Weekly News & Updates

February 05, 2023

Administration

Dr. Robert Compton

Head of School

Ms. Erica McCray

Elementary Principal

Dr. Christina Dempsey

Secondary Principal

6 - 9

Mr. Richard Ball

Secondary Principal

10 - 12

Ms. Dwana Tillman

Assistant Principal

K - 9

Other Contacts

Ms. Kathryn Carr
School Counselor
K - 6

Ms. Caroline Menges
School Counselor
7 - 12

Ms. Christine BornProgram Coordinator/ College & Career Counselor
10 - 12

Mr. Chris Carroll
Dean of Students

Ms. Shenelle Mabey
Student Information

Ms. Katie Robinson
Front Office

Nurse Donna
School Nurse

Ms. Kelly Burns
Food Services
K - 9

Riverwalk Academy App

Download our Riverwalk Academy app to see updates, announcements, and other resource:

        
       
Happy Sunday, Lions!

Welcome to February! I hope each of you had a wonderful and restful weekend. On Friday, the Riverwalk Academy staff participated in a virtual professional development put on by NAMI of SC. The SC Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) lead an interactive session entitled Refresh and Reclaim.

We spent time talking about "boundaries." Boundaries are defined as any physical, mental, or emotional limits we establish to protect ourselves. Establishing boundaries are important for all of us, regardless of our role (parent or teacher). Listening to our staff talk about boundaries really got me thinking. I found myself asking myself, have I established boundaries with my staff? What about with our parents and students? I also began thinking about the boundaries that our staff has established. Do I know their boundaries? Do I respect their boundaries?

Some of the examples of healthy boundaries that our staff developed were:

It's okay to say "no"
It's okay to say "yes" (when support is offered)
It's okay to say "thank you" without feelings of regret or shame (or even an apology)
It's okay to delegate
It's okay to protect "me" time
It's okay to ask for space (we all need our own time)

Most of us can agree to the above statements. The real question becomes, how do I do this in practice?"

The presenters covered three concepts that can help many of us learn "the how" of establishing boundaries.

Create:
Make specific boundaries that that honor your values (e.g. if your family values "family time" an appropriate boundary could be "I will not check my work email on Sunday in order to spend more time doing things with my family on Sunday)

State:
(your boundaries) to yourself and to others e.g. informing your colleagues (or others) that you will not text/calls/email after 8:00 pm each night

Maintain:
Be prepared for some resistance with boundaries that involve others (and even from yourself)
You may need to restate your boundaries, but do so in a calming and supporting way

So let me ask, What boundaries have you established with your family or with your colleagues? In what ways have your implemented these boundaries without feeling guilty?

Setting boundaries is a difficult but necessary thing to do.

I'd like to close this week's newsletter with the following quote from Prentis Hemphill:

Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.

I hope each of you has a wonderful week!

In Strength and Blessings,
~Dr. Compton

Photo of the Week
Fifth graders in Ms. Long's STEM class have been working on circuits! 

Senior Spotlight

Support our Team

More Info:

Come take a chilly plunge into Lake Wylie and help support the amazing athletes of Special Olympics Area Eleven.
100% of all participant raised funds stay in York, Chester & Lancaster Counties to support over 2000 Special Olympics athletes in our area.

Participation is super easy!
All plungers must raise a minimum of $50.00 for the privilege to plunge. All $50.00 plungers will receive a short sleeved t-shirt and all plungers who raise $75.00 or more will receive a long sleeved t-shirt.

You can sign up for a fundraising page through our Classy event page at:
give.classy.org/frozenfanspolarplunge 
You can also show up at the day of the event with your collected donations.

We encourage all plungers to start planning their costumes now. Although a costume is not required it is a very fun part of the event.

Plunge Day Schedule
11:00am - Registration Opens
11:30am - Costume Contest
12:00pm - PLUNGE TIME!

Please be aware all participants and spectators must pay an admission fee at the Ebenezer Park entrance, the fee is:
6-16 years old $1.00
17-59 years old $3.00
60 years old + $1.00

If you have any questions about this fun fundraising event, please contact Dr. Dempsey, or the  Area 11 Special Olympics at area11sosc@hotmail.com

A Note From PTO:

Spirit Night 

The Riverwalk Athletic Department is hosting a Spirit Night on Saturday March 11 at the Charlotte Checkers Hockey game. Bring your family and friends out for an exciting night on ice.

Do you have a sweet tooth? 
Do you need some chocolate to fill that sweet tooth? Riverwalk BPA is selling the Worlds Finest Chocolate for $1. You can purchase a chocolate bar from a BPA member or at the front desk of the Riverwalk Campus.

School Lunches (K - 9th Grade)
Please remember if you are ordering your child’s lunch all orders need to be in by 10:00 pm the night before ( for instance if you want your child to have lunch on Tuesday you will need to order Monday by 10:00 pm.)
No orders will be counted for the same day.
This is to make sure our caterer is getting the correct count.

Thank you for your assistance,
Kelly Burns
Foodservice Coordinator 

Lunch Menu

ImageForNews_721710_16599712842538987 image

COVID

Pride, we adjusted our COVID-related protocols to be more inline with the latest DHEC recommendations (which were updated on 8/15/22). The latest DHEC guidance can be found here.

If your child tests positive for COVID, please use this form to communicate this to Nurse Donna. If you have any COVDI-related questions, please contact Nurse Donna.

A Note from Ms. Carr & Ms. Teague

Greetings,

It’s here! Random Acts of Kindness Month is here! We are thrilled to share different activities in the coming weeks with students and look forward to hearing how your family is spreading kindness throughout our community! Please reference the attached calendar for kindness ideas and share.   

(((HUGS))),
Mrs. Carr and Ms. Teague

Elementary Yearbooks
﻿Just wanted you to know that you can go ahead and purchase the yearbook for this school year if you want to get a head start.

﻿

Order Now

A Note from Dr. Dempsey

        
Hello Pride!! 

We have had a great week. Please be aware of special events including the Sweetheart Valentine Dance and the Polar Plunge that are linked below in the graphics. 

February is Random Acts of Kindness month, please encourage your student to be kind to all and to find ways to help one another; "How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time" - Morgan Freeman. While we want all our students to be successful academically, we also want them to be good stewards and citizens of the World. 

It is hard to believe but we will be halfway through the nine weeks on February 6 and Progress Reports will be coming home on February 8, 2023. Please make sure that your student is staying caught up and any missing work is done. 

As always, if there are any questions regarding grades, please reach out to your student's teachers. Thank you for trusting us with your student and please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. 

Warmly, 
Christy Dempsey

The Dance for 7th-9th graders will be offered in the evening from 6:00-9:00pm. Students must be picked up PROMPTLY at 9:00 pm.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Students will need to purchase tickets prior to February 10th on the school store to be able to participate.

Note: Ticket Prices will increase to $15 starting the week of the dance on February 3rd.

Tickets 7th-9th Grade

The Dance for 6th graders will be offered during the school day from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm on Friday, February 10.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Students will need to purchase tickets prior to February 10th on the school store to be able to participate.

Tickets 6th Grade

Volunteer Sign-Up

Chaperones Needed for School Dance
We are looking for chaperones for the Valentine's Sweetheart Dance. The available shifts are in 30 minute increments and you may sign up for as many as you would like.
If you are a parent, please make sure that you fill out the Parent Volunteer Background Check, if you have not already done so. 

﻿Click on the link below to complete that check.Background Check Link

        
Donations Needed for School Dance
The planning of the dances are student-led, and they are requesting help from our Pride! We need multiples of a lot of the items listed on the Sign-Up. This will cover the 6th grade dance and the 7th-9th grade dance.

Sign-Up Link

A Note from Ms. Menges

        
       
Happy Sunday!

I am excited to have finally entered the month of February this past week. Truthfully, January felt like it lasted forever and I am glad we are in a new month with new excitement. There are many things going on during this month and I hope you all get involved in whatever ways that you can. Love getting to be a part of what's going on at our school! This month we also have Random Acts of Kindness Week, so please be on the lookout for more details to come on celebrating!
Here's what we have going on this week... 

Things to note: 
-8th graders, I have sent emails out to parents regarding IGP (individualized graduation plan) meetings for this year. Please sign up for a meeting time, my goal is for 100% parent participation! Sign up here.

-9th graders, IGP (individualized graduation plan) meetings have been going on for several weeks. Parents, you should have received an email where you could have signed up for a time slot to meet about your student. Please do this if you haven't already! Link to sign up is here. 

Quote of the Week:
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."  
-Walt Disney

Sincerely,
Ms. Menges

Middle/High Yearbook
Just wanted you to know that you can go ahead and purchase the yearbook for this school year if you want to get a head start.

Order Now

RiverTech Students

(a catchy-name for our 10th-12th grade students)

A Note from Mr. Ball

        
Hello PRIDE,

I hope you are doing well. As we approach the midpoint of the 3rd quarter (crazy to think we are already there) please make sure you are keeping up with your assignments, studying for test and quizzes, and are aware of your attendance.

﻿February is Random Acts of Kindness Month. I encourage our staff and students to perform a random act of kindness every day. Sometimes a simple thank you or a friendly smile will make someones day better. “In a World where you can be anything…Be Kind!”

As always, thank you for your continued support.
Richard
803-981-7061

Shuttle Bus Changes
The basketball teams have a game at The Governors School of Math and Science on Monday, February 6. They will need to use the shuttle that day to transport students to the games. I wanted to give you notice as far in advance as possible to prepare for transformation changes.The shuttle will still take the students from the Riverwalk main campus to York Tech's campus that morning. You will need to pick your child up from the York Tech campus at 3:00 that day.

11th Grade Students: Save the Date

11th graders, SAVE THE DATE. Wednesday, March 29th for the South Carolina Career Ready Test which all 11th graders MUST take. This will take place at 8:30 on York Tech's campus. Those taking dual enrollment courses will need to prepare to make arrangements with their professors for this test. Reach out if you have any questions.

10th-12th Grade Students

        
       
Calling all 10th-12th grade students!It's back! The City of Rock Hill is inviting Riverwalk Academy to participate in The Works Career Exploration Program for Spring 2023. The Works program offers high school students the opportunity to take a peek into what "a day in the life" looks like for careers in the Rock Hill municipal and utilities system. This spring, they are offering the following opportunities:
Police Department- March 7
Tourism & Hospitality- March 7
Construction- March 7
Fire Department- March 8
Commercial Drivers License- March 8
Technology- March 8
Utilities- Electric- March 9
Maintenance- March 9
Learn more about this program.
Click here to view the Spring Catalog for more in-depth information about the program offerings.
Indicate your interest here. - Limited space is available. Priority will be given to Seniors, Juniors, and Sophomores in that order. Applicants must complete the application and a waiver and must attend a meeting with Mrs. Born to be considered for approval for a program.

Rivertech Information

Construction/ Road Closures

Due to road development around York Tech's campus, the entrance closest to the D and C buildings has been closed until further notice. Please consult the yellow arrows on the map for alternate routes to the D Building and N2 parking lot. If entering from Anderson Road, drivers should use the West Entrance by the A and ST buildings.

Senior Announcements

Sophomore Announcements

Sophomores- It's time to sign up for your 10th Grade IGP Meeting! Please click here to choose a day and time for your meeting. Meetings will be held virtually with Mrs. Born- the link will be sent to parent and student emails the day before your meeting time. Students will also be sent an IGP Pre-Meeting Survey so our meeting can be efficient!

Dual Enrollment Students

You're officially halfway through your first 8 week York Tech classes! If you're struggling in a class, make sure you talk to your professor this week. All is not lost, but the faster you begin to address where you're struggling, the better chance you have of bringing up your grade. Don't forget you have access to free tutoring through York Tech and your Riverwalk teachers and peers as a resource.

        
Boy's and Girl's State
Juniors! Are you interested in a future in government or politics? Consider applying to Boy's and Girl's State! This experience is a weeklong summer program for rising Seniors designed to immerse you in a real, functioning government, in the mythical State of Palmetto. You’ll meet lots of new friends from across the state, and you may even be eligible for some college scholarships!

﻿Girls who are interested, please click here for more information on the application process. Boys who are interested, please contact Mrs. Menges or Mrs. Born about the application process!

For more information about Girl's State, visit their website here.
For more information about Boy's State, visit their website here.

Class Ring Orders:

Sophomores! Don't forget to order your class ring by tomorrow (February 6th) in order to receive your FREE Earbuds from Jostens! A representative from Jostens will be on campus tomorrow (Feb. 6) to help with sizing and orders. You may order online or in person. In-person orders must have a $100 deposit check with them at the meeting tomorrow.

More Info

PadLet Don't forget to check the Riverwalk Academy Padlet daily for updates on scholarships. Opportunities are uploaded frequently, so don't miss your chance to earn some cash for college!

Padlet

Middle/ High Yearbook
Just wanted you to know that you can go ahead and purchase the yearbook for this school year if you want to get a head start.
﻿

Order Now

Spring sports are in full swing. If you are interested in participating in Track & Field please make sure you have created an account in planetHS and uploaded a physical before attending a practice. If you have any questions please email one of the track coaches:

Coach Washington - lwashington@riverwalkacademy.com

Coach Oates - koates@riverwalkacademy.com

Coach Wilson - twilson@riverwalkacademy.com

Our basketball coaches and players would like to thank all of our fans that have supported us throughout this season.

This Thursday is our last home game. We want to PACK THE HOUSE for our game against Lewisville. Bring your family and friends and let’s get LOUD to help support our athletes. In between the JV and Varsity games on Thursday we will recognize our senior athletes from all fall and winter sports.

St. Patrick’s Day 5K

The athletic department is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day 5K and Fun Run on Saturday, March 18. We hope that this event will be fun for everyone involved as well as a successful fundraiser for the athletic department.

First we invite you, your family and friends to join us in participating in the race. If competing in the event is not your speed but you are interested in volunteering to help on race day we’ll welcome that as well. If you want to volunteer simply email me at rball@riverwalkacademy.com. Finally, we are looking for sponsors to help cover the costs of organizing the event. If you know a business in our area that might be interested in one of our sponsorship levels please share the sponsorship link with them.

Below is a link to register for the 5K and Fun Run:

With your help we will make this event a huge success.

Upcoming events:

February 6 - basketball - at Governors School for Math and Science - 5:00/6:30
February 9 - basketball - vs. Lewisville - 5:00/6:30

Tickets for Thursdays game can be purchased at https://gofan.co/app/events/885778?schoolId=SC88123

If you have any questions regarding athletics at Riverwalk Academy please contact Mr. Ball at rball@riverwalkacademy.com

or 803-981-7061.

Monday: 02/06/23
Class Ring Order Deadline

Tuesday: 02/07/23
Volleyball Interest Meeting - 3:30 pm
Basketball at Governors School - 5:00 pm

Wednesday: 02/08/23
No Scheduled Events

Thursday: 02/09/23
Basketball vs Lewisville (JV/Varsity) - 5:00 pm/ 6:30 pm (Rock Hill Events Center)

Friday: 02/10/23
6th Grade Dance - during school day
7th-9th Grade Dance - 6:00-9:00 pm

Saturday: 02/11/23
RWA Team Polar Plunge - Special Olympics Area Eleven

Pride Believe. Pride Achieve.

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