A message from Chap, Director of Diversity and Community

From its founding LREI has had a focus on social justice causes, LREI students and faculty were conducting skits, picketing Woolworth, joining the NAACP, and, with parents, painting apartments with Latino families, and taking part in a 1961 Peace March in Washington.

In the mid-1990‘s, LREI challenged itself to embarked on a new social justice cause. Faculty, parents, and students watched LGBT films and documentaries, proudly spoke of our founder, Elisabeth Irwin, as a lesbian, revised curriculum to be more inclusive, and decorated floats for the Gay Pride Parade. Two years ago the LGSA Parent Group held the Marriage Equality Forum to help the community gain awareness of the issues and take an active role in making change.

Several years ago we set out to address a new challenge, one that is a difficult one for independent schools, socio-economic class. Activities, honest dialogue and touchy moments helped us gain perspective on the impact class has on all of our lives. In 2009-2010 we revisited Race in the 21st Century and heard Dr. Bolgatz explain the differences between a neighbor, a friend, and an ally. She encouraged us to be proactive and question what we and/or our children consider “normal.” Dr. Bolgatz suggested we answer the questions our children are asking about race, and then take it a step further.

Our challenge this year is to consider gender and education. In November, faculty reviewed gender related terminology and discussed the gender messages they received growing up and compared these to the messages our students currently receive. Using the work from various educators and researchers, we looked at our practice and the gender related messages we explicitly and implicitly convey. Also in November, a group of parents gathered for Part I of the How to Raise an Ally Parent Forum to see the GroundSpark film, Let’s Get Real. We discussed race, gender, sexuality, religion, and class and how these are often used as reasons for young people to tease others. The last clip of the film touched on the importance of being and raising allies.

I am excited to bring to you the next two conversations on gender. Don’t miss an opportunity to be a part of a community wide discussion.

1) How to Raise an Ally: Social Justice at LREI Part 2 of 3

Tuesday, January 25, 8:45 – 10:00 am

Screening of “The Family Journey: Raising Gender Nonconforming Children” by filmmaker Jonathan Skurnik

This film charts the emotional and intellectual transformations parents and siblings must make in order to successfully nurture their gender nonconforming family members. In frank, vulnerable interviews, families from all over the country speak about the power of love and acceptance to help their children thrive.

We welcome Joel Baum, Director of Education & Training at Gender Spectrum, an organization that offers training and support to create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for children and teens.

Working with schools, medical professionals, therapists, social service agencies, universities and other organizations, Joel is responsible for all aspects of Gender Spectrum’s educational programming. He facilitates trainings, conducts workshops, develops curriculum, consults with parents/professionals, and provides resources in service of a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of gender.  Joel has spent more than two decades as an educator focused on issues of social justice and equity. He began his career as an award-winning middle school science teacher and school administrator, and more recently served as a district administrator in Oakland, California. Joel is also a professor of Educational Leadership at California State University, East Bay where he has developed and facilitated two distinct administrative credential programs.

This morning event is open to parents from all divisions. Joel will remain with LREI throughout the day, showing the film “I’m Just Anneke” during Middle and High School Assembly and later facilitating a faculty meeting.

2) Family Diversity Discussion – Thursday, January 27, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Screening of Straightlaced: How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up

With a fearless look at a highly charged subject, Straightlaced unearths how popular pressures around gender and sexuality are confining American teens. From girls confronting media messages about body image to boys who are sexually active just to prove they aren’t gay, this fascinating array of students opens up with brave and intimate honesty about the toll that deeply held stereotypes and rigid gender policing have on all of our lives. Interweaving the stories of students who are straight with those who identify in other ways, Straightlaced makes it clear that these cultural pressures profoundly affect all of our lives.

This evening event is open to all 7th through 12th grade students and their families. Each child must be accompanied by their own family member(s). There will be opportunities for students to talk amongst themselves as well as dialogue with families. A small meal will be provided. Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, January 25 to me at schapman@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext 294. Don’t hesitate to call or email me if you have questions or other ideas to share.

Thank you,

Chap

Updates and Announcements:

Reminder for 11th grade families:  The College Office is looking forward to seeing everyone next Tuesday night January 11th for the official Kick-Off to the College Process.  The evening starts with a potluck at 6:00 pm in the Cafeteria followed by my presentation at 6:45 in the PAC.  The agenda includes a general overview of The Admissions Process, Application Deadlines, Test Prep Information, and a short presentation by our special guest speaker, Rebecca Starr (Assistant Director of Admissions, Brown University) who will give her perspective of “What Colleges are looking for from Applicants?”  The evening will end at 8:00.

Also:  A gentle reminder for all interested juniors to sign up for the Veritas Test Preparation by this Friday, January 7th.  We need your completed information sheet and payment by this date.  Contact Michel de Konkoly Thege in the Business Office at 212-47-5316, ext. 319 if you have any financial concerns.

1.  1/21 Save the Date for Karamu! Friday, January 21st… Karamu! is LREI’s annual multicultural event of music, dance, and food celebrating the diversity of our school and community. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 18th… Karamu! always sells out; get your tickets early (discounted tickets available – contact multiculturalcommittee@lrei.org). We need food and volunteers! …Sign up boards will be in the 6th Avenue Lobby – please volunteer and join this wonderful community building event!

2.  SPORTS COMMITTEE: Ready for some indoor fun on a chilly afternoon? Our basketball teams are RED HOT!  So warm up with friends and come to one of our exciting home games! Be prepared to scream, yell, wave your flags and MAKE SOME NOISE as we CHEER OUR TEAMS ON TO VICTORY!!! All games are held at Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street.

* Monday, 10th January ,4pm:  MS Boys vs Garden
* Tuesday, 11th January ,4pm: Varsity Boys vs Garden
* Thursday, 13th January,4pm: MS Boys vs Columbia Prep

LET’S GO KNIGHTS!!

3. TONIGHT!! Join us for our annual Alumni College Panel.  This is a terrific opportunity to hear recent LREI grads discuss their transition from high school to college and how their time at LREI prepared them for success. Thursday, January 6th, 6:30PM, PAC 40 Charlton Street. Moderated by our new Director of College Guidance Carey Socol. RSVP to Liza Sacks at (212) 477-5316 ext. 291 or lsacks@lrei.org.

4. All January the Red is Green Committee will be collecting holiday cards for recycling.  The cards will be donated to St. Jude’s Ranch.  St. Jude’s will remove the front of each card and attach a new back then sell the new card to raise money for the organization.  Cards that can be recycled must not have writing on the back side of the front cover.  Please, no cards with personal photographs or Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards.  Cards can be placed in the collection bin located in the lobby.

5. There is still time to sign up for the second two terms of Adult r(ED).  Don’t miss out!  Click here for details!

Dear Families,

Thanks to all the students who participated in Community Service Day on December 10.  Ninth graders were so impressive at the Bowery Mission and in their smaller group projects later in the day.

Congrats to all on a terrific Trimester I!  Grades and comments for Trimester I will be available online on Podium on December 22, by 5PM. Please check to make sure you can log on to the system successfully. If you have any problems logging on, please contact help@lrei.org, which can assist you. If you would like your child’s grades or comments mailed, please send an email to Adria Maynor, amaynor@lrei.org.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding a grade or comment, please contact the teacher directly, the student’s advisor, and/or class dean. Please note, teachers, advisors and class deans will be on vacation starting on Friday, Dec. 17 at 12 noon, so a response may not come until after January 4, 2011.

If you are a parent of a 10th or 11th grade student, you should have received a letter from Carey Socol, Director of College Guidance and your child’s PSAT scores.  If you have not received this information, please contact the College Office at ext. 324.

Finally, two major deadlines coming up for terrific opportunities:  Applications to the NYU College Preview Program for Spring Semester are due to me or to Analisa Cipriano in the college office by 2nd period, January 4.  An email with the application and list of courses was sent to families in the 11th and 12th grades on Wednesday.  If you did not receive this email, please let me know.  Hard copies of these documents are at the reception desk.

Applications to participate in the spring break trip to China are due on January 4!  Please see last week’s high school blog for details.

I wish you and your family a safe, restful, wonderful holiday break. See you in 2011!

All the best,

Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

2010-2011 class pictures are here!

1.  Amyrah Arroyo, Class of 2013,  and Genevieve Pierre, Class of 2012, have been selected to participate in “Expanding the Walls Program,  a unique [seven month] program for teens that uses photography as a medium to explore community, identity and history, at the Studio Museum of Harlem.   It was quite a rigorous selection process that required them to undergo two interviews [and secure three recommendations!].”  Last year, Maya Peart-Hill ’12 participated successfully in this terrific program.

2. Save the date for Karamu!  The Multicultural Committee of the Parents Association is busily planning another wonderful “joyous celebration” (which is what Karamu means in Swahili) after the new year.  Please save the date–Friday January 21st.  The dinner buffet and a performance by our wonderful high school Jazz band begin at 5pm at the Charlton Street building.  Guest performances of music and dance begin at 6:15pm and will be followed by our annual DJ’d dance party in the Performing Arts Center.  Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, January 18th in the Sixth Avenue lobby and also at the front desk of the Charlton Street building.  We will also be selling tie dye Karamu bandannas and raffle tickets for exciting prizes.

3.  Join us for our annual Alumni College Panel.  This is a terrific opportunity to hear recent LREI grads discuss their transition from high school to college and how their time at LREI prepared them for success. Thursday, January 6th, 6:30PM, PAC 40 Charlton Street. Moderated by our new Director of College Guidance Carey Socol. RSVP to Liza Sacks at (212) 477-5316 ext. 291 or lsacks@lrei.org.

4.  In January the Red is Green Committee will be collecting holiday cards for recycling.  The cards will be donated to St. Jude’s Ranch.  St. Jude’s will remove the front of each card and attach a new back then sell the new card to raise money for the organization.  Cards that can be recycled must not have writing on the back side of the front cover.  Please, no cards with personal photographs or Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards.  Cards can be placed in the collection bin located in the lobby.

5.  Spirit Club:  Baby, it’s cold outside…but our Basketball teams are smoking hot!

So warm up with friends after winter break and come to one of our exciting home games!

The Spirit Super Fan Club will gather on our first day back, Tuesday, January 4th at 3PM,  before the exciting Varsity Boys home game!

Spirit Club is open to all – so come hang out, have a snack, do your homework and have some fun  while the teams warm up. Get ready to scream, yell, wave your flags and MAKE SOME NOISE!! All games are held at Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street.

* Tuesday,     4th January 4pm       Varsity Boys vs LFNY

* Wednesday, 5th January 4:30pm  MS Girls vs Churchill

* Thursday,    6th January 4:15pm  JV Boys vs Birch Wathen Lenox

Come out and cheer our teams on to victory!  LET’S GO KNIGHTS!! Click here for a flyer with all the information.

Dear Families,

As you can imagine, with new community members come new programming opportunities.  Amy Chang, our new Mandarin Chinese instructor, has worked tirelessly the past few months to put together an exciting opportunity for LREI.  We are thrilled to announce that this Spring Break we are offering a cultural trip to China for 10-14 exemplary members of the community in grades 9-12 with priority going to students who are participating in our Mandarin Chinese program.  This trip, which will be chaperoned by several of our own LREI faculty include Amy Chang and Mark Bledstein, who has visited the country several times to inform his Asian studies curriculum for our history department, would run from March 18 or 19 to March 28 or 29.  The ten-day trip would include excursions to Beijing and Shanghai and visit the great sites such as The Temple of Heaven, The Great Wall of China, and Tiananmen Square, in order to introduce the group to Chinese language, culture and history.

This trip is bound to be a popular one but limited to 10-14 students. Therefore, those interested students already in solid academic and social standing will be required to complete two essay questions in order to help the faculty and administration determine the students who would get the most out of this opportunity.  Essays are due to me (via email only, rjurgensen@lrei.org) by January 4, 2011 at 3PM. Students will be notified if they have been chosen to participate on or before January 7, 2011.  There will be at least two mandatory meetings with selected students and families in January/February to prepare for this trip.

The good news is that there is financial aid for this trip in order to be able to offer the opportunity to all students. The cost of the trip will be between $1500-2500, depending on airline ticket costs.  Additional costs not included are for a passport, if students are in need of one, visa costs for the group, about $130 per person and additional spending money.   If your child is interested and is accepted, and in need of aid, we will direct you to Michel DeKonkoly Thege, Associate Director of the school, to make financial arrangements.  Please do let me know if you think your child/ren will be interested in this opportunity, and let me urge you to consider getting a passport for your student if they express any interest in this trip.  It can take several weeks to get a passport, so that process would have to begin now, before we can confirm an individual’s participation.

Students will be considered for this opportunity on the basis of:

• Sustained commitment to being a positive member of the high school community both in and out of the classroom
• Commitment to the travel experience as expressed in the essay and the timeliness of the essay
• their current interest and understanding of Chinese language, culture and history

Interested students, please answer the following two questions to be considered for the opportunity to travel to China, March 18-29, 2011:

1-Please tell us why you are a good candidate for this travel opportunity.  Describe your most memorable journey or personal experience that has made a transformative impact in your life.  What does this experience tell us about you?

2-Please describe your desire for wanting to go to China, your knowledge and/or experience about Chinese history and culture, and expectations for the experience.  How will you bring your experience back to the classroom, back to the community?

I hope you are as excited by this opportunity as I am.

All the best, Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

Honors Project Proposals for Trimester II are due to Ruth by December 16, 2010, no later.  Students can be considered for an honors project if the student is in good academic standing at school and have permission from a teacher who would work with that student for the duration of the trimester on a specific project.

Grades and Comments for Trimester I will be available on Podium on Wednesday, Dec. 22.  More details in next week’s blog.

1.  Join us for our annual Alumni College Panel.  This is a terrific opportunity to hear recent LREI grads discuss their transition from high school to college and how their time at LREI prepared them for success. Thursday, January 6th, 6:30PM, PAC 40 Charlton Street. Moderated by our new Director of College Guidance Carey Socol. RSVP to Liza Sacks at (212) 477-5316 ext. 291 or lsacks@lrei.org.

2.  From the Sports Committee:  Get out of the cold and come and join the fun at one of our Knights home games next week!

Monday 13th December 4pm  Varsity Girls vs Churchill

Tuesday 14th December 4pm  JV Boys vs Churchill

Wednesday 15th Dec    3:30pm MS boys vs Friends, 4:30pm MS Girls vs Friends

Thursday 16th December 4pm Varsity Girls vs Steiner, 5:15 JV Boys vs Steiner

All games are held at Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street

We will also be having the last Spirit Super Fan Club of the year before the double-header on Wednesday from 3pm until game time.  Spirit Club is open to all – come hang out and have a snack, do your homework and have some fun while the teams warm up.

So come ready to scream, yell, wave your flags and MAKE SOME NOISE!!

LET’S GO KNIGHTS!

3.  LREI Winter Concert: Join us on Tuesday, December 14th, to see LREI students at their musical best. The concert will start at 6:30PM in the Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, which is located on the 4th floor of NYU’s Kimmel Center located at 60 Washington Square South. This wonderful annual event features performances by all three divisional choruses, the middle and high school jazz bands and the high school brass ensemble.

4.  The Middle School is proud to present William Shakespeare’s much-loved, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This vibrant and colorful production, which features thirty middle school students, is ideal for the whole family. Join us as we enter a world in which fairies are mischievous and interfere with mortals lives and where love, revenge, jealousy and magic entangle the human world with the fairy kingdom. This is a “must see” production, with many strong performances from our cast of sixth through eighth graders. Tickets are on sale in the Sixth Avenue lobby starting on Friday, December 3rd and on the days leading up to the shows. Performances are scheduled for Friday Dec 10th at 7:00PM, and Saturday, Dec 11th at 2:00PM and 7:00pPM. Tickets are $12 adults and $10 students, children and senior citizens.

5.  WINTER CONCERT:  CAROLS AND CARMINA.  The Glass Menagerie Chorus, LREI’s resident adult chorus, conducted by Susan Glass, will perform its winter concert on Saturday, December 11th, at 8pm, at St. Joseph’s Church, 6th Ave. and Washington Place.  See attached for more details.

6.  There is still time to sign up for the second two terms of Adult r(ED).  Don’t miss out!  Click here for details!

LREI in the Community

Not surprisingly, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter Break are busy ones at LREI. So much to do, so little time. In this week’s blog you will find announcements of, and invitations to, many events including the Book Week events (the Literary Evening, classroom visits, assemblies and the annual book fair), to a number of other Parents Association events and to a long list of students events including the Winter Concert, the Afterschool Share/Instrumental Concert and a variety of grade specific opportunities.  In the coming weeks, I encourage you to read the blog and other announcements carefully – I wouldn’t want you to miss a moment of all that is being offered.

Less well know, but very important to our progressive program, are the many ways in which our students and teachers are out and involved in the wider community.  These endeavors include:

• Second graders are leading the Lower School’s participation in LREI’s support of the St. John’s Food Pantry.  LREI has a long relationship with St. John’s.  We send a significant amount of foodstuff to this program, helping to provide nutrition to many thousands of clients.  In fact, we will share half of the profits from the sales of our upcoming community potluck cookbook with St. John’s.  Thank you, second graders. Also at St. John’s, middle school advisory groups regularly assist with the packaging and distribution of foodstuffs to pantry clients.

• Fifth and Sixth graders participated in the VT MIDI Project. “The purpose of the Vermont MIDI Project is to encourage and support students in composing and arranging music. A community of professional composers, teachers, pre-service educators, and students engage in mentoring and online discussion of student work.”  Students worked on original compositions, were mentored on-line and submitted their final projects.  Three LREI students were among the 19 chosen to have their pieces performed in concert in Burlington next week.  Congratulations to middle school music teacher Matt McLean and to his students. On December 16th, Dr. Sean Reed, director of Brass Studies at NYU, will lead an ensemble of NYU faculty and student musicians (along with other professional musicians) in performances of student compositions.

• High School English teacher Ileana Jimenez writes on her blog, Feminist Teacher, “After much planning and rehearsing, half of the students in my Fierce and Fabulous: Feminist Women Writers, Artists, and Activists class and I finally got up on stage at TEDxYouth Day held at the Hewitt School in New York. The theme of this year’s TEDxYouth was “Be the Change,” and all talks were live-streamed globally. During our 16 minute talk, each of my students and I spoke about how we came to our feminist voice.”  Congratulations to the members of this class who truly connected learning and life, classroom and their community.  Congratulations to junior Grace Tobin who, in addition to her participation in TEDx, also spoke before a City Council hearing.

• Lower School Librarian Stacy Dillon was a presenter at the 92nd St. Y’s Wonderplay Conference where she spoke on the topic of using wordless picture books in the classroom to foster imagination and support literacy.

• Jennifer Hubert Swan, Library department chair, led a seminar hosted by the Ocean County (NJ) Library to teach librarians and educators how to write and deliver book talks that keeps kids hyped and hungering to read the book. Swan will also discuss the “Best of the Best” teen books from 2010.

• Junior Lucia Zerner received a Gold Award from Families with Children from China for performing over 250 hours of community service.

• LREI high school students participated in the City Year NY Service Day at PS 112/206, sponsored by Students for Service and Joint Schools Activities, Inc.  Working alongside City Year corps members, the participants were able to transform a school where City Year has been serving since 2008.  In just four hours, the students painted 25 murals, a large welcome sign, and 20 pairs of memory tiles; built and painted 10 bookshelves and three cubbies; and shellacked three existing mural benches.

We are so proud of the ways in which LREI’s students and faculty are involved in the wider community—harnessing their expertise and all that they have learned in the classroom and giving of themselves in the service of others. Well done!

Best,

Phil

Updates and Announcements:

Exam week begins on Monday with Reading Day and ends with Community Service day on Friday. Please see last week’s blog post for details.

LREI Winter Concert: Join us on Tuesday, December 14th, to see LREI students at their musical best. The concert will start at 6:30PM in the Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, which is located on the 4th floor of NYU’s Kimmel Center located at 60 Washington Square South. This wonderful annual event features performances by all three divisional choruses, the middle and high school jazz bands and the high school brass ensemble.

1.  The Middle School is proud to present William Shakespeare’s much-loved, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This vibrant and colorful production, which features thirty middle school students, is ideal for the whole family. Join us as we enter a world in which fairies are mischievous and interfere with mortals lives and where love, revenge, jealousy and magic entangle the human world with the fairy kingdom. This is a “must see” production, with many strong performances from our cast of sixth through eighth graders. Tickets are on sale in the Sixth Avenue lobby starting on Friday, December 3rd and on the days leading up to the shows. Performances are scheduled for Friday Dec 10th at 7:00PM, and Saturday, Dec 11th at 2:00PM and 7:00pPM. Tickets are $12 adults and $10 students, children and senior citizens.

2.  Our brand-new community cookbook, Downtown Potluck, a wonderful compilation of recipes from our talented parents and teachers, makes its debut next week at Literary Evening, Tuesday, December 7th.   The cookbook will be on sale at the event and then the next day, Wednesday, December 8th, at the Book Fair, through Friday, December 10th.  The book costs $25 for those in our community and supplies are limited.  Think of it for your holiday gift-giving.  If you pre-ordered a cookbook, please pick it up at the book fair, or email cookbook@LREI.org.

3.  High School Presentation on Renewable Energy: Please come out and hear our dynamic High School students speak about various renewable energy options.  Whether it is wind, solar or geothermal energy that you are interested in, you will be impressed by the next generation’s understanding of the issues.  The presentation is being held on Wednesday, December 8th at 8:45AM in the  Sixth Avenue  cafeteria. Bring a cup of coffee and learn something new.

4.  The Literary Committee invites you to its annual Literary Evening on Tuesday, December 7, 7-9:30 PM, at the Charlton St. PAC. This year’s evening, entitled Prime Cuts, will feature writers who focus on food (and drink!) in their work: Josh Kilmer-Purcell (The Bucolic Plague), Garrett Oliver (The Brewmaster’s Table), Monique Truong (The Book of Salt), Brett Martin (Top Chef: The Cookbook), and Zarela Martinez (Food from My Heart). Our MC is Daphne Rubin-Vega. Please join us for an appetizing evening. Tickets will go on sale after Thanksgiving; click here for more information.

5.  WINTER CONCERT:  CAROLS AND CARMINA.  The Glass Menagerie Chorus, LREI’s resident adult chorus, conducted by Susan Glass, will perform its winter concert on Saturday, December 11th, at 8pm, at St. Joseph’s Church, 6th Ave. and Washington Place.  See attached for more details.

6.  There is still time to sign up for the second two terms of Adult r(ED).  Don’t miss out!  Click here for details!

Dear Families,

As you know, Exam Week for Trimester I is coming soon.  Attached, please find the exam schedule. The exam schedule may undergo a change or two in the next few days; 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, Dec. 6:  Reading Day.  School open regular hours.

On Reading Day, Ninth Graders are required to attend the first trimester reading day for a study day and help with preparing for the week with Ninth Grade advisors and Class Dean Margaret Magee, 9 AM-11:30 AM.  After the mandatory study hall, Ninth Graders can stay for lunch, meet with teachers, study together, work on papers and projects, and generally schedule their own time for study.

For all other grades, Reading Day is 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. Further, teachers of two of the same section class may hold mandatory class meeting time during Reading Day.

Tuesday-Thursday,  Dec. 7-9: 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.

Finally, Friday, December 10 is our annual community service day.  So far, the plan is to have Ninth Grade work on a project together, so please plan on Ninth Graders reporting to school for this activity. From Community Service Roundtable advisor, Nick O’Han:  The Ninth Grade will have a series of community service field trips this year. The next trip is scheduled on December 10th.  On that day class members will be volunteering at one of three locations in Lower Manhattan and have a variety of service experiences to choose from. At each location, before rolling up their sleeves, they will receive an orientation from staff members who will discuss the institution’s mission and importance. At the Bowery Mission students will work in the Kitchen and in the clothing room. At the Educational Alliance they will be working with seniors and pre-schoolers. At Sara Roosevelt Park they will be assisting park staff with autumn park clean up and landscaping. Afterwards students will discuss their experiences with teachers and write in the journal that they will keep all year.

The high school is also in need of 10 students on December 10 from grades 10-12, working from 9-11AM, building chairs (interested students should sign up; the list is on my door), and there are a number of holiday-related opportunities and school renovation projects offered on December 10 through New York Cares for grades 10-12.  Click here for the list of opportunities!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

All the best, Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

At this point, all students have school IDs!  We have asked students to keep close track of their ID as it will eventually give them access to the school building by unlocking the front door.  The replacement fee for a lost ID is $20.

1.  From Community Service Committee: “Dollar for Thanks” action to help local soup kitchens bring Thanksgiving dinner to people in need. Look for the big roasting pan piggy bank Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday November 22nd, 23rd and 24th at drop off in Sixth Ave. lobby, and, as always, use the action as a learning opportunity for your children. Happy Thanksgiving!

2.  Click here to read a note from Director Phil Kassen regarding LREI’s lunch service.

3.  LREI SPIRIT CLUB! Grab a friend and come out to cheer for our Varsity Girls Basketball Team in their first home game of the season on Monday, November 22nd, at 4:00PM. Get into the spirit with the following fun activities at 3:00PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center:

* Make your own noisemakers, pom-poms, flags and more!

* Face painting and Knights tattoos too!

All are welcome to join the fun, but lower school students and fifth and sixth graders must be accompanied by a caregiver or parent. All home games and activities are held in the gym at 145 Thompson Street. Please see attached flyer for upcoming Spirit Club dates.

Then bring your pom poms, noisemakers and more friends, and come out to root for our Varsity Girls basketball team at another exciting game, on Tuesday, November 23rd at 4:00 PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center.

In addition, BOYS Varsity Basketball has their first game of the season at Winston Prep, at ROOSEVELT ISLAND, 4PM!

GO LREI KNIGHTS!

4.  The Literary Committee invites you to its annual Literary Evening on Tuesday, December 7, 7-9:30 PM, at the Charlton St. PAC. This year’s evening, entitled Prime Cuts, will feature writers who focus on food (and drink!) in their work: Josh Kilmer-Purcell (The Bucolic Plague), Garrett Oliver (The Brewmaster’s Table), Monique Truong (The Book of Salt), Brett Martin (Top Chef: The Cookbook), and Zarela Martinez (Food from My Heart). Our MC is Daphne Rubin-Vega. Please join us for an appetizing evening. Tickets will go on sale after Thanksgiving; click here for more information.

Dear Families,

We have been fortunate in the past weeks to enjoy several visits from artists and academics in classes of all subjects and levels.  Hannah Tinti, author of Animal Crackers and the novel, The Good Thief and founder of “OneStory,” the literary journal, visited the 11th and 12th grade creative writing elective class last week.  In her visit, she encouraged students to “think of the weirdest thing that could happen right now” when stuck in a writing piece, and to think creatively when writing analytically.  At the end of her inspiring class, she gave each student a wishing stone, one of the major symbols in The Good Thief. After her visit, Hannah’s facebook status read, “Today I visited Elisabeth Irwin High School, where they had recently read The Good Thief. Smart students, great teachers. Together they had created a giant “word collage” of the book across an entire wall of the classroom. It was pretty amazing.”  Frankly she was amazing, and the students in the class are amazing.  They are:  Zoe Snow, Jamal Ali, Chloerose D’Orazio, Simon Staples-Vangel, Pedro Ramirez, Deion Desir, Aaron Naves, Olu Odubiro, Jamie Cooper, Zac Teller, Niles Diggs, Manny Kennerly, Maya Peart and Tiffany Ramos.

This and other trimester-long classes are turning the corner to their end.  Most trimester classes, as Tiffany wrote in her latest assignment (a 20 line poem based on several 10 minute writings completed over the course of the trimester), are asking students to “tighten up the loose ends and move on.”  If you have a student in the creative writing class, or in another English or history elective, be sure to talk to your child about the terrific work he or she has created and completed.  We just have the most inspiring students at this school.  I couldn’t be more proud.

Speaking of, please take a look at this great video from Assistant Principal, Micah Dov Gottlieb:

“I wanted to share the online release of a special on applications of Math in professional environments that I worked on with channel 13, called Get the Math.”  It will also air on channel 13 sometime in the coming months and I’ll certainly be spreading the word, when they solidify the slot. In addition, one of the rappers featured is alum Luis Lopez ’04,  and one of the math teens is our very own Calen McGee ’12!Most of the music, including the theme song, and the title music are my compositions. I hope you enjoy it! It’s a 30 minute piece, and our segment is the 3rd, but all are worth watching.”

All the best,

Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

This weekend at the High School: Molière’s TARTUFFE LREI High School Play! Open to all ages!  Friday, November 12th & Saturday, November 13th at 7:00pm, Performing Arts Center.  Laugh along at the farcical adventures of Orgon’s dysfunctional family and watch as impostor Tartuffe wreaks “holy”havoc. 17th century style, with a splash of 21st! In rhyming verse! Fun for the whole family!

1.  The School Store will be open on Wednesday, November 17th from 8am – 9:15am in the Sixth Avenue lobby.  We have many new items, including our adorable LREI bear, coffee mugs and PJ pants – there’s something for everyone on your list! For more information, please contact Zoe zedpicayo@aol.com or Liz, lizknyc@aol.com.

2.  From our Academic Support Center team:  *Important Message from Patricia Carter and Jerry Cascio, High School Learning Specialists: If your child is eligible to receive specific accommodations in testing or in the classroom, please submit a copy of this documentation to the Academic Support Center at LREI if you have not already done so.  Click here to download a copy of the Documentation Request.

3.  Applications for 2011-2012 Tuition Remission:

Please be on the look-out for an e-mail from Michel de Konkoly Thege, Associate Director, which was transmitted on October 26, 2010 and contains information about applying for tuition remission for the 2011-2012 school year.  This year for the first time we are communicating with families that receive tuition remission by e-mail only and are urging these families to use the online option for completing the necessary forms.  If you received tuition remission in the current school year and did not get this e-mail, a copy may be accessed by clicking here. Please note that the online system for filing tuition remission materials will now open on November 8, not November 1 as stated in Michel’s e-mail of October 26.

4.  Senior Class Families:  Just a reminder, the yearbook staff needs a baby picture for the 2011 yearbook, to the editor of the yearbook, faculty advisor or class dean before Thanksgiving break.  The staff also needs a completed senior page by winter break to the editor of the yearbook, faculty advisor or class dean.  The senior page is important to have for every senior.  We will have three training sessions for building one’s senior page on December 2, 9 and 16 at 2:10PM during clubs period in the media room.  In the meantime, your senior should start thinking about what he or she wants to include on their special page.Please ask your senior to respect the deadlines above so the yearbook can be delivered in time for graduation events.  The faculty advisor for the yearbook this year is Stephen MacGillivray, smacgillivray@lrei.org and the editor of the yearbook is Grace Tobin, Class of 2012.  Any questions, please email Stephen!

Best, Ruth

Community Connections

Dear Families,

Thank you to all who participated in this past weekend’s Halloween Fair. All of your hard work, collaboration and creativity blossomed into a fun day for all.  It was nice to see so many members of the community participating, including a number of high school volunteers.  This day was just one example of many LREI events that represent the community coming together for the benefit of all.  There are many more events of this type being planned—the upcoming DVD/CD Swap, the Book Fair, the Literary Evening, our new community cook book and Karamu!, our multicultural celebration, just to name a few. This focus on the community coming together for the education and enjoyment of all is a hallmark of communities like LREI.

At the beginning of each school year LREI embarks on another community effort in which both reaching our goal and doing it together are essential—our annual fundraising campaign. LREI’s Annual Fund is comprised of money raised during events such as the Halloween Fair and the Big Auction (coming on May 11, 2011) and cash donations from families, trustees, alumni, alumni parents, grandparents, faculty/staff and friends of the school.

The Annual Fund helps us to bridge the gap between the School’s annual expenses and income from tuition, increases to which we keep as low as possible.  Simply put, the Annual Fund allows us to be LREI.  It allows us to make decisions that are consistent with Elisabeth Irwin’s original progressive ideals and with our current progressive mission. The Annual Fund supports LREI’s commitment to offering the level of tuition remission that we do, among the highest of independent schools in New York City. The Annual Fund allows us to say “Yes” to providing the same core experience to each LREI student, supporting all families as we plan overnight trips, for example. The Annual Fund allows us to say “Yes” each time teachers want to bring students out into the world.  It allows us to say “Yes” to professional development for our excellent faculty. The Annual Fund allows us to take risks and to be creative. It allows us, in short, to do what we ask the students to do.  It allows LREI to remain a leader in educational thought and practice.

So here is where the community part comes in. We are grateful to all who have helped us to meet the challenge of achieving our Annual Fund goals in the past.  Thank you to the many members of the community who have already contributed this year, including all 34 members of LREI’s Board of Trustees.  Our goal is not only to raise quite a significant sum, but also to increase the percentage of members from each constituency who contribute. Please give at whatever level is comfortable for you.  Whatever that amount is, if you have not already done so (and, again, thank you if you have) please participate. Thank you, in advance, for supporting our 14-year progressive program.

If you have questions about our Annual Fund, you can contact Brooke Gadasi, Director of Advancement (bgadasi@lrei.org) or me, at any time.

Thank you for all that each family, and each individual, does for LREI throughout the year.  You make us a stronger community and a better school.

Warmly,

Phil

Updates and Announcements:

Families, please note:  Someone named Victoria Wade is on Facebook claiming to be class of 2010 and friending our students, many of whom have accepted her request. This is spam at least, and possibly a phishing operation (looking to gain potentially sensitive or private info about our students). It appears she has targeted any Facebook user with Elisabeth Irwin or LREI in their profile. Anyone who has accepted her friend request should immediately report this user as spam and block her.

This is not mandatory for anyone, just for fun!

*Please come to the LREI High School Play,  Tartuffe

Directed by Meghan Farley Astrachan

Friday, November 12th & Saturday, November 13th at 7:00pm

LREI: Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School, Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street, New York, New York 10014

Laugh along at the farcical adventures of Orgon’s dysfunctional family and watch as impostor Tartuffe wreaks “holy”havoc.  17th century style, with a splash of 21st!  In rhyming verse!  Fun for the whole family!

Tickets available for purchase every morning in the 6th Ave lobby as well as at the box office at Charlton Street.

1. Community Service Opportunity:  LREI has joined JSA, Joint Schools Activities, with other schools such as Riverdale, Trinity, Browning, Dwight, Columbia Prep and Horace Mann.  Our student reps, Thomas Marin ’13, Emma Stydahar ’13, Lily Gavin ’13 and Mia Silvan-Grau ’14 are just starting their roles and the first event we will participate in is the Service Day and Servathon with StudentsforService and City Year NY at PS 112/206 in East Harlem next Saturday, November 13.   If your child would like to participate in this event, please take a look at the community service description and waiver to participate.  Students can give the signed waiver to any of the reps above or to Ruth.  Waivers need to be in by next Tuesday, Nov. 9.

3.  Message from Chap, Director of Diversity and Community:

How to Raise an Ally: Social Justice at LREI, Wednesday, November 10, 8:45 AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.

Let’s Get Real:  A documentary film where youth speak up about name-calling and bullying

When youth in the film were asked how they are singled out or targeted, issues such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, body size and immigration status, among others, came to the forefront.

How might we unconsciously perpetuate inequalities or negative attitudes toward some people in our midst?  Are we setting an example of respect by our language, our demeanor, and the attention we give to children’ feelings and their treatment of each other?

The social justice program of the school helps to develop language for students to express their feelings, resolve conflicts, and understand the societal factors that lead to prejudice.

Viewing segments of the film and engaging in a discussion with other parents will help support your children (and teachers) at home with the conversations we are having at school.

Grab a cup of coffee and a good seat as we embark on Part 1 of a series of 3 Open PA Diversity Meetings.

4. Go Green to School Day is this Wednesday, November 3rd and will continue throughout the year on the first Wednesday of every month.  Please make every effort to take a green mode of transportation to school – walk, bike, scoot, take public transportation or car pool.

Also, to celebrate America Recycles Day (November 15) we will have a DVD/CD Swap.  Starting on Monday, November 15 and continuing through Wednesday, November 17 tables will be set up outside of the Sixth Avenue building for the swap.  You can drop off DVDs/CDs ahead of time in a bin located in the lobby, beginning November 1.   Students/faculty/parents can swap all forms of CDs and DVDs, including computer, film, music, game and video.  Any unwanted CDs and DVDs at the end of the week of November 17th will be sent to Back Thru the Future Technology Disposal who will safely recycle them.

5.  Applications for 2011-2012 Tuition Remission

Please be on the look-out for an e-mail from Michel de Konkoly Thege, Associate Director, which was transmitted on October 26, 2010 and contains information about applying for tuition remission for the 2011-2012 school year.  This year for the first time we are communicating with families that receive tuition remission by e-mail only and are urging these families to use the online option for completing the necessary forms.  If you received tuition remission in the current school year and did not get this e-mail, a copy may be accessed by clicking here. Please note that the online system for filing tuition remission materials will now open on November 8, not November 1 as stated in Michel’s e-mail of October 26.

6.  The School Store will be open this month on Wednesday 3rd and Wednesday 17th from 8am – 9am at the Sixth Avenue entrance ( or in case of bad weather, inside the lobby).  Show your Spirit and start your holiday shopping now!

Dear Families,

The benefit coffeehouse last Saturday raised over $1300 for GEMS, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services.  Now, it is my pleasure to invite you to to the opening reception for an exhibit about female photographers who use technology and digital culture to showcase their work at a pop-up gallery on 22nd Street, from October 28-November 2.  One of our seniors, Emily Wilson, who is an exceptional photographer, has a piece in the exhibit; a few more of her pieces are being sold online.

The details:

G/IRL: Women Photographers Emerging in Digital Culture brings internet stars and emerging talent to Chelsea for a pop-up exhibition showcasing artists using social media sites like Flickr, Tumblr, and blogs to explore and establish a life in photography.

OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, October 28th from 6-9pm

G/IRL Pop-Up Gallery, 300 West 22nd St. at 8th Ave., New York, NY 10011

VIRTUAL SALES GALLERY: http://aceditions.com/institutions/g-slash-irl

We are very proud of Emily’s achievement!

In other high school news, this afternoon students enjoyed a visit from Nuclear Scientist, Peggy Norris, who works at DUSEL, Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab – an 8000ft gold mine converted into a science lab. She met with members of the 12th grade Advanced Physics class and several other interested students.  Her visit can be included in the several days of visits from experts in their fields, including the Director of the film “Catfish,” Ariel Shulman, who met with our 11th grade Media class, and Art History professors from Bard College who presented their China artifacts program to the 11th and 12th grade East Asia Class.  All of this and we just finished a successful minimester!  Finally, as part of minimester, students in the Fierce and Fabulous Feminist Literature class attended a conference on the sexualization of girls and women in media and as a result created a fantastic blog worth bookmarking:  http://fiercefeminists.wordpress.com/ This blog demonstrates how high school students can talk about gender and gender stereotypes and images in the media in a relevant and notable way.

All the best, Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

GO LREI !!!

Wednesday was a huge night for LREI Athletics! The middle school volleyball team defeated the Churchill School 2-0 to become the Independent School Athletic League Champions. Thompson Street Gym was packed with LREI students and families (even red pom-pom shakers on the sidelines!) rooting the team to victory. Uptown at Van Cortlandt Park, the middle and high school cross-country teams took home two first-place finishes in the AIPSL Big Apple Championship meet. Eighth grader Will Yarinsky is the middle school boys champion with a time of 11:14, and junior Sasha Stomberg is the high school girls champion winning the competition in 22:24. Both high school teams scored second place overall. Notable finishes on the boys’ side include junior Niles Diggs (6th), freshman Lenny Weissman (8th) and senior Monty Hill (9th). Seniors Margret Wiggins, Claire Hart and Sonrisa Murray-Fox crossed the girls race finish line in seventh, ninth and tenth place, respectively. Congrats to all our Knights for outstanding season finishes!

From our Academic Support Center team:  *Important Message from Patricia Carter and Jerry Cascio, High School Learning Specialists: If your child is eligible to receive specific accommodations in testing or in the classroom, please submit a copy of this documentation to the Academic Support Center at LREI if you have not already done so.  Click here to download a copy of the Documentation Request.

1.  Go Green to School Day is this Wednesday, November 3rd and will continue throughout the year on the first Wednesday of every month.  Please make every effort to take a green mode of transportation to school – walk, bike, scoot, take public transportation or car pool.

Also, to celebrate America Recycles Day (November 15) we will have a DVD/CD Swap.  Starting on Monday, November 15 and continuing through Wednesday, November 17 tables will be set up outside of the Sixth Avenue building for the swap.  You can drop off DVDs/CDs ahead of time in a bin located in the lobby, beginning November 1.   Students/faculty/parents can swap all forms of CDs and DVDs, including computer, film, music, game and video.  Any unwanted CDs and DVDs at the end of the week of November 17th will be sent to Back Thru the Future Technology Disposal who will safely recycle them.

2.  Applications for 2011-2012 Tuition Remission

Please be on the look-out for an e-mail from Michel de Konkoly Thege, Associate Director, which was transmitted on October 26, 2010 and contains information about applying for tuition remission for the 2011-2012 school year.  This year for the first time we are communicating with families that receive tuition remission by e-mail only and are urging these families to use the online option for completing the necessary forms.  If you received tuition remission in the current school year and did not get this e-mail, a copy may be accessed by clicking here. Please note that the online system for filing tuition remission materials will now open on November 8, not November 1 as stated in Michel’s e-mail of October 26.

3.  The School Store will be open this month on Wednesday 3rd and Wednesday 17th from 8am – 9am at the Sixth Avenue entrance ( or in case of bad weather, inside the lobby).  Show your Spirit and start your holiday shopping now!

Dear Families,

This Saturday in the PAC at Charlton Street, the High School Community Service Roundtable will be hosting a benefit for GEMS, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services.  GEMS provides absolutely critical service for girls, some as young as 12 years old, who are trafficked right here in New York City.  This group of individuals are invisible in society and completely disposable to many as they are young girls, poor girls, girls of color, undereducated girls, and it is imperative that we support GEMS as they are the only organization in New York that provides services that help girls go back to school, have the tools to participate in family life and to have hope for themselves.  This week, the Fierce and Fabulous Feminist Literature class presented startling facts about trafficking of young girls in New York City in a very moving, powerful and educational assembly.  Led by instructor Ileana Jimenez, herself one of the 40 notable feminists under 40 and Fulbright award winner, students have learned about the horrors of street life and have partnered with the Roundtable to bring Saturday’s event to the community.  The Coffeehouse will open with jazz great Reggie Workman P’11, and his band, and feature Nigerian Spoken Word Artist Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghere as well as the HS Jazz Band, Lisa Remar ’12 (an incredible singer!) and other student artists.  Tickets for adults are $20, for students $10.  If a student cannot pay the full amount, any donation will be accepted.  If you would like to make a donation to this cause, either baked goods for the event or a monetary donation, feel free to email me or Micah Dov Gottlieb, x 304, who is organizing the coffeehouse.

Trimester I interim grades will be available by tomorrow for all Ninth Graders, new students, and students earning B- and below in their classes. Please go to Podium to login your name and password. Here is the instructional video that demonstrates how to access information.  Further, if you would like your child’s interims mailed, please call Adria Maynor at 212-477-5316, x323.

Please note that Arts grades for Ninth Graders are final grades for the six week rotation.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding an interim grade or comment, please contact the instructor directly or your child’s advisor. Parent/Advisor conferences are on November 5, all day. Advisors will contact all families to make the appointment. You may also request to meet with any teacher on that day, as well. Please let your child’s advisor know who you would like to see.

Remember, we have six weeks before exam week, December 6-9 and interim grades reflect only a few assessments generally, given in the first few weeks of school, a huge adjustment period for all students.

All the best, Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

1.  Next week our Middle School Volleyball team will play in their last home games of the season, come out to cheer, yell, root for and support our Knights to help them on their way to the Big Apple Championship!

Monday 25th 4pm vs York Prep

Wednesday 27th 4pm vs Churchill

Thursday 28th 4pm vs City and Country

Games are held at Thompson Street Athletic Center,145 Thompson Street

Go Knights!

2.  Red is Green:  Now is a great time to go through your toy box to see what can be recycled and put to good use. The Halloween Fair committee is collecting small toys to be given away at the event.  If you have anything to recycle, please deposit them in the cauldron in the Sixth Avenue lobby.

Also, the plastic bag recycling drive continues. Did you know that approximately 500 to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide?  Did you also know that plastic bags are not biodegradable and take from 500 to 1000 years to decompose?  It would help the environment if we all used less plastic bags.  But, it is sometimes unavoidable so let’s recycle the bags we have.  We will collect clean plastic bags in the entryway of the lower school throughout October.  After that, you can bring your bags to most chain stores for collection

3.  Volunteer opportunities for high school students:

The Halloween Fair is next Saturday at the Thompson Street Gym from 2-5 PM.  The organizers could really use help with face-painting and games.  If your student is interested, please have him or her speak to Ruth.

The GO Project is looking for volunteers for their after school tutoring program on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at The Earth School (6th Street and Avenue B) from 4-5PM.  See the job description and requirements here.  To pick up an application, please see Ruth.

The LREI bookstore is looking for two students to run it regularly at the high school!  The two students would be responsible for keeping a small inventory at Charlton Street, setting up times when the store would be open (lunch period) and handling and depositing money.  Please see Ruth to volunteer.

Dear Families,

Minimester, a three-day mini-course,  is an interdisciplinary immersion experience focusing on one topic. Members of the faculty have developed these courses around their own passions and experiences in areas that may or not be part of the regular curriculum. Twelfth Grade students, in consultation with the Assistant Principal may lead a Minimester.  This year, Minimester is next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  This year’s offerings include:

Surviving the Techpocalypse

If the Internet went down–not just for an hour or so, but for good? –could you survive? It wouldn’t just be your computers and cell phones that would stop working: NY uses fully automated subways, from the driver to the signals, on some lines. The basic stuff of our life is often manufactured– and most manufacturing is digitized. Our money is usually in the form of plastic connected to a computerized infrastructure–and when we do get cash, it’s from a computer. We can’t give you the skills for everything, but in this minimester, we’ll explore the old-fashioned, human-generated techniques for making some basics that might keep society ticking along: paper, candles, soap, and spoons. We’ll also explore what it means to live in a world where we’ve cut people out of the equation when it come to the creation and manufacture of all the things people need to live in this world.

Time Travel

Since H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine,” the concept of time travel has fascinated minds. In this minimester we will explore some of the philosophical, logical and scientific concepts related to this interesting, yet enigmatic, topic. We will look at the “The Grandfather Paradox,” “Causal Loops” “General Relativity” “Parallel Universes” and other important ideas central to time travel.  Also, with a concept so driven and shaped by popular appeal, we will watch examples of time travel in movies and TV shows, and then discuss how these representations conform to the logical and scientific laws that limit the possibilities of time travel.

The Amazing Journey

What does a Korean fish store manager, two street vendors from Ecuador, and a gay Pakistani salesman have in common? In this minimester you’ll find the answer to the question above, and you’ll take train journey. You’ll visit the most diverse neighborhoods in the US and you’ll experience a wide range of cultures, and peoples’ traditions, faiths, history and food. Requirements: an open mind, a desire to meet new people, and a willingness to embrace foreign (to you) cultures.

Musical Stringamester

We’ll learn the basics of the string family, teach each other simple tunes, then we will play string riffs from Coldplay, to Lady Gaga, Mozart to Metallica, and James Brown to Dr. Dre. This will be a “megamester of Strings” and includes a little red bonus: glorious musical trips outdoors to Lincoln Center and Apollo Theater and we will have a guest String player visit our group. You can pick up Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, (or double on classical Guitar).  We will form an ensemble of strings.  A musical background or some basic music experience is helpful and necessary.  This will be the start of something stringful, a string salmagundi.  Feel free to bring your string instrument or we can provide an instrument upon request.

New York’s Hidden Gems

Undiscovered gems. Parks and green places in New York you’ve never been to. On the first day, we’ll go to Upper Manhattan and find a lighthouse many of you only know from a children’s book, look at a Medieval monastery built on cliffs overlooking the Hudson, see one of the earliest suspension bridges set among the trails of Highbridge Park, and finally look at a newly restored oasis on the tip of the island. On day two, we’re going to the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, a former retirement center for sailors, where we’ll explore some of New York’s earliest historical buildings and beautifully restored gardens and walk the creepy path where deceased sailors were carried to their graves. On the final day, we’ll see a side of Central Park that most New Yorkers don’t even know exist. Along the way, we’ll be capturing our discoveries on camera and we’ll share a slideshow on the last day. All students will need a digital camera. (If you don’t have one, we might be able to arrange for you to get one.) We will be out all day so everyone must bring lunch. And, finally, you must bring comfortable shoes, an open mind, and your curiosity about the hidden treasures of your city.

Non-Fiction Film

In light of several “questionable” films in the past few months the documentary film genre has had an upheaval of sorts (I’m Not There, Exit thought the Gift Shop, and Catfish).  The age old discussion of artiface v. authencity has resurfaced. In this course we will trace the history of the documentary genre and revisit the discussion. The course will be interspersed with screenings of seminal films as well as a visit from LREI alumni filmmaker Lynn True and the screening of her film Summer Pastures that was recently picked up by IFC.

Public Service Announcements

Make a public service announcement about any cause that you want. Could be showing people something as simple as the benefits of smiling more or to educate them on the consequences of online bullying. We would look at PSA’s to break down how they work then write and produce our own 30-second pieces.

Please take a look at all of the offerings here.  Thanks to the faculty and members of the senior class for these amazing offerings and to Micah for compiling the list!

Also, next week is Ally Week. In light of recent tragedies, the loss of so many young people around the country taking their own lives as a result of bullying in schools, it is critical to display our support of the young people who may or may not be out in our schools.  During Ally Week, students can wear a sticker that says, “Be an Ally.  Be the Change.”  It is that simple.  Students can also post a purple pledge, found on our “What’s on your mind” bulletin board.  These are visible signs of support to those may not be so visible.  Please see this letter from Chap, LREI’s Director of Diversity and Community that addresses LREI’s commitment to being an ally.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ruth

Updates and Announcements:

Trimester I interims will be available on Podium beginning next Friday, October 22.  Interims are given for all 9th graders, all new students, any students of concern and students who are earning below B-.  If you have any problems logging in, please send an email to help@lrei.org.  A reminder and more details will be in next week’s blog.

Reminder:  The 10th grade potluck is on October 19, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street Cafeteria.

1.  From the Sports Committee:  Come out to a Home Game and show your support for our LREI Knights Volleyball teams!  Both the Middle School Co-ed team and the Varsity Girls are having a great season so far and its always fun to have some fans in the bleachers cheering on our student athletes. Wear your team colors and join us!

Upcoming games:

TODAY!  Thursday 14th October 4pm   Varsity Girls vs BWL

Monday 18th October 4pm   Varsity Girls vs Garden

All home games are played in the Thompson Street Athletic Center (145 Thompson, just below Houston)

All game schedules and news can be found at www.lrei.org/athletics

2.  There is still time to sign up for the first term of Adult r(ED), LREI’s adult education courses.  See last week’s blog for the offerings.  Classes begin next week. Contact Rowena Penaranda Askins to enroll, rpenaranda@lrei.org.

3.  Did you know that approximately 500 to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide?  Did you also know that plastic bags are not biodegradable and take from 500 to 1000 years to decompose?  It would help the environment if we all used less plastic bags.  But, it is sometimes unavoidable so let’s recycle the bags we have.  Red is Green is kicking off its 2010-’11 school year recycling drive with plastic bags.  We will collect clean plastic bags in the entryway of the lower school throughout October.  After that, you can bring your bags to most chain stores for collection.