one of them, even those from different schools, as if I knew each one personally. I was so caught up in their accomplishments on this day that it made me look at challenges in my own life in a different way. Whether students are competing on the varsity basketball or soccer team or in the Special Olympics, Raptor Pride is strong! Congratulations to all our athletes and special thanks to Laurie, Tracy, Jan, Tom, Phil and Barbara for supporting these athletes. 
December 21, 2009
November 20, 2009 Reorganization of the Rivendell Interstate School DistrictThank you parents, students, staff and community members for attending the community forums at the Academy and at Westshire. Notes from the community forums and the staff forum are listed below: Staff Forum
Academy Forum
Westshire Forum
Reorganization of the Rivendell Interstate School DistrictCome to a Community Forum to learn about and discuss the re-organization of the district.
The purpose for engaging in reorganization of the Rivendell Interstate School District is to create opportunities for a stronger academic program while remaining fiscally responsible to all members of the Rivendell community. This process started two years ago with the help of Ray Proulx, an outside consultant. At that time the strategic planning process was just beginning and the Board felt they needed more time to explore reorganization possibilities. The goals of reorganization are:
For more information please follow the links below:
July 21, 2009 Some people think that summer is a very quiet time for school districts. The school year ended in June, but student and teacher learning, along with planning, building repairs and cleaning, continue throughout the summer to get ready for students when they walk through the doors August 26th.
Summer learning and adventure were alive in Rivendell. Over 70 students participated in the morning academic programs. Over 100 students participated in the afternoon Visions workshops. If you stopped by the middle school you would find students:
Providing an exciting summer and after school program is becoming more and more of a challenge financially for our district. Grant funding is down and we have had to reduce our summer offerings and after school days. All schools will only offer three day a week programs for our students. We will continue to seek grants to support these programs.
While the students were learning, playing and enjoying their summer, our teachers
Gary Collins and his operations crew have been giving our buildings their annual summer cleaning. Thanks to the Rivendell voters’ support in March, the Samuel Morey roof is being replaced. I know the students and staff at Samuel Morey are looking forward to a much drier learning experience this school year!
I am very excited about the 2009-2010 school year. We will be moving forward with several key initiatives from our Strategic Plan. Our Strategic Plan will guide the District toward increased student achievement over the next five years with a focus on the skills and knowledge of the 21st century.
We have completed a key strategy from the Strategic Plan; revising the Profile of the Graduate (student profile) with 21st century expectations. This key document will drive our curriculum and professional development decisions for the coming year. Members from the community provided input at our May 12th Community Forum; faculty provided their input, and the Board theirs on this most important document.
As the year unfolds, the administrative team and I will work hard at keeping everyone well-informed about our work in implementing the expectations for the revised Profile of the Graduate.
June 16, 2009
June 15, 2009 The Academy’s motto is “CCS" or Character, Community, Scholarship and the Class of 2009 is filled with positive leaders who have achieved the goal of excellence in these three areas. At Class Day on Friday, students received many awards for their outstanding skills and talents in mathematics, language arts, science, global languages, the arts and music and social studies. At graduation Rivendell seniors were awarded $353, 371 in scholarships. Congratulations to all scholarship recipients. We are graduating a fine group of young men and women who are ready for the next phase of their lives. They are ready for the challenges ahead of them and are ready to make a difference in the world. Congratulations to the Class of 2009!! May 16, 2009 The sun was shining on Rivendell today as the Second Annual Allen Avery Memorial Raptor Run took place at the Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee, Vermont. It was so great to see the families from our four towns gather to enjoy in some healthy, family fun. The one mile family walk/run started our day. The Rivendell Raptor cheered them on. Next was the official five mile walk/run around Lake Morey. This year we had an official timer which attracted runners from the Upper Valley. We had over 300 registered participants this year. That is more than double last year’s registration. Much credit needs to be given to Tracy Martel who had a vision last year to have a fun, family event. She has dedicated much time and effort in organizing and running this event. The event is also a memorial event to remember Allen Avery, visionary leader of Rivendell and a dear friend of the Rivendell community. Bonnie Avery said a few words about how happy Allen would have been to see the families of the four towns of our school district enjoying the day together. The Community School Organization (CSO) and a student group from Rivendell worked together, preparing food, selling refreshments and helping to set up and break down for the day. This year the Odyssey of the Mind students helped to raise money for their trip to the Odyssey of the Mind finals. The Lion’s Club members also manned the grills to cook the burgers and hot dogs. So as you can see, this is truly a collaborative, community, event. Students, families, community members, Rivendell staff, all working together. We are already looking forward to next year’s Third Annual Allen Avery Memorial Raptor Run.
March 30, 2009 March was a busy month as we prepared for Rivendell’s Annual Meeting on March 28th. We had approximately 340 people attend this meeting. It was wonderful to see community members come and share their views on not only the budget but on the education we are providing for the children of our four towns. Everyone’s voice is so important. Our budget passed on Saturday and I would like to thank everyone for their support. Also in March our Annual Report Out Night was held. This evening provided information on Rivendell’s progress on the state assessments used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as mandated by No Child Left Behind. I am happy to report that Rivendell made AYP in all areas!! During the Report Out evening examples of questions from the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) in math, reading, writing and science were displayed. We wanted to show parents and guardians the type of questions (multiple choice, constructed responses, extended responses) that students were expected to answer. We also displayed examples of student work from classes and how they matched the standards from the NECAPs. The NECAP and other state assessments are often called “High Stakes Tests” because No Child Left Behind uses the results of those assessments to monitor a district’s progress. While individual schools reviewed their NECAP results and developed improvement plans, Rivendell is also committed to ongoing and frequent assessments as part of our Local Assessment Plan. Teachers have developed formative assessments to monitor students’ progress in the classroom. The primary objective of a formative assessment system is to guide instruction. Now that March is behind us, spring is rolling in with some exciting events at Rivendell in the spring. Here are some of the upcoming events:
Besides the above events, each school has parent nights, plays, exhibitions and other school-wide events that celebrate student work. Check the district and school calendars for these events.
February 24, 2009 New Hampshire requires that school districts have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the local police department. A Memorandum of Understanding is required for Rivendell Academy which is located in New Hampshire. The goal of this MOU is the maintenance of a safe school environment and to establish uniform procedures for the reporting by the School District to the Police Department of incidents of theft, destruction or violence. This MOU will aid the school district in determining and resolving any question as to whether a given incident is either unreportable under this MOU or should be reported to the Police Department. The School District will comply with all mandatory reporting laws in New Hampshire. Nothing in this MOU is intended to limit the events that may be reported to the police department or to limit school employees from requesting police assistance on matters not referred to in this memorandum. Nothing in this MOU prohibits a student or parent from reporting a crime to the police. The school administration, members of the school board and Chris Kilmer, Orford’s Police Chief, worked on this Memorandum of Understanding together. We appreciate working with our local law enforcement on this document. To read the MOU please go to the Academy section on our website.
February 5, 2009 Dear Rivendell Community Members, There is a saying in education that goes something like this: “Our students are ‘digital natives’ when it comes to technology and adults are known as ‘digital immigrants.’ My blog is an attempt to keep up with our students and to model ongoing learning and use of technology while offering another vehicle for communication. I was hearing about blogs everywhere so I decided to try my hand at using one. I first learned that the word “blog” is a contraction of Web log and basically is online journaling and can include links and other materials. I received my initial training from Gabi Martino, our Integration Specialist that works with teachers and students in the classrooms. She was very patient with me. Besides our usual means of communication at Rivendell it is my hope that this “blog” will be one more means of bridging our school with parents and community members. In this first communication I would like to update you on progress related to the Strategic Plan that was developed by the community last year and the direction we are moving on one of the themes and initiatives in that plan. The Board approved the Strategic Plan at the November 18th Board meeting. This is a 3-5 year plan that will help guide Rivendell into the future. Copies of the plan will be available at town libraries, offices, post offices and on our website. One of the focus groups had a strategy that stated: "Develop and maintain a dynamic student profile that drives the curriculum and describes the skills and knowledge needed by the 21st century graduate." For those of you new to Rivendell, there was a community forum that took place at the inception of Rivendell that brought members of all four towns together and they came up with a Profile of the Student (it has also been called Picture of the Graduate) that listed what students should know and be able to do when they leave Rivendell. The focus group recognized that this profile is outdated and in need of revision to be current with all the changes that have occurred in the 21st century. After the development of the new profile of the student, the curriculum would need to be analyzed through the lens of this new profile. Two other strategies from the plan that relate to the new Student Profile are: "Assess and revise curriculum using data to meet the student profile" and "Use student profile and assessment results to drive professional development." In a report from the Vermont State Board of Education called Vermont Secondary Schools for the 21st Century: Ensuring Each Student Can Succeed in College, Career and Citizenship the first two strategies are: "Student Competency for the 21st Century and 21st Century Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment." This is not a fad, or an option or choice anymore. Our students must be equipped for the 21st century and our schools must prepare them and help them meet the challenges. There are three strategies in place to help Rivendell on its journey of developing 21st century classrooms and preparing our students with skills for the 21st century. 1. The Student Profile---With the help of Aaron Bouchard, a video documentary film maker, John Bristol and some Academy students, a video will be made that interviews members of our communities in the Upper Valley highlighting different occupations and the skills they need in those jobs. Colleges will be interviewed along with alumni to develop a real life look at the job market of today through the lens of members of our community. This video will be used at a community forum to set the stage for developing the new Student Profile. I will let you know when a date has been set for this evening. My hope is that it will take place in late March or early April. I hope many of you will be able to attend. 2. Board and Community Technology Committee--Hank is leading a technology committee made up of Board members, community members, teachers, students and administrators. We had our first meeting Thursday evening. This group will look at Rivendell and its technology plan through the lens of the 21st century. The goal is to have an approved technology plan by June. 3. Hank and Gabi have restructured the internal technology committee. The old technology committee did not have representation from all grade levels and it was always in conflict with our other curriculum group meetings. This new group that consists of a cross section of Rivendell teachers and administrators will develop a common understanding of the 21st century classroom and how technology will be used for student learning. We will be thinking of how to make this work public and how to share it with the greater Rivendell community to elicit your feedback. If you have any questions, suggestions or would like more information on any of the above, please let me know. Gail January 15, 2009Hello to the greater Rivendell community. We have added a new link to the Rivendell Website, News From the Head of School (Superintendent). This link will provide another means of communication about some of the great things happening in our Rivendell Schools. I will also try to keep you updated on any new state or federal initiatives in involving education. I will try to keep you informed about the progress our school district is making and share some of the challenges we face. I look forward to being able to communicate with a greater audience and I always like to hear from parents and community members. Please feel free to contact me at 603-353-2170 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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Rivendell Interstate School District • PO Box 153 • 10 School Drive • Orford NH 03777
(603) 353-2170 phone • (603) 353-2189 fax
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© 2007 Rivendell Interstate School District. All Rights Reserved.