The first thing that strikes many visitors at RCDS is the peace and beauty of our 20 acre campus. What strikes them next is the sight of children running to class, playing outdoors, laughing and talking because they are experiencing childhood as it is meant to be. They look healthy, excited and alive; they hold doors not just for adults, but for one another. Here they are cherished but not pampered, challenged but not pressured, organized but not regimented. They work hard and play fair.

The Children’s School offers a rigorous, supportive, developmentally appropriate program to students from Pre-K through Fifth Grade. Our youngest students learn in a language-rich environment that prepares them for literacy, numeracy and other academic work.   The pre-reading program focuses on children’s dictations and all-important phonemic awareness (the association of sounds with symbols,) and the prewriting program stresses-motor coordination through the use of manipulatives and art materials. As students reach reading readiness, teachers introduce letter study; word families and organic vocabulary study. Read-alouds are an essential part of the daily curriculum throughout the grades. In math, young children use concrete materials and sensorimotor activities so that numeracy will literally be encoded in their bodies; there are dozens of opportunities every day to point out mathematical relationships and questions as the children explore their environment.

As children’s verbal and mathematical skills, knowledge and capacities develop, they participate in highly individualized learning activities. We do not use basal readers at RCDS; our curriculum is not one-size-fits-all. Instead, teachers offer the children books that are carefully chosen to meet individual interests and reading levels. Writing is also an essential part of the curriculum. From very early on, children write in their daily journals and they develop technical as well as organizational and creative skills. Writing workshops based on the Lucy Calkins / Teachers College approach insure that writing is a personally satisfying, continually challenging and enjoyable endeavor.

Throughout the grades, project-based learning is a central feature of the curriculum and teachers develop essential questions to guide their students through research and learning.  Because the arts are of central importance at RCDS, projects can be documented through individual and collaborative essays, art work, music, and drama. Our arts teachers are professionals in their fields and they consistently elicit creative, focused work from children at every age.

Language study begins early at the Children’s School. Even the Preschoolers are exposed to French and Spanish; by the time they are ready for serious study, they are familiar with the sounds, cadences and basic vocabulary of their chosen language.  Teachers also use class websites for assignments, homework and communication with parents.

Throughout the grades, we are constantly mindful of the interaction between children’s social/emotional/ethical development and academic lives. Each year, the school selects a theme (e.g. consideration or individuality, etc.,) that is woven into the academic curriculum as well as all-school and class activities. Conflict resolution, mediation, anti-bullying programs and class/ school wide meetings all contribute to the creation of a caring, collaborative community.

At RCDS, we seek to form partnerships with parents on behalf of the children. We keep parents informed about students’ academic, social and emotional progress and we welcome communications from home at all times. Parents are invited to participate in a wide variety of activities – from planting bulbs to working in our incredible kitchen to joining workshops and conversations about topics of importance. We invite parents to offer their skills and experience as part of the academic and extracurricular program.

People variously describe the Children’s School at RCDS as “small but mighty,” “a hidden gem,” a place where “children are allowed to be children.” Our teachers are dedicated professionals; our families come from diverse backgrounds and experiences; our administrators are knowledgeable, caring, flexible and available. We warmly invite you to join our very special learning community.