April 19, 2018



IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Friday, April 20
Earth Day Field Trips! 
Students should come dressed down in their RCS Earth Day shirts OR a Radcliffe gym shirt. Permission slips must be returned by Friday morning or the student cannot attend school. 

Tuesday, April 24
Lacrosse home game versus Kent School
4:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 26
Lacrosse at Kent School
4:00 p.m.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT - LITERATURE!
Each week, we will be highlighting one of our programs or offering resources for parents to illustrate The Radcliffe Way!
 
Literature as a SPRINGboard for Learning

Whether or not spring actually arrives, Literature is an easy way to launch into learning conversations in ANY season!

From picture books to classic novels, all literature can be used to spark a child's learning. Reading and discussing literature has many benefits for a child's comprehension abilities and understanding of the world around them.

Literature provides a platform for students and families to explore different cultures and time periods throughout history. This exploration of humanity may also be the perfect time for families to discuss diversity, equality, and fairness. Compassion and empathy are common themes threaded throughout countless pieces of literature and you don't need to be a teacher to guide your child in these conversations! Read a story aloud with your child, or hold your own mini book club while simultaneously reading the same book. Discussing events, making predictions, exploring a character's feelings and actions are all beneficial to your child's learning, while also providing you with the opportunity to spend quality time together!

For some great resources, visit Teach Empathy with Literature and Books About Social Issues.



Logan and Gavin display their independent reading book reports! Kenzie  plays I Have Who Has to review chapters from Stone Fox.
K-8 SUMMER PROGRAM!
Radcliffe Creek is incredibly excited to be partnering with the Queen Anne's County YMCA this year to offer a wonderful summer experience for both Radcliffe students and those in the greater community.

Radcliffe will again be offering our three day a week, half-day Summer Program which provides children with the opportunity to continue on the progression of the acquisition of skills.   

New this year, students can also register for a YMCA camp in conjunction with the RCS Summer Program so they will be able to be at Radcliffe for the entire day, five days a week. The YMCA offers before and after care, so campers can arrive as early as 7:00 a.m. and stay at camp until 6:00 p.m.

Radcliffe Creek School Summer Program
Research supports the fact that students experience significant learning loss when they do not participate in educational activities over the summer. These students on average score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than they did on the same tests at the end of the prior school year.

The RCS Summer Program will be a half-day (8:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), for five weeks starting July 10 and ending August 9. As stated above, RCS Summer Program participants can sign up for YMCA camps on the days when Radcliffe's Summer Program is not held (Mondays and Fridays) as well as the afternoon of the program on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The weekly themes of the RCS Summer Program will match the themes of the YMCA camps. Radcliffe's Summer Program is open to Radcliffe and non-Radcliffe students.

A typical day in the RCS Summer Program might include workshops in: Keeping up with Summer Reading Projects, Reading, Math, Written Expression, Art, Music, Computers, Outdoor Sports, and Speech and Language Therapy. Eastern Shore Psychological Services will also provide continued therapy services for those who are currently receiving them. Below is a typical day:

8:15-8:30            Arrival
8:30-9:15            Workshop #1
9:20-10:05          Workshop #2
10:05-10:35        Break/Snack
10:40-11:25        Workshop #3
11:30-12:15        Workshop #4
12:15-12:30        Dismissal

Tutoring
Radcliffe Creek will also offer summer tutoring in academic subjects as well as speech and language therapy for anyone interested in receiving one-to-one instruction. Students can attend the YMCA camps and receive tutoring at a designated time during the day, or simply come just for tutoring.

YMCA Camps
YMCA camps will run at Radcliffe from June 18 through August 10. There are dozens of camps to choose from, including Lego Adventure, Jedi Trainer, Nerf Madness, Chess, and more. To read the full program offerings, click here.

Cost
  • RCS Summer Program Only (three half days of instruction for five weeks) - $750 (must register for all five weeks)
  • Individual Tutoring - $50/hour for academic areas and $65/hour for Speech and Language
  • RCS Summer Program and YMCA Camps - $750 and an additional $125-$185 per week depending on what camp you select
  • YMCA Camps ONLY - range in cost from $165-$225 a week
Registration
Registration forms will be sent home THIS WEEK with each child. Simply fill out the form and return it to school, along with a check made payable to Queen Anne's County YMCA. Alternatively, you can call the YMCA with credit card information.

Transportation
Transportation from Easton, Annapolis, Kent Island and Centreville will be available for an additional fee. If you are interested in utilizing the transportation service, please contact Debbie Cohee-Wright.

Questions
If you have any questions, please contact  Debbie Cohee-Wright.

We look forward to seeing your child this summer!
FRIDAY ORDERED LUNCHES
Due to Friday's Earth Day Field Trips, the ordered lunches for that day will now be made up on Tuesday, May 29.
7TH GRADE TRANSITION MEETING
Parents!  Are you wondering what will happen after eighth grade next year? Have you thought about what school your child will be attending once they leave Radcliffe? For answers to these questions and many more, we are strongly encouraging all seventh grade students and their parents to attend the Transition Meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 3rd to learn more about the whole transitioning process after eighth grade. This meeting is also open to any other students and parents who would like to receive more information about the transitioning process. Please join Mr. Joiner, Ms. Usilton, Mrs. Nistler, and Mrs. Cohee-Wright in Ms. Usilton's room at 6:00 p.m. on May 3rd to learn what is involved when transitioning to high school. For questions about the meeting, please e-mail Debbie Cohee-Wright . This is a very important meeting, so please try to attend. We look forward to seeing everyone! 
ART NEWS
Radcliffe students will have artwork on exhibit for Chestertown's Earth Day Recycled Art Festival on Saturday, April 21. In art class, students were asked to create a piece of jewelry using one aluminum soda or seltzer can. They could also use wire, beads, glue, and yarn. Students were very creative in how they used the materials! In addition, Thomas Callahan will have his Soda Can Sailboat on display as a separate exhibit. Please join the celebration and see our student work! The Festival runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Memorial Row. The event is sponsored by the Town of Chestertown and RiverArts.


AROUND THE CREEK
Congratulations to Paige Holmes who won third place in the Kent County Character Counts essay contest! Entries were from eighth graders across Kent County and Paige received $100 as her prize!


Mrs. Kirby's Discovery students are learning all about precipitation this week! They made a shaving cream cloud "rain" and they got to learn how to pipe icing into the shape of snowflakes!


Asher from the Little Creek Four's Room brought in his friend, Louie, for show and tell!



Little Creek's Three's "Grass People" are catching some rays! The class will care for these fun characters as they wait for their "hair" to sprout! Word on the street is that Grass People grow some unruly hair...which means haircuts might be a necessity in the future!


Please join us in wishing Ellie Lake GOOD LUCK as she is on her way to Rome, Georgia today to compete in a National Tennis tournament! This dynamo has won more than 12 tournaments and was a runner up in several others. Next month she will compete in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! 


This morning, Radcliffe fourth and fifth grade students met Newbery Medal-winning young adult author Matt de la Peña at the annual Kent County Public Library Children's Author Event. Peña spoke about his journey from being a reluctant reader to becoming a New York Times bestselling author.
Radcliffe Creek School
201 Talbot Boulevard
Chestertown, MD 21620
410-778-8150

Discover. Create. Thrive.