Renaissance Academy News
September 2023
A message from the CEO
Welcome back to another great school year here at Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts! We are excited to have you as part of the RA family this year. Believe it or not, this is our 10th year open as a school!!! It is an exciting year that will be filled with celebrating this past decade and looking ahead to all the future has in store for RA. I have personally been with Renaissance Academy since year 1. The growth, development and achievements have been amazing to watch over the years. This is attributed to the dedicated staff, families and Board we have as part of our school community, working together to ensure students acquire the academic and artistic skills needed to create the future of their dreams.
Thank you for being part of this journey and thank you for entrusting us with the education of your child. Here is to the best school year yet!
Dr. Cait Loury
2023-2024 School Calendar and September Lunch Menu
Here is the link to our calendar for reminder on days off and early release days for your reference as well as the September Lunch Menu.
Upcoming Events:
September
9/8: 2:15 Early Dismissal
9/15: 2:15 Early Dismissal
9/21: Coffee and Conversations with the CEO - 9:15-9:45am
9/22: 2:15 Early Dismissal
9/27: RAFFA Meeting: Everyday Math Opportunities and Prep for State Test
Community Resource: Biz Kidz City of Rochester
9/29: 2:15 Early Dismissal
October
10/6: 2:15 Early Dismissal
10/9: Indigenous Peoples' Day (No School)
10/13: 2:15 Early Dismissal
10/16: Picture Day
10/19: Hispanic Heritage Celebration
10/20: 2:15 Early Dismissal
10/25: Middle School Fair Night
10/27: 2:15 Early Dismissal
10/30: Red Ribbon Week
Academic Night has been moved to Thursday, November 9th
Student Drop Off Reminders
Please make sure that during student drop off in the morning, that you do not exit your vehicle in the student drop off loop. That loop is meant as a "drop and go" drop off.
If you wish to walk your student to the doors, or need to meet with someone in the main office, we ask that you please park in the parking lot. This will help ensure that our drop off process runs quickly and smoothly! Thank you!
Academics at Renaissance Academy
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Focus for September
Positivity Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children build stronger relationships by recognizing the character strengths in themselves and others.
The program is designed to nurture the skills of both self-awareness and empathy. Each week students focus on a particular character strength, using a curriculum developed by The Positivity Project. Teachers use a minimum of 10 minutes a day to lead a discussion about that week’s strength and how students see it in themselves and others. Here are the topics for our character education program, Positivity Project that students will be learning about and working on in the month of September: Teamwork, Open-mindedness, Being Open & Giving Others My Attention, Perspective
Academic Focus in September
K-2 Math
Welcome Back! Our K-2 scholars are getting acclimated to school, getting to know their teachers, making new friends, and learning systems and routines! During week two of school, students in Kindergarten learned about attributes- what a big word! Then they sorted their manipulatives based on color, shape, and size. In First Grade, our scholars are counting within 120, including counting and counting out sets of up to 50 objects, saying, reading, and writing numbers within 120! In Second Grade, scholars engage in activities designed to deepen their conceptual understanding of measurement and to relate addition and subtraction to length. We are so excited to see our scholars learn and grow this year!
K-2 ELA
Setting up for success and settling in - that’s what our K-2 classrooms are busy with this month! What a beautiful start to our school year getting to know new teachers and new friends. Classrooms are buzzing with read alouds, playtime, rules review, and community building games - all great ways to build oral language. To help with this at home, you can ask your child about their school day: What story did you read today? What was your favorite game you played? Tell me about one of your friends in class; what do you like to do with them? Was there a part of the day that was challenging? Let’s work through it! Building their language and conversation skills at home will help at school so much. Here’s to a successful year reading, writing, thinking, and conversing!
3-6 ELA
We are diving deep into ELA instruction and assessments! By the end of September, all of our students will have taken the reading assessments we use to help guide our instruction. Here are the novels kids are starting to read!
3rd- Stella Diaz Has Something to Say
4th- The Season of Styx Malone
5th- Wonder
6th- The Outsiders
Arts at Renaissance Academy
- 6th Grade Arts Integration: In 6th grade, students are learning about ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt through the art people produced. In this collaboration with the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG), the students will work with RA teachers and staff from the MAG to explore artifacts and make their own cuneiform tablets and hieroglyphs. The unit will culminate in a visit to the MAG to explore the collection.
- Kindergarten Dance: Our littlest dancers are gradually learning how to participate in dance class in the dance studio. Check out the image below of Ms. Harris and Ms. Wilcox's students engaging in the "Bubble Gum Brain Dance" in the studio.
- The Little Mermaid Jr. Musical: This year's 4th-6th grade musical is Little Mermaid Jr! We will hold auditions in mid-October, and the musical will be performed at Stages on two evenings at the end of March. Look out for audition information coming soon!
- 1st Grade Music Integration: In 1st grade, students are diving into a music and culture unit where they explore the different cultures represented in their classrooms! Students will learn various elements of the different cultures, including the traditional instruments and music of that culture. Students will ultimately work in groups to research a new culture not represented in their classrooms and present what they learned!
- Band and Choir: Band and choir are scheduled to begin next week! All 4th-6th grade students were given the opportunity to participate in one of the two options for the entire year. Students in band or choir perform at most of our student performances throughout the year!
Join for this month's Coffee and Conversation with the CEO!
Join us for our first Coffee and Conversation with the CEO of the school year! The first Coffee and Conversation will be held on Thursday, September 21 from 9:15-9:45am (shifted from the original date of September 14). Dr. Loury will greet you in the front entrance area and bring you to the conference room for some good conversation and breakfast treats!
If you plan to attend, please complete this RSVP form by September 19 to make sure we have yummy treats when you arrive!
Attendance Matters
What's The Buzz? Mental Health Talks for Parents
RA Board of Trustee Meeting Dates
- September 20, 2023
- October 18, 2023
- November 15, 2023
- December 20, 2023
The public is welcomed to attend and are allowed to speak during the section titled "Public Comment".
Having Trouble Getting to School Events?
If you are having trouble getting to school events, RA can help provide you a taxi! Please reach out to Kimberly Felton, Family Services Coordinator and she can help arrange transportation. You can reach out at 585-225-4200 ext. 209 or felton@renacad.org
Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts
Website: http://www.renacad.org
Location: 299 Kirk Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-225-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/renacadarts