TRCS Monthly Newsletter
January 2016



The winter weather has finally arrived!  January also brings the start of "advocacy season", with 3 trips planned up to Albany.  We hope that you can join us on Tuesday, February 2nd, as we would like to plan a tour of the state Capital Building and Museum.  Please contact the main office for more information or to sign up for the bus!

It's hard to believe, but we are half-way  through the school year.  The second marking period ends next week and students are gearing up for year-end exams with extra tutoring happening after school and on Saturday mornings.  The year-end drama production has also gotten underway with a selection of the cast and crew.

Plans are also underway for year-end trips, so please check with your child for any new information regarding reserving a spot and deposits.

Don't forget that we are still hosting FREE yoga classes every Saturday morning at 9AM through March.  Hopefully Emblem Health will continue funding the program beyond that, but in the meantime come work out with us! (Due to snow, the January 23rd class is cancelled.)



Spotlight On......Martin Luther King Day Observances

Renaissance again hosted the 2nd annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration.  It was a community event, open to all, and supported by Kehillat Tikvah:a Jewish Community of Hope; Community United Methodist Church; St. Mark's Episcopal Church/Lion's Share Food Pantry; Jackson Heights Beautification Group; Muhammadi Community Center; Regal Heights Rehabilitation and Health
Care Center; The Jewish Center of Jackson Heights; Senator Jose Peralta; Council Member Daniel Dromm; Friends of Diversity Plaza; JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging); SUKHI New York; St. Pat's for All Parade; New Visions Democratic Club; Jackson Heights Community Chorus; Make Queens Safer; and other members of the Jackson Heights community.

The day started with coffee and bagels supplied by the Jackson Heights Beautification Group and the JH Jewish Center. Over 150 people filled our auditorium to hear from speakers who have faced civil and human rights violations and to hear parts of Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech read by children of the school and community.  Especially moving was a video of Ms. Jeannette White, who is a resident of Regal Heights Nursing Home.  Filmed by JH resident John Rokosny and his wife Andriette, Ms. White was with Dr. King in the march to Birmingham and shared her first-hand experiences.  Also speaking eloquently was Hannah Deutch, a survivor of the Nazi holocaust.  She was part of the "kindertransport" to England, but lost her entire family in the concentration camps.  Next up were the Bokhari sisters, two Muslim teens  who told of their experiences as Muslims in the world today. Our "Black Lives Matter Practicum", which traces the historical treatments of blacks in America from slavery to today, spoke about their studies and their fundraising efforts to support a trip to New Orleans. 

City councilman Daniel Dromm spoke, and stayed for the days speeches and events.  The newly formed Jackson Heights Chorus led the audience in songs.  Many local service organizations were on-hand to share volunteer or service opportunities, from helping the elderly to volunteering at hospitals and soup kitchens. There was also a book drive and food drive to collect for the Elmhurst Hospital's reading program for children and to stock local food pantries.  This was the second year this event was organized and participation has really grown.  We look forward to making this an annual happening in Jackson Heights.  It was a great way to honor a great man.
  Full house!

              

 Students get ready to read Dr. King's speech 
          

Jackson Heights Chorus. Open to all in the community, stop by Renaissance on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 to join in the rehearsals!





  The many speakers at this year's event

2016 Drama Production
Over 20 students auditioned for this year's production.  Here is the cast and crew for drama Fuddy Meers:
CAST OF "FUDDY MEERS" PERFORMANCE DATES; APRIL, 13,14 AND 15
Claire - Paola Noel - a generally sunny woman with amnesia.
Richard - Andres Aguire - a chatty, friendly, sometimes nervous man.
Kenny - Max Cerezo - seventeen, a troubled teen.
Limping Man - Nicolas Rios - lisping, limping, half-blind, half-deaf man with secrets unknown to anyone else.
Gertie - Ella Shea - Claire's mother, a clear-headed lady who's had a stroke and can't speak properly.
Millet - Kenji Cano - an odd man with a puppet.
Heidi - Loren Francione - a tough woman in uniform.
CREATIVE TEAM, UNDERSTUDIES & RUNNING CREW
Driss Ayadi, Elijah Gonzolez, Luc Papineau, Sadiah Choudhury, Victoria Dudek, Robert Palta Tito, Helena Koffigoh, Marissa Sosa, Ben Gargen
 
STAGE MANAGERS
Julia Krutel, Nicolas "Nico" Rios
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Sam Baez

Alumna Leader
1700s-Present: Black Lives Matter Practicum is a mixed grade course in which high school students look at the history and legacy of institutional racism in our nation. The students under the instruction of Chelsea Reid (TRCS graduate '08) and advisement of Emily Oliapuram (Middle School Social Studies Teacher) meet three times a week during their lunch period to critically examine events and laws that have led to the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Through this course, students are looking at the criminalization of blackness as well as their own biases and assumptions of criminals. The students hope to culminate their study in a historical and cultural trip to New Orleans in the Spring 2016. They are holding fundraisers and would greatly appreciate your support with donations.
For more information please contact Emily at eoliapuram@gmail.com, or Chelsea at chelseareid2@gmail.com. T-shirts are available for sale to help their cause--please contact them at the above email addresses to find out how to purchase one.


Global Kids Visit Washington DC
 Washington Monument  

From Georgetown, with a view of Virginia 
         MLK Monument
Global Kids, a high school leadership program, visited Washington, DC last weekend.  They were in DC for MLK Day, and 10th grader Andres shared a bit about their trip:

The trip to DC with Global Kids was great! We visited many grand monuments such as the MLK memorial.  It's worth noting that the statue is incomplete because the real Dr. King's mission was never completed due to the tragic end of his life.  I met new friends, visited new places, visited great universities (like Georgetown) and stepped out of my comfort zone. At the end of the trip, I thought to myself, "hey, maybe studying somewhere besides N.Y isn't such a bad idea!"

Our students were joined by students from Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx. 
Advocating for Charter Schools
This year, the New York City Charter School Center celebrates its 10th year of supporting the development and continued growth of a high quality charter sector in NYC! To honor this milestone, they are featuring a series of videos, blogs, events and more in partnership with our friends and colleagues in the sector.  Our principal, Stacey Gauthier, shared her reflection on her partnership with the Charter Center on their website's blog, which you can read here: http://www.nyccharterschools.org/10years.   
Classroom Updates
In PreK the clay bugs have dried and they look FANTASTIC! Collage birds were sent home to "fly south".  Kindergarten finally finished the Winter collage mural! They practiced exceptional teamwork and turn-taking skills to finish the job collaboratively.

                     PreK


            Kindergarten

Both classes are doing amazing in Yoga! It's quite impressive that 4 and 5 year olds now know nearly a whole sun salutation sequence (or "sun sentence" as they call it). More new poses are coming with the new year as well!



Flo
reports:Can you believe the 2nd graders are writing
 paragraphs based on non-fiction resources? The children are busy getting ready for their next Publishing Party, February 11th. They are creating lap books based on an animal of their choice. In social studies they've been busy learning about geography and climate. The children created land forms of volcanoes, canyons, mountains, valleys, plains, oceans, and an island. In Math they have mastered Regrouping. Many thanks for all the support the children received at home and in after school



The next cluster 1 publishing party is scheduled for February 11th. Please join us!



For the month of December, Pre-K learned about the many holidays celebrated in different cultures. For their first at home project, Pre-K students were asked to work with their families members to display what they celebrate in the month of December. Pre-K also learned that not every culture celebrates a holiday during December, but it is still the start of a new season, Winter. As a result, students were given the choice to create a project that focuses on what their family celebrates for the month or their favorite winter activities. On December 22nd, families were invited to the Pre-K classroom for a gallery walk of the students' Family Winter Banners. A few students volunteered to share their banners in front of their family and friends. Students also made gingerbread play dough with their families to take home.


3rd Grade Community Service


In December, 3rd grade did activities to help out in the community. They read to residents at Regal Rehabilitation Center, held a Food Drive, and held a Bake Sale to raise money for the American Cancer Society. They'll be writing informational text about these activities for their publishing party.


Fifth graders are working with real world math investigating proportional reasoning in a pet store setting.  They are coming up with impressive strategies to compare the different ways to solve problems. All of their teachers are so amazed by their smart thinking!


2016 SOUPer Bowl
Amanda Scott and the MS Student Council will once again be organizing a SOUPer Bowl drive.  This fun, community-building activity will help fill the St. Jacobus Community Food Pantry in Woodside. Food kitchens/pantries often receive many donations during the holiday season, followed by a slower period of giving at the beginning of the new year. Let's help change that!

In keeping with the Super Bowl theme, grades will be divided into 2 team who earn points for each can of soup and  special 'touch down' items.  Please help us to have a successful drive by sending in canned soup (and other items which will be announced) between February 1st - 5th. 

Freshman Pancake Pajama Fiesta
The freshman class will be holding a fundraiser on Friday, February 5th from 6-8PM.  It will feature movies, face painting and Delicious Pancakes!

There will be movies for our younger students, as well as movies for the older kids.  Everyone is invited to wear pj's. Children 4 & under are free, all others are just $6!

Please check with your child for the ticket order form and send in your payment as soon as possible so the students
                                                           can properly plan the event.  Thanks for your support!


 Middle School Year-End Trip
Reservations and deposits are being accepted for the Middle School End of the Year Trip. They have already filled up a bus with 57 participants and are aiming to get another bus.....with 25 seats remaining. If your child wishes to attend, trip letters are available from Ram or Amanda.



TRCS Sports Desk
sports
 
MS Girls Basketball Team is currently  undefeated in  league play ( 4-0 ).  They are also ranked as the 8th best girls basketball team in the NYC Basketball League! 

 
After a two year hiatus, HS Girls Lady Knights Basketball has returned, coached by fellow Alumna Daisy Pena.  In their first game they fell short to Williamsburg Charter School. 

HS Boys Basketball Team recently won two games in a row. 
    
Recent Scores: 

MS Girls Basketball Team -  43-19 win over JHS 102   
HS Girls Basketball Team -   25-12 loss  to Williamsburg Charter
HS Boys Basketball Team -  46- 38 win over Baccalaureate for Global Education
                                          56- 48 win over Queens School of Inquiry 
Upcoming Sports : 

6-8th Boys Basketball Club  ( See Alex for More Info )  

Recently TRCS Sports co-hosted with IS49  MLK Day  Invitational Tournament that featured four of the best girls public school basketball  teams in the city. Three were from Queens  (Renaissance, 
IS 49, IS 230 ) and one was from the Bronx (IS 529).  IS 529 came out as the winner. 
 
For more info visit: www.trcsknights.com
             MS Girls Basketball





                                              HS Girls Basketball 
 
PTA News
The meeting this past week was jammed packed with resources and references from two presenters.  Angela Rios, parent of a graduate and 3 current Renaissance kids, gave a wonderful and enlightening presentation on Saving for College and Retirement.  She was very helpful and answered all questions asked and provided us with folders. 

Suzanne Arnold also gave a great presentation with visuals and handouts to increase our Social Media Awareness and strategies to stay on top of our children's tech savvy ways. Everett gave a video presentation on the request for a 3D printer for the science department.  We are very excited that the vote in favor of purchasing the 3D printer and Document Camera was unanimous.   We want to thank all the presenters for taking the time out of their 
busy, busy schedules to provide us with the resources and wonderful workshops for this PTA meeting. 

Please click here for cluster updates! 


UPCOMING DATES
Thursday, 1/28 - PreK Non-Attendance Day
Monday, 2/1 - High School Non-Attendance Day
Wednesday, 2/3 -  Board of Trustees Meeting 5-8PM
Monday, 2/8 - Lunar New Year, School Closed
Wednesday, 2/10 - CSG Meeting 6-8PM 


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:

  

NYUL Parents Guide to STEM http://www.nyul.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NYUL-Parents-Guide-to-STEM2.pdf 

  

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

 Corporate and Foundation Sponsors
cei-lg
Best Buy
Partners