As you may already know, Governor Reynolds expanded the closure of schools in Iowa for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. Even with the closure, we are committed to continuing our efforts to provide continuous learning opportunities to our students through May 22, 2020, the scheduled end of the school year.
Continuous Learning:
On Wednesday April 8, 2020, the Riverside Community School Board School Board approved the Response and Emergency Suspension of Policy Resolution and the Continuous Learning Plan that included implementation of Voluntary Educational Enrichment Opportunities for all students.
Voluntary – All activities are optional, no grades may be given or changed, attendance is not taken.
This decision was made using feedback from staff. It was determined that many students have roadblocks that limit or prohibit learning during this time. The state has given the directive to choose the route that is the best for the district as a whole and negatively impacts the least number of students. Many of our students and parents/guardians do not have the structure, time, or resources that would allow them to meet the demands of required services.
The Required plan would require us to grade and take attendance of all students, regardless of their current situation. While some of our students would be able to meet these requirements, we have a large population that would be negatively impacted by situations beyond their control. Due to similar factors, most schools across the state of Iowa have chosen the Voluntary path.
Our planned learning activities, though voluntary, allow students to continue to move forward academically through the remainder of the school year. They can attend sessions with teachers via Zoom or other online tools, watch educational videos our teachers have created, and complete assignments and supplementary activities provided by our teachers. Even though we are not taking attendance and cannot provide grades or extra credit points, we can provide feedback and help students work through their learning to be better prepared for next year. Attendance isn’t required, but we highly encourage all students to participate in whatever learning opportunities they are able, to help them be better prepared for next year.
Parents/Guardians, if you would like to require or encourage your students to complete learning activities, you are more than welcome to and we would be able to provide you with any participation data that we collect on your child. We want to work with you to provide a meaningful learning experience for all students. Those who participate will have an opportunity to be better prepared for next year.
When will the school year end?
Even though learning has looked different over the last four weeks, opportunities have still been provided for students. Because of this, the State of Iowa has approved or forgiven these days, and the days moving forward.
We will plan on ending the school year on the regularly scheduled dismissal date of May 22, 2020. Our focus will then switch to planning for our students' return. We know that a lot of work needs to be done next year to help our students meet grade level standards and we want to be as prepared as possible.
What will my student's grade be for their classes this spring?
The due date for Seniors to complete work is May 8, 2020 for Riverside classes. All Students who are taking Concurrent Enrollment (college credit classes) must meet the requirements determined by the credit granting institution.
The state does allow us to give credit for assignments/test/quizzes/projects that were assigned prior to that date but will not allow the school to post the grade until school ends. Students who are missing any assignments will be allowed to turn them in to teachers any time between now and May 22, 2020 and the grade will be entered on May 25, 2020. Students, please contact your teacher(s) to see if you have any missing assignments. The final determination of determining final credits and final grades will be based upon any additional guidance received from the Iowa Department of Education.
Will my student move on to the next grade?
Students will move on to the next grade. There will be no 4th Quarter Reports delivered to parents because there will be no 4th quarters grades. Some conversations have already taken place this year regarding the retention of a student. Those conversations will still take place to determine that individual student's progression.
Will we be offering Driver Education this Summer?
Yes the district will offer Driver education this Summer-we are waiting for final guidance from the Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa Department of Education. We are told that this joint guidance will be distributed soon.
Will we have Prom, Spring Sports, Club Activities, or Summer Sports?
Due to the extended closure, the earliest we would start sports or other activities would be June 10, 2020. Spring sports have been cancelled by the Athletic Associations for this year. We will not schedule any summer sports, summer workouts/practices, activities until we have guidance that indicates we can resume these activities safely. Prom has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday June 27, 2020.
What about Graduation for the Class of 2020?
Senior parents please complete the graduation survey by Wednesday April 29, 2020. We will be tentatively moving the graduation activities into the Summer. We will wait until the we get the final survey results. We are considering and seeking input to have the graduation on Sunday July 12, 2020 or Sunday July 26, 2020. We will make the final announcement on Friday May 1, 2020.
What about Scholarship Night?
We will be holding a joint Scholarship and National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Wednesday May 13, 2020 at 7 pm. This will be a video/audio presentation on Zoom and/or Live Stream on Facebook. Presenters will be Chris Conover, Nick Kroon, and Michaela Schwarzkopf. We will have 4 students present to help with National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. This will be a total of 7 people socially distanced present at the event. For those present, Temperatures will be taken at the door and Personal Protective Equipment would be made available. Certificates and Awards will be mailed to students who will take a picture with them and then return a picture to the school. We will post on the website. A PowerPoint presentation on the recipients of scholarships and awards and National Honor Society inductees.
How will I get my student’s personal belongings and when should I turn in their materials/uniforms?
Middle/High School will allow someone to get their belongings
- Have to bring your own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Siblings may pick up
- Student allowed to retrieve—parents must wait up front
- Bring your own bag
- Monday May 4, 2020--9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m
- Monday May 11, 2020--9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday May 13, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Curbside Pick-Up – Oakland and Carson Elementary Schools
- Staff will have it packed up ready for curbside pick-up
- You can get all student belongings at one time
- If you can not make the assigned date/time, we can make special arrangements for pick-up-contact Jaime Meek at (jmeek@riverside.k12.ia.us)
- Monday May 4, 2020 – Tuesday May 5, 2020
- PK--Monday May 4, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- K--Monday May 4, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Grade 1--Tuesday May 5, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Grade 2--Tuesday May 5, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Grade 3--Monday May 4, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Grade 4--Monday May 4, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Grade 5--Tuesday May 5, 2020--4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
What if I don't have the technology and internet to access these resources?
If you have a mobile phone:
We are implementing the new Riverside App. This new App allows any phone to access the COVID-19 Information and Voluntary Educational Enrichment Opportunities. This means internet access is not be needed for a student or parent to access the resources from the district. You can also use the Google Apps and Zoom Apps to participate in virtual activities on your phone.
You need to delete the Gold background Riverside App from your phone. The NEW App has a Blue background.
To Download the NEW App:
Apple: https://apple.co/38JFJpU
Android: http://bit.ly/39Jpj22
Will meals last throughout the summer?
The meal program (“Grab N Go” on Mondays) will continue as long as the federal program will allow. Right now, that is through May 22, 2020. Unless this program is expanded, we will switch to not providing meals during the summer because we as a district do not qualify for the summer food program. These are the federal guidelines for this program. We will on April 27, 2020 start having parents sign permission slips if the food is delivered. This will be completed by email. Each person requesting delivery will need to supply us an email address so we can collect a permission form including the names of the students getting the meals.
When will Riverside Childcare reopen?
With the school closure we will continue to rely on guidance from the CDC and IDPH. Riverside Childcare will remain closed until June 1, 2020. We will review guidance on a regular basis and keep you update.
Thank you!
The Riverside Community School District School Board and I are so grateful for our community, staff, parents, and students during this time. You have all been wonderful throughout this very unfortunate and difficult situation. Our priority will continue to focus time and energy on the health and safety of our families. Continue reading to your children, teach them how to cook, to clean, to build, to create, and to explore. Let all children know that they are loved and try to support them to the best of your ability. I hope this experience will strengthen us and help our students become adaptable, flexible, and innovative.