Preparing for the New School Year

Dear Riverstone Community,

We can’t wait to welcome your children to campus for the start of the 2018-19 school year! Preparations for this big day demand our full attention throughout August. Besides cleaning, painting, and setting up rooms, we engage in weeks of training and planning to make sure that the year goes smoothly, that we successfully fulfill our Mission, and that your family is well served.

I recently spent two full days with the Senior Leadership Team – Rachel Pusch (Director of Admissions and Marketing), James Hamilton (Director of Elementary School), Andy Johnson (Director of Middle and High School), Art Wynne (Business Manager), Caitlin Salisbury (Director of Development) – to deepen our understanding of what makes Riverstone an extraordinary school and how to continue to build a strong and responsive leadership team.

During our retreat we reflected on our Mission, 5 Pillars, and Guiding Principles both in theory and application. I came to better understand why Riverstone International School is the best independent school in Idaho. We also identified areas for institutional growth in the areas of communication, community, follow-up, and operational systems.

We will roll out goals that have to do with building a more cohesive, mindful, and caring community and implementing professional development systems that will support and strengthen everything we do.

Additionally, we are in the process of designing an alumni survey that will explore how well we have prepared our recent graduates, compared to their peers in college, along a multitude of dimensions. The anecdotal evidence is very strong but we need more comprehensive information to assist us in improving our programs, so we will also expand the annual parent survey and share the results of both surveys.

I look forward to meeting you at our upcoming Meet the Teachers events (next Wednesday, Aug 22!) and am thrilled to have the honor of sharing this school year with you.

Best,

Todd Horn, Ed.D
Transition Head of School