Rocky Mountain Deaf School
  1921 Youngfield St. • Golden, CO 80401
  303.984.5741 TTY • 303.984.5749 Voice • Email: info@rmdeafschool.net
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Credo

Recognizing that:

each Deaf child is unique, important and inviolate;

each child is the child of his or her parent (s), not the product nor the property of any educational, social, racial, political, religious, or cultural theory or establishment;

parents are partners in the child's educational program;

the child's individual home and culture (language, values and lifestyle) be respected;

being Deaf is a positive state of being, not a defect to be "fixed" by medical, clinical, or religious means, all of which would attempt to change a Deaf person into an ersatz "hearing" person;

we are all, Deaf and non-Deaf, citizens of the State of Colorado and the United States of America;

Deaf children need school personnel who are competent in and knowledgeable about all aspects of Deafness;

Deaf children deserve, and are capable of, an American education and English literacy on a par with non-Deaf children;

Deaf children need to be educated in the company of other Deaf children;

Deaf children need an education that uses and develops accessible language and communication methods and respects the Deaf child's visual skills and strengths;

the world is the classroom;
Mission Statement

The Mission of the Rocky Mountain Deaf School is to provide Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children, preschool through eighth grade, a publically funded bilingual education which promotes academic excellence, full proficiency in ASL and English literacy, and which supports the home - school connection by offering a "Deaf friendly" environment that includes the RMDS personnel, the RMDS Board, parents, and the Deaf community.
Educational Philosophy

After five years or organizational work, the Magnet School of the Deaf (MSD) opened its doors as a Colorado charter school in 1997. Upon opening MSD had certain documents stating or describing a philosophy of education. These included the charter application (containing a credo, mission statement, and a statement of the "7 Rs" of education at MSD); a detailed Language and Communication Policy; a statement of "essential principles" for education developed after the 1996 approval of the charter application; and MSD's commitment to follow the Jefferson County School District curricular standards and benchmarks. During a February 28, 1998, retreat of the Laurent Clerc Educational Fund of Colorado (LCEFC) Board, the MSD staff and advisors, several tensions or inconsistencies were noticed in the combination of these founding documents. MSD is also concerned that Deaf Education tends to be isolated from developments in general education and, particularly, education reform. Finally, MSD believes both staff and parents are entitled to a clear statement of MSD's philosophy of education.

Following is a restatement of the basic principles of education at MSD. This statement does not affect the existing Credo and Mission statement or the Language and Communication Policy. It may be considered a substitute for, or merging of, the "7 Rs" and the "Essential Principles," with appropriate changes to remain faithful the Credo, Mission, Language Policy and the Jefferson County curriculum and standards. It is also an attempt to locate MSD within the broad spectrum of education reform efforts, while retaining its distinctive and innovative approach to Deaf education.

Following is a restatement of the basic principles of education at MSD. This statement does not affect the existing Credo and Mission statement or the Language and Communication Policy. It may be considered a substitute for, or merging of, the "7 Rs" and the "Essential Principles," with appropriate changes to remain faithful the Credo, Mission, Language Policy and the Jefferson County curriculum and standards. It is also an attempt to locate MSD within the broad spectrum of education reform efforts, while retaining its distinctive and innovative approach to Deaf education.

The Magnet School Philosophy of Education

Essential Educational Principles
  1. We recognize that there are multiple ways that children may be intelligent and we are committed to supporting all forms.
  2. The school will focus on the 7-R's: reading, writing, arithmetic, respect for the Deaf child, the rights and responsiblities of citizenship, and recognition of Deafness as a positive state of being.
  3. We have expectations for our students equivilent to those of any other child in school. Because of this, we will use a curriculum designed for hearing children.
  4. We focus on developing critical thinking skills, not a core of face-based knowledge. "Less is more".
  5. The governing metaphor of the school will be student-as-worker, rather than teacher-as-deliverer-if-instructional-services. We supportthe child in becoming an active and lifelong learner. We recognize that making mistakes is a healthy part of this process.
  6. We recognize that each student is a unique learner and all types of learners should be encouraged.
  7. We will emphasize the process and not the product and we will seek evaluation methods that support this concept.
  8. We reconize that parent collaboration is essential and will try to involve parents in every aspect of their child's learning, at school and at home.
  9. We will follow the Language and Communication Policy as specified in the Charter School application.

 
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Copyright © 2005 RMDS: Rocky Mountain Deaf School
1921 Youngfield St.  ::  Golden, CO 80401
303-984-5741 TTY :: 303-984-5749 Voice :: 303-984-7290 Fax :: Email - info@rmdeafschool.net
Office Hours: 8 am to 4 pm