Message from the Head of School
We teachers can only help the work going on, as servants wait upon a master.
-Maria Montessori
Dear Parents,
The quote above is one of my favorites, because it starkly highlights the counter-intuitive approach Montessori discovered about human development. It demands of us all a healthy dose of the virtue of humility, as we are reminded that we are merely serving a process we did not create and cannot force. It’s a truly humbling thought, in the best sense of that term.
Our annual Gala is fast approaching, and we’re really counting on all of you. PLEASE make plans to attend and register today, and don’t forget to bring your wealthiest and most generous friends. It’s always a wonderful time with great people, so we look forward to see you there!
God bless,
Sean
Sean P. Garvey
Head of School
Renaissance Montessori School
Messages from the Environments
MESSAGE FROM THE YOUNG CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY
One of the developmental needs of our youngest children is using their hands in various ways: their grasp, crossing the mid-line, hand-to-hand transfer, carrying objects and trays, and using two hands together. We encourage repetition of these skills by repeating tasks over and over, swapping out materials that look different, but help the children practice these skills. One of my observations this past week has been the improvement in their pincer grip as they pick up the knobs on the puzzles. They are more refined than the beginning of the year. The pincer grip is preparing the hand for writing, in years to come. The thumb, pointer finger and the middle finger, come together to pick up small items and knobs. Notice your little ones at home, and model this movement for them as they are working towards mastery of this, inviting them to "watch!"
MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE
This week in the Children's House, there has been a lot of work on practical life. Preparing snack, doing dishes, and cleaning up after lunch have kept us busy even when the weather is too cold and wet to go outside. There is also a lot of excitement about Valentines Day, with lots of practice cutting and writing in the creation of notes to exchange!
MESSAGE FROM ELEMENTARY
In honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday this week, we have been hearing the story of his life and of the impact he had on our nation. The children have been writing reports and doing further research to learn more about this famous American. Children in the second plane love to hear about those who have gone before us, and it never ceases to amaze us how often the children's responses include gratitude and thanksgiving for the contributions of others. These kinds of studies also makes them ask: What can I do to be an agent of change today? They love the lives they currently live, and they are starting to recognize that we would not have some of the things we enjoy without a community of people in the past who shaped our world. In addition, the third years have been listening to the biography, "Who is George Washington Carver?" and have been astounded at his selfless generosity and of his quiet leadership of the poor farmers he encountered. Later this week, we will remember Saint Valentine, as well!
MESSAGE FROM ERDKINDER
Erdkinder has discovered that training chickens is much harder than you might think. Some are very slow to use their brand new roosts. These chicken ladies chose at first to roost on the under chassis of our trailer! So now we have devised our version of a baby fence, which prevents them from getting under the new coop and gives them no other choice than their brand new roosts at night. It is a work in progress and the weather has not helped. Next up they need to figure out their new nesting boxes. The adventure continues!!
Help Us Promote the Gala on Facebook
Are you on Facebook? We are asking that all parents help RMS promote our Gala by liking the page and sharing the posts. You can find the Gala page here: https://www.facebook.com/RMSMardiGras
Please Review RMS
In our digital world, parents often look for online reviews when considering the best school for their family. We'd like to encourage you to post a review about your experience at RMS. We believe that we offer something unique in our area and we'd love for you to share your RMS story.
It's Box Tops Time
The deadline for sending in our spring Box Tops is fast approaching. Please turn in any Box Tops you have collected to the basket in the office by Friday, Feb 22nd!
Upcoming Events
2/8/19 - Elementary Open House
2/15/19 - NO SCHOOL Teacher In Service
2/18/19 - NO SCHOOL Teacher In Service
2/20/19 - Parents Guild Meeting 8:30 AM
2/22/19 - Primary Parent Child Night
3/1/19 - Re-enrollment Deadline
3/2/19 - RMS Gala & Mardi Gras Auction
Reminders
Re-Enrollment Begins Friday, February 8th
Re-enrollment for the 2019 - 2020 academic year will begin Friday, February 8th.Your re-enrollment decisions, whatever they be, are critical to our planning efforts, so your effort to complete this process in a timely fashion is very much appreciated.
This week you will receive an invitation to re-enroll directly from TADS. As always, you will need to submit a $100.00 tuition deposit per child ($50.00 for Parent/Infant). We will continue to use a streamlined process so after you have enrolled each of your children, you will be led directly to your payment agreement.
We are pleased to announce that for the second year in a row, the Board of Directors has decided to keep tuition rates as is for the 2019 -2020 academic year.
The enrollment form, the deposit and the payment agreement will need to be set up prior to the March 1st deadline, after which open enrollment begins.
New Refund Policy
School expense budgets are set on an annual basis, and based on projected enrollment.Accordingly, there are no refunds once the decision to enroll has been made. Withdrawal of a child at any time after enrollment will include a three month payment penalty.The only exceptions are if the school determines that an enrolled child would be better served in a differently structured environment, and that RMS is unable to serve that child or if the family moves out of the area. In such cases, the tuition agreement will be adjusted accordingly, to account for time attended and time remaining in the school year. Special cases will be reviewed by the School's Board of Directors.
Primary
We will continue to offer a single Primary environment for 2019-20. This means that spaces will be limited.
Elementary
Our Elementary has an active waiting list. All currently enrolled students, both in Elementary and moving up from Primary, are guaranteed a spot until the March 1st deadline.
After March 1st, we will begin accepting applications for any available openings in Primary and Elementary and cannot guarantee spots for re-enrollment.
Financial Aid
If you applied for aid before the February 1st deadline, you will receive your determination before the March 1st enrollment deadline. Please DO enroll and pay the deposit for your child(ren) as soon as possible but DO NOT sign a payment agreement before receiving your determination. Agreements will be updated when aid decisions are made and you will be notified of your award.
Lastly, I would ask that if you know with certainty you will not be re-enrolling, please let us know as quickly as possible. This greatly helps us as we plan for next year.
Should you encounter any problems with the forms, don't hesitate to contact TADS Parent Support at 800.477.8237, Monday through Friday 7 to 8 Central time.
Parent - Child Nights Rescheduled
The children were disappointed to not be able to show their parents their environments when the Parent - Child Night was cancelled due to weather. We have rescheduled the event as follows:
Primary
The Primary Parent-Child night will now beFriday, February 22 from 6:30 - 8:00 PMand will follow the same format as previously announced. You can see more details and sign up for a slot to attend at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094EA8AE2CA13-primary
Parents Guild Outing February 15th
Feb. 15 is a day off of schooland the Guild is planning an outing for the kids! We are thinking of meeting atUptown Alley in the Manassas Mall. http://www.uptownalleymanassas.com If we get a group of 10 we can reserve our place. For 13.99, each person gets 1 game of bowling with shoes, and a $10 game voucher or a game of laser tag, two slices of pizza, cookie and a drink. There is also a package without food for 11.99. We have to reserve and pre-pay. If you would like to participate, please contact Tyra Nuar with names and ages. tajm2211@gmail.com
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!