Everything Old is New Again
Dear LREI Community,
Welcome to March—today it was warm enough for adventurous sixth graders to pull out a pair of shorts only a few days after our second snow day of the year. I missed this historic event as last Friday I was in San Francisco for the National Association of Independent School’s Annual Conference. It was a fascinating two days during which I heard a number of engaging speakers. Among the sessions I attended was a panel discussion entitled, “Building Schools for a Digital Age, Imagining Schools of the Future.” During one exchange, the moderator, Wanda M. Holland Greene—the head of the Hamlin School in San Francisco—asked what the panelists thought that schools would look like in the future. One panelist, Milton Chen, senior fellow at Edutopia: The George Lucas Education Foundation, said, “The future is changing, but it’s going to look a lot like the past. We’re returning to an age when kids were taught in a more intimate way.” As recounted on the NAIS web site, he then “cited the intersection of what technology offers with the ideas of progressive education pioneer John Dewey, calling him ‘Saint John.’ Chen said that Edutopia, the Lucas Foundation online space, is very much about project-based learning and integrated studies that break down the boundaries between disciplines.” “Dewey wanted to make kids more responsible for their own learning,” said Chen. Sounds a lot like LREI.
Stanford education profession Shelley Goldman also spoke of Dewey. In response to Chen’s comments she said, “Milton reminds me that I love Dewey, and his quote, ‘Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
In a conversation of where we all need to be headed, it was nice to hear references to one of LREI’s founders and about one of our ongoing guiding principals.
On other fronts:
- GO KNIGHTS! Congratulations to our JV Boys Basketball Team on winning the league championship!!! We are so proud of you. We are also proud of the members of our other intermural basketball teams—middle school boys and girls 7th/8th grade teams and the varsity boys and girls teams—all of whom made it to their league’s playoffs. There are still two Fridays of 5th/6th intramural basketball left—Friday, March 5th and Friday, March 12th from 3:30-5:30 in the Thompson Street Athletic Center. Come and cheer for our youngest athletes.
- Congratulations to the cast and crew of the high school’s production of Urinetown. Mark your calendars now; the middle school musical is coming the first week in May.
- Speaking of the first week in May….Grandparents/Special Friends Day is coming on May 7th for Lower and Middle School students. We will be sending invitations out very soon. If you have not given us addresses yet, please email them to lsacks@lrei.org. Thanks.
- Our seniors are finishing their last full term of classes and are preparing for their senior projects, which include a six-week internship. We have students looking for internships in a number of fields, including: human rights, film/television/music production, medicine, photography, animation and the hospitality industry. If you are able to offer, or have access to, internships in these fields or in others, please contact our high school principal, Ruth Jurgensen at rjurgensen@lrei.org.
Enjoy,
Phil
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LETTERS FROM LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS
Vonick & Randi’s Third Grade: Please click here for this week’s updates!
Dot & Becka’s Third Grade: Click here for a letter from Chap, Director of Diversity & Community.
A Note to All Families from Peggy, in Woodshop: Our Second Graders made percussion instruments to be used in music class. Their shakers have inside and outside sounds. Be sure to see them in the Sixth Avenue lobby display case!
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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.
2/22 – 3/19 VISIBILITY: Lesbian and Gay People We Love, an LREI community photo exhibit. Please join LREI in celebrating diversity at the Visibility Photo Exhibit! Submit a photo of your family with a loved one who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. Visit the exhibit and show support for family, friends and community. Come to the opening ceremony to share stories and experiences about visibility. For more information, click here or contact Carrie Borows or Merril Stern at visibility@lrei.org.
3/8 VISIBILITY Opening Reception – The Visibility Opening Reception will be held Monday March 8th, 6pm – 8pm at the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. Please join us to celebrate this year’s exhibit which includes over 120 submissions. Drinks and hor d’oevres will be served. For more information contact Visibility@lrei.org.
3/8 Summers at LREI Registration – General Registration for Little Red Summer Camp (ages 3.4-13) and Musical Theater Workshop (ages 7-8 and 9-14) will open on Monday, March 8th in the early afternoon. Registration will be online through our website, directly accessible by going to summers.lrei.org. We will send an email to LREI families on Friday with more detailed instructions about how to register. You may also go to the website to view details about our programs, including class descriptions. Please note that as programs fill quickly, we recommend registering early.
Little Red Summer Camp and Musical Theater Workshop are offered in three two-week sessions as follows:
Session 1: June 28-July 9
Session 2: July 12-July 23
Session 3: July 23-August 6
3/19 Spring Break — School closes at 11:45 a.m. for 4s through 1st grade, and at 12 noon for 2nd through 4th grades. School resumes on Monday, April 5. Happy Spring!
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LOWER SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES
All Lower School Assemblies are held in our Auditorium at 8:45 a.m.
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
Please click here for the Minutes from the Parent Rep Meeting on February 18th.
3/10 Tasting Event Committee
3/10 Parent SEED Meeting – Sixth Avenue
3/11 Adoption Committee Meeting
3/12 Literary Committee Meeting
3/15 Multi Cultural Committee Meeting
3/16 LS POCOC Meeting
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
*We want your recipes! Plans for the LREI Community Cookbook are under way, and we are now seeking recipes from all members of the community. Recipes can be for any dish that you would bring to a potluck. Please send recipes or questions to cookbook@lrei.org. The deadline for recipes is March 19 (right before Spring Break). Help us create a cookbook that represents the diversity of our community!
*Grandparents and Special Friends Day will be held on Friday, May 7th. Fours to First Grade – morning, Second Grade to Fourth Grade – afternoon. Please send your names for Grandparent and Special Friends to Liza Sacks, lsacks@lrei.org, 212-477-5317 ext. 291. Invitations will be mailed in March.
*From the Red is Green and Community Services Committees…
Donate Old Cell Phones: Cell phones will be donated to Phones for Haiti, a partnership with the American Red Cross and ReCellular, Inc. For more info, see phonesforhaiti.com. By donating your old cell phone, you can provide critical aid to people in Haiti, protect the environment and bring new technology to developing areas. 100% of the proceeds from Phones for Haiti will go to aid victims of the Earthquake in Haiti.
Recycle Used Batteries: We will accept all rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Electronic waste is the fastest growing concern in the world! Batteries contain toxic substances like mercury that are harmful to our landfills. Don’t throw them out in your regular trash – let us help you recycle them.
Batteries and cell phones can be dropped of in the Red is Green recycle bins at the Sixth Ave. and Charlton St. lobbies throughout February and March.