LREI in the Community
Not surprisingly, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter Break are busy ones at LREI. So much to do, so little time. In this week’s blog you will find announcements of, and invitations to, many events including the Book Week events (the Literary Evening, classroom visits, assemblies and the annual book fair), to a number of other Parents Association events and to a long list of students events including the Winter Concert, the Afterschool Share/Instrumental Concert and a variety of grade specific opportunities. In the coming weeks, I encourage you to read the blog and other announcements carefully – I wouldn’t want you to miss a moment of all that is being offered.
Less well know, but very important to our progressive program, are the many ways in which our students and teachers are out and involved in the wider community. These endeavors include:
•Second graders are leading the Lower School’s participation in LREI’s support of the St. John’s Food Pantry. LREI has a long relationship with St. John’s. We send a significant amount of foodstuff to this program, helping to provide nutrition to many thousands of clients. In fact, we will share half of the profits from the sales of our upcoming community potluck cookbook with St. John’s. Thank you, second graders. Also at St. John’s, middle school advisory groups regularly assist with the packaging and distribution of foodstuffs to pantry clients.
•Fifth and Sixth graders participated in the VT MIDI Project. “The purpose of the Vermont MIDI Project is to encourage and support students in composing and arranging music. A community of professional composers, teachers, pre-service educators, and students engage in mentoring and online discussion of student work.” Students worked on original compositions, were mentored on-line and submitted their final projects. Three LREI students were among the 19 chosen to have their pieces performed in concert in Burlington next week. Congratulations to middle school music teacher Matt McLean and to his students. On December 16th, Dr. Sean Reed, director of Brass Studies at NYU, will lead an ensemble of NYU faculty and student musicians (along with other professional musicians) in performances of student compositions.
•High School English teacher Ileana Jimenez writes on her blog, Feminist Teacher, “After much planning and rehearsing, half of the students in my Fierce and Fabulous: Feminist Women Writers, Artists, and Activists class and I finally got up on stage at TEDxYouth Day held at the Hewitt School in New York. The theme of this year’s TEDxYouth was “Be the Change,” and all talks were live-streamed globally. During our 16 minute talk, each of my students and I spoke about how we came to our feminist voice.” Congratulations to the members of this class who truly connected learning and life, classroom and their community. Congratulations to junior Grace Tobin who, in addition to her participation in TEDx, also spoke before a City Council hearing.
•Lower School Librarian Stacy Dillon was a presenter at the 92nd St. Y’s Wonderplay Conference where she spoke on the topic of using wordless picture books in the classroom to foster imagination and support literacy.
•Jennifer Hubert Swan, Library department chair, led a seminar hosted by the Ocean County (NJ) Library to teach librarians and educators how to write and deliver book talks that keeps kids hyped and hungering to read the book. Swan will also discuss the “Best of the Best” teen books from 2010.
•Junior Lucia Zerner received a Gold Award from Families with Children from China for performing over 250 hours of community service.
•LREI high school students participated in the City Year NY Service Day at PS 112/206, sponsored by Students for Service and Joint Schools Activities, Inc. Working alongside City Year corps members, the participants were able to transform a school where City Year has been serving since 2008. In just four hours, the students painted 25 murals, a large welcome sign, and 20 pairs of memory tiles; built and painted 10 bookshelves and three cubbies; and shellacked three existing mural benches.
We are so proud of the ways in which LREI’s students and faculty are involved in the wider community—harnessing their expertise and all that they have learned in the classroom and giving of themselves in the service of others. Well done!