Check Out all the progress we’ve made!

Strategic Plan Progress Update - November 2023

Our GoalS

1

Prayerfully and thoughtfully inspire the growth of RMS in order to provide our children with the finest environments and adult guides that enable learning and growth at every stage of development

2

Foster an intentional RMS Community of children, families and adult guides focused on parent education, increased communication, purposeful events, and volunteer opportunities that contribute to the realization of our strategic plan

3

Model and live an Authentic Catholic Montessori Environment in keeping with the original principles laid out by Dr. Montessori

Help Us Achieve these Goals!

Goal 1:

Prayerfully and thoughtfully inspire the growth of RMS in order to provide our children with the finest environments and adult guides that enable learning and growth at every stage of development

Objective 1

Thoughtfully expand RMS Environments to meet the increasing interest of families in our growing community

Objective 2

Promote guide and staff well-being and competency by refreshing and enriching the RMS work environment

Objective 3

Fiscally manage the growth of RMS in a manner that provides the finest adult guides and environments, while also ensuring that RMS remains accessible for families who are invested in an Authentic Catholic Montessori education

Objective 4

Establish a persistent Strategic Planning Committee, reporting to the Board of Directors in Collaboration with the Head of School, that convenes at least quarterly to evaluate and communicate progress on Initiatives, while also facilitating the identification of future annual Initiatives over the life of the plan

Objective 5

Share our inspiring RMS story of growth and Authentic Catholic Montessori education to attract new families to our community

Read About Our Progress

The Giving Season Begins Today! Support Catholic Education on this #givingtuesday2022 Make a donation at: https://bit.ly/3lIHHOl

There can be no doubt of the fact that a child absorbs an enormous number of impressions from his environment and that external help given to this natural instinct kindles within him a lively enthusiasm. In this way education can be a real help to the natural development of the mind. ” Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child, p. 261

Points of interest satisfy children’s sensitive period for exactitude and order, which enables them to discriminate, classify and sort all the impressions received through their absorbent mind in the world around them, constructing their intelligence. Here, a child is sliding his hands down the side of the pink tower to feel how smooth it is when two sides are flush instead of each cube being placed in the center.

For the past couple of weeks, the Elementary Children have been preparing for their "Living Souls Museum" in celebration of the Catholic feast days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Each child chose a saint to research, wrote a short biography, and presented it to parents, grandparents, siblings and staff. Our halls were filled with the likes of St. Helen, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Padre Pio, St. Peter, St. Therese, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and St. Lucy. #catholicmontessori #renaissancemontessorischool #catholicsaints #rmsstratplan

What is handwriting? Handwriting is the expression of a thought through a symbolic representation—the ability to recreate a system and adapt to the needs. It is a tool to allow another person to know your thoughts and your feelings even when you are not present at the moment. Writing is a way to materialize an idea or a feeling. Over 100 years ago, Maria Montessori took a very particular approach to writing where she saw the child as a whole. The process of writing does not start in the language area. The process of writing begins in the practical life area with a method that she perfected with time after observation. She discovered that children are capable of writing their thoughts, even before they can read someone else ideas. She was amazed by this discovery and created an environment full of opportunities for the child to arrive at the goal of handwriting. She made a very thoughtful process that allowed the child to have a passion for literature. She developed a method where the child could have a rich vocabulary before arriving at writing. She created a method that focuses on human development to satisfy this human tendency for communication, an abstraction of the human language to a more concrete realization. As time goes by a lot more parents become anxious about their child learning how to read and write. This is very understandable. The writing process in the Children's House is a beautiful process where the child leads, and the guides follow the child. We are there to support this process from the beginning to the end. We support this developmental process from the first year in the Children's House. And most importantly, we remember that the practical area exercises are crucial for the development of handwriting. #renaissancemontessorischool #catholicmontessori

RMS welcomed two more “kids” this weekend! Congratulations, Dulce!

Our animals is one of the things that makes RMS so special. This week , we had two exciting events: our chickens have been returned to their home AND we found out we had a surprise pregnancy with another one of our goats! The elementary students discovered a “new kid” during their lunch break!

Last week our vet came out to check on our goats and speak to our Elementary students, who had a chance to ask questions and see what a goat sonogram looks like! The great news? Dulce is pregnant! #renaissancemontessorischool #catholicmontessori #rmsstratplan

Nothing like roasting marshmallows and building a good bonfire to gather our lovely Montessori community together! #renaissancemontessorischool #rmsstratplan #catholiccommunity #catholicmontessori

SUNFLOWER by Sanford Jones Sunflower, sunflower yellow and round You are the prettiest flower I’ve found Tall, straight, full of grace I love the light in your bright yellow face! #renaissancemontessorischool #catholicmontessori #rmsstratplan

“At this age (between one and a half and two and a half years) children have a need to develop independence. ” Maria Montessori The 1946 London Lectures, p. 136 #RMSstratplan #catholicmontessori

Another harvest of peppers and tomatoes from our Children’s House garden!

Happy 152nd birthday, Dr. Maria Montessori! #catholicmontessori

All of that work of the Absorbent Mind can be exhausting! #catholicmontessori

Goal 2:

Objective 1

Refresh and enhance the Parent Montessori Journey

Objective 2

Intentionally connect Families to foster trust and confidence in their Montessori Journey

Objective 3

Promote monthly communication between Parents and RMS about educational and developmental milestones along the Montessori Continuum

Objective 4

Establish and maintain community connections among RMS families and measurably increase participation in volunteer opportunities each year over the of our strategic plan

Volunteer Your Time

Email us at admin@rmsmail.org or sign up in Track-it-Forward:

Goal 3:

Model and live an Authentic Catholic Montessori Environment in keeping with the original principles laid out by Dr. Montessori

Objective 1

Utilize the principles laid out by Dr. Montessori to assess which AMI principles/initiatives we uphold and which AMI principles/initiatives we consciously reject and then transparently document and communicate our position, to include highlighting the importance of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to the development of the “whole child”

Objective 2

Create a compelling outdoor environment, integrated with the education of the “whole child,” that draws the children and families in our community together, engages them with nature, and encourages the praise of the Creator

Download the strategic plan pdf

Help Achieve the Plan