The Farm
The farm is a unique and treasured overnight trip in third and fourth grade. (Assuredly, our students do not have nature deficit disorder.) What they do have is a rite of passage, a social studies and science curricular connection, a bonding experience, much reliance on each other, trust in their teachers, powerful and genuine feelings of efficacy, hardiness for cleaning barns, sweetness in caring for pigs and calves, and tremendous pride that they can be away from home (while missing it of course) with each other for almost four days.
Little gems actually uttered last week on the farm…
Student: My feet are sooo cold.
Teacher: Did you wear your warm socks today?
Student: I’m supposed to be wearing socks?
“I wish I could live here.”
“I got to see a chicken and hold an egg.” (This student told this to every child she passed.)
“See you later – at dinner.” (The child was talking to a chicken.)
“We named the pig, cow and the cow, pig.”
“You know, washing dishes isn’t as much fun as you’d think.”
“My feet are cold, my hands hurt, my nose is running, I’m tired, but I’m having so much fun!”
“This is the best meal I ever had.”
“I can’t believe I’m not scared now,” (after a horse ride and herding the cows).
“I’m going to try something new everyday!”
“I can’t believe horse poop is green inside.”
“I am having so much fun.”
We welcome the second group of third and fourth graders back home from the farm this Friday. (And as much fun as they are having, we do miss them!)
~Namita
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LETTERS FROM LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS
Danielle & Anne’s Fours: Just a reminder for parents to bring their child’s recycling bag in to school THIS Friday. We are looking forward to seeing what the Fours bring in!
Shop News, from shop teacher Peggy: First Graders have finished their puzzles and are presenting them in the Sixth Avenue lobby display case. Don’t miss seeing them!
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LINKS OF INTEREST FOR STUDENTS
*World Rainforest Week: Tell President Obama to help save our rainforests! More rainforests are disappearing every year and we must act quickly to protect those that are still standing. This year, for World Rainforest Week, click here to send President Obama and Todd Stern, his chief climate negotiator, a message.
*Matthew’s Secret Door is a book written by the father and son team Christopher and Matthew Christopher Moore. But on its way to becoming a book, it became a musical, MATTHEW TAKES MANNAHATTA, which opens this month at the off-Broadway Vital Children’s Theatre in Manhattan. Click here for a preview of the musical in this month’s Time Out Kids New York.
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UPCOMING LOWER SCHOOL MEETINGS & 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 2009-10 school calendar.
10/23 Dot‘s 3rd grade & Dina’s 4th grade return from Farm Trips
10/24 It’s My Park Day: Celebrate the City Parks Foundation by planting flowers around the trees in front of our school. Click here for more details.
10/25 The LREI Halloween Fair is this Sunday, October 25 from 1 – 4 p.m. at the Thompson Street Athletic Center. Click here to see the scary poster! Help us set up and decorate on Saturday from 1 – 4 p.m.; it will be lots of fun for all, and children are welcome. Also, the Halloween Fair t-shirts have arrived! They are on sale today and tomorrow, as well as at the Fair.
10/30 Learn Your Library: All are invited to “learn your library” and to meet our award winning librarians. Click here for details.
11/6 & 11/13 LS/MS Parent Teacher Conferences: Lower School closed. Sign-up sheets for childcare (conference only or full day) will be in the lobby starting next week. There is no Afterschool on these dates.
11/9 Middle School Tour for 4th Grade Parents – 8:45 a.m. Parents of Fourth Graders, please attend a special tour and talk about Middle School with Mark Silberberg, Middle School Principal.
11/10 3rd & 4th Grade Math & Science Night, 6:30 p.m.
11/13 & 11/14 The Spirit of the Ridge – A play presented by Elisabeth Irwin High School.
Performances are Friday, November 13th at 7 p.m.
and Saturday, November 14th at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The play is specifically for young audiences
and a great must see for Lower School families
The story, about the Lenape indigenous Indians from the New York area,
is told from the perspective of two contemporary kids
who find an arrow-head in the woods.
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LOWER SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES
All Lower School Assemblies are held in our Auditorium at 8:45 a.m.
FALL 2009
10/21 – 2nd grade Music Assembly
10/28 – 1st grade Music Assembly
11/4 – 4th Grade Music Assembly
11/11 – Kindergarten Music Assembly
11/18 – 4s & 4s-K Music Assembly
12/2 – 3rd Grade Music Assembly
SPRING 2010
4/7 – 4s & 4s-K Music Assembly
4/14 – 1st Grade Music Assembly
4/21 – Kindergarten Music Assembly
4/28 – 2nd Grade Music Assembly
5/12 – 3rd Grade Music Assembly
5/19 – 4th Grade Music Assembly
5/26 – Kindergarten Movement Assembly
6/2 – 4s & 4s-K Movement Assembly
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UPCOMING PARENT ASSOCIATION MEETINGS
10/23 Halloween Meeting
10/23 Literary Committee Meeting
10/23 Beth’s Fours Potluck, 6 p.m.
10/23 Charles’ Fours-K Potluck, 6 p.m.
10/25 HALLOWEEN FAIR
10/26 Multi Cultural Committee Meeting
10/26 Red is Green Committee
10/26 Colleen’s 2nd Grade Potluck, 6 p.m.
10/26 Jamie’s 1st Grade Potluck, 6 p.m.
10/29 Luise’s Kindergarten Potluck, 6 p.m.
10/30 Halloween Meeting
10/30 Literary Committee Meeting
11/2 Multi Cultural Committee Meeting
11/5 LGSA Committee Meeting
11/5 Adult Chorus, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
*From the LREI Parent Handbook….Vacations: We remind families to only take vacations during LREI breaks and that your child’s time away from school does not begin before the school break does or end afterwards. Teachers use each scheduled day to support their classroom program goals and the School’s mission. Students who miss days adjacent to breaks, or who take vacations outside of our break times, miss work and can disrupt planned activities. This effects the learning of the absent students and her/his classmates. In addition, divisional or all-school assemblies often precede our longer vacations. These gatherings are essential for creating the sort of community that drew you to LREI. Students sing, listen to speakers, applaud their schoolmates, meet students in other divisions and generally strengthen community ties.
We will not honor families’ requests to receive work their children will miss due to family vacation plans. Families that are presented with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to make an extended visit to another city, country, etc. should speak to their child’s principal.
In general, we are focused on making sure that we are using each moment of each school day as effectively as possible. Part of being able to do this is to have each student in school each of these days. Thank you for your support of these efforts.
*Please click here to view a letter about Ally Week from Chap, our Director of Diversity and Community.
*Please check to make sure that the books that you return to the library are indeed library books. We have had a large number of non-library books returned in the past week! Thanks so much, Your Librarians.
*Red is Green Committee: We are still accepting plastic bags for our monthly recycling drive through Friday, October 30th. Starting Monday, November 2nd we will be collecting ink cartridges. Our next meeting is Monday, October 26th, at 8:45 a.m. in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.