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Back to School

Easy Street

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When my colleague, Grace Bennett, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of this magazine, mentioned that this issue’s theme is “Happy Days and Back to School”, I let out a groan. I’m sorry but “back to school” and “happy” don’t really go together like peanut butter and jelly, at least in my house. You see this past summer was the most relaxing one I’ve had in a good decade.

With my older two in sleepaway camp and my youngest in full day at her summer camp, I was living on “easy street” as I like to say. Less laundry, dishwashing, chauffeuring and cooking left me with a whole lot of time for summer fun. I made it a point to do something for myself everyday that made me happy – whether meeting a friend for lunch, catching an indie film at Jacob Burns or running with my dog. And I did just that. I felt fulfilled.

Turns out that I wasn’t the only one that had a fulfilling summer. Read through these pages to see a whole slew of Chappaqua residents doing exciting things this summer that are not only fulfilling but also altruistic. Our cover story celebrates a 50-year program, the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program, where teens from underperforming high schools in the Bronx are invited to live with local host families in July as they participate in an academic enrichment program. The teens and the host families had a blast. Greeley grad James Rosenberg took a cross-country bike trip to raise money for the women of Kore, Ethiopia and local couple The Roses travelled to McAllen, Texas to help migrant families.

If you are looking for fulfilling opportunities in town this fall, be sure to mark your calendar for Community Day on September 15. There are many non-profits here that are in need of volunteers. Community Day is a great way to get introduced to all of them.

As much as I’ve enjoyed my summer, it is not all doom and gloom when fall arrives. I’m happy to have my whole family back and I’m excited (and sad!) for my youngest to start kindergarten and my oldest to start middle school. I’m not quite sure how that happened so fast but maybe it’s because time flies when you are having fun. Here’s to a fun and fulfilling fall for all!

Enjoy,

Remembering ‘Back to School’ Days

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EDITOR PHOTO BY Sally Foster; HAIR & MAKEUP, Aura Salon and Style Bar, Chappaqua

Six years ago this month we moved to Chappaqua from the city two days before school started. We had wanted to move in the summertime but the house closing and Hurricane Irene had other plans for us. I was nervous that my city born and bred son would have trouble acclimating to a new school and an actual house as opposed to an 800 square foot apartment but those fears quickly dissipated once we started school.We were welcome with open arms at my kid’s nursery school. So many parents had made the same journey just like us – from city parents to country transplants.

Yes my parents still consider this lovely part of Northern Westchester “upstate N.Y.”  After all, I do have deer roaming my backyard. What drew us to our community was the excellent school system. This is one of the many reasons why I am so delighted to helm this “back to school” issue as the new editor of both Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk. There are so many great things happening in our schools and the wider community that I want to highlight.

First up, I had the pleasure of interviewing and writing the cover story on The Comedy Kids for Inside Chappaqua. These two Roaring Brook Elementary School students had an idea to raise money for pediatric brain cancer that germinated during rainy day recess. It all started with a simple idea that grew from a grassroots joke booth at the Chappaqua Farmers Market to a charity that has gained national attention.

Our cover story for Inside Armonk is also “back to school” themed and features the Byram Hills Preschool Association which plays a critical role in making sure Armonk’s preschoolers are ready to enter elementary school and helps parents and caregivers make connections in the community.

With the back to school season in full swing, there’s never been a better time to visit downtown Chappaqua on October 14th for the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, an annual event that now draws more than 90 children’s authors and illustrators and thousands of attendees to the town. Be sure to read the profiles of three Chappaqua-based authors Matthew & Mara Van Fleet and Barbara Dee who will be meeting eager readers and signing books at the festival. Even if you don’t have children that are school age anymore, the Festival is a lot of fun and a book is a gift that you can open again and again. Plus what’s better than an autographed book for a beloved grandchild?

If you are hoping to savor the beautiful autumn weather, North Castle is chock full of events this fall such as the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, Jamie’s 5K Run and the Cider and Donut Festival. There’s something for everyone right at your doorsteps or in a neighboring town.

Finally if your kids need a break from hitting the books or you are too tired from figuring out after-school schedules, check out Jordan Stutts story on the best local biking trails and get a sneak peek of fall’s foliage. Yet another reason to love living in Northern Westchester.

Best,

Stacey
Editor, Inside Press

Savor Each Page

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Photo by Andrew Bordeaux

Summer and the living is preparing residents and visitors alike for different fall downtown events and fundraisers both as official ‘media sponsor’ and/or as a community-friendly ‘hyperlocal’ and merchant supported/reader coveted pub. We’re ‘all over the net’ too at theinsidepress.com and largely on Facebook. Keeps us on our toes, especially while also gathering so many additional, equally compelling profiles around our back to school theme. Grateful to Stacey Pfeffer, our new editor for both editions for writing and producing several stories in both editions (all while getting her feet wet in her new role! Bravo!)  There are so many fundraisers we are promoting both in story and/or in a sponsor spot, so be sure to savor each page and ‘Save the Date’ for whatever strikes your fancy or piques your interest.
Readers, please feel free to let us know when you visit or call a sponsor or attend an event because of ‘what you saw’ in our pages. And sponsors, likewise, please do let us know about a happy customer or two, and we’ll happily publish your experience some time, and voila, more press for you. Drop a note at my new email: grace@insidepress.com. In the meantime, summer’s fading fast. Get outdoors (if you enjoy cycling, maybe first check out our Biking story?), and enjoy! I plan to.

Ready or Not – School is Right Around The Corner

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By Jodi Baretz

Summer is the time we all look forward to–it’s the weather, of course, but it’s also the relaxed vibe and laziness of it all. As summer begins to wind down and the back-to-school craziness begins, one may well wonder how to hold onto some of that tranquility and calm; how to relish the days and not become frazzled and frantic with lives, schedules and children. The weather will inevitably change, and so too our children’s schedules, but that doesn’t have to mean the end of nirvana.

No matter how old one’s child is, chances are their schedules will be chaotic and hectic. This is the nature of childhood these days, and the culture we live in. We tend to fear that if we don’t put our child in every sport, art class or lesson, they will get left behind. If we don’t give them every possible opportunity to excel, they will be stuck in mediocrity for the rest of their lives.Take a step back and ask yourself if they really need to be in so many structured activities. When we over-schedule our children, we take away that crucial unstructured time where they learn to play. We also worry that unscheduled free time will just lead to more screen time, or, perhaps, that we will have to fill it ourselves. I suggest you do allow some down time; it may just let you be with your children–without screaming to get out the door when they’re exhausted, not to mention save you an extra carpool. It will also take some pressure off your children and send a message that it’s ok to recharge, relax and just be a kid. Maybe if we experiment with this concept, and slow down, we will be calmer and better able to enjoy the fleeting time we do have with our kids. Remembering to love and accept every child for themselves, not what they achieve, is crucial to their state of mind and ours.

Back to schoolHelping your child adjust to the stress of a new school year can feel overwhelming. I can recall the butterflies in my stomach the first day of school every year. Beginnings always produce some sort of anxiety, just like endings can produce sadness. The important thing to remember is that this is normal, and not to trivialize or ignore their feelings, or your own. You might tell them that everyone experiences feelings of nervousness, but the feelings are sure to go away as a routine settles in and that you expect they will soon feel just fine. Telling them that you went through the same thing as a child can also ease their anxiety. We don’t want to push the anxiety away, but shifting it from their head (our minds can make up doomsday scenarios) to feeling it in their body can sometimes diffuse it as well. You do this by asking them what part of their body they feel it in. Can they breathe into it, and simply allow it to be there?

To ease your kids into the back to school structure, you may want to have them start going to bed a little earlier every night, so they are not completely wiped out when the early mornings arrive. Kids may also feel like their screen and play time will be over, so it’s important not to take that away completely in exchange for a rigid schedule. Personally, I am planning to make some screen time rules during homework time. What I’m suggesting is that new rules be implemented, and that they are reasonable, not punitive.

As summer slowly fades away, and a new school year begins, we have a choice. We can approach it with sadness, stress and anxiety, or we can chose to view it as a new beginning, a new challenge with new joys. We cannot change or hold on to the summer months, but we can approach this transition with a sense of wonder, curiosity and gratitude for what it will bring. If things get too stressful and you see the anxiety start to build, remember to STOP–Stop, Take A Breath–open and Observe what you’re feeling, and then Proceed! You might even consider sharing that one with your kids!

Jodi Baretz is a psychotherapist and mindfulness coach, with a private practice at The Center for Health and Healing in Mt. Kisco. In addition to her private clients, she leads a variety of small group mindfulness trainings from busy moms to corporations, teaches mindfulness for Chappaqua Continuing Education, and a “Mindfulness Bootcamp,” four-week program. She lives with her husband and two teenage boys in Millwood. You can reach her at jodibaretz@gmail.com or visit jodibaretz.com.

BACK TO COOL: A Balancing Act

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Beth Head shotWasn’t it just yesterday we were hunkered down, huddled and hibernating? Summer couldn’t come fast enough and then, blink, it’s almost over.

Unfortunately, we can’t stop time. But we can reframe our approach to its inevitable passage. In that spirit, we present our latest issue, not so much as a Back to School reminder but, instead, a Back to Cool primer.

There’s a growing sense of awareness that we’re becoming ever more over-extended, and that the very things that were supposed to make life easier are, instead, making it more stressful. Our smartphones were supposed to allow us more freedom, but, too often, we’re hostage to their ringtones, alerts, vibrations. We’ve gone from a largely understood and widely accepted schedule of work/play balance to an expectation of 24/7 availability. What’s more, these devices frequently separate us from each other, even when we’re actually together!

Additionally, we’re paying more attention to the long-term negative effects of pressure, and it’s affect on mental health, particularly that of our children. Where even one report is one too many, sadly, there has been a seeming onslaught of recent suicide stories focusing primarily on high school and college-aged children and young adults. While the media is varied–from newer online publications like the Huffington Post to venerable print publications like The New York Times–the message is consistent: Pressure, and in particular, performance pressure–whether social, education, sports-related and/or arts-related–is overwhelming our young people and making them vulnerable. Something needs to change.

We’re proud to have published two related articles last December, Time To Talk by Janine Crowley Haynes and When It’s Personal by Rich Klein, on this very topic; prouder still that the Mental Health Association of Westchester has chosen to honor the Inside Press and Publisher Grace Bennett with a “MHA Media Award” for consistent and in depth coverage on topics related to mental health in recent years. I know Janine and Rich’s stories resonated with our readers, and that they were further shared far and wide. Ultimately, that’s what makes us most proud; the opportunity to shed light, share information and help to bring about much needed change.

I have two college-aged children, and, while their paths have certainly had bumps along the way, I like to think they’ve both come to relatively “good places” in their lives. Still, it’s part of my Mom job description to worry. When kids are away at school, that worry becomes more abstract, but those aforementioned stories bring it up close, and make me long for my kids and for a real live hug, not a virtual xoxo.

No, virtual worlds just aren’t good enough. As an empty nester, I realize my kids’ time at home is ever more limited and I enjoy them all the more for knowing that. I felt particularly fortunate that my daughter returned home to work another summer as a day camp counselor. There’s still nothing like a casual car conversation or a shared day of shopping to truly open the lines of communication. I’ll admit that we do our fair share of small screen surfing, but, as she points out, her generation did not grow up on iPads. I read old-school, page-filled paper books to both my children every night, and “screen time” limits were really just about the TV.

It’s very interesting to hear my daughter’s perspective on the generation that’s up and coming. For example, she found it fascinating and, in her words, “a little scary”, that the campers on her bus seemed, initially, quite out of sorts without their handheld devices (per camp rules, these were not allowed). However, the brighter news is that she was able to redirect them; they played trivia games, she brought them lanyard, they listened to music, they engaged with each other. In other words, balance was achieved.

Maybe that’s what is truly best, truly special, about these two months that we so look forward to during the other ten. Balance! As we head into a new season, I wish everyone a sense of balance. Get out and take a hike; we’ve got some great suggestions in Adventures in Armonk. Let your kids and their imaginations run free in one of the many Playgrounds we’ve discovered. Join friends and make new ones at the annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show. Love present-day Armonk? Why not Celebrate the History of North Castle as well? And, when you’re ready, do take some time to get to know Dr. Donohue and the New Byram Hills PTSA; we’ve got these stories and more in the pages ahead.

Enjoy,

-Beth

P.S.: A special thank you note for the terrific work provided by college intern Sarah Jane Weill; from a first-person report of Armonk’s new First Thursday event to a story on the annual Outdoor Art Show to an essay on college advice for freshman, Sarah Jane balanced it all with talent, enthusiasm and professionalism.