RCPS Foundations for Learning
RELATIONSHIPS Learners create a caring and empathetic environment to support other’s strengths, challenges, and needs. The learner establishes healthy relationships that are founded on trust and mutual respect. Relationships are nurtured to build trust and mutual respect. The social, emotional, and behavioral wellness of each learner is valued. COMMUNITY Learners are encouraged to contribute to their classroom and school communities. They have opportunities to develop relationships and partnerships with the greater community. Learners serve their community, explore solutions to real-world problems, and may present their work to an audience beyond their teachers and peers. PURPOSEFUL LEARNING Learners are empowered to set relevant academic and personal goals. Learners have voice and choice in their learning process. Their work is purposeful by connecting to personal lives, interests, cultural experiences, and future aspirations. Learners reflect on their progress, manage their time and effort, persevere through risks and failures, and celebrate successes. SCHOLARSHIP Learners ask questions, apply knowledge, and seek answers to arrive at a deeper understanding. Learning goals provide focus for essential content acquisition, skill development, and instructional design. Learners grow as communicators, collaborators, creators, critical thinkers, and citizens through active learning, integrated content, and across age groups. |
Building Essential Content Knowledge while Strengthening the 5 Cs
In Rockingham County Public Schools, “learners” encompass students, faculties, staff, parents, and community members. In all of these areas, we seek to foster dispositions such as compassion, perseverance, passion, and a growth mindset.
RCPS learners grow as CRITICAL THINKERS when they • Identify issues and formulate questions for investigation • Discover and appreciate multiple solutions and perspectives • Apply, analyze, interpret, and evaluate (and synthesize) • Reason and make inferences • Reflect on their own thinking | RCPS learners grow as COMMUNICATORS when they • Actively listen for understanding • Know and respect their audience • Recognize and effectively use verbal and non-verbal cues • Effectively utilize all forms of communication (listening, reading, speaking, and composing) • Provide and receive constructive feedback • Ask clarifying questions and recognize their gaps in knowledge and understanding | RCPS learners grow as COLLABORATORS when they • Work towards and support a common goal • Compromise and demonstrate flexibility • Value and search out a diversity of opinions, perspectives, and abilities • Share responsibility |
RCPS learners grow as CREATORS when they • Take risks in experimentation and learn from failures • Build on the past and embrace new ideas • Recognize and utilize their individual strengths to reach goals • Employ their imaginations with confidence • Value the process of producing original work • Demonstrate resourcefulness | RCPS learners grow as CITIZENS when they • Demonstrate trustworthiness, respectfulness, fairness, responsibility, and caring • Appreciate democratic values and institutions • Strive to understand the past, participate in the present, and care about the future • Recognize diversity as a strength • Act as a steward of self, community, and world |