Europe is so civilized. Cheers, @ski!
@gusmom: Or pick one of the small Monets off the wall…
We’ve drifted so far off-topic, I’m surprised @ski hasn’t shut us down or moved us over to the BS Cocktail Hour thread. Oh wait, we haven’t started that one yet.
@skieurope has senioritis and hasn’t been shutting down threads with his usual brio. 
@gusmom2000 , just leave him home with the staff while you are at the summer house. God forbid you should sell a pony.
It’s AP testing time; the kids in those forums are keeping me busy enough. Plus, I expect that posts in the parents’ forums will quickly go off into a tangent 
This would be such a fun group for a cocktail party. Too bad we don’t all live near one another!
That would be so much fun @ThacherParent ! I love the idea of a “cocktail thread” once a month but I have a feeling it would put @skieurope completely over the edge. And we’d all have bars on our profile pics…
One more quick tip for Drop Off Day : Some schools will herd parents into a room ( while your child is off doing something else ) for New Parent Orientation and a Q&A. If you have a burning question about something that can’t be found in the Handbook, Website or in any literature sent to you over the summer - ask away! However, if you ask a question that can be readily found in the Handbook, Website or literature sent to you over the summer, you will likely hear other parents say (under their breath), It’s in the Handbook… On the website… OMG- How can you possibly NOT know that ?
Parents are nervous, too- I get that! Sometimes people ask a question just to ask a question and I get that, too! Have you ever been to a College Open House Tour during the summer? That’s exactly what I mean! OMG.
Best advice: Save it . Listen to what they say during the presentation and believe in your heart that everything will be Okay. Be brave and enjoy the refreshments. Your child is in good hands!
I forget which school it was but at one NPO a parent got up and started to quiz the panel about the crime rate in the town and neighborhood. My husband ( under his breath ) We’re at a BS… in the middle of (blanking) nowhere.
The thing I always wondered about with people that asked the kinds of questions @PhotographerMom references above: What are you going to do if you don’t like the answer you get? You just moved your kid into the dorm. You are here to drop you kid off! Isn’t it a little late to be asking the tricky questions? haha. Happens every time whether BS, college, residential summer programs when they were younger. Why wait so long to do your due diligence?
@photographermom, at the Hotchkiss Revisit Day, there was a panel presentation by faculty/administrators, and one father (clearly from NYC) asked a question about whether there was a security force on campus and if girls could call for an escort if they needed to walk across campus at night. The panelists all looked completely and utterly blank for a minute, and finally one female teacher said that frankly wildlife is more a concern than crime, and thereafter various teachers told stories about unexpected encounters they’d had on campus over the years with wild animals (turkeys, raccoons, but no bears). It caused howls of laughter in the room, and got the point across to the helicopter parents in a nice way.
For all those worried parents, the BSs actually do have 24 hour security and help, if needed, is just a phone call away. The kids find them a nuisance at times as they’ll make the kids wear helmets when bicycling or skateboarding, the type of nagging mom would do at home, but coming from security it carries a little more weight.
At SPS, one year, there was a bear alert that went out.
From today’s email from NMH, on “Family Orientation Activities” for 9th and 10th graders,
“For parents, the day ends with an adults-only reception from 4:30-6 pm at Zeke’s Grill at the Crumpin Fox Golf Club near campus. This reception is the the culminating orientation event for families of 9th and 10th graders and all new international families.” I will be missing it. 
@payn4ward - I saw it. I read it to mean - “You are done on campus - time to leave!” Sorry you will miss it! I’m not sure whether I will be there or not - depends on what time the late flight out of Hartford is.
Its a short chance to meet some other parents, I hung out with a mom who cried the whole time… but mostly its to herd parents off campus … no biggee