Dear Families,

It has been a busy first week at the high school!  On Tuesday, we welcomed 41 new students to our community at New Student Orientation.  On Wednesday, the entire faculty and student body gathered together in the PAC to celebrate the start of a new school year.  Today, classes began in earnest and at 3:00 the building was buzzing with activity.  While the newspaper staff edited their first issue, the newly formed High School Robotics Team had its first meeting.  The cross country team set out a cool autumn run as budding actors nervously awaited their chance to audition for the high school play.  The lobby was alive the rhythmic sounds of the Step Team practice and the dulcet voices of the EI chorus.  School is most certainly back in session, and it is music to my ears!

In my Opening Day remarks, I spoke about President Obama’s Back-to-School speech and its relevance to our students.   Here is an excerpt from Obama’s speech and my comments:

“ ‘But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities…Every single one of you has something you’re good at.  Every single one of you has something to offer.  And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.  That’s the opportunity an education can provide….But the truth is, being successful is hard.  You won’t love every subject you study.  You won’t click with every teacher.  Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute.  And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try…. you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you.’

Work hard –take responsibility – keep trying – learn from your mistakes… Great advice, right?  So why the controversy?  Why did some state officials and school leaders and teachers say they didn’t want their students to listen to Obama’s address yesterday?  Some felt that a presidential speech would be disruptive or intrusive to the already planned school day.  Others felt uncomfortable with the president using his position to “indoctrinate” children or promote his political agenda. Some of you may agree.  While I personally find Obama’s advice to be sensible, albeit familiar, I am actually more interested in the debate than the speech itself.

Contrary to some of my counterparts at other institutions, I believe that school is the perfect place to contemplate the role of the president, the power of the spoken word, and the potential for those in power to misuse or abuse their position.  I feel privileged to work at a school where we are not bound by a single agenda or point of view, where we do not eschew controversy, where voices are not silenced.  At LREI, we pride ourselves on the diversity of our community and we strive to uphold the diversity of our opinions.  We feel free to disagree, with the knowledge that we will respect each other no matter what.  Thus there is no better place for students to try, and fail, and try again.

For all of you, whether freshman or seniors, returning students or new, let this be a year of new risks, new challenges, and perhaps, even a few new failures.  We will be there to guide you along the way, brush you off when you fall, and keep you trying again until you succeed.”

Here’s to a great year for all!  If I can do anything to assist you and your family this fall, please let me know.

All best,
Julia Heaton, Acting High School Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS

LREI 101 for New Families:  On Monday, September 14th, from 8:45AM-10:15AM, Phil Kassen asks all new parents/guardians attend LREI 101, our orientation program for new families.   This gathering is an essential component of your entry into the LREI community.  We will meet in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria.

New Family Reception: On Tuesday, September 15th, Michael Patrick, ’71, Chair of the LREI Board of Trustees and his wife, Carol Sedwick, invite new parents to a reception in their home at 6:00PM.  You should have received an official invitation to this gathering.  If you have not received that, please contact lsacks@lrei.org.

High School Special Programs, September 16-18, 2009

• 9th and 10th Graders will go to Ramopo for their Orientation trip. 9th Graders and 12th grade Peer Leaders leave on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 8:15 AM.  The 10th Graders leave on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 8:15 AM.  All return Friday, Sept. 18 at 3:00 PM.
• The 11th Grade will have Special Programs and no regular classes. On Thursday, Sept. 17th, all 11th Graders will go on a mandatory field trip for their “Gotham” (New York City history) course led by history teacher Nick O’Han.  On Friday, Sept. 18, 11th Graders will have an all-day community service outing, led by Nick, 11th grade Dean Ileana Jimenez and the 11th grade advisors.  Both days starts at 8:30 AM and end at 3:00 PM.
• The 12th Grade will have two days devoted to the college applications process.  On Thursday, Sept. 17, there will be an all-day College Workshop with Amy Shapiro, Director of College Guidance, and Carrie Korn. The workshop runs from 8:30 AM-3:00 PM.  12th graders do not need to come to school on Friday, Sept. 18th but may use the day to schedule college visits and/or interviews.

Parent Association Welcome Fair: Come learn about how to get involved with the Parent Association on September 16th or September 22nd.  Meet committee members and hear about opportunities and events.  Click here to download the invitation with more detailed information.

HS Parent Rep Meeting [PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE]: Friday, September 18th at 8:30 a.m. at Charlton Street.

HS Curriculum Night: Tuesday, September 22 at 6:30 pm at Charlton Street.

12th Grade College Night: Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 pm.

For more calendar items, please visit the all school calendar  www.lrei.org/calendar.

Click here for the 2009-10 school calendar.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS

1. Please don’t forget to sign your child’s Acceptable Use Policy! To have permission to use the school’s computers and network, all students must have a signed Acceptable Use Policy on file. If the form has been misplaced, please contact your child’s advisor.  You can download a copy of the form by clicking here
2. Please take a moment to read the High School Student Handbook which contains information about the academic program, the daily schedule and trimester dates, rules and community norms, and a list of the high school faculty members.  You can  download a copy of the handbook by clicking here

Dear high school students and families,

I hope you have all been enjoying a restful and rejuvenating summer. While I hate to interrupt your last days of summer, I wanted to remind you about the schedule for the first week of school.

o Wednesday, September 9, 8:30 am: First day of school. 11:45 am dismissal for students in grades 10-12.  3:00 pm dismissal for 9th grade.

o Thursday, September 10, 8:30 am: First day of classes. Dismissal at 3:00 pm except for those involved in sports teams.

o Friday, September 11, 12:30 pm: Concert in Washington Square Park.  Dismissal at 2:00 from the park, except for those involved in sports teams or those trying out for the High School play.

o Please remember to sign and return the required health forms, Acceptable Use Policy and Ramopo trip form for 9th and 10th graders.  The health forms can be found at www.lrei.org and the other forms were sent home in the summer mailing (also attached to recent email).  Students may turn in these forms to their Grade Deans on the first day of school.

o For more calendar items please go to the LREI calendar, available at http://www.lrei.org

o For more information and updates, please check the High School blog every Thursday at http://blog.lrei.org/hsnews

Looking forward to seeing you all next week,

Julia

Hello LREI Families,

It is hard to believe, but tomorrow is the last day of school!  We start at 8:30 and end at noon.  Our last day is full of Arts assemblies, locker clean-ups, yearbook signing, and see you next years.  As we close a successful and memorable 2008-9 school year, I have some reminders.

First – Please make sure all textbooks and Library books are returned.  We will be around next week if your student has forgotten, but it is critical that all books are returned.  You may hand it to the teacher in person, or leave it at the front desk with a note.

Second – Please make sure your student has everything from their locker.  With construction and clean-up this summer anything left will be discarded.

Third – Please make sure your student has any summer assignments, and if they have any questions, they should ask a teacher before they are off for the summer.  I will be available to answer any questions through the end of June (MDGottlieb@LREI.org) and Julia, interim Principal starting Monday, is available as well  (JHeaton@LREI.org).

Fourth – Students schedules and class lists will be up on Backpack (https://backpack.lrei.org/SeniorApps) during the summer.  Students can see their elective classes for the whole year (Sophomores – Art, Juniors and Seniors – Art, English, History, Science). If you or your student has any questions, please contact me.  Remember that there is an Add/Drop period at the beginning of each trimester.

Fifth – A Fall Sports letter from Athletic Director Peter Fisher will be sent out shortly.

For Fall Schedules please visit: http://lrei.org/athletics/fallsports.html

For Athletic News: Updates and Summaries, visit: http://lrei.org/athletics/news.htm

Finally – Next year we have some exciting changes coming to the High School. In addition to the new space, we will have an expanded daily schedule. More details on this will be coming in an email and next week’s blog entry.  As always, I am available to discuss details, questions, and concerns.

Please visit the Calendar page at www.LREI.org for upcoming events, and next year’s Calendar.

It has been a real pleasure.  Have a great summer and see you in the fall!

Thanks

Micah Dov Gottlieb

Almost There, a Note from Phil
Phew!  What a full end to the 2008-2009 school year! Projects, tests, quizzes, presentations, potlucks, potlucks and more potlucks, concerts, recitals, more potlucks, award ceremonies and on and on.  All interesting, all fun, all opportunities to display the hard work and serious learning that have gone on throughout year.  My hat is off to the students and teachers who are managing to stay fresh and focused in the face of this series of quite fortunate events.
The seniors are counting the hours until graduation—25 or so at press time.  Last week the twelfth graders presented their Senior Projects, the result of internships and many weeks work, to standing room only crowds.  Last Friday, the class attended the Senior Prom and tonight, along with their families, they will participate in the annual Senior Banquet. Performances, speeches, gifts for each student and the presentation of our most prestigious institutional awards—it is a wonderful evening and one to which we look forward each year.  And tomorrow, their day of days, the senior class will be honored in  LREI’s 64th Commencement Exercises. Hard to describe how moving this event is each year.  If you are not a parent of a senior you will just have to wait to see.

Click below to see the most up to date list of our seniors’ college acceptances.
HS College Acceptances
Click below to see the most up to date list of college matriculation plans for the Class of 2009.
Matriculation

Monday will bring a return to school for those the seniors will have left behind.  Final exams will take up most of the last week in the high school, while Lower and Middle School students will finish up their academic and arts classes with a variety of events and participate in our traditional moving up exercises and then slip away to summer.  Please visit the three divisional blogs to get a sense of what is happening throughout the school.

Our summer camp, “Summers at LREI”, will fill much of both campuses starting in late June.  Summer will also bring significant construction to both buildings.  On Sixth Avenue we will continue the upgrade and greening of the classrooms that we began last summer. The middle school classrooms that we renovated a year ago have added tremendously to the day-to-day life in the brownstones. During the coming summer we will renovate several lower school classrooms in a similar manner. I will be in touch to share renderings of these spaces as soon as possible.  .

On Charlton Street we will continue the phase of construction that we started in March. Let me pause to thank the high school students and faculty for their patience during the construction. Major disruption was limited to a few days, but these days were hard.  Thank you very much.   This summer we will be renovating the 40 Charlton Street  Lobby and our chemistry lab, adding an elevator and renovating the townhouse (future home to the college guidance and admissions offices, humanities classrooms and faculty offices) to the west of the current high school building and integrating this restored landmark building into the existing facility.  We will be adding considerable space to the high school’s basement classrooms and enlarging the cafeteria/student center/Lounge. In the fall we will hold classes and receptions in a spacious outdoor Courtyard.  This project is a huge undertaking.  The bulk of the work will be completed in time for the opening of school with the rest coming on line in mid-September.

I hope that you enjoy the exciting end of the school year.  The thought and care and learning evident in all that the students will do in the next two weeks will earn them well deserved pats on the back and will send a raft of “Thank you’s” to their teachers.  The summer will begin, and end, at the same breakneck pace that we are experiencing now.  We will, and hope that you will, find some time during the summer to reflect on your child’s experience at LREI and how much they have learned and grown.

Warmly,

Phil

 

Upcoming Events

• Friday June 5th – Graduation – all 9th-11th grade students must be at school by 8:30, dressed in appropriate attire, Seniors must be at school by 10:00AM.  Doors open at 12:30, the event starts at 1:00PM.
• Monday June 8th – Reading Day – review sessions and individual meetings
• Tuesday June 9th to Thursday June 11th- Exams (click here for exam schedule)
• Friday June 12th – Last day of school for High School students
• Please visit the school calendar page at www.lrei.org

 

Special Announcements

• Sunday, June 28th, Gay Pride Parade

Pride Poster

The Gay Pride parade celebrates the 40th
anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. These riots were a series of
spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took
place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn
on Christopher Street. They are frequently cited as the first instance
in American history when gays and lesbians fought back against a
government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and they have
become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights
movement in the United States and around the world.

This year LREI’s participation in the parade will include a float
along with music, balloons, bubbles, flags and more. For the first
time we will be joined by families from The Calhoun School, another
independent school in New York City. The theme for the float this year
is “Together we are one.” and t-shirts for the event will be sold
outside the Lower School on Wednesday and Thursday June10-11th in the morning. Anyone
who is interested in attending the parade should contact Keith Stout, keithstout@mac.com
or Carrie Borows, cborows@gmail.com to be placed on the mailing list
for informational updates such as when and where to arrive for the
parade, safety tips, weather forecasts, etc.

The parade and the LREI float are an amazing way to show support for
our school and community and as always is a day of amazing fun and
excitement for the kids.

Upcoming Events

• Thursday May 28th – Senior Project Presentations, 6:30 in the High School
• Friday May 29th – Senior Prom
• Tuesday June 2nd – Senior Parent & Student meeting with Andrew and Joanne 6:30 in the HS Library
• Thursday June 4th – Review Day – all students required to be at school
• Thursday June 4th – Senior Banquet 6:30 PM, 145 Thompson St. (TSAC)
• Friday June 5th – Graduation – all students must be at school by 8:30, dressed in appropriate attire
• Monday June 8th – Reading Day – review sessions and individual meetings, TBA
• Tuesday June 9th to Thursday June 11th- Exams (click here for exam schedule)
• Friday June 12th – Last day of school
• Please visit the school calendar page at www.lrei.org

Dear Families,
It is a busy time in the life of the high school.  In the classroom, teachers are bringing closure to their courses, and students are hard at work preparing for final projects, papers, and exams.   Outside the classroom, extracurricular activities are coming to an end in the form of concerts, publications, and assemblies.  In these final weeks, we also have several opportunities to come together as a community to celebrate the myriad accomplishments of our departing seniors.  Last Friday, we began Field Day with our annual Senior Appreciation ceremony.  Each 12th grader was presented with two special gifts from his/her 5th grade buddy – a red rose and a personalized LREI t-shirt.  Tonight at 6:30 PM, the seniors will present their Senior Projects to an audience of faculty, students, family, and friends.  The Senior Project asks students to pursue their own interests and passions, to apply what they have learned in the classroom through a real-world internship, and to work individually with a faculty mentor as they document their experience.  The projects and presentations take a variety of forms, representing the wide range of interests and talents of our senior class.  You can click here to get a sneak-peak at the titles of this year’s presentations. A big thank you to all the faculty mentors, and especially to the Senior Project coordinators, Adele de Biasi Pelz and Antonio Valle, who have supported the seniors with their superb organization, endless patience, and positive feedback.   It is sure to be a memorable evening.  Then onward to graduation!

All best,

Julia Heaton

From Phil Kassen

• Thank you to those who have contributed to our fund to create a lasting memorial to Owen Gerson in Little Red Square.  I write to invite you to join in the dedication of Owen’s bench this Friday, May 29th at 8:15AM.  The program will consist of a few brief comments and a quiet moment to mark the occasion.  We will gather in front of LREI’s Sixth Avenue building or, in case of rain, in the auditorium.
  For those of you who would like to participate in this effort and have yet to do so, you can leave checks, made out to LREI, with the receptionists. Children who would like to contribute separately from their parents can do so by leaving their donations in the Little Red School House jar in the Sixth Avenue library.
• As the school year draws to a close, the time is upon us when we must wish a fond farewell to a few dedicated members of the LREI community.  I invite you to join me in thanking Pippa Gerard, our Director of Development, Samantha Caruth, Director of Admissions, and Sandra Song, Annual Fund Manager for all that each has done during her time at LREI.  We will miss them each dearly. Please join in our celebration of their accomplishments.
  • Goodbye Breakfast
    Thursday, June 4th
    8:15AM-9:15AM
    Sixth Avenue Library

Other Announcements

• Our new summer experience is Summer Living –  It’s true experiential learning, and we think it will be seriously fun as well as immensely rewarding.  Read all about summer living and the  summer reading here.
• You should have received, or will be receiving soon, next years forms and permission slips.  Please make sure you return them by the opening of school in September.

Upcoming Events

• Thursday May 21st – Spring Concert 6:30 in the PAC
• Friday May 22nd – Field Day
• Tuesday May 26th – HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS AWARDS NIGHT 6:00PM, 145 Thompson St. (TSAC)
• Thursday May 28th – Senior Project Presentations 6:30 in the High School
• Friday May 29th – Senior Prom
• Tuesday June 2nd – Senior Parent & Student meeting with Andrew and Joanne 6:30 in the HS Library
• Thursday June 4th – Review Day – all students required to be at school
• Thursday June 4th – Senior Banquet 6:30 PM, 145 Thompson St. (TSAC)
• Friday June 5th – Graduation – all students must be in at 8:30 dressed in appropriate attire
• Monday June 8th – Reading Day
• Tuesday June 9th to Thursday June 11th- Exams
• Friday June 12th – Last day of school
• Please visit the calendar page at LREI.org

Hello HS Families,

The weather outside is delightful, and everyone is itching to spend some time outdoors.  What a great time for  our annual day of games, buddies, and sport we call Field Day, please check the Field Day Letter for more info and Field Day colors.  Tomorrow morning, Friday, we will start at 8:30AM in the High School, and head over to Pier 40 where the whole school will meet for a touching tradition – Senior Appreciation.  Then its some quality time with our younger buddies followed by lunch.  All students need to bring their own, please no nuts or seeds! they should also bring sunscreen and hats. We will finish the day off with our usual games: soccer, ultimate frisbee, capture the flag, kickball, and touch football. Dismissal is at 1:00PM from Pier 40.

The last week has been full of excitement! The VJ (video justice) film festival last Wednesday had over 20 entrants and raised over $1500 for a variety of great charities.  The Literary Magazine’s annual Coffee House on Saturday was a great success thanks to English Teacher Jane Belton and her committee. We are so glad to have the Seniors back this week after their Senior Project internships.  Please come to the Senior Project Presentations 6:30 Thursday May 28th, here in the High School. This evening is the Spring Concert.  I have had the pleasure of hearing the rehearsals today and can tell you it will be a great show! So come to the PAC at 6:00 this evening.

We have only two weeks left in class, followed by exams. Now is the time to make sure all students are prepared for this intense time of the year. Students should speak to their Advisors and Teachers to make sure they know what is expected of them. English, History, and Science Elective sign-ups for 2009-10 rising 11th and 12th graders should be complete.  If your child has not handed in their sign-up sheet, make sure they let me know and turn it in ASAP. Art elective sign-ups for rising 10th-12th graders will take place June 2nd.  I will post the course offerings in next weeks blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Please drive safely, if you will be driving.

Thanks,

Micah

Special Announcements

• NYU College Preview Classes are here!!! Rising 11th and 12th graders click here (NYU College Preview) to download the packet that includes all the course listing and application instructions.  The deadline is May 27th, so you MUST get your application to us ASAP!! this deadline comes from NYU, so there is NO flexibility.  Please turn in your application to Carrie Korn in the college office.
• Our new summer experience is Summer Living –  It’s true experiential learning, and we think it will be seriously fun as well as immensely rewarding.  Read all about summer living and the  summer reading here.
• You should have received, or will be receiving soon, next years forms and permission slips.  Please make sure you return them by the opening of school in September.

Spring is in the air! Which means it’s time to talk about… summer reading.

Not the departmental reading assignments, which we will share in the next few weeks, but the community reading. This year’s shared reading list is done, and it’s fantastic! The picks—carefully chosen by faculty members—range from a brand new collection of stories and art celebrating all things geek to a riveting account of the Ossian Sweet murder trial in 1925. We’ve got literary fiction, fantasy, memoir, essays, science, classics and cult classics, and more.  As in years past, all we ask is that your child read at least one book, and next September we’ll gather in Book Circles to discuss our choices.

The big change is in how we will present the choices. There is, as always, an annotated list of the books available for reference, but that’s just for backup.  Next Tuesday’s assembly is devoted to presenting the list. Faculty will take the stage and share the books they have recommended and the reasons for choosing that title. It could be the assembly of the year: at least one faculty member claims he’ll be presenting his book using shadow puppets and another promises an interpretive dance! Even if those grandiose promises are just so much bluster, the presentations should really help each student pick his or her perfect title.

To make book selection even easier, the Spring Book Fair, scheduled for Thursday May 21 at 6th Ave, will have a satellite station at Charlton with a selection of the recommended books as well as other titles selected with our high school students’ tastes in mind. The Book Fair table will be open during both lunches and at the end of the day; the full Book Fair, in the auditorium at 6th Ave., will be open until 6 pm. (Those wishing to fill out a credit pre-authorization may do so by clicking here .) No amount of description or presentation can compare to handling the actual book: please encourage your students to take some time to do just that.

Finally, I’d like to share with you a new summer experience. We’re calling it Summer Living, and you can read all about it here.  It’s true experiential learning, and we think it will be seriously fun as well as immensely rewarding.

Enjoy!

Karyn Silverman
HS Librarian

Electives

• Rising 11th and 12th graders will be making their English and History Elective choices next week.  Attached below is the list course offerings for each trimester, and the English-History pairings.  Please look them over as a family and help your children make choices for English and History that excites their interest and will be best for them.  Next week students will sign up in advisory.  They will be getting a blank form or they can bring in a form already filled out.

Click below for the sign-up sheet, please note there is a sample sign up sheet attached.  Students are welcome to speak to Micah if they have questions.

2009-10 Elective sign-up sheet

•  Science Electives for 11th and 12th Graders.  Click below for the sign up sheet

11th grade science electives

12th grade science electives

Special Announcements

• High School 10th Grader named Playwriting Finalist!

For a dramatic writing project in Meghan’s 9th and 10th Drama classes, students were required to write a ten-minute play that they had to complete in five weeks and submit online to a new playwriting contest for teens put together by Elton John and Billy Eliot the Musical in conjunction with Fidelity Investments. All of the plays were quite remarkable, but special congratulations go to 10th Grader, Ayana Workman, who has been named a finalist in the Fidelity FutureStage Playwriting Contest! Ayana’s play entitled “Lucy” was selected as one of the top five plays from 500 submissions from high school students from NY and NJ. Ayana will be honored at the Gala Finale on June 15th at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway.

• Our Video Justice Film Festival was a success!! We raised over $1500 for a variety of great charities!! Special thanks to our panel of Jurors: Andrew Fried, Serina Mayer, Christin Meador, Barry Pousman, Crissy Spivey, and Jeffrey Flug

Congratulations to the winners:
First Prize – “From Our Point of View, Joining Hands to Save our Community”  The Awesome Girls, New Orleans Video Voices

Second Prize – “Sticks and Stones”  Ali Salas and Marcel Salas from Packer Collegiate

Third Prize – Static Nation”  Samuel Bondy, Mirlene Fevrier, William Johnson, Makara Levin, Celina Ramos, Yeuri Santos, Anthony Stukes, DCTV

Special thanks to our student and faculty committee members: The Community Service Roundtable, The Human Rights Club, Human Rights History Course, 11th grade Media Arts Course, Ana De La Cruz, Kary Caiza, Jane Kovich, Ayana Workman, Jake Goodman, Jimmy Rogers, Kayla Green, Gabe Cook, Zoe Snow, Nate Lewit, Daniel Montoya, Woobens Celony, Nazir Khan, Danny Sarmiento, Jordan Seagal, Devon Brown, Cameron Diggs
Gracen Cloud, Ashley Wilens, Rachard Kemp, Lidor Foguel, Tom Murphy, Vinay Chowdhry, Nick Sullivan, Micah Dov Gottlieb and many more!

• None of this would have been possible without the help, support, and encouragement of Ariadne Meyers and “My Purpose Party”.  A film of the planning, organizing, and event will be screened here at EI, and at other schools around the country to inspire students to do projects like this.

Please see the evenings program- attached below – for info on the evening

VJ Program

Upcoming Events

• The Literary Magazine Coffee House is this Saturday May 15th 7PM in the PAC at 40 Charlton Street. With readings from IE our Literary Magazine, and great musical performances!

• Field day is Friday May 22nd -click below for a letter about Field Day!

Field Day Letter

• Please visit the calendar page at LREI.org

From Phil:

As we enter the home stretch towards the end of the school year, we enter a time at LREI, and I imagine in most schools, when we see the results of the students’ hard work over the past eight months.  While this growth did not occur overnight, there is something about the spring that allows this development to shine.

I watched two members of our Fours class carry the attendance to Eileen at the reception desk the other morning.  If this had been September they would have walked nervously towards her not sure of what to do, where to go or how to get back to class. They likely would have been holding the one slim sheet of paper together, with four hands, as if the weight of the responsibility it represented was too heavy for any one mere mortal.  When our paths crossed this week, these rising Kindergarteners strolled down the hall, chatting away, handed Eileen the attendance and then skipped back to class.  They are fully at home in the school, confident of their abilities and a little full of themselves.  The fourth graders seem a little too big for the lower school as they write their original musical based on their study of immigration, ready to go to the new world of the middle school, while the fifth graders seem right at home there and are moving about the building on their own with none of the timidity displayed in the fall.  They are ready to welcome their replacements rising from the lower school and to stop being the youngest students in the brownstones.  At our weekly middle school assembly we watched the leads in the middle school musical perform for their division-mates. I remember when these two first stepped onto the stage, two years ago, as sixth graders.  Talented even then, yet nowhere near as self-assured nor as charming.  (Bugsy Malone, Jr. will be performed Friday at 7PM and Saturday at 2PM and 7PM, all in the Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street.)

In ninth grade English today, as the teacher checked in with each student to make sure the past evening’s assignment had been completed, the group discussed the growth in their ability to annotate a text.  Some students had developed their own method for doing this; others followed the teacher’s technique.  The teacher asked the class to reflect on where they are now, “Is this where you want to be in tenth grade?”  A great question and one that indicates expectations for each school year while acknowledging the ongoing, multi-year development that school holds for all students.

In classrooms throughout the school, we see evidence of all of the skills honed, content absorbed, talents fostered and a deepening of the students’ understanding of the world and their role in it.  Most excitedly, we watch the seniors come and go, as much members of our alumni body as they are high school students.  These young adults are prepared and ready to go.

Another project that has blossomed this spring is the work on our expansion project in the Charlton Street building.  What was a hole in the ground is now clearly the foundation for our future Arts Pavilion.  The townhouse is becoming its former self and will be completely renovated and restored this summer.  Soon after work ends, the high school’s Science Lab B will receive its first ever renovation and the lobby of 40 Charlton Street will grow into its new, more mature self throughout the summer. We will also see newly renovated classrooms in the Sixth Avenue building when we return in the fall.  More on the growth and development of our spaces next month.

Best,

Phil

• Electives

Rising 11th and 12th graders will be making their English and History Elective choices in two weeks.  Attached below is the list of requirements and course offerings.  Please look them over as a family and help your children make choices for English and History that excites their interest and will be best for them.  Next week we will post the list of which course will be offered in each trimester, and the English-History pairings.

History Electives 2009-10

English Electives 2009-10

•  Blogs

Some Teachers have switched to an LREI Blog to post homework, assignments, course outlines, notes, and sylibi.  Below is a partial list of teachers who have made the switch. Please visit their site if your child is in their class.

Jane Belton: http://blog.lrei.org/jbelton

Micah Dov Gottlieb: http://blog.lrei.org/mdgottlieb

Bill Bailey: http://blog.lrei.org/bbailey

Benjamin Rubin: http://blog.lrei.org/brubin

Mark Bledstein: http://blog.lrei.org/mbledstein

• Special Announcements:

Special Thanks to all our visiting artists! The Arts Festival on Friday was a huge success! Thank you!!!

• VJ (Video Justice) A Student Film Festival

May 13th 2009, 6pm doors open and viewing of non-finalist films, 7-9PM Main Event

Please come support this event. All the proceeds go to support a charity chosen by the winning film-makers. Great Student Short Films, Special Musical Guests, Refreshments, Babysitting is available.

• Lit Mag Coffee House: Saturday May 16th 7-9PM in the PAC at 40 Charlton Street

• The following is new information regarding the Camping Trip for this week’s blogs:

“Save The Dates:  The 2009 LREI Camping Trip will take place the weekend of June 5- 6- 7 this year at the Riverbend Group Campground along the Delaware River, about 15 miles North of the Delaware Water Gap.  Students and their families may camp Friday and/or Saturday night.  Sign-up tables will be in front of the Sixth Avenue entrance on the mornings of Monday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 27.   The cost is $30 per adult and $20 per child.  Payment can be by cash, check, credit card. or PayPal.  For more information, click below:
http://www.lrei.org/caleven/camping/ ]http://www.lrei.org/caleven/camping/

• Call to action – Marriage Equality

America has struggled in the past with civil rights issues about the
basic values of love, commitment, fairness, and freedom. Today’s civil
rights conversation is about gay and lesbian families (and their
children), who need and deserve the tangible and intangible rights and
privileges that come with the ability to marry. The time has come to
take action to help all families obtain equal marriage protection in
New York State. Marriage equality legislation has been introduced in
NY (A07732) and will be decided in the coming weeks. Freedom to marry
would assure that everyone in the state, regardless of sexual
orientation, is treated equally under the law, and that the American
values of fairness, freedom, and choice are upheld.

Do something today! Help your friends, family and community members in
the fight for civil rights. Please write, phone and email your public
officials. And please pass this on to everyone!

LGSA call to action

Thanks so much

Micah

MDGottlieb@LREI.org

A letter from Nick O’Han:
Learning through Service and Civic Engagement at Elisabeth Irwin

Community service has been at the heart of our mission and program since the High School   was founded in 1941. Elisabeth Irwin wrote eloquently about educating the “whole child’ and that mission didn’t end with elementary school.  Adolescents she believed, more than ever needed to learn through “vital contacts with the pulsing life of their own community. Education meant more than training the mind and High School, more than making entrance into the “best college” the be-all and end-all of the high school years. Not that our students, since EI’s first graduating class in 1945, haven’t been a accepted by the best colleges in America. No doubt one of the reasons they have has from the beginning been their ability to combine knowledge with the ability to express their ideas, and to put their values and knowledge to work making the community a more just and democratic place. This quality makes Little Red/Elisabeth Irwin graduates stand out in school and in life – and it always has.

For us today, as for Elisabeth Irwin’s faculty, the High School is where an academic program unique in New York City high schools is followed up with community service. As Irwin   wrote, “close relation with immediate community through work with neighborhood agencies and exploration of life in the great city” was central to learning and citizenship education that was at the heart of it. She envisioned a school in which high school students would assume the role of junior citizens who spent much time in the community performing volunteer service and engaging in meaningful civic endeavor.That  has never been truer around here. Today’s High School faculty constantly asks itself how we can give new life to the spirit of the school’ social and intellectual and pedagogical origins.  Our core mission remains the same. Our current version of the mission statement says that, “our goal is to educate students to become independent thinkers and lifelong learners and to pursue academic excellence and individual achievement in a context of respect for others and service to the community.” But how do we make the ideal come alive for today’s students and tomorrow’s. That is our challenge. How we can offer students opportunities for community service experiences that are connected and coherent, reflective and sustainable, and ultimately transformative?  How do we adapt programs to our student’s lives in a very different world than the one that greeted  the first graduates in 1945?

One way, appropriate to today’s global community and new traditions of social entrepreneurship, is by expanding what we mean by “neighborhood agencies.” Certainly, it continues to mean neighborhoods in the City itself. Our High School students, spearheaded by “Student Action” have  “adopted” Sara Roosevelt Park. Many weekends will find our students volunteering there. And almost every curricular area finds a real-world extension through this work: history, civics, social psychology, city planning, landscape design, biology and horticulture. They learn organizational skills, managerial, civic skills. One of the projects we have going is working with the Youth Action Group of the Citizens Committee for Children to create a Friends of the Sara Roosevelt Park among local residents and businesses that will contribute to the park’s upkeep. This involves initiative, diplomacy, letter writing and lobbying. It gives students the chance to feel competent and successful in  real-world efforts they care about and, best of all, to give expression to their ideals in practical ways. It’s about establishing fellowship across class and ethnic lines, and about forming democratic communities with diverse populations. Our purpose here is not charity, it’s reciprocal, collaborative civic endeavor. Plus its fun! Fun to feel tired after a long day with your sleeves rolled up and so satisfying to see the results. Not only have we raised money, we’ve raised community awareness, solved problems and we’ve made the park look more beautiful every time we leave!

But our notion of neighborhood extends further than the lower East Side of Manhattan. In recent years it has extended  to New Orleans, where we are currently working with two different student groups plus a film making/oral history project all three of which are devoted to rallying community members to develop pride in their neighborhoods and claim ownership of the process of recovering from the most devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. And it extends even farther, though it’d just a click away on the computer.  We continue to support the work of the Stephen Shames Foundation, which finances quality education in war-torn Uganda. This year we raised over $2,000.00 to support student tuition for war- and AIDS orphans and former child soldiers. These students have visited EI in the past, and next year we hope they will spend more time here. So far upwards of 70 graduates of the program have attended universities around the world as they reclaim their lives. Imagine what  applying their skills, values and knowledge to this noble effort means to our students not to mention the people we are working with.

These are just a few of the ways High School students today continue to live the values of the school. The more things change, the more they remain true to timeless ideas. We still believe with Elisabeth Irwin that “life shouldn’t wait for school to end before beginning,” but that “school is life,” and that education is growth, which “comes by experiencing it.” Elisabeth Irwin High School is still a place where students “experiment with life‚” and gain a democratic education not by studying ideals in a textbook, but by living them.
Nicholas O’Han

Important Message

Dear LREI Families,

As you know, from time to time, members of our Village or New York City community with a visible public profile participate in the admissions process and, as the process moves towards its logical conclusion, join the LREI Community.  For understandable reasons this can be exciting for all, parents, faculty and students alike.  It is important, however, that we not do anything to alter the LREI experience for these families.  Many well known parents have chosen our school because they feel at home here and often comment on how they appreciate being allowed to “just be parents.”  It is important that this sense of LREI as a safe community, which begins during the admissions process, continues as these families begin to make a place for themselves in our school.  I ask that you please remember that when these parents visit the school, when they participate in school activities or when they are, simply, here as moms and dads, that they are hoping to be treated in the same manner as you would treat any other member of the community.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Phil

Special Announcements

• Congratulations Ruth!! She and John are proud parents of a beautiful baby boy, Penn Edward Jurgensen, born Sunday, April 26th at 10:16 AM, 9 lbs. 8oz.See pictures attached below.

Please send any messages for Ruth to the High School front desk, or via email to:

MDGottlieb@LREI.org

• Red is Green:

May will be our last recycling drive for the LREI school year. During the month of May we are teaming up with the Community Service Committee. We will be collecting and recycling travel size toiletries. These items will be donated to the Outreach Program at St. Francis Xavier Church on West 15th Street. We need the following UNUSED travel size toiletries: soaps, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream and razors. These items will be given out free primarily to homeless individuals who come to the church where they are offered food, clothing and toiletries.

• Radio Show, a message from Drama Director Meghan Farley Astrachan.

LREI HS students help kickoff opening festival for WNYC Radio’s (NPR) 93.9 FM and AM 820
The Greene Space: A New Theater of Sound at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space-a new multipurpose, multiplatform street-level studio and performance venue located right next door to the High School on Charlton Street.

“The Fall of the City”, a 1937 CBS radio drama by Archibald MacLeish that starred Orson Welles and Burgess Meredith, is considered one of the most socially significant – and boldly experimental – works in the history of radio. WNYC will present this still highly relevant work by revisiting it in its original context and re-presenting it in a production for our time.

Both evenings, Sunday 5/3 and Monday, 5/4 will begin with a short audio documentary, narrated by Radio Lab host Jad Abumrad, recounting the original broadcast, featuring interviews with film director Peter Bogdanovich, film and television critic Leonard Maltin, and Oxford Book of American Poetry editor David Lehman. Archival audio of MacLeish discussing his work as “a play about the way people lose their freedom” and clips from the original production are included as well. Written and produced by Sarah Montague.

A new production of this powerful classic will follow. The cast includes Kevin Cristaldi as The Announcer, with Jonathan Hadary, Paul Hecht, Karen Kandel, Brian Lewis, Steven Rattazzi, James Rebhorn, Barbara Rosenblat, and Rocco Sisto. The Chorus features students from Elisabeth Irwin High School and the theatre program at Eugene Lang College: The New School for Liberal Arts, with WNYC staff members. Wendy and Lisa, the dynamic musical duo formerly of Prince and the Revolution, have composed an original soundscore. Play directed by Sarah Montague; chorus directed by Arthur Yorinks.

Info on website:
http://www.thegreenespace.org/thegreenespace/events/2009/may/03/fall-city/
http://www.thegreenespace.org/thegreenespace/events/2009/may/04/fall-city/

To participate or for more information contact Meghan Farley Astrachan: mastrachan@lrei.org

Click below for link to the flyer

Fall of the City

Friends and family can buy tickets to the live performance at http://www.wnyc.org/splas.html
or listen in on May 4th from 7-8pm on 93.9 FM!

Please visit

Hello LREI families,

On Tuesday we had our annual “Poem in Your Pocket day” assembly.  It was great! Led by the Poetry Class and teachers Jane Belton and Benjamin Rubin, it was a pleasure to see so many students and teachers share their favorite poems.  Of course what everyone was most excited for was History Teacher Mark Bledstein traditional rap performance.  This year he gave a hyped rendition of Public Enemies “Don’t Believe the Hype” with music teacher Vin Scialla on drums, Junior Harry D’Agastino on Bass, and myself on guitar.

The spring seems like its flying by here at the High School.  With family conferences, guest speakers (see below), Earth Day Assembly, Arts Festival sign-ups, spring sports (the first softball game, track, baseball, and tennis) and of course classes, we are all keeping busy.

English teacher Ileana Jimenez arranged for Rachel Maddow to speak to a group of about 50 students tonday.  Here is what fellow english teacher Julia Heaton had to say about this amazing opportunity for our students. Thank you Ileana for all the work you put in to make this happen!

Dear all,
I just witnessed an amazing event taking place in the high school library – a room full of teenagers being transformed into activists.  Rachel Maddow of MSNBC spent an hour with our students speaking about her life as a student, academic, community organizer, journalist, and activist.  Though she claims that she never tries to “inspire,” her talk was certainly inspirational — and relevant and funny and provocative and powerful.  Our students were so impressive, as always, giving Rachel their rapt attention and peppering her with insightful questions about her work and her opinions.  In turn, she offered advice that is so in line with LREI’s mission and values:  find a wrong in the world and fight tirelessly to make it right, work hard to achieve excellence, use your advantages and talents to serve a greater purpose, the importance of writing and reading and evidence.  Above all, she conveyed the message that a life of activism can be fulfilling, not to mention fun.

This event would not have been possible without the incredible organization and energy of our colleague Ileana Jimenez.  Ileana worked her magic to get Rachel in the door (even though Rachel says that she “doesn’t do speaking engagements”) and then facilitated the talk with expertise and grace of a professional.  Is there a spin-off show in Ileana’s future?

One student said to me as he left the room, “This literally changed my life.” I know I speak on behalf of many in attendance when I say that I couldn’t agree more.  I was very proud to be a part of LREI today.

Julia Heaton

Speaking of our students as activists, they have launched LREI’s first film festival in collaboration with My Purpose Party!
LREI is having a Purpose Party and Hosting A Video Justice Student Film Festival.  Follow the link below to find out more!
http://blog.lrei.org/news/2009/04/20/lrei-hosts-video-justice-student-film-festival/

The viewing will be Wednesday May 13th, doors open at 6:00PM with  the main event from 7-9PM

For the offical LREI school calendar, please visit www.lrei.org/calendar

Special Event reminder:

• Marriage Equality: A Civil Rights Issue will be held on  Monday April 27th 6:00pm-8:00pm in the PAC at the high school. Marriage equality would insure that every American, regardless of sexual orientation, is treated equally under the law. Topics for the evening will include: why marriage matters, what laws are being enacted nationally and locally, how this effects our families and children and how to get involved. Follow the links below.

Marriage Equality Poster

• Arts Festival Friday May 1st! To see the offerings, follow the link below

Arts Festival 2009

• Sunday May 9th KidsWAlk for Kids with Cancer.  For more info studens should speak to Simon Staples-Vangel, Nadia Brent, or Nicholas Cleve. Follow the link below

http://www.walkforkidswithcancer.org

• Thursday May 21st – Spring Concert

Save the Date: The Annual LREI Camping Trip will take place June 5-7
at the Riverbend Group Campground along the Delaware River, about 15
miles North of the Delaware Water Gap. Students and their families may
camp Friday and/or Saturday night. Watch for details and sign-up
tables – coming soon.

Thanks and enjoy the great weather this weekend!

Micah Dov Gottlieb

MDGottlieb@LREI.org