Real WORLD LEARNING

Student Group: 4th Grade

TThis has been an exciting year in so many ways! One specific area we want to highlight is an expansion in our instructional approach. Focusing on learning by doing, teachers have been more purposefully designing projects, engaging students in important content through real-world components, lending authenticity, student choice, and reflection to the student experience. Rather than learning skills in isolation, projects embed them into meaningful research, connections with real experts, use of authentic tools, and public presentations or products. The projects have centered around both local and global concerns, and serve as natural opportunities for students to develop the eight Student Competencies. Take a look at what’s been happening, and then check out the videos on our website which more fully capture these enriching experiences!

Driving Question: How can we, as junior historians and caretakers of history, learn, preserve, and raise public awareness for the historical and cultural wealth of North Kingstown’s historic Smith’s Castle?

Key Components:

• Using primary and secondary sources as well as experts in the field, learners worked in small groups as well as independently to research the rich history of Rhode Island with special emphasis on early settlers, Roger Williams and Richard Smith Jr., as well as the Narragansett Tribe and its Chief, Canonicus (1600 and 1700s).

• Working closely with members of Smith’s Castle, the Cocumscussoc Association, and other learneridentified experts, children identified ways to serve as “caretakers of history” by designing a method of giving back to this historically significant landmark while also creating a way to share their knowledge with others within the Rhode Island community.

• Serving as the subjects for documentary films and a podcast by the Upper School Journalism class Skills & Content Learned: Research, collaboration, public speaking, local history, web design, literacy skills.

Products: A trunk show presented to North Kingstown AP History students; three teams of learners presented products (web pages, newspaper article, engaging activities for children) to representatives from Smith’s Castle and the Cocumscussoc Association.

Real World Connections:

• Partnering with Upper School students

• Interviewing experts at Smith’s Castle including Margaret Skenyon, Denise Boule, Robert Grousse, Robert Geake, and Anne Casey as well as the Cocumscussoc Association

• Meeting with Lane Sparkman and Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea

• Researching the state archives with the assistance of RI Head Archivist

Ken Carlson

PROJECT NAME: DOCUMENTING THE CARETAKERS OF HISTORY

Student Group: Upper School Journalism students

Driving Question: How can we, as journalists, investigate cool stuff happening in our classrooms and broadcast this news to the greater school community?

Key Components:

• Visiting and observing 4th grade class conducting the “Caretakers of History” project

• Documenting the 4th graders’ trunk show presentations to the North Kingstown AP History class

• Researching investigative reporting, mixed media broadcast journalism, and interview protocol

• Interviewing the 4th grade students about the process

Skills & Content Learned: Research, collaboration, interviewing, filmmaking, podcasting.

Products: Video news stories, podcast.

Real World Connections:

• Partnering with 4th grade students and high school students at another school

• Interviewing experts at Smith’s Castle including Margaret Skenyon, Denise Boule, Robert Grousse, Robert Geake, and Anne Casey as well as the Cocumscussoc Association

• Meeting with Lane Sparkman and Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea

• Researching the state archives with the assistance of RI Head Archivist Ken Carlson

• Presenting news stories before a live audience and conducting a Q and A session

PROJECT NAME: RHS IMPACT

Student Group: 5th Grade

Driving Question: How can we, as fifth graders, improve the Rocky Hill School community?

Key Components:

• Brainstorming ideas for improvement, interviewing faculty to gather ideas, and writing a persuasive letter to the Head of School

• Analyzing ideas as a group in order to move forward to the proposal stage

• Meeting with a community development expert, Kristin Urbach ’87, Executive Director of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, to learn about steps in the process of creating and presenting a proposal

• Developing a proposal and presenting it to the RHS administrative team and other members of the community who were involved in their topic

Skills Learned: Interviewing, persuasive writing, public speaking, collaboration, critical analysis, research skills.

Products:

• Persuasive letter written to Dr. Tracy

• Four teams developed a proposal on their topic for an improvement to Rocky Hill School’s campus

Real World Connections:

• Meeting with community expert, Kristin Urbach ’87, Executive Director of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce

• Interviewing faculty and staff

• Presenting to the administration at Rocky Hill School

• Researching a Francophone country

• Meeting and interviewing immigrants from Francophone countries about their experience as immigrants

Skills & Content Learned: Research, speaking and listening in French, interviewing, collaboration, critical analysis, video making, public speaking.

Products:

• A short documentary compiling the various interviews conducted and presenting facts about immigration and the challenges immigrants face

• A fundraiser to support the organization Women’s Refugee Care and a presentation to the community about what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Real World Connections:

Authentic audiences:

• Interactions with Francophone people from Morocco, the DRC, and France

• Presentation of product to the community

• Visit to the Women’s Refugee Care in Providence, meeting with the founders of the organization, its members (all refugees from the DRC), and the current State Refugee Coordinator Frederick Sneesby

Authentic current issues:

• Helping refugees

• War in the DRC and its ramifications

• Immigration

Since September, the Parent Teacher League has been working hard to foster community and increase support for the faculty and staff at Rocky Hill School. Our dedicated team of representatives has worked diligently to share information about important events and activities happening at the School, and to encourage families and friends to attend.

We are happy to report that we have had tremendous participation so far this year. All of our PTL meetings have been well attended, and the evening All School Meeting with childcare was very well received! The Fall Classic Golf and Tennis Tournament and Dinner Auction was particularly successful this year due mainly to the incredible number of sponsors, auction donors, players, dinner guests, committee members, and volunteers who generously gave in support of this event. Homecoming was also a great success, as were many other events including GrandFriends’ Day, Teacher Appreciation, and World Cultures Week. None of these events would be possible without your kind support.

As PTL President, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend a school concert, play, sports game, art show, morning coffee, parent night, ceremony, or presentation. I also want to thank current parent and Chair of the newly formed Booster Club, Chris Cote P’21, ’23, for the increased community spirit around athletics and the arts. If you have volunteered your time to help organize an event in any capacity, thank you! The PTL relies heavily on volunteerism to get things done. So, as we continue on through 2018, I strongly encourage you to be involved at Rocky Hill in any way that suits your family. It is a rewarding experience that enhances your child’s education and positively impacts the future of Rocky Hill School. When we lead by example and show our children that giving back is important, we certainly inspire them to be thoughtful citizens and future leaders.

Milestones & Farewells

Every June, the faculty and staff join together to celebrate the year and each other. Faculty and staff who celebrate five-year milestones are acknowledged. In addition, we recognize those faculty and staff members who have retired or decided to move on to new adventures. In 2017, we honored the following people.

MILESTONES

2012-2017 (5 YEARS)

Stephanie Cruff (Second Grade Teacher)

Darshell Silva (Technology Integration Specialist, Librarian)

2007-2017 (10 YEARS)

Arthur Entwistle IV (Director of Athletics, Athletic Trainer)

Robert Lee (Social Sciences Department Chair, Upper School History)

Nancy Maguire-Rambo (Lower and Middle School Spanish)

Eric Wyzga (Lower School Science)

2002-2017 (15 YEARS)

Liz Isdale (Director of Alumni Relations and the Rocky Hill Fund)

1997-2017 (20 YEARS)

Maureen Fahey (Mathematics Department Chair, Upper School Mathematics Teacher)

FOND FAREWELLS

Rochelle Devault, Upper School Science (2013-2017)

Ashley Ferranti, Modern and Classical Languages Department Chair (2016-2017)

Krista Haskell, Director of Counseling and Wellness (2010-2017)

Craig Mudie, Upper School Spanish (2016-2017)

Margo Ott, School Nurse (2014-2017)

Doug Poskitt, Head of Upper School, Upper School History (2008-2017)

Claire Wiley, K-2 Teacher (2013-2017)

Jacqui Yamada, Development Relations Manager (1998-2017)