October 2024 Newsletter

Parent Volunteer Newsletter

October 2024

Academic Calendar

Dining Hall Menu

UPCOMING EVENTS

Rumsey Hall Auction & Celebration

Friday, October 18 | 6:00 - 10:00 pm

VIP Reception begins at 5:30 pm

Celebrate 125 years of Rumsey Hall School and the enduring spirit of our Blue Dog community during Founder's Weekend! Tickets are now available for the Auction & Celebration taking place on Friday, October 18, 6-10:00 p.m. in Farmen Hall. You can purchase your ticket through the information link below or directly here.

Purchase Tickets

Volunteer for Setup

Pilates w/ Heather

Class Day: Fridays, 8:15-9:15 AM

Class Duration: 60 minutes

Location: Rumsey Hall/Magnoli Gymnasium

Cost: $20/class

Pilates is for EVERYBODY. Join us for morning Pilates where we will be incorporating the basics of Classical Pilates Mat work with an extended repertoire of contemporary Pilates exercises. Focusing on strength, stability, posture, flexibility, and breath. Bring your own mat and props

will be provided.

Heather Szymanski is a fully certified Pilates Instructor who teaches at Mind Body Connection Pilates Studio and Phys-Ed, both located in New Milford CT.

“Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.” – Joseph Pilates

PARENT SPEAKER SERIES

Scott Driscoll: S.M.A.R.T for Parents

Wednesday, November 13 | 6:30 pm

Location: TBD

Flyer

Screenagers Next Chapter: Addressing Youth Mental Health in the Digital Age

Parent Screening and Q&A

Thursday, January 16 | 6:30 pm

Location: Maxwell A. Sarofim ’05 Performing Arts Center

UPPER SCHOOL PARENTS

Reminder to Upper School Parents: We've created a WhatsApp platform designed exclusively for the Upper School parent community. This voluntary platform aims to foster a sense of community and engagement among parents by providing a convenient resource for sharing important news, events, and discussions related to the Upper School.

Within the WhatsApp Community, you’ll have the opportunity to create and join specific groups tailored to your interests, whether it’s related to sports, specific classes, or other relevant topics. These groups will facilitate easier communication and provide a space for like-minded parents to connect and collaborate. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with Robin Izadnapah if you have any questions or difficulty joining.

We hope you join us in making this a vibrant space for communication and support!

If you’re interested in joining the RCPA Rumsey Hall Upper School Community on WhatsApp, simply click on the green link below to get started. We look forward to building a thriving community together!

If you'd like to join an individual class, we have taken the liberty to create separate group chats for each class. You can join by clicking the following links...

SCHOOL STORE

The Rumsey Hall School Store is located via a separate entrance below Farmen Hall. We welcome students and parents to shop during open hours.

School Store Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM & 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday: 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Friday: 7:30 AM -11:00 AM & 2:00 PM -3:00 PM

If you have any questions, please email gnewman@rumseyhall.org

Smartphone Alternatives

We understand that some children may need to be able to communicate with family and friends. Thankfully, there are a lot of alternatives to smartphones that don’t carry the same risks.

When you are considering what communication device is best for your child, it is important first to ask what is the purpose of the device? In other words, why does my child need a phone? If calling and texting is all that is needed, we encourage parents to consider a basic phone or a smartwatch before a smartphone. The majority of problems associated with smartphones are because of the access to an internet browser and to the app store. In some cases, it may be easier and even cheaper to give your child your old iPhone instead of buying a basic phone. The cost and time are well worth the investment. Please consider these basic communication devices before getting your child a smartphone.

Dissecting Insta's New Teen Accounts

A week ago, Instagram announced changes to its rules for “Teen Accounts.” All new teen users will be defaulted into these accounts, and current teen users will transition over the next two months.

I listened to a podcast in which Naomi Gleit, Instagram’s head of Products, discussed these changes, and one comment surprised me. She mentioned that teens aged 13 to 16 will need parental permission to have a public account, hoping this would encourage dialogue between teens and parents about social media use. However, I feel this still puts too much responsibility on parents when we need broader societal solutions.

While I’m glad to see these changes, they’re late and not the full answer.

Gleit talks about how Instagram employees spoke with many parents and narrowed down their main concerns in the following three areas. Insta got this right — these are the three big ones:

Who can contact teens
What content they see
How much time they spend on Instagram‍

So, let's go over the changes:

Ambition Monster

by Jennifer Romolini

A deeply personal memoir about workaholism, the addictive nature of ambition, and the humbling process of picking yourself up when the world lets you down—an anti-girlboss tale for our times for readers of A Love Story and Uncanny Valley. After years of relentlessly racing up the professional ladder, Jennifer Romolini reached the kind of success many a high-profile, C-suite dream job, a book well-received enough that reporters wanted to know the secrets to her success, and a gig traveling around the country giving speeches on “making it.” She had a handsome and clever husband, a precocious child, and a home in a desirable Los Angeles neighborhood. But beneath this shiny surface, Romolini was falling apart.

Mary

by Nat Cassidy

Mary is a quiet, middle-aged woman doing her best to blend into the background. Unremarkable. Invisible. Unknown even to herself.

But lately, things have been changing inside Mary. Along with the hot flashes and body aches, she can’t look in a mirror without passing out, and the voices in her head have been urging her to do unspeakable things.

Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown, hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. Instead, visions of terrifying, mutilated specters overwhelm her with increasing regularity and she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases. Mary discovers that these experiences are echoes of an infamous serial killer.

The Year of the Locust

by Terry Hayes

If, like Kane, you're a Denied Access Area spy for

the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again - by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide - and when to shoot. But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan meet are such a place - a place where violence is the only way to survive. Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West - but instead, he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart...

The Science Behind a Mother's Intuition: Trusting Your Gut

As a mom, I’ve learned to trust my gut more times than I can count. That little voice inside? It’s the one telling you something’s off, or you need to pay closer attention. We’ve all heard about mother’s intuition, but is there any science to back it up?

How to Have High Standards without Demanding All A's

I’ll never forget the look on my client’s father’s face when I suggested shifting away from demanding his neurodivergent middle-schooler earn straight A’s. His expression indicated I may have just grown two heads. I know he’s not alone. Hopefully today’s newsletter makes clear that letting go of the demand for A’s is not about lowering expectations. Rather, it’s about interacting with our children around school in a way that nurtures their internal motivation to perform well academically.

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2024-2025 RUMSEY CIRCLE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President

Danielle Young P'22, '23, '26

Vice-President

Becky Alves P'32

Communications Coordinator

Ledlie Pastor '92 P'27, '29

Recording Secretary

Mille Perry P'27

Treasurer

Elizabeth Dayton P'32, '35

Lower School Coordinator

AnaCristina Joseph P'29, '30

Upper School Coordinator

Robin Izadpanah P'26

TEXT MESSAGE NOTIFICATIONS

If you would like to receive text message reminders about upcoming Rumsey Circle events and opportunities, please click on the button below to sign up for our mailing list.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!

We invite you to join our private Rumsey Circle Facebook Group to stay connected with fellow parents, get notifications about meetings, upcoming events, and volunteer opportunities!