Distance Learning
Welcome to RHCD’s Online Campus
We never thought we’d be having to think outside the classroom quite so far this spring, yet here we are! Rocky Hill Country Day School is now operating our Distance Learning experience for Nursery – Grade 12 students. Whether we are on campus or distance learning, our small class size makes us uniquely poised to provide a personalized learning experience that remains dynamic and student-centered.
Our approach to Distance Learning is an extension of our approach to on campus learning, emphasizing our established social emotional & wellness programs with our carefully designed students’ daily schedule. Art, music, language, and physical education remain fully embedded into our students’ days.
While the COVID-19 pandemic presents us all with many challenges, RHCD’s nimbleness, central to our culture, has enabled us to uncover and develop new educational experiences for the future. Like our students, whom we ask to become resilient, self-aware navigators of a changing world, we are pivoting as circumstances change.
To learn more about RHCD’s online campus and our approach to distance learning, we invite you to schedule a virtual gathering with our Admissions Department.
Diane Rich
Head of School
What is Distance Learning?
Distance Learning occurs when the student and instructor are not in the same place or space. Interaction between learner and instructor can often be done using an online meeting platform or through learning activities which require a digital platform.
At RHCD, we employ a multifaceted approach to distance learning so that our students have opportunities to connect with faculty, collaborate with peers, and explore independently.
Synchronous Learning
Learning that happens at the same time either in person or digitally using an online meeting video platform. Example: Students in 3rd Grade took a virtual field trip to Matunuck Alpaca farm.
Asynchronous Learning
Learning that happens when objectives and associated activities are worked on over time while not meeting face to face, in person, or using online meeting video platforms. Example: As part of their first grade science work, students design a food chain diagram.
Online Learning
Learning that leverages online tools, content, or resources to foster comprehension, connect ideas, facilitate discussion, or assess understanding. This term is often used interchangeably with eLearning.
Blended Learning
Learning which integrates elements of distance learning with face-to-face learning. Example: Sophomore English students read the Holocaust novel Maus in which the main character interviews his father. The students conducted their own in-person interviews with family members, recorded reflections from the experience, and shared them in a virtual class.
Digital Platforms
Free or paid platforms which enable voice and/or video conferencing with groups. In schools, teachers use these platforms to host discussions, to teach a concept using digital whiteboards, or to share presentations in a synchronous, digital format. Digital Platforms being used at RHCD include: Google Meet, Poll Everywhere, Kahoot!, Pear Deck, Flipgrid, Calm, and GoodNotes to name a few.
RHCD
Digital Tools
Our Approach to Distance Learning
Staying true to our mission during distance learning, RHCD leverages the strengths of our faculty and various online platforms, while always keeping student wellbeing at the center. Students receive highly personalized learning, with time to connect for discussions and peer-to-peer project work, and assessment methods focused on providing detailed narrative feedback.
Daily Schedule Elements
Lower School
- A blend of live and asynchronous classes to balance screen time
- Daily Morning Meetings with mindful moments
- Detailed daily lesson plans shared with students/families
- Daily PE/movement/mindful breaks
- Weekly ‘Specials’: Art, Music, Language, Science, Library
- Small group and 1-on-1 teacher support
- Audio and written feedback by teachers, and self-reflection of assignments by students, are provided in real-time
- Closing Meetings each day
- “Live” storytime each evening with our librarian, and sometimes with Guest Readers!
Middle School
- A blend of synchronous classes, asynchronous classes, and community connections
- Student-run Middle School Morning Meetings
- Typically 2 live academic classes per day to balance screen time
- Advisory Meetings twice a week
- Art, Music, and World Language classes
- Frequent shout outs, appreciations, Kahoots, scavenger hunts, and weekly advisory challenges to support connections between students, teachers, and Middle School families
- Consistent PE/movement periods
Upper School
- A blend of live class sessions, small group work with teachers, and independent work
- Intentional daily schedule to balance academic work, movement, and connection
- Daily Advisory Check Ins
- Consistent 1:1 Faculty availability to students
- Asynchronous work that engages students and encourages them to communicate and collaborate with their peers
- Project work that requires students to think critically and create solutions to real world problems
- Virtual Meets for Clubs
- Daily Mariner Challenge for fitness and team competitions
Distance Learning Norms
RHCD encourages all students and teachers to adhere to the following guidelines when participating in ‘Live Sessions’.
- Be on time.
- Be positive and patient.
- Bring your sense of humor. Tech glitches will happen and it’s no big deal!
- Practice gratitude for all that is going well, and for the simple fact that we’re all together!
- Participate.
- Share your ideas and find a way to invite others to participate.
- Mute yourself when someone else is speaking.
- Type your questions and comments into the chat when someone else is speaking.
- Be aware of your environment to avoid distractions. Consider your background.
- Dress appropriately to be seen by your teachers and classmates.
Intention of the Day
At RHCD, our coursework is an extension of our core values and philosophy. As such, administrators and faculty alike start each virtual gathering and class assignment by sharing the latest resource, inspirational quote, fun fact, or gesture of appreciation as a means to reflect and focus on health, humor, and the individual’s wellbeing.
Our Approach in Action
Mindfulness
Lower School
Upper School
Middle School
Athletics
EVERYDAY HEROES
Second grade students have been interviewing members of society who go above and beyond. Part of the “Everyday Heroes PBL,” the project helps students appreciate the work of neighbors, family, and friends.
EVERYDAY HEROES – Second grade students have been interviewing members of society who go above and beyond. Part of the “Everyday Heroes PBL,” the project helps students appreciate the work of neighbors, family, and friends.
COLORWHEEL CHALLENGE
Art Teacher leads Lower, Middle, and Upper School students to design color wheels out of items they find around their house.
COLORWHEEL CHALLENGE – Art Teacher leads Lower, Middle, and Upper School students to design color wheels out of items they find around their house.
STORYTIME
Students and families alike gather each evening for ‘story time’ and a mindful moment guided by our school’s Librarian. It is a special time characterized by support, love, and connection for all participants.
STORYTIME – Students and families alike gather each evening for ‘story time’ and a mindful moment guided by our school’s Librarian. It is a special time characterized by support, love, and connection for all participants.
Staying Connected
RHCD’s school community is foundational to who we are, and so now, more than ever, we come together in a myriad of ways for camaraderie, for support, for celebration.
Senior Salute
Teacher Shoutout
Hack: 2020
Congrats Class of 2020!
#Heroes
Virtual Admissions
Alumni in the News
Pages at Portico
Staying Connected
RHCD’s school community is foundational to who we are, and so now, more than ever, we come together in a myriad of ways for camaraderie, for support, for celebration.
Senior Salute
Hack: 2020
Alumni in the News
Virtual Admissions
Teacher Shoutout
Congrats Seniors!
#Heroes
Pages at Portico
Listen to What Our Community is Saying
I feel proud to be a part of RHCD’s community, and commend everyone (students, faculty, families) for meeting this challenge head on and inspiring me! Prior to COVID-19, our photography class used Google Drive as the central location where all our assignments lived. Now, with distance learning, we continue using our Drive while adding Google Meets. This consistency in how we access our assignments, and stay connected has provided a smooth and successful learning experience for both of us!”
Dawn Temple,
Faculty, US Photography
On the surface, distance learning seemed awful, scary, and hard. The hardest thing for me has been distractions. I also feel it has been difficult to hold discussions online, it is easier to talk when there is body language and verbal cues. Despite all this, distance learning really hasn’t been all that bad. I love the control I have over my schedule. I am able to eat breakfast, sleep in, workout, and move my work to whatever time of day I feel most motivated. I’ve really enjoyed the initiatives by the school to keep students motivated. I’ve loved doing the Mariner workouts on top of my own. I’ve also really enjoyed all the senior love we’ve been getting this month. Most of all I’ve appreciated the work my teachers have done to make class work online. Even though class feels different, everyone has worked hard to find a new normal.”
Isabella R.,
12th Grade
On March 30, 2020 we welcomed the faculty/staff and students of RHCD into our living room to begin an adventure! Since the very first day, I‘ve seen Mariner qualities shine in my children (5th and 8th graders). I’ve watched as they navigate the carefully crafted schedules of their amazing teachers and division heads. I see them partnering with classmates to complete assignments outside the “live” sessions. I hear them encouraging peers, and peers lending their expertise to them. I am thankful for our RHCD community.”
Brooke Brown,
Parent to Chase (5th) and Cole (8th)
