Weekly Update 1/17/19

Message from the Head of School

“The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
   -    Maria Montessori 

Dear Parents,

Happy Winter!  If we doubted it before, I think the recent weather has put those doubts to rest.

As I am sure you already know, our Mardi Gras fundraising gala is fast approaching – and we really need your help. We need sponsors, and auction items, and volunteers, and attendees (tickets are available NOW, by the way).

So please take a moment and consider how you can best help make this the best Mardi Gras gala to date. And thank you.

God bless,

Sean

Sean P. Garvey
Head of School
Renaissance Montessori School

Messages from the Environments

MESSAGE FROM THE YOUNG CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY

This week has been no ordinary entry back into ordinary time! In anticipation of snow, we have been reading some winter favorites like,The Snowy Dayby Ezra Jack Keats,Sadie and the Snowmanby Allen Morgan, andOwl Moonby Jane Yolan. These are beautiful slow paced books that help children understand the special gift that a blanket of snow gives us. Enjoy!

MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE

The children are loving the snow! We were so happy to find snow still here when we came back after the weekend, and enjoyed throwing it, rolling in, shoveling it, and moving it.

MESSAGE FROM ELEMENTARY

The Elementary class is really enjoying spending the last half hour of our days together in the great outdoors! It has been helpful to the El staff to have a chance to observe the interactions of the students as they are playing outside and to catch up with each other and with the children in a more informal setting. The first few days tested our resolve with gusty winds and freezing temps, but the snowball fights, fort building, and snow angels have been lots of fun! (There have been no sustained complaints about the lack of organized sports so far...)



MESSAGE FROM ERDKINDER

In early December our community sent a message to a well established Catholic sculptor in order to ask for his help in finding instruction for beginners. Here is part of Thomas Marsh's joyful response:

 "Your message is one I have been waiting for years to hear: that there is a desire to create original Catholic art (regardless of the skill level). It took young people to see this! I will contact Dr. Rubin asap."

We are welcoming Mr. Marsh this week for a two day workshop and are very excited. Our objective it to produce a Nativity set that we will be donating to the Gala for auction. We have high hopes!

To see some of Mr. Marsh's work please visit his website: thomasmarshsculptor.net/

Parent-Child Night - We will follow PWC for closings.

If PWC closes evening activities, Parent-Child Night will be cancelled and re-scheduled for another night.

The Primary and Elementary Environments are pleased to invite you to Parent-Child night next Thursday, January 17th from 6:30 - 8:00. This is a chance for your child to show you what they do each day at school, a time to demystify their work, and to answer questions such as what are the "metal insects" and what does sandpaper have to do with learning to write and read. 

Please click the link below and sign up for only ONE slot for each environment you have children in. Each child may bring just 2 parents/guests in with them. If you have more people interested in coming, they are welcome to come and take turns in the classroom. Expect to spend between 20 to 30 min with your child(ren) while they show you their favorite materials.

SIGN UP FOR A SLOT

This evening is for the children and parents, and we ask that siblings not enter the environments so the parent can focus the individual child and to keep the rooms from getting too crowded. We will have a staff member in the gym for siblings to wait. 

Elementary children will have another opportunity to show their parents work in the environment at an Open House opportunity during Catholic School Weeks. Stay tuned for details.

As this format or time is not an ideal toddlers, Mrs. Ashton invites you to join a Parent-Infant class on any Monday to come and see your children in their environment.

Erdkinder will have other opportunities to show their families their work and their environment later in the year.

Financial Aid Application Deadline Approaching

In order to be considered for Financial Aid for the 2019 - 2020 Academic Year,all currently enrollment families must complete the Financial Aid Application before February 1st.This includes families who have filled out applications in the past, as parents must reapply for tuition assistance each year. For more information and a link to the application, clickHERE.

Sibling Priority Application Deadline

RMS has a policy of giving children from already enrolled families priority admission. If you have a child not already enrolled at RMS that you would like to attend in the Fall, please fill out an application before January 30. Not only does this give you priority for admissions, but will greatly streamline your re-enrollment and payment agreement process. You can apply here:
https://mytads.com/a/renaissancemontessorischool

Calendar Change Due to HVAC

As announced via email this week, we are excited to announce that RMS will be getting a new HVAC system. Not only will this help us better regulate the temperature in our environments, but it will save us money in the short and long term.

As you might imagine, in a campus our size, replacing the HVAC is a large project. We have been informed by the contractor that they need two weeks with no children in the environments to complete the work. In order to keep the impact of this time as minimal as possible, we have scheduled the work to be done around Easter, when we are already out of session for 10 days. We do, however, need to add days to this break to give the contractors the time we need.

So, please note the following calendar changes!

  • Teacher In-Service Day scheduled for March 15th will now take place on Monday, April 15th.

  • April 16th and 17th there will be NO SCHOOL but to use these days productively, they will now be Parent-Teacher Conferences. 

Please reach out with any questions you may have!

Upcoming Events

  • 1/17/19 - Parent Child Night 6:30 - 8:00 PM

  • 1/18/19 - NO SCHOOL March for Life

  • 1/21/19 - Montessori Mondays 8:30 AM

  • 1/30/19 - Sibling Application Deadline

  • 2/1/19 - Financial Aid Application Deadline

Reminders

Jan/Feb Pizza Form Available

The January/February Pizza Form is now available. Orders are due with payment no later than the Wednesday before each Friday. The form is below or always at the top of the Weekly Updates.

January/February Pizza Form

Freedom and Discipline Resources

Thanks again to all the families who were able to attend our Parent Afternoon. We enjoyed the collaborative discussion! As promised, here are some resources for further study on this expansive topic, as well as some key phrases we use here at the school.

Resources

Freedom Discipline Podcast
Obedience Podcast
Self-Discipline Poscast
Quotes for Reflection
Aid to Life Website
If Gentle Discipline Isn't Working, This Might Be the Reason Podcast

Examples of Language We Use

It seems like you are not in control; you can borrow some of my self-control until you find yours again.

I think you might have forgotten,  ____  (Ex. we carry a pitcher with 2 hand)

I can see that you are not ready to ____ (carry a pitcher) right now. When you are ready, you can try again.

You can move your body or I can move your body for you.

You may not know this, but ___  is rude (or disruptive, etc.)

We can ____ once ____ is done. 

I'll know your ready to ____, when I see you ____.

Saying the feeling out loud but not offering a solution. You seem really frustrated. That must be really hard.

Important Research Participants Needed

Dr. Angeline Lillard is looking for participants for an important study she is conducting on Montessori education. Dr. Lillard’s research work is very highly regarded and we want to be of assistance in any way that supports that work.Please click here to see the attached flierand take the survey if you can, so that we can realize the dream of adding to the body of desperately needed Montessori research.