Rio School District Community Newsletter October 1, 2024

Posted Date: 10/01/24 (12:00 PM)

Rio School District Community Newsletter
October 1, 2024

Greetings Rio School District Community,

We hope your first month back was great. We are excited to start the fall season and all the exciting activities that go along with it. Our goal remains the same to provide excellent education to all our students. We would like to provide you an update of things happening around the District.

In this newsletter you will find updates on:

2024-2025 School Year
Rancho Rio - Pumpkin Patch
Special Visitor from Washington D.C.
Amazon Oxnard OXR1 Donation and Visit
Dr Puglisi and River Songs Band - Prop 28
School Bond Funded District Facility Projects
Upcoming Events
Enrollment

District News

2024-2025 School Year
The new school year is off and running. Rio School district welcomed back 5000+ students. The District and its 9 schools have opened its doors and welcomed families onto campus for Back-to-School Nights and they have a been a huge success. Back-to-school nights are important because it allows teachers to show families what their children will learn during the school year. This event is also an opportunity for families to connect with their child's teacher and discover ways to engage with their child's education. Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills. Excellent outcomes are best achieved when families and schools work together, collaboratively and in an ongoing partnership that is focused on supporting improved learning and development outcomes. We look forward to woking with each of our families this school year.

Rancho Rio - Pumpkin Patch

The Rio School District Regenerative Organic Farm is growing and expanding daily. Students have participated in learning activities on the farm. Students have planted crops, learned about soil and water, and they have also been able to feed some of Rio's Farm animals which include 40+ chickens, 10 ducks, and two goats.

Every Fall Rio School District takes Tk-1st Grade students to a pumpkin patch. This month Rio School District will host these same students at the farm at the District's 1st pumpkin annual patch. Students will have been apart of all phases of the the pumpkin patch from planting to harvesting. These students will be able to take home a pumpkin to their families. We are very excited to welcome our first set of students to this year's pumpkin patch.

Learn More

Special Visitor from Washington D.C.
The Rio School District welcomed a special visitor, Congresswoman Julia Brownley from Washington D.C. She toured Rio Del Sol school to see our green ribbon award winning district bakery, the school garden and the teaching kitchen. She then visited the district farm, where she learned more about our farm education program and tasted fresh produce we grow for our own students, community and cafeteria. She had the opportunity to observe a class lesson on watermelons followed by a tasting. Thank you Congresswoman Brownley for taking the time to visit our district and spend time with our students.

Amazon Oxnard OXR1 Donation and Visit

Rio Rosales Elementary School and the Rio School District would like to extend a big thank you to our friends from Amazon Oxnard OXR1 for presenting us with a generous check of $10,000 to help with Teacher Donors Choose campaigns! This generous donation was made possible by Amazon Gives and OXR1. Along with the check Amazon provided the school with backpacks, school supplies, teacher supplies and more. It was a pleasure welcoming a great group of people on campus. Thank you again, Amazon team!

Dr Puglisi and the River Songs Band - Prop 28
Did you know our Superintendent plays and writes music? Dr. Puglisi and The River Songs Band (TRSB) have come together in recent years to write and perform music in the Rio Schools Community and to contribute to the development of a musical community at large. The Band has a core of players but adds and grows as the community grows. Players include: Steve Sunnarborg (guitar), John Puglisi (lead singer/guitar), Dave VanKeersbilck (singer/bango), Eddie Layman (drums), Carlos Dimas (keyboard), Jerry Guillen (sound engineer), Carlo Godoy (media), and Rio Schools Students. TRSB’s projects include: Healthy Living – Smashing Veggie Songs, River Songs and Job Songs.

Art and music is everywhere here in Rio and provides opportunities for children to be creative, and to find joy in their school day. Positive outcomes from art and music classes can improve the overall attitude at school as well as academic performance. Music and art both encourage kids to express themselves which can lead to the development of innovation skills. These skills can develop as life long learning for future years. Children involved in music have been shown to have enhanced development in reading, language, and math skills. Music and art are fun and learning often becomes easy and free. Critical thinking skills are also important in art, music, and life. Playing musical instruments utilizes logic and abstract thinking as well as problem solving. Getting involved in art and music can begin to build a child’s confidence. This confidence can also transfer to their academics. Just as they had perseverance to learn in art and music, they will want to succeed in math or reading too. With the help of the California voters approving Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act, Rio School District will have ongoing program support for arts instruction in its schools.

Construction Updates Around The District

Rio Del Valle Middle School

Rio Del Valle Middle School has the District's largest amount of current construction projects. Phase 2 of the RDV Athletics Fields is under construction and you can see the baseball fields are coming along. The old kitchen has been demolished to make room for a renovated kitchen and multipurpose room to be completed in April 2025. Lastly, a temporary kitchen and eating facility has been constructed for the new school year.

Upcoming Events

10.1 Food Share Food Giveaway - Rio Office of Student and Family Services - 3300 Cortez Street
10.3-10.4 K-5th Grade Minimum Day /Parent Conferences
10.8 Food Share Food Giveaway - Rio Real School - 1140 Kenney Street
10.8-10.10 6th-8th Grade Minimum Day /Parent Conferences
10.15 Food Share Food Giveaway - Rio Office of Student and Family Services - 3300 Cortez Street
10.16 Rio School Board Meeting
10.16 K-8th Grade Minimum Day
10.22 Food Share Food Giveaway - Rio Real School - 1140 Kenney Street
10.30 K-8th Grade Minimum Day
10.31 K-5th Grade Minimum Day - Halloween Day
11.1 NO SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN - Professional Learning Day for Teachers
Ongoing Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year