Brooklyn Bridge Play

Dear Families,

Death, disease, deception, and triumph were all elements of the Second Grade Brooklyn Bridge Play, performed for parents and siblings on Wednesday.  The play was a culmination of a study of this amazing architectural feat by the Roebling family from 1869-1883.

To begin the study, students experimented with the strength of different forms, visited several different viewing points of the bridge, and drew and constructed their own bridges.  They learned about the need for a bridge across the East River, how the bridge was constructed  (caissons, anchorages, towers, cables and suspenders, roadway and elevated promenade) and how each part contributed to the overall strength of the bridge. They came to appreciate the commitment of John Roebling, who worked on the plans for fifteen years without pay and learned of the determination of his son Washington who took over as the chief engineer after his father’s death and continued working through his own painful illness.  They came to admire Washington’s wife Emily, who took over many of the responsibilities of the bridge when her husband became ill.

After learning the story of the bridge, students met in small groups to write scenes for a play.  They painted scenery in Art, made tools in Shop, and thought through their costumes.  This being the first time a study had taken them back in time, they gave thought to what language and clothing would be appropriate.  They performed to thundering applause from their appreciative families.  Click on the slide show to see the students in action.

Sincerely,

Dawn Wheatley

Lower School Assistant Principal

[flickrslideshow acct_name=”lrei-photos” id=”72157626917312140″]

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LETTERS FROM LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS

Luise and Bianca’s Kindergarten: Click here for an end-of-year letter from Luise and Bianca.

See below for an important letter from our school nurses:

Dear Families,

Instead of the usual spring mailing that you have received from the Nurse’s office in the past, you will now be able to download and print out our health forms from the new LREI website. To access these forms, please click on the following link:

http://www.lrei.org/community/parents/downloads

You can also navigate to the health forms on our site by clicking on “Our Community” in the red bar on the first page, scrolling up to click on “parents”, and then by clicking on “downloads”.

• Health forms need to be returned to the Nurse’s office by the end of August and be  current for the school year. If the date for your child’s physical falls on a birthday after the first day of school, send in a copy of the most recent health form with a note stating the date of the upcoming physical exam.

• The Parental Permission, Emergency Care, and Consent to Share Information boxes need to be signed and dated by you.

• Please note that in order to administer any medication, including over-the-counter medication, we must have the physician’s/prescriber’s signature in the space indicated at the bottom of the form.

• Make a copy of your child’s health form to be kept on file at home. You will need it to complete forms for school trips. (Camp health forms cannot be accepted as a substitute for our own form).

• Fifth and sixth grade families need to download the medical form for the Ashokan trip that takes place in September. Please bring this form to your pediatrician when your child goes for their school physical so both forms can be completed at the same time. You will be receiving more information about the Ashokan trip during the summer, and additional forms that you will need to complete.

• For families of High School students only: if you would like your child to be able to administer their own medication in school, please download the Self Medication Form that must be completed by you and your pediatrician. This form must be returned to the School Nurse.

• Families of students who will be keeping EpiPens in school need to download the Food Allergy Action Plan and bring it to your pediatrician to complete when your child goes for their school physical. This plan needs to be renewed on a yearly basis. In addition, you will also be receiving a letter in the mail that needs to be signed by you and returned to the School Nurse authorizing the school to administer emergency treatment in the event a severe allergic reaction.

To simplify the process of updating directory, emergency contact and trip card information, we will no longer be sending home paper forms for you to complete. Instead, we will be asking families to submit this information through the secure password protected area of the school’s website. You will receive detailed information about how to do this in a future communication.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Kitty Highstein RN

Sue Gower RN


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LOWER SCHOOL REMINDERS AND EVENTS

For the most up-to-date information visit the school’s online calendar at www.lrei.org/calendar. Click here to download the one-page 2010-11 school calendar.

Early Dismissal Tomorrow, Friday June 10th for high school graduation:
Afterschool closed

  • 4s-1st grade: 11:45 dismissal
  • 2nd-4th grade 12:00 dismissal

Early Dismissal Last Day of School, Tuesday June 14th:
Afterschool closed

  • 4s-1st grade: 11:45 dismissal
  • 2nd-4th grade 12:00 dismissal

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

From Denise J. Hills, Tuscaloosa City PTA Council President: Thank you SO much for your generous donation to the Tuscaloosa City PTA Council/Tornado Disaster Relief Fund. It is awesome to have schools helping schools. We are using funds to rebuild lives and our schools. Donations have been used to directly help children in the affected schools, and will be used to help purchase supplies for students and teachers for the next school year. This recovery is not a sprint, but a marathon. Our needs will continue long after the news tires of hearing of us. Thank you again for supporting our cause, and please refer your friends to our website, http://www.helptuscaloosaschools.com, to donate and for updates as to how funds are being used. you can also find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HelpTuscaloosaSchools.

Fly Time at the Yard: Kids Make Dance is a fun new summer dance camp for students 6-10 years old at the Yard- the beautiful dance center in Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard. The dance and choreography camp will be taught by Deborah Damast, our own lower school movement and dance teacher and assisted by graduate students of hers from NYU Dance Education Program. Parents can sign up for 1-4 weeks, classes are Monday through Friday from 9:00am-12:00pm, with a Family sharing day each Friday. The mission of the camp is to challenge the children through fun, active dance classes building skill and technique, nurture the child’s choreographic voice and individual artistic expression, and develop each child’s artistry and connections to professional dancers in residency at the Yard, and to the community of Martha’s Vineyard If LREI parents are interested or have any questions, they can contact the Yard directly or email Deborah at ddamast@lrei.org. Hope to see some of you on the Vineyard dancing this summer! Click here to view the program website. Download a flyer here and a registration form here.

From Athletic Director, Peter Fisher:
Get ready for LREI Basketball Camp! Great players are made in the off-season!
Don’t miss this opportunity to work on basketball skills, play fun and exciting games, and hang out with all your friends! Varsity basketball coaches and players will be running drills and skill work in the mornings, breaking for lunch, and then running games and tournaments in the afternoons. The camp runs from 9AM-4PM for one week only: June 20-24. We have two gyms (Thompson Street Athletic Center and our High School) and are looking forward to a big turnout. The camp is open to all fourth though eighth graders, no matter their skill level.
If you are interested, please contact Peter Fisher — pfisher@lrei.org 212-477-5316 ext 233


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LOWER SCHOOL PARENT REPRESENTATIVES 2010-2011

Beth’s Fours Maren Berthelsen, Becca Markley
Fours/K Marjorie Goldner,
Sara Taplitz
Elizabeth’s K Juliet Burrows,
Carmen Lenzi
Luise’s K Shannon Barden,
Yael Goverover
Gina’s 1st Diane Hoffman,
Ceci Van Blerkom
Galen’s 1st Dawn Eig,
Christine Boyle
Rebecca’s 1st Hilary Meltzer,
Mishi Hosono
Tasha’s 2nd Mary Gerzema,
Linda Phillips
Deborah’s 2nd A.M. Homes,
Fia Hatsav,
Julia Wilbur
Dan’s 3rd Holly Glass,
Denise Roederer
Vonick’s 3rd Heather McMaster,
Beth Dary
Dina’s 4th Connie Butler,
Lara Olivieri
Kate’s 4th Susan Harris,
Liselotte Vince