Radcliffe Creek School Newsletter: November 12, 2021

Radcliffe Generosity:

Thanking Those Who Serve

This week, in honor of Veterans Day, Radcliffe held our annual school-wide assembly to teach children about what it means to be a veteran, the courage and bravery it takes to serve, and the deep, unconditional love for our country that every service member embodies. I was joined on stage in the Great Room by Mr. Kim, Ms. Frymark, Mr. Reynolds, and Garrison Green's Great Uncle, Dr. William Orr. Mr. Kim spoke about his experience in the armed forces of South Korea, Ms. Frymark gave a glimpse of what it was like to be a woman in the Air Force, Mr. Reynolds told stories about his time in the Coast Guard, and Dr. Orr recounted some of his trips overseas in the Air Force.

Students sat transfixed listening to the challenges and gifts one encounters as a service member. I was proud at the end when students came forward to thank each of our speakers and our Sassafras homeroom bestowed them with thank you notes and cards. One of the most important things I tried to instill was that although Thursday is the named federal holiday honoring our veterans, it is important to thank our members of the armed forces each and every day.

This week, I'd also like to shine a light on another incredible woman of service; Dr. Fran Bowman, an incredibly kind, warm, and brilliant mind that truly embodied the mission and heart of Radcliffe Creek School. Sadly, Fran passed away on November 8th. It was Fran's passion to work with dyslexic children and their families. An inspiration and teacher to hundreds, Fran trained teachers in Orton-Gillingham, wrote her own teaching manual, created a reading app geared towards dyslexics, ran Bowman Educational Services in multiple states, and achieved countless other amazing feats in her 40-plus year career. Her laugh was, by all accounts, as contagious as her compassion. She inspired so many people — students, teachers, her family, her friends. If you knew her, you felt blessed to have her in your life. We'll miss her deeply. I like to think that teachers like Fran never really pass away — instead, their spirit lives on in the lessons that they crafted and the minds that they helped mold. Fran, her memory, and her wisdom will live on in all of us that she helped teach and coach, and in all of the students whom she helped in her own miraculous way.

Meg Bamford

Head of School

Yesterday, we met with a great deal of our students' parents and guardians. What an amazing day! We hope all parents had an enriching experience and logged-off feeling more informed, connected and comfortable with your child's education at Radcliffe Creek School. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or insights that you'd like to share, please email Mr. Joiner at bjoiner@radcliffecreekschool.org.

To continue last week's spirit of Radcliffe Generosity, Maryland Pod students wrapped up their Food Drive for the local food pantry. Students collected, packaged and delivered boxes and boxes of non-perishable food to the food bank. To all those who donated, thank you for your contribution to our local community.

To further contribute to our community of giving, tap the button below!

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PARENTS OF THE

PARENT-TEACHER COMMITTEE!

After feeling disconnected for so long, we are looking to JUMP START the Radcliffe Parent-Teacher Committee for the 2021-2022 school year! We know that we are a diverse group and we are looking for you to help with your TIME, TREASURE, OR TALENT (or all three if you would like)! Please take a minute to complete this form to let us know how you would like to participate! Please choose as many selections as you'd like, you are not limited. We are looking forward to supporting our teachers and students! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me, Erin Zierfuss, directly at ezierfuss@gmail.com.

Fill Out Form!

Our after-school program offers homework help and special Enrichment Classes every day RCS is open (excluding half-days before vacations).

If you would like for your child to participate in our after-school program, please fill out this Google form. In addition, please fill out the necessary MDSE paperwork (PDFs can be found here). If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Meg Bamford, Ben Joiner, or Jimmy Reynolds.