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June 10 Riverdale School District News

Friday, June 10 

Riverdale School District News
 

Congratulations, Class of 2022

On Tuesday, our RHS Seniors walked across the stage at Lewis and Clark’s Griswold Stadium. We look forward to seeing all that they’ll achieve in their post-high school endeavors. Riverdale High School graduates will be attending some of the most competitive colleges and universities. We wish them continued success as they enroll at the following schools: 
  • Dartmouth
  • Pomona College
  • Claremont McKenna
  • University of Washington
  • Smith
  • Duke
  • Santa Clara
  • Boston University
  • University of Oregon (including honors college enrollment)
  • Scripps College
  • Worcester Polytechnic 
  • Arizona State’s Barrett Honors College
  • University of Arizona
  • Boise State 
  • UC Santa Cruz 
  • University of Denver
  • Gonzaga 
  • Montana State
  • American University
  • Oregon State (including honors college enrollment)
  • Haverford
  • Kenyon
  • Lehigh
 

Congratulations, 8th Graders

At our first all school assembly of the year, students watched a short Frozen performance, received awards and 8th graders ran through the school-wide gauntlet clap out. They will have their Promotion event this evening. We wish them well as they go off to high school next year.
 
 

RGS Yearbook

Thank you to 5th grader Aria Phelps for the beautiful RGS Yearbook cover design. 
 
 

Equity & Inclusion Corner 

Holidays and Celebrations 

June 12th is Anne Frank Day, which acknowledges her life and experiences.
June 12th is Loving Day, which celebrates the day in 1967 that the Supreme Court ended miscegenation laws (laws which banned interracial marriage in the United States). 
Happy All Saint’s Day to our Eastern Christian community. 
We hope our Bahá’í community has a wonderful Race Unity Day.  
June 14th is Flag Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the United States flag.
We wish a lovely Fathers’s Day to all fathers and father figures.  We recognize that this can be a special day for many and a hard day for others.    
 
June 19th is Juneteenth, which commemorates the abolition of enslavement in Texas and celebrates African American freedom and achievement. Learn more about Juneteenth events in Portland.
June 20th is World Refugee Day, which raises awareness about refugees throughout the globe.
On June 26th, 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. 

June is Pride Month

In June of 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a popular LGBTQ+ bar in New York City, was raided by the police. During that time period, it was illegal to have same-sex physical relationships in every state other than Illinois. Police departments throughout the country frequently went into LGBTQ+ gathering places and arrested the inhabitants.
On this occasion, the patrons at Stonewall resisted arrest, and a scuffle broke out. What followed was five days of protests by activists against unjust treatment by the police. This event, referred to as the Stonewall uprising, is considered the start of the modern movement for gay rights.

From the Oregon Department of Education: 

Every year, in the month of June, the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community celebrates Pride Month. While including positive representations of LGBT history and people in the curriculum is most effective when it is regular practice, June provides an opportunity to connect topics with current events and celebrations. GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey consistently finds that students with inclusive curricula have a greater sense of belonging to their school community, hear fewer homophobic remarks, and are less likely to be victimized or feel unsafe at school than those without inclusive curriculum. Including LGBT topics in your classroom year-round helps make a school a safer place for all students. 

K-5 and Young Adult Booklist

This year, the Rainbow Book List Committee of the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table reviewed nearly 450 books published between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, and selected 122 titles of fiction and non-fiction books for toddlers through young adults, down just a smidge from last year’s 129. The committee noted:
At a time when so many books are being challenged and banned, we are amazed and forever grateful to authors who continue to write these necessary stories. Each year, the committee notices that the level of diversity among book content and authorship is increasing, and this year was no different. We are thrilled to be able to provide a list of book titles that truly represents where LGBTQIA youth lives and literature are today. We hope that readers see reflections of themselves in these works and windows into the lives of others.
Check out these Portland Pride Official Events (link to all event details here):
  • June 16th: History of Black Drag in Portland: An Evening of Conversation and Performance 
  • June 18th: Dyke March
  • June 18th:  Portland Gay Men’s Chorus Presents: Let’s Get Proud
  • June 18th: Gaylabration 2022 - DecaDANCE
  • June 18th - 19th: Portland Pride Waterfront Festival
  • June 18th - 19th: Pride Pics: An Outdoor Film Experience
  • June 19th: Portland Pride Parade
  • June 19th: PDX Latinx Pride! A Queer Latinx Dancy Party 
  • June 23rd: Cirque du Soleil Alegria
  • June 25th: Let’s Pride Together Block Party!
  • June 25th: Portland Pride Paddle 
Read A Guide to Gender Identity Terms from NPR. 
Make sure you are using contemporary, respectful language by diving into this Glossary of Terms from GLAAD.
While this content may be new to you, it is important to treat people with respect by referring to them the way they identify.  

Remembering & Honoring Carson Bride

We raised a total of over $6,600 for Lines for Life in Honor of Carson Bride. A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed, donated, donated items, and a special thank you to No Place for Hate students for organizing these events.

No Place for Hate Year in Review and Community Ask

The 3-minute video below shares what No Place for Hate has accomplished this year at Riverdale High School. At the end, it provides an opportunity for students, staff, and community members to sign a group of agreements to commit to helping build a positive community in Riverdale.
View the video here
You can add your name to the pledge by using the QR code at the end of the video or access the document directly here: No Place for Hate Pledge. This is the final step in receiving an official designation from the Anti-Defamation League as a No Place for Hate School. Thanks for your support!
- Abby Rotwein (she/her), Director of Equity & Inclusion
 

Summer Basketball at RHS

This summer the Riverdale High School coaching staff will host a youth basketball camp. 
The half-day camp is July 11 - July 15, from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. and is open to all students from 1st grade to 8th grade. 
Cost is $125 and includes a t-shirt and snacks.
Register for the camp at www.riverdalehoops.com.
I look forward to seeing some of you in attendance. Please email m_johnson@riverdale.k12.or.us if you have any questions. 
Have a great summer! 
Riverdale Basketball Staff
 

Board Meeting June 20

The Riverdale School Board will hold a regular board meeting virtually on Monday, June 20 at 6 p.m. via GoToWebinar. 
Community members who would like to speak on agenda topics will be given an opportunity to do so after the board discusses that particular topic. There is also an opportunity to speak to non-agenda topics. In either case, community members have two options for submitting public comment: Use the “raise hand” feature to then be unmuted to speak to the board, or email your comment to Chrisie Patrick before 4 p.m. on Monday, and she will read it on your behalf.  
 
Register for the meeting here
 
View the agenda here
 
 

Important Dates

  • Monday, June 20 - School Board Meeting at 6 p.m. via GTW
 
View the 2022-23 district calendar