History of Rio Norte
Rio Norte Junior High School opened on August 18, 2003. As one of six junior high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District, our 25-acre campus serves 7th and 8th-grade students in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Our campus was designed for 1,200 students and currently serves approximately 1,215. The school features a modern layout designed for learning and collaboration.
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Six classroom buildings, each with a central computer core.
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An administration building that also houses the library.
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A gymnasium and multi-purpose room.
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15 relocatable classrooms to support our student population.
We were the first school in the district to adopt a block schedule. This approach offers longer class periods, which provides several benefits:
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More time for in-depth assignments and projects.
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Better opportunities for teachers to get to know their students.
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Less time spent passing between classes and more time for learning.
We group students into smaller learning communities, or "teams." This creates a "small school" atmosphere where core subject teachers can easily collaborate on lessons and support student needs.
Student Support
What is Advisory?
Our Advisory Period meets every day before brunch, except Early Release Wednesdays, and is a 26 minute period for students to watch Rio TV (student news) and connect with a consistent Teacher on campus. The purpose of that time is to work on make-up work, arrange to meet a teacher for extra support, clarification, or to complete make-up tests or quizzes. Our teams/teachers also use this time for sustained silent reading to increase our students' vocabulary and reading fluency.
Students can also utilize this time to email a teacher to make an appointment or ask clarifying questions and their teacher will respond as soon as they're able. All students are expected to be reading or working during our Advisory Period. We will occasionally run safety drills during this period and will also have some Fabulous Friday activities for team spirit, fun and bonding.
