The Riverwalk Roar

Happy Sunday, Pride!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I certainly did. Not only was the weather beautiful, but I got to spend Saturday cheering on our cross country teams and our competitive cheer team at their competitions. All of our athletes did an amazing job. You would have been proud.

Over the past few newsletters, we’ve been working our way through The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz: Be Impeccable with Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, and Don’t Make Assumptions. This week brings us to the last one, and in many ways the one that holds the other three together: Always Do Your Best.

Anyone who has spent time at a cross country, swim, or track meet knows the term “PB,” or personal best. Some of the loudest celebrations at these meets don’t come from the winner. They come from the athlete who finishes well outside the top five, looks at the clock, and sees a time they’ve never run before. The only person they were really racing was themselves from the last meet.

That’s close to what Ruiz means. He’s careful to point out that “your best” isn’t a fixed number. It changes from moment to moment. Your best when you’re rested looks different from your best when you’re tired, sick, or worried about something. The goal is to do your best under the circumstances, no more and no less. If we push past it, we wear ourselves out. If we give less, we’re left with regret and that nagging voice of self-judgment.

Ruiz also admits that none of us will keep the first three agreements perfectly. We’ll say something careless. We’ll take a comment to heart. We’ll make up a story that isn’t true. The fourth agreement is what keeps us going. When we fall short, we don’t quit or beat ourselves up. We do our best, and we start again tomorrow.

I think about this with our Lions all the time. A student’s best on a Monday morning after a late game won’t look like their best on a well-rested Wednesday, and that’s okay. Grades matter, but a more useful question is whether we gave today what we had to give. The same goes for the grown-ups, too: the parent juggling three schedules, or the teacher on their fifth lesson of the day. We deserve that same grace.

So here’s this week’s Pride challenge: at the dinner table, try swapping “What did you get?” for “What’s something you gave your best to today?” And the next time you slip on one of the other agreements, don’t dwell on it. Just do your best, and start again tomorrow.

Thank you for coming along on this little journey through the four agreements with me. I hope at least one of them has found a home in your family the way they have in our office.

In Pride and Purpose,

Parents, please be sure to regularly check the PowerSchool Parent Portal to stay up to date on your child’s grades and attendance. If you do not currently have a Parent Portal account, you should have received an email from Mrs. Mabey with instructions for creating one. If you need assistance accessing your account, please reach out—we are happy to help!

Link: https://scpcsd.powerschool.com/public

We held our annual Title I meeting on October 1. If you missed it, please review the slideshow provided and scan the QR code to sign in after viewing. We welcome your feedback and questions! Please email gflynn@riverwalkacademy.com.

MS/HS Spirit Week

Monday: 10/19/2026

• Sock Collection, Jr. Beta Club

Tuesday: 10/20/2026

• Sock Collection, Jr. Beta Club
• Chick-Fil-A Sandwich sales during Middle/High School Lunch
• High School The American Rocket Challenge Team Meeting - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Board Meeting, 6:00 pm

Wednesday: 10/21/2026

• Sock Collection, Jr. Beta Club

Thursday: 10/22/2026

• Sock Collection, Jr. Beta Club
• Chick-Fil-A Car Line Biscuit Sales
• Boys Basketball Interest Meeting, Room 212, 3:15 pm

• Sock Collection, Jr. Beta Club
• PSAT
• Girls Basketball Interest Meeting, 12:30 pm

Saturday: 10/24/2026

• Cheer @ Lake Murray Invitational

• Middle School News
• High School News
• Athletics News