Welcome to the first issue of Parent Connections for the 2009–2010 school year. Our goal is to provide an e-newsletter that is timely, informative, and interesting. We'll connect you with resources available on our Web site whenever possible (like our calendars page), so bookmark useful pages along the way for return visits. To be sure you're in the right place at the right time, check out our opening days calendar. The school year officially begins with opening convocation on September 9. In the meantime, we want you to know about these exciting upcoming events.

New York City parents, alumnae, and friends, Race for the Cure!

Please join New York area alumnae, parents, and friends for an invigorating 5k run/walk in Central Park on Sunday, September 13, to support the fight against breast cancer with the Komen Foundation. Mara Grbenick ’03 and Shayna Silverman ’03, the fearless leaders of the NYC Emmies group, have formed a Team Emma and would like you, your friends, and family to join them!  Register ASAP to be a part of the Emma Willard team. Click here to register, select “Join a Race Team,” and choose the “Emma Willard Alumnae and Friends” team. A team meeting place will be announced in advance. Official race Web site:  2009 Komen NYC Race for the Cure.

An Evening with author Rachel Simmons

Emma Willard, together with the Women’s Fund of the Capital Region and several other schools, is proud to present Rachel Simmons, New York Times best-selling author of Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls and the new The Curse of the Good Girl. Offering inspiring and humorous presentations, Simmons has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Today, Dateline NBC, and NPR, and will be featured on PBS. Please join us for an evening with Rachel Simmons on Tuesday, October 6, at 7:00 p.m., at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for girls under 19 years old. To view a flyer about the event and for registration information, click here.

Hudson Valley River Ramble

Emma Willard is participating in this year’s Ramble. Please join Trudy Hanmer and Ramble guests for an historic walking tour of campus, in this its 100th year! Saturday, September 12, at 10:00 a.m. at the flagpole between Slocum and Sage. Registration requested, please email Linda Passaretti or phone (518) 833-1899. For more Ramble venues, visit their Web site.

There's always something going on at Emma Willard School. Whether it’s a sports competition, theater performance, or alumnae event across the country, Emma Willard endeavors to keep students, parents, and alumnae connected. Our students and faculty are often involved in a number of exciting projects on and off campus, and we like to share news of those activities with others, too. To see what's happening at Emma, be sure to visit and bookmark Emma Now. Please be sure to let the school know if your email address changes so that you continue to receive the latest issue of Parent Connections. Just email webmaster@emmawillard.org.

Trudy E. Hall Head of School