Weekly Update 3/21/19

Message from the Head of School

“You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.”~St. Augustine

Dear RMS Parents,

I love the quote above from the Doctor of Grace, St. Augustine. It reminds me of the work the children do every day; the little efforts at greater self-mastery, and all the hidden work we can’t see. It reminds me of the work our amazing staff does everyday; the deliberate moments of patience and kindness they extend to all the children throughout the day. It reminds me of our beautiful little school itself; a great aspiration made up of little things.

Speaking of little things (or people), this is just a quick reminder to take advantage of our referral program! Share your enthusiasm for RMS with your friends and get a tuition discount when they enroll. All the details are below!  And thank you in advance.

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 the children have experienced new culinary delights! Dried figs and creamy tomato basil soup (with chunks of tomato) has been served at snack to enjoy with their daily bread! 
Twelve months to three years is prime time for introducing new foods. Children need to experience a new food 12 to 15 times before their taste buds will recognize it. So, if you are trying new things at home, and getting poor responses. . . keep at it a little longer, knowing if they say they don't like it and they have tried it a dozen times, then they really don't like it! Enjoy!

MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE

We have been tending and planting in the flowerbed. We are beginning to see the sprouts and buds and can't wait to see the colors when they start blooming! We enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick's Day, dancing and singing. On St. Joseph's day, we enjoyed bread baked in our own oven by two of the older children. In celebrating these yearly feasts, markers of time passing, we begin to be aware of the patterns and rhythms of each year. 

MESSAGE FROM ELEMENTARY

Dr. Montessori reminds us that, “The mind works by itself, moved by a power within.”  While we seek to inspire the children with our rich presentations, we also offer opportunities to work with the hand while the mind is processing.

To that end, we have introduced button sewing and embroidery in Elementary. Several of our students are already quite experienced, so our projects are increasingly complex with each passing day. In the second-plane classroom, we do not offer practical life activities in the same way they are offered in the Children’s House, namely as activities unto themselves. Living in community requires that we engage in practical life tasks, such as washing tables before lunch or at the end of the day, taking care of the plants, and polishing articles in the Atrium. Rather than having a table scrubbing option as a work on the shelf, we offer handwork that can aid in the child’s concentration. Many children use it as a way to settle themselves interiorly or as a reset between challenging academic work. The work is satisfying to the children (and the staff) and clearly builds community, as children chat as they embroider.

If you have any handworks about which you are particularly passionate, please come in and share them!

MESSAGE FROM ERDKINDER

This week Erdkinder will welcome Mr. Jared Seff - an accomplished visual artist and high school teacher of art from Savannah. 

Title of Workshop: The Master Study and Portraiture

Objectives:

  • To learn to discover and reveal beauty in design through looking at a formidable masterpiece portrait. 

  • To learn and practice different modes of drawing: Matrix, envelope, planar, and tonal

  • To familiarize oneself to the history of portrait and to form a relationship with one specific piece.

  • To be able to visually breakdown a composition. What makes it tick? 

So each student will choose a Masterpiece portrait and learn by trying to reproduce it. We are excited and grateful for this gift. 

RMS Community Yard Clean Up Day

Join us for a Yard Party on Sunday afternoon, March 31 from 2:30-4:30. Bring the kids and your yard tools---we have lots of jobs for all ages that can be done to beautify our property.  This is a great way to earn Volunteer Hours, and it will be fun to get our families together to take care of this amazing property.  Adult and kid beverages provided.  More details to follow.

Volunteer Needed for Yearbook Layout

We are looking for a parent to help us put together a yearbook. We plan to use a Shutterfly template so no major layout or computer skills are needed. We would work with you to provide pictures and text needed. If you can help, please reach out to Miss Fox in the office.

Lost and Found Will Be Donated 3/22

Our Lost and Found, which is located on the shelf in the Parent Lounge, is overflowing! There are LOTS of uniform fleeces and other items that might belong to you. Please stop in to claim your child's items. All items still in the Lost and Found on March 22nd will be donated to charity.

New Tenant on Campus

We are happy to welcome Pampas Fox Catering to our campus. The old school kitchen is being refurbished and Pampas Fox will be cooking out of it on a regular basis. They have their own parking and entrance in the alley so we will not see much of them, but the owners, Jorge and Lucia Bruno, are long time members of the local Catholic community and we are pleased to have them put the kitchen to good use!

Siena Academy is looking for a Head of School

Siena Academy is a small Catholic Montessori School in Great Falls, Virginia. The ideal candidate must be a faith-filled, practicing Catholic with a strong commitment to the Catholic philosophy of Montessori education and experienced in the Montessori method. Applicants must possess educational, managerial, communication and leadership skills. 
The start date for the position is July 1, 2019. To apply, please complete the application process outlined on the Office of Catholic Schools website https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/Catholic-Schools/Careers/  For more information, email Danielle at office@sienamontessori.org

Upcoming Events

  • 3/26/19 - First Communion Meditation 6:30 PM

  • 3/31/19 - RMS Grounds Clean Up 2:30 - 4:30 PM

  • 4/1/19 - Montessori Monday 8:30 AM

  • 4/2/19 - First Communion Meditation 6:30 PM

Reminders

How to Earn a $500 Tuition Credit

Many of our families have come to RMS because they've heard from an existing school family how happy they are at Renaissance. These personal referrals are the best marketing any school could ask for and we want to reward you for them!

With open enrollment beginning,now is the perfect time to to make a referral through our “Referral Bonanza” program.

Here's how it works:

  1. Talk to your friends and family with young children and encourage them to schedule a visit by calling the office or through our online scheduler at https://www.renaissancemontessorischool.org/schedule-a-visit/. We will be sending home a flyer for you to hand to a family you think might be interested as well!

  2. Any referred family that decides to apply after their observation and visit will have their application fee refunded.

  3. If a referred family is admitted and decides to enroll, the referring family will get a $500 tuition discount.

If you feel you don’t need that discount but your referred friend does, you can gift it to them!