TRCS Monthly Newsletter
     
Articles
Holiday Party
Stacey Wins Blackboard Award
Spotlight On....
What R U Up 2?
Cook To Live Workshop
Thanksgiving Feasts
A Christmas Carol
Harvard School Study
Featured Article
Renaissance Rocks!
TRCS Sports Desk
PTA News
Alumni Corner
Upcoming Events
Helpful Hints and Cool LInks

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Everyone at Renaissance is looking forward to our first big break of the school year.  Recently, we all came together as a family to share a holiday dinner and decorate our Angel Tree.  We also came together as a community to help those who were victims of the typhoon in the Philippines. Our students, families and staff donated an over-whelming amount of clothing and other necessities.  Read on to find out about the many things going on at Renaissance.  With all that has happened recently around the world and here at home, we want to send out our best wishes that you and all your family are safe and happy at this holiday season and in the New Year.
Angel Trim-A-Tree & Holiday Party

        What better time than the holiday season for our families to gather together and share a meal.   Along with the annual Angel Trim-a-Tree tradition to raise money for the Angel Fund, the TRCS PTA also invited families to share a favorite family dish and partake in the holiday shop & celebration.

       There were holiday themed arts & crafts for the kids, and our favorite face painter, Julie Shea decorated faces with flying reindeer and more!  We were also treated to some great music.  Thanks to all who participated!

         If you missed the event, you can still donate to the Angel Fund!  The Angel Fund was started several years ago by school aides and other office staff to help families in need. Over the years we have been able to donate  emergency funds to many of our Renaissance family members, as well as help reduce the cost of school trips and buy extra supplies for classrooms.  Be one of our angels, and as you think about your holiday giving, consider each individual child that will benefit from a gift to our school.

         You can donate online here, or mail or send in your donation to the school in an envelope marked "Angel Fund".  Thank you, and have a wonderful holiday season.
Prinicipal Stacey Recipient of Blackboard Award
                On Monday, November 18th friends, family, staff members and students gathered to see Stacy Gauthier receive a Blackboard Award for Excellent Service as a principal.  In 2008, Renaissance itself was the recipient of a Blackboard Award in Excellence.  The Blackboard Awards are meant to honor and celebrate schools, principals and teachers of excellence from all educational communities-public, private, parochial and charter-and from all grade levels.   They were started by Manhattan Media, publishers of New York Family, which helps to connect families to the business and services they need in their communities and brings news on the latest in education.
      
        There were twenty honorees and it was wonderful to hear about the many different types of schools that parents have to choose from when considering their children's education.   James Merriman,CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, spoke about his travels around the country and said that no where is there as much diversity in education as New York City.  You can read about the other schools and principals honored that evening by following the links below.  Congratulations once again, Stacey! 

http://www.newyorkfamily.com/the-2013-blackboard-awards-for-schools-and-principals/
Blackboard Awards Press Release 
Spotlight On: 7th Grade Advisory Steps up to Help Out
         On November 8th, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines with winds exceeding 140 mph, making it one of the strongest storms ever to  make
landfall.  The result was mass devastation and everywhere worldwide, people organized to donate much needed clothing, food items and more to the people of the Philippines.  As always, our extended Renaissance family came together to help out.

                 Spearheaded by MS math teacher Ram, who is originally from the Philippines, students, their families and staff members donated a massive amount of goods and much needed cash donations.  With the help of Ram's students, all items were sorted, organized and packed and on Friday everything was loaded onto a cargo van provided by RDR Cargo Express to be shipped to the Philippines.
     
        Unfortunately, it sometimes takes events like this for us to realize how fortunate we are.  But it is also at times like this that Renaissance steps up and is at its finest.  Please take a moment to  watch the video Ram created to share the great work students did to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGP53Tje0us
 
        If you would like to make a monetary donation, please visit:
What R U Up 2?

      Sage Gauthier, of class 602, loves to horseback ride.  She goes to Jamaica Bay Riding Academy every weekend where she works on her skills and helps out around the barn.  

 

       Sage has been in several competitions and took home a blue ribbon and reserve champion in one of her events.  Her favorite horseback riding activity is jumping, as you can see by the picture!    

Cook to Live Workshop
         On Saturday, November 16th a group of Renaissance parents, and some students, attended a workshop led by Funmilayo of Fusha Dance.  

       You may recognize her name from a previous article about  African Dance classes which she presented  to our MS  students recently.  Funmi is also a nutritionist and gave a great workshop on healthy eating, as well as prepared us a great lunch!  We are hoping to have Funmi back to work with our kids in the after-school program to help get them on track to eating healthy and deliciously, as well as learning how to cook some great meals!

       You can visit her website to learn more about her philosophy:
Thanksgiving at Renaissance
  High School Thanksgiving Buffet
     
       We hope you and your family had a great holiday.  We always start celebrating Thanksgiving a little early at Renaissance and on Wednesday, November 27th our seniors served up a great lunch buffet. This gave us a preview of the holiday dinner to come, and helped raise money for senior class expenses.   This year the middle school also had their own feast to raise funds to offset the year-end trip.  During their meal they reflected on what they are thankful for.


Some of our lovely HS ladies helping out! 











     Middle School Students get into the Thanksgiving
spirit serving up a great lunch.










       As always at this time of year, we had many alumni who came back to visit.  Check out their photos in the Alumni Corner below!
A Christmas Carol




       Story teller Jonathan Kruk  returned once again to Renaissance to treat our students to a great rendition of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".   The theme of his performance was "Holidays Around the World".










       Our elementary and middle school students were treated to this really fun and original performance, just in time for the holidays! 

Elementary Classes Keep Busy!
Many of our lower grade classes were busy with some great trips last week:

The 1st grade visited the American Museum of Natural History.  The kids came back really exciting by the Frog Exhibition.

Both 5th grade classes made a visit to the Museum of the City of NY.

Our 6th graders were treated to a visit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  They took in the Greek and Roman art to better understand the mythology studies they are covering in class.

Our kindergarten class went up to the roof garden to explore the snowfall!
Collaborating with Harvard Graduate School of Education
       Renaissance is collaborating with the Making Caring Common Project (MCCP) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As part of a data-driven improvement effort, students at our school will participate in an anonymous survey designed to help school leaders better understand how students' perceive their school environment. And by collecting this important information, we will have the opportunity to brainstorm effective responses and strengthen our ability to promote the development of children's ethical and social capacities, including caring, respect and responsibility for others.

        On their website you can find tips and tools inspired by the newest research and the wisdom of experience. They will help you promote social and emotional learning, prevent bullying and other forms of cruelty, and create cultures of caring and respect in home and at school. Renaissance is proud to be a part of this important work. 
Featured Article...Sadie Nash Project at The White House
          Renaissance has had a successful partnership with the Sadie Nash Leadership Project (SNLP) for the past ten years.  SNLP has been instrumental in helping many of our young women achieve success here at Renaissance, as well as in college and life beyond.  This wonderful organization has now been recognized on a national level, receiving the White House 2013 National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award.  The award, presented by First Lady Michell Obama, is the highest honor that a youth program can receive in the United States and SNLP was selected as one of only 12 honorees from a pool of over 350 youth programs across the country.

      The mission of the Sadie Nash Leadership Project is to "strengthen, empower, and equip young women as agents for change in their lives and in the world.  By increasing the participation of women in social, political, and economic decision-making, SNLP seeks to question and redefine the nature of leadership and to promote perspectives and practices that are cooperative, accountable, ethical, and effective."

      A four-year grant, received two years ago from the Patrina Foundation, allowed us to expand the programs, taking more students into the program and offering additional classes for their involvement as such: an SNLP class offered annually, twice a week from 9th grade to 12th grade. The Sisterhood Academy course would be offered in 9th grade, the Making Waves course in 10th grade, a College Prep-oriented course in 11th grade and an ELLA Fellowship ("Engage, Learn, Lead and Act") course in the 12th grade. Over the years many of our Sadie Nash girls have earned Posse Scholarships to prestigious universities, including Barnard, Skidmore, Wellesley, Brandeis and Swarthmore.

      We are pleased to be able to offer this wonderful opportunity to our students and we congratulate the Sadie Nash Leadership Project on their achievements.  If you have a child at Renaissance who would benefit from this program (grade 9-12), please have her speak to her adviser.  Visit the SNLP website to learn  more about their great in-school and summer programs.
Renaissance Rocks!
 
          On Friday December 13th, the middle school student council collected  new and unopened toys for children in need. The toy drive was organized by  Council Member Dromm's office, and toys will be distributed by the Perna Foundation. Mr. Al Perna from the organization came by our school on Monday, December 16th to pick up the toys and threw a "thank you" pizza party for our kids. 
        Thanks to Amanda for helping to coordinate this effort and thank you all for your support!   


         The High School Honor Society, under the direction of Liz Perez, is running a coat drive to benefit NY Cares.  Coats can be donated at the school from now until January 3rd.
TRCS Sports Desk

sports



 



HS  Boys Soccer Finished the season  in second place . 
HS Girls volleyball finished the season 3-5. They finished the season with a victory over Roads 1 Academy 

        It's time for the Renaissance Knights to take to the hardwood and lace-up the sneakers: 
HS Boys Basketball  are 3-1
MS Boys are  0-2  
MS Girls  are 0-2  
HS Girls will start in the new year
       TRCS Sports would thank everyone who participated in the Modells' fundraiser helping to raise money for our sports programs.  

        We also would like to welcome Pierre Dizon (MS Basketball Coach) and George Adams (HS Girls Basketball) to the TRCS sports community for the winter season. 

Upcoming Games 
MS Girls Vs  Brooklyn Prospect Charter (Dec 16
HS Boys Vs Scholar Academy  (Dec 16)
HS Boys Vs Townsend Harris (Dec 17
MS Boys vs IS 10 (Dec 18)
MS Girls Vs  IS 230 (Dec 19)
HS Boys Vs  HS Law for Enforcement (Dec 19
PTA News
PTA     
        We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!  We thank for your past support and  look forward to seeing you at some of our great PTA events!

       Our next meeting will be Wednesday, January 22nd.  Check the calendar on the school website for future meetings and events, and please plan on attending at least one of these before the end of the year.  There are many parents we have not yet met and we would love to get to know you.  Come and meet other TRCS families and find out more about what is going on at your child's school.  If you have any ideas or concerns, share them with us and let you voice be heard!

       We hope you enjoy this holiday break with your family and look forward to seeing you in the new year.
Alumni Corner
        As the holidays start rolling around, we always receive a lot of visits from our alumni, many of whom are home on break from school as well.  This year many students from the graduating class of 2013 showed up to help out with the High School Thanksgiving Feast.  Check 'em out:

From left: Airany Dominguez, Pedro Oliveira, Max Cohen, Leslie Martinez,

Daniela Rios,Cooper Johnson, Luisa Posada, James Caceres,

Tenzing Ukyab

 

From the class of 2012, visitors included:

  Erica Cawthon and Brianna Falconer

 

 

 

Stephen Ruck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Staff member Victor Motto with Mohammad Jawwad & Nicholas Maniace

Melvin Smith & Prince Okyere with Marlen and Lisjane 

Upcoming Events
December, 2013
Friday, 12/13 - International Potluck & Angel Fund Event
Thursday, 12/19 - MS Festival of Lights
Friday, 12/20 - Social Justice Day
12/23-1/1 - Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
Thursday 1/1/2014 - First day back after New Year's Day
Monday, 1/20 - Martin Luther King Day, No School
Wednesday, 1/22 - PTA Meeting 6:30 PM

Happy Holidays Everyone!
Helpful Hints and Cool Links

Check out the new link on the Parents page of our website called "Supporting Your Child."

(http://www.renaissancecharter.org/parents.html/support_child.com)  

 

This page includes many helpful documents and resources to support your child both academically and emotionally, from experts in the field and our own staff. Currently, there are several documents that will help you help your child, by understanding our discipline code, our commitment to an anti-bullying culture, and by understanding what our communication protocols and our philosophy of student counseling. Here are some additional resources:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/people-skills/201008/cyber-bullying-defenses  

http://eyeguardian.com/ 

 

 

Read the following document for tips on internet safety:

Internet Safety  

 

 

Elementary Math: 

Make an investment in children, education and the future of our world.  Safer, better-educated communities are great for business; they improve the quality of life for everyone. Renaissance's hard-working, high-achieving students strive to make that happen and with your help that goal is closer to being a reality:  Please visit our website for more information, and lick on the red DONATE button on the bottom of each page: http://www.renaissancecharter.org/.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

The Renaissance Charter School