PROGRAMS
The following programs are unique to the Riverview Junior High School. Along with the teachers and curriculum, these serve as some of the foundational pillars that make our program both unique and successful. They support our Junior High philosophy that students need to have a sense of identity in middle school and these programs help students achieve that goal. In addition, they help us teach valuable social and organizational skills and also help students see that school is not only a place to learn but also somewhere they can have fun and be a part of something they are proud of.
The junior high schedule is unique in that all core academic classes are set first in a student's day (periods 1 - 5). This is to assure that students can stay focused and engaged in these vital core classes. The majority of students will also be given an academics and enrichment period at the end of the day to help them manage their academic workload.
The Junior High curriculum emphasizes that not only is class content important but also academic skills and strategies. Teachers, counselors, and administrators take time to instruct students on organization, time management, and social skills in order to best prepare students for challenging schedules in high school.
Junior High students will participate in a homeroom competition at the end of every nine weeks. These tournaments ask students to work together as a team to beat their opponents. They offer an opportunity for students to plan, communicate, and play together, building cohesion as a group along the way.
Town Hall meetings are a time for students and teachers to spend time together and celebrate achievements in the Junior High. Most notably, these meetings serve as a time to honor and award students for positive behaviors as a part of the Junior High's Recognizing Raiders program (sponsored by the Pittsburgh Optimist Club). This program helps promote positive behaviors in school in many categories such as leadership, collaboration, and positive attitude.
Junior High homerooms are far more than a collection of students arranged in alphabetical order.
A student's homeroom in the Junior High is their team for the school year and will work together in tournaments, pride activities, and competitions at Town Hall meetings. Emphasis is placed upon students working together and collaborating and students stepping up as leaders throughout the year.
At the junior high, we invest time in monitoring, encouraging, and refocusing student behaviors because we recognize it as a vital part of the education process. This is why we implement both positive and negative behavior programs at the junior high level.
The Recognizing Raiders program helps us promote positive behaviors and our R.E.D. card (Rethink Everyday Decisions) helps reduce negative behaviors.