The next Community Service Day is March 9!

Dear Families,

Today, I had the opportunity to see the high school play preview for “The Taming of the Shrew,” directed by Performing Arts Chair Meghan Farley Astrachan. The cast’s mastery of Shakespeare’s writing is truly impressive, as is the acting, the set and the direction! I encourage you to get your tickets now, at Charlton Street Reception, for the show, opening next Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7PM. The show, bound to sell out, runs through Saturday, Feb. 28. Please join us for what is bound to be an excellent night of theater.

Now is the time to begin planning for the next (and final) Community Service Day for students. On March 9, students are asked to use this day before Trimester III begins to set aside time to give back to the community as they would like. Seniors should make every effort to participate in a project that day, as they have projects and internships that will take up a lot of time. We have opportunities posted on the community service board, but also, I am happy to announce, coming soon from high school technology instructor Stephen MacGillivray and our Community Service Roundtable, a community service blog where opportunities for students will be posted regularly. In the meantime, here is a terrific list of opportunities, many more like this one below:

Materials for the Arts is always in need of extra hands to help the staff keep the warehouse in great condition. With hundreds of people shopping each week, the paint room, fabric and furniture areas are often left in disarray and in need of a little extra care.

You can join our volunteer team by donating a few hours of your time to help sort and fold fabric, label paint cans, straighten up framing supplies or make small repairs on furniture. We appreciate your help in keeping the place looking nice for our more than 3,900 recipient groups.While no special training required, most of our projects are physical in nature (folding, sorting, shelving, light lifting), so mobility is a necessity.

You can volunteer for a few hours a week or a few hours a month depending on your schedule. To become part of the volunteer team contact:

Volunteer Coordinator

Materials for the Arts

718-729-3001 ext. 213

volunteer@mfta.org

On another note, last Friday, the parents of the high school honored Mark Bledstein for his 40 years of service documented with a wonderful photo included in a note from Phil Kassen, Director, sent last week. In response to the outpouring of love, affection and admiration from the students and community alike, Mark wrote:

“Thank you… Everyone’s thoughtfulness and generosity truly brings tears to my eyes. This amazing outpouring of thanks is in every respect heart-warming and up-lifting. We have a wonderful, wonderful community.The more a teacher feels deep-down the admiration and respect of the community, the more he/she feels rewarded for the many, many hours we all spend doing our best to open up for our students new worlds of thought, insight, and imagination. In fact, teaching is both an individual and a collaborative venture. If I am honored, everyone should feel honored. I do what I do best in an environment in which everyone works together to preserve, respect and expand the cause of progressive thinking and learning. I am thankful I can do my part as so many people everyday do their part to keep this enterprise vital, creative, ever-stimulating and ever-challenging. Thanks again, Mark”

Finally, as we reflect on the truly wonderful community we do have and care for, our thoughts go out to our independent school colleagues at Dalton and those directly affected by the tragedy that took place there yesterday.

On Monday evening, we will have a special meeting open to all high school parents at 6:30 PM, to discuss suicide prevention and student wellness with me, Andrew Weiss, School Psychologist, Joanne Gouge, School Nurse, and Phil Kassen. Hope to see you there.

All the best,

Ruth

Update and Announcements:

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

• Click here to view the 2008-2009 LREI Calendar. You can also now access the 2009-2010 calendar here! Note that school will begin on the Wednesday after Labor Day this year, not Thursday. Middle School and High School orientation will be on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Lower School phase in schedules, for our early childhood classes, will be distributed during the summer.
• Our incredible boys and girls basketball teams have made it to the playoffs! 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.

*Director’s Drop-In–Phil will be available for drop-in conversations in his Sixth Avenue office from 8:45AM-9:30AM on Friday, March 6th. Drop in, ask a question, and hear about what is going on at LREI. Can’t make these times? Give a call or send and email.

*The senior class is trying to locate a space in which to hold their prom. If anyone knows of a good space for this event, or has a contact of some sort, kindly email Vio Picayo at vpicayo@yahoo.com. Please respond as soon as possible, as time is running short before this late May event. Thank you.

*A special event has been added to the calendar: On April 21, at 6:30 PM, in the cafeteria, Freedom Institute will be here to meet with all high school parents interested in drug and alcohol education for their teen. All high school parents are welcome to join this evening of education and discussion.

1. Big Auction Update:

Dear Parents,

The Big Auction is just two weeks away!!! If you haven’t done so already, you can buy your ticket(s) by emailing or calling Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org or 212-477-5316 x275. Please have your credit card information ready with the expiration date and three digit security code–we only accept MasterCard and Visa.

This year, we’re featuring select items online– look at the auction list and start bidding today!

If you would like to bid anonymously for any of the LIVE items, you may do so by submitting an absentee bid.

Please contact Sandra Song or Pippa Gerard (pgerard@lrei.org, 212-477-5316 x236) by noon on Wednesday, March 4th.

We hope we’ll be seeing you on March 5th! Feel free to pass this web page along to friends and family who may want to participate in the bidding!

2. Class pictures are here!
Class of 2009
Class of 2010
Class of 2011
Class of 2012

3. A perfect gift!

LETTERMAN JACKETS NOW AVAILABLE!

Wool Letterman Jackets now available throughthe LREI school store.  These beautiful warm, winter coats are nowavailable by special order only.  The cost is approximately $200 per coat. Each is personalized with your name.  For orders: Contact Kasey Picayo atpicayosmith@aol.com. See attachment for photo.

4. Update from Red is Green:

Take the LREI Green Pledge!

We are asking all students and families to sign an environmental pledge to do our part to save our earth. We’ve included things like conserving water, turning off lights and recycling. Look for the Red is Green table in the 6th Ave lobby this Friday morning to sign the pledge or download the attachment.  Please return the signed portion of your pledge by next Wednesday, Feb. 25. There is an envelope at the reception desk.

Join us for our first LREI Goes Green to School day next Wednesday, February 25. Find an earth friendly way to get to school: walk, bike, scooter, take public transportation or carpool. It’s a great way to get our kids involved and start off honoring the LREI Green Pledge!

Recycle update: So far the LREI community has collected 40 cell phones, 90 ink cartridges and over 600 batteries! Next month’s recycle drive will be corks and bare naked granola bags. Start saving now!