Weekly Update 10/19/17

Head of School's Message

“No adult can bear a child’s burden or grow up in his stead.” -    Maria Montessori

Dear RMS Parents,

We are very much looking forward to seeing you all tonight at the first Parent Night of the year. The topic is what I refer to as the “meta-curriculum” of Montessori, and we’ll be examining examples of what that work looks like, both at school and at home.

I know I say this a lot (incessantly?), but it’s almost impossible to overemphasize how important these Parent Nights are.  Not only are they a lot of fun, but they are a chance to reflect on and learn more about what we’re all really engaged in.  And don’t forget, this year you get a $10 credit toward your SCRIP contribution target for each parent that can attend!  As if the wine and good company weren’t enough!

See you tonight!

Sean

Parent Night Tonight - Win Harris Teeter Gift Certificates!

At tonight's parent night, the Parents Guild will hold a drawing for Harris Teeter Gift Certificates! Anyone who has registered their VIC card will be entered. It's not too late to get registered.

If you are a Harris Teeter shopper and signed up with their VIC program, please email Paula O'Keefe sokeefe407@aol.com your info and she will get you signed up. She simply needs your last name and the phone number associated with the card or the 9 digit VIC number and your last name.

If you prefer to sign yourself up when you are at Harris Teeter, our school number is 8616.

Thanks for helping our school!

Classroom Wishlists Now Online

We've heard from parents that they would love to know what kinds of things could be donated to help enhance the work of their child's environment. We've created a section on the website to help you. You can find the RMS Wishlist under the Support Tab of the website or follow the link below. Thank you so much for your generosity!

RMS WISHLIST

Late Drop Off Procedure Reminder

Late arrivals are extremely disruptive to the entire class, and they rob your child of his/her full morning work cycle and start their day on the “wrong foot”. It is crucial that your child have consistency and routine in their life and learn the importance of being on time. Therefore, we cannot stress enough the importance of helping your child to arrive at school on time.

If you arrive after 8:30, please:

  1. Park and bring your child(ren) to the office. Children should not go straight to their classrooms. Under no circumstances should your child be allowed to walk from the car into the school unaccompanied. 
  2. A staff member will ask you to sign your child in and will then safely escort them to their classroom or give them a tardy pass, depending on their age.

Thanks so much for your help in keeping the work of the classrooms protected.

Earn Money for RMS With Your Shutterfly Orders

Renaissance Montessori is thrilled to announce we are now participating with Shutterfly and Tiny Prints fundraising storefronts – both storefronts give the school 13% of your total purchase. For each purchase you make from either one of these brands, 13% will be donated to our school!

In need of Christmas cards, mailing labels, or personalized items (with or without pictures), shop through our site! Wedding or anniversary presents needed…shop through our site! Simply click the link renaissancemontessori.shutterflystorefront.com, click which brand you want to shop, and shop away. As soon as you make a purchase, the school’s revenue shows up on our fundraising page.

How To Support Us:

  1. Go to our storefront -  renaissancemontessori.shutterflystorefront.com (Also found under the Support tab on the RMS website.
  2. Click through to Shutterfly.com or Shutterfly.com/Tinyprints and start shopping
  3. Make a purchase

That’s it, it is that easy AND you can still use any discounts that are being advertised on the Shutterfly site. Feel free to share this email with all your friends and family, the more people who purchase, the more our school earns!

Picture Day Details

This year's picture day is fast approaching. As a reminder, please make sure to have your children here by 8:30 AM on November 2nd as we will begin taking pictures immediately.

Below are more details ordering.

Photo Packages and Order Information FAQ

Going Out Help

The Elementary has already had three going-outs so far this year: to the National Zoo, to the Baltimore Aquarium, and to the American History Museum.  Please consider chaperoning a going-out, as this aspect of our curriculum is what makes it possible for children to explore beyond the walls of the classroom and is not possible without parent support. All that is required is being available to drive a small group of children to a local source of information. This is usually done completely within the regular school hours. The elementary children do all of the planning and can work with your schedule!

If you can help with this important work, please contact Jenny Luetkemeyer at jluetkemeyer@rmsmail.org.

Living Souls Museum

Our Elementary community is hosting a "Living Souls" museum on October 31 from 9- 11:30 a.m. Children from Elementary will be dressed up and ready to tell you about the saint or soul whom they are portraying, ranging from Our Blessed Mother to Babe Ruth. We welcome parents, grandparents, and extended family to join us for this open house event.

Upcoming Events

  • 10/19/17 - Parent Night #1 (Revised Date)
  • 10/20/17 - No School - Teacher In-Service
  • 10/31/17- Elementary "Living Souls" Museum 9 - 11:30 AM
  • 11/1/17 - No School - All Saints Day
  • 11/2/17 - Picture Day

Reminders

Chick-fil-A

Save the Date!  Chick-fil-A in Bristow will host a Spirit Night for RMS on Wednesday, November 15th from 4-7 pm. Come and enjoy a meal at Chick-fil-A and a portion of the proceeds will be given to RMS! More details to come.

SCRIP Update

Don't forget to order scrip weekly at www.shopwithscrip.com and drop off your cash or checks by Tuesday. Mr Garvey will collect them curbside or you can put them directly into the SCRIP box in the office. If you haven't set up an account yet, our enrollment code is 8F91287E14129.

Remember that if you want to earn that $300 quickly, it is best to set up a PrestoPay account because you can purchase and use electronic SCRIP immediately from your handheld device or home computer, no more dealing with dropping off checks and waiting a week for your cards to arrive.

Forgot to place an order? No problem, there is a SCRIP binder in the office with an array of cards for purchase. Simply go into the office and Kristina will help you through the purchase process. Any questions or problems please contact Rosanne Garvey at rosanne505@verizon.net or 703-447-9229.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher conferences occur twice a year; once in the fall and once in the spring. The conferences provide parents with one-on-one time with the teacher, to share our joint observations of the child, so we can best acknowledge who they are and what they need next.  Conferences can be scheduled during “office hours”, which are unique to the environment and directress.

In order to make these as fruitful as possible, parents need to have observed at least once in the environment before their conference.

Use the links below to schedule a conference. If there is an emergency and you are not able to make your scheduled time, please contact the office to let us know. Then reschedule through the sign up below for an available time. Thank you in advance for your prompt arrival.

Elementary North Star Southern Cross Toddler

Erd Kinder Conferences Times - Contact Dr. Rubin directly to schedule. Monday 10/09  and 10/ 16 3:15 - 3:45 3:45 - 4:15 Wednesday 10/11 and 10/ 18 3:15 - 3:45 3:45 - 4:15