Academics
Academics Information
Rollingstone Community School is a STEAM-infused, Place-Based and Teacher-Empowered School.
STEAM
RCS engages learners in a personalized Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math curriculum. Read more on the principles of STEAM below.
PLACE-BASED LEARNING
With a community-centered place-based philosophy, our RCS Campus is the perfect place to engage students in an ideal learning environment utilizing our outdoor classroom/amphitheater, pond & stream, student-built nature trails, prairie grassland, sports fields, and school garden.
TEACHER-EMPOWERED
As a teacher-empowered school, Rollingstone educators will work and teach in concert with each other, collaboratively building appropriate and well-defined learning expectations.
RCS is a K-5 school that will meet each child’s physical, social, and emotional needs in a small school, multi-age atmosphere that is conducive for growth and sustained learning.
The instructional approach at the RCS learning community is Science/Technology/Engineering/Art/Math (STEAM) interdisciplinary curriculum. View our 2022-2023 Tentative Schedules here.
How is STEAM different from STEM?
STEAM includes art as fundamental to learning.
STEAM instruction and learning intentionally employs both hard and soft skills to solve problems. Rather than simply applying hard math and science skills to tackle problems, STEAM students engage with hard skills as well as the “soft skills” of collaboration, data visualization, and other kinds of imagery to deepen their understanding. This provides opportunities for innovation and creativity in problem solving and develops important social and emotional learning skills simultaneously to developing more traditional science and math skills.
The RCS STEAM curriculum will engage learners in a highly personalized manner that connects and prepares students to make a difference in the world using a place-based, project-based set of methodologies.
Our Vision
Community is central to Rollingstone Community School (RCS). RCS is a school for OUR community. Creating and sustaining an infant to student to adult to elderly multi-age learning community is at the heart and hub of RCS interaction.
Our students are able to talk openly, communicate meaningingfully, and socialize with the exhuberance of learners. Our classrooms, hallways, and commons are completely comfortable for our students. As parents, grandparents, and community members we love to watch the children re-creating learning each and every year. We have the best of both worlds with multi-age learning experiences balanced with grade level reading and math foundations.
RCS students are well-rounded little humans! They are respectful of each other’s diverse talents, with a self-confidence and sense of security that brings tears to our eyes as we experience them each being resourceful and responsive for each other.
With RCS, our Rollingstone families are even more connected now. We share a place where the children, youth, and adults of Rollingstone can come together for a wide range of school and community events.
Or close-knit staff is fully empowered to look over the RCS community, crafting educational moments and pathways each and every day. This amazing staff deserves much credit for the meaningful relationships from student to student.
We love our STEAM curriculum as the students soak up stuff outdoors, engage technology, explore art, celebrate music and master the love of, and skills in, reading, writing, thinking, and doing!! RCS shines with a hands-on approach to our community and the wonderful environment around them.
Teachers have a ‘can do’ spirit and parents and community members have a ‘can help’ spirit. With the Rollingstone adults – there is a level of openness and trust — a culture to say what’s on your mind and be respected. RCS is a place to brainstorm, share a common vision, and get involved in our community.
For RCS students opening a book is like an adventure, they immerse themselves in the reader’s world. Each student has the chances to be literate – to LOVE reading, expand skills in writing and speaking, and enjoy connecting with classmates and schoolmates.
RCS is one big reason people like to live in Rollingstone. We love our school!