Richmond Drive 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 providing a safe, caring, and academically challenging learning environment.
Richmond Drive Elementary has been a part of Rock Hill Schools for over 70 years. It is located near Winthrop University and is a true neighborhood school as it is surrounded by our families. During our years of educating children, Richmond Drive has had a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds attending the school since integration.
As stated in our vision, at our school “as leaders, we strive to empower leaders that are confident, responsible, empathetic and excited to learn” as our students develop the characteristics of the South Carolina Graduate and staff grows as professionals. Through the hard work of our staff, students and parents we have continued to strive to be the best that we can be.
Students in grades Pre-K-5 receive specifically planned instruction in ELA and Math. Reading Interventionists are used to provide small group instruction for students who need more intensive reading support. The planning is strategic and differentiated with the intent to increase student learning and make academic gains which are measured using Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) for grades 1-5.
Staff participated in professional development sessions that included: LETRS (grades K-3), English Second Language Learners, special education in the general education classroom, Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and worked diligently in their grade level PLC to strengthen core instruction through a data driven approach.
Richmond Drive Elementary continues to strive to create a dynamic learning environment where students are academically challenged and will become lifelong learners. The last school report card rating received was Below Average and has been a priority in our approach to transform our school.
We have continued to implement Leader in Me and continue to see positive behavior throughout the building. This year our discipline referrals have decreased as compared to the previous year. Our behavior interventionist supports teachers and students to maintain appropriate engagement in the classroom and promote academic achievement. We continuously strive to engage families to be an active participant in changing unacceptable behaviors as this must be a true partnership between home and school.
We are a school of 470 students 24 regular education teachers, 3 interventionists, 4 special education teachers, 1 school counselors, 1 MTSS Lead/Family School Facilitator, 1 math coach, and 1 reading instructional coach that supports teachers in research based instructional practices. Each instructional coach is responsible for maintaining data electronically for primary and elementary. The data that is included for elementary is SCREADY, MAP, and local assessments such as FastBridge.
The Richmond Drive school family is excited about the work ahead of us and we are committed to making a transformative impact on our students, families and community.
We truly appreciate the support that we receive from our community and district as we work to ensure that our students develop the World Class Knowledge, World Class Skills, and Life and Career Characteristics that they will need to become South Carolina high school graduates, life-long learners, and life-long Tiger Leaders!
Robert E. Hamm, Principal
