The Battle Ground School District’s River HomeLink School will now operate at the Maple Grove campus in Battle Ground.
River HomeLink, a parent-partnered kindergarten through 12th grade school, will occupy the multi-classroom modular building on the Maple Grove campus known as the Longhouse. Classes that had previously been conducted in the Longhouse will be moved to the main Maple Grove Primary building and adjacent portables.
Current principal of River HomeLink, Mark Clements, has also been named to double as principal of Summit View Alternative High School, replacing Paul Bardzik who retired after the 2010-2011 school year.
“River HomeLink has always been a Battle Ground School District school, so it’s exciting to be located within the district itself so more Battle Ground families can be served through this parent-partnered model,” Clements said. “It takes the best of public school and home school, with plenty of parental involvement, in a K-12 setting.”
Enrollment at River HomeLink is expected to be about 320 in the 2011-2012 school year. The school operated for 15 years in leased space in Camas and drew students from the Battle Ground School District and beyond. The school is fully accredited and incorporates elements of public school and home schooling. Students typically attend classes one or two days a week and receive the rest of their instruction at home.
Issues with the facility in Camas forced a move of the River HomeLink school. On the Maple Grove campus, River HomeLink will have its own faculty, school nurse, psychologist, speech therapist and parking. River HomeLink families will be able to park near Battle Ground Cinema and other designated spots in the Gardner Center’s parking lot and will only need to walk a short distance to the Longhouse.
Next summer, a parking lot for River HomeLink will be built on the west edge of the Maple Grove campus near the Longhouse. Access will be off of Southwest Ninth Avenue.
Schedules, personnel, curriculum and parking at Maple Grove Primary and Middle Schools will not be affected by the addition of River HomeLink to the campus.
Clements has been with the Battle Ground Public Schools since starting as a teacher in 1998. Prior to that, he was principal in Washougal and Ontario, OR. He grew up in Prineville, OR.
There are three informationl meetings scheduled for those interested in the River HomeLink school over the next couple of weeks. The first one will be Thurs., Aug. 18, 1 p.m. and another one will be that same day at 6:30 p.m. The third one will be Mon., Aug. 22, 1 p.m.
School offices will be open Mon., Aug. 15 and school begins Wed., Sept. 7 at the primary and middle schools. Orientations for River HomeLink students will be Sept. 7 or 8.
