Welcome back
Dear Families,
The Thanksgiving holiday brings many alumni back to LREI; we always look forward to these visits. Last week, several alums from the most recent graduating class now attending top 25 schools were able to share what they missed about their high school experience and how they see the results of their progressive high school education. Here is some of what they had to share:
“None of the first year students speak in class except me!”
“I miss homeroom…I miss the faculty…”
“The writing in college is really not that hard, compared to what we used to have to write!”
“I have turned into an ‘old lady’. Tea and toast every night at 10:30.”
“College is so segregated. The most segregated place I have ever been in my life. That is the most tragic part of college. I miss being around so many different kinds of people.”
“I feel comfortable at Tufts, but feel more comfortable at LREI. Here, everybody really knows you and everybody loves you.”
The academic transition to college has been a successful one for the class of 2006. Although their college experiences vary, what the uniformly say is, “I miss LREI.” It was nice to hear!
On another note, this week, the faculty participated in a discussion about academic integrity and plagiarism led by Glenn Novarr, a teacher and former copyright lawyer from Spence School. The presentation and discussion changed the conversation for us here. More to come on that topic in next week’s blog.
Finally, 2007-2008 class pictures are now available on Flicker! Thanks to photography teacher, Susan Now, who is responsible for encouraging the beautiful smiles.
All the best,
Ruth
• The school’s calendar can be accessed by clicking here.
• For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and season recaps.
Updates and announcements:
1. Save the date for Literary Evening: Thursday, Dec. 6, 7 PM in the Charlton St. PAC. This year’s event is entitled “Kinfolk and Other Strangers,” featuring authors A.M. Homes, Marthe Jocelyn, Bliss Broyard, Porochista Khakpour, and Dominic Carter. Please plan to join the Literary Committee for an evening of literature, plus great food and drink. Flyes can be viewed and downloaded here.
2. Chorus News from Susan Glass: The EI Singers are getting ready their annual sing at the Hudson River Guild on Thursday, Dec. 13th at 12:00 – 2:45, and the big LREI Winter Concert on Tuesday, Dec. 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the Charlton Street PAC. Please come see our terrific singers at either one of these events!
3. Please note, if your child is interested in participating in the Spring Break trip to Germany, applications are due on Monday, December 3. Any questions, please contact trip coordinators Julia Heaton (jheaton@lrei.org) or Tom Murphy (tmurphy@lrei.org) for more information. All applications must be in on time to be considered for the trip.
4. From the Community Service Committee: Please view the calendar of events.
5. Please take a look at the following letter from the LREI Lesbian Gay Straight alliance (LGSA) announcing the upcoming Visibility show.
6. Many of you have read the reports in the news about MRSA, a methicillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus. MRSA is a strain of bacteria that does not respond to the penicillin family of antibiotics although it is treatable with other types of antibiotics. Please read the attached letter from School Nurse Kitty Highstein about this health issue.
8. For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.
9. LREI is a member of NYC-Parents in Action (NYC-PIA). NYC-PIA provides parenting education, information and a communications network to help parents prepare their children and teenagers to cope with social pressures and to make sound choices towards a future free of alcohol and drug abuse. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2007-2008 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.