[Davenport, IA] - May 11, 2012 - America's Incredible Pizza Company announced the "Be There or Be Square Classic Car Show and Sock Hop Event" will be hosted on Saturday, June 23rd from 5-9pm.

Quad Cities?mark your calendars and dust off your 50's attire as Incredible Pizza Company turns back time! The event will feature the best of the 50s such as a classic car show, contests for sock hop King and Queen, best Fonzie, best 50s attire, a dance competition, not to mention their 50s diner and star-lite drive-in theater! Rob Bowers, Managing Partner of Davenport's Incredible Pizza Company said, "We are very anxious to be hosting this event in the Quad Cities! What excites me most is this isn't just an event for adults it is one everyone can enjoy, no matter the age. From the music, movies, trivia, contests, food, down to the game-room for the kids. From ages 1 to 100 we've got something for you!"

The only cost associated with this event is for the buffet, or games in the game-room?both are optional.  There is no cost for participating in the event.

About America's Incredible Pizza Company:  America's Incredible Pizza Company is a '50s-themed Family Entertainment Center with existing locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, Iowa, Utah, Tennessee, and Mexico. The all-indoor, smoke-free and alcohol-free facilities feature large, freshly-made pizza, pasta, salad, soup and dessert buffets, plus attractions that include go-kart racing, Route 66 mini golf, mini-bowling (most locations), bumper cars, and 100+ video and redemption games. The company is headquartered in Springfield, MO.

On the Web:http://www.incrediblepizza.com/

Any and all interested parties are invited to attend

The 2012 Hilltop Campus Village Annual Meeting

at 6:30pm, on Tuesday May 15, 2012 in

The Rogalski Center of St. Ambrose University

518 W. Locust Street, Davenport, Iowa

Items of business include :

  • Recognition of the Hilltop Campus Village Volunteer of the Year
  • Reports of accomplishments by working committees

o   Organization,

o   Design,

o   Economic Restructuring and

o   Promotion

  • Election of Board officers for the coming year
  • A presentation by St. Ambrose University students on their study of the Hilltop Campus Village
  • A glimpse of the future for Our Village with your Director as your guide
  • Remarks by guests from the Main Street Iowa program

 

This meeting is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The Hilltop Campus Village Corporation is a 501c3 not for profit organization. The Board of Directors hopes that you, as a person interested in the revitalization of the area, will be able to attend.

Bids are being accepted for the estimated $500,000 demolition of Lincoln School. The city council in a majority vote spent $53,000 in taxpayer funds to purchase the National Landmark building, in the hopes someone or some corporation would take it off its hands and rehabilitate it. Meanwhile, it sat there for five years without even minimum maintenance.

Prudent use of taxpayer funds?

To Ensure They are Getting the Care and Attention They Deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Washington, DC – Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) will be hosting a forum specifically for veterans tomorrow, May 12, featuring Mr. Duane Honeycutt, Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Chicago (VARO) and Ms. Dawn Oxley, Acting Director of the Iowa City VA Health Care System.  Director Honeycutt and Ms. Oxley have graciously agreed to meet with area veterans to gather input from them about their needs and provide them with information about veterans benefits and processes.  

The forum is intended to be educational and will address issues pertaining to the operation of the VARO, such as how to properly file a claim, the claim and appeal process, what documents are necessary to file a claim, the length of time to review a claim, and more.  The forum is open to veterans, their spouses, VSOs, and other individuals who may have concerns related to the specific nature of the forum.

"Our veterans and their families have sacrificed so much for our country, and it is our responsibility to provide them with the care they deserve," Schilling said.  "This forum will give our area's heroes the opportunity to speak directly with VA officials to share their ideas about what can be done both in Illinois and in Washington to improve their access to care."

  • WHO: Mr. Duane Honeycutt, Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Chicago (VARO), Ms. Dawn Oxley, Acting Director of the Iowa City VA Health Care System
  • WHAT: Veterans Forum, to gather input on veterans' needs and provide information about veterans benefits and processes
  • WHEN: TOMORROW - Saturday, May 12 from 10:00am CST - 12:00pm CST
  • WHERE: American Legion, 571 E. North St., Galesburg, Illinois
  • WHY: In an effort to ensure our area's heroes are getting the care and attention they deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Those interested in attending the forum can contact Schilling's office in Moline by calling (309) 757-7630.  Due to the sensitive nature of casework the forum itself is closed to the press, though Rep. Schilling will be available afterward the forum for any interested media.  Media should check in with Ken Moffett upon arriving for further information.

# # #

We are growing!

 

We are very excited to announce some new additions for the 2012-13 school year.  I am especially excited to announce that in the fall Rivermont will be adding additional Early and Lower School classes!

 

PreSchool - In addition to our existing PreSchool and Junior Kindergarten class, we are adding another PreSchool class that will include a 2 year old program!

 

Kindergarten - We are also adding a second Kindergarten classroom! Erin DeSplinter will join Cindy Corrigan as Kindergarten teacher this fall.  Erin is a current Rivermont parent and has teaching experience at independent schools in both Illinois and Virginia. She graduated Cum Laude from St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Erin will make an excellent addition to our staff and we are thrilled that she will be joining us next year.

 

Fourth Grade - Plans are in the works to also add a second Fourth grade classroom!  This class is bursting at the seams and we look forward to being able to accept more new students in this grade.

 

We are all excited by the possibilities of this growth.  There will be some rearranging of classrooms as we accommodate our new students and new teachers.

 

Thanks to support from Fund-A-Need and the Parents' Council we will continue to expand our experiential and electronic learning.  During Labor Day week the Upper School will travel once again to Camp Manito-wish in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin for an outdoor leadership experience while the Middle School will travel to Kampsville, Illinois to learn about archaeology first hand.  In addition, we hope to announce a trip for our fourth and fifth graders.  More on that as plans solidify.

 

Technology never sleeps and we will continue to enhance our capabilities.  Over the summer the bandwidth available to the campus will double and interactive devices will be upgraded.  Plans are also in the works to launch a new website over the summer.  We are pleased that as we move into the second year of our iPad Pilot Program more textbooks are available digitally.  This should lighten some backpacks!

 

As this year quickly comes to a close work is well underway to prepare for the new school year.  Keep your eyes on the calendar because there are many special events to wrap up this year.  You won't want to miss them.  One in particular is the Senior Project Presentations.  After many requests to make these presentations accessible to more families we have scheduled them for Wednesday, May 30 at 5:30 PM in the Auditorium.  Consider coming to campus and hearing about the exciting projects the Class of 2012 undertook as they conclude their Rivermont Experience.  Our 125th Commencement exercises will begin at 10:00 AM, Friday, June 1.

 

Intellect, Character, and Creativity!

 

Rick St. Laurent

Headmaster

 

P.S.  Could we have had any better day for Lunch on the Lawn?  The weather was great!

 


KUDOS!

 

Great News! Fourth Grader Dwira Nandini has been selected as a finalist for this week's "Artist of the Week" award for the 4th-6th age group. The finalist who receives the most online votes between now and Saturday May 12 will be selected as our "Artist of the Week."

To view the finalists and cast your vote, simply click on the link below. Voting is limited to one vote per computer per day for each age group!

 

http://www.artsonia.com/aotw/vote/0/18639247

 

The "Artist of the Week" will be featured on the Artsonia homepage and will receive a commemorative plaque from Artsonia. In addition, Blick Art Materials has generously donated $100 gift certificates to the winning teachers and $50 to the winning artists.

 

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Freshman Michal Porubcin  won the finals in the #3 singles match at the MAC meet and he and his partner Forrest Campbell won the playoffs to get third in #1 doubles last weekend.

 


Zoo for the day?!?!

 

Would any LS student like to bring a toy or stuffed animal to school? For our final spring service project, LS Student Council would like to Adopt-an-Animal from the Niabi Zoo. Our donations would help an animal receive nutritious snacks and toys that help them exercise and PLAY! In order to raise money, we need you to donate at least 50¢ to bring your stuffed animal/toy to school and introduce them on stage during morning meeting on Tuesday, May 15th. We hope you will participate and make Rivermont a Zoo for the Day!

 

Middle and Upper School students are welcome to participate for a $1.00 donation.  (age inflation)

 





Rivermont's first All School Art Exhibition featured over 500 works of student art.  The gym was transformed into a gallery or as one student called it, "The Art Museum."  Thanks to all our Rivermont artists and special thanks to Rivermont art teacher Colleen McCarty for all the creativity!

Watch the calendar for
next year's exhibit!





Rivermont Bus Service Update

 

Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, Rivermont will no longer be able to provide morning and afternoon bus route service. Extremely low utilization and high costs have caused us to suspend this service. In order to alleviate some of the inconvenience this creates, we will be extending our morning hours. Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, Early Supervision for K-12 will start at 7:00AM. This allows parents time to drop their student(s) off and still get to work in a timely manner.

 

 

Early Supervision Extended Hours!

Rivermont would like to announce that we are extending our Early Supervision hours. Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, Early Supervision for K-12 will start at 7:00AM. Early Supervision will run until 7:45AM at which time students will be allowed to go to their respective buildings. Middle and Upper School students can proceed to the Mansion Reading Room and Lower School students will proceed to the Media Center/Library. Light breakfast items will be available for purchase for during the Early Supervision hours.

 

 

PLEASE NOTE, THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO BUS SERVICE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

 



Camp classes are filling up!

All classes are a go this summer! Register with confidence knowing that none of these classes will be cancelled. Many are filling up! These classes are open to the entire Quad City community so invite your friends! Click the brochure for more information.

 

8 Full Weeks of Enrichment, Sports, Art, and Music Classes!

Welcome Secretary LaHood and Urge Further Movement Toward Construction

Washington, D.C. - The very day that United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is viewing the I-74 Bridge at the invitation of Congressmen Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Bobby Schilling (IL-17), it became public that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has instructed the Illinois Department of Transportation to devote $22 million in FY2017 and $50 million in FY2018 for the I-74 Bridge.

This follows the Iowa Department of Transportation's announcement from earlier this week about its intent to continue moving forward on planning and acquisition funding but take I-74 Bridge construction funds out of its long-term plans as a result of a lack of construction commitment from ILDOT. The Illinois Department of Transportation had previously announced April 30 had allocated minimal funds for the project.  Loebsack and Schilling also wrote members of the House and Senate negotiating a comprehensive highway bill urging them to prioritize funding for large interstate projects such as the I-74 Bridge.

"We are pleased that the state of Illinois is joining the Quad Cities team, and the Iowa DOT, and is working to move this project forward," the Congressmen said.  "Though it doesn't appear to be on the same timeline as was previously planned for, it's a step in the right direction.  We encourage the Iowa and Illinois Departments of Transportation to ensure they are moving forward on the same timeline so the groundwork is laid for this project to move to construction, and work with us to advance the I-74 Bridge."

Previously, Loebsack has met with representatives from the Iowa DOT about the importance of the I-74 Bridge and has urged the IADOT to preserve construction funding for I-74.  He has also expressed the need to replace the bridge to Secretary LaHood and Speaker of the House John Boehner, as well as urged the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to take action.

Schilling had previously pushed the Illinois Department of Transportation for information as to where on the Department's priority list the I-74 Bridge project resides and the criteria being used to prioritize Illinois' infrastructure needs, noting that "projects totaling millions of dollars around the state, especially in the Chicago area, continue to be funded" which "suggests the state is capable of moving forward on projects it deems a priority."

In 2005, the I-74 Bridge became the most traveled bridge in the Quad Cities with an average of 77,800 vehicles crossing daily.  This is despite the fact that it was built for 48,000 such crossings.  The Bridge itself is functionally obsolete, however, and has never met Interstate standards.  In addition to improving travelers' safety, the I-74 Bridge project would spur economic growth, create construction jobs, reduce traffic backups, and improve air quality.

"These are the results we can achieve when we work together and bring attention to important issues for the Quad Cities and this development should allow Illinois to be ready to move to construction at the same time as Iowa when funding becomes available," Loebsack and Schilling said.  "We will continue to work for results and make sure folks in our state capitals and Washington don't overlook the voice of our region and Congress advances on a long-term transportation bill that will help move construction forward."

###

CYPRESS - May 11, 2012. A champion for safe, clean and accessible rivers, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon gave the keynote address today at a dedication ceremony for the Section 8 Boardwalk at the Cache River State Natural Area. The boardwalk was closed following damage from a 2008 flood.

A group of junior high school students, known as the Wetland Warriors, at Creal Springs School used $15,000 of the $20,000 they received last year from the Disney Planet Challenge, a nationwide science competition, to help rebuild the boardwalk. Additional funding for the project came from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Friends of the Cache River Wetlands and the Southern Illinois Audubon Society.

"I applaud the Creal Springs School students' commitment to protection and restoration of the Cache River Wetlands and to the many others who assisted in this collaborative project," said Simon. "This boardwalk makes it possible for Illinois citizens young and old to enjoy some of our state's wonderful natural resources."

Simon issued a proclamation last year that declared July 12 to be Creal Springs School Day. Simon presented the proclamation to the Wetland Warriors at a meeting of the Mississippi River Coordinating Council, which she chairs. The council was established in 2010 and promotes the environmental and economic health of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

The boardwalk is located in the Section 8 Woods Nature Preserve which is a floodplain forest that features large bald cypress and provides a safe haven for a variety of birds, frogs and swamp fish. The boardwalk, located at the junction of IL Rt. 37 and the Cache River, extends from a parking area into the forested swamp.

The Creal Springs students won the Disney Planet Challenge for their projects in the Cache River Basin including transplanting vegetation, performing trail maintenance, determining water quality through sample collection, assembling educational materials for teachers and creating a website about their research.

Since winning the science competition the students have received the 2011 Illinois Audubon Society's Youth Conservationist Award and their teacher, Fran Wachter, was awarded a 2011 Exxon Mobil Outstanding Illinois Teachers of Science award by the Illinois Science Teachers Association. The students are using the remaining money from the Disney Planet Challenge to build a wildlife viewing blind and purchase radio transmitters for species research.

Simon was joined at the dedication by IDNR Director Marc Miller, Friends of the Cache River Watershed board member Charlie Proctor, and members of the Wetland Warriors. The ceremony was hosted by Friends of the Cache River Watershed.

###
May 11, 2012. Moline, IL...In a letter today, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has instructed the state Department of Transportation to devote $72 million to the Interstate-74 Bridge. State Representative Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) released the following statement:

"This morning, I received a call from Governor Quinn's office with news about a $72 million allocation for the I-74 bridge. I commend the Governor for this and congratulate Congressman Bobby Schilling and Congressman Dave Loebsack for their efforts in procuring these much-needed funds.

"The US Constitution makes it clear that building roads is an important function of government. And in the Midwest, the freshwater capital of the world, that means building bridges. This is a great day for Illinois, Iowa, and the United States.

"Our interstate highway systems are arteries of commerce. We need to keep those arteries clear and working strong."

Rep. Morthland will be joining Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Reps. Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., and Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa at 2PM for a press conference after visiting the I-74 Bridge.

###

(May 11, 2012)?The following is a statement from Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, on Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's executive order to unilaterally repeal a Natural Resources Commission science-based rule to ban the use of toxic lead ammunition for dove hunting:

"It is the height of hypocrisy for Governor Terry Branstad to overrule both the legislature and the Natural Resources Commission by executive fiat and to thumb his nose at the people of Iowa. But Governor Branstad apparently believes that politics should trump science, and that anything goes if the gun lobby demands it.

After hearing all sides, the Commission, which is a body made up primarily of hunters, unanimously decided that additional toxic lead should not be pumped into Iowa's environment during the new dove hunting season. Millions of hunters have shifted to non-toxic shot, like steel. Studies have shown that non-lead ammunition has the same or better performance as lead. This toxic substance has been removed from toys and paint, yet some hunters continue to dump this poison into the environment by the ton. One pellet ingested by an animal can induce blindness, paralysis of the intestinal tract and lungs, and organ failure."

-30-

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization ? backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty ? On the Web at humanesociety.org.

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