Election Fever!

Dear Families,

As the election season comes to a close, I have to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of our history department during the seamingly endless time period between the primaries and this week. The history department, Tom Murphy, Bill Bailey, Mark Bledstein and Nick O’Han have been the community’s teachers and have educated faculty and students alike through a series of assemblies and through timely elective offerings. The assemblies have included presentations, mock debates and discussions on the primaries, each candidate participating in the primaries, the issues and election strategy in the primaries. Once the candidates were determined, we were able to start the year with a workshop on the electoral college, then to the candidates’ position on a variety of issues, including energy, foreign policy, gay marriage, and the economy.

Action has been inspired by these assemblies. Almost every weekend in October, faculty and students have travelled to far and wide to canvas; one of the options for students in Bill Bailey’s American Government and Politics class was to travel with Bill to Pennsylvania. For the students who participated in this option, they were quite shocked by the blatant racism they encountered while canvasing for Barack Obama. In fact, members of the department were worried about what students may be exposed to but ultimately it was decided that students need to experience a difference of opinion to say the least (we are a pretty bias school with the majority of the community supporting Obama openly; we do have community members also supporting McCain). Today, even more students, participating in Bill’s Election minimester are on their way to Pennsylvania; others are headed to Obama’s Brooklyn headquarters to help out today. It is terrific to see the engagement of our students; this election is important to them. Regardless of the outcome, on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 8:30 AM, the community will gather together as a community to support each other and to discuss the results in a thoughtful and respectful manner, as all assemblies require.

Here are two opportunities for you to experience our history department yourselves!

1. Bill Bailey, a master teacher, has had a rich history of action and a significant career in education. To hear Bill give a recent (and terrific) convocation speech at Concord Academy this fall, click here.
2. Mark Bledstein, who has been teaching at LREI for 40 years, will be presenting “Teaching Modern China: Art and Politics/Images and Documents” on November 11, 2008, 3:45-5:15, Charlton Street. Parents and student families are invited to attend. This presentation is sponsered by Teaching East Asia at the University of Colorado, Boulder and funded by the Freeman Foundation and an LREI summer grant.

On another note, I have to share with you the talent of Graham Whitford, Class of 2010. This weekend, he is performing in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with the Experience Hendrix Tribute tour. Please click on the link to see this amazing LREI student in action! We are so proud of him.

Finally, The LREI KNIGHTS Girls Varsity Volleyball Team won their semi-final match vs The Garden School in two straight sets with scores of 27-25, 10-25. The win was a great all-around team effort! Notable stats include Setters Fallon Lucombe, ’11 and Marissa Bendit, ’11 with 3 assists/3 kills, and 2 aces/3 assists/2 kills respectively; Violeta Picayo, ’09 with 7 aces, 1 assist, and 5 kills; Kary Caiza, ’10 with 3 aces; and Blakeley Blackman, ’10 with 2 kills and a block. The team is back in action TODAY for the Girls Independent School Athletic League Division 2 playoffs final to be played at Lycee Francais, 505 E.75th Street, at 4PM. Come out and support KNIGHTS VOLLEYBALL!!!

Enjoy Election Day!

Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

• The school’s calendar can be accessed by clicking here.

• Click here to view the 2008-2009 LREI Calendar.

• For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and game recaps.

Some 9th and 10th grade parents have tried to get homework off of “My Backpack.” When looking, in addition to looking at “Upcoming Assignments” please also look at “Completed Assignments” where weekly updated syllabi can be found. If you have any problems, please email help_desk@lrei.org and feel free to cc me on that email.

Interims are now available on “My Backpack”. If you have lost or do not have a user name or password, please email or call Adria at x323 or amaynor@lrei.org. If you would like your child’s interims mailed, please contact Adria.

1. LREI Family Book Night is Wednesday, Nov. 5, 6:30 PM, Sixth Avenue Auditorium.

Beyond Batman: Graphic Novels for Kids and Teens

This year, your LREI librarians have teamed up with some of today’s hottest authors and illustrators of graphic novel to present an enlightening and enlivening evening of graphic novel recommendations for all ages. Along with the traditional recommendations from the librarians, Jesse Karp (Early Childhood and Interdivisional Librarian) will be moderating a Graphic Novels panel. Panelists will include Holly Black (The Good Neighbors: Kin, Beyond Spiderwick, Tithe) Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes, Janes in Love, Beige, Boy Proof) Geoffrey Hayes (Benny and Penny) Steven Sheinkin (The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, Rabbi Harvey Rides Again) and LREI parent Voltaire (Deady Bear, Oh My Goth). A selection of the recommended titles will be for sale. We welcome
an audience of third grade and up. Children of all ages are welcome; there will be childcare available for the younger set, with pizza and story reading.

2. From the Big Auction Committee: The Big Auction will be held on March 5th, 2009 and the Art Auction is scheduled to take place during the 2009-2010 school year. You should have received a letter in the mail, along with a donation form. Our goal this year is to have every parent solicit one item for the auction…we hope that you will join us in realizing this goal! If you have any questions or would like to discuss a potential donation, please contact Jenn at jenn_espo@msn.com or Mamie at mamie.mcindoe@gmail.com. If you prefer, you can also contact the Office of Advancement. Pippa can be reached at 212-477-5316 x236 or pgerard@lrei.org, and Sandra at 212-477-5316 x275 or ssong@lrei.org. Thank you in advance for your support!

3. From the LREI PA Literary Committee and the LREI PA Multicultural Committee: Please take a look at the attached letter for ways you can get involved! Your participation is key!

4. Ronnie Halper, P’11, is the Vice-President for the Parent Association and is available if you need to talk to someone, bring an issue or question to the Parent Association, or would like to know how to get involved. She can be reached at rsh@panix.com.

5. Please make a note: ASC After-School Homework Sessions: The ASC is available for after-school homework/quiet study on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 pm to 5:45 pm. This is an excellent time for students to study independently in a quiet, supervised environment or meet with me for extra planning or organizational assistance. Students may also obtain extra homework help in certain subjects (English, History, Spanish). And if students fall behind in their work, faculty are encouraged to require students to make-up missing assignments in the after-school session.