Raleigh Oak Charter School

If you or someone you know is not feeling confident about their current school placement, ROCS is currently accepting new students in grades K-8 for immediate enrollment!
-Apply now: https://www.raleighoakcharter.org/enroll,
-Email [email protected] to learn more, or
-Attend our Kindergarten Open House Friday, Aug. 30 @ 12p!

Raleigh Oak Charter School ROCS is a tuition-free public charter school guided by the principles of Public Waldorf in Raleigh.

Its a big week for our newest ROCStars! If you have friends who are still considering kindergarten options, we have a few seats still open!

Dear ROCS Families,

We are busy, busy, busy getting ready for the ‘24–’25 school year! Some exciting events are starting tomorrow:

Open House is tomorrow, August 22 5:30-7:30 PM. Students will be meeting their teachers and otherwise becoming oriented to the flow of movements in the building. Some key points:
Your teachers will be contacting you this afternoon to introduce themselves and to let you know their classrooms. We will have guides available to point you in the right direction once you’re here.

This is a drop-in format, with classroom “Meet My Teacher” sessions scheduled in classrooms at 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30.
We will also have ongoing availability of student supports, Parent Circle, and Specials teachers. WaldorfThings.com will also be available to pickup pre-ordered materials.
Parking is available in the front and back of the building. If you park in the back, watch for a guide designating where to enter the building.

If you or your child are crowd-averse/sensory-avoiders, we suggest participating during the latter part of the event.
The First Day of School for 1st-8th Grade Students is Tuesday August 27. Carpool drop-off begins at 8:30, and pick-up begins at 3:15. See below for carpool information.

It is critical that your child(ren) attend every day of school starting on that day. School attendance during the first 20 days of the school year not only has inherent educational value, but for charter schools, it is the basis for the majority of our state funding for the year. Please inform your child’s teacher about any known absences the first week of school.

Kindergarten Staggered Entry:
Students will attend school on only one assigned day from 9:30 to 12:30, 8/27-8/29.
Kindergarten teachers will be contacting families with the date that their child will attend during that time.
Parents will be able to walk their children into their classroom for their staggered entry day.
Kindergarten Meet The Teacher will take place 12:00-2:00p on Friday, 8/30, where students and their families will meet with their assigned teacher and learn more about the specifics of their classroom.

The First Day of Kindergarten is Tuesday, September 3rd
Adult helpers will be available at drop-off to help students transition between carpool and their classrooms.
Our School Counselor Ms. Pottorff will be on hand for anyone who may be experiencing strong emotions during this important milestone in their family’s life.

Carpool information will be coming in a separate message. We have received some late-breaking information from our property owners that will impact our procedures and likely result in changes from last year. We will communicate our procedures once they have been clarified.

Thank you so much for your partnership,
Dr. J

At ROCS, our teachers prioritize making kids feel SAFE, ACCEPTED, and APPRECIATED, regardless of abilities. We still have seats left in most grades for families in search of a gentler learning environment - apply ASAP at https://www.raleighoakcharter.org/enrollment-waldorf-school/

The ROCS board will hold an emergency meeting tonight at 7:30 and immediately go into Closed Session for the purpose of approving new hires (yay!). The public portion can be viewed via Google Meet:

Meet Real-time meetings by Google. Using your browser, share your video, desktop, and presentations with teammates and customers.

Reminder: 3rd grade meetup today at ROCS 2-4p, 4th grade at Walnut Creek Wetlands tomorrow at 10am!

This year’s SCHOOL SUPPLIES LISTS have been updated, and can be found at the link below. Thank you for your patience as we clarified this information! (If securing some of these supplies will be a financial strain, just notify your child’s teacher!)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mM4r_MmQQT3elml2ZW5dcBMwQpbOhrJN/view

The ROCS Board of Directors will have a meeting 8pm Wednesday, August 7 and immediately go into closed session to discuss personnel matters related to new staff hiring. The brief public portions of the meeting can be viewed using the Google Meet link:

Meet Real-time meetings by Google. Using your browser, share your video, desktop, and presentations with teammates and customers.

Thanks to everyone who attended our Wildflower Gathering! Make sure to check our website for info on upcoming Grade Level gatherings. ROCS is still enrolling for fall!

Reminder: our Wildflower Gathering is Saturday, beginning at 10:30, at Annie Louise Wilkerson Nature Preserve - all new and returning students are invited for refreshments and recreation, and a CRAYON SWAP! Bring your duplicate colors to trade for the shapes/colors you're missing!

Check out Dr J's latest two Principal's posts on the website, including Supplies List updates:

HOME - Raleigh Oak Charter School HEAD. HEART. HANDS. As North Carolina’s first and only school guided by the principles of Public Waldorf education, we are dedicated to the optimal development of the intellect, social-emotional wellbeing, and physical capabilities of every student. Learn More ENROLL TODAY! School Hours M-F: 9am -...

We're excited to connect (or reconnect!) for the upcoming 24-25 school year! New and returning families, join us for a schoolwide playdate!

Reminder: Our next school tour/info session is Tuesday, July 9 at 9:30am.

Your feedback is very valuable in helping us plan and prioritize for next year and beyond! Fill out the Parent Survey here:

ROCS '23-'24 End-of-Year Parent Survey We're seeking your input on how you and your child(ren) experienced ROCS during the 2023-2024 school year. Please feel free to share successes and areas that need improvement. Most questions have ratings, but there are opportunities to provide open answers at the end. Thank you!

June may be over, but ROCS seeks to create a learning environment where each child feels safe and valued regardless of abilities or identities each and every day! Seats still available in all grades - visit our website to enroll for ‘24-25!

The weather this week makes us grateful for any bit of relief from the heat - so we’re throwing it back to the 3rd grade Primitive Shelter Project Showcase. Whether you’re in a cave, cabin, tipi, pueblo or yurt, we hope you’re staying cool!

It might feel like summer is flying by, but it’ll still be a few decades before we unearth this time capsule buried by ROCS incoming kinders, with an assist from our graduating 8th graders. Come back then - or better yet, join us this year! Seats remaining in many grades for ‘24-25!

Spots are filling up fast for Art Camp Week 1 (July 29-Aug 2, grades 1-4). To find out more/register, visit https://sites.google.com/raleighoakcharter.org/summer-art-camp/home.

It’s official! ROCS broke ground on its permanent facility in southeast Raleigh this weekend. Thanks to all our invited guests and honorees in attendance for making this a great celebration of our bright future!

ROCS annual Field Day was epic! Water games were just the beginning…

HBD to Thor, Ms Reading’s 4th grade class pet, who was gifted a backpack carrier for the special occasion!

EOG Week 1 is done, and we’re ready to party like it’s the Middle School dance again!

It’s EOG testing week, so we’re sending warm, sunny, vibes and fieldtrippy zen to all the ROCStars. You got this!

Early dismissal means PJ Day at ROCS! Pickup at 1p - enjoy the long weekend!

8th graders present their capstone projects to a captive lower school audience

We can resume our usual carpool pattern starting tomorrow! 🚗🚙🚕🚓

The second grade field trip to the was a whole day of our favorite things - playing in and learning about nature!