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Thanksgiving Greetings from RTT
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A Thanksgiving Pause--No Lessons from 11/26 to 12/4 |
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As we head into Thanksgiving week I know that many of us are struggling with what the holidays are going to look like this year. We hope that you will still be able to enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving, be it an outside gathering or walk, curbside pick up of Thanksgiving food (especially dessert!!) or Zooming with family and friends. Out of an abundance of caution, RTT has decided to take a one week pause from lessons for the week following Thanksgiving (11/30-12/4). We will be issuing credits for lessons due to this pause.
We know how important RTT is to those of you who are back--and how much it is missed by those of you who are not yet back. You all are important to us, and as such, we need to be extraordinarily careful, so that we can keep our doors open and continue with our re-opening plan when the virus is more in check. What we have seen in the past month in Maine and across the country is deeply troubling with regards to the spread of COVID. We are doing everything we can to keep RTT a safe place by adhering to the "3 W's"--Wearing our masks, Washing our hands and Watching our distances. We are indeed thankful to everyone here at the farm for your help in keeping everyone at RTT safe!
PLEASE NOTE: All RTT clients/family members, volunteers, staff and any visitors are respectfully asked to follow the Maine CDC's guidelines during the holidays. This pause does not take the place of any Maine quarantine or testing requirements for travel in or out of Maine (other than NH and VT) or should you have had exposure to anyone with COVID. For specific guidance from the Maine CDC regarding travel, etc. please click here. If you have questions about your particular situation please feel free to email me.
Be well and have a Happy Thanksgiving,
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A Bit of Thanks from some of
RTT's Staff and Volunteers!!
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2020 will go down in history for a lot of different reasons, but one take away from this year has been learning how to be creative with outreach beyond the physical space of the farm. Early on, we used Zoom for socials and "Zoom and Groom" activities.
This fall, we've been piloting some school based programming with students at Westbrook's Canal School and most recently Greely High School. We are learning and adapting as we go, but each week we have a theme and handouts or videos/computer games that we forward to the teachers in advance of our Zoom time. We have covered topics including parts of the horse, grooming, how to measure the height and weight of a horse, horse colors and markings. We are collecting materials that are adaptable based on the students' ages and academic levels and we've had fun doing this. Of course we can't wait until the students are back with us in person, but for now, they are still learning about horses and staying connected.
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Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday are coming up!! |
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If you shop on Amazon, please consider signing up for Amazon Smile and naming Riding To The Top as your Charity of Choice. To sign up click here and follow the prompts until it asks for your charity of choice, then enter Riding To The Top. Once you've signed up, 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products will be donated by the AmazonSmile Foundation to Riding To The Top! Thank you!!
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After Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday, a day where people around the globe donate, volunteer and/or voice their passion for nonprofits like RTT. This year Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2020 and RTT is designating 100% of donations for "Hay For The Herd." Our goals is to raise enough to buy at least 1000 bales of hay. You don't need to wait until December 1st! You can Text 76278 and enter Hay4rtt. All gifts will help feed the herd this winter! If you donate online at RTT's website or via check please indicate Giving Tuesday in the memo line or in the dedication.
And always, please post and share on your FB and Instagram pages. Thank you!
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RTT Parent Connection Corner |
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Hello Fellow RTT parents and caregivers! Happy November! It’s Morgan Cohen again and it's hard to believe we are already saying goodbye to Fall and the holiday season is knocking on our doorstep. What a wonderful time of year to reflect and to be thankful.
- Enjoy listening to "A Little Thankful Spot" by Diane Alber
- Watch Kid President to see and hear the many thing that make him thankful
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- Create your own “Thankful List” and share with your family at meals or before bed. It’s nice to be reminded of all that we have to be thankful for.
Have something to share? We would love to hear about some of your fun and creative ideas too! We would love to feature your idea in next months newsletter! Send along a video, picture or link to Kate.
Thanks Morgan for sharing your ideas with the RTT Community!!
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Professional Development for
Staff and Volunteers!
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RTT's instructors meet monthly to discuss program needs and we usually include an educational opportunity. In October, we discussed an instructional video which we all had watched: “How We Teach Matters.” The content was focused on how students process information and how to improve our teaching techniques. We had a lively exchange of ideas and look forward putting these ideas into practice!
The Volunteer Schooling team also meets monthly for educational trainings organized by Kristin, our Equine Manager. This month we watched a video by trainer/rider Jec Ballou, on exercises to engage and strengthen our horses’ core muscles to help their overall fitness. Kristin selected exercises for the team to watch and discuss that could be implemented either mounted or from the ground and there was an excellent discussion after watching the video. The exercises have been incorporated in many ways since this great training. Many thanks to Kristin for putting this together!
Of course all of these meetings have been done via Zoom--We are indeed thankful for technology that keeps us learning and connected and look forward to meeting in person in the future!
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Send us an e-mail
We want to hear from you! Tell us what you want to see from us, or just send us a hello!
Keeping Track!
We have been packing these newsletters full of information and resources and wanted a way to keep track of it all. This document contains links to RTT Safe at Home Activities and Resources!
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Shopping from home? Shop for RTT! |
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