To enable all students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and the values necessary to become responsible, productive, and resourceful citizens.
A Warwick Tech Warrior is first and foremost a learner. In order to learn and grow, Warwick Tech Warriors use knowledge, skills, values, and tools to solve problems, overcome challenges and obstacles, and create original works. Using the "6 C's" of 21st Century Learning, Warwick Tech Warriors will maximize learning experiences by having access to high-quality instruction, opportunities for enrichment and or remediation, fair and equitable assessments, and technology tools that enhance productivity, provide guided practice, and prepare students for education and careers beyond Warwick.
Every Warwick Tech Warrior will experience explicit, direct instruction in each of the "6 C's" in all subject areas. These six skills are essential for every learner, regardless of his or her aspirations for the future. The "6 C's" are defined as:
Communication - sharing thoughts, questions, ideas and solutions
Creativity - trying new approaches to get things done; creating innovation and invention
Collaboration - working together to reach a goal; putting talent, expertise, and smarts to work
Critical Thinking - looking at problems in a new way; linking learning across subjects and disciplines
Citizenship - looking at global awareness, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship
Character - showing honesty, responsibility, respect, integrity, and kindness
These six building blocks are essential tools for the Warwick Tech Warrior.
To prepare students for their future
Every school district has a mission to prepare students for their future. Because technology can globalize our economic and educational markets, whether a graduating senior is seeking college or trade school admittance, or move directly into the workforce, the competition is becoming more and more challenging. If the Warwick School District is to continue to provide a quality education that prepares its students for this competition, the District must ensure it has equipped its students with the necessary resources they will need when moving on to that next step.
To allow students to take ownership of their learning
Having a device will provide students with digital and online resources at their fingertips. Being connected will enable students to find answers online immediately. Students can also build personal learning networks through collaboration with experts or peers. Finally, having a device expands the classroom; the school day is no longer bound by physical or time restraints.
To maximize students’ learning potential
All students can learn! Every learner is an individual, some learn at a faster pace, some at a slower pace, but all students can learn. Having an Internet-connected device enables students to maximize their learning potential by learning at their level and pace. Through this access to online content and resources, students who need time to process the material can do so without feeling rushed to keep up with the class; and students who already know the material or who grasp the concept at a quicker pace, have resources readily available to move ahead on their own initiative. This provides the ability to customize learning for individual students.
To engage students in their learning environment
Students live in a digital, online world. All students going through a K-12 environment were born into an era where computers, laptops, mobile devices, and the Internet already existed. Students do not know life without access. From home computers to personal cellular phones to gaming consoles, students are already connected. The school should be an environment that teaches the skills of responsible and appropriate behavior, creating a safe and positive digital presence, and how to find a balance between both digital and physical realities.
Every student in grades Kindergarten through graduation, will be participating in the Warwick Tech Warrior program. All students in these grades will have assigned devices (MacBooks or iPads), and some might have the option to take them home to work outside of the school building. Both devices considered have all of the necessary software and apps needed for their curriculum and learning goals in addition to an internet filter that is active at both school and anywhere the students access the Internet.
Kindergarten - Grade 2
Grades 3 - 12
iPads
MacBook Airs
Costs associated with the Warwick Tech Warrior program are offset with the reduction in printing, curtailment of traditional textbook purchases, and extension of current student and staff computer refresh cycles. Warwick has been building financial capacity for this program for years and has been balancing costs as needs have grown over the past decade. Parents and/or guardians do not have to pay a fee for their student’s technology use, however; damage to technology by the student, shall incur a fee which is listed in the replacement cost table later discussed in this handbook.