Superintendent's Message

Dear River Grove School Community,

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! I hope you had a wonderful summer and spent time having fun with family and friends.

We are happy to see many of our familiar staff members back at RGS, and I know you join me in welcoming new faces. One familiar face is former teacher Mrs. Alyssa Gulo, who is returning to RGS as our new Assistant Principal. Please take a look at the carousel pictures at the top of our website to meet our new staff additions. They are all so happy and excited to join the RGS family!

The River Grove School District 85.5 Board of Education is committed to continuous improvement. River Grove School District is always striving to improve the building and provide a safe and engaging learning environment for our Royals.

• Building and Grounds- Over the summer almost the entire school enjoyed a flooring refresh. When you walk the school you will see reduced carpet areas and new, brighter and more colorful flooring in the hallways, classrooms, offices and larger spaces. You might not recognize RGS! The basketball backboards, scratched due to use, have been replaced and we thank our generous PTA for supporting that upgrade. The entire property has new mulch and additional landscaping. The school and property look fresh for our Royals!

• Safety-The Board, Administration and Staff are committed to the safety of our students. We have updated cameras, communication and public announcement systems and emergency systems. The fire alarm has been completely updated over the past several years.  We have a detailed Evacuation Plan in case we need to evacuate the building. All neighboring districts have a collaborative reunification plan and in case of crisis we would work together to support each other to reunify students and families. And we work with our Police and Fire partners to conduct safety drills, so our staff and students are prepared in a variety of situations.

• Finance- The Board of Education accomplished these improvements and updates without overspending and ending the fiscal year in the black.  Because we are a small district receiving limited state and local resources, a balanced budget is not an easy accomplishment. Along with budget funds, the district actively seeks out grant opportunities, donations and community partnerships in order to fund special projects at the school. I congratulate the Board on their fiscal responsibility and dedication to the students, families and tax payers of River Grove.

Finally, communication with families and our community is very important to us. The school calendar, school updates, student and staff celebrations, lunch menus and a warehouse of all of our important documents are found on our website. It is regularly updated, so please bookmark www.rivergroveschool.org and visit it often! Please follow us on instagram with the handle rgs.855 and on facebook by searching “River Grove School District 85.5”. Our twitter/X feed is easily viewed from the main page of the website. Please follow us @rivergrove85_5, #rgroyals, #WeAreRG. The Royal Revolution newspaper, written by students and staff, is delivered to all River Grove addresses each December and May. It is also linked on our website, so please take a look! Finally, ParentSquare, our communication app, as well as Teacherease are used by staff and families to message, call or email each other. As you can see there are many ways to communicate and keep up with RGS.

River Grove is a wonderful place to live and work because of the kindness and respect we show each other and model for our children. I look forward to seeing you at one of our fall family, fine arts or sporting events!! I am looking forward to a wonderful 2026-27 school year!

All my best,

Dr. Rashid

#WeAreRG!