Friends are many of the most colorful and resilient threads in the fabric of my life. I celebrated my 50th RPCS Class Reunion during Reunion Weekend at the beginning of October and I am still thinking fondly about the whirlwind weekend spent with my oldest and dearest friends from my days as an RPCS student. As part of the 50th Class Reunion, all of us had the opportunity to become penpals with our 5th grade students. There was a special tea on the Friday afternoon of Reunion Weekend; for many of my classmates, it was the very first time they had met their pen pal in person. I was deeply proud of our 5th Graders who entertained my classmates in a polite and fun, easy-going manner, sharing stories of their families and their School. Indeed our 5th graders so impressed the Class of 1960 with their friendliness, their ability to converse on many topics with adults and their love of Roland Park Country School that those celebrating their 50th reunion talked about these students all weekend and, in many instances, plan to continue being their penpal. I, of course, already knew how wonderful these girls – and all our students – are, but I was happy to be the “proud mother hen” showing them off!
Lifelong friendships are a hallmark of the Roland Park Country School experience. I hope for each of our students that she will develop lasting relationships with her classmates and that she will be connected to RPCS in a special way through these ties, throughout her lifetime. Our complex world of fast-paced technologies – especially social networking -- often depersonalizes relationships because one never sees the other person face to face, or really even hears her/his voice. Girls thrive when they feel connected, and I worry about the difficulties that will come when our students continue to search for true friends and meaningful relationships without having the same opportunities to develop social skills and personal connections as I did when I was a student or even when my daughter was a student. JoAnn Deak, our Crane Lecturer, talked about the concerns coming out of the most current brain research: today’s teens who rely heavily on social networking as the primary vehicle for communication and friendship are not growing the area in their brain which helps humans learn empathy and appreciate how others feel and/or react to their own words and actions.
While October was very busy because we had two major presentations, it was actually fortuitous that the two events – the Robinson Health Colloquium and the Crane Lecture – occurred within one week of each other. Both dealt with friendship and the use and misuse of social networks. Each speaker approached this subject differently, but each truly complemented the other and , therefore, made each event more meaningful and brought a greater impact to our students and to the adults in our community – parents and employees, alike. If you were unable to attend any or all of the parent sessions, you can read more about each of these events in the fall issue of the Laurel Leaf coming this month.
Dr. Deak, a trusted friend of RPCS, also shared some other recent developments in the area of brain research with our students and the community. She spoke about the importance of exercise, nutrition and sleep on an adolescent’s growing brain. Sleep, more than anything else, enhances the daily functioning and the long-term growth of the brain. Indeed, it is the sleep that occurs closest to wake-up time that provides the opportunity for brain growth. Students should sleep as late as they can before getting up to come to school and as long as they can on weekends.
As you might expect, students, especially those in the Upper School, talked about how homework keeps them from getting a good night’s sleep. I hope you already know that our faculty, in all Divisions, reflect on the homework load and will continue to do so. RPCS is a college preparatory school, and therefore, has a rigorous and challenging curriculum. I can’t imagine that you – or even students as they reflect on it – would want anything less. I know when our students write back to us from college, they talk about how well prepared they are, academically and organizationally. They talk about the good study habits and time management skills they have developed, along with their ability to advocate for themselves – in college and in their careers.
As we, at School, continue to review the homework load, I hope that you, as parents, will also help your daughter balance the many demands on her life, so she can concentrate on her learning – her primary priority while a student! You can help her learn to “study smart” rather than “study long.” In talking to students we find that the homework process is elongated by their concurrent use of their iPod, social network sites on their laptop, all while reading and writing texts on their cell phone. Even though we may believe that we can multi-task, it really is impossible to do so. We manage because we just spend longer accomplishing these tasks, especially when they require higher level cognitive skills! We are asking you to help your daughter develop good study habits and get a better night’s sleep by:
· Always doing the hardest homework first – that’s when they have the most energy and concentration
· Making them take a quick run around the house to get energized between subjects or even take a short nap (no longer than 30 minutes) before settling down to do homework
· Turning off the iPod during homework time
· Turning off the cell phone or taking it away after midnight
· Limiting internet use after midnight by turning off the router or taking the laptop out of their room
The ties that bind RPCS students to each other often have their beginnings in our Lower School. I have just come back to my office from the Lower School Halloween Parade. While the best thing about this event is, of course, the adorable costumes of our Lower School students (and their teachers!), the next best thing is by far the Middle and Upper School students who are singing and cheering loudly as they remember their own Halloween Parades with Mr. Forbes leading them in signing Hodge Podge Halloween! Students who came to RPCS in the Middle or Upper School were also singing with great gusto! I even caught glimpses of alumnae parents singing along, too! Playing and having fun helps balance the hard work that goes on within our walls and promotes our very special RPCS spirit and underscores the value of an all-girls environment!
This afternoon RPCS employees will be doing professional development work in technology with a series of workshops being presented. I am always grateful to our Technology Department for helping our faculty stay on the cutting edge of integrating the tablet laptops into the curriculum and the everyday life of each student at RPCS. Next week RPCS will be closed on Monday, November 1 so that all members of the faculty may attend the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS) annual conference. The Middle School will also be closed on Thursday, November 4 so that all Middle School faculty members may attend the National Middle School Association conference.
November is probably one of my most favorite months and I know I have mentioned that to you before – probably every year! The Thanksgiving holiday is near to my heart. Not only does it mean a celebration of my daughter’s birthday but it is such a special time to gather with loved ones and give thanks for our family, our friends, and our blessings in life. I cook each year and I love preparing the best of the season for those who gather around the table on Thanksgiving Day. May your Thanksgiving holiday also be joyful.
J.W.B.