The Rockland Country Day School consists of three separate schools. They include the Children’s School, the Middle School and the Upper School. Children’s School students learn in a rigorous, supportive and developmentally appropriate environment, exploring ideas, materials and language that prepare them for the highly individualized curriculum the school offers in the higher grades. In Middle School, emphasis is placed on helping students navigate the daunting physical, psychological and intellectual changes that children experience at this age. Students play an active role in their education by participating in a variety of clubs and hands-on activities. In Upper School, learning is differentiated based on a student’s interests and abilities, with the school providing a solid foundation in the humanities, foreign languages, mathematics, science, and the visual and performing arts.

The Children’s School

In the Children’s School, students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade learn in a language-rich environment intended to prepare them for the 21st century workplace. It’s not uncommon to see preschoolers exposed to French and Spanish, so that when they reach the higher grades, they will be familiar with the sounds, cadences and basic vocabulary of their chosen language. While technology is widely available throughout the campus, introducing it slowly to elementary school children is the belief of RCDS educators. In the third grade (and not before), students learn keyboarding skills and become acquainted with the positive aspects of the Internet through teachers’ use of class websites for assignments, homework and communication with parents. To maintain healthy bodies and minds, physical education is offered three times a week. Students get to avail of the school’s extraordinary food program, which offers a wide variety of organic and locally grown produce to satisfy their nutritional needs. Developing student’s social, emotional and ethical needs is paramount at The Children’s School, where educators continuously weave these ideas into the daily academic curriculum.

The Middle School

In Middle School, educators provide students with the skills to adapt to their changing minds and bodies, and to the ever-expanding academic workload. The school offers a strong foundation in the humanities, math, science, foreign languages, the visual and performing arts, and music. Based on a student-centered philosophy, middle-schoolers play an active role in their own education by participating in hands-on activities that aim to hone their leadership skills and prepare them for greater independence and intellectual challenge. Organization and study skills are stressed during this time, and students have the opportunity to focus on new skills, such as note-taking, outlining, and research and study techniques. Experiential learning and outdoor education are integral components of an education at the middle school level. Annual middle school trips during the day and overnight allow students to implement what they’ve learned in the classroom and encourage them to participate in community-building exercises.

The Upper School

The Upper School offers a progressive, creative and dynamic educational learning environment that encourages students to learn, understand and apply knowledge in a myriad of ways. Despite it being more rigorous and departmentalized than the other two schools, Upper School education offers students full support while also demanding a high degree of personal responsibility. The task of educators is to lead students in a process of self-discovery so that each child will find the appropriate college to suit his or her individual needs, talents and aspirations. The academic program provides a solid foundation in all major disciplines, with an emphasis on project-oriented, hands-on and minds-on activities. In addition to offering several Advanced Placement level courses, the Upper School also emphasizes the arts, visual art, photography, music, and drama. Capping the process of self-discovery during the Upper School years is the completion of a WISE (Wise Independent Senior Experience) project, which requires students to pursue independent study, be in the form of an internship, a research project, a work of art or fiction, or some combination of all three, and present their reflection on this process to the community.