Calvary Church Collects School Supplies for River Valley Teachers

The church's "Help a Teacher, Help a Child" initiative will run through Aug. 26.

Calvary Church is collecting school supplies this month to help teachers at River Valley School. The church, located at 1375 State St., is collecting supplies through Aug. 26 for its "Help a Teacher, Help a Child" initiative.  Calvary Pastor Alexis Roraback said in an email that she hopes to deliver several boxes of supplies to River Valley as a thank you to teachers. "Teaching is one of the greatest professions and we believe teachers are so vital to families and our community," she wrote. "We know that many school budgets are shrinking and teachers have to pay for classroom expenses out of pocket throughout the year." In addition to school supplies, the church is also accepting monetary donations to purchase recess equipment and art …

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District 113A Sees Academic Success Despite Increasing Standards, Financial Constraints

The district was one of only 172 out of 868 to make adequate yearly progress in 2011.

In a year when 80 percent of Illinois school districts failed to meet standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A stands as a glaring exception. According to 2011 school report card data released last month, District 113A was one of only 172 districts out of 868 to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress, which is defined as having 85 percent of students meet state standards in testing. READ MORE: "District 113A Schools Make AYP" Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, all students must meet or exceed state standards in the subjects of reading and mathematics by 2014. Since 2003, the state of Illinois has used AYP to determine whether students are improving their scores based on annual…

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District 113A Moves Meetings Back to Old Quarry

Board meetings will move from River Valley to the middle school library beginning Nov. 15.

Starting next month, the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education will again hold its board meetings at Old Quarry Middle School, 16100 W. 127th St. The board voted unanimously Tuesday night to move the locations of its monthly workshop and business meetings, which have been held at River Valley School since the beginning of September. The first meeting to be held at Old Quarry is scheduled for Nov. 15. The vote was taken after Board President Mike Aurelio said several board members had expressed interest in moving the meetings back to Old Quarry. When the board voted to switch the location to River Valley in May, District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker said the switch would alleviate the pressure on the Old Quarry…

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PHOTOS: Oakwood/River Valley Fun Fair

The schools' PTO hosted hundreds of students and families Thursday for a night of games, food and prizes.

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Lemont Girl Scouts Collect More Than 3,000 Books for District 113A

Troop 70144, which is made up of third-grade through fifth-grade girls, collected new and used books for Oakwood and River Valley schools throughout the month of June.

Earlier this summer, Lemont Girl Scout Troop 70144 hoped to make a sizable contribution to classroom libraries in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A by holding a community book drive. When organizers announced the event, they said they hoped to collect about 300 books for Oakwood and River Valley schools (kindergarten through fifth grade) by July 1. By the end of the drive, however, the troop had far exceeded expectations—collecting more than 3,300 new and used books. "We are absolutely blown away by the generosity of this community, especially the girls in the troop who worked so hard on this project," said troop leader Joan Zych. "This exceeded anything we could have imagined." Zych said the drive was prompted by District …

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River Valley Student Wins Alamelu Sevugnan Award

Brianna Carlson, an outgoing fifth-grader, was selected for the honor, which pays tribute to an Oakwood student who was killed in a car accident.

A student from River Valley School has been chosen as this year's recipient of the Alamelu Sevugnan Award—an honor created in memory of a Lemont who was killed in a car accident. Fifth-grader Brianna Carlson was named the winner of this year's award, which is given annually to a student in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A. Alamelu Sevugnan was a a fifth-grader at Oakwood School when she was tragically killed in a car accident while visiting family in India. The award was established after her death and is given each year to the fifth-grade student who embodies the characteristics of Alamelu—cooperation, academic achievement and a positive attitude toward school. Carlson said she was shocked to learn she had won the award. "I …

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Lemont Students Plant Trees at Oakwood School, Bambrick Park

The trees were recently planted in celebration of Arbor Day and Earth Day.

Despite the rainy, cold weather that has plagued the region over the past month, Lemont students recently renewed their commitment to the environment by planting trees at Bambrick Park and Oakwood School. On Tuesday, May 3, members of the Lemont Earth Day Committee celebrated a belated Earth Day by planting new trees along a walking path in Bambrick Park, which is located on Smith Road between 127th and 135th streets. Debra Lynch, principal of River Valley School and a member of the Earth Day Committee, led a small group of volunteers as they braved the chilly weather to plant the trees. "The committee chose this site because it is a site that is popular in our community," Lynch wrote in a letter to parents and community members. "…

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Editor's Corner

River Valley Students Reflect on Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Third-graders in Cathy Cortez's class took time away from their studies Tuesday to discuss the history of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

As I write up my "Week in Review" post every Sunday, it gives me the opportunity to look back on the past seven days of news in Lemont. For the past two weeks, many of the education stories published on Lemont Patch have centered around everything from lawsuits and school finances to referendum proposals and paper clips. Last Tuesday, however, I had the opportunity to spend some time in a classroom at River Valley School where third-grade teacher Cathy Cortez was leading her students in a discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When I walked into Cortez's classroom, she and her students were making a timeline of King's life. They discussed tidbits of trivia, like King's interest in Mahatma Gandhi, and the children had the opportunity …

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Lemont Students Encouraged to Enter New Community-Wide Art Showcase

All entries for the Artistic Expressions program are due Wednesday, Jan. 19, at any of Lemont's public or private schools.

Students have just a few more days to enter Artistic Expressions, the new art showcase sponsored by several public and private elementary schools in Lemont. Created by the Lemont Parent-Teacher Organization, Artistic Expressions celebrates the creative talents of Lemont children. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade are encouraged to enter projects in the following categories: photography, fine arts, literature, video, dance, music or computer-generated art. The program is open schools in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A, as well as SS. Cyril and Methodius School, St. Alphonsus/St. Patrick’s School and Everest Academy.  Students may submit one entry in the individual category, and one in the group category. All …

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LHS Drama Club Hits the Road for Annual Winter Children's Play

Students performed "Fairy Tale Courtroom" on Friday, Dec. 3, for senior citizens at Franciscan Village and students at River Valley and Central schools.

The Lemont High School Drama Club took their act on the road last week for their annual winter children's play. Students put on three performances Friday, Dec. 3, for students at River Valley and Central schools. They also traveled to Franciscan Village to provide entertainment for the seniors' weekly social gathering. This year, students performed "Fairy Tale Courtroom," which tells the story of the Big Bad Wolf and Wicked Witch being prosecuted for their various crimes in fairy tale land. The play was about 45 minutes long, and was directed by students. "With the children's play, we try to take a step back as directors and let the students have fun with it," said Drama Club sponsor Sharon Jacobs, who oversaw the production with Lemont …

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