Students at Riverside School are placed in a math class according to their grade and achievement levels.  Math is taught using a structured, sequential and  multi-sensory approach based on the Orton-Gillingham Approach for teaching language skills.  

This year Mr. Keevil’s Algebra and PreAlgebra class did some research into the current cost of [...]]]>

Students at Riverside School are placed in a math class according to their grade and achievement levels.  Math is taught using a structured, sequential and  multi-sensory approach based on the Orton-Gillingham Approach for teaching language skills.  

This year Mr. Keevil’s Algebra and PreAlgebra class did some research into the current cost of the gifts of the twelve days of Christmas.  As you will see, the cost of a partridge and a pear tree has gone up over the years.  This year, for the first time, it will cost more than $100,000 to purchase everything on the list!

At Riverside School we are very grateful for the many people who support our efforts to serve children with dyslexia.  Our donors, alumni, families and friends make it possible for us to fulfill our mission year after year. We wish to express our gratitude for all you do to help this “little school” make a [...]]]>

At Riverside School we are very grateful for the many people who support our efforts to serve children with dyslexia.  Our donors, alumni, families and friends make it possible for us to fulfill our mission year after year. We wish to express our gratitude for all you do to help this “little school” make a “BIG difference.”

 For our “Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day” this year we asked two students to write down what these people mean to them and their fellow classmates.  As you will read, our students’ hearts are full of gratitude for these special family members and friends.

 Grandparents and Special Friends
by Justina S.

Grandparents and special friends are dear to us, because for one you all care.  You care about us as a whole and as individuals. You spend time with us and get to know how we are doing at Riverside and in our lives. Some of you even support us financially because you believe in what is happening here at Riverside School. We are so lucky to have our grandparents and special friends. As a student body, we are proud to have each and every one of you in our lives.

Grandparents and Special Friends
by Paige C.

There are many reasons why grandparents and special friends are so dear to us.  You are special because you offer support when we need it. For example, we appreciate the emotional support you give us when we need cheering up because we had a bad day or we are sad. You also support us socially, like when we are out of school.  If we play a sport, sometimes you come to watch and cheer us on.  Or you might go to a play and watch us act. There are so many more things you do to offer us support.

Secondly, you often take care of us. Sometimes if we are sick and our parents have to go to work you may take care of us. You also spend time with us like playing games or even watching a movie. You are also a great friend to talk to when we need someone to listen. Finally, you also help us with our education. You might help pay for us to come to Riverside or maybe you help with carpool. You also help support Riverside School by donating to the school because you believe in what happens here to help us to learn. You are so caring. You might not have heard this for a long time, but we need you and we love you. Most of all, Thank you.

Benjamin entered Riverside School in 2008 as a second grader. He had difficulty decoding words, comprehending text, and writing. Benjamin has worked hard to expand his vocabulary and to include detail in his writing. When given an assignment to write a division story problem, Benjamin took the assignment to heart and wrote an entire [...]]]>

Benjamin entered Riverside School in 2008 as a second grader. He had difficulty decoding words, comprehending text, and writing. Benjamin has worked hard to expand his vocabulary and to include detail in his writing. When given an assignment to write a division story problem, Benjamin took the assignment to heart and wrote an entire story including multiple word problems. Benjamin left class beaming after receiving a round of applause from his admiring classmates. He has come a long, long way.

Benjamin’s Story Problem (retyped exactly as Benjamin wrote the story).

Linda is going to her job at Mr. Dividen’s shop. On her way, she fond these 5 cute little bag’s and 255 rocks (for some weird reason, she loves rocks). Linda really wants to put these rocks equilly in each bag but she does not know division. Can you please help her out. Linda cannot be late for work. If she is she will have to count stock that is in the back of the store… Thank you for your help, but Linda is late for work. When she got there, Mr. Dividens made Linda count the big items in stock. Linda counted 65 big items on the left side of the room and 112 on the right. Can you please help Lind find total number of big items in stock. Also, Linda think that there is a 5 in the hundreds place but she gets things wrong a lot. Was she wrong again?.. Linda was just informed that 9x the number of big stock is coming in today on the truck. She needs to add that number to the number of stock she already counted but she does not know what 9x the number she already counted is. Can you do it for her?.. Thank you so much for your help. Linda now needs to put the stock into 6 bins. Use the answer you just go as the dividen in this problem. Also, there is a for remainder of there is any… Now it is time for Linda to leave work. She goes home and greets her cute dogs. Linda looks in their dish and finds that there are only three bones in the dish. Linda went to her closets to look for some more bones but she did not find any. Linda always try to keep 5 bones in the bowl all the time. Linda really did want all 5 bones in that dish so Linda desides to go a drug store across the street from her call Addentoneo’s Products! Linda went to the store and found the bones but Linda did not know how much bones to get. She always like 5 bones in the bowl but there are only 3. Can you help Linda out?
Bonus: The bones keep going missing, bringing it down from 5 to 3 every night for 7 days. Linda get enough bone to make 5 every night. How much bones would Linda bought?

This year we are excited to kick-off our new signature event – Riverside School’s Tread-a-Thon for Dyslexia Awareness. This family-friendly event will help to increase awareness of the language-based learning differences that affects approximately one in five people in the U.S. while encouraging parents to have their pre-school children screened to see if they [...]]]>

This year we are excited to kick-off our new signature event – Riverside School’s Tread-a-Thon for Dyslexia Awareness. This family-friendly event will help to increase awareness of the language-based learning differences that affects approximately one in five people in the U.S. while encouraging parents to have their pre-school children screened to see if they are at-risk for having a learning difference.

We hope that you will join us at the walk on Saturday, October 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. inside Chesterfield Towne Center.  Our first goal is to have at least 500 people walking with us. We will have experts on hand (including administrators, teachers and clinical physicians and parents) to walk and talk about issues affecting students with a learning difference.  You can sign up to walk by clicking here. Our second goal is to raise $15,000 in support of Riverside and our Early Identification Initiative. If you are unable to walk – become a sponsor! Every little bit helps.

From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., join us at Barnes & Noble at Chesterfield Towne Center for a Book Fair and Dyslexia Awareness Festival. A percentage of the sales from the day will benefit Riverside School. To have your purchase count in the total, you will need to bring a Book Fair voucher with you. To download and print your voucher, click here.  Anyone who presents their voucher and purchase receipt at the Riverside School table will be eligible to register to win a NOOK Color.

At Barnes & Noble we will have live entertainment and celebrity readers for children with dyslexia simulations and information for parents.

We are still looking for sponsors, so if you or your company would like to support our efforts you can see all of our sponsorship opportunities by clicking here. 

We look forward to seeing you on October 15^th!

What do Walt Disney, Gustave Flaubert, P. Buckley Moss, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and Riverside Students all have in common?  They are all wonderful artists, sharing their creative minds with the world and communicating their vision through art. (And, they all have dyslexia.)

This year Riverside School’s Expressive Art Teacher/Therapist, Peggy [...]]]>

What do Walt Disney, Gustave Flaubert, P. Buckley Moss, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and Riverside Students all have in common?  They are all wonderful artists, sharing their creative minds with the world and communicating their vision through art. (And, they all have dyslexia.)

This year Riverside School’s Expressive Art Teacher/Therapist, Peggy Healy, introduced our students to art from around the world, including traditional Sumi painting from Japan, mosaic tile work from ancient Greece and Rome, traditional American quilt design and the Tibetan Mandala.  No matter what technique the students were using, they were always encouraged to use art as an opportunity for self exploration, self expression and enjoyment.

At the end of the year Mrs. Healy asked the students to share what art is to them, in their own words and on their own hand print.  The following are a few of the students’ responses.

“Art makes me feel special.” —Beth

“I want my art to share my dreams.” —Abigail

“You don’t have to be an artist to be an artist.” —Jason

“I want my art to inspire people.” —Anna

“Art is magic.”  —Michael

“Art is… colorful, happy.”  —Kayla

“Art is fun and if you mess it up it doesn’t matter.”  —Graham

“I believe that art is creating what you feel.” —Stephanie

“Art is one of my favorite things.” —Phil

Riverside School students are bright, creative students who have unique needs when it comes to learning language skills.  We are able to meet these needs by using the Orton-Gillingham Approach for teaching the fundamentals of language.  This approach was developed in the 1930’s by Dr. Samuel T. Orton, a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist, who as [...]]]>

Riverside School students are bright, creative students who have unique needs when it comes to learning language skills.  We are able to meet these needs by using the Orton-Gillingham Approach for teaching the fundamentals of language.  This approach was developed in the 1930’s by Dr. Samuel T. Orton, a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist, who as early as 1925 had identified the syndrome of dyslexia as an educational problem, and Anna Gillingham a gifted educator and psychologist with a superb mastery of the language. Encouraged by Dr. Orton, she compiled and published instructional materials, providing the foundation for student instruction and teacher training that has become known as the Orton-Gillingham Approach.

Our students thrive on the multisensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, cognitive, and flexible nature of the approach.  We are able to adapt the approach to meet their individual needs through one-on-one instruction provided for 30-45 minutes a day, four times a week.

Students are then asked to utilize their language skills in the classroom while preparing research and creative writing projects.

The following is an exact reprint of a research paper written by a 9 year old student in Ms. Kempton’s class.  Dashiell has been at Riverside since the middle of the 2009-2010 school year.  Prior to coming to Riverside, he attended a gifted and talented magnet school, where he could do the work, as long as he didn’t need to read or write. His mother noted that “he became a master of hiding in plain sight,” making it look like he was working when he was doing nothing. Today his mother reports that Dashiell works independently and reads chapter books in his spare time! “Most importantly,” she says, “he is a changed child with no reason to hide.”

The Great Pyramids by Dashiell, age 9

There are many interesting artifacts to learn about Egyptologists have not uncovered yet.  The Great Pyramids of Giza are ancient structures.

The Great Pyramids of Giza were built 4,500 years ago.  There are 35 of these ancient structures still standing today.  It is hard to imagine how larg the Great Pyramids of Giza are.  The largest pyramid is the size of 10 football fields.  The Great Pyramids of Giza are nearly 500 feet tall.  The largest stone structure ever built.

All Pyramids were built for the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.  One of the great pyramids of Giza was built for the Pharaoh Khufu.  Khufu’s funeral house was found near the pyramid in 1954.

Egyptologists are still studying the pyramids today.

All students at Riverside have dyslexia or a similar language based learning difference.  For these young students, learning to read and write in a traditional classroom setting, using standard curriculum has been a challenge.  However, after a short period of time, and having benefited from the right teaching technique for their unique way of [...]]]>

All students at Riverside have dyslexia or a similar language based learning difference.  For these young students, learning to read and write in a traditional classroom setting, using standard curriculum has been a challenge.  However, after a short period of time, and having benefited from the right teaching technique for their unique way of learning, students begin to show significant gains in mastering reading, writing and spelling.

As part of the Riverside curriculum, students at all levels are expected to write several research papers each year.  This year our youngest students in Miss Myers’ and Mrs. Mayer’s class have been researching elephants.  We are proud to share one student’s research paper.  We hope you enjoy learning about elephants.

This is an exact reprint of the student’s writing.  This student has been at Riverside School since the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.  Prior to attending Riverside, Morgan was struggling to read  books that contained approximately 100 words or less. Today she is reading books with over 850 words with great confidence.  Morgan says that she loves Riverside “because everyone here has the same brain as her.”

Elephants, by Morgan, age 9

There are to cins of subspeicies of elephants.  The elephants have sum thing are a like.  Elephants like to take mud baths and swim.  Both cins of elephants have six sets of teeth and they grind and instead of choing.  Both elephants can live until 60 years but most do not becuss homins kill most of the elephants.  Humans kill elephants for there ivery tusks.  All elephants have diffint leg wrinkles to tell them apart.

One type of Elephant is the African and they live in Africa.  The ears are the shap of Africa and there ears are biger then Asian ears.  The Elephant are darker.  All the African elephants have tusks.  They live in the savanna.  They have a sway back.  In African the elephant are the biggest.

The secit type of Elephant is the Asian and they live in Asia.  The Asian Elephant has a hump back.  They have small ears.  Oley some Asian bulls have tusks.  They are light gray.  They live in the rainforest.  The Aisan elephants are smaller then the African.  The two kins of elephant and they have sum  thing in kamin and som thing not.

An Alumni’s Reflections on Riverside School

John Kay submitted this essay on a life altering experience in applying to become a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).  John was inducted into the NHS on October 25, 2010.  John’s grandmother, Frances Kay, is a member of the Riverside School Board of Directors.

An Alumni’s Reflections on Riverside School

John Kay submitted this essay on a life altering experience in applying to become a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).  John was inducted into the NHS on October 25, 2010.  John’s grandmother, Frances Kay, is a member of the Riverside School Board of Directors.

How do you pronounce the words backpack and festival?  For many this is a quite simple question.  However, for me it was a difficult and excruciating process.  When I was in kindergarten and first grade instead of saying “festival” I would say “vegetable” and for “backpack” I would say “pack-pack.”  Because of this I was always afraid to say words in class for fear of embarrassment from my peers.  I was also made to read hundreds of those small books to help me read and learn how to pronounce words.  It helped a little bit but I was still not pronouncing words as well as the other kids.  So my parents held me back in first grade; however, that still didn’t help me with words.  At the time I didn’t understand what dyslexia was, but my parents learned all there was to know.  Then we moved to Richmond, Virginia.  This is where my dyslexia was “cured.”

Richmond is where I learned about my disability and the name of a small school that changed my life forever, Riverside School.  Riverside School was a school for all types of dyslexics.  For me, I had Central Auditory Processing Disorder.  This means that I would jumble up words in my head when people spoke to me and sometimes not understand what they were trying to say.  This was particularly annoying to me, my teachers, and probably for my classmates who had to hear me constantly question what the directions were for homework again and again.  But Riverside was different.  The teachers were all understanding and would repeat the information as many times as we needed.  Because everybody was a dyslexic, I didn’t feel like a loser if I said a word wrong.  We also had a class period named LF, Language Fundamentals.  Here we would sit one on one with a teacher for 45 minutes and they would help us understand how to pronouhnce and read words.  The teachers would put earphones on our ears; this would make us hear ourselves say a word.  If we pronounced it wrong then they would help us correct the problem. They would also teach us how to study properly for tests, quizzes, etc.  This school was by far the best school I ever went to.  They gave me the tools in order to succeed.  But all good things must come to an end.

Our family had to move again and this time it was to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  My brother and I spent a mere two years at Riverside.  But those two years helped us tremendously and were the best two years of my life.  It helped me by practically erasing my disorder.  Even today people have no idea that I have dyslexia and think I am a “normal” person.  Feeling and hearing that I was normal was an ecstatic feeling to experience.  Before Riverside I was a boy who was confused about his disorder and couldn’t een pronounce backpack right, but when I left Riverside I become a boy who could pronounce backpack and be able to be successful.  Thanks to Riverside School, I am able to be here at Malver and be the person I am today.

It’s tea time! This year the Moss on the James Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society is hosting Tea Time Around the World, a Tea Party and Silent Auction at Riverside School on May 7th. This will be a great day in Bon Air as it is also Victorian Day, a day to [...]]]>

It’s tea time! This year the Moss on the James Chapter of the P. Buckley Moss Society is hosting Tea Time Around the World, a Tea Party and Silent Auction at Riverside School on May 7^th. This will be a great day in Bon Air as it is also Victorian Day, a day to celebrate the historic hay-day of the beautiful community that Riverside calls home. Complete with fancy hats, scones, teas from around, decorated tables and a silent auction featuring art by P. Buckley Moss, beach homes, a night at Jefferson Hotel, student artwork and an eclectic collection of gifts and gift baskets, this event is the perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day with friends and family. All proceeds from the Tea Party and Auction will go toward the establishment of the Moss on the James Endowed Scholarship Fund at Riverside School. This $10,000 fund will provide scholarships to Riverside School students who are in need of financial aid. Reservations are $30.00 per person and can be made through the school’s development office at development@riversideschool.org.

The Moss on the James Society was formed in April 1989 as  Chapter 42 of the P. Buckley Moss Society. Riverside’s founder, Patricia DeOrio, was one of the charter members of the Chapter. The Society’s mission is to foster awareness Patricia Moss’ art while promoting charitable endeavors consistent with her ideals. The Society’s slogan is “For the Love of Children.” Ms. Moss has a particular interest in the students at Riverside as she is also dyslexic and understands that the key to success for these children is providing an educational environment that meets the special learning needs of people with language-based learning differences. The scholarship is also a wonderful celebration of the friendship between Pat Moss and Pat DeOrio.

For more information, visit our Tea Time! page or call the school’s development office at (804) 320-3465.