Dear Families,

Two blog items today!  First, a letter from Phil regarding the school’s efforts to support Haiti, and below that, a note from me regarding a workshop for parents next week:

Dear LREI Community,

I want to start this note by thanking all who donated to Monday’s collection of materials bound for Haiti.  The outpouring of support was inspiring. Thank you also to the middle school students, families and faculty who participated in the organization and packing of your donations. According to our sources at charity : water your donations have already arrived in Haiti.  Click here to view a short video about charity : water’s efforts.   Thank you to Ella Crivello, (LREI ’08) for connecting us with charity : water.

Each year our high school students host a number of Coffeehouses—informal open mike evenings of music and spoken word.  The students have decided to devote the Coffeehouse on February 6th to support of the relief efforts in Haiti.  I join the students in inviting you to come together with fellow members of the LREI community on Saturday, February 6th, beginning at 6:30PM in the Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street for this benefit event.

From MicahDov Gottlieb, High School Assistant Principal—This Coffee House will be an entertaining event in support of a worthy cause. We already have a great line-up of high school, middle school, faculty, and community members set to perform. If you are interested in performing or helping out in any way, please contact Micah at MDGottlieb@LREI.org.  Mark your calendar now!

All money raised during the Coffeehouse, and other fundraising efforts, will support the work of two organizations. One, Partners in Health, has been involved in healthcare efforts in Haiti for many years.  Learn more about them at www.pih.org. The second, The Harris Rosen Foundation, was founded by LREI alum, Harris Rosen, ’57.  The Rosen Foundation is working with Haitian communities in Florida to send money and supplies to Haiti.  The Foundation is also beginning to plan for rebuilding efforts including funding the development of earthquake and hurricane resistant housing.

In addition to the Coffeehouse, all proceeds from this year’s Karamu! celebration—this Friday night—will also be used to support these two organizations.

A number of LREI community members have asked how we plan our responses to events such as last week’s earthquake.  In general, we allow ourselves the time to make deliberate decisions about our involvement.  Our responses to world events must address LREI’s educational and social justice missions.  Through our responses we teach about the specifics of the events, about the politics and history of the region, about how we can use current circumstances to think ahead to the “next time,” and about activism.  Finally, we have to plan for our ongoing involvement, if any, and as events slow somewhat we find time to learn from our actions.  To the point of ongoing involvement, we have decided that next February’s Coffeehouse will be a second fund raiser for organizations involved in rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

Thank you again for your interest and involvement.

Best,

Phil

This week is a perfect time to share with you an email I received from Bessie Oster, Director of Prevention at Phoenix House, regarding alcohol and drug education in the City’s private schools.  In it, she includes what students in private school settings are saying about alcohol and drug use and abuse:

• Students of all ages inaccurately believe that “it’s just beer,” so you can’t get alcohol poisoning.  And for many teens, the risk is not just what they drink, but how they drink.  The concept of “pre-gaming” is completely normalized and teens binge drink in an effort to achieve a buzz that will last throughout events where alcohol is prohibited.
• The recent surge in media attention to marijuana legalization has fueled the belief among students that “marijuana is safe.”
• When considering high risk situations, students say, “I would never call my parents if I was in a bad situation-they would kill me!”

Certainly, it is critical to communicate with your kids about making responsible choices in every day situations as well as in drug and alcohol situations, to discuss the dangers of alcohol in large quantities or in any quantity over a short period of time, and to use “teachable moments to engage students on a range of topics from the cultural influences to the perceived norms around substance use.”

Schools are asked to provide education, and we certainly do through our life issues program in ninth and tenth grades.  We also meet with seniors to discuss all of the above before they head for college.  However, it is critical that the conversation continues beyond the classroom.

For the tools to communicate with your teen and to answer your questions regarding high school alcohol and drug exposure, please consider attending a parent talk evening with Freedom Institute for high school parents only, Thursday, January 28 at 6:00 PM, cafeteria.  In this parent evening, questions such as, “What do you say about your own alcohol and drug past when asked?”  and “When should you be concerned?” will be addressed.

This workshop will address our community’s specific questions, be conversational in style and the conversation will be confidential.  Administrators and teachers will not be present.  This is an evening for you, and will run until 7:30 PM.

All the best,

Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

• Please attend “Food Talk” sponsored by the LREI Food Committee!  Learn valuable information regarding nutrition.  Click here for details.
• A Message from Chap, Director of Diversity & Community: Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”With that in mind, how do we help our children tap into and develop their social justice identity in order to find the courage to act against bias of any type? Join the LREI Parent Community for part two of How to Raise an Ally: Social Justice at LREI as we consider, share examples of, and learn about ways to raise a strong ally with anti-bias educator Dr. Jane Bolgatz (see attached flyer).Two sessions are offered to better accommodate family schedules. Wednesday, January 27, at 6:00pm in the Charlton Street Cafeteria OR Thursday, January 28 at 8:45am in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.
• Attention LREI High School Students of Color! It is not too late to participate in a Research Study and help improve your LREI community by sharing your experiences and stories in a candid, confidential setting.  Not to mention…It will look great on your resume and college applications!  Counts for community service credit!  Can be made into a Senior Project!

The research group will meet during Clubs period, 2:10-3:00 PM.  Commitment of 8 sessions between Jan-May. To sign up or for more information, contact Ruth.

Please find a letter and permission form to participate here.

Research is being done by a graduate student through ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE OF YESHIVA UNIVERSITY , FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

1. SCHOOL SPIRIT GAME!  All families invited. Show your school spirit and come out in our school colors -RED & WHITE! Middle and High School basketball teams play against faculty & staff. Come cheer on your teachers and teams. Shoot Off competition at half time for younger students.  Fun for all! Next Friday, January 29th, 3:15 in the Thompson St. Gym, 143 Thompson St.
2. Congrats to two of our students whose works were selected for the Fourth Annual “Gifted Show” at Synchronicity Fine Arts.  Jane Kovich ’11 and Kelly Otterness ’10 will have their works displayed from February 9 through March 6, 2010.
3. Congrats to Kelly Otterness ’10 who also won a YoungARTS Award in Creative Writing!
4. Visibility is going up in February!  Now is the perfect time to find your photographs for this wonderful exhibit.  Please consider participating and click here for more information.
5. New LREI Event–Many of you have asked about the yellow “Stir the Pot” postcards that you received in recent days.  We wanted to whet your appetite and to be sure that you mark your calendars for LREI’s Spring tasting event called “Stir the Pot: Taste of the Future.”  You won’t want to miss the chance to meet and mingle with other parents and enjoy great food–Thursday, May 13th in the Charlton Street campus.  For further information, please contact Maude Kebbon in the Office of Advancement at 212-477-5316, ext. 232.