Head of School's Message
“One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.” - Maria Montessori
Dear RMS Parents,
This week we entered our second full week and were blessed with glorious end-of-summer weather. The children are still settling into their rhythms, individual and community, but there is a familiarity and comfort growing in them. I notice it most at drop-off. The trepidation of the ‘new’ is largely gone, and there is a palpable anticipation for the day to come. Even “MizrGarbee” (as I’m sometimes referred to) is welcomed as he approaches the car door.
That sense of familiarity, of ownership, of belonging, of ‘this is my place’, is the fertile soil out of which all of their joyful work and achievement will flower. And that is why we take such care at the beginning of each year to begin well, and let success build on success. It takes time, as they say this is a “slow work”, but it is well worth it.
God bless,
Later Pick-Up Procedures
The RMS Later Pick-Up option for the 3:00 pick up allows you to pick up your child(ren) as late as 4:30 PM for a fee of $5.00 per child per day with a cap of $15 per family per day.
- To sign up in advance, please simply email or call the office and let us know the days you plan for your child to attend.
- At 3:15 PM, all children still present will be moved to the Later Pick Up Service. If you did not sign up in advance, please call the school before 3:00 to confirm your plan to pick your children up later so we can reassure your children you are safe and on your way!
- When picking up, please sign them out with the adult in charge.
Volunteer Opportunities
Primary Garden - A Note from the Team
Hello Primary Parents!
At the beginning of the year we mentioned we would love to have parent volunteers help with the garden in the mornings, to be a presence as children from both environments come and go and work outside. If you would like to give one morning a week (or even one afternoon), please contact the office with your availability. It is so important for the children to have consistency, so please consider if you can make a weekly commitment. [Of course we understand if your child is sick or something comes up and will try to find a sub in that case.] If you are available to sub, please let the office know as well.
After you are given a time slot, you would come around 8:30 or a little earlier and set up a few works, then have between 4 and 8 children at a time through the morning until 11:30. The first time or two, a staff member would be available to orient and assist you.
If you can't make a regular commitment, but would like to offer something to the children, please talk to your directress. Thank you for you consideration. God bless!
Box Tops
RMS is once again collecting Box Tops. As most of you know, these are the pink coupon-looking squares you see on many items that already purchase. Each one is worth 10 cents for the school which can add up fast! Please collect them and turn them into the school office by Thursday, Oct 19th. You can hand them in to any of the staff at drop off or pick up or have your children bring them in. RMS mom, Michelle Clune, is the Box Top coordinator. If you have any questions, please contact her at michelleclune@yahoo.com. Thank you!
Strep Throat Notification
Our school has children whose medical condition puts them at greater risk from a case of Strep. If your family has a diagnosed case of Strep, please let us know so that we can make sure to inform them to take steps to protect themselves.
Upcoming Events
- 9/27/17 - Parents Guild Meeting
- 10/9/17 - No School - Columbus Day
Reminders
NEW Procedure for Absences
Our little school has grown into a big school and for the safety of all the children, we are updating our policy on the procedure to notify the school of absences.
- Going forward we will not be able to accept messages about the absence of a child from a sibling or as a spoken message from a parent at carpool. The sheer number of children entering each day makes it impossible for us to remember and relay these messages accurately. To communicate a child will be absent and why, please call or email the school before 9:00 AM.
- If a child is absent and we have not received official notification from a parent, we will be contacting you to confirm that the child is with you and the reason for the absence.
RMS Facebook
Have you visited the RMS Facebook page? This year we will be using Facebook to share the life of the school with our community, including pictures of the children and helpful articles for parents.
Don't miss out - follow us now! We are @RenaissanceMontessoriVA or visit and follow us HERE.
NB: If you've set your media release to "Limited Usage," we will not be able to share pictures of your children with you on Facebook. If you want to change your usage or are unsure of what your permissions are, contact Kristina.
New Blog
We've added a new blog for parents on the website! The blog will host a copy of the Weekly Update for easy reference as well as informational articles and tips for parents.
Check it out in the "Parents" tab or HERE.
Family SCRIP Contribution
You may have noticed a new charge in your 2017-2018 contract named “Family SCRIP Contribution”. This charge is due June, 2018, but in actuality, it is a charge designed to never be paid! Here’s a brief explanation.
As you all probably know, SCRIP is a way for families to fund raise for the school via the money they already spend on other things (clothes, groceries, gas, movie tickets, whatever). For example, if you buy $50 of movie tickets using SCRIP, you get $50 of movie tickets AND the school gets $4! So it’s a great way to use the dollars you spend elsewhere to help the school raise money and keep tuition as low as we can.
In regard to the new “Family SCRIP Contribution” charge, every month you’ll get a report of exactly how much your SCRIP purchases have contributed to the school, and before the charge comes due, all those contributions will be credited on your agreement. A mere $25 a month in contributions eliminates the charge altogether!
In addition this year, credits can be earned by attending Parent Nights! Each Parent Night you attend gets you up to $20 in credit toward this charge!
To get started earning credits, contact our SCRIP coordinator, Rosanne Garvey, at rosanne505@verizon.net or call her at 703-447-9229.