Spirit!

Dear Families,

Congrats to our terrific basketball teams!  As we say goodbye to our incredible senior leaders, Team Captain Taylor Bello ’10, Team Captain Gabe Cook ’10, Jimmy Rogers ’10, Kevin Schneck ’10, and Will Chafkin ’10, we can reflect on a season well-played.  This week, we celebrate all of our teams during this Spirit Week, which has been so much fun for faculty, staff and students.  From 80’s Day to EI Idol, every free moment has been a celebration.  As we welcome accepted students for Revisit Days at the same time, we are able to demonstrate our love of community and school while they are here.   It is nice to hear the laughter and squeals in the halls as wins are celebrated and spirit week outfits.  Again, the committment of our students, working hard to balance sports and academics, needs to be noted. It is not an easy balance, but our students accomplish so much in such little time.  It is hard not to be proud.

As the school week comes to a close, I have to take time to also celebrate the cast and crew of Urinetown who have also successfully balanced rehearsals, learning lines and their marks, with their academics.  The show which was previewed yesterday for the student body, is so much fun and the student-actors are truly dynamic on stage.    Come see seniors Steven Wolff ’10, Diana Festa ’10, Jodi Rapchik ’10, and Montana Jaro ’10 in their last high school production tonight, Friday or Saturday night at 7PM, Charlton Street PAC.  From High School Musical Director, Joanne Magee:

The play is very entertaining, full of dark humor, fun musical numbers and a great underlying message for sustainability

…and equal rights:

” From this day forward, no man should be denied his essential humanity due to the condition of his pocketbook. No man in need would be ignored by another with the means to help him.” Bobby Strong, Urinetown.

Thanks to the faculty who put this all together: Musical Director Matt McLean, Choreographer Peggy Peloquin, Vocal Coach Carrie Korn and Director Joanne Magee.

Exam week begins in two weeks and after that, members of the Class of 2010 will participate in Senior Seminar with Joanne Gouge, School Nurse and Andrew Weiss, School Psychologist, to begin to prepare for the transition to college and beyond.  They will also wrap up details for the senior project internships and meet with mentors before spring break.  They are expected at 8:30 every day the week before Spring Break.  Finally, all seniors will report to school on Monday, April 5 for class meeting and will meet every Wednesday  at 8:30 AM in class meeting through May 14, the last day of the project.

Here are Exam Week details for Trimester II:

Attached, please find the exam schedule for Trimester II.  The exam schedule may undergo a change or two in the next day or so; the most current schedule will be posted at the high school. Below, please find what exam week will look like in case you have any questions, or need to make particular arrangements.

Monday, March 8: Reading Day

• For all grades, this is a day for students to prepare for exams, final papers and exhibitions. This is also an opportunity to catch up with outstanding work, work with groups for final presentations, use the Tech Center and printers around the school, etc. This is a quiet work day. Students may choose to work at school or at home. Students are not required to report to school, and it is not counted as an absence if they are not here. However, you may prefer your child to come to school for the full day to work. Please send him or her. School will be open. The Library will be open all day. All teachers will be at school regular school hours to provide the opportunity to meet with students.
• No classes will meet so that all teachers are available. There will be review sessions held. If a student is in crisis, teachers may encourage that student to make a mandatory appointment.

Tuesday through Thursday, March 9-11: Exams. Exam periods are 9 AM-11 AM and 1 PM-3 PM. Each day, students should come in plenty of time for their morning exam, and students may leave after their exams are complete. Again, the exam schedule is attached to this blog.

Friday, March 12, 8:30-12:30 PM:  MATH DAY! Workshops, games and a film for students sponsored by the HS Math Department.  Details to come.

Finally, I want to highlight a terrific opportunity the Tenth Grade and certain members of Twelfth Grade art classes and members of the Eleventh and Twelfth Grade elective class, “Playwriting,” will have tomorrow afternoon.  They will see a special presentation of the play, ReEntry at Urban Stages, thanks to History Teacher Tom Murphy, who saw the play last weekend and was able to arrange this for us.  Please take a look at this NY Times article about the production.

All the best,

Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

Get ready for the musical URINETOWN!!!  The High School production of URINETOWN is TONIGHT, February 25th, Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th at 7pm.

“URINETOWN is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he’s had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, URINETOWN is an irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny. Praised for reinvigorating the very notion of what a musical could be, URINETOWN catapults the “comedic romp” into the new millennium with its outrageous perspective, wickedly modern wit, and sustained ability to produce gales of unbridled laughter.”

$12 adults $10 Students.  Come support our terrific cast and crew and Director, Joanne Magee, Musical Director, Matthew McLean and Choreographer, Peggy Peloquin!

1.  Registering for Special Testing Accommodations:  From Carrie Korn (ckorn@lrei.org, x324), College Guidance Associate/SSD Coordinator

Hello 10th Graders & 10th Grade Families!

If you are interested in applying for special testing accommodations (extended time, use of a computer on essays, etc.) please contact me. Many of you have already gone through this process and already have a letter from the College Board confirming your accommodations and if this is the case, you do not need to contact me at this time. Any family interested in applying now, please be in touch. I am happy to let you know what documentation needs to be in place and to help you navigate the process. I would like to have applications prepared for 10th graders well before the end of the year so that accommodations will be in place in time for the October PSAT.

Thank you!

2.  LREI 2010 Art Auction, March 3 & 4, 2010

Cocktail Reception & Final Bidding: March 4th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Don’t miss the chance to see artwork by some of the world’s finest artists and community members. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend!  It’s our main fundraiser this year.  The event provides essential support for our Tuition Assistance Program and it is going to be a wonderful evening with refreshments and fun. Admission is free!

Visit http://artauction.lrei.org/ for additional information and to view items that will be auctioned.