"Our mission is to help students identify and learn how to cope and overcome their academic and behavioral challenges in order to become productive and responsible members within Warren Township school population and community at large."

"I never lose. I either WIN or Learn." Nelson Mandela

Greetings,

The end of the 3rd 9 weeks is closely approaching. Remember students are expected to earn credits every 9 weeks and will be assigned to a new set of classes beginning 4th term. I want to encourage you to check in with your students on their progress and as always you are able to access, grades, attendance, and behavior through the Tyler Parent portal. You may also find all teacher emails on the Renaissance Website. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Senior parents please check in with your student to make sure they are on track regarding graduation. If you have further questions reach out to our Guidance Counselor Mrs. Nassar.

Juniors and Seniors interested in going to prom. Tickets will go on sale from April 7-23. Prom will take place April 25th. Ticket price is $60 and tickets can be purchased in the front office. Only seniors will be allowed to invite guest from outside the school. Guest forms are available in front office and must be returned with the proper signatures no later than March 20th. Students with 10 or more unexcused absences must have permission from administrators to purchase tickets. IDs will be needed to access prom.

Middle school students coming to the end of their 9 week stay will begin to have transition meetings in preparation for transition back to home schools. A Renaissance Administrator will be in touch.

Lastly, your student's safety is always are top priority. Please help us keep your student safe by reiterating the importance of never opening outside door without adult permission and making sure that students understand they must have a pass to move freely throughout the building.

Again, thank you for allowing us to serve your student.

Have a great weekend!

Middle School Moments

This week’s affirmation: I won’t give up when times get hard and things stop being easy.

It’s not a very happy Friday here at Renaissance Middle School. We had to cancel our planned field trip to The Crispus Attucks Museum. It was determined that the behaviors that many of our students have been displaying lately were not the behaviors that we want representing Warren Township. The curator of the museum was very understanding and encouraged us to reschedule when students are exhibiting better choices.

Please help us from home by checking that your student is following our basic rules at Renaissance.

1. Dress Code: No sandals, slides, or house shoes, no legging/jeggings or other skin tight clothing, no inappropriate graphics, no rips and tears in pants, no hoods/head coverings, and no undergarments showing.

2. Profanity: There has been a sharp increase in the blatant use of profanity in the hallways and classrooms.

3. Academics: Too many students are refusing to do assigned work or participate appropriately in class and as a consequence are failing their classes. Check your student’s grades in Tyler to see how they are doing.

4. Outside food and drinks are not allowed. Please do not let your student bring candy, chips, drinks and other snacks to school. These are a distraction to the learning environment. All students are offered lunch at Renaissance at no charge. They will not go hungry.

5. Basic Respect; Some students are choosing to be disrespectful to their peers as well as adults. Typical instances of disrespect include name calling, profanity, “attitudes”, tone of voice, posturing, “mean-mugging”, and so on. It is far too easy for these behaviors to escalate to physical altercations.

Again, not ALL students are having problems following the school’s expectations, but far too many students ARE deliberately defying the rules. Please encourage your student to do the right thing even when it is hard to do.

Middle School Team

CORE/Success, Mrs. Shaw, kshaw@warren.k12.in.us

Math: Mrs. Nowling, rnowling@warren.k12.in.us

English: Ms. Craycroft, scraycro@warren.k12.in.us

Dear Renaissance Family,

I wanted to make sure that everyone is clear on the districts bullying policy and what actions can be taken if you feel that your son/daughter is being bullied. If you do believe that bullying is happening, please contact the school immediately. If you or your student do not feel comfortable contacting the school directly, please use the following number:

1. Call 317-532-3049 and leave a message on our hotline;

2. Submit a digital report: Report Bullying or Safety Concerns.

The definition of bullying is defined as overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures, including verbal or written communications or images transmitted in any manner (including digitally or electronically); physical acts committed; aggression; or any other behaviors committed by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the targeted student, creating for the targeted student an objectively hostile school environment that:

• Places the targeted student in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or property
• Has a substantially detrimental effect on the targeted student's physical or mental health
• Has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student's academic performance

or

• Has the effect of substantially interfering with the targeted student's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by the school

RESOURCES

• No Bullying Pledge (All students are required to sign the pledge.)
• Anti-Bullying Pamphlet (Reference guide for staff, parents, and students)
• Presentation from February 6, 2014 Community Dialogue on Bullying
• Internet Safety Website

"The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges".

-Dr. Martin Luther King

Student Success Handbook for Warren Township:

https://coredocs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/359717/Student_Success_Handbook_Board_Approved_19-20_school_year.pdf

On February 23rd, 2020, students and families all across the state of Indiana can receive free help filing the FAFSA! College Goal Sunday is a program that started right here in Indiana and has spread across the country.

This event is held city-wide so please check out CollegeGoalSunday.org to find the location closest to you, and to find items to help get organized and ready for the event. College Goal Sunday is once again having a drawing for 5 scholarships worth $1,000 each for students who attend CGS and fill out a survey !

Important Dates

SAT registration information

Next Date March 14, 2020

Registration February 14, 2020

Late Registration February 16-March 3, 2020.

Upcoming ACT Registration Deadline:

Next Date April 4, 2020

Registration February 28, 2020

Late Registration February 9-March 13, 2020

ACT registration information

Reminder: All of our 21st Century Scholars must take the SAT or ACT to claim their scholarship. Please see information below

From the Desk of the Social Worker…

30 Facts for Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month here are 30 Facts you might not have been aware of...

• The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights organization, was founded in 1909
• Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,”
• Created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher
• February was chosen to coincide with Frederick Douglass’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays
• Woodson built Negro History Week around traditional days of commemorating the black past to extend public’s study of black history
• The 1920s was the decade of the New Negro, the Post-War I generation with rising racial pride and consciousness
• In the 1940s, efforts increased within black community to expand the study of black history in the schools
• During the Civil Rights Movement in the South, some schools incorporated Black history into the curriculum with the hopes of advancing social change
• As early as 1940s, blacks in West Virginia began to celebrate February as Negro History Month
• Became a national month-long celebration in 1976
• Canada celebrates Black History Month in February
• The U.K. celebrates Black History Month in October
• In 1739, the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina became the largest slave revolt in colonial America
• The first black U.S. senator was Hiram Revels in 1870
• 1 in 4 cowboys was Black, despite the stories told in popular books and movies
• Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992
• Thurgood Marshall was the first African American appointed to the United States Supreme Court
• Jack Johnson was the first African-American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908.
• Jazz, an African–American musical form born out of the blues, ragtime and marching bands, originated in Louisiana during the turn of the 19th century
• At a time when universities did not typically offer financial assistance to black athletes, African-American football star Ernie Davis was offered more than 50 scholarships.
• Josiah Henson fled slavery in Maryland in 1830 and later founded a settlement in Ontario, Canada, for other black citizens who had escaped
• Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson helped establish the African American-owned and -controlled Freedom Bank
• John Baxter Taylor was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal
• Alexa Canady became the first female African-American neurosurgeon in the United States.
• Cathay Williams was the first and only known female Buffalo Soldier during the Civil War
• Quincy Jones is the most Grammy-nominated artist in the history of the awards with 76 nominations and 26 awards.
• Scientist and mathematician Benjamin Banneker is credited with helping to design the blueprints for Washington, D.C.
• George Monroe and William Robinson are thought to be two of the first African Americans to work as Pony Express riders
• Inventor of the three-way traffic signal, Garrett Morgan, became the first African American to own a car in Cleveland, Ohio
• Satchel Paige was the first African-American pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Community Resources:

Renaissance supportive services offered for 2019-2020;

v Gallahue Community Hospital - Counseling School-Based service programs to assist with social and emotional challenges

v Future Promises Program - Teen parenting and casework services-Marion County Health Department

v The Indianapolis Urban League - College Readiness Program and other extracurricular activities offered

v Inner Beauty is now housed in our building every Thursday evening 7-9p

Renaissance is always seeking to add more community resources and programs to promote, improve and increase social and emotional skills within our community.

Lori B. Dodson, MSW

School Social Worker

Phone: (317) 532.2996 ext. 2962

ldodson1@warren.k12.in.us

Graduation

There has been a change in the Cap and Gowns. Students will be wearing one color(Black)with the cap(black)and tassel(black and gold).The price has changed to $34.00 dollars. All else will stay the same. Students may go to the website (herffjones.com) to access the picture of the Cap and Gown.

College and Career Planning

Led by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Learn More Indiana is a partnership of state and local organizations working to help Hoosiers of all ages complete education and training beyond high school. Go to this website and take personality quizzes, research potential careers and educational opportunities, build a resume and more!

https://learnmoreindiana.org/

Financial Aid Information

https://scholars.in.gov/parents/keep-your-scholar-on-track/

Financial Aid for Seniors

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications are available on October 1, 2019. Stay tuned for information about a FAFSA Completion night at Renaissance when we will go through the application process.

Also, be sure to follow the College and Career Readiness page on twitter for regular updates!

@CCR_WarrenTwp

“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”
― Albert Einstein

“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters,”
― Amit Ray, Meditation: Insights and Inspirations

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”
― Confucius, Sayings of Confucius

CORE Winners

LJ Foster- Civility & Excellence

Jaylen Swenden- Order

Chris Kersage- Order

Shane Tracey- Order

The below students were given C.O.R.E. Bucks this week for showing CORE:

CORE Awards W/E Feb 7th

Middle School CORE Awards

Heaven H.

Terry W.

Khaliah H.

Shiare M.

Amiya M.

Dasani D.

Char’dea W.

El’Jenae M.

DeWayne P.

D’Sean Bigbee

Damarion P.

Tyreon W.

High School CORE Awards

Karlos M.

Shahee A.

Jaylon S.

Anijah P.

Mikey D.

TaDryell W.

Juan M.

Finesse W.

KeeKee H.

Devin T.

Janeigh W.

Willie D.

Traniesa F.

Ashley T.

KT D.

Taylor S.

Deaja W.

Jayy J.

Ariyanna K.

Gooch

Shainay S.

Rony F.

Xsavion M.

Keyvon B.

Currently, every visitor who enters our building is asked to present a state of federal ID, such as a Driver’s License, and it is scanned into the Raptor System. Once the visitor has been approved, the office staff enters the reason, destination of the visit and the Raptor System will print a photo ID visitor badge. If for any reason a parent or guardian does not have a U.S. government-issued ID, the staff member can use any form of ID and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor System. Beginning November 11, 2019, this will apply to our PreK-4 campuses as well.

A photo ID visitor badge is not required for those who visit our schools to drop off an item or pick-up paperwork at the front desk. Further, they may drop off their items(s) or remain in the waiting area until their student is available. Please be aware that current practices established in each building remain in effect.

The safety of our students is our highest priority. The Raptor Visitor Management System provides us with a consistent process of knowing who is in our buildings at all times as well as a tool to identify those individuals who may present a danger to our students and staff.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support towards enhancing school safety protocols in our district. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us here at Renaissance at 317-532-2996.

IT'S EVERYTHING WARREN TOWNSHIP IN YOUR POCKET!

Catch up with the latest student stories, sports scores, and news updates. It’s everything Warren Township, in your pocket. Download the app on Android: http://bit.ly/2Fp2N3T or iPhone: https://apple.co/2quwRR9.