Vision and Beliefs Statement
Dr. George Zimmer, District Administrator
Mrs. Gena Santharam, K-8 Principal/Director of Special Education
Welcome to the Richmond School District website. Our faculty and administration encourage you to learn about the District and pledge to assist you with answering questions and/or providing clarification as needed. Please call 262-538-1360 to speak with a teacher, administrator, or support staff member about school operations.
Richmond School District is a family oriented learning and work environment in which parents, students, and staff work collaboratively together while providing the best quality education available. The District’s vision is to be “recognized for its academic excellence by developing the whole student…” Inherent to this vision is the notion that partnerships with families, community members, students, and fellow educators are essential.
At Richmond School, instructional emphasis is placed on both basic skills and 21st Century Skills. The “3R’s” (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic) are systemically blended with the “7C’s” -critical thinking and problem solving; creativity and innovation, collaboration/teamwork/ leadership; cross-cultural understanding; communications/information/media literacy; computing; and career education. A comprehensive thinking skills curriculum coupled with the advanced integration of technology applications has and will continue to reshape both what children learn and how they learn it. Grade level and all school projects permeate the school calendar. It is the combination of strong academics and student participation in concerts, assemblies, the arts, sports, forensics, drama, Lego league, and after school clubs and activities that fosters creativity and innovation in our students.
New to the 2011-12 school year is a system-wide school improvement initiative known as the Richmond Transformative Learning Plan. It stems from a formal assessment of instructional practices conducted by Alan November’s team of evaluators from November Learning LLC. This new initiative includes, but is not limited to, a differentiated staff development plan for every teacher, global research and problem solving activities, publishing student work in protected global venues, learning to collaborate with students from other cultures and countries, and teaching students to take greater ownership for their learning.
Throughout the course of the 2011-12 school year, teachers will conduct parent workshops demonstrating how Transformative Learning activities will be infused into their classroom instruction. We encourage parents to become active participants in learning and contributing to the development of new skill sets in our students. Our staff and administration look forward to partnering with parents in this process.
As you know, Richmond School is a “Love and Logic” school. All staff members are trained in these practices when first employed by the District and follow-up training is regularly scheduled as needed. Mrs. Santharam (K-8 Principal) and Mrs. Calarco (Counselor) will conduct Love and Logic parent training sessions. Mrs. Santharam and I will be presenting parent workshops on the adolescent brain and applying Love and Logic strategies in the home.
In closing, Richmond School could not provide the quality nor the quantity of services and programs we have become known for if not for the active and dedicated support from our parent teacher organization. The Richmond PTO and Booster Club (PTOBC) collaboratively coordinate activities, classroom and event support, fund raising, and problem solving with staff and administration. We appreciate the community support generated by the PTOBC.
I hope this letter will provide you with insights into the practices and values found at Richmond School. Should you wish to speak directly with an employee or Board of Education member, please call or email at the numbers listed on the letterhead.
Sincerely,
Dr. George Zimmer
District Administrator
Richmond School District