Developing Leaders for the Renaissance of New York

Parents

Important Notices for Parents

Welcome Parents!

We want to hear from you! Renaissance is a collaborative community, and our parents’ voices are valued and heard in a variety of ongoing meetings and forums.

Parent Bill of Rights

Compliance with Education Law § 2-d and Part 121 requires that we post our Parents Bill of Rights, regarding data privacy and security for our students.

In accordance with New York State Education Law Section 2-d, the Renaissance Charter School hereby sets forth the following Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security, which is applicable to all students and their parents and legal guardians.

(1) A student’s personally identifiable information (PII) cannot be sold or released for any commercial purposes. PII, as defined by Education Law § 2-d and FERPA, includes direct identifiers such as a student’s name or identification number, parent’s name, or address; and indirect identifiers such as a student’s date of birth, which when linked to or combined with other information can be used to distinguish or trace a student’s identity. Please see the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations at 34 CFR 99.3 for a more complete definition;

(2) In accordance with FERPA and Education Law § 2-d Parents have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of their child’s education record;

(3) State and federal laws including, but not limited to, Education Law § 2-d; the Commissioner of Education’s Regulations at 8 NYCRR Part 121; FERPA; and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. (34 CFR Part 300), protect the confidentiality of a student’s PII; (4) When student PII is stored or transferred, safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices including but not limited to encryption, firewalls and password protection must be in place;

(4) New York State, through the New York State Education Department (NYSED), collects a number of student data elements for authorized uses. A complete list of all student data elements collected by the State is available for public review at http://www.nysed.gov/data-privacysecurity/student-data-inventory or by writing to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234; and

(5) Parents have the right to have complaints about possible breaches of student data addressed. Complaints should be directed to Stacey Gauthier, Principal and Executive Director, by telephone at 718-803-0060, ext. 115; by email sgauthier@renaissancecharter.org; or by mail at The Renaissance Charter School, 35-59 81 Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Complaints may also be submitted to NYSED at http://www.nysed.gov/data-privacysecurity/report-improperdisclosure; by mail to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234; by email to privacy@nysed.gov; or by telephone at 518-474- 0937.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTORS Each contract that TRCS enters into with a third party contractor where the contractor receives PII from student educational records or certain teacher or principal data, will include the following information:

(1) The exclusive purposes for which the student data or teacher or principal data will be used;

(2) How the third party contractor will ensure that the subcontractors, persons or entities that the third party contractor will share the student data or teacher or principal data with, if any, will abide by data protection and security requirements;

(3) When the agreement expires and what happens to the student data or teacher or principal data upon expiration of the agreement;

(4) If and how a parent, student, eligible student, teacher or principal may challenge the accuracy of the student data or teacher or principal data that is collected; and

(5) Where the student data or teacher or principal data will be stored (described in such a manner as to protect data security), and the security protections taken to ensure such data will be protected, including whether such data will be encrypted.

The Big APIL - The Annual Parent Information Letter

The 2023-2024 Annual Parent Information Letter may be found here:

In English – APIL 2023-2024 

En Español – APIL 2023-2024

NYC Kids Rise - How to Set Up Your Account

Log in and view your child’s FREE NYC Kids Rise Scholarship account! All kindergarten accounts are new and they ALL need to be activated by you (guardian).

  • Go to (note: on the upper right hand corner of the page you have an option to choose to view the page in a different language), then click on “ACTIVATE ACCOUNT.” 
  • You will need your child’s zip code, date of birth and 9 digit OSIS #. (If you don’t know your child’s OSIS #, please email carolinacaicedo@rencharter.org).
  • Click on the “SUBMIT” button.
  • A page that will say “New Profile” will come up.  Then you will enter your (guardian) name and last name, create a user name (your email) and password.
  • You will then be prompted to answer a list of questions.  Those are optional and although we encourage you to answer them (some or all), they are NOT required.
  • Please make sure that you scroll all the way down and then please make sure to click “SUBMIT.” 

Here is a short video tutorial on how to log in and view your child’s NYC Kids Rise Free Scholarship account: https://youtu.be/auMxpdzTVTk

Forms

Certain forms can be downloaded from the list below.  Please only fill out new emergency and medical forms if the information has changed, i.e. phone number, email or mailing address or emergency contact information; or a child’s medical condition. We do need a new McKinney Vento form every year.

Arrival and Dismissal Information

Arrival and Dismissal Safety Protocols – 2023-2024 School Year

  1. Please see the attached Fall 2023 Arrival and Dismissal
  2. Your child is assigned a specific door to enter the building, according to grade level
    1. PK parents may escort children to their classrooms – only 1 adult per family may enter the building.
    2. All other grades will be escorted by school staff.
    3. Parents, you will be asked to come in and out of the building quickly to minimize social interaction–you must not try to engage teachers in conversations at arrival or dismissal. Please email your teacher to set up a time to meet if you have concerns that need to be addressed.
    4. If you arrive late during Arrival, after your child’s class has entered the building, you will be required to wait until all students have entered the building. This is when we will have staff available to escort your child.
  3. During Dismissal, please follow the procedures in the attached document. 
    1. ONLY adults with Family Pickup Cards will be allowed into the building. 
    2. If you arrive late to pick up your child, please go directly to the 3rd-floor stage area on the elementary school side of our building. PreK parents may have to wait for their children to be escorted upstairs.
  4. Your child is welcome to take supper with them. Supper is served grab-and-go style and can be picked up from the cafeteria.

Monday Early Dismissal for Staff Professional Development

  1. Every Monday all Kindergarten-12th grade students will be dismissed at 1:31 PM to accommodate teacher professional development. 
  2. Pre-Kindergarten students will be dismissed at the regular time (3:10 PM.) 
  3. After-school programs will be available starting at the early dismissal time. See below for more information on After-School Programming.

Please note that 1st and 10th-period programming may change throughout the year based on the academic needs of each student. If your child is scheduled for 1st or 10th period, it is a mandatory part of their school day. Your 7th-12th grade child may be dismissed at 3:10 on some days and at 4:00 on others. You will be promptly notified of any changes. 

COVID-19 Protocols

Please read the important NYC and NYS DOH  COVID-19 Health protocols before entering our school building.

Please see the Accountability Page for more information on our COVID-related responses.

Key Contacts

To stay responsive to your needs, please see this Contact Sheet for quick access to the correct staff member to contact with your questions!

¡Consulte esta Hoja de contacto para acceder rápidamente al miembro del personal correcto para contactar con sus preguntas! Hojo De Contacto Para Padres.

Make sure to mark you calendars for upcoming Parent Workshops held in association with our Parent Association!  Meetings are planned throughout the school year and announced in our monthly newsletters and by email.  We will continue to hold  meetings virtually to accommodate as many people as possible.  The links to the meeting will sent to your email address closer to the dates.

You can find more resources to support the growth of your child’s social-emotional learning and well-being on the Supporting Your Child page.

HANDBOOKS and POLICIES

Elementary and Middle School Family Handbook

High School Family Handbook

Code of Conduct and Discipline Policy

Technology and Internet Safety Policy

Protection for Immigrant Families  Renaissance stands with the City and the NYC DOE in ensuring students’ families of the protections and supports the NYC Department of Education has in place for immigrant families. We have adopted the policy that non-local law enforcement officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are not allowed to enter schools unless absolutely required by law (in most cases, this means they must have a warrant signed by a judge). The protocol for how schools should handle visits or requests from ICE remains in effect during the summer months, as students attend summer school or participate in summer meals. More information, and translations of communication, is available on their website HERE.

Grievance (Complaint) Procedure (Español – Querellas o quejas)

Individuals with grievances should first speak with the staff member directly involved with the situation. If the issue is not resolved after this discussion, the matter should be referred to the cluster leader, or a member of the School Management Team (SMT). If the matter is still not resolved after the SMT member’s intervention, it will be referred to the Principal. In the event that the Principal cannot resolve the situation, the following grievance procedures will be followed:

  • Individuals should address their issue in writing to the Chairperson of the The Board of Trustees (Dr. Monte Joffee at montejoffee@rencharter.org).
  • Once the committee reviews the issues, the matter will be referred to the appropriate person, cluster or committee for further investigation, mediation, action and/or recommendations. A report will be generated back to the Board’s Grievance Committee for its recommendation to the full Board. The full board will vote on a decision.
  • People who have had their grievances denied by the Board of Trustees will be notified in writing of their right to appeal the decision to the New York City Public Schools Charter Office at the Office of School Design & Charter Partnerships New York City Department of Education, 100 Gold Street, Suite 3500 New York, NY 10038; the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education at 52 Chambers St-rm 320, New York, NY 10007, and the New York State Board of Regents at New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Board of Regents, Room 110 EB, Albany, New York 12234.

Parent Supports

Check the calendar for Parent Workshops on various topics to help you support your children.

Housing Instability

Emergency Eviction Hotlines:

  • In NYC:
    • Call Housing Court Answers, 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday: 212-962-4795 or 718-557-1379. Calls are answered directly in Spanish, English and French, and interpreters are used for all other languages through the LanguageLine translation service.
    • Call Homebase or 311. Use the Homebase locator to find your local Homebase provider’s contact information.
      • Ask your local Homebase provider about Project Parachute for rental assistance, eviction prevention, and financial services while experiencing an immediate housing crisis, regardless of immigration status

Food Insecurity

 

List and Description of all Parent-Inclusive Meetings

  • Board of Trustees – The Board is the governing body of the school. It meets monthly and allocates time for public speaking. Please note that it is our policy that speakers limit their presentation to three minutes. Additionally, while we are meeting virtually, we ask that all speakers turn on their cameras since these meetings are required to be recorded and retained.
  • Parent Town Halls with the Principal – The principal holds parent town-hall meetings regularly, in English and also in English translated to Spanish, to update families on important school policies and re-opening plans.
  • Collaborative School Governance Committee (CSG) – The CSG is composed of stakeholders from across the school – students, parents, non-pedagogical staff, teachers and administrators.
  • Parent Association – TRCS has a representative parent association.  This group supports communication between the School and its families.  Additionally, they sponsor events and activities that benefit our community.
  • Family Workshops – The School and Parent Association offer regular workshops on issues and topics important to our families.  Some workshops have included: Helping your child with organization, Social Media and your child, Talking with your teen, Meditation, Supporting your child through the pandemic, etc.  We want your ideas!  Please let us know if there is a workshop that you would like to see.
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences – The School holds Parent-Teacher Conferences twice a year in fall and Spring to discuss your child’s academic progress and other issues related to his or her success in school.
  • Family Conferences – These conferences are initiated by our faculty to provide a meeting which allows for more time to discuss students who are at-risk academically.  The goal of a family conference is to create an action plan for your child’s success.
  • Curriculum Night – Once a year, in September, the School hosts a Curriculum night to inform you about what your child will be learning this year and our expectations in each grade.
  • College Bound Parent Meetings – Our College Bound Office, hosts high school grade level meetings to keep families updated on the College Admissions’ Process.
  • Admissions’ Open Houses – Our Admissions’ Team hosts several open houses per year for families who are thinking about applying to our school.  Additionally, we host a special meeting for our 8th graders to introduce them to our high school and all it has to offer.
  • Arts and Other Exhibition Events – We are extremely proud of the work our students accomplish in their arts and other classes and host events to share and celebrate these events.
  • Class Events – Teachers host a variety of class events including publishing parties in the elementary grades and parent attendance is strongly encouraged. Currently, all of our meetings are virtual.  Schedules and links are provided on our website or sent directly to families.  We look forward to seeing you!