Principal’s corner

August 15, 2018

Dear River,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2018-19 school year!

We begin our school year on Wednesday, August 29. We will be on a regular bell schedule. As you well know, there is a great amount of work to accomplish prior to that first bell. This newsletter will provide the best and most up-to-date information for you as we set ourselves up for success.

The Class of 2019 will graduate next June as Columbia River High School turns 57 years old. We celebrate a rich tradition of excellence as we remodel our physical plant and continue to refine our International Baccalaureate curriculum. This is the 25th year that River has offered the IB Diploma and we could not be more proud of the program we offer. We have expanded our languages (adding the Mandarin Language Pathway this fall) and continue our exploration of the Career Related Diploma. River is one of only 50 high schools in the US awarded the opportunity to participate in the IB’s Excellence & Equity Initiative.

River graduates are learning and working all over world. When we review the Learner Profile and the dispositions of the River Graduate, we celebrate the tapestry and unique bonds that keep all of us centered on our opportunities that start at River.

We certainly have a great deal to celebrate and much to look forward to this year with our continued Stadium renovation and our remodel of the 500 Wing and remove the 700 Portables and revamp our parking lots.

At River, we promise you an academically focused environment. We are committed to ensuring that students will get the support they need as we explore new ideas and challenge one another’s thinking as we work for a better, more peaceful world. You will not find a better prepared, more qualified instructional staff than the one we have at River. Teachers are eager to begin interacting with students in classrooms on August 29. We are all fired up to cheer on the Purple and Gold on our new field surface at Chieftain Stadium. We are excited to welcome our new Mandarin program to our campus. There are a host of other International Baccalaureate, extracurricular activities and other opportunities with which students can be involved to enhance their high school experience at River.

In 2018, we will not hold a “back to school registration” event (ID pictures, business office purchases, locker requests, etc.) prior to the start of school; instead, we ask that you work through each checkbox below and complete these back-to-school steps before Tuesday, August 28th. This document can also be found on our homepage. It will be easier to access this information and links online as the links will take you directly to the appropriate information. As always, feel free to come to school to complete these required tasks.

Link Crew will be welcoming our incoming 9th Graders – the Class of 2022 – on August 28. Note the special schedule for Link Crew and 9th graders on August 28. All 9th Graders will meet again on August 29 in Hoover Gym at 7:00 AM for a special Welcome Assembly. After the assembly, all students will go to period 1. Please see the back-to-school information below. Call the Office 360-313-3900 / email Alex.Otoupal@vansd.org

Here’s to a great year!

Most sincerely,
Alex Otoupal, Principal

Starting the 2018-2019 School Year at Columbia River High School…Find below a checklist to start the year off…
❏ New circumstances? New address, email, phone, contact information?
Please contact our Registrar Mary.Hyde@vansd.org to verify student enrollment. Parents need to verify their
child(ren)’s enrollment information each year. Please help us make sure that this information is complete and accurate.
❏ All grade reports and report cards will be via Skyward. In order to view your students information parents must have
online access to Skyward. To ensure you have access please contact Shawnda.Goodson@vansd.org in the Main Office.
❏ Use our online system for any fees. Parents and Guardians can pay most fees using the Online Payment System.
Using a debit or credit card, you may make secure online payments with no transaction fees.
❏ Athletics ($50), Activities including band & orchestra ($35) & Yearbook ($40). Returning students with
outstanding athletic fines will not be cleared until previous fines are paid.
❏ Associated Student Body card ($30) and required for participation on River athletic teams. We highly
encourage students to get a student body sticker; this will save money in the long run when your child attends school events.
❏ iPad & 1:1 Responsible Use Form (Español, Pусский). All students are automatically enrolled in the
District’s iPAD Protection/Loss Protection Program.
❏ Booster Club information and ways to get everyone involved can be found here.
❏ School Identification pictures will be taken Aug. 31. See the Dorian Photography picture packet for ordering options.
To pre-order school photos, you can also go to the Dorian Photography and our online order form
❏ Class schedules will be available for viewing after August 17th through student/family access in Skyward. If
you have a concern about the assigned schedule, begin with contacting your grade level counselor:
9th Grade: Jennifer Waller
10th Grade: Alexis Bruce
11th Grade & Lieser Branch: Lou Gill
12th Grade: Rachael Howington
❏ Athletic information — Tryouts and practices for fall sports will officially begin August 15 (football only); all other sports
August 20 – check www.2agshl.com for first week schedules.
❏ Bus routes for 2018-19 will be posted online the week of August 20. Parking on campus is limited. Only
Juniors and Seniors may be allowed on a limited basis. Freshman/Sophomores: we are a closed campus.
❏ Breakfast/Lunch account information — Families can open new accounts or make deposits to existing accounts.
❏ Locker requests can be made the first week of school. Contact Jamie.Davis@vansd.org
❏ The 2018-2019 Student Handbook is a helpful resource. Students will be reviewing and completing our
Handbook Quiz during River Pride Time during period 2 on August 30.
Other important information:
● Aug. 24: Purple/Gold Scrimmages for Fall Athletics
● Aug. 28: Link Crew & 9th grade/new students 7:45 am – 12:30 pm in Hoover Gym
● Aug. 29: iPad checkout begins – iPads will be distributed through math courses and will continue through Sept 7
● Aug. 31: ID pictures for all students – portraits will be taken during English courses. Running Start students drop in.
● Sept. 7: Fall Pep Assembly Schedule and our 2018-2019 “Family Photo” on the new field surface
● Sept. 24: Curriculum Night/ Back-to-School Night/ Open House 6 pm
Administrator & Counseling support for this coming year are below. Our team provides both academic and social-emotional
support for our students. These supports include:
○ Echo Moran-Prince — Intervention Specialist for all grade levels
○ Dave Bennett — College & Career Center
○ Julie Nygaard — International Baccalaureate Program Coordinator
○ Tony Liberatore — Administrator for Athletics & Class of 2022 (9th grade)
○ Jennifer Waller — Class of 2022 and AVID
○ Ken Roberts — Administrator for Activities and Special Services & Class of 2021 (10th grade)
○ Alexis Bruce — Class of 2021
○ Rob Duncan — Administrator for Curriculum, Class of 2020 & 2019 (11th & 12th grade)
○ Lou Gill — Class of 2020
○ Rachael Howington — Class of 2019
○ Mandie Greene — Attendance Initiative and Administrative Intern

The aim of CR’s Head of School blog is to keep readers informed, share our progress and occasionally gather feedback.  I hope you find this helpful in partnering with Columbia River High School as we look to the future.