Rumney Memorial School ~ 433 Shady Rill Road, Middlesex, VT 05602 ~ Phone: 223-5429 ~ www.rumney.org
 
Print-friendly edition generated February 5, 2012 ~ Managing Editor: Nicole Sorrell ~ Submissions to nsorrell@rumney.org or fax to 223-0750 by noon on Thursdays

 
What's the rule? 4th-grade math students analyze the properties of different polygons to see if they can deduce properties they have in common.



Dear Rumney Friends and Families,

Thanks very much for joining Miss Dillon and our students at the concert last night. We have many, many enthusiastic student musicians and I love seeing their enthusiasm and hearing their new skills. And how about that Miss Dillon? She's the music teacher at Rumney and Doty, and also coaches the J.V. Girls Basketball team, who are having an undefeated season.

Our February board meeting will be a special meeting held on February 15, a Wednesday. Much of our business that meeting will be to hear comments from the public about our configuration of next year's Kindergarten and also looking at the big picture of the primary unit as well. With help from the school board, we have developed several different scenarios for our instructional pattern for next year. The school board members and I, both individually and as a group, value input from Rumney parents. The foundation of the school is community and community support, so it behooves us to listen thoughtfully when important decisions are at stake.

Some of the consideration for next year's configuration in the primary unit are the location of the pre-kindergarten program, class size in the primary unit, and kindergarten configuration. We expect 24 (plus or minus a student or two) kindergarteners next year. This either makes one very large class or two very small classes, and, in addition to those two options, we are considering various configurations that include a kindergarten/grade one multi-age classroom.

Those of you with children in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or first grade have a particular stake in this conversation and I encourage you to attend the school board meeting of February 15. Materials will be available in advance, both in the school lobby and on our website.

Next Tuesday is the 100th day of school! Zero the Hero may make an appearance!  Be sure to ask your child how we recognized the 100th day of school!.
   


February  
Mon 6  5/6 to Flynn 10:55 - 2:30
Tue 7  100th Day of School
Thu 9  Drama 3:30 - 5:30
Sat 11  Drama 9am-12pm
Wed 15  School Board Meeting 6pm library
Talent Show Dress Rehearsal
Thu 16  Drama 3:30 - 5:30
Sat 18  Grown Up Talent Show 6 pm
Mon 20  All-School Mtg. 9:15 - 10:00
Thu 23  Drama 3:30 - 5:30
Fri 24  Winter Carnival
Mon 27  Winter vacation begins--no school until Mar. 7, 2012

March  
Tue 6  Town meeting day--please attend!
Wed 7  School resumes
Thu 8  Drama 3:30 - 5:30
Sat 10  Drama 9am-12pm
Mon 12  All-School Mtg. 9:15 - 10:00 am
Tue 13  Drama 3:30 - 5:30
School Board Meeting, 6 pm library
Thu 15  Drama 3:30 - 5:30
Rising 7th grade parent info night 6:30 - 8:00 U32
Sat 17  Drama 9am - 12pm
 
Though snow has been scanty, we've gotten plenty of students out on skis for phys ed, like this 6th-grader bursting into a clearing in the woods during a recent class.
Rumney School Library Annual Book Fair -- Next Week! February 6-9 from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm and February 10 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm in the Rumney School Library. 10% off marked prices! Each class will have time to look at the books during their regularly scheduled library time, but no sales will be made to children during class time. Purchases can be made before or after school, or during snack time with teachers’ permission. Families are invited to come anytime from 8:30 until 6 pm. This is not a commercial, packaged book fair, but one for which Mrs.Woodard has chosen all books to match the interests of our community of readers.  Proceeds are used to pay visiting authors and to make special purchases for the library. Please come during any of the hours listed above!

The storage trailer in the parking lot will be taped off beginning February 4, 2012 when demolition begins on it. Please remind your children that it is unsafe to go past a taped/ roped off area. The demolition should last for a month.

Morning Procedures Reminder (excerpts from the Family Handbook): The school day begins at 9:00 am. Students arriving between 8:35 and 8:45 am may wait quietly in the lobby. At 8:45, the first bell rings, indicating that students may go to their classrooms or get breakfast. Dropping Off Students: Parents who drop off students at school should try to do so between 8:45 and 8:50 am. Students who arrive before 8:35 am must sign in to the Community Connections morning program. Please see the Community Connections Parent Handbook for more information. If you drop your child off at school, you are welcome to walk your child to their classroom and briefly help them settle in. By 9:00 am, we need to have all the parents out of the classrooms so that formal instruction can begin.

Rumney School Board News: Please see the lobby bulletin board or the school board page on the Rumney website for recent minutes, upcoming agendas, and policies. Upcoming Meetings: Feb. 15 in the Rumney library at 6:00 pm.

From Mrs. Domanski's Students: At Rumney right now we are doing a DVD drive for kids at CHAD (Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth). We will collect used movies, anything from Elmo to Hamlet!  There will be a box in the hallway of the 3-4, 5th and 6th grades and a box in the primary unit.  We are collecting movies until February break. Thanks!
Students in Mrs. Domanski's class
                                            
Box Tops Reminder: Thanks to everyone who continues to bring in box tops for Rumney's enrichment programs. Keep them coming!

Don't miss the Second Annual Grown-Up Talent Show and Bake-Off -- February 18!  We have a fabulous line-up of teachers, staff, parents and community members performing various acts, from headstands to dances, songs and stories!  We will also have a Bake-off with PRIZES for the best cookie, brownie, muffin/cake and gluten free treats.  Contact Theresa with your baking entries: thait@rumney.org.
Rumney Gym, 6:00, $5/person and $15/family.

Winter Session is Underway! Winter Session will run through March 30. We are offering Enrichment Classes through Feb. 24 and Explorations March 7 - 30. Our Mondays are mostly full, but many of our other Winter Session offerings still have room. Contact Julia for availability information.

February Vacation Camps  Community Connections will offer camps during February vacation from February 27-March 2 and March 5.  Watch for a flyer soon!

Yoga at Rumney -- Mellow Flow/Hatha Basics with Julia Chafets Mondays 6-7:15 pm. An all levels class that will focus on the 37 (or so) poses identified by Iyengar as the building blocks of a strong asana practice. This class will flow gently and focus on alignment. Great check-in for more advanced students. 7 class pass-$56; 10 class pass-$70; Drop-in rate-$12 (can apply drop-in payments toward a class pass at any time). Join us!

Delayed Start Reminder: In the event of a delayed start to school, there will be NO MORNING PROGRAM

~Julia Chafets, Site Coordinator
223-5429 ext. 322 and jchafets@rumney.org

Waterbury Pie Breakfast: On Sat., Feb. 11 from 8:00 to 11:00 am the Waterbury Rotary Club will hold its Annual Pie 4 Breakfast for the benefit of the Club's Youth Exchange Program. $5 gets you all the pie you can eat. This year's event will be held at the Waterbury American Legion on 16 Stowe Street in Waterbury. Live music and Silent Auction throughout the day.

Parenting on Track: Professional Parent Educator and Speaker, Vicki Hoefle is offering a free 2 hour presentation for parents of teens and tweens. For more information about Vicki Hoefle and her program Parenting On Track, please visit www.parentingontrack.com. Monday, February 6 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Main Street Middle School. Registration: http://www.parentingontrack.com/services/free-two-hour/ or call 802.343.9966.

Come to Circus Sunday! Unicycling, juggling, slacklining and more! Feb. 5 from 4:30-6:00 pm at the Montpelier Rec. Dept. Gym at 58 Barre St.
$3 individual, $5 family or carload. Adults & families invited, beginners welcome! Unicycles available to borrow, Bring your bike helmet. For more information call Bill Merrylees, 223-4951.

Morning Yoga in Middlesex:Vinyasa Flow with Sorsha at Middlesex Town Hall on Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00am. $10/class. Familiarity with Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) helpful, but healthy beginners are welcome. sorsha.anderson@gmail.com, 229-1781.

e-Communities in a Digital Age: February 16th at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. There will be lots of valuable hands-on workshops for making the most of the internet. For more info, go to http://evermontworkshop.org or contact Joanna Cummings, 802-859-3090.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library: For upcoming programs, visit www.kellogghubbard.org or call 802-223-3338.  Story Time: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 10:30am.

North Branch Nature Center -- Upcoming Programs:
Preschool Discovery Programs: *Note NEW DAYS: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 10:00-11:30am. $5 per child ages 3-5. Preschool children are welcome to join us with their families in a morning of nature investigations indoors and out. Come dressed for walking on trails near the center. Feb. 15 & 16: “Camouflaged Critters."
Full Moon Snowshoe Hike: Fri., Feb. 3, 7:00 - 8:30 pm. $3 members, $5 nonmembers. Under a full moon, with the trees free of leaves, and surrounded by sparkling snow, let's snowshoe by lunar light! Snowshoes and hot chocolate provided.
Introduction to Animal Tracking: Sat., Feb. 11, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Fee: $8 members, $10 nonmembers, $5 children 8 and up. Snowshoes are available at no extra cost.
Winter Wonders: February Vacation Nature Camp: Mon. - Wed., Feb. 27-29, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. $100 members, $110 nonmembers for 3 days or $35 m, $38 nm for individual days. For children grades 2nd - 4th. Monday: “Winter on the Wing," Tuesday: “Simply Snow," Wednesday: “Winter Survival."

Middlesex Food Shelf: Every Saturday from 9:00 - 10:30 am at the Middlesex Methodist Church, across from Town Hall. A wonderful, free resource for families.

Middlesex Newspaper: The Middlesex Newspaper is now available online at www.middlesexnewspaper.org.