It was Book Week and Lower School classrooms each had a visit from a published author.  How exciting.  The visits were memorable for the students, as you’ll see from the comments a few shared with me below.

Danielle’s Fours were visited by author Julie Appel who read Tickle Tut’s Toes.  Student Hunter Markley said she liked it because “We did an art project!”  Classmate Finn Barden chimed in, “Did you say Tickle Tut’s Toes?  I liked the touching part of the book!”

Kate ’s Fourth Graders met Yona McDonough who read them the first chapter of The Doll Shop Downstairs. Fourth grader Chloe described that it is probably more of a book that girls would enjoy but that “boys could enjoy it too. It’s historical fiction and it’s about things that happen at home in the family too.”  Xavier Guira added that “It has to do with money too because the family shopmight go out of business.”  Jack Fessenden remembered that it was about “Three sisters that love hanging out there (in the shop).  They have teeny delicate pieces at the doll repair shop.  It takes place in the time of WWI.”

We all want to really thank the parents of the Literary Committee for all their arranging and coordinating to make such a great week at school to celebrate books!  Remember the Book Fair, featuring these special guest authors and lots of others, runs until Friday at 6pm.

Guest blog from Dawn, LS Assistant Principal–

There’s Honey in the Rock
There’s honey in the rock for everybody’s children
Honey in the rock, honey in the rock
There’s honey in the rock for everybody’s children
Feed every child on earth

In the past few weeks as I have walked past the lower school music room I have heard several classes singing this Sweet Honey in the Rock song in preparation for our Thanksgiving Assembly.  Continuing down the hallway I am beginning to smell the delicious breads that each class will bake for an LREI tradition-one loaf to be given away to the St. John’s Food Pantry and one loaf to be shared with each other (each class eats a sampling of breads we have all made).

Developing children who choose to be involved in service to their community is an important element of the mission of LREI. In lower school it is important for children to have hands- on experiences in which they see the fruits of their labors and have an opportunity to experience first hand the programs and projects they are supporting.  With that in mind, both second grade classes recently took field trips to the St. John’s Food Pantry.

• Click here to view the slideshow of Colleen’s Field Trip.

LREI has had a longstanding relationship with the pantry.  In fact, as the second graders arrived, a seventh grade class from LREI was just leaving, having finished their assigned job at the pantry. The pantry, serving residents from 14th Street to 59^th Street, distributes bags of groceries to approximately 700 people each Wednesday.  In the last few years Lower School children have participated in food drives, yet most had never visited the pantry so they did not have a clear sense of where the food was going. So this month, each second grade class had the opportunity to hear about the work of the pantry, to pack some bags of food that would be distributed the next day, and to ask questions about the program.  By far the most popular part of the visit was the work they did.  One class bagged oranges (100 bags in all) and the other bagged cereal.  The energy and excitement around this work was abundant, proving the intrinsic need of seven and eight – year olds to feel productive and helpful.

• Click here to view the slideshow of Tasha’s Field Trip

When asked what surprised them most about the food pantry, children responded with various comments:

“You have to live in a certain area to use the pantry, and you can’t be homeless.”
“They are only open on Wednesdays, and the food only lasts two days.  What do they do on the other days?”
“It was in a church; I have only been to a synagogue.”
“Different families get different amounts of food, according to how many people there are.  They get different colored tickets to show how much food they can get.”

The visit to the pantry is the kick off event for Second Grade as they lead the Thanksgiving food drive at LREI.  All Lower School students are invited to bring a canned or boxed food to the assembly on Wednesday, November 25th, and all the food will be taken to the pantry the following week.  Please see the attached list of requested items here.  Just a friendly reminder that we cannot accept any nuts or seeds, glass jars, or food that is beyond its expiration date.

Wishing you a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving Break with the people you love.  My house will be filled with three young adults returning home for the first time after starting new adventures.  Finally, a family to cook for again!

Best Wishes,
Dawn

As we all welcome the summer season, we like to remember the challenges and successes of another school year gone by. Our fourth grade classes have the most to remember. A few highlights include spending time with their kindergarten buddies, sharing meals and chores on farm trips, and learning about the animals they’ve chosen for their rain forest study (along with the wonderful rain forest embroideries they created as a gift to the school)!

Younger grades looked up to them, as well. One such memory is captured below, as the fourth grade performed a skit to teach younger children about the inauguration. Hats off to the fourth grade as they move up to the middle school.

Music Teacher Sue Ribaudo on the learning behind the fun in Early Childhood music:

It’s true. I get to sing and dance all day. In music class with the fours, EK’s and Kindergartens, we’re busy playing singing games, singing story songs and dancing with an orchestra. Click here to listen to some of their recent spring songs: http://blog.lrei.org/earlychildhoodmusic/2009/04/30/early-childhood-songs-of-spring/  But behind the scenes, your children are learning music skills to enjoy now and to build on in the future.

• Marching to the music can lead to counting beats in a measure.
• Playing rhythm sticks can lead to playing the Orff xylophones rhythmically.
• Distinguishing the sounds of different rhythmn instruments will help students learn to recognize the sounds of instruments in the orchestra.

Your child is learning about vocal expression while singing a story song. Dynamics and tempo are integrated into our movement exercises with classical music. And their music vocabulary builds throughout the year. At different times, we are performers, audience, musicians, song-writers and dancers. They learn to recognize a guitar, violin, autoharp, mandolin, dulcimer, jembe, shakere and many more. And of course, having fun with music will carry over to a life-long love of music.Musical wishes,Sue Ribaudo – Early Childhood Music Specialist

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 Music Teacher Ledell Mulvaney on integrating Music and Social Studies for assemblies in grades one through four:

“Ta, ta, ta-ti- ta, ta-ka-te-ka ta-ti, ta, ta” are the sounds of reading rhythms coming from the music assemblies. Students clap with determination to match rhythm syllables to a steady beat. At the double bar line they smile with the confidence that they have just sight read a complicated rhythm in front of their parents. Music assemblies are a wonderful opportunity for parents to glimpse what children are learning in music class.Besides reading rhythms, the students sing warm-ups to strengthen their vocal range and pitch and echo solfege patterns. Students demonstrate that they are beginning to internalize pitch intervals with their inner ear. Third graders are learning to read music by playing the recorder.Music assemblies are also an opportunity for parents to learn about the integration of music with LREI’s social studies curriculum. When first graders are learning about their neighborhood and playgrounds, in music class they are learning street chants and jump rope songs. Second graders take many field trips throughout New York City and in music they are learning songs about specific places ie: the library, the zoo, the train station, the rivers as well as songs from different cultures. In third grade, when the students are studying Native American cultures the students are singing Native America songs and playing stick games.The largest integration project between social studies and music is the fourth grade musical about immigration. The students wrote the script, and new songs are being composed each week, as well as choreography steps being learned. Presently we are in full rehearsals, exploring our characters and memorizing blocking cues. Learning about such an important part of our history through the musical is exciting for all. So, if your toe is tapping, or a song is going through your head, maybe you have just come from a music assembly! Sing along!

Tuesday was Poem in your Pocket Day and it has been a tradition at LREI to celebrate with the event along with many schools across the nation.  At LREI, we noted the occasion in all three divisions. Students were greeted at the door on Sixth Avenue by colorfully costumed Ambassadors of Poetry (parents from our terrific Literary Committee).  Teachers have been encouraging poetry writing and reading.  Students having been stopping adults and kids alike in the hall, saying, “Can I hear your poem?”  We hope that the time sharing poetry at home will become a habit around your house. Below are some random snippets from the day:

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You may recall the Lower School raising money through Penny Harvest. As student Julia Noonan told me,  “Through Penny Harvest the Lower School raised a lot of money.  We donated enough to be one of the schools that choose which organization the money goes to.”  (Actually we raised approximately $700 – which is a lot of pennies!)  Kate Treitman’s fourth grade selected Heifer International after hearing all about its great work.   Julia recalled, “We all read Beatrice’s Goat in Kindergarten which is about a girl who receives a goat from Heifer International and it has a little note from Hillary Clinton in it.”  They chose Heifer over other choices because it helps both animals and people.  “The goats, bees, cows, rabbits and oxen that Heifer provides are not for eating!”  Their new owners can breed them, sell the offspring, keep them, use the milk, and so on.Sadie Stern in Dina Pomeranz’s fourth grade explained that her class also wanted to choose an organization that helped animals.  “The class voted for World Wildlife Fund,” but then had to choose an organization that is more linked up with Penny Harvest.  So with help from Dawn Wheatley they settled on the ASPCA.  Sadie suggested, “Maybe we can dress in orange because that is the ASPCA’s color and maybe we’ll make a big giant check, all hold it, and take a picture.”

Clearly fourth graders are starting to think about their responsibility on a global level, as well as to the local community. What a great choice both classes made, and what an important process they experienced in the choosing.

How do we celebrate family diversity at LREI’s Lower School? Let me count the ways. Teachers read books in class and lead discussions; led by Sue and Ledell, we sing about families together; teachers acknowledge and value each wonderful family in our community, and students collaborate to create projects that increase understanding of different family types. Through it all, students hear teachers modeling comfort with family diversity-related vocabulary (gay, lesbian, two moms, two dads, divorced, single-parent, blended, and/or built through adoption, etc). They get a clear message that reinforces LREI’s historical and mission-motivated inclusiveness. The assembly and the discussions are a long-standing tradition and part of the curriculum at LREI – yet another of the many reasons I feel happy to have joined this school community!A high degree of student participation really made yesterday’s Families Assembly engaging, even for our youngest students! Below is a poem that a first grade class wrote and recited to us. Below click to hear us singing together at the assembly. Please play it for your kids – I think they’ll like that (and you may be treated to a sing-along)!

The Family Recipe
by Jamie and Lindsay’s First Grade

This is how you make a family.
Gather all the things you need. You can add
A mom, a dad, or both
A family can have two moms, two dads,
An aunt, an uncle and grandparents.
A stepmother or a stepfather, or both
A godfather or a godmother, or both.
You can add kids‚ like brothers and sisters and babies and twins and triplets!
Or, just one kid, or no kids.
Mix in pets.
Dogs, fish, guinea pigs, bunnies, cats, hamsters, hedgehogs, a frog, a parrot, or a lizard
Any people can be in a family. There can be only one person or up to 100!
The most important ingredient in a family is love!
Give lots of kisses and hugs, make your family feel good, and show them how much you love them and you will have a great and growing family!

Click the play button to listen to the song, We’re All a Family (Under One Sun):

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The paintings, collages, drawings, 3-d paper mache sculptures and puppets, ceramic work, Native American village models, wood chests and spoons from the Fours to the Fourth grade included in the Lower School Art Show reflect our belief that art making for children is a visual expression of their thinking and feeling. The artworks are both individual and collaborative. Labels describing the works are written or dictated by the children. Questions that motivate the art experiences are included.The Lower School Art Show is a time for children to share with the wider LREI community the kinds of experiences they’ve had with materials in art and shop. These experiences include-getting an idea, problem solving, flexibility when faced with a “mistake” and delight when something comes out exactly the way one wants it.

During the Lower School Art Show children come in class or buddy groups to look at and discuss the artworks. “Museum guides” will speak about a class exhibit and answer questions. At the end of the visit one class may sit down and respond to the other class’s work or talk about what they noticed in the art show.

At each age our children express their unique visual responses to the world. The Lower School Art Show celebrates this; dates and times are below.

Artfully,

Ann & Peggy
LS Art & Shop Teachers

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To Parents and the Wider LREI Community,

You are cordially invited to the Lower School Art Show in the Bleecker Street Auditorium Thursday, February 19, 10:30-6:00 and Friday, February 20, 8:30-3:00. There will be an opening for children, parents and caregivers on Thursday, February 19 from 3:00- 4:00.

The Lower School Art Show is a chance to share with the LREI community the artwork of children from the Fours to the Fourth Grade much of which is connected to our Social Studies program. This year’s show looks exciting!

Teachers will bring classes throughout the day of Thursday, February 19 to view their artwork with each other. This gives students a chance to appreciate each other’s work and to share their unique expressions and ideas.

We hope that you can drop by!

In addition to being fun, integrating subject matter learning across subjects has many benefits. Students witness teachers cooperating and modeling those skills and their value; students can show what they’ve learned in more than one style or mode of presentation; and students can learn from one another.The third grade has been studying and researching the Lenape Native Americans. The Lenape lived in our area at the time that European explorers and settlers reached these shores. Recently, third grade teachers came together with art and shop teachers to integrate learning for this social studies project. Third graders used the research they did in class to create a three-dimensional model of an active Lenape village. I had the privilege of listening to the third graders as they gathered last week in research teams (Houses, Food, Hunting and Fishing, Transportation) to discuss their cooperative creation. They were seated in a large square, around their model. One of the first comments set the tone: “This is awesome!” The students’ enjoyment was evident. They proceeded to discuss their learning, listened intently to one another, and marked with interesting questions and suggestions. When asked by Peggy Resnick (woodshop teacher) what the best part of working in a group was, students made observations such as “It’s fun to have help,” and “Things get done faster.”

As we often do at LREI, the talk turned next to focus on “process.” Students were asked what it was like to work in a group, what could have gone better, and what did they notice that other students made. Answers to this last point included, “Details in the long house and wigwam like beds and fires,” and “a person picking berries in a basket and the berries really looking like berries.”