Professional Learning Communities for Late Start Wednesdays

Ridgeline Middle School is dedicating the staff development opportunity to maintain a focus on instructional practice that increases student achievement. The late-start Wednesday schedule provides our staff with the opportunity to work collaboratively within departments and as a whole staff to complete the work of providing quality instruction and address the needs of our students.

On most Wednesdays, the Ridgeline staff will meet in departments and committees to continually investigate the answers to the following questions:

1.     What do we expect students to learn?

2.     How will we know if they have learned it?

3.     How will we respond if they don't learn it?

4.     How will we respond if they do learn it?

The following Purpose Statements were created by each department during our staff development workshops prior to the beginning of the school year.

Administration

The purpose of the administrative staff (counseling staff) at RMS is to provide a safe and supportive environment for students, teachers, and parents. In addition, the administration will offer educational resources that will ensure the promotion of students to their next level of success.

Science

The purpose of the Science Department is to create a learning community in science that fosters opportunities and skills for students to explore concepts through questioning, reasoning and inquiry in order to prepare them for life-long learning.

Health and Fitness

The purpose of the Health and Fitness Education Program is to develop learners of a healthy lifestyle (mental, emotional, social, physical) by providing tools necessary for students to be physically active and making beneficial health decisions now and for a lifetime.

Fine Arts

The purpose of the Fine Arts Department is to implement a comprehensive arts curriculum where students are expected to demonstrate an understanding for, and develop a life long appreciation regarding the fundamentals of the arts.

Social Studies

The Social Studies Department believes that to be an informed and active student it is essential each student has knowledge of history, civics, geography, economics, and critical thinking skills.

English Department

The purpose of the English Department is to determine literacy goals and effectively plan for student improvement.

Math Department

The purpose of the Math Department is to motivate each of our students to improve the quality of their lives by learning and applying mathematics.

Special Education/Support Services

The Special Education Department is dedicated to identifying and supporting students with special needs through individualized instruction and collaboration with general education staff and parents.