The Wolverine Way
Kind. Determined. Together.
June Newsletter
Superintendent - Mr. Kenneth Slater
Thank you
I would also like to thank the staff, students, parents and community for the support over this past year. The COVID presented us with many obstacles but our staff rose to the challenge as we knew the community was in our corner. We are looking forward to moving past policing COVID. We know how tough it was on our families. You are appreciated!
What's Next?
We have been busy getting things in place next year. The school board approved an operational sharing agreement with Kingsley-Pierson to share their superintendent, Scott Bailey, next year. We have also hired Noah Phillips to be the next elementary principal at Washta. Noah has been on our staff for four years teaching 4th grade and then middle school social studies this year he is looking forward to his new role. We have also hired Joel Brus to be the next Athletic Director. He will also be teaching social studies. He is coming to us from Davis County. This will free up Mr. Bisenius as the Jr/Sr High School Principal.
What's happening with sharing activities?
Football: We reached out to neighboring districts to see if they were interested in sharing given our expected low participation numbers next year. Unfortunately, we would bump schools up to 11-man football or up a class and that is not something the districts wanted to do. We are left to try and make it on our own again for the next two years. We implored the state to adjust the classification system for sharing. The way it is set up now really hurts schools in our position. It does not look like they will be changing the system for the smaller schools. They did change the large school classifications, however.
JH Football: We plan on sharing with KP again next year. We feel this is helping both districts and giving our kids a chance to play.
Wrestling: Our school board approved the sharing of wrestling with KP for next year. We are waiting for them to make a final decision.
Summer Projects:
Washta HVAC system:
Over the next couple of years, we will be replacing all of the HVAC units at Washta. They have served their time and need to be replaced. We have broken it down into three phases and we will use ESSER III money to pay for the new system. The entire project over the next three years will be approximately $250K.
Stage Curtains:
We will be replacing the auditorium stage curtains this summer as well. The ones we have are originally from the Quimby building and have lost their fire retardant capability. We want to dress the auditorium up.
Stage Lighting:
We have also planned to replace the lighting on and around the stage too so we can have a quality light system.
Sound Panels for the Junior High Gym:
In an effort to help with the sound in the junior high gym we have a project planned to add sound absorption panels in the junior high gym.
Washta Goalsetter Basketball Hoops:
We will be buying two new Goalsetter Basketball Hoops to replace the old ones on the playground in Washta.
Chromebooks:
We will be purchasing another 60 Chromebooks next year.
My last day at River Valley will be June 30th. I wish you all the best! Go Wolverines!
Kind Regards,
Ken Slater
2021 Retirees
2020 Retirees
River Valley Retirees
Elementary Principal & Curriculum Director- Mrs. Melissa Holtz
A Fond Farewell: Looking Back at the Last 4 Years
In my four years with River Valley, so many strong relationships have been built. The work of our elementary staff and students has been and is impressive.
In four years, a relatively short time, we have:
- implemented the first phases of PBIS (positive behavior intervention supports) and decreased discipline referrals by half
- revamped, revised, and realigned our science standards to match the Next Generation Science Standards
- built, installed, and started the Wolverine Dens in each of our four communities
- updated our preschool playground
- selected and began implementing a new literacy curriculum (K-12)
- secured a grant for preschool rest mats and storage
- maintained our five star preschool program rating
- implemented a keyboarding program to better prepare our 2nd-8th grade students for the demands of online work and college-career readiness
- updated and realigned our social studies standards to state standards
- developed a K-12 student assistance process to better meet the needs of students with academic or behavioral needs
- increased our proficiency levels in math and reading throughout the district
- coordinated and provided summer school and after school learning to students wishing to attend
- began the implementation of High Reliability Schools
- completed two Project Jack grant experiences
- achieved 1:1 technology capabilities in PK-5 grades
I'm sure there are countless other achievements that could be added to this lists. The point is, this team, this River Valley staff, our community, our parents, and our students are amazing! When we all work together it is a beautiful thing!
Thank you for trusting me with your students. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to lead the elementary building! Thank you for welcoming me and my family to this community! We take many fond memories with us and we will continually be following River Valley's story and future successes!
Go Wolverines! #kinddeterminedtogether
Most Sincerely-
Mrs. Holtz
High School Principal and Activities Director - Mr. Adam Bisenius
JH/HS WOLVERINE NATION:
The end of the year has brought many of the usual end-of-the-year things. Our students have completed the state-mandated ISASP tests and as results are still coming in, there are a lot of positives to build off of. Our spring sports participants are finishing up their seasons and we are hoping for some state tournament bids in both track and golf! The upperclassmen got to enjoy their prom. The kids handled everything very well and looked wonderful as they celebrated their time together. It was nice to have patrons back into the building as well. We hosted the annual WVC Art Festival. Our FFA program got to experience the state convention and celebrate FFA week with a multitude of activities. Our music students put on a great concert with a dessert auction. Our seniors enjoyed their senior day off with a trip to Sioux Falls to enjoy the Thunder Road Amusement Park. We have had our Booster Club athletic awards night and our Fine Arts awards night. It's hard to believe, but graduation is just a few days away. Baseball and softball practices are underway and we look forward to those games starting up at the end of May. That craziness is how the school should be. I'm thrilled for Wolverine Nation as we get to be busy again!
Looking forward to the summer, I want to inform our families that we will be offering summer school in June. Beginning the week of June 7th, we will be inviting certain students to attend Monday-Thursday from 8:30-11:30. This will last for 3 weeks in June. This will be an opportunity for high school students to earn credit recovery and for middle school students to get help with their academic needs. This is a great opportunity for students to continue to make up ground that may have been lost last year. We will have more information out about that opportunity soon.
Summer weight room hours and expectations will be released soon as well. We look forward to having our students take advantage of this opportunity as well. For our athletes, this is the time when major gains are made. The off-season is when improvements are made. In season is just the opportunity to put those improvements on display! With that said, participation is extremely important. Please encourage your child to participate and continue to be involved in the programs that we are able to offer.
Finally, I want to thank all of Wolverine Nation for helping make the 2020-2021 school year happen. The support and partnership between the school and families are important every year and even more so this past year. Our partnership allowed us to overcome the challenges of COVID and allowed for our students of River Valley to experience a great school year. I hope everyone has a great summer and I look forward to seeing what the 2021-2022 school year will bring us!
WeAreRV!!
Mrs. Taunia Pry - Food Director
Summer Food Program
Health Screening Information
River Valley CSD
Email: info@rvwolverines.org
Website: www.rvwolverines.org
Location: 916 Hackberry Street, Correctionville, IA, USA
Phone: (712)372-4656
Twitter: @RVWolverines