Descartes a la Carte is Renaissance Academy's very own drive-through café. The business is run by Junior High Descartes students from the Pascal and Shakespeare classes.

Every week, fourth through sixth grade students bake delicious muffins to be served along with quality coffee and tea from 8:15 to 8:45 Tuesday through Friday.

We are proud to provide a real experience where R school's oldest students are given the opportunity to learn many of the ins and outs of running a business. These young entrepreneurs provide a valuable service to our community while raising money to help off-set their end of the year field trips, such as the amazing 8th grade trip to Catalina Island, CA pictured above. Please reward their hard work and effort by supporting this business with your purchases and donations.

Please consider keeping a couple of extra bucks in your car for coffee and a muffin and pull into one of the first two lanes closest to the building where the students are concentrating their sales. If you don't want a muffin or coffee preferably pull into one of the outer lanes and politely say, “No thanks, not today.”

For most of our seventh and eighth grade students this is their first real job, they are learning many different skills that go into a business including being a friendly server in the morning, we want their experience to be positive as well as profitable!

Descartes runs on 100% donated items. Please consider adopting an item from the list below to help stock our pantry. The more items donated, the more successful this fundraiser will be.

-Blueberries -Unsalted Butter -Eggs -Can of Pumpkin -Canola Oil -Wheat Flour -Lemons -Strawberry Yogurt -Vanilla Yogurt -Brown Sugar -Coffee (Starbucks, Maple City Roasters, Dunkin Doughnuts, etc.) -Flavored Creamer -Tea -Hot Chocolate -12oz Paper Cups with Lids -Sugar Packets -Creamer Packets -Baked Goods

We need our whole community’s help with this so, thank you in advance for supporting our oldest Renaissance students! It takes a village…

Lots of things affect a child’s chance of success in school – academics, like math and reading, for sure, but also non-academic things, like classroom behavior, attitudes and approaches towards learning and even how they get along with others.

Thanks to a three-year Partners in Prevention Grant through the Healthcare Foundation of LaPorte, Renaissance began using a digital program called Ripple Effects last month, as well as Bouncy with Kindergarteners earlier this school year, as tools to build social emotional skills, connect students to community, and improve academic success.

Through the program, your child will be developing a core set of social-emotional abilities that have been shown to help students have a stronger, more positive sense of self, do better in school, respect others, and build skills that can help them make good choices about drugs, violence, and other life challenges. These key abilities are:

• Knowing yourself
• Controlling yourself
• Being aware of others
• Connecting with others
• Decision-making

We have chosen this program because:

• Its individualized, learner-directed curriculum melds perfectly within the existing structure of Renaissance Montessori classrooms
• It’s based on rigorous research about what works in increasing young people’s chance of overall school success
• Its personalized, adaptive design allows each student to privately leverage their strengths to work on areas that are challenging
• We’ve been able to customize the program based on R guidelines, needs, and constraints

The use of Ripple Effects will add additional support to R learning environment in which every student is inspired to become their personal best.

While some students take to this like a fish to water, some are a little hesitant, nervous, or even a bit scared. That's ok. It's a big stage and a big audience and for many, a brand new experience. Let them know you believe in them and know that they can do it, even if they do feel a little_______(fill in their word there). Because what we know is that it is the perfect opportunity for kids to get over this natural feeling of discomfort with all of the support of their loving family and school community around them as they do it.

As kids experience bumping up against the boundaries of their comfort zone, they become more confident, capable, and resilient. They gain the kinds of beliefs about themselves and develop the neural pathways they need to become confident, capable, resilient - successful! - adults. Hurray for performing arts growth opportunities for everyone at Renaissance!

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

Renaissance, Renaissance

The place we want to stay,

Oh, how good it is to learn

With work that feels like play. Yay!

Renaissance, Renaissance

The place we want to stay,

Oh, how good it is to learn

With work that feels like play. Yay!

We love to learn and grow

It's here we're shown the way

On many trips we go

We're ready come what may

(yes, yes, yes)

Reaching for our best,

Making us so bright

It's where we love to laugh and learn

With joy and true delight.

OH! Renaissance, Renaissance

The place we want to stay,

Oh, how good it is to learn

With work that feels like play. Yay!

Renaissance, Renaissance

The place we want to stay,

Oh, how good it is to learn

With work that feels like play. Yay!

What? The Renaissance Dress Code consists of a Daily Uniform, a Dress/Formal Uniform, and a Gym Uniform. All items are to be purchased either through French Toast, Lands' End and/or Renaissance. Renaissance is a workplace and extreme styles are a distraction to the work environment. Hair must be kept neat and off the face; radical styles, unusual colors, spikes, and mohawks, and body piercings are not allowed.

All clothing must be in good taste and not be revealing. No low cut or hanging pants or short shorts are allowed. Help us not become the uniform police by doing your part to make sure your child is dressed appropriately for school. Children move about, sit on the floor, climb play equipment, run, and play soccer. We do not wish for children to become embarrassed if clothing does not fit properly.

When? 1st-8th grade students should be in the daily or dress uniform every day of school except for Saturday School, their class' gym day (this is the only day students may wear gym uniforms, but it is not required), or in the event different attire is recommended for a field trip. The dress uniform is required for many field trips and for 4th-8th graders, on Formal Day as well (an equivalent option may be substituted on Formal Day). November - May students may participate in $5 Fridays, wearing any school appropriate clothes (no T-Shirts with rude writing, short shorts, open-toed shoes, etc.) in lieu of the uniform for a $5 donation. Students may also come to school out of uniform if they or their class earn a NUT (No Uniform Today) Award.