Rocky Creek Elementary School is helping all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by creating a safe, nurturing, learning culture of excellence. Our students acquire learning experiences in academics, arts, leadership and global citizenship. Through collaboration with our families and community members, RCES faculty and staff members strive to ensure that all of our Rangers grow to become self-directed learners, caring citizens and positive world-changers.
RCES continued their partnership with Code To The Future as one of South Carolina’s first Computer Science Immersion schools. Through this partnership, our students learn the fundamentals of computer coding as part of their daily curriculum. Our kindergarten through fifth grade students engaged in innovative block-based programming languages, robotics and text-based programming environments. Critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration were developed in all our students, and they were able to apply problem-solving and presentation skills through the experience of coding immersion. Due to school closure, our students were only able to showcase their work in two EPIC Build Showcases.
Our students receive world-class knowledge from dedicated teachers who provide a rich curriculum based on the South Carolina state standards. In collaboration with their teachers, our Rangers create a positive vision of what they would like to accomplish academically, then purposefully drive to achieve their goals. We developed a comprehensive reading plan that immerses our students in a literacy-rich environment. Students are explicitly taught skills from Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study, and engage in authentic reading and writing activities to increase their proficiency. Through a math workshop approach, our students gained an understanding of math concepts through hands on learning stations. Our student-centered learning experiences require students to use critical thinking and problem-solving strategies in all academic areas. These educational experiences are designed to foster collaborative intellectual dialogue among students and teachers, as well as engage students in the meaningful practice of knowing how to learn.
We continually grow the positive school culture RCES has in place and develop student leaders through the Energy Bus for Schools Leadership Journey. This journey affords all stakeholders an opportunity to have voice and choice through a shared leadership approach that incorporates seven common principles. It is through these principles that students learn about responsibility, initiative, self direction, perseverance, work ethic, and taking care of others and self.
At RCES, we realize that the meaningful integration of technology will prepare our students to become active, successful contributors to our 21st century society. Students are provided with a variety of digital tools which are integrated throughout the curriculum, affording students the opportunity to gather information, collaborate with others and creatively communicate their understanding of the content. Additionally, these digital tools allow students to receive individualized and differentiated instruction at a pace that suits the needs of each learner.
Beyond the core academic areas, we are committed to providing students with a variety of opportunities that develop the whole child. Students enhance their global perspective through their participation in our world language and related arts classes. These classes allow students to grow their proficiency in Spanish, and develop an appreciation for art and music, as well as the artists and musicians who create. Our physical education classes and after-school running club allow students to focus on improving personal health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These physical activities also allow students to improve their interpersonal skills by being part of a team and help students learn the value of perseverance and a strong work ethic as they strive to achieve various athletic goals.
This has been the most unusual year due to the global pandemic; however, it is in moments like this that our Rocky Creek community shines. I would like to thank our RCE staff, students, and their families for pulling together so that our relationships and learning could continue. We had tremendous participation from our families at each of our distant learning packet and book pick-up days. Our teachers went above and beyond selecting “good fit” books for our students from their classroom libraries so that reading could continue during their time at home.
Due to the school closure, we were unable to have our Student Led Conferences for students to share their growth with their families. Additionally, our students were unable to have their related arts showcase. This year is our tenth year open, and we celebrated all year long! Although we did not get to have our big birthday celebration, we celebrated on the tenth of each month with a different musical performer brought in from the community by our music teacher.
Our school year ended with a Honk and Wave Parade around our school parking lot. All our staff attended and stood following social distancing guidelines while our families drove around the parking lot. It was a continual flow of traffic for an hour and a half to celebrate the end of a year we will never forget.
As you may know, in January, I announced my retirement. I’ve had a wonderful time and a blessed career as an educator for twenty-eight years. I am proud of the work we’ve done at Rocky Creek under my leadership, and thank all of our stakeholders for their support! In March, Greg Watchinski was named principal of Rocky Creek Elementary beginning .
Brenda Nichols, Principal
Jennifer Howell, SIC Chair