Teacher Farewells
Dear Families,
As the end of the school year approaches, class picnics begin, as well as “What To Expect Next Year” informational meetings.” (Look for yours below if your child will be in grades one through five next fall). This time of year we also begin the process of saying farewell to teachers who are leaving LREI because of new chapters in their lives. This is not easy, especially if your child has had one of these folks this year or in the past. While we are happy for each of them and wish them well as they embark on something different next fall, we will miss them, as will many of your children. In each case, the decision was not easy for our teachers either.
Please encourage your child to write a note or a card, or drop by and say a few words to connect with someone who means a lot to them, some time between now and the end of the school year. Meanwhile, our community will also welcome wonderful new teachers in September who will themselves soon become Lower School fixtures, like Michael and Vonick have this past year!
First, Sue Ribaudo, our splendid Early Childhood Music Teacher, is retiring to re-dedicate herself to the Threshold Choir, her women’s choir that sings for seriously ill patients and hospice patients and to recording children’s songs. Second, Colleen Corbett, second grade teacher, has decided to stay home full time with her son Ryder. Becka Buurma, third grade teacher, will be moving to Philadelphia to attend UPenn for a second masters specializing in literacy education and to be nearer to family. Dot Portella will be leaving to become second grade teacher at The Blue School. Charles Hassell is moving to Colorado this August, where he will be working in a Denver independent school. Penny Prior, who has so wonderfully and ably filled in for Jamie this spring, is searching for a permanent teaching position. Finally Danielle Cheriff, who was so nurturing to our extra class of Fours this year, will be heading to The Town School to do the same for their three year olds. Some associate teachers will also leave as they generally do after two to three years of training here. Most of them are still finalizing their plans and will certainly let your children know directly if they will not be returning next fall.
Several hiring committees have worked hard this spring to fill some very big shoes. In first grade, to continue to fill in for Jamie’s maternity leave, Galen White will be joining LREI. Galen is an experienced teacher who is currently teaching second grade at the well-known progressive school, Shady Hill, in Massachusetts. She has also taught first grade at The American School in London and at a Brooklyn charter school. When I met her in Cambridge, her warm smile and sweet demeanor assured me she was a great choice for our first graders. Her love of books and enthusiasm for math will certainly also come through to the kids.
In second grade, we will welcome Deborah Hodge. Deborah has taught at The Berkeley Carroll School and The Episcopal School. While she was home with her children, she also helped run a cooperative nursery school. As soon as Deborah described a project in which her second graders sewed their own pants (yes, they really wore them) from pattern, to muslin, to final touches, we suspected we had found a kindred LREI spirit.
In third grade, we welcome Dan Raphael who is a graduate of Bank Street College of Education. Dan has taught second, third, and fourth grades at The Berkeley Carroll School, but third and fourth are his favorites. Dan did a brave thing when he visited LREI, leading a third grade class in a timely exercise about the US Census and how they could design a similar survey for their own grade or school. The students were engrossed and enthusiastic! Looking forward to Dan’s clear dedication to social studies.
Finally, Sheri Gottlieb will be teaching music to our youngest ones. Sheri has taught music for many years at many schools, including Trevor Day and Village Community School. She currently mentors music teachers in Brooklyn through the Conservatory of Music. Her gentle and confident presence with young children impressed us. When a reference warned me that she might teach children civil rights songs, I knew we were on the right track.
Sincerely,
Namita
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LETTERS FROM LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS
Danielle & Anne’s Fours: Please click here for this week’s updates.
Beth & Samson’s Fours: Please click here for this week’s updates.
Dot & Becka’s 3rd Grade: Click here for our weekly letter!
Dina & Jessi’s 4th Grade: Click here for our newsletter. Also, click here for Student Sample Work, click here for the Immigration March info, and here for Math Questions. Thanks!
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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.
4/29 Just a heads up that our first MS Visual Art Show and Performing Arts Festival evening event will open this Thursday, April 29th at 6:00PM for seventh and eighth grade families and at 6:30PM for the rest of the community. The evening will feature studio art work from students in all grades, digital art created by the eighth graders and performances by the seventh and eighth grade performing arts major classes (instrumental music, vocal music, dance and drama). The entire Sixth Avenue building will come alive with the arts on this special evening. We hope to see you all there. In addition, the art displays in the auditorium will also be up on Friday, April 30th.
5/3 What to Expect in First Grade, 8:45 a.m. in the 6th Avenue Cafeteria.
5/4 High School Preview Event: Are you thinking about what is on the horizon for your 4th and 5th graders? Please join us on Tuesday, May 4th at 8:30 a.m. for High School Preview Morning with Ruth Jurgensen, HS Principal. You will learn about the program, hear from students and briefly see classes in action as we tour our fabulous new space! Contact the admissions office at bscott@lrei.org to confirm your attendance no later than April 30th. This event is a rescheduling of the High School Preview evening previously slated for April.
5/6 What to Expect in Second Grade, 8:45 a.m. in the 6th Avenue Cafeteria.
5/7 Grandparents and Special Friends Day. We are looking forward to a day of fun classroom visits! The following are updated schedules of the day: please click here for the morning schedule (fours through first grade families), and click here for the afternoon schedule (second through fourth grade). If you have not yet rsvp’d please do so as soon as possible, or no later than Wednesday, April 28, 2010. Because we are expecting every child to have a grandparent or special friend that day, we need to know who will be visiting with your child. For those children who do not have a guest, we will arrange one from within the school (teachers and staff). Please call or email Lower School Assistant Dena Tasse-Winter (dwinter@lrei.org) and let her know the name of your child’s visitor or if they need one to be arranged.
5/13 Stir the Pot: Taste of the Future — Thursday, May 13th at 6:00 p.m., Charlton Street. Please click here for more information.
5/13 What to Expect in Third Grade, 8:45 a.m. in the 6th Avenue Cafeteria.
5/14 What to Expect in Fourth Grade, 8:45 a.m. in the 6th Avenue Cafeteria.
5/19 What to Expect in Fifth Grade, 8:00 a.m. in the 6th Avenue Cafeteria. Immediately following this meeting, please head up for the Fourth Grade Assembly, featuring their Immigration Musical!
6/4 – 6/6 Save the date: the 17th Annual LREI Camping Trip will take place June 4 -6 this year at the Riverbend Group Campground along the Delaware River. All LREI families and their children — from all grades pre-K through high school — are invited to participate. Watch for details and sign-up tables coming soon! If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help organize, please contact Larry White at LWhite@stern.nyu or (212) 533-1966.
6/7 – 6/8 Middle School Musical: Travel back to the legendary days of ancient China with this stage adaption of Disney’s Mulan. This is a heartwarming celebration of culture, honor and a fighting spirit. Come see the middle school musical, with an outstanding set, Beautiful costumes, action, singing and dancing. This production is sure to delight your sense and guarantees a wonderful family night out. Tickets are on sale in the Sixth Avenue lobby from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. on Monday, May 3rd and all week. Directed by Joanne Magee; Musical Director, Matthew McLean; Choreographer, Peggy Peloquin.
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LOWER SCHOOL END OF YEAR CLASS PICNICS
5/4 Dot’s 3rd Grade
5/5 Vonick’s 3rd Grade
5/10 Danielle’s Fours
5/11 Dina’s 4th Grade
5/12 Colleen’s 2nd Grade
5/17 Rebecca’s 1st Grade
5/18 Tasha’s 2nd Grade
5/19 Gina’s 1st Grade
5/24 Luise’s Kindergarten
5/26 Penny’s 1st Grade
6/2 Elizabeth’s Kindergarten
6/7 Diane’s Fours-K
6/8 Beth’s Fours
6/9 Kate’s 4th Grade
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LOWER SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES
All Lower School Music Assemblies are held in our Auditorium at 8:45 a.m., and all Movement Assemblies are held in the P.A.P.A.S. (on the Fourth Floor) at 8:45 a.m.
5/12 3rd Grade Music Assembly
5/19 4th Grade Music Assembly
5/26 Kindergarten Movement Assembly
6/2 4s & Movement Assembly
6/3 4s-K Movement Assembly (please note the change in date.)
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UPCOMING PARENT ASSOCIATION MEETINGS
5/5 Stir the Pot Committee Meeting
5/6 LGSA Committee Meeting
5/7 Literary Committee Meeting
5/11 Stir the Pot Committee Meeting
5/12 Stir the Pot Committee Meeting
5/14 Literary Committee Meeting
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please click here for notes from the April 26th Internet Safety Meeting.
An announcement from Jesse, Lower School Librarian: On Saturday, May 1st comes the annual event known as Free Comic Book Day. It’s as simple as the title suggests: go to your local comic book store and they give you FREE COMIC BOOKS. To find out which comic books are available, and to find a comic shop near you, just visit http://www.freecomicbookday.com/comics.asp. Be aware that, depending on your neighborhood, there might be a line at the store, so checking on hours couldn’t hurt. Enjoy!
For next year PA interested parents:
Spring is here, so we are starting to plan for the next school year. The PA would like to let you know the many ways you can participate. Becoming a parent rep is a great way to get involved. If you have not been a parent rep before but would like to try it or find out more about it, please let us know. We would be happy to talk to you more about what the job entails. In the meantime, you can look at the Family Handbook, page 36 (link on our website www.LREI.org) for the Parent Rep Guidelines. Of course, until the classes are actually made up for next year (mid-August or so), we cannot match parent reps to classes.
If you’re looking for other ways to get involved, you could consider volunteering for any of our PA committees; please click here for the list. Also in the Family Handbook (p. 38), is a list of the co-chairs of the PA committees if you would like to contact them for more information.
Please email us at PA-Presidents@lrei.org if you would like to get involved.
Thank you,
Regina Trumbull and Kim Hostler
From the Art Auction… Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Art Auction a rounding success! There are still some pieces of art for sale so please visit http://artauction.lrei.org/ for additional information and to view items that are available. Additionally, there are still tickets available for two exciting events coming up this spring — click here for more details!
From Red is Green Committee: April’s recycle drive is… Corks. Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. While it is a renewable resource, it takes a long time to harvest (25 years for the first harvest, 9 years thereafter). We recycle corks either by fulfilling teacher demand for them, or sending them to Terracycle, who turns them into products like cork boards. Drop off all used corks – natural or synthetic, wine or champagne. Drop off corks in the Red is Green bins in the Sixth Ave. or Charlton St. lobbies through the month of April.