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Our youngest students may not be able to write with pen and paper yet, but they narrated beautifully illustrated stories based on their versions of Goldilocks & the Three Bears. Using special software, family members and school staff were able to hear prerecorded readings of the childrens' stories, along with seeing the illustrations. For their first publishing party, 8 students participated and judging by the enthusiasm that the event received, we think the rest of the class will want to join in on the fun next time.
This was a great example of how technology can be used to teach & inspire even the littlest ones!
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As the weather is getting nicer, classes are taking fun field trips:  1st Grade went to Brooklyn College's performance of the story, The Gruffalo's Child. In class students used the books for a writing exercise, creating pieces to convince the reader if they should go and see the show or stay home and read the book. | Jose took his advisory to the Times Square area to view billboards, reflecting on the use of stereotypes and gender in advertising.  |
Following up on Cristine's Writers Group trip to Serendipity, we have another wonderful piece for you to read by 8th grader Ella Shea. Check it out here! Anna took a group of high school students to the College Fair Day at Lehman College in the Bronx. There were representatives from many tri-state area schools, as well as the CUNY and SUNY colleges and universities. In preparation for the Community Service Fair, our 9th grade advisories visited with area organizations for a day of community service or exploration:Riaad took his 9th grade advisory to visit two NYC parks where many homeless people live, Sandra's 9th grade girls advisory went to Women for Afghan Women, Ali & Lisa brought students to the Meals on Wheels organization, Ellie's 9th grade girls visited the Mental Health Association of Queens' Adolescent Skill Center, Miyo's 10th grade girls volunteered at the Church of the Village Food Pantry.
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FEATURED ARTICLE...,.SOCIAL JUSTICE DAY
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 | On April 2nd the 11th graders hosted Social Justice Day, offering workshops for the rest of the high school on several topics that small groups of students have investigated and researched together. The workshops are led by each group of students in a live presentation that included power-points, videos, activities, games or skits that highlight the issues surrounding each topic.
This year's provocative line-up included Domestic Violence,Teen Unemployment, Discrimination in Society Animal Cruelty, Women in Prison, and Drugs in Sports. Each group tends to take a stand on the issue, but lively debate is expected and encouraged. Teen Unemployment gave job-seeking tips and examples of places that will hire teens, but also reflected on balancing work and school. The Domestic Violence workshop featured skits created by the participants showing how domestic violence can escalate and impact everyone. The Animal Cruelty group showed heart-wrenching videos of rescued animals, and promoted ways to get involved and help. Investigators into Women in Prison gave statistics showing the large percentage of incarcerated women that are victims of abuse. Drugs in Sports looked at the culture surrounding super-star athletes, and the question can be asked: Do today's athletes feel they simply cannot compete with out these drugs?
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Lunch was served by the 11th grade class food committee, and the day ended with an energetic talent-show in the auditorium. Proceeds from lunch tickets go to the 11th grade class fund. Congratulations 11th graders!
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WHATS ON YOUR MIND?
|  Last month Principal Stacey and science teacher and coach Dan Fanelli gave a presentation on the topic of testing, specifically the controversial NYS standard tests. Many parents across the state are opting to have their children not take the tests. Many believe our children are being over-tested and they are frustrated due to the roll-out of the common core and the related examinations. However, Stacey and Dan pointed out the many reasons why testing can be a positive experience, including:
- Promoting collaboration because it integrates instruction across curriculum and grades, giving teachers significant data across the grades;
- Strengthening rigor because it requires students to critically think about the topic;
- Teaching students to understand complex concepts and relationships covered in the state exams by using Common Core strategies actually puts creativity back into the classroom by having students experience more hands-on, project-based learning;
- Gets Kids College Ready because students are taught to read and analyze texts for information.
At Renaissance, we believe that standardized tests are only one measure of a child's performance. Just as important are Classwork, Homework, Social - Emotional Preparedness and
Readiness, a student's Passions and Interests, and a student's Individual Learning Needs. We believe that the only way to properly assess a child is to look at the WHOLE child and this is exactly what we do. We never base promotion decisions upon one test. To help our students better prepare for the tests, we have developed several strategies, including using the Kaplan Key Advantage Program, materials from ReadWork.org and Engage NY, test prep with additional teacher push-ins, and additional tutoring for targeted students taking place either after school or on Saturday mornings. As always, Renaissance is dedicated to helping its students be successful in test taking, and in all they hope to accomplish in school and beyond. To see a detailed list of what is happening in grades 3-8 as they prepare for the NYS tests, check out the full presentation here. |
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On March 18th the Middle School Peace Patrol had a training workshop with parent, NYPD officer Phillip Chan. Topics included basics of law enforcement, basic strategies in apprehending violators, Q and A. After the workshop, they all got an NYPD Auxiliary hat!
Shout Outs to 7th grade students Nahsiem Gayle and Jermaine Colon. They saw an unattended cell phone and turned it in to the office, giving the name of the rightful owner. That's acting responsible!
Maria is giving shout outs to some students for their excellent work in the K-4 after school program. Those who received certificates were Justin Tobon, Thomas Leahy, Sebastian Castro, Myles Peralta, Tenzin Tenkyong, Nikolas Rodriguez and Jade Alvarez.
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SPOTLIGHT ON.....LISA BURNS
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 We all know we have a lot of great teachers at Renaissance, but you may not know that a number of our educators have second jobs or hobbies that they do outside of Renaissance. And many of them use these talents in the classroom, which we think leads to a much richer education for our students. One of those people is Lisa Burns......
Lisa is a support staff member who works in The Learning Center, and as a Humanities Global Labs teacher. She has also been a long-time staple on the music scene in New York, recording her first solo album in 1978. In 2010 she paired up with George Usher and together they wrote and recorded an album, The Last Day of Winter. They have now been playing live shows to great acclaim. To read more about Lisa, check out this cool article, and then watch this great video! Their album came out in digital and CD form on April 2nd, so pick up a copy!
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The following are the sports for the Spring Season :
HS Baseball HS Softball MS Co-Ed Soccer 4-6th Grade Basketball Boys Club/ Traveling Team 4-6th Grade Basketball Girls Club / Traveling Team TRCS Sports would like to welcome back alumni Daisy Pena , who previously help coached the HS Softball Team. She will be the Head Coach of Lady Knights . We also welcome Hendrick Fernandez as our MS Soccer Co-Ed Coach this year.
The MS Boys Basketball made an outing to a Knicks game. They received some cool gift bags of Knicks apparel and got autographs from some NYC Basketball Legends (John Wallace, Herb Williams, Felipe Lopez and Larry Johnson).
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Welcome back to all TRCS families. We hope you all had a great spring break.
The PTA Executive Board would like to send a shout out to the Spanish Department (Dennis, Helen, Lisjane and Martha) for putting together such a fabulous Latin Festival. Special thanks to Lisjane and Martha's students who performed, setup, cleaned up and helped out.
Upcoming Events/Important Dates:
Miss Chocolate Spring Fundraiser - Orders are due by Friday, April 17
PTA General Membership Meeting - Wednesday, April 29 - Nominations for 2015-2016 PTA Executive Board, Voting on funding requests: $2,200 Teacher's Choice, $1,000 for Arts Department and more. Watch your email for an agenda and additional information.
Scholastic Buy One Get One Book Fair - May 4-8 - Purchase books for your students for summer reading
Book Raffle - $5 per ticket - each prize retails for over $50
Staff Appreciation Lunch - Monday, June 15 - Show your appreciation for your child's teacher by cooking a dish to share. Teachers really enjoy trying foods from the different cultures.
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Tuesday-Thursday, 4/14-4/16 - NYS ELA Exams, grades 3rd-8th grades
Wednesday-Friday, 4/ 22- 4/24 - NYS Math Exams, grades 3rd-8th grades
Thursday, 4/23 - No School for PreK
Tuesday, 4/28 - Bubble Foundation PreK-K Family Dinner, 6PM
Wednesday, 5/6 - Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:45PM
Monday-Friday, 5/11-5/15 - Nature's Classroom 4th-6th Grades
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HELPFUL HINTS AND COOL LINKS
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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
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