The Renaissance Bulletin
Curriculum Updates
Social Emotional Learning
Each grade level has been meeting to identify key areas for social emotional learning and growth for the various age groups. Some common themes we notice with our little learners are around cooperative play skills (taking turns), identifying big and little problems, and appropriately managing their big emotions. We teach students explicitly around these topics through book talks, hands on activities and role play. Please join us in noticing these topics should they come up at home and having conversations about these things withe them as well. Here are some activities you could try at home!
This year, grade level teachers are really focusing on the art of teaching writing to young learners. It can be a frustrating thing for kids, so we appreciate your support at home by showing the JOY and POWER that comes from writing well. Please enlist your child's help (as slow as it may be at times 😅) to write a grocery list, play restaurant and take an order, write a song or poem, write down math facts and quiz each other. Talk about what you like to write about or why you love reading what other author's write. Any of these things will support us in our endeavors in school!
Units of Study
K1: Building Our Working City. During the next eight weeks, your child will be developing answers to the question, How can people build a city that works? Through exploration and play, they are tackling big questions about how cities function and their role in it.
K2 through 2nd Grade: Animals & Habitats. These grade levels are focusing on various essential questions around animals from what types of animals exist and where they live to what adaptations they have that enable them to survive.
Please ask your child about their themed learning and support through conversations around these topics. The more they talk about it the more they'll have to add to our class discussions and explorations.
Curriculum & Assessment
- Winter Benchmarking Assessments: These assessments will be conducted in January and provide a measurement of progress for each student from fall to winter. We utilize two platforms called i-Ready and Aimsweb. If you have any interest in seeing these reports, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher. These benchmark assessments also help to guide our WIN (what I need) blocks to ensure each student is getting the support or enrichment they need within ELA and Math.
- Writing Focus Update: In the next month, all students will be able to see various examples of high quality student writing pieces for each type of writing (argumentative, informational and narrative). They will begin to use a checklist that outlines what essential components need to be in each writing piece to allow them more opportunities for self reflection and peer reflection. We look forward to capturing some photos of this work for our next bulletin! An example of a third grade checklist is below.
New and Happening
BRCPS Specialty Program and Voices of Renaissance was featured at Arts|Learning Champion of Arts Education Advocacy Awards. The Voices of Renaissance choir, Renaissance Dancers and a stop motion animation piece from Mr. Provenzano’s art studio were featured at the event.
Specialty Classes will be changing for Trimester 2 on Monday Decemeber 4th. Lower School Enrichment will also change for the trimester. Upper School will continue in the specialty area they have chosen to study for the 23/24 school year.
STARTS, Specialty honors for our Stars in the Arts, begins Friday, December 1st. Invited students will attend STARTS each half day Friday morning for extra focused learning and projects in one specialty.
Picture Retake Day
Retake Day is for new students and staff members, transfer students, anyone who may have missed the initial picture day, OR for anyone who was unhappy with their original picture and would like to give it another try. If a parent/guardian would like the retake photo to replace the original photo, please have the student return the original picture package to the photographer on or before picture day. We will replace the original package at no additional cost.
PLEASE Stop by The Lost & Found
Renaissance Families,
It is just the third month of the school year and already we have PILES of your students belongings in our Lost & Never Found Bin. We ask that you PLEASE remind your students to make sure they have all of their belongings before they leave school for the day, to avoid having to go through an outrageously full bin.
Uniform Policy (Family Handbook)
Lost articles are kept in the Lost and Found area for approximately 30 days.
BRCPS is not responsible for lost or misplaced items.
