"The first five years have so much to do with how the next 80 turn out."
- Bill Gates
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Dear Redeemer Community,
It is hard to believe that it has been more than 20 years since we began our first school search for our oldest son Aden. At the time we were living in Washington, DC and planning a move to Baltimore to coincide with my husband’s recent transfer. A native of Baltimore, his family and friends were full of advice and suggestions, reasons to attend this school or that. As an educator, I understood the importance of early childhood education. The decision, one that would impact our children for the rest of their lives, was so important.
We were looking for a joyful program where learning was fun, a school where it was ok to be noisy and muddy knees and splotches of paint were signs of a great day. It was important to find a nurturing, inclusive environment that embraced young learners and them accepted them for who they are, both their strengths and challenges. A program that emphasized being a good person meant mistakes were embraced, building children's confidence and comfort in taking risks and accepting failure. Most importantly, we wanted our children to be with kind teachers who would provide a learning foundation and experience that would prepare them for all that would lie ahead.
After touring countless preschool programs, we knew Redeemer was where we wanted them to be. A wait list and six months later, we were thrilled to learn that a spot became available for our son. I hand delivered our enrollment deposit within hours.
At the time we felt fortunate to become part of such a wonderful community, but little did we know then that Redeemer would become so much more. As a family we formed bonds and friendships that still exist today. Redeemer was not just a school; it was a gift that would last a lifetime!
In a time of growth, we are energized about fostering our partnership with our neighbors at Govans Elementary, adding extended day options until 5:30, and uniquely offering a program in the Baltimore area that offers a full early childhood experience, preschool through third grade.
A lot is happening at Redeemer; thank you for being a part of it and for spreading the word about all we have to offer!
Today's festivities were a true testament to the joy of Redeemer!
Happy Halloween!
Best regards,
Mary
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PDS Announces Two New Initiatives
Hi Neighbor!
Church of the Redeemer is one of Govans’ long-time partners. As our school program expands, developing a stronger school relationship between Govans Elementary and PDS is central to our mission.
We are excited to connect our first-grade students with a class of first graders at Govans. We are calling this initiative “Hi Neighbor!”. We are planning activities for both groups to participate in such as Pen Pal writing, Zoom meetings, etc. When it is safe, we would also like to plan in-person activities. More details to come!
We believe we will all benefit from forging a strong connection with our neighbors and are excited to see how this program grows and where it takes us!
Birthday Book Celebration - Redeemer Parish Day School is 70 this year!
In honor of this milestone, we are pleased to bring back the Birthday Book Celebration! This is an opportunity to celebrate your child’s birthday, help us grow our library, and support a Parent Council Fund Raiser.
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Office Notes & Reminders
COVID Impacts & Children
David Ware, the Redeemer rector, recently described the COVID pandemic as moving from "crisis to chronic". In his words, humanity generally does really well in moments of crisis, but when something becomes chronic, the difficulties and challenges can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, none of us is immune. The Redeemer staff and I, along with educators across the country, recognize that many of our students are more fragile than usual. These past two years have been incredibly difficult on everyone, and while the energy and enthusiasm of our students is a ray of hope, we are still witnessing struggle. The children mean the world to all of us, and they need our love and patience, time with their peers, and a high-quality education more than ever. Together, we will get through this, and in the end, strengthen in our unity.
The following articles may be of interest:
Admissions Season:
October 1 marked the official start of admissions season. Our parents and alum are our greatest ambassadors. If you know families who are interested in our program, please encourage them to visit our website to learn more about the admissions process and schedule a visit.
Re-enrollment forms and sibling applications must be received by December 1. Formal contracts will be mailed in January, with a return date in February. Click here to download a re-enrollment form or application.
We appreciate all you do the spread the word about Redeemer!
Thanksgiving Service:
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 23. We plan to hold our Thanksgiving service outside for students and their parents. School will be dismissed via the carline directly after the service. Additional information will be communicated closer to the 23rd.
Boots for Baltimore:
In conjunction with the church, we have begun our Boots for Baltimore drive, which raises money to buys boots and socks for homeless men and women. A flyer and Ziplock baggie can be found in this week's Friday Folder. Children are encouraged to bring coins that they find or earn through an allowance. Even at a young age, our students can make a difference in our Baltimore community.
Voices Redeemer Speaker Series:
The Church of the Redeemer is offering their VOICES series at a new time and, this year, on Zoom. Join us on Zoom at 4:00 pm on Wednesdays. Each offering will be recorded for later viewing.
Wednesday, November 3 @ 4:00 p.m.
Dr. Leana Wen (pronounced Lee-nah) is an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University. She is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and a CNN medical analyst. Previously, she served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner. She’s the author of a new book, Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.
Meeting ID: 810 5657 4782
Passcode: 90jC3e
Speech & Language Screenings:
For families who elected to have their child screened, summaries from Alicia Barger can be found in this week's Friday Folder.
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PDS Monthly Values
Being Helpful
Respect
How to Say, "I'm sorry!"
Thankfulness
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What's happening in the classrooms? |
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Pre-k with Mrs. Arrup, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Knott & Mrs. Wyatt
The Pre-K classes are having a great time learning through Exploring, Experimenting, Engaging in Exciting activities and even going on an Exit hunt throughout the school. The children have just spent some time with the letter Ee and had fun with estimating the number of objects in different containers, watching a chemical reaction in our experiments with green foam and getting to see an actual duck hatch out of its’ egg! They are connecting the letters and their sounds, counting with ten frames, cutting, painting on the easels and learning how to take turns and share with classmates. There have been lots of stories read and we are always listening for those rhyming words! We are looking forward to finishing up our farm unit but not before we talk about pumpkins, corn and scarecrows and all the harvesting that takes place. Fall is such a wonderful time to explore nature and we will be looking for signs of change all around our campus. The children have enjoyed all the wonderful activities of the Fall Carnival and we look forward to seeing everyone at the Halloween Parade!
Find out what is going on in all of our classes.
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Program Highlights
October has been a busy month at PDS! Our 2s classes hosted their parents for Popsicles on the Playground, and our First Grade welcome parents for a picnic lunch, Feast with First. They surprised parents by making salads with treats from the the PDS garden. Team Marvel made their inaugural appearance in carline, reminding our entire community of our school rules, Be Kind! Be Safe! Have Fun! Our students have been caring for duck eggs and were thrilled to welcome the nine baby ducklings as they hatched this week. Redeemer is full of budding artists, and our October Art Show featured the work of the students in pre-first and first grade. Five Days of Fall Fun has been the perfect culmination! Our students made amazing scarecrows, participated in a candy guessing contest, and really enjoyed their time at the carnival games, pony rides, and petting zoo. Finally, Halloween isn't Halloween without the annual Redeemer Halloween Parade. October was such a festive month! Thank you to the PDS teachers, parents volunteers, and Ashley Decker, Helena Illardo and Caitlin Sprouse for making all of these things possible!
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