From Phil Kassen, Director

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year! I hope you and yours enjoyed the Winter Break. It was a pleasure to welcome your children back to school earlier this week. It did not take long for the hallways and classrooms in all three divisions to regain their busy hum.

The faculty spent a full and enriching day on Monday, our second professional development day devoted to looking at issues of socio-economic class, involved in a series of divisional and interdivisional conversations. High School history teacher Nick O’Han and Chap, Director of Diversity and Community, organized the day’s events, inviting two speakers from the Citizens’ Committee for Children (www.cccnewyork.org) to help us look at socio-economic class through lenses wide enough to focus on all of the children in New York City and finely focused enough to look at how issues of class emerge in classrooms in each of our three divisions. It was a truly fascinating and challenging day. Conversations and exercises such as the ones we participated in on Monday will continue throughout the rest of the school year.

In the fall, Chap facilitated a well-attended discussion focused on how parents experience socio-economic class encounters with peers and with their children. We invite you to attend Bring the Conversation Home, Part 2 during which Dr. Patricia Romney, President and Founder of Romney Associates, will return to LREI to facilitate a second parent diversity discussion addressing issues of class. The focus of Dr. Romney’s work is change. Using her finely honed assessment skills as a starting point for change efforts, she has assisted organizations in the areas of diversity, community building, and leadership development.

Join us for one or both of the following events:

Wednesday, January 28, 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM in the Charlton Street Library

(Please RSVP to the receptionist if you will need childcare for this event.)

Thursday, January 29, 8:30AM-10:30 AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria

On a different note, as we have for the past few years, early next week I will send to all LREI families a list of volunteer opportunities available during the long Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The Parents’ Association Community Service Committee is hard at work identifying service opportunities to add to this list. If you know of ways in which LREI families can perform community service during the coming three-day weekend, please email them to me (pkassen@lrei.org) and I will add them to the list we will distribute early next week. Thank you in advance.

Best,

Phil

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.

*Class of 2009 Families, please read the updated and revised important letter from Ruth Jurgensen, High School Principal regarding Senior Project.

*Please read this important announcement from our Academic Support Center.

1. Save the Date for Karamu! Friday January 23rd… Karamu! is a multicultural celebration of music, dance, and food celebrating the diversity of our school and community – all are invited! Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 20th. Discount tickets are available – please contact Juliet Burrows, jkka@mac.com. This event always sells out so get your tickets early! Here are ways to be involved: get tickets & come to the show, volunteer to help out on the day of or donate a prepared dish for the feast!. More details to follow… join the fun of this wonderful community building event!

2. A perfect gift!
LETTERMAN JACKETS NOW AVAILABLE!
Wool Letterman Jackets now available through
the LREI school store.
These beautiful warm, winter coats are now
available by special order only. The cost is
approximately $200 per coat. Each is personalized
with your name. For orders: Contact Kasey Picayo at
picayosmith@aol.com. See attachment for photo.

3. Red is Green Committee: January is recycle your greeting cards month! Save all your cards this holiday season and we’ll be collecting them in January. St. Jude’s Ranch accepts recycled cards which they use to make “green” holiday cards. The proceeds go towards helping abused, abandoned and neglected children.

4. CALLING ALL EMBROIDERY BUFFS!
Embroider a square for the 2009 Big Auction Community Quilt. All squares must be completed by February 1, 2009. Please see the attachment for details.

Sandra Song
Annual Fund and Special Events Manager

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