The High School Girls Basketball has had some hard fought games this season and it has been exciting to watch them represent Riverstone. Here are some pictures from their recent game against the Liberty Patriots.
High School Girls Basketball
January 19th, 2012Grade 4 Prepares for Geography Bee
January 13th, 2012Ms. Fitz and her students were taking the first step in the National Geography Bee Competition as they completed their preliminary testing. Next week, the Grade 4 and 5 representatives will compete to represent the school. Watching them congratulate their classmates for answering questions correctly and commiserating over incorrect questions was heartwarming. We wish our class representatives the best of luck next week!
Hands-On Science!
January 12th, 2012Our Grade 1 students are learning about animal classification in our unit of inquiry, Who We Are. What better way for the students to learn about the classification system of animals then to see and touch them in real life? Middle School Science teacher, Mr. Pedersen, has the perfect room and expertise just for this! The students saw, touched, and handled animal hides and molds of animal tracks, including some endangered species items such as a green sea turtle shell and hair piece made from a green sea turtle, as well as a sperm whale tooth, carved elephant ivory, a 12 foot python hide, kangaroo hide, many skulls, and more!
The students were also able to touch live animals which included a 30 inch corn snake, bearded dragon, leopard geckos, Russian Tortoise, and box turtles. The students saw various types of animal classes and compared and contrasted how they are alike and how they are different.
Let’s Go Fly A Kite
January 11th, 2012Grade 6 and 7 students learned about wind, kite craftsmanship, and Afghan culture during their last few Design Technology classes. Gudiparan Bazi means Kite Flyer in Afghan and kites were a perfect way for students to begin the Design Tech process for the year.
The creation of the kites proved to be very challenging, but the fact that there was no wind to fly the kites during class was even more challenging!
Presenting the History of Jazz
January 8th, 2012Grade 8 music students recently shared their final presentations and performances about Jazz. Students discussed and performed works from throughout the 20th century that represented different styles of Jazz. The performances were the result of each students research into their chosen piece. They used this research to create an engaging presentation for the audience. They also used the results of this research to create an arrangement of their piece that could be performed by the classes. They really got excited about costumes and even wore choir robes to represent one era of Jazz history!
As part of the Middle Years Programme, students in Grades 6-9 are enrolled in a semester each of music and art. Riverstone’s art and music teachers are subject area specialists and, as you can see, do a fantastic job of exciting kids about their subjects!
Riverstone Senior Honored by Distinguished Student Award
January 5th, 2012Congratulations to senior Davis G. for being honored as this week’s United Dairyman’s Distinguished Student! Davis was interviewed by KTVB Channel 7 anchor, Doug Petcash, and will appear in Thursday night’s 10 PM broadcast. The interview may be watched on Channel 7′s website within a day or two of the broadcast as well.
Since 2002, Idaho’s dairy farm families began recognizing well-rounded senior students who excel as leaders in academics, athletics, volunteerism and extracurricular activities. Each week throughout the school year, four students from each Idaho market (Southwestern, Eastern, North and South Central) are selected as “Distinguished Student Award” winners. Yearly, four students from the winners are selected as “DSA Students of the Year.” Weekly winners earn their schools a $100 scholarship and yearly winners’ schools receive a $5000 scholarship thanks to each student’s achievement.
To date, Idaho Dairy Farm Families have awarded over a half a million dollars to Idaho’s schools! Learn more by visiting the DSA website.
Physics Is Fun
January 5th, 2012Professor Steve Shropshire, a physics teacher at Idaho State University (ISU), gave Middle School students a physics demonstration on the last day of school before the winter break. Professor Shropshire travels around southern Idaho every year to promote physics, thanks to a grant from the ISU College of Arts and Sciences. As you can see, physics is fun!
Teachers Back in Action
January 4th, 2012Riverstone’s teachers spent the day working in their re-accreditation teams in preparation for next year’s re-accreditation visit by the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS). Accreditation provides school leadership, families, staff, and the general public with an independent, non-governmental validation that the school is effectively delivering a quality educational experience to their students.
The five core values that PNAIS accredited schools follow are:
Independence in determining their own missions and philosophies, are self-governing and self supporting without substantial dependence on government, other entities, or individuals.
Encouragement of free and open inquiry in which students are taught to think critically and to challenge their own perspective and others of others.
Commitment to diversity and creating a community of students, families, trustees, and staff from as many diverse backgrounds and perspectives as possible.
Commitment to ongoing improvement through a continuous process of research, reflection, and on-going improvement that enables schools to stay relevant to their missions and to the students and families they serve.
Voluntary operating in accordance with collegial relationships and ethical leadership within the Association.
To learn more about the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools, visit their website .
How’s My Water?
December 15th, 2011Grade 7 science students have been studying water quality testing and, as one assessment of their knowledge, were asked to give presentations and teach other students about specific tests that they researched. The presentations included posters, videos, digital displays, and testing demonstrations. After the presentations, students had to answer questions based on what they had learned in their own research and what they learned while listening to the other students’ demonstrations…which is why you see them writing so intently in the photos!
As a guest in the class, I was really impressed by the students’ knowledge of their topic and creative presentations. It was also wonderful seeing our new all-school science lab in action!
Family Reading Night at the Book Fair
December 15th, 2011The Parents’ Association combined efforts with the Book Fair team to create a one-of-a-kind Riverstone event, Family Reading Night, last week. Staff, parents, and students read their favorite books to guests of all ages who came in their jammies with pillows and blankets. As an extra activity, our Grade 2 spearheaded efforts to make bookmarks and collect books for the patients at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.
Thanks to the Parents’ Association and Book Fair team for working their magic and also to Heather Webster for the great photos!
