Thanksgiving Tradition

Dear Families,

At the end of our short yet wonderful school day today, several parents asked me to describe the Thanksgiving Assembly. As I gushed about how angelic the students voices sounded as they sang together, how proud we were of 2nd and 4th graders who explained the Can Food Drive and the Penny Harvest to their schoolmates, how moved we were by fourth graders Sal Agnello who opened and closed our assembly with his ceremonial American Indian flute-playing, and the tradition of sharing freshly baked breads with those in need and with each other – it became quite clear that I needed to at least send a few snapshots out to all of you. I can’t decide if the highlight of the morning was the children’s beautiful voices or the special guest we had (long-time progressive educator and LREI 3rd grade teacher for 34 years, Grace Cohen) sharing from LREI lore.

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It seems that many years ago, the children were singing the same closing song, “Indian Prayer,” and a young man walked by who had composed the music. He heard the children singing through the open windows and knocked on the door (the Bleecker St door, for there was no other). He told the then-music teacher that he had composed the song to lament the broken promise of this nation to the American Indians that certain parcels of land “shall always be Indian.” It is a beautiful and moving melody, and to hear the children sing it brought moisture to more than one teacher’s eye, myself included.

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We also spent a quiet moment altogether remembering those people in our lives we are thankful for, who make our lives good. As we all get to spend Thanksgiving with many of those folks, we wish our whole community a restful time full of new and old traditions.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Namita

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LOWER SCHOOL NOTES & ATTACHMENTS
(click on the links below to view and print information from teachers and specialists.)

  • All grades: Please click here for the ‘at a glance’ calendar for the 2008-09 school year.

 

UPCOMING PARENT MEETINGS & EVENTS

  • 12/1: School Re-opens
  • 12/3, 8:45AM: Third grade Assembly
  • 12/4, 8:45AM: LGSA Meeting
  • 12/5, 6:30PM: POCOC Book Club Evening
  • For an up-to-date, searchable all school calendar, please visit www.lrei.org/calendar

 

 

 

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

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The LS and MS Parents of Children of Color Committees (POCOCs) Book Club:
Sponsored by the Lower School and Middle School Parents of Children of Color Committees (POCOCs)

The POCOC Winter Book Club for Kids is here! We look forward to another fun evening of books, camaraderie, community building and of course, food!

Important Dates:
Book Club meets December 5th 2008 6-8pm
Please RSVP Dec 3rd

A few notes: Please click here (1120-POCOCbookclub) for details including the books we have chosen for the children. This book club is for kids (not adults) if you are the parent of a child of color of the lower school, we invite you to bring your child/children and join us. If you are a new family with a child of color, we particularly invite you to come and meet other families with children of color and expand your network of friendship and support within the school. You do not have to be a member of the POCOC to participate; the book club is for all children of color in the lower school. If you have preschool children please feel free to bring them to the Book Club. We will be reading books to the younger ones and doing an art project with them as well.

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Holiday Helpers, from the Class of 2010:
Dear Parents, Do you need to get your holiday shopping done without the stress of dragging your children along with you? Send them to Holiday Helpers sponsored by the class of 2010!

On Saturday, December 6th between 9:00AM-3:00PM, the eleventh grade will be hosting a Day of Holiday Fun for your children. Activities will include holiday card making, movies, games, and much, much more! We will provide lunch to those children who are with us between 12:00PM and 1:30PM and healthy snacks for all. The high school students participating in this event all have babysitting experience and there will be three faculty members present, including the high school nurse, Joanne. We believe this day of holiday cheer will be beneficial for parents and enjoyable for the kids. The hourly fee is $8.50 and 50% off for families of two or more.

For more information or to reserve a spot contact:

You can also sign up at the Sixth Avenue reception desk.

Note: This event is a fundraiser for the class of 2010 and your support is greatly appreciated.
We hope to see you and your child on December 6th!

Sincerely,
The Class of 2010

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