Parents

For resource information available to military connected families, please visit District Military Connected Family Resources.

Family Involvement at RIA

The strong sense of community and parent involvement at Riverview International Academy is what makes our school community wonderful. We encourage you to get involved with our PTSA, SSC, or ELAC.  You may also wish to serve as a volunteer for our school, such as reading in the classroom or chaperoning a field trip.  Together, we create a supportive school that champions the academic, social, and emotional development of every child.  It is through the collective efforts of our entire school and district community that we earned the distinction as a 2025 California Distinguished School for Exceptional Student Performance!
Parents and legal guardians are encouraged to get involved in their child’s education in the following ways:

• Communicate with your child’s teacher on a regular basis
• Serve as a Classroom Volunteer (See the section on Volunteers in our updated Family Handbook)
• Serve on the PTSA as Executive Board Member, Event Chair, or as a Classroom Coordinator or liaison
• Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) – The PTSA is a non-profit parent/teacher organization that brings families together to support the success of all our children. The PTSA helps raise essential funds to support enrichment activities not funded by the state, such as field trips and our music program.  We encourage families to give generously to the PTSA fundraisers.  The PTSA also plans events to increase the good sense of community at our school and create connections between families.  Join the PTSA by filling out the PTSA form online at https://www.lsusd.net/riverview/pta/.
• School Site Council (SSC) – This council is composed of staff and parents. The primary function is to oversee the school budget and plan for student achievement. Membership is solidified through a public election process at the start of the school year.
• English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) – The primary function of this committee is to advise on school matters related to supporting the needs of Multilingual English Learners.  Membership is solidified through a public election process at the start of the school year.
• Legal guardians and parents may also participate in LUSD district meetings such as DPAC and DELAC, PIQUE, Special Education Advisory, Parent Workshops, and more!

Read below for more specific information about these involvement opportunities.

Two-Way Communication

The staff at Riverview International Academy’s two campuses work very hard to create healthy, two-way communication with our students’ families.  We strive to partner with families and facilitate a true sense of community and collaboration.  In general, the school sends an electronic weekly newsletter to legal parents and guardians once a week during the academic year.  In addition, teachers send a weekly update by email as well.
A note about Privacy:  Please refrain from asking staff members about confidential information and the privacy of other students.  Our staff may ask parents/legal guardians to complete a Release of Information form (ROI) to be able to share information with collaborative partners and outside organizations, such as medical service providers. If you have court documentation that updates information for your family, please provide that to our school’s front office immediately.
The school sends newsletters, emails, and texts on a regular basis. Please be sure to contact the school office if you are not receiving these:  You may also need to check your email spam or junk folders.  Please be sure to update all information on the Infinite Campus portal and with the school office if your information changes.  The school cannot accept changes over the phone.  Your child’s teacher is the best point of contact for questions regarding your child’s academic progress and social-emotional well-being.  Please contact the appropriate campus office for other inquiries.  Some information is best accessible via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Parent-Teacher conferences are held in October, as well as in December and March (by invitation only).
Report Cards are available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal at the end of every trimester. Please refer to the updated RIA Family Hand

book for more information on our school and district’s two-way communication methods, as well as parent rights.

Meeting Norms at RIA

Legal guardians and parents are invited to attend meetings, such as the School Site Council (SSC), English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) meetings.  Parents are also invited to attend conferences with teachers and staff to discuss a child’s progress at the school.  When attending any meeting at our school, we ask that you follow these simple meeting norms:

1. Stay solution oriented.
2. Think “What is best for kids?”and celebrate successes.
3. One person speaks at a time:  Be succinct.
4. Presume positive intent.
5. Listen to understand and stay curious.
6. Challenge ideas, not people.
7. Respect time limits.
8. Model our school’s Common Courtesies and our Student Profile.

Kindness, calm voices, and respectful body language will support a productive, collaborative environment in which to find solutions to problems.  We remind parents that caring adults are role models and should demonstrate how to collaborate in a respectful, cooperative way.  A friendly reminder that making threats of any kind against district and school employees is a serious crime that can result in immediate legal action, including felony or misdemeanor charges. School Site Council (SSC) Meetings The School Site Council (or SSC) represents both Riverview and Winter Gardens campuses. The purpose of the RIA SSC is to advise the school’s administration on matters related to the school’s educational needs and goals and create two-way communication. The role of the SSC is to support the following endeavors:

1. Develop and recommend a School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for consolidated application programs, and other programs operated at the school, in compliance with the Education Code and Board Policy.
2. Have the ongoing responsibility of reviewing the SPSA with stakeholders, including but not limited to staff, students, and community members, monitoring implementation of the plan, and periodically evaluating its effectiveness.
3. Annually review and revise a SPSA including proposed expenditures of all funds allocated to the school through the consolidated application, in accordance with the Education Code and recommend the plan to the school board for approval.  If necessary, the SSC will make modifications to the plan to reflect changing improvements, needs, and priorities based on staff recommendations.
4. Review the Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP).
5. Develop a communication plan involving parents, the Board of Education, staff, and members of the community.
6. Take other actions as required by the Education Code.

The SSC does not supplant the district and principal’s role of supervising the day-to-day operations of the school, such as the hiring and evaluation of employees, nor does it make final decisions about the educational program and budget of the school.  Members elected on the SSC serve two-year terms, as stipulated by California Education Code and the SSC bylaws.  The SSC follows a modified version of Robert’s Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedure and is compliant with the Greene Act of California.

Dates and Times of SSC Meetings for the 2026-2027 School Year

All regular SSC meetings are held in-person in the front office conference room at Winter Gardens campus and online via Google Meets (online) on Wednesdays from 7 am to 8 am.

• September 2, 2026 – Topic: Public Elections
• October 7, 2026 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• November 4, 2026 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• No December 2026 Meeting
• January 6, 2027 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• February 3, 2027 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• March 3, 2027 – Topic: Budget Priorities and Needs Assessment
• No April 2027 Meeting
• May 5, 2027 – Topic: First Review of drafts of SPSA and CSSP
• June 2, 2027 – Topic: Second Review and approval of SPSA and CSSP

The SSC may receive public input during Public Communication time.  Anyone who wishes to address the SSC must send a written email to the school secretary before 12 noon of the day of the meeting. Comments, limited to three minutes, will be read at the pertinent time during the meeting (generally, statements of 390 words may be read out loud within three minutes).  Please note that the time allotted for reading the comments may be decreased, depending on certain considerations such as the number of public comments received.  Therefore, although we will provide a copy of all the comments to each SSC Member, please consider including your most important points at the beginning of your submission, so they are more likely to be read out loud during the meeting. Please note, per California state law, no SSC action can be taken on items not on the agenda. Comments will be accepted until 12 noon the day before each meeting.  Should you have any questions, please contact campus secretary Michelle Castrejon at mcastrejon@lsusd.net and use the email title, “SSC Public Comment.”

All SSC meetings are open to the public. If you wish to attend virtually, please contact either of the school’s offices in advance. Meeting minutes and agendas are available at the front office of both the Winter Gardens and Riverview campuses. Agendas are posted in advance of the 72 hours required by California law, in accordance with the Greene Act (Cal. Educ. Code § 35140-­‐49).

English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) Meetings

The English Learner Advisory Committee (or ELAC) represents both Riverview and Winter Gardens campuses. The purpose of the RIA ELAC is to support the school with the following tasks:

• Advising the principal and staff in the development of a site plan for English learners and submitting the plan to the School Site Council for consideration of inclusion in the School Plan for Student Achievement.
• Assisting in the development of the schoolwide needs assessment.
• Ways to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.
• Each ELAC shall have the opportunity to elect at least one member to the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC).

The ELAC does not supplant the district and principal’s role of supervising the day-to-day operations of the school, such as the hiring and evaluation of employees, nor does it make final decisions about the educational program and budget of the school.  Members elected on the ELAC serve a one year term, as stipulated by California Education Code.  The ELAC follows a modified version of Robert’s Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedure and is compliant with the Greene Act of California.

Dates and Times of ELAC Meetings for the 2026-2027 School Year

All regular ELAC meetings are held in-person in the front office conference room at Winter Gardens campus and online via Google Meets (online) on Wednesdays from 9 am to 10 am.

• September 2, 2026 – Topic: Public Elections
• October 7, 2026 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• November 4, 2026 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• No December 2026 Meeting
• January 6, 2027 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• February 3, 2027 – Topic: Data Presentations & Safety Plan Updates
• March 3, 2027 – Topic: Budget Priorities and Needs Assessment
• No April 2027 Meeting
• May 5, 2027 – Topic: First Review of drafts of SPSA and CSSP
• June 2, 2027 – Topic: Second Review of SPSA and CSSP

The ELAC may receive public input during Public Communication time.  Anyone who wishes to address the ELAC must send a written email to the school secretary before 12 noon of the day of the meeting. Comments, limited to three minutes, will be read at the pertinent time during the meeting (generally, statements of 390 words may be read out loud within three minutes).  Please note that the time allotted for reading the comments may be decreased, depending on certain considerations such as the number of public comments received.  Therefore, although we will provide a copy of all the comments to each ELAC Member, please consider including your most important points at the beginning of your submission, so they are more likely to be read out loud during the meeting.

Please note, per California state law, no ELAC action can be taken on items not on the agenda. Comments will be accepted until 12 noon the day before each meeting.  Should you have any questions, please contact campus secretary Michelle Castrejon at mcastrejon@lsusd.net and use the email title, “ELAC Public Comment.”

All ELAC meetings are open to the public. If you wish to attend virtually, please contact either of the school’s offices in advance. Meeting minutes and agendas are available at the front office of both the Winter Gardens and Riverview campuses. Agendas are posted in advance of the 72 hours required by California law, in accordance with the Greene Act (Cal. Educ. Code § 35140-­‐49).

PTSA Meetings

The Riverview International Academy PTSA holds General Association Meetings four times a year, usually in September, December, March, and May.  These are often held in conjunction with other PTSA events intended to build community, such as the annual Bingo with the Principal event.
The PTSA Executive Board also meets once a month during the academic year.  All PTSA meetings are open to the public.  Please contact the PTSA for more information.

District Meetings

We encourage parents to get involved with opportunities provided by the Lakeside Union School District.  The District provides parent workshops and governance opportunities throughout the year.  Stay in the know by following our district on social media and bookmarking the district’s website at 

https://www.lsusd.net/.
The District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC) group and District 

English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) group hold meetings throughout the school year that are open to the public.  More information can be found here:  https://www.lsusd.net/accountability/#dac
You can also learn more about our district’s LCAP (or Local Control Accountability Plan) at that same link.
We also encourage parents to join the Lakeside Council of PTAs.  The Lakeside Council of PTAs provides resources, leadership, and support to all schools in the Lakeside Union School District. It is officially part of the 9th District PTA, which serves San Diego and Imperial counties
This year, LUSD is proud to partner once again with PIQE (also known as the Partnerships In Quality Education program) to provide workshops and training for district families:

Partnerships In Quality Education (PIQE) Parent Program 2026-2027

1. Socio-Emotional Learning Elementary Parent 8-week Program: September 15 through October 27, 2026 at Lemon Crest Elementary School
2. Socio-Emotional Learning Middle School Parent 8-week Program: September 15 through October 27, 2026 at Tierra del Sol Middle School
3. Family Math Parent 8-week Program: January 12  through March 2, 2027 at Lindo Park Elementary School

Additional parent workshops and meetings may be held on an as-needed basis throughout the school year by the District and our SELPA.