A Message from Our Principal

Welcome Back!

Dear Parents, Students, and Community Members:

First and foremost, we hope you’ve had a pleasant and restful summer. As we kickoff the new school year, we want you to know that Riverland Elementary School’s staff maintains its genuine commitment to providing a safe learning environment where all students can learn and work toward academic excellence. In keeping with this, we will continue to openly communicate and collaborate with staff and parents in order to strengthen our CORE (Community of Open-Minded and Resourceful, Educators). Thanks to your continued support, our resourceful staff’s professional commitment, and collaboration with our community, Riverland Elementary School had incredible increases of six and 12 percent in the percentage of students scoring level three or above in reading and math, respectively, on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). Accordingly, I thank you for supporting your children, our efforts, and common goal, increasing student achievement through a high-quality education.

We are also extremely excited to welcome Mrs. Luciana Gentile, our new assistant principal. Mrs. Gentile’s experience as a literacy coach and teacher for more than 20 years will enrich our academic programs and provide fresh ideas, affording us the opportunities to continue to embrace a growth mindset. Additionally, Mrs. Gentile’s passion for working with children and her belief that all students and teachers are capable of achieving great things when provided with the support and resources they need will ensure that Riverland Elementary maintains its academic momentum and remains a safe and welcoming learning and working environment for students and staff.

Having stated this, we strongly encourage you to remain active in your child’s education and schedule a minimum of two parent-teacher conferences this school year. Please note that parent-teacher conferences are by appointment and may be scheduled by contacting Mrs. Boorse at (754) 323-7200. All parent-teacher conferences are held on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:20 PM to 3:00 PM. Moreover, parents/guardians are invited to review the Code of Student Conduct Handbook and complete the required forms by accessing the Back to School Forms link found on the Broward Schools’ webpage at: https://www.browardschools.com/backtoschool-onlineforms.

Our school days start promptly at 8:00 AM. However, students must be in the cafeteria line by 7:45 AM if they wish to have breakfast in the cafeteria and report to class on time. Additionally, please note that all students will be dismissed from school at 2:00 PM, unless they are registered in the YMCA After School Care Program. As such, please plan accordingly.

As we prepare for the start of the new school year, we want to remind everyone that safety and security continue to be our top priority. As such, we will continue to utilize our single point of entry, through our front office, and keep classroom doors locked at all times. Additionally, all staff members and students will wear school identification badges at all times. 

Likewise, we will continue to provide a safe and welcoming environment by closely monitoring access onto our school campus. Accordingly, our school gates will remain locked throughout the school day. Please make certain you bring a form of photo identification when visiting our campus, as all visitors will be asked to present photo identification when bringing a student to school after our scheduled start time, to sign out a student for early dismissal, or to access our campus for school-related matters. Please note that children will only be dismissed to those individuals identified on the Student Emergency Contact Card.

Additionally, we will continue to practice our monthly fire drills and bi-annual tornado drills. We will also practice emergency and safety drills outlined in our school’s safety plan. Please note that we will advise you via ParentLink when these drills take place, so that you are informed and not alarmed.

Please note that in accordance with Florida Statute 1012.34, parents have the right to provide input into the performance evaluations of instructional and/or administrative employees. Parents interested in providing input into the performance evaluations of Riverland Elementary School’s instructional and/or administrative employee evaluations may contact our office at (754) 323-7200 by April 19, 2024. 

In closing, we welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year. As in past years, the plans and desire to work with and best serve our students are in place. However, we cannot do it alone. Therefore, I am encouraging all parents to attend our Title I Meet and Greet on Friday, August 18^th, noting that the HeadStart Meet and Greet will be held from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, whereas the kindergarten through fifth grade Meet and Greet will be held from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Similarly, we also ask that you mark your calendars and attend our Title I Open House on Wednesday, September 6^th, from 5:30 PM to 7:15 PM. These events will provide parents the opportunity to meet and learn about their children’s teachers, our school’s support staff members, and the many wonderful things taking place at Riverland Elementary School.

Respectfully,

Oslay Gil