WELCOME
WELCOME TO RIVENDELL SCHOOL
For those of us who call Rivendell home, the word 'school' fails to capture what we pray takes place here every day. When we think of school we often envision mundane tasks, endless homework, tests, and grades. It's seen as the obligatory activity between recess, weekends, and summer break.
In contrast, Rivendell is so much more than that. It is a vibrant community of parents, faculty, staff, and students who come together ‘helping children explore God's world and discover their place in it.’ Unlike traditional schools, we believe that education is not simply a means to an end, but a deeply human endeavor rooted in our wonder about God, His creation, and ourselves.
OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL
Welcome to Rivendell School! At Rivendell, we believe that education is about far more than preparing children for the next grade, the next school, or even a future career. Rather, it is the deeply significant work of helping equip children to grow into the people God has created them to be. Our motto, helping children explore God's world and discover their place in it, expresses two commitments that shape nearly everything we do.
Because we believe that creation is worthy of our attention, that truth is worth pursuing, and that children are capable of far more than we sometimes imagine, we seek to awaken wonder and cultivate the habits of a well-trained mind. Whether studying the intricacies of a leaf, wrestling with a difficult mathematical problem, encountering the courage and failures of historical figures, or discussing the deeper questions raised by a great work of literature, we encourage our students to look closely, think carefully, ask meaningful questions, and delight in discovery. While wonder invites us to explore the world, the habits of disciplined study equip us to understand it.
Yet, education is never simply about what a child knows, but also about who that child is becoming. With Jesus as our foundation, Rivendell seeks to be a house of learning, a community of faith, and a company of friends, where children are known and loved, challenged to grow, and encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their work, their relationships, and their place in the world. In partnership with parents, we seek to cultivate not only capable minds, but also rightly ordered loves, courageous hearts, and lives marked by humility, gratitude, and service.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's works, Rivendell is the “Last Homely House”, a place of welcome, friendship, wisdom, and rest. Yet it is not a place where travelers remain forever. Rather, it is a place where they are strengthened, equipped, and prepared for the road ahead, with all its beauty, difficulty, and adventure. In much the same way, we hope Rivendell School will be a place where children grow in their knowledge of God's world, discover the gifts and responsibilities entrusted to them, and develop a firm foundation from which to engage the world with wisdom, courage, and faithfulness.
Thank you for your interest in Rivendell School. As a K–8 Christ-centered school in Arlington, Virginia, we would welcome the opportunity to share more of our life and learning with you. I encourage you to explore our website and, most importantly, come visit. There is something about stepping into a classroom, listening to a conversation, and seeing children and teachers at work together that words alone cannot capture.
I would be delighted to meet you, hear about your family, and share more of what we hope to cultivate here at Rivendell.
Chris Sibben
Head of School
RECENT reflections from our Head of School
The Atlantic: THE PEOPLE WHO WILL THRIVE IN THE AI AGE by David Brooks (Chris Sibben referenced and quoted)
WHAT SETS US APART
A Call to Adventure
A Refuge for the Weary
A House of LearninG
"Rivendell was the perfect house, whether you liked food or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear and sadness.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
A HOUSE OF LEARNING FOR ACTIVE MINDS
Education is a lifelong quest. Rivendell is a place where students are taught to seek answers, rather than merely given answers. Like Aristotle’s eudaimonia, the flourishing life is found in the active pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and virtue.
A Company of Friends for Open Hearts
Faith is not an accessory to education at Rivendell- it is the very air we breathe. Our pursuit of knowledge is inseparable from our pursuit of God, and we seek to prepare students not just for academic success, but for a life of wisdom, character, and service.
A Community of Faith for Tender Spirits
We believe education is best done in the context of meaningful relationships. Teachers serve as mentors, students grow as companions, parents are involved in all aspects of school life, and the classroom becomes a place where friendships are forged in the shared pursuit of discovery and truth.
Our DISTINCTIVES
BIBLICAL
WORLDVIEW
The conviction that all truth comes from God and that all areas of Rivendell’s school life are to be understood in light of the Bible.
INTEGRAL
CURRICULUM
The full range of academic subjects presented in thematic units of study, reflecting the wholeness of God’s created order.
CHARACTER
DEVELOPMENT
An emphasis on the development of character qualities through biblical reflection, role modeling, and opportunities for meaningful service to others in need.
Multi-faceted teaching Approach
Incorporating lectures for acquiring organized information, coaching to develop academic skills, seminar discussions to enlarge the grasp of ideas and values, and hands-on experiences to gain the concrete understanding needed to progress to abstract reasoning.
BEING
KNOWN
A supportive, relational environment of small classes in which each child is known and is encouraged to exercise healthy habits of heart and mind.
REQUIRED PARENT
INVOLVEMENT
Parents who are part of their children’s community of learning and who assume a high level of involvement in their children’s education.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We are A Christ-Centered School Open to All
Rivendell School is a Christ-centered learning community that welcomes families who share our vision of education. While we do not require parents or students to sign a Statement of Faith, we ask that all families uphold and support the mission of the school and acknowledge the Christ-centered foundation from which we teach. Our faculty & board affirm the historic Christian faith as part of their leadership and teaching commitment.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “CHRIST-CENTERED”?
At Rivendell, being Christ-centered means Jesus is at the heart of all we do. Our learning, relationships, and daily life orbit the Son “in whom we live and move and have our being.” The Spirit of Christ is the living center of our identity and vision— shaping how teachers lead, how students are known, and how our community reflects the character of Jesus in wisdom, grace, and servant leadership.
OUR APPROACH TO EDUCATION & FORMATION
