Ridgeway Community School

Ridgeway Community School ( # 4083) opened in September 2001 as a conversion charter school serving Preschool to 5th grade students in rural southeastern Minnesota. Located near the village of Ridgeway in Winona County.

Values: Academics, Children First, Community, Respect, Wellness

Vision: To be a growing school that is full of inquisitive learners practicing healthy living habits and becoming engaged community members.

Mission: Ridgeway Community School is an academically challenging school with an emphasis on community and wellness that leaves a positive lasting impact.

Educational Program:
In addition to its focus on building community between its students, families, staff and neighbors, the school’s charter calls for a focus on the core curriculum of reading, writing and mathematics delivered in a multi-age educational environment. The majority of the core reading, writing, and math curricula are delivered during morning class periods prior to recess and lunch. RCS students were grouped into the following grade-level configurations: kindergarten, first grade, second and third grade, and fourth and fifth grade. While most of the classroom instruction for the second to fifth grades takes place in multi-age classrooms, the students are broken out by grade level for math and spelling instruction. Kindergarten and first grade studentsare taught in separate groups due to the unique needs of the two grade levels. The school’s board of directors has set the maximum class size at 18 students.

Inclusive, differentiated instruction is used by all teachers who work diligently and collaboratively to assist and facilitate all students to be challenged in the regular classroom whenever possible. Throughout the school day the RCS staff and volunteers strive to create a school environment in which individual student differences are appreciated and celebrated. The students are expected to behave in a responsible and respectful manner and to always be prepared and safe.

A central component of the school’s focus on community building is the quarterly homeroom class. All RCS kindergarten through fifth grade students are grouped into six K-5 multi-age hour-long homeroom classes. Siblings are placed together in the RCS homerooms where the curriculum includes community building, character development, conflict management skills, health and safety, and service learning.

RCS students also benefit from instruction by specialists in art, music—including band instruments—and physical education, as well as special education and speech therapy. Classes are also scheduled for a half hour of library time each week. RCS students can take advantage of the school’s growing SELCO affiliated book and media collection with interlibrary loan materials delivered on a weekly basis. A wide variety of after school athletic, lifetime fitness, and enrichment clubs are offered to RCS students primarily through the use of volunteer coaches and club leaders.

While the school employs a full-time licensed special education teacher, Special Education Direction and support services are provided through a contract with the Hiawatha Valley Education District. RCS participates in the Minnesota Department of Education’s Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services (or ADSIS) program. This program provides partial funding for additional intervention services to reduce the number of students being referred for special education evaluation.

Ridgeway Community School also operates fee based morning preschool and prekindergarten programs for 3 to 5 year olds. This program employs a licensed teacher and utilizes the MN standard's aligned Creative Curriculum as the basis of its instructional program. Several scholarship programs are available for families who meet state eligibility requirements. Transportation to and from area home daycare providers to these preschool programs is available for an additional fee.

RCS takes pride in continuing to achieve our academic goals and becoming the center of a growing community of students, parents, teachers, families, and community members.