Weekly Update 1/31/19

Message from the Head of School

“The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence.” -Mara Montessori 

Dear Parents,

Winter is most definitely here!  I hope you are all staying warm, and enjoying the family time.

The quote above is one of Dr. Montessori’s most amazing insights. Amazingly, 100 years before the advent of brain scans, and pediatric neuro-psychology, she discovered that the brain is quite literally built by the hands.  And as our technology has improved, we’ve learned more and more just how far ahead of her time she was.

If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend watching Pediatric Neurologist Dr. Steven Hughes’ movie “Good at Doing Things”. We have a copy of it in the Parent Lending library, if you’re interested. I’ve also included a short snippet of him being interviewed below.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcNvTPX4Q08

See you at the Parent Night next week!

Sean

Sean P. Garvey
Head of School
Renaissance Montessori School

Messages from the Environments

MESSAGE FROM THE YOUNG CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY

Scooping, pouring, spreading and spooning are a few ways the children in the YCC are refining their small motor movements during snack time. They are very food motivated! Each child has a small pitcher of water at their place setting and they pour their own water into their glass. Additionally, they have been serving themselves from a community serving bowl and this gives them an opportunity to ask a friend to "pass the _____, please!" With a sweet "thank you!" to follow. This week we introduced kiwi fruit at snack. One of our young friends cut them in half for serving, and the children scooped the tangy, sweet fruit right out of it's skin! So fun!

MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE

Last week, we were delighted to attend a tea party hosted by a few of the older children in the Children’s House! We were served berry tea, cucumber sandwiches on homemade biscuits and peaches with cream cheese. The children prepared the food, laid the table and served the guests.

MESSAGE FROM ELEMENTARY

In Elementary, we are celebrating National Catholic Schools Week with fun activities each day!  Yesterday, we dressed in comfy clothes and enjoyed "Mary Poppins" as a community.  Today was Tacky Tuesday, and the children were so creative in expressing themselves, even in uniform.  We are looking forward to the next few days and our continued festivities.

MESSAGE FROM ERDKINDER

Our work together continues! We are finishing our Nativity set. St. Joseph is almost complete. We installed a gate in our electric fence, so we won’t risk damaging the fence by climbing over it. Thank you Mrs. Wolf for her help on that. Our new mobile chicken roost is almost ready. Our community went out for laser tag last weekend. It was a lot of fun! 

Six Going on Seven Parent Night - February 5

Our next Parent Night is scheduled for February 5th. The social time begins at 6:30 with the talk beginning promptly at 7:00. This evening will cover the child's transition from the first plane of development to the second and applies specifically to children moving from Primary to Elementary. If you have a Primary or early Elementary child, this is a can't miss informational evening. Come with your questions!

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

Elementary 

The Elementary would like to offer a parentOpen House on Friday, February 8th during school hours. You can see more details and sign up for a slot to attend at: 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094EA8AE2CA13-elementary3

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

Upcoming Events

• 2/1/19 - Financial Aid Application Deadline

• 2/4/19 - Montessori Mondays 8:30 AM

• 2/5/19 - Six Going on Seven 6:30 PM

• 2/8/19 - Elementary Open House

• 2/15/19 - NO SCHOOL Teacher In Service

• 2/18/19 - NO SCHOOL Teacher In Service

Reminders

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.

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!

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.

Weekly Update 1/10/19

Message from the Head of School

“The child who concentrates is immensely happy.”
-    Mari Montessori

Dear Parents,

Welcome to winter!  May the winds soon cease to blow.

During the winter months there are many challenges; cold and flu season, rampant cabin fever, short days and cold early morning risings. But there are many opportunities as well for deeper concentration activities; quiet time by a fire, family reading time, and a whole host of others. As we fight the winter blues, it’s important to make the most of those as well.  

Keep an eye out for a very exciting launch announcement about our new neighbor, CCMA!

God bless,

Sean

Sean P. Garvey
Head of School
Renaissance Montessori School

Messages from the Environments

MESSAGE FROM THE YOUNG CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY

The Young Children’s Community has been celebrating Epiphany everyday this week with several processions, songs, bells and opening the lovely gifts from our families! At prayer service we have read the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke several times, and each time, when we get to the part of the Shepherds, someone gets up to get the Good Shepherd figure out of the sheepfold and place it on the prayer table. It is a joy to be able to share these little connections with your children and our dear Lord. Thank you so much for the compost bucket and Mini mule mugs, which were put to immediate use! Our little bakers will enjoy the popover pan for baking; it is a thrill to see the biscuits rise! And, you might not think it, but they will love to journey out to the yard, to empty the small composting bucket into the large composting tumbler for our outdoor spring garden!  They are such busy little workers! 

MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDREN'S HOUSE

The children were all so excited to receive some lovely Giving Tree gifts from the parent community and have loved using them in the environment!

MESSAGE FROM ELEMENTARY

The highlight of our week thus far has been the building of a model of a river. Using a pre-constructed frame given to us years ago by a previous guide, the sixth years sculpted the model using cling wrap, balled paper, and clay. The other children were very intrigued by the process and enjoyed observing. When completed, we will use the model to show the flow of water and its capacity to carve the landscape over time. We will also label the parts of the river. These materials come at the beginning of a study called "The Work of Water," which will continue for several weeks.

MESSAGE FROM ERDKINDER

The Erdkinder is having a roost built on a trailer in order to house our chickens. Mr. Alan Constantine, father of Theresa Constantine, has taken charge of the donated materials and built the main structure.The students are assisting Mr. Constantine in finishing it. We cannot wait to have our mobile roost! It will help us use our chickens to fertilize our land and it will give them many more pasture areas. 

Parent-Child Night Is Next Week!

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.

Important Notice from the Elementary

Starting tomorrow, the elementary class will be going outside for at least 15 minutes every day. The only reason we will not is for extreme cold, hail, or lightening. Please help your children to dress appropriately for spending up to a half an hour each day, including outerwear and shoes/boots.

Staffing Change

It is with sadness we say good-bye to Sloan Seelbach, who has been a wonderful assistant in many of our environments and our shuttle driver this year. We wish Sloan all the best in her future endeavors! Beginning Monday the 14th, Mrs. Deborah Britten will be driving the RMS shuttle. Make sure to say hi and give her a warm RMS welcome.

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

Upcoming Events

• 1/16/19 - Parents Guild Meeting 8:30 AM - Rescheduled from 1/9/19

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

• 1/18/19 - NO SCHOOL March for Life

Reminders

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.