Rocky Mountain Deaf School: About RMDS

The Mission: who we are. The Vision: where we are going. Our Credo: what we believe. Our Organizational Values: how we deal with each other as professionals internally.

We recognize that:

“deaf” means individuals who have varying hearing acuity (deaf, Deaf, and hard-of-hearing);

each deaf child is unique, important, and inviolate;

each deaf child is the child of his or her parent(s), not the product nor the property of any culture theory, or establishment;

parent(s) are partner(s) in each deaf child’s educational program;

each deaf child’s home and culture (language, values and lifestyle) must be respected;

being deaf is a positive state of being;

deaf children need school personnel who are competent in and knowledgeable about the current trends of education, deafness, and research;

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

deaf children should 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 child’s visual skills and strengths;

deaf children deserve a rigorous curriculum and fair assessments;

deaf children can succeed with innovative instructional methods, materials, and leading-edge technology; and

the world is the classroom.

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High expectations. We expect the best work from our students, faculty, administrators, board, and parents.
Family atmosphere. We create a welcoming and intimate environment where students, parents, and educators feel comfortable and can work productively together through respectful open communication.
Exceptional teamwork. We work collaboratively and inclusively to help each other be successful and to ensure that our collective efforts result in more than what we could accomplish individually.
Continuous innovation. We seek out and find creative new ways to be more effective in everything that we do, including thinking outside of the box.
Zest. We maintain high motivation to be the best.

Rocky Mountain Deaf School is founded on the belief that deaf children can and should succeed. The driving force behind the school is a theme of excellence in research-based academic programs. In this intellectually stimulating environment, communication is totally accessible throughout the day from every person in the child’s environment. Each student's potential is maximized as teachers continue to instill in each child the joy of living and learning.

As a high performing, innovative educational program for students who are deaf, we are deeply committed to providing a rigorous, standards-based curriculum. We prepare each deaf student to be literate, academically successful, and technologically competent. We provide a linguistically rich learning environment through the acquisition of American Sign Language and English both inside and outside the classroom.

Through strong collaboration with parents, the deaf community, the educational research community, the school community, and the business community, we are a model of best practices and an exemplary resource in the field of Deaf Education both nationally and internationally.

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