News at Renbrook School | Top Private Schools for Academic Success

Black History: Beyond the Month of February

February 22, 2022

Black History Month was created to ensure due attention was given to the numerous and important contributions of people of African descent. The goal was not for discussions, research, and projects to start and end in February; Black history is American history and should be woven into conversations with children throughout the year.

Self-Advocacy Shows Up in Several Ways for Young Children

January 6, 2022

Having complicated conversations with children can feel challenging because we aren’t sure what they are ready for and because our own feelings often permeate the conversation. As educators we respond to the questions that children bring us and we do our best to answer only what they have asked. As children are ready for more, they will ask more. We, too, have moments of uncertainty about how to answer their questions as we balance the needs of everyone in the room. It is perfectly ok to say, “That is a great question. I’d like to think about it more and come back to you.” Likewise, if you don’t feel you answered something well, you can always say, “You asked me something yesterday and I’d like to talk about it some more.” Silence is the least healthy alternative because it leaves children to answer their own questions without enough context.

Making Spaces

December 23, 2021

When a child is presented with materials and given support with how to use new tools, there is no limit to what they might create. Last week Junior Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. DeConti and Miss Blenman, offered a new making tray at one of their table centers as morning work. Mrs. DeConti presented a hole puncher and showed the students how to use it. There was no model of what their work should look like, just room and space for open-ended exploration and construction. On hand were mini clipboards and paper for those friends that wanted to sketch out their ideas before executing them!

Facilitating Play, Assessing Learning, and Planning for Future Instruction

December 16, 2021

Renbrook’s commitment to play-based learning is based on the research that learning happens best when students are engaged in what they are doing; choice and the opportunity to direct their learning fuels this engagement.

Renbrook School featured in ESPN Video Honoring Teachers

December 14, 2021

When the school year kicked off this fall, ESPN wanted to thank teachers for the incredible work they do and their commitment to students everywhere. Renbrook School is honored to be featured in this video celebrating the excellence of teachers everywhere. The video, narrated by Rece Davis of College GameDay, was featured on ESPN networks and we are proud to be a part of it.

Building Literacy Skills Begins in Preschool

December 9, 2021

In our play-based program Preschool students learn to communicate and express their needs and feelings to teachers and peers. During meeting times, students begin to express themselves as they share their thoughts and ideas with the group. Children listen to a variety of literature, developing their vocabulary as well as print and phonemic awareness. Preschoolers begin to take note of environmental print, looking for their name tags as well as matching pictures with words. They sing songs to understand how words are strung together and build their background knowledge through theme-related studies which will later help them recognize new words as they begin to read.

Renbrook Sixth Grader Demonstrates Immense Talent in Irish Step Dance

December 7, 2021

Renbrook sixth grader Balian Buttimer has been Irish Step Dancing since he was 4 years old. He made Preliminary Champion Level by age 8 and has been competing at a champion level in his age group since then. At normal Feis competitions, both boys and girls compete against one another in their age category. However, at larger competitions such as Regional Oireachtas, Nationals and Worlds, dancers only compete against their own gender, again in their age category.

Belonging

December 2, 2021

Recently, many people around the globe celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Diwali for Hindus is similar in importance as Christmas for Christians. Ms. Raghuvir, Renbrook’s Lower School Counselor, helped set up a Happy Diwali display right inside the entrance to the Nelson Building during that week. There were photos, diyas and LED tea light candles, and books.

Renbrook Sixth Grader Makes a Big Difference

November 30, 2021

With her big heart, big smile, and big aspirations, sixth-grader Tommi Manafort has made quite a difference in the lives of several children with serious medical needs.

Alums Bring Art Show to Renbrook

November 30, 2021

Earlier this month, Renbrook hosted its first alumni guest speakers of the school year. Arianna Calabrese ’10 and Megan Lee ’10 met at Renbrook in sixth grade and have been friends ever since. After an exhilarating and successful run of their first collaborative art show, they decided to return to Renbrook, where it all began, and brought their show, Saga, with them.

For three days prior to Megan and Arianna’s visit, students, faculty, and staff were invited to visit Saga. To engage with the pieces, visitors used their cell phones to access a special augmented reality (AR) lens. The lens allowed viewers to view Arianna’s poetry in conjunction with Megan’s paintings. Then, on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, Arianna and Megan visited Renbrook as part of our alumni career speakers series. They met with the eighth grade; shared stories about their Renbrook days, educational journey, and career experiences; and led the eighth grade in an inspiring and interactive poetry-writing workshop.

Please & Thank You

November 26, 2021

Returning to the servery this school year has been absolutely wonderful. Not only are we getting the students and teachers out of their classrooms, but they are also provided so many healthy and yummy choices this year. Because we are operating in the servery and dining rooms during a pandemic, we have implemented several health and safety measures. One of those measures is moving eight grade levels through one-at-a-time. In order to manage that many servery sessions, we’ve made some changes this year to be more efficient. One of my roles to help expedite movement through the servery is parsing out around 120 sets of silverware (fork, knife, and spoon wrapped in a napkin) to the students in the Lower School through four lunch waves. We also have Mrs. Murray and Ms. Pina who help pour and serve many, many milks, juices, and waters for the students each day.

8th Grade Student Council Speech – Zaki Shamsi

November 23, 2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. Here is the final video in showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel. We invite you to listen here as Zaki Shamsi presents his bid for Student Council President.

Feedback

November 18, 2021

During a recent Lower School Faculty meeting, teachers viewed Austin’s Butterfly: Models, Critique, and Descriptive Feedback. This video, created by EL Education, a non-profit organization which began out of a collaboration of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound in the 1990s, provides insight for teachers and students regarding how critique and feedback, through the process of multiple iterations, can transform student work. After the video, teachers read Seven Keys to Effective Feedback by Grant Wiggins and discussed the important and critical components of feedback: goal-referenced, tangible and transparent, actionable, user-friendly, timely, ongoing, and consistent.

8th Grade Student Council Speech – CJ Glooch

November 16, 2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as CJ Glooch presents his bid for Student Council President.

8th Grade Student Council Speech – Ari Peres

November 9, 2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as Ari Peres presents his bid for Student Council President.

Be Kind

November 8, 2021

Please indulge me for a moment as I share an excerpt of a poem with you. I share this not simply because I think it’s amazing and that it’s one of my very favorites, but because it supports our “Be…” theme for November in the Lower School. And, today happens to be the start of World Kindness Week.

Professional Development

November 4, 2021

A friend who publishes an oncology journal recently shared with me that they had just returned from hosting a group of doctors in Kiawah, SC for a few days for some professional development and golf. It was very strange and a little funny to hear the term “professional development” used in a context not pertaining to teachers. Of course, I know that those in the medical field participate in ongoing training and education, so I wondered why that comment about professional development (PD) for folks outside of the educational landscape landed on me as it did.

8th Grade Student Council Speech – Hadley Edwards

November 2, 2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as Hadley Edwards presents her bid for Student Council President.

Welcome to Turtle Town

October 29, 2021

A Beautiful Place for an Outdoor Classroom Where Project-Based Learning Thrives

Kathy Greene and Robbie Saal spend several hours each week with their Kindergarten students exploring, working, and playing in their outdoor classroom named Turtle Town. When the children first visited this beautiful outdoor space, they asked, “Why is the classroom called Turtle Town?” Mrs. Saal then shared with the class a piece of Renbrook history. Many years ago, when a Beginning School class was working in this outdoor space, they found a box turtle. They had fun imagining turtles living there and decided to name the space Turtle Town.

8th Grade Student Council Speech – Tristan Buttimer

October 26, 2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as Tristan Buttimer presents his bid for Student Council President.

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A Beautiful Place for an Outdoor Classroom Where Project-Based Learning Thrives