Rumney students work together to rehearse the grand finale of their performance, the culimation of our Circus Smirkus residency.

Dear Rumney Families,

Wow!  It got really cold this week!  Thanks for sending your kids to school in warm clothes so that they could enjoy their playground time.  If their hats and mittens are still in the back of the closet, please dust them off and send them in.

I know that you all received a test call from ALERTNOW.  Please be sure to let us know if you didn’t receive a call on Tuesday, so we can troubleshoot the system.  It won’t be long before the next ALERTNOW call you receive is a real call announcing a delayed opening, so please help us make the system work.

The Rumney School Board met twice this month, and we are well on our way toward developing a school budget for next year.  All your board members are very committed to both providing the best education we can, but also with trying to keep budget increase to a minimum.  Although we have a draft or two more to look at, it looks as though we will be able to continue all the services we provide with a very minor increase to the bottom line.  Our next board meeting will be December 2, at 6:00 PM.

So, let’s talk about some of the special events going on at Rumney.  I hope many of you were able to attend the Circus Smirkus performance today.  Christine was an inspiring artist in residence and was appreciated and admired by all of us.  Thanks to the Kennedy and Clark/Bushnell family for hosting her!  Thanks as well to the PTO for generously funding this residency.  We also received funding from the Vermont Council for the Arts.  We have already begun planning for next year's artist in residency program.

Basketball News:  Last week, Mrs. Joslyn and I appealed to you for a grade 5-6 boys' basketball coach.  Cindy Bruzzese, Tom Murray, and Kerrick Johnson have offered to coach this group.  Jeff Alberghini and Chris McVeigh will be coaching the girls 5-6 team and Carolyn Kiniry Roberge will coach the 3-4 boys' team.  Joe Hayes and Jody Dwire will coach the 3-4 girls.  Information will come home soon about schedules.  Let’s all be sure to support our coaches and encourage our players this season.

Lauri Scharf, Susan Clark, and Paul Zabriskie led our first Destination Imagination team practice this week as well.  Although the court looks a little different, it’s still about team work, cooperation and good sportsmanship.  I’m pleased that a school as small as Rumney is able offer such an array of extracurricular challenges and opportunities.  As if often the case, we couldn’t do so without the volunteer efforts of many fine parents.

Finally, I’d like to appreciate a three “behind the scenes” people who have helped this school year run smoothly and safely:

Mrs. Fielder, for her skill at communications and business operations.  We just received a “squeaky clean” financial audit, and which she deserves much of the credit for it. 

Ms. Liz Scharf, for making sure we are all well-fed while Deb Prescott is on medical leave.  Deb will be back in December, and Liz will stay with us until that time. 

And also to School Board Chair Coleen Austin, who took over the board chairpersonship in September, and has been ably steering us through the setting of board goals and the development of our school budget.