Rippowam Cisqua School is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2009-10 Foundations of Education Series, a series of informative conversations with experts in the field of education and parenting.  These conversations are designed to offer parents insights and strategies for raising successful, lifelong learners.  The lectures are free and open to the public and are held at Rippowam Cisqua School in Mount Kisco. 
 
The series kicks off at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 8th with children's author Dan Gutman.  Mr. Gutman, the author of the popular My Weird School series, Honus & Me, The Kid Who Ran For President, The Million Dollar Shot, and many others, will take students through a lively presentation that features all the steps of the publishing process - the original idea, research, outline, writing, re-writing, editing, cover design, and finally, the exciting arrival of the finished book.  Mr. Gutman has been known to share with kids his original manuscripts, early cover designs, and even a few of the many rejection letters he has received from publishers over the years.
 
"I hated to read when I was a kid," Gutman noted recently, "but around the time I was ten years old, I became a big sports fan.  I wanted to know everything about sports.  Reading baseball cards, magazines, and biographies of my favorite athletes turned me into a reader.  My mother was astonished that I grew up and became a professional writer."  As Dan notes, "When kids get the chance to meet the author of a book they've read, a special connection is made. They are routinely energized, inspired, touched, and have a new appreciation for reading."
 
Upcoming Foundations of Education lectures will feature "Harnessing the Power of Critical Thinking" with Bena Kallick, PhD (11/12 - 10am); "The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness" with Ned Hallowell, MD (12/10 - 10:00am); "Bringing Up Confident Girls" with Dan Kindlon, PhD (2/11 - 10am), and "Raising Boys in the Current Environment" with Peg Tyre (4/8 - 7:00pm).  

 
Rippowam Cisqua School is a co-educational PreKindergarten through Grade 9 independent country day school located in Bedford and Mount Kisco.  For more information contact Susie Danziger at susie_danziger@rcsny.org or (914) 244-1292 or visit www.rcsny.org.