Weekly Update 9/20/18

Message from the Head of School

The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, ’The children are now working as if I did not exist.’
               ~Maria Montessori

Dear Parents,

One of the central paradoxes of Montessori is the simultaneous importance of the prepared adult in the classroom, and their aim. On the one hand, the teacher is the guide and directress of the child in the environment, introducing the world to them, and modeling for them the way to navigate it. On the other, their ultimate goal is to slowly remove themselves from between the child and the work, and reduce the child’s natural dependence on them. It requires a very delicate balance of being fully present to the child but never in the way. It is analogous to our work as parents. Yes, our mission is to protect our children, but it is also to promote their independence and self-reliance, and reduce their dependence on us.

In other news, we’re thrilled to announce our new Wednesday afternoon Atrium.  The Catechesis is the heart of the work we do here, and it’s thrilling to be able to offer it to more and more of our extended community. PLEASEhelp spread the word!

God bless,

Sean P. Garvey
Head of School
Renaissance Montessori School

Messages from the Environments

Message from the Young Children's Community

Toddlers thrive on regular rhythm. They like the predictability of knowing what is happening and what is coming next, this provides them with a feeling of safety and security. As we have entered into the first week of full days, the rhythm and regularity of our routine brings great comfort to our Young Children's Community. They are enjoying baking each day, practicing on the toilet, community snack, gathering for songs and stories and prayer table. We are ending each day in the garden, as the weather permits. Please bring in rain boots for your child if you haven't already. We will wear them in the garden each day!

Message from the Children's House

In the Children’s House, we are excited to have new outdoor opportunities including a jungle gym and a shed for supplies. We are enjoying the fruits of our garden and planning for even more next year. On a sad note, Cousteau, our Betta fish, died this week and we will find a place for him in our garden. When we are ready, we will plan for a new fish to join us. 

Message from the Elementary Community

The Elementary children are truly enjoying our history studies!  We remembered the anniversary of the writing of our national anthem together by hearing the story of Francis Scott Key. The older students have been analyzing the poem as a group, focusing on parts of speech.  We also started our new writing program, led by Mrs. Clune, which focuses on ancient civilizations (with the fifth and sixth years). The younger children have been exploring geometry, particularly types of polygons and triangles, with great excitement.  We are looking forward to welcoming observers soon!

Message from the Erdkinder

Here are a few things you may not know about our community [in Latin]:

  • What we try to do: Ora et labora [You pray and you work.] We often sing together during morning prayer.

  • How we try to do it: Non Impera sed Servi [You do not boss, you serve.] This is our motto.

  • Our company name: Fructus Terrae [Fruit of the earth.] 

  • Our flock of 34 Golden Comets produces delicious soy-free, non-GMO eggs which are available to buy. See below.

  • Every day at noon we sit down for Prandium [our communal lunch] and then have a short break we call Post-prandium.

Visitors are welcome by arrangement with the office. Thank you!

Family SCRIP Contribution

With a little planning, it is easy to work SCRIP into your day to day purchases and make your $300 profit goal!

Rosanne Garvey is the SCRIP coordinator. She can be reached at 703-447-9229 or by email atrosanne505@verizon.net.

SCRIP is a fundraising program which asks retailers to participate and sell us gift cards at a reduced rate. For example, if you purchase a $100 Lands End gift card through SCRIP, they charge us $86 for that card and the school makes $14. There are countless retailers to choose from: airlines, hotels, clothing, fast food, gas, groceries; even Uber participates!!

To start ordering or buying SCRIP, simply visit www.shopwithscrip.com and set up an account. Make sure that spending is linked to RMS by entering our enrollment code - 8F91287E14129. Once you have an account, you can peruse the hundreds of retailers that participate and decide how best to use SCRIP within your family.

The easiest way to use scrip is to set up a "Presto Pay" account, which draws money directly from your bank and gives you access to SCRIP cards immediately from your phone, or to print from your home computer. Many, but not all, retailers participate in this format which is called SCRIPNow! PrestoPay uses the same safe electronic ACH that banks use and is secured by a 4 digit pin which you must enter every time you use it. There is a $0.15 charge per transaction when you use PrestoPay.

If you do not set up a Presto Pay account and would rather get physical gift cards,you can place your order on the website and bring a check to school by Tuesday made out to RMS. Orders are placed on Wednesdays and the check must be deposited before an order can be placed. The order takes a few days to ship and Rosanne can get your cards to you by the following Tuesday. 

Lastly, we have a SCRIP binder which is kept in the office. You are welcome to purchase SCRIP cards directly from the binder with cash or check. Please mark on the front of the binder what you have taken and whether you paid by cash or check.

Feel free to call or email Rosanne with any questions.

Facebook Group for RMS Parents

Are you on Facebook and want to connect with other RMS parents that way? Join the RMS Parents Guild Facebook group. Find it at HERE.

Eggs for Sale

Erdkinder will be selling our eggs again to the community of RMS. Here are some facts about our eggs.
Our eggs are:
● Soy Free
● Non-GMO
● Cage Free/Pasture Raised
● Carefully Inspected
● Delivered fresh to your car door (during the academic year)

Are you interested in buying our eggs? If so, how many dozens per week would you buy?
Please email Fructus Terrae at ~ fructusterrae@rmsmail.org

Community Event

Holy Family Academy is once again having theirMichael Pennefather Memorial 5K and Color Fun Run. The event is Saturday, October 13th and promises fun for the whole family. See the attached flyer for details.

5K Flyer

Upcoming Events

Reminders

Toddler Pick Up and Drop Off


Parents of toddlers have the option of going through the carpool line and we will pick up or drop off your child from the car or you may bring your toddler to the door of the environment. If you want to walk your toddler to or from the toddler building, please park in the lot first so as not to block the carpool line.

Volunteer Opportunity

Would you like to get some volunteer hours in at home? We are looking for a digitally savvy parent to layout the 18-19 RMS Family Directory. If you can help with this, please contact Kristina.

New for 18-19 - RMS Absentee Line

RMS now has two easy ways to report your child absent.

  1. Call the RMS Absentee Line at 703-594-7032 and leave a message.

  2. Send an email to the absent@rmsmail.org.

Load this contact information into your phone now and report your child absent before 8:30 AM each day they will not be attending school. To ensure the safety of all our children, we will be calling the parents of all children not at school and to confirm the absence if we have not heard from you on the line above.

Pick Up Authorization 

If you would like to give permission to a member outside your immediate family to pick up your child from school, please follow the link below (also available on the Parents Page). For the safety of all, please make sure to call the school EACH time someone besides you is going to pick up your child. 

Pick Up Authorization Form

Carpool Safety Reminder

This is a reminder that it is very important that cars do not pull around to leave the line unless directed by a school staff member. We have children, including toddlers, that walk or are escorted to buildings on both sides of the carpool line so extra vigilance in this matter is appreciated!

Pizza Fridays


We are continuing the ever popular Pizza Fridays this year! Since this first week is Phase-In, the first Pizza Friday will be September 14th. Below is the pizza form. We ask that you please hand these in, with payment included, no later than the Wednesday before each Friday. You can order for the full two months or any week at a time. 

PIZZA FRIDAY ORDER FORM