I welcome you to our first edition of The Quarterly Catch, a digital newsletter to keep you abreast of the biggest headlines and happenings at RCS four times per year. As we head into springtime soon, I want to report on some exciting developments from this past year, as well as update you on what’s on the horizon.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Robert F. Schumann Foundation, our school launched a new outdoor education program to encourage all of our students to put down their screens and spend more time learning in the open air. The No Child Left Indoors (NCLI) initiative brought students into immersive outdoor learning environments across the region. From camping along the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Henlopen State Park to learning about history onsite at Gettysburg, students connected with peers and teachers in new ways and almost forgot they were learning. More exciting outdoor excursions are planned for students this spring, including a three day and two night trip for our York homeroom students to a CBF site on the Chesapeake Bay.
Before Thanksgiving, we honored the parent volunteers who helped make our new outdoor classroom a reality in a gratitude ceremony before we returned to school for a very busy December when RCS hosted two Dyslexia Specialists from Bowman Educational Services, who brought expert Orton-Gillingham trainers, as well as new insights on the best practices to use with our students. Later that month, water bottle refilling stations became a new fixture in our hallways due to a successful Giving Tuesday campaign, and we ended the year with an interview featuring RCS on Maryland’s newest NPR station, WHCP radio.Â
RCS started 2024 strong by hosting several outreach events, including a successful Professional’s Breakfast in January with 25 guests, as well as a series of Story Times at the Creek, where we invited families with young children to join us for a story and craft. We are currently planning for the coming year with reenrollment well underway, and our admissions team has been busy welcoming new families interested in enrolling at The Creek from both the Eastern and Western Shores.
We look forward to staying in touch through this newsletter every few months, and I invite you to join us in person at an upcoming event this spring. Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2024!