Rippowam Cisqua School

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  • "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a smash hit !
    Broadway eat your heart out! This year's Tony Award will no doubt go to "The Drowsy Chaperone," performed by the Rippowam Players in Bedford, New York.

    The cast is simply beyond the stars, and a six piece orchestra brings this play to new heights. Talented actors sing musical numbers that will make your heart soar and the finale will bring you to tears. They are accompanied by a chorus of singers, adding a richness that fills the stage with raucous melody. The tech crew manipulated the complex set with such precision that the set changes were seamless. Lighting and sound systems were outstanding.

    The narrator invites you into his living room, where a 1920's musical unfolds, and the audience is transported down memory lane as he comments on the history of the play. The very witty script and clever plot are filled with points of laughter that keep you in anticipation of the next scene.  This performance was simply brilliant, ending with a standing ovation!  Tonight is closing night, so don't miss it!  Curtain time is 7:00pm in the Upper Campus Playhouse
  • Children's Book Author Jacqueline Harvey Visits the Lower Campus
    On May 2nd, children's book author, Jacquie Harvey, visited the Lower Campus. This is what Jacquie had to say about RCS on her blog:

    We spent Wednesday morning at the beautiful Pre K-4 campus at Rippowam Cisqua School in Mt Kisco, about an hour and ten minutes by train from Grand Central Station. The journey out there is an easy one – the trains here seem to be very reliable and generally they’re clean too. We were greeted at the station by a new friend, Hadley, whose daughter Charlotte is a big Alice-Miranda fan. Charlotte was introduced to the stories by one of her good friends from Australia, Madeleine and it has all come together from there. I love the networking, the friends we’ve made and knowing that in the future we will be able to come back and catch up again with all of these wonderful people.

    Mt Kisco is such a pretty place, with a lovely little village of shops and the most gorgeous houses. As we headed to the school we drove out along country lanes lined with stone walls and some very large homes. The school itself is pretty too – with plenty of grounds for the children to play n and well cared for buildings. We met Laura, the librarian and headed off to her new library. After setting up and a welcome cup of tea, Hadley took us for a tour of the school. In the Pre-Kindergarten class I saw a little girl with the most extraordinary bows in her hair. She was one of those rare children who starts and ends the day looking immaculate.

    The overwhelming feeling while we were walking around the school was a sense of calm and purpose. RC is a very happy place and that shone through in the teachers and students from the youngest to the eldest.

    I adored meeting the Grade 4 students and talking to them about writing and Alice-Miranda. We had some great actors too. A little girl called Annabelle took on the role of Jacinta and a very brave boy called Wesley volunteered to be Alice-Miranda – except that we made him Alex Michael. Jacinta was a wonderful tantrum thrower and Alex-Michael was the first child to do what I had assumed lots of them might – spy Jacinta’s hissy fit and run for the hills!
    Charlotte outdid herself by baking three of Nana Jones’ apple pies from the recipe at the back of Alice-Miranda At School. They looked delicious and the children were planning to enjoy them at lunch. It was such a pleasure to meet the teachers afterwards too and I only wish I could have had a lot more time with the children. But perhaps next year I will teach some writing workshops as well.

    It was all over far too quickly. I signed a huge pile of bookplates – which the very clever IT teacher whipped up for us. The school is holding a book fair in a couple of weeks’ time and they are ordering books for the students and that’s a great way they can still have it signed without me having to be there – although I would like to be.

    We jumped in the car and Hadley drove us into the city. Charlotte came too as the orthodontist beckoned and afterwards we had lunch together at a great restaurant on 60th near Madison Ave called Philippe Chow. I had assumed French but it turned out to be one of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve been to. The surname should have been a dead giveaway I guess.

    Rippowam Cisqua was another wonderful experience and meeting Hadley, John, Charlotte, and Jack has been fantastic – we will definitely be visiting again and sooner rather than later.

    To see Jacquie's blog, click HERE.
  • Fun Run was fun for everyone
    On Sunday, May 6th nearly 100 students and parents gathered on the Upper Campus track to participate in the second annual Fun Run.  The sun was shining as each runner donned his number and ran for the gold!  The morning included age appropriate races for kids of all ages culminating with the one mile and 3K races.The highlights of the day included the strong showing among JPK, SPK and Kindergarten runners and seeing a few of those youngest students running the 3K down Clinton Road.   All participants received a number and a one-of-a-kind runner pin.
  • Walk to Cisqua Day
    At 8:45am this morning, students from the Upper Campus began the 4 mile "Walk to Cisqua."  There were smiles on everyone's faces as they headed off for a fun morning on the Lower Campus.
  • Saturday night's auction was a huge success!
    Saturday night's auction was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who was involved -- whether through contributing an item, helping with set up, attending the evening, or participating in the bidding -- it was wonderful to see the whole community come together. Proceeds from the Auction directly support the exceptional teaching and learning that is the hallmark of Rippowam Cisqua, as well as faculty salaries and benefits, which help RCS attract and retain the very best teachers, technology for the classrooms, and professional development to keep our teachers on the cutting edge of the latest advancements in education and technology. Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful evening!
  • Sixth Grader Matt Schwartz Helps Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
    Students on the Upper Campus were treated last Monday to a presentation by sixth grader, Matt Schwartz, on his work with the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Matt shared the story of how he first became interested in the reservation after viewing a segment of the ABC news program, 20/20, last fall featuring “The Children of the Plains” by Diane Sawyer. He told the assembled group of RCS students that after watching the show, he immediately wrote a letter to Ms. Sawyer asking how he could help. Matt received a response back from the producers just two days later. He shared that the Pine Ridge Reservation community suffers from high unemployment and staggeringly high substance abuse levels. The Reservation schools have very low graduation rates and reading performance that is far below the national standard. He was inspired to make a difference so he began a campaign to raise money for the Wounded Knee School to enable the purchase of a new reading program and computers, and he established a foundation, the Muddy Road Foundation (www.muddyroadfoundation.org) to raise awareness and support. He ended his presentation by sharing with his schoolmates that he has maintained a relationship with Diane Sawyer, her producers, and 20/20. The assembly and related footage was captured on video by ABC News that day which may be featured in a spring update on the Pine Ridge Reservation -- possibly as early as this week. For more information on Matt's project, please visit www.muddyroadfoundation.org.
  • First Graders Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art
    Click HERE to see a slideshow/video of their trip.
  • Lower Campus Science Fair
    The culmination of two months of study for the first through fourth grade students took the form of the annual Science Fair on March 15th. The students developed interactive projects, which demonstrate the science concepts they have learned this year. The process includes designing their project, problem solving issues as they arise and, eventually, constructing their projects using tools such as wood saws, coping saws, and screwdrivers. On the day of the Science Fair, the students had the opportunity to teach what they had learned to parents, teachers, and other members of the community.  Take a look at photos from the Science Fair to the right, and then these slideshow/videos of some "behind the scenes" preparations by the students:

  • Upper Campus Celebrates Winter Athletics
    On Friday, March 9th, the Upper Campus winter athletics program was celebrated and players were recognized for their contributions to their teams.
  • First Graders recreate Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night with cupcake icing
    Watch the slideshow HERE
  • Foundations of Education Lecture by Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath

    Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath visited Rippowam Cisqua last week as part of the RCS Foundations of Education Series. She shared her theory on the “Self-Esteem Trap,” which she has developed through several years of research and her own clinical practice. In essence, the “Self-Esteem Trap” highlights the data that suggests the current generation of parents (post baby boom) has raised a generation of children on what Dr. Young-Eisendrath calls “junk praise” (e.g. saying “Great job!” for ordinary activities). This overuse of praise has made the “Me Generation” feel special, and exceedingly self-important, as if they stand out in everything they do. It sounds like the basis for some healthy self-esteem and happy children, right? In fact, however, these children have found themselves struggling to function without a constant flow of positive feedback, having a difficult time doing entry level work and, in general, being unhappy with what, by most accounts, would appear to be very fulfilling lives.

    So what are parents to do to overcome this conundrum? Dr. Young-Eisendrath had some great suggestions, a few of which are listed here:

    1- Don’t feed your child “junk praise.” It is as addictive, ultimately unfulfilling, and just as damaging as junk food as it takes the place of developing inner wisdom.

    2- Be an example in your relationships. If parents demonstrate respect, kindness, and interest in their parents, partners, and elders, their children will develop the same type of interests.

    3- Teach your children that kindness and generosity bring the greatest happiness. Set the example of looking around to see who needs help, assistance, or support and you will provide your child countless opportunities to feel happy.

    4- Teach your children that resilience comes from being flexible. If you allow your child to make mistakes and encounter failure, they will learn the importance of being flexible in order to face the challenges of life.

    5- Raise your consciousness that autonomy is the goal. Effective self-governance and healthy self-esteem come from knowing our strengths and weaknesses in doing things in the real world and getting authentic feedback, not excessive praise.

    6- Don’t let your child think he or she is “king.” We are raising our children to be members of the human race, society, our community, and our families - not to be the center of attention.

    7- Cut down on how much you talk about your children. If parents can develop a more balanced approach to talking about their children, the children won’t necessarily feel like the singular focus of their attention.

    For more information on Dr. Young-Eisendrath, or to order any of her books, please see her website: www.young-eisendrath.com.

    The next Foundations of Education Series lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11th at 10:00am with Tara Brown discussing “Building Strong Parent Child Connections.” For more information, check the Foundations of Education section of the website or contact Susie Danziger at susie_danziger@rcsny.org.
  • Rippowam Cisqua’s Upper Campus Students Give Back

    Members of the Upper Campus at Rippowam Cisqua School (grades 5-9) are working hard to give back to the community. The RCS Community Service program, which becomes increasingly more involved as students get older, is voluntary through eighth grade; however, students have become increasingly more engaged as they get older and are volunteering in even greater numbers. Some of the activities that have sparked the interest of these active youngsters might surprise you.

    As is tradition at RCS, in September, the ninth grade class, accompanied by five teachers, left Bedford and headed to Yonkers on behalf of Habitat for Humanity for two days. The class participated in two projects, one involved hanging sheetrock in a home that would eventually be occupied by three generations of one family and the second had students building two-foot by four-foot rectangular planters that would later add splashes of color to the surrounding neighborhood.

    Chris Perry, a science teacher at the Upper Campus and the Ninth Grade Dean, talked about the value of involving middle school students in these projects. “Seeing kids give of their time and energy to care for people in the county is what I love about this type of service effort. In this day and age of communication through computer, an opportunity like this allows our kids to work as a team to accomplish a goal. It also gives them a chance to connect with, and learn from, people with whom they wouldn’t normally spend time.”

    Over the holidays, the Upper Campus, as a community, contributed canned foods and pajamas to the Community Center of Northern Westchester as part of their Holiday Food Drive and Share the Warmth clothing drive. The School collected more than 500 food items and a large assortment of pajamas, slippers, robes, and more to help make the holidays a little happier for the families who utilize the community center.

    Beginning in January, one to two Friday afternoons per month have been dedicated to a community service project. In January, seven seventh graders spent the afternoon at the Ronald McDonald House in Valhalla, making dinner for the families who were in residence there at the time. In addition to their culinary delights, they also wrote letters to the residents to let them know that they were thinking of them during this difficult time. On that same day, the entire Upper Campus was introduced to the small town of Shihalia, Kenya by teacher Vincent Kwarula. With Vincent’s support, the students plan to raise funds to contribute to the renovation of the local school as well as the installation of a water pump in Shihalia.

    The first Friday of February, the entire ninth grade participated in “Midnight Run.” Students were transported to Manhattan where they distributed sandwiches they had made, clothing, and toiletries to the homeless. This is an event that has traditionally had a real impact on the students as they are able to personally understand the challenges and needs of those who don’t have a roof over their heads. The following Friday, twenty-seven students pulled the lasagna pans back out and made dinner for sixty to be delivered to Neighbors Link in Mt. Kisco. The students painstakingly mixed, chopped, and cooked to help the newest members of the local community feel more at home. Neighbors Link families gave a hearty round of applause to show their appreciation as the piping hot food was delivered.

    The balance of the year will find students planting seedlings for the RCS Garden in March, and a second group will transplant those plants in May. The food from the garden is used by the School’s cafeteria as well as local families. Excess food is donated to local organizations. In addition, there are several return trips planned to the Ronald McDonald House to make d
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