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​LSPhoto.jpgDear Parents,

Welcome to September and the new school year! I am certainly looking forward to it, and I hear from many of you that your daughters “can’t wait” to get started. It is an exciting time of year. So many things are new: new shoes and backpacks, new teachers, new friends, and new challenges in each new grade. Of course, there sometimes is uncertainty at first, but before we know it, everyone will be in the swing and moving right along.  For the teachers, there is excitement, too, as they ready their rooms and anticipate the eager, bright students that they will soon welcome. There is also plenty of newness for you as you travel with your child to her new grade. As well, there are some new events and opportunities for parents, so it’s important to note the calendars, like the one below, that are published each month in these newsletters as well as the list of dates on the first page of the Red Book and on page 34 in the Lower School section.

 
THE SCHOOL DAY
 
Please remember that the school day begins at 8:05. It is important that the students arrive before 8:00 so that they have time to unpack, settle in, and get ready for the day. We ask that students not arrive before 7:30 as there is no supervision available. Girls who arrive between 7:30 and 7:50 will wait in the Multi-Purpose Room, or new this year, on the playground, with a supervising teacher. On the first day of school, however, children will go right to their classrooms.
 
Students in Grades K – 2 eat lunch from 1:00 to 1:30, and students in Grades 3 – 5 eat from 1:30 to 2:00. A midmorning snack time is provided in every class to keep up the energy level of our girls. Please send in a substantial healthy snack for your daughter every day. Fruit, raw vegetables, crackers, cheese, and juice are all good ideas for snack time.
 
You are welcome to send lunches from home. However, our dining hall offers a wide variety of food. There is a special $3.50 lunch for students in Grades P, 1 and 2, and menus are sent home each month so that you and your daughter can see what is available.  Children in Grades P-2 either bring their lunches or buy the $3.50 ones as the other lunch offerings can seem overwhelming with so many choices. Children in Grades 3-5 either bring their lunches or choose from the cafeteria choices. A debit system for payment can be set up with Garrison Caterers so that your daughter does not have to bring cash to school. To ease our youngest children in, we ask that Kindergarten girls bring their lunches every day, and the Pre-First girls bring them for the first half of the year until they are used to the cafeteria system.  Please pack ready-to-eat lunches as girls in Grades K-2 may not use the microwaves.
 
The Lower School dismisses at 3:10. As you arrive at the school to pick up your child, please stay in line as it winds through the North parking lot. The students will be lined up near the Lower School entrance by class and will wait to hear their names called. Your daughter will come to you. Please do not leave your car to come get her as this holds up the line. Kindly write your daughter’s name in large, black letters on the carpool sign which we sent you in August. Then display this sign on the passenger side of your windshield when you enter the carpool line. If you are in a carpool with other families, please give the LS office a list of the girls in the carpool. Mrs. Laziuck will give you a carpool number to put on your sign. Children who are not picked up by 3:30 will be brought back into the building to wait. At 3:45, children, who have not been picked up, will be placed in the After School Program, and their parents will be billed for the time they are there.
 
Children who wait for older siblings wait in a specified classroom.  We call this group “Big Sister Wait.”  LS girls are not allowed to meet their sisters in any other part of the school. Girls who are riding a chartered bus will wait in this room as well until the chaperone walks them to the bus stop. Girls who meet siblings at Gilman (“Gilman Walkers”) also gather and walk across the street with a chaperone. Once across the street, they are on their own, so please make sure that your daughter knows where to go and is comfortable with the arrangement. Please let Mrs. Laziuck know if your daughter will be taking a chartered bus or will be walking to Gilman on a regular basis. RPCS operates a wonderful After School Program for LS students. Information on hours and cost is available from the Kaleidoscope Office. All information about this service is on the RPCS website. Go to www.rpcs.org. Click on “Academics”, then “Lower School”, then “After School Program.” You can also contact our Director of Childcare, Maria Chmura at extension 3088.
 
PARENT COFFEES
 
The Parent Coffees are designed to give you a chance to meet with other parents, Sally Harrison, our guidance counselor, and me to discuss issues pertinent to your child’s age group. All the coffees will be held from 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning in the Trustee Seminar Room. The dates of these coffees are listed in the Red Book as well as below:
 
Kindergarten, Pre-first and First Grades       October 12     January 13     April 19         
Second and Third Grades                                October 14     January 21     April 26
Fourth and Fifth Grades                                  October 28     January 27     April 28
 
 
GIFT  WRAP
 
Once again the Alumnae Association is selling gift wrap. Your daughter will be bringing home a large envelope with samples and an order blank. We encourage the girls to sell to family and friends but not to go door-to-door for solicitation. This is a wonderful fundraiser for the alumnae who, of course, use the money to benefit the school and a good opportunity for you to stock up on birthday and holiday wrapping paper. The envelopes are due back at school on October 8.
 
REPORT CARDS AND CONFERENCES
 
The first parent-teacher conference is on September 24. This is the Getting-to-Know-You Conference and is your opportunity to talk to the teacher about your daughter. It’s a great time to extol her virtues, describe her talents and interests, and tell about life at home, her siblings, and schedule. It’s also a time to talk to the teacher about any concerns you have or skills you hope she will develop over the year. How much fun it is to be able to spend twenty minutes talking about one of your favorite subjects - your child!
 
The Lower School is on a quarterly system for formally reporting the progress of the students. At each interval, you will receive a checklist of progress in academic as well as resource classes. You will also receive brief descriptions of the material covered during this interval. At the end of Quarters 1 and 3, there will be Parent-Teacher Conferences so that you can meet and discuss your child’s progress. At the end of Quarters 2 and 4, there will be written narrative accounts of your child’s progress included with the report card.  Of course, you are welcomed to meet with your child’s teacher at any time during the year by setting up an appointment with him or her. The related reporting dates are as follows:
          First Quarter ends: November 5; Parent Conference Day: November 19
          Second Quarter ends: January 21
          Third Quarter ends: March 11; Parent Conference Day: April 1
          Fourth Quarter ends: June 3
         
 
RPCS WEBSITE
 
Don’t forget about the RPCS website, www.rpcs.org. It is full of information including the school calendar, the athletic schedules, and photographs of special events and everyday life at RPCS.  All the newsletters are available on the website as well.
 
I am looking forward to seeing all of you back on campus now that school is starting. I hope you and your family have a very Happy New School Year!
 
~B.G.S.
 

 

> September Lower School Menu - $3.50 Special Lunch for Grades P, 1,2.pdf

Tuesday, August 31
LS Picnic for Kindergarten and Pre-First, 12:00 – 2:00 pm
A “Welcome to Lower School!” Party
for New LS Students & their Summer Buddies, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 1
First day of school (1/2 day), 8:05 -11:30 am
Thursday, September 2
First full day of school, 8:05 -3:15 pm
Dismissal for Kindergarten students,
12:30 pm
Friday, September 3
Dismissal for Kindergarten students,
12:30 pm
Monday, September 6
Labor Day: School closed
Tuesday, September 7 to
Friday, September 10     
Dismissal for Kindergarten students, 2:00 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 8
LS  Parent Network Meeting:
Seminar Room, 8:00 am
Thursday, September 9
Rosh Hashanah: School Closed        
Wednesday, Sept. 15
LS Parents’ Night, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, September 21
Navigating the RPCS Website, 8:00 am
Sept. 22 - Oct. 1
Sukkot
Friday, September 24
Parent Conference Day
(No school for students)
Friday, October 1
Lower School Picture Day     
Wednesday, October 6
Parent Network Meeting, 8:00 am

 

 

Lower School After School Club

CHESS CLUB – Grades K through 5
Mondays, September 13 through December 13
Dismissal through 4:30 pm

Especially for girls of all ages and all skill levels – especially beginners!  Playing chess is interesting, challenging and fun. It teaches pattern recognition, improves concentration and develops problem-solving skills.  Plus, it’s a great way to make new friends in different classes and grades. Advanced players will be coached by Dr. Chris Kim; intermediate players will be coach by Dr. John Rockefeller; beginners will be coached by National Master Arkadiy Frenkel. Last year, the club finished 2nd among 10 And Under Teams at the All-Girls National Championships and 3rd among elementary-school teams (including boy teams) at the Maryland State Championship.

Cost:  $100
Includes a healthy snack and chess supplies
 
THE NEXT STEP - DANCE CLUB – Grades  4 and 5
Tuesdays, September 28, October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16
Dismissal through 4:45 pm
 
Girls who have been studying dance and want to take their technical skills to the next level.  The basis of the afterschool program will be ballet, as the foundation for all other forms of dance.  Building upon that foundation, we will work on extra jazz and tap to expand our techniques.  Concentration is on the fact that all other forms of dance come from ballet! From there we will go outward and upward!
 
Coordinated by Ms. Sylvia Botts.
Cost:  $185      
Includes a healthy snack.  Tap shoes are available to borrow or you may purchase your own. Jazz shoes are optional. Girls must provide your own black leotards and pink tights.
 
HEALTHY MINDS/HEALTHY BODIES
Grades 3, 4, and 5
Wednesdays, September 29, October 6, 13, 20, 27, November 3, 10, 17
Dismissal through 4:30

An afterschool club especially for RPCS girls meeting weekly to exercise their bodies and minds through running, games, laughing and learning to make good choices that will last a lifetime. This is a popular program, registrations are first come/first serve.  Coordinated by Ms. Courtney Fox and Ms. Heather Himmelstein. 

Cost:  $185                      
Includes a healthy snack and tee-shirt
 
CREATIVE DRAMA CLUB
Grades P1, 1 and 2
Wednesdays, September 15, 22, 29, October 6, 13, 20, 27, November 3
Dismissal through 4:30

CREATIVE DRAMA CLUB
Grades 3, 4 and 5
Thursdays, September 16, 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4
Dismissal through 4:30

An eight-week program, just for you! Creative Drama uses theater games, dramatic play, story enactment, imagination journeys and music to let young children present. Girls will benefit from dramatic experiences and there is no pressure to perform. The emphasis is on the process rather than the product. Creative drama can let you learn about emotions, problem solving and relating to others. Children can develop their imaginations and confidence and pretend to be anything they want to be. Program is presented by Anita Horwath, a professional actress and teacher at Together Working in Gaining Skills (TWGS,) an after school program at Baltimore School for the Arts. She is also the Artistic Director of an intergenerational improvisational acting ensemble that performs in Baltimore City.

Cost: $185
Includes a healthy snack


TO REGISTER, CALL KALEIDOSCOPE AT 410-323-5500 ext 3045

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

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