Educational Programs

Core Curriculum

Riverside offers a broad and enriching curriculum where children respond with the highest academic achievement. Our curriculum intentionally spirals, and we are fortunate to have highly trained teachers to deliver this exceptional learning to our children.

Literacy

• Literacy incorporates both the reading and writing portion of our lower school curriculum. It involves interactive read alouds, reading groups, and independent reading. Infused into reading is the deep and expressive creative writing. Handwriting is taught from PreK 3 through 3 rd grade where students are taught cursive writing. • Language Arts is our reading and writing curriculum in upperschool.

Here children are reading to learn through rich novel based reading.

Grammar is also part of Language Arts. Students continue to develop and hone their writing skills in a variety of ways.

Singapore Math

Dimensions, which is a component of Singapore Math, is taught PreK 4 through 6th Grade. This curriculum uses the concrete to pictorial to abstract approach. Dimensions is strategic in its methodology and leads to higher algebraic thinking quantitative reasoning.

History & Global Studies

Science and Social Studies are taught throughout the week as part of Riverside’s curriculum. Some of the many units of studies include Jacksonville history, American history, Ancient Civilization, Regions of the United Sates and more.

Science

Our Kindergarten - 6th Grade science classes use the Amplify Science Curriculum developed out of The Lawrence Hall of Science at UC - Berkeley. Amplify Science is a multimodal, hands-on program designed to help educators create the next generation of citizens who are curious, skeptical and evidence-based thinkers. The pedagogy is project-based with students exploring and solving authentic problems. This curriculum inspires students to read, write and argue like scientists in order to gain a better understanding of the world.

Enriched Curriculum

The enrichment curriculum at Riverside Presbyterian Day School includes: Foreign Language, Art, Music, Music Performance, Drama, Health/Wellness, STEAM, and Spiritual Formation. Each enrichment subject is taught by a teacher highly trained and passionate in his or her area of expertise. The enrichment curriculum is designed to deepen and broaden children’s thinking in ways that foster creativity, physicality, life-long learning and happiness; thus supporting the development of the whole child.

Steam

In STEAM, children are exposed to a multitude of concepts from science, technology, engineering, art, and math. In this student centered environment, students take charge of their own learning by actively problem solving, working in groups, persevering, creating, and having fun. The RPDS makerspace is home to a variety of educational robots, multitudes of circuitry technology, 3D printers, a laser cutter, as well as tools for wood crafting, textiles, paper craft, art supplies, and miscellaneous recyclables just waiting for a child’s imagination to transform them into something spectacular.

Foreign Language

SPANISH - PreK 3 - 3rd Grade students continue to acquire practical vocabulary and useful Spanish skills through total physical response (TPR), comprehensive pictorial system, authentic activities, and partial immersion experiences. By the end of 3rd Grade, students are able to communicate effortlessly in Spanish regarding such topics as the weather, feelings and telling time. The curriculum for the Spanish I program in 4th - 6th Grade exceeds common core standards in the areas of writing, reading, listening, and speaking.

CHINESE - At RPDS, we offer three levels of Mandarin Chinese for 4th - 6th Grade students. A key component to the success of the Mandarin Chinese curriculum is that the courses are cumulative. Having a cumulative curriculum helps create a more lasting retention.

Visual Arts

The RPDS Art program provides a strong, robust foundation for budding young artists. The underlying premise is naturally conveyed that every child is an artist. The curriculum is designed to celebrate developmental stages as students explore and experiment with expressing themselves through visual art. As they embark on a journey through Art, students encounter a variety of media to create both two-dimensional and three-dimensional masterpieces. Art history is creatively interwoven throughout the projects. Art embraces technology providing opportunities for computer graphics as well as a digital portfolio for every student.

Music & Performance

RPDS is proud to showcase our students’ musical and dramatic talents in grade level productions throughout the year, including traditional Christmas programs, musicals, Chapel performances, and community music outreach opportunities. Children are given frequent opportunities to share their talents with their classmates, teachers, and families during “Grand Instrument Week.” 8