Top of Navigation
divider

About_RDSdividerAdmissiondividerLearning at RDSdividerGivingdividerCommunity

Open Houses and Docent Tours

The Mission of Redwood Day School is to cultivate an intimate, diverse community where children develop inquisitive minds, build confidence in their individual gifts, and contribute as responsible members of society.

The History of our School has been one of enormous growth and change. Since 1963, we have transformed from a tiny school of 12 students into the thriving community we are today. We believe strongly in our mission and are leaders in the new direction of education in the East Bay.

School Profile: Redwood Day School, an independent, coeducational, K-8 lower and middle school, is located in Oakland, California, approximately thirteen miles east of San Francisco. We are a nonprofit corporation directed by a board of trustees.

Accreditation: Redwood Day School is accredited through the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). We are members of the CAIS and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). We are actively involved in the People of Color in Independent Schools Program (POCIS).

Campus & Facilities: Redwood Day has been on Sheffield Avenue since 1994. We own our campus, located on a 3.5 acre site nestled in a quiet residential street. We provide generous classrooms, a gymnasium, a library (new in Fall 2005), two computer labs and several large outdoor playing areas. In Fall 2007 we opened two brand new buildings in the Middle School. We are immediate neighbors to homes, an EBMUD reservoir, and a city park.

Enrollment: Redwood Day School’s enrollment for the 2007-2008 academic year is approximately 350 students with anticipated enrollment of approximately 370 students in 2008-2009. Between our classroom teachers, full-time interns, and specialist teachers, we offer an academic student-teacher ratio of nine-to-one. Our average class size is 20 students; the maximum class size is 22 students.

Student Body: We are committed to enrolling students of diverse geographic, economic, religious, ethnic and racial backgrounds. In our admission process, we strive to build a diverse learning community that includes all of these factors as well as a breadth of learning styles. 38% of RDS students in the 2007-2008 school year self-identified as students of color.

Academic Program: We offer a rigorous core academic program that is project-based, developmental, and enriched with regular specialist classes that include art, music, physical education, technology, library, and Spanish. Our on-staff naturalist and cooking teacher also work with the classroom teachers to integrate garden-work and cooking into the core curriculum.

At the middle school level, we maintain the rigor and breadth of the lower school curriculum while adding advisory groups, drama, dance, activity groups, and such optional activities as interscholastic sports and student council.

Service Learning : Redwood Day School is committed to helping our students learn to contribute as responsible world citizens and members of society through our service-learning program.

Our service-learning coordinator works with each teacher to incorporate service-learning projects into the classroom curriculum. Service-learning projects often meld into a school-wide project in which each class participates in a different, age- and curriculum-appropriate, way. Projects vary greatly from year to year.

Interscholastic Athletic Program: Middle School is a time when students are testing and expanding the limits of their cognitive, social and physical abilities. The athletic field is a wonderful place to bring all of these developing abilities together. At RDS, students can pursue athletics in our After-School Sports Program. Student athletes are welcome on our co-ed soccer, cross-country, track, and volleyball teams and the boys' and girls' basketball teams.

Technology Program: Redwood Day School's technology program is integrated throughout the curriculum with weekly computer classes for grades K-5 and laptops used on a regular basis in the middle school. 

Service Learning Program: We incorporate service learning programs into each class level. Lower School participates in the Good Cents for Oakland program each year.

Assembly Program: As a regular part of the program, Redwood Day students and faculty gather for a weekly assembly, generally held on Wednesdays at 10:50 a.m. Programs include class performances, invited guests, school announcements, recognitions, multicultural programs, and enrichment programs.

.


Back to Top Back to Top