Friday, May 19   

Riverdale School District News

Monday, May 22

Senior Exhibition

On Monday, May 22, the class of 2023 will present their Senior Exhibitions to audiences of their peers, the Riverdale High School staff, our greater community and the 7th graders who are taking the bus up to the high school for the first three presentations. 

The Senior Exhibition is a capstone project that requires each student to develop an essential research question focused on a controversial, interdisciplinary topic. They spend four months researching their topic, and ultimately produce an argumentative paper, as well as a 50-minute public presentation. All students at the high school attend their regularly scheduled classes, and are treated to a different senior's presentation each period.

The presentations are open to the community, so if you have some time, and would like to see these seniors shine, please take a look at the program and come join us.

Parking can be challenging; try to arrive about 15 minutes before the presentation you want to see. Some audience sizes are limited, so come with a couple of alternative presentations you might also like to see. 

The Senior Exhibition Program, listing students' presentation titles can be found here. 

Important School Funding Information

For weeks, legislators have indicated that they are willing to spend more on K-12 education provided that Oregon has the resources. The state revenue forecast released Wednesday provides the window for them to deliver what Oregon students need.

In case you missed it, economists now expect the state to have an additional $2.3 billion in general fund and lottery revenue for 2023-25. Projections are also for the corporate kicker to increase by $300 million, and that money is required to go to students.

Taken together, these new economic signals give legislators a clear path to allocate $10.3 billion to the State School Fund that our students require to avoid widespread education cuts. Please write or call your legislators today to send a clear message that $10.3 billion is what our students need and deserve.

Dear Rep./Sen. xxx,
In light of the latest economic forecast, I’m writing to you to ask for your support in funding the State School Fund at $10.3 billion. The newest forecast projects $300 million more in corporate kicker funds dedicated to K-12 education. Coupled with an expected increase of $2.3 billion in general fund and lottery revenue, you have the opportunity and resources to support our students.
For weeks we have been waiting for good news such as this, while at the same time planning budgets that require difficult choices for our schools. We can invest in our future by investing in our children, and I firmly hope you will take this opportunity to do so.
Best regards,
Xxxx

Field Day Reminders

Field Day is next Friday, May 26, and here are a few reminders:

• Mr. Anderson is looking for about 10-12 more volunteers to help out with the middle school time slot.
• Remember, there are no spectators allowed on campus, only volunteers.
• The deadline to sign-up is Tuesday, May 23rd to have your background check completed if you don’t already have one. Parents/caregivers without a valid background check will not be allowed to participate. 

Equity & Inclusion Corner 

Holidays and Celebrations 

May 21st is the World Day for Cultural Diversity.

We hope our Bahá’í community has a wonderful Declaration of the Báb and Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh.

We hope our Western Christian community has a lovely Ascension Day and Pentecost/Whitsunday.

We hope our Eastern Orthodox Christian community has a lovely Ascension Day/Holy Ascension.

Happy Shavuot to our Jewish community.

Happy Memorial Day to all who celebrate. We are grateful to those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our country.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration at RGS

Thank you to all who joined us at the AAPI Heritage Month celebration at Riverdale Grade School last Friday. Every student in the school had the opportunity to meet folks from a number of local Asian American and Pacific Islander museums and organizations. Students in grades K-2 made Chinese inspired lanterns and students in grades 3 and 4 made Japanese inspired origami.

After school, we had taiko drumming and dance performances. Students had the chance to try out the drums and dance with a Chinese lion costume. It was lovely to see so many community members in attendance celebrating the diversity of our community! Check out some images from the event below:

The Body Summit at RHS

Wednesday was truly an incredible day at RHS. From our keynote by Shilo George to our sessions on consent, race and bodies, gender, and so much more, we saw students show up excited, curious and engaged. I had a student share with me, “This was the best day! I saw my identity being celebrated in a way I have never seen at school.” Another student shared, “I learned SO much today, wow. My mind is kinda blown.” 

A huge thank you to all the students and staff in No Place for Hate, as well as all our guest presenters. We deeply appreciate your dedication to making our school a more inclusive and welcoming space. A few pictures from the event are below:

Riverdale High School Officially Designated as No Place for Hate

Thanks to the efforts of our students and staff, Riverdale High School Has been officially designated by the Anti-Defamation League as a No Place for Hate School for the 2022-23 school year. In order to receive this recognition, we had to plan school-wide events to make our community more inclusive and equitable. Learn more at the ADL website. Congrats and well done to all!

Senate Bill 732

At our School Board Meeting on Monday, I shared an introduction to Senate Bill 732, which requires school districts in Oregon to create an Educational Equity Committee to advise the School Board. Our committee has to be established by September 15th, so we are still in the very early stages of planning. This slideshow, which can also be found on the district website, gives an introduction to the bill.

- Abby Rotwein (she/her), Director of Equity & Inclusion

REMINDER

Riverdale Lunch Options Survey

We'd like to get your anonymous feedback on this year's food service to help us plan for next year. Thank you for your participation.  

REMINDER

Spring Sports Awards Night May 23

All grade school and high school spring sports athletes and their families are invited to the high school to celebrate the many accomplishments of our spring athletes on Tuesday, May 23 at 6 p.m. in the RHS gym. Seniors will be recognized for their Senior Night at this event. Athletic Director Derek Duman will be handing out varsity letter awards and all-league awards, followed by program-specific team awards and recognitions.

REMINDER

Enrollment Applications Extended

Kindergarten

We are still accepting applications for incoming kindergarteners for the 2023-24 school year. Apply ASAP! 

High School 

High School Applications are Extended! RHS is accepting in grades 9-12 for the 2023-24 school year. Apply ASAP! 

Please contact Hilary Chandler via email or phone at 503-262-4847.

Oregon girls face off in flag football tournament at Sherwood High

The inaugural Oregon high school girls flag football tournament was Saturday on the new turf of Sherwood High.

Rebecca Brisson from the Portland Football Officials Association and president of the Portland Fighting Shockwave, the women’s full-tackle team of 22 years, assisted in putting on this trophy event along with forming a youth league and getting geared up with their friends from Nike.

“The Moms are saying, ‘I wish we would have done this when I was playing. The girls are having a blast,’” Brisson says. “We just kept putting momentum behind it and now here we are, eight schools year one, we’ve already heard from a handful of other schools that are ready for it next year so it’s growing quick.”

Eight schools competed in season one: Scappoose, Astoria, Riverdale, Seaside, Tillamook, South and West Salem and the first-year champs from Banks.

Riverdale freshman Ailey Johnson says, “I think it’s a really good opportunity for girls to get out there and show that we are not ‘weak’, we can play football!”

Important Dates

• Tuesday, May 23 - Spring Sports Awards Night
• Monday, May 29 - Memorial Day (no school)
• Monday, June 5 - School Board Meeting at 6 p.m. 
• Friday, June 9 - Last Day of School 
• Monday, June 12 - School Board Meeting at 6 p.m.

View the 2023-24 School Year Calendar PDF on our website.