Information Technology

Our new computer lab, serving students in Beginners through grade 8, is located at the heart of our newly-constructed academic center, Riker Hall.  Our school uses technology just as it is applied in commerce and higher education – not as an end in itself, but as a means to an end.  RCDS students learn to use computers as research and organizational tools to communicate, solve problems, and manage information and we are committed to providing our graduates with the skills they will need when they enter high school.  We are a multi-platform school, providing Macs in the media center, libraries and most classrooms and PCs in some of our specialized classrooms including our new keyboard lab that allows students to write their own arrangements as part of our music curriculum.

As an effort to further extend our technological resources to students, Apple iPads™ play an integral part in our Beginners' and Preschoolers’ learning programs. Introduced to Preschoolers during the 2010-11 school year, the program now extends to Beginners (our Kindergarten class). The iPads™ allow easily accessible learning applications to capture young imaginations with the most recent technology. While our younger students work collectively on iPads™, our 7th and 8th grade students of the 2011-12 school year are taking part in a 1:1 pilot program. Each 7th and 8th grade student not only uses their own iPad™ to enhance curriculum, but also for organization to prepare themselves for their next level of education.

In our effort to “go green,” we have moved all school communication on line.  A powerful new website, complete with personalized calendaring and an E-Notify system, keeps families, teachers, and staff up to date on school news.  Email has become the communication method of choice between school and home and all teachers have their own sites where they can post homework, photographs, schedules, and announcements.