Parent Teacher Magazine Rowan-Salisbury Schools March/April 2018 | Page 4

Message from Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody Our Goal is to Give Every Child a Personalized and Extraordinary Learning Experience. At Rowan-Salisbury Schools, we are very excited about our com- munity and all that we have to offer our citizens to make this a wonderful place to work, raise a family, play and of course edu- cate children. Our goal is to give every child a personalized and extraordinary learning experience. Instruction in our classrooms guides students to be suc- cessful by learning to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. We are recognized across the country for our innovative approaches to teaching and learning. We are ranked in the 'Top 10' nationally for pioneering uses of tech- nology, and we have received state and national recognitions for innovation and excellence in educational programs. We build on a strong foundation focused on literacy that leads our students into discovering and achieving their personal life goals. Our students are guided through a CCRP learning model where instruction is Connected, Col- laborative, Relevant, and Personal. High School Academies Rowan-Salisbury provides extraordinary education every day for more than 19,000 students in 35 schools. We set our high schoolers up for success by offering high school choice academies in the areas of: n n n n n n n n Agriculture & Farm-to-Table Business, Marketing and Finance Communications Health Sciences Fine and Performing Arts JROTC STEM & Advanced Manufacturing, and an Early College – in partnership with Rowan Cabarrus Community College Over the past four years, our annual amount of scholarships awarded has increased from approximately $9.5 million to $26 million. Personal Student Devices We are excited to be leaders in innovative learning, and we believe it is our responsibility to inspire an engaging and personalized educational experience for each student. In doing so, we provide all students in grades K-12 with a personal iPad or laptop device. Rowan-Salisbury moved to a one-to-one digital conversion in 2014 - where every student has their very own personal device! Students in grades 3-12 take their devices home, while the devices for students in grades K-2 remain at the child’s school. These teaching and learning tools are changing the culture of our community as well as our schools. Students are engaged with their technology devices at home and at school. We realize that the needs of the future are different from the needs of the past, and this requires us to be leaders in transforming how we teach. It also allows students to access instruction with the flexibility to learn anytime and anywhere. Our students must be prepared for the work environment of the future and with their mobile technology devices, students can now explore, research, and create solutions to real-world challenges with the most current information at their fingertips. 2 • March/April 2018• Parent Teacher Magazine  Extra-Curricular Activities It is critical to provide an extraordinary curriculum for students along with opportunities to excel in the fine arts of music, band and chorus. In addition, we are also very proud to offer our children a variety of athletic and skilled programs. Through the years, many of these programs have led to honors, awards, and championships at the local, regional and state levels in the areas of tennis, golf, track, basketball, swimming, masonry and Skills USA. Community Area Schools Inspiring, Innovative and Engaging – this describes the new and unique Com- munity Area Schools concept that is being implemented across our district. Within Rowan-Salisbury, we have six community areas: North, South, East, West, Salisbury, and Southeast. Through each area, we are personalizing the learning experience for children and families by following each child as they grow and move from elementary school into middle school and then on to high school. We all fall under the larger umbrella of Rowan-Salisbury, but with the smaller Community Area Schools, educating children becomes an even more family-centered environment while continuing to give children the best education possible. Rowan-Salisbury has caring principals, teachers and staff that work hard and are committed in providing the best for all students. We are fortunate to en- joy enriching relationships with our parents, business community and elected leaders, as we work together to achieve extraordinary learning environments for our students.