Riverview Elementary continues to implement our motto of "Whatever It Takes" to assist all students in developing the World Class Skills and Knowledge of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our school is delighted to be fully accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools during the 2019-2020 school year. We also continue to maintain our “all clear” status with the South Carolina Department of Education, which ensures that all staff members are fully credentialed in the areas in which they teach. We believe that high achievement levels are a direct result of talented teaching staff, our Professional Learning Communities, quality programs and instruction, and a community committed to an expectation of educational excellence. Our highly qualified staff focuses on an instructional program that emphasizes individualized learning and active student engagement in the learning process.
Our daily Gifted and Talented instruction, inclusive Title 1 Reading and Math programming and district-wide 4-year old kindergarten program all demonstrate evidence of strong academic curriculum and support. Our use of achievement data, including an emphasis on results from STAR diagnostic testing, allows teachers to create individualized learning experiences for our children. Teachers trained in our district’s Balanced Literacy initiative and “Best Practices in English Language Arts” enhance a critical component of our curriculum. In order to be aware of and meet the social and emotional needs of our students, the majority of our staff participated in professional development sessions related to effective Morning Meetings, as well as book studies aimed at teaching children who have encountered trauma in their lives. Creating an environment where our staff is trauma-informed helps to ensure that students’ emotional needs stay in the forefront of our minds.
Available extracurricular activities such as before-school chorus, recorder, and Diversity Week (virtual for 2020) raise our students’ skills, awareness, and sense of community. Our daily televised news show WRES, the 5th-grade STARS (student council and community outreach group), Safety Patrol, Nutrition Leaders, and the Shuttle Shop (for student supplies) provide unique experiences for increased student leadership, involvement and school spirit.
In partnership with Fort Mill High School and Winthrop University, we augment our efforts with additional mentors and interns as well as encourage and train educators for the district and broader educational community. Under the direction of our Reading Coach, we continued our Reading Buddy partnership with volunteers from a local church. We appreciate these volunteers who encourage, read, and listen to our students.
A key strength and continued area of focus for Riverview continues to be the relationships with our parents and community supporters. Committed and engaged PTO, School Improvement Council, and volunteers are critical, especially with the continued challenge of public education funding. Our school-wide Title I Family Nights, Common Book Project and Meet the Teacher have been very successful in engaging more and more parents in our children’s educational experience.
As we strive to teach the Life and Career Characteristics of the SC Graduate, we feel strongly about the importance of fulfilling our commitment to our community as we supported Operation Spartan Shield and the 118th Infantry Regiment, The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Heifer International, American Heart Association, and the All Play Together inclusive playground. These projects not only engage our staff, students, and community, but they also create meaningful service-oriented learning experiences for all involved.
For the past several years, we have been able to offer summer programming to students across the Fort Mill School District. This year we are hosting multiple summer programs to bridge the school years. We will offer both in-person and virtual summer programs this year with the goal of helping students come to school in 2020-2021 prepared and ready to learn.
Although this has been a unique school year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure of our building, we are overwhelmingly proud of our entire community for their flexibility, effort, and dedication as we have put the needs of Riverview children and families first in all that we do. As we review yet another very successful year and plan for the next, we will work to provide each student the opportunity to maximize his or her individual learning experience in a challenging, safe, and healthy environment, whether this be in person, virtual, or a blended model. We are proud of our achievements, our teachers and staff, students, volunteers, and community, and are confident that our children benefit from this commitment to hard work, high expectations, and service to others.
Wesley Edwards, School Improvement Council Chair
Annette Chinchilla, Principal
