Academics
Academically, the School offers a comprehensive program enabling our
students to think independently, to write and speak with clarity, and to
appreciate the values and joys of the humanities, the arts, and the
sciences. We hope that our students will graduate from Rye Country Day
School with a feeling of self-confidence and pride in their particular
talents, capable of attending the colleges of their choice, and well
prepared for what lies ahead. -- Excerpt from RCDS Philosophy
RCDS has three divisions, each focused
on the different cognitive and emotional needs of students as they progress
from early childhood to pre-adulthood. The Lower School offers a nurturing environment that focuses on citizenship
skills; the Middle School is
structured to be responsive to students in a transitional time; and the Upper School models an intense but affirming
environment that prepares students to achieve excellence at the college level.
Academics at RCDS are demanding. They
are also stimulating, inventive, exciting, and fun. The pillars of a classic education - critical thinking skills
and a broad knowledge base - coexist with contemporary themes and teaching
methods. The practical uses of technology in all divisions make both teaching
and learning more effective. A laptops program in grades 5-12, SmartBoards in
the classroomsTM , and a campus-wide wireless network are evidence
of the school's commitment to the full integration of technology in the
classroom.
The school’s pedagogy is defined by its
commitment to excellence. Curriculum mapping is used to connect disciplines and
skills across grade levels and all three divisions. A newly developing writing program takes all of our students
through a consistent, targeted method that is designed to challenge and deepen
their command of expository, analytical and descriptive writing at all age
levels.
Interdisciplinary teaching helps students
deepen these connections: When Lower School students study a particular animal,
they learn about its habitat in science class, study its country of origin in
geography, and make papier-mâché representations in art class. When Middle School students read Chasing Vermeer in Language Arts class, they
also complete a visual arts unit on portraits. When students become seniors in the Upper School, they are
required to take Senior Seminar, which examines the links between world
cultures from social, political, economic, and artistic perspectives.
The result is that each RCDS student
gradually and surely achieves ever-evolving levels of sophistication in a given
subject as he or she progresses through the school’s three divisions.
