Elementary students on our Piedmont campus worked together to write a classroom agreement. They based it on the core value of the school: respect, respect of others, of oneself, and of the environment. The dictionary proved very helpful in writing the agreement and there was a lot of great discussion. Here are the values and virtues they chose;

Tolerance, teamwork, thankfulness, try, truth, trust

Respect, responsibility, reaction, rules

Intelligence, individual, improving, independence

Self-motivation, safety, self-control, self-independence

The classroom agreement was also a group effort. Here is what the students wrote:

1. We keep our school clean and organized.
2. We use good manners and good attitude.
3. We respect others' work time.
4. We give others the space to do their work.
5. We take care of our plants and animals.
6. We keep ourselves calm and focused on our work.
7. We respect others’ belongings.
8. We respect others’ opinions.
9. We use a nice tone of voice.
10. We talk respectfully to each other.
11. We listen and pay attention to each other.
12. We keep our inside voice.
13. We walk in the classroom.
14. We cultivate good hygiene habits.
15. We use water wisely.
16. We are responsible for our actions.

You might also enjoy reading:

• Our New Piedmont Campus
• One Student's Math Journey

We are proud to announce that The Renaissance International school has won several Best of Parents' Press 2015 Awards for schools in Alameda County California.

Our “Best” awards:

• Best Bilingual Preschool
• Best Montessori Preschool
• Best Independent Preschool
• Best Montessori Elementary School
  
• Best Bilingual Middle School

The Renaissance International School is growing! We have added a second campus location at 5201 Park Boulevard in Piedmont to house first grade through middle school.

The site, which was previously occupied by Zion Lutheran School, is being leased by TRIS. It provides the school with approximately 10,000 square feet of classroom and administration space.

“The Piedmont site is a great asset to our school, and meets the needs of our growing student body,” says Leslie Hites, TRIS’s founder and head of school. “It provides the space to expand all our class levels from preschool through middle school.”

Since its founding in 1992, TRIS has been located at 3650 Dimond Avenue in Oakland. It will maintain that campus for pre-primary and primary levels, administration offices, and possibly an infant program in the future.

TRIS’s course of study encom­passes the full sub­stance of the tra­di­tional cur­ricu­lum, and goes beyond to teach stu­dents how to think clearly, do their own research, express them­selves well in writ­ing and speech, and put their knowl­edge to prac­ti­cal application. The school has excellent music, fine arts, and English/French/Spanish language immersion programs.

Central to TRIS’s philosophy is to provide students with an inter­na­tional cen­ter of learn­ing and cul­ture that is open and sup­port­ive where students develop and achieve their high­est potential.

ABOUT THE RENAISSANCE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

The Renaissance International School is a Montessori school in Oakland, California for children ages two years old through middle school. In 2015, the school won Parents’ Press “Best of” awards in the following categories: Best Bilingual Preschool; Best Montessori Preschool; Best Independent Preschool; Best Montessori Elementary School; and Best Bilingual Middle School.

Stu­dents from Oak­land, Berke­ley, San Lean­dro, Alameda, and other San Fran­cisco Bay Area cities attend The Renais­sance Inter­na­tional School, with campuses in Oakland’s Dimond District and Piedmont.

Graduates of The Renaissance International School attend top San Francisco Bay Area public and private schools including Head Royce, The College Preparatory School, Bishop O'Dowd, Bentley School, Lick-Wilmerding, and Oakland Tech.

For information, call 510-531-8566. 

When the sad events related to the earthquake in Nepal were presented to our Montessori middle school and elementary level students, they asked how they could help. The students wanted to contribute in a direct way by involving themselves in the fundraising process. They all agreed that help needs to occur as soon as possible and here are some of the ideas they came up with:

Read-a-thon- Donations would be based on the number of pages/chapters read. The students decided to look for supporters amongst their families, and neighbors.

Bake Sale: Students volunteered to bake pies, cakes, and cookies. The first bake sale was held on May 12 and was very successful. The  entire event was coordinated by the middle school students. They coordinated with the retail location, Oaklandish, to hold the sale outside the store, they recruited volunteers to bake (providing them with recipes), and work at the booth (under adult supervision).

In addition, students researched which organizations they would donate to with the goal of finding groups in which the funds would go directly to victims.

On Tuesday, May 19, students will hold a second bake sale fundraiser for earthquake victims. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oaklandish location on Fruitvale in Oakland. We hope you will stop by to lend your support.