Newsletter Issue #4, February 2009

Greetings from RSM!

In This Issue:

A Letter from the Principal

"Best Notes" Competition

2nd Term Competition

New RSM branch in Marblehead

AMC-10, AMC-12 Dates

SAT Registration Deadlines

April SAT workshop

Next Year Enrollment

Summer Programs

A letter from RSM Principal

"When it comes to math, talent is really overrated!"

While watching Charlie Rose on TV, I decided to share some thoughts with you. Rose was interviewing my favorite author, Malcolm Gladwell, about his new book Outliers: The Story of Success.

Once upon a time RSM was a small school. I knew each parent and we could talk for hours about our children's future. We dreamt about their future successes; we hoped they would understand and never resent that "we took away their childhood" by bringing them to RSM for 4 hours every weekend. I was not only a principal, but also a mother of RSM students and shared with the rest of the parents the same concern: how to advance our children without overwhelming them.

No wonder the TV immediately captured my attention. 12 years ago RSM was founded with one goal in mind - to raise successful people. I consider our school to be doing just this. In my mind we use mathematics simply as a tool to develop all those skills necessary to succeed in today's world: critical thinking, the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time, test taking skills, and a can-do attitude that comes from hard work and dedication. I wanted to know what Malcolm Gladwell thinks about success and our (the parents' and grandparents') influence on our children's future.

I read Gladwell's "Tipping Point" and "Blink" and was amazed at the similarities between his ideas and those of RSM's philosophy. During the interview, Gladwell introduced the "10,000 hours" rule. According to this rule, it is impossible for a person to get to the top of their field unless they log at least 10,000 hours of practice.

Hallelujah, finally! Who could think? How revolutionary is this thought? In today's America it is extremely revolutionary. We forgot how to teach our kids. We entertain them with new information every week in our math and science classes. Schools admit that their curriculum is an inch deep and a mile wide. No one is in the business of building, growing, and developing skills anymore.

The best and the brightest are those that are punished the most! From my experience the easier it is for a person to understand something, the easier it will be for them to forget. Smart children can learn anything very quickly. Without enough carefully selected exercises that actually engage all of this quickly learned material, understanding will never develop into real knowledge - something they can tap into easily years later.

Smart American children learn mathematics quickly, they may even have good test scores, but only a small percentage of them know the subject well enough to be able to apply it to science, different economic disciplines, and other areas in which this method of thought applies. Ask any college chemistry professor, and he will tell you that he spends the majority of his class time reviewing mathematics.

Malcolm Gladwell once again proved with his research something that I have always known intuitively: We cannot rely on the culture around us; our choices can advance our children tremendously.

Charlie Rose's program became only more interesting when he continued to introduce another author: Geoff Colvin. I wasn't familiar with Colvin, and I almost turned off the TV, but the title of his book caught my attention: Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.

All of us should buy this book for our children and make them read it. Every day I hear the same phrase from different children: "I'm just not a math person" or "math is not my thing". Very often parents repeat the same phrase. Colvin's book proves with one example after another, that to succeed in anything one should not rely on natural talent, but rather on lots and lots of practice.

Of course mathematics requires good teachers and a good curriculum, but it also requires hard work and lots of it!

Teach your kids to work! Talent is really overrated!

Inessa Rifkin

RSM Principal

"Best Notes" Competition

The projects submitted for the "Best Notes" Competition were displayed at RSM for over 6 weeks. Now the best works are selected and only these projects will remain on display inside the school until mid-March. At the end of March we will name the winners. See the names of semi-finalists!

If you have a strong opinion about the project that should be the winner please don't hesitate to email us!

2nd Term Competition

"Equations, Equations!" is the name of our Second Term school-wide Competition. As you know, at RSM we introduce Algebra at a very early age, so we hope that all our students from K to 12 will have something interesting to say! Please encourage your kids to think of their own creative ways to represent the centuries-old topic of equations.

The Rules are available on our News page.

New RSM branch is now open in Marblehead!

RSM-Marblehead Address: 13R Bessom St., Units 2-3, Marblehead, MA 01945. Starting in March classes will meet on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. Art class is offered on Fridays.
See the Class Schedule

AMC-10 and AMC-12

AMC-10B and AMC-12B will take place at RSM on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 6:30 PM. If you want to take one of these tests but did not register in advance, please email to Olga.Kozlova@russianschool.com

SAT Registration Deadlines

Reminder: Students who are planning to take SAT or Subject Tests this spring need to register before the deadline:

March 31 (for May 2 SAT)

May 5 (for June 6 SAT)

April Vacation SAT Workshop

RSM students in SAT-1 and SAT-2 classes will have a 4-day Workshop during April vacation.

Workshop Dates:

April 20-23, 9:00-1:00 PM

The 4 days of workshop will replace the last 4 classes of Spring semester. For those who cannot attend the Workshop alternative dates are:

May 16, 17, 30 and 31, 9:00-1:00 PM

Next Year Enrollment

By mid-March every RSM student will receive the next year placement recommendations.

Next year enrollment will be announced at the end of March.

Summer Programs at RSM

For many years RSM has 3 wonderful summer programs that could fulfill many families' needs for math enrichment and summer day care.

Summer School

It is offered to students in grades 1-12. It will be held for six weeks, July 6 - August 14. Each class will meet two or three times a week. Schedule

Whole Day Program
"Fun from Head to Toes" is a unique chance to have it all: math enrichment, creative writing, dance classes, chess or art class every day - along with other fun summer activities! The program is offered to students K-6 in our Newton location.

4 weekly sessions, July 27-August 21. Multi-week and Siblings Discounts. More info and Application

Camp RSM @ Sunapee

This sleep-away camp for grades 5-12 has been a favorite of our students (and non-students from many states) for over 12 years. Session 1 is closed! More info and Application

Have a wonderful Spring Semester and plan for a great Summer ahead!

- RSM Administration