The Effort List is designed to instill a strong work ethic in students and acknowledge those who meet all academic expectations in a given week. A student earns a place on the Effort List by attending each class with the necessary materials and a complete homework assignment. A student can earn a plus for exceptional effort. Students who earn a plus in four or more classes weekly are honored with the Dean's List distinction. 

• Lower School is five plusses, three of which must come from their core classes.
• Upper School is four plusses, four of which must come from their core classes. 

Saturday classes are not a part of the regular Rumsey Hall schedule.

The school orders all print and digital textbooks, which are delivered in class at the start of the Academic Year. 

At Rumsey Hall, we believe that keeping our students’ skills fresh over the summer is important, so each summer, we ask them to read and practice their math skills.

Upper School Summer Assignments for Reading and Math

Lower School Summer Assignments for Reading and Math

Upper and Lower School student drop-off begins at 7:40 a.m., and the school day begins at 8 a.m. 

In the Lower School, parents may pick up their child at 3, 3:30 or 4:15 p.m., depending on whether or not they are participating in the afternoon enrichment program that day. In the Upper School, day students are picked up between 4:30 and 4:50 p.m.

Please consult the 2024-2025 Student Dress Code for information.

Upper School: Yes. The most common types of computers students bring on campus are Macbooks and Google Chromebooks.

Lower School: No. We supply iPads and Chromebooks for in-school use.

During the late spring, all new International Students will meet with the International Student Coordinator and English as a Second Language Department Chair, Jillian Dufresne, to coordinate placement. The Admissions Office will send you a Calendly Invite to meet with Ms. Dufresne. Please use this app to select a time to meet with her over Zoom.

Math Department Chair Chris Dyball will review your child’s academic transcript and Math Teacher Recommendation to determine the best math placement. If there is any uncertainty, he will contact you in late June to coordinate some placement work.

The World Language Department Chair, Skarlett Casco-LaPlaca, will review your child’s transcript and application and determine if any placement work is necessary. If we need your child to complete work to determine the best placement, the Admissions Office will send that to you on June 24. We ask that your child complete this placement work by July 1. 

Your child’s course of study will be posted to the Blue Dog Portal in mid-July. Please carefully review it and contact the appropriate Department Chair or Associate Head of School, Brooke Giese with any questions or concerns.

There are end-of-term assessments; however, each teacher will handle the assessment differently based on their curriculum. So, for example, one teacher may have a research paper as the final, another may have an exam, and another may have a presentation.

Rumsey Hall's wireless network allows for appropriately monitored access to the internet, limited to between 6:30 a.m. and 9:45 p.m.

A moderate amount of food is allowed in dorms to be stored in a drawer or small container (provided by the student). Food amount is limited by dorm parents. The school supplies a microwave and refrigerator for each dorm.

Rumsey Hall has a School Store that offers the basic necessities. There are also opportunities on some weekends to purchase items at area stores.

Upon arrival to campus in September.

On our travel page of the website at 2m1s.vaftizo.com/travel, we list the dates that students may depart or arrive on campus. You will need to complete the arrivals form each time your child is arriving on campus and the departures form any time your child is leaving campus for breaks. 

Rumsey has an office and person dedicated to assisting students and families with travel. The Travel Coordinator is the point person anytime your child leaves campus for other than a school-related activity (weekend trips/sports games). You'll need to submit requests for your child to leave campus for the weekend by noon on Wednesdays. The travel coordinator can help arrange transportation to and from the school. Associated costs are deducted from school accounts as long as they are in good standing. During the school year, we utilize the Orah app, which tracks the comings/goings of each student. An invitation to join will be sent over the summer. For your child's initial arrival on campus, please complete the New Student Travel School Form when assigned in the Portal.

If you have any questions, please contact Rachel SanFanAndre, the Travel Coordinator, at travel@vaftizo.com or 860-868-0535 x 124.

Each boarding student receives a personal laundry bag from E & R Laundry. The weekly service includes wash/dry/fold; professional shirt laundering and pressing; pants and/or skirts pressed and hung; and dry cleaning. All boarding student accounts will be charged the annual E & R Laundry fee of $1,174, due July 15th. To decline this laundry service, please contact the Dean of Students, Mr. Perreault, at 860-868-0535 Ext—102 or pperreault@vaftizo.com. With confirmation of the request, your account will be credited for the Laundry Fee for Boarding Students.

Weekend activities are planned for all school-open weekends. However, if your child needs to travel, students in good standing may travel home on the weekends. Students may also travel to a friend's house for the weekend once the parents of both the host and the guest have given permission. 

Please communicate your child's travel plans to the travel coordinator at travel@vaftizo.com. 

A family sets up a Student Spending Account (MyKidsSpending). Students draw on this account to fund school trips and access spending money for shopping, etc. The students are allowed $20 for each weekend, and parents can decide if they would like their student to have more. The school handles weekend activities such as trips, dinners, and outings through the students' account, so the students do not have to keep money on them. Shopping is an individual student’s decision.

What is unique to Rumsey is the level of supervision that allows for students to have appropriate freedom to learn good independence habits while also providing guidance and structure within their day. We collect the students’ technology at the end of the day and turn off wifi at 9:30 p.m., ensuring a good night's sleep. The students can use technology when they leave the dorm in the morning. Students are not permitted to use cell phones from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There are no phone zones like the dining hall, classrooms, and school meetings. 

The three times, when the dorms are closed, are Thanksgiving Recess, Winter Recess (Christmas time), and March Recess. For all other holidays and long weekends, the campus remains open. Students are not permitted to stay on campus during Thanksgiving, Winter, or March Recess. If you need help finding someone to care for your child during one of these recesses, please consider contacting Student Health Advocates, an organization which provides this service.