Curriculum
Teacher created curriculum provides materials that allow each child to produce to their maximum potential utilizing hands-on, true to life experiences rather than "question and review" textbook activities.
What started in 1990 as a "save-our-school" campaign by our parents, has led to a cutting edge program that has brought the student population at Riverside to capacity with a waiting list.
Capitalizing on the unique location of the school; close to downtown in one of the oldest sections of the city and surrounded by area museums and parks, Riverside parents began developing a cultural arts and history program. The major components of the program are as follows:
School wide themes that are used to integrate the various curricula. All topics are seen to relate to one another, from math to art to science to language arts to physical education.
Each theme is presented with a literature based curriculum. Thematic subject matter is supported by various forms of literature including fiction, non-fiction and even pictures books, as opposed to standard textbooks.
Each mini-theme begins or ends with some type of all-school event or program.
Strong parental involvement is encouraged from volunteering in the school to a site council that is involved in personnel choices as well as programmatic decisions.
After working with a variety of different themes for the past five years, the parents and staff have now developed a three year theme cycle. Students are able to experience each theme twice: once as a primary student and three years later as an intermediate student.