ROPES Project
The Portola Valley School District is very excited to announce the Rite Of Passage ExperienceS (ROPES) Project for the 2023-24 school year. The ROPES Project is specifically designed as an optional enrichment activity as students complete a cycle of their education (Ormondale to Corte Madera, elementary grade to middle school, middle school to high school). The ROPES Project gives students in third, fifth, seventh and eighth grade opportunities to explore and demonstrate project-based learning. The project is an opportunity for students to participate in an academic ritual by way of real-life experiences. This is not a classroom assignment and there is no grade attached to it
ROPES participants select from the list of ROPES Challenges. These challenges encourage students to use their school learning to suggest solutions, research information or create products that reflect real life situations. Each challenge gives students a chance to demonstrate critical thinking and creativity and each can be done individually or with a partner. The project should be thought of as a “passion project”. The project is multi-tiered and is worked on over the course of several months before being presented to a panel. The capstone of the project is the ROPES Celebration Night where students who have successfully met the ROPES criteria will receive a rope in honor of their accomplishment.
There will be an information meeting for parents and students who may be interested in participating in the ROPES Project on Monday, November 27 at 5:00 p.m. in the Ormondale School Library. During this meeting we will discuss the process of completing a ROPES Project as well as details about the challenges that students can choose from. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers. It is our hope that the ROPES Project will become a milestone event in each of our PVSD students’ lives that they look forward to participating in.
We hope to see many of you at the informational meeting on November 27.
