Director’s Blog, November 2009 – Hard Hats!

Director Phil Kassen and Lower School Students tour 42 Charlton Street
Director Phil Kassen and Lower School Students tour 42 Charlton Street

I have spent a fair amount of time over the past few days sharing the new construction our Charlton Street campus with a variety of members of the LREI community. As you have heard, over the summer we completely renovated the high school’s lobby and one of our science labs, as well as beginning work on the creation of new and renovated spaces in the adjacent townhouse.  These spaces include generous basement rooms excavated from what was the townhouse’s rear yard in addition to a restored parlor, circa 1840, that will house our College Guidance Office.   It is exciting to watch the construction crews at work and to imagine what this new space will add to the high school program once completed and occupied.

I visited the construction site today with a group of four and five year olds, decked out in shiny LREI hard hats.  They asked many thoughtful questions as we watched the sparks fly from where a new stairway was being welded and while looking at the new elevator being assembled out of a room full of parts.  It was exciting to hear these young students make curricular connections, noticing that the steel beams holding up the back of the townhouse were similar to the long blocks they use in their classroom constructions, for example.  It was fascinating to stand there having this basic discussion of engineering, knowing that just on the other side of the wall between the old and new spaces was a class of high school students studying topics in mathematics, the knowledge of which makes possible the type of construction their younger schoolmates were watching.

As I walked back to the Sixth Avenue building with these young learners I imagined them entering high school nine years from now.  It was not hard to do.  These students are learning to work together, to plan, to investigate and to integrate what they learn in school into their daily lives.  We saw today how talented they are.  They talked as a class about how they would travel to the construction site, about what they might see there, about who they would meet and how to operate appropriately during their visit.  Their high school colleagues were involved in a similar exercise in their calculus class, thirty feet away.   They were working together to hone problem-solving skills and subject area knowledge in order to better understand the world around them.

I look forward to watching our youngest students grow into their high school selves in ever improving facilities.  More importantly, I look forward to watching them develop into ever more able learners and citizens.

Phil

P.S.  I will be taking many other students on tours, including increasing numbers of high school students.  If you are a parent who drops off on Sixth Avenue, keep an eye out.  If you see me in the lobby sporting my red hard hat, it means that I am on my way to lead another tour.  Grab a hat and come along!

UPCOMING EVENTS in the HIGH SCHOOL

  • Friday, November 13 – Family/Student/Advisor conferences. This is an opportunity for you to discuss you child’s progress and set goals for the rest of the year.   There are no scheduled classes on conference day, and students are expected to attend some or all of their conference.   Your child’s advisor will be contacting you to set up an appointment.
  • Friday, November 13  & Saturday, November 14 –  High School Play in the PAC.THE SPIRIT OF THE RIDGE is a story about the timelessness and necessity of friendship and peace, and the importance of connecting to the past.  Themes and topics covered in the play include school bullying, inner-strength, loyalty, compassion, celebrating differences, and learning about Native cultures and traditions.  Details: Friday, November 13th at 7pm, Saturday, November 14th at 2pm and 7pm, Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street.  Tickets on sale next week in both the 6th Ave and Charlton Street locations!  For more information contact Meghan Farley Astrachan at 212-477-5316 x399.
  • Monday, November 16 – Ruth returns from maternity leave!
  • Wednesday, November 18 – HS Parent Reps Meeting @ 8 am.
  • Wednesday, November 25 – School closes at noon for Thanksgiving vacation.
  • Friday, December 4 – Review day (all classes meet)
  • Monday, December 7 – Reading day (No regular classes, thought there will be schedule review sessions and faculty office hours.  Schedule varies by grade; more details to follow)
  • Tuesday, December 8-Thursday, December 10 – Trimester 1 Exams/Projects/Presentations (detailed schedule coming soon)
  • Friday, December 11 – Community Service Day (no classes) – Students are encouraged to partner with a city service organization on this day.  Any questions, please inquire at your family conference.
  • Monday, December 14 – Trimester 2 begins.
  • Tuesday, December 15 – Winter Concert @ 6:30 pm.
  • Friday, December 18 – School closes at 12:00 pm for Winter Break.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Six-Word Memoirs at NY Public Library on November 10. Free, live event at the New York Public Library — all high school students are invited to participate. For more information, click here.
    • KARAMU TEE SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST — LREI’s parent Multicultural Committee, sponsor of Karamu!, invites all HS students to submit a tee shirt design for this year’s Karamu! celebration. A winning design will be produced and sold at the event on January 22nd.  Designs should be submitted as vector files using Adobe Illustrator, maximum 4 colors. Tee shirt background will be black, and designs should be lower school friendly!  Deadline for submissions is November 13. For more information, contact Multicultural Committee co-chair Juliet Burrows at julietburrows@mac.com.
    • CLOTHING DRIVE– The Red is Green committee is sponsoring a week long clothing drive to celebrate America Recycles Day.  Beginning next Monday, November 9, through Friday, November 13, drop off your unwanted (but clean) clothing, curtains, linens, towels, shoes, hats, handbags and belts.  They will be recycled or reused in places like Eastern Europe and South America.  Look for drop-off boxes in the 6th Ave. lobby and the high school lobby.  For more information, click here for our flyer, or go to www.wearablecollections.com.

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