Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!  I am always amazed by how fast time flies and the beginning of the school year always seems to creep up on me.  The Riverside School District welcomes our students back to school on Tuesday, August 31^st.  Please be sure to see the back page of this newsletter for other important dates and information.

     Last spring I read an article in the Spokesman Review about a new book called, Signed ,Your Student.  This book is a compilation of letters celebrities and others wrote as a tribute to a teacher they had.  The editor is Holly Holbert, from Nine Mile Falls.  When I finally got my hands on the book, I was spellbound by the endless number of ways teachers had touched the lives of so many.  I know first hand because of my 26+ years of work in schools that educators have a profound effect on their students.  Often, they do not get to hear about what students remember about them.  I encourage you to get a copy of Signed, Your Student (I would be happy to share my copy.)  I also encourage you to think about a teacher or someone else who worked in a school that you attended who made a difference in your life and write to them.  Let them know how they made a difference and just how much they mean to you.  Just recently my third grade teacher, Mrs. Larson, died at the age of 103.  I am thankful that she knew just how much I loved it when she read aloud to us and how disappointed I was when she put the book away at the end of each chapter.  She opened my mind to the world and I am forever grateful for that.

     I know our staff makes a difference to our children and our children will hold those memories forever.  We look forward to another great year in the Riverside School District.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.  Together, we make a difference!