Welcome Conference Reminders
Dear Parents,
Tomorrow, Friday, September 17th, parents in first through fourth grades will have their welcome conferences with teachers. (Please see below for locations.) Parents of Fours, Fours-K, and Kindergarten have already had welcome conferences and we hope it was both enjoyable and useful for you to have this time with your teachers!
Even though we are holding conferences tomorrow for grades one through four, tomorrow is a normal school day for all lower school students. Fours, Fours-K, and Kindergarten students will have a completely normal schedule. Students in first through fourth grades will have truly memorably special classes with their wonderful PE, Art, Science, Woodworking, Dance, Technology, and other specialist teachers. They’ll do some regularly scheduled Friday activities and they’ll do some special events (one group is going to NYU for a dance workshop!).
Please use your welcome conference to convey important information about your child directly to the teachers. While your child’s previous teacher has already passed along information in June to this year’s teacher, the direct communication and relationship between parents and teachers is also very important to us. Parents should bring any thoughts they’d like to share about their child to the welcome conferences, keeping in mind the brief time allotted (15 minutes), and knowing that questions about the classroom and curriculum will be answered on Curriculum Night. At welcome conferences, parents can expect teachers to ask them about such things as academic goals, friendship or social development information, personality, milestones, family changes and so on.
Sincerely,
Namita Tolia
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LETTERS FROM LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS
(click on the links below to view and print notes from teachers)
Deborah and Randi’s 2nd Grade: Click here to hear from Deborah and Randi about building community in 2nd grade and get important information about the school year.
Luise and Bianca’s Kindergarten: Click here for a note of introduction to the many specialists who will work with the students this year.
Diane and Alexia’s 4s/K: Click here to read Diane and Alexia’s letter about the “Nuts and Bolts” of 4s/K.
Tasha and Shawn’s 2nd grade: Click here to hear about a book that Tasha and Shawn’s class read recently and the discussion it generated.
Julie’s Spanish:
In Spanish this week, second graders have been talking excitedly about some very unusual, hybrid animals whose photographs appeared in the New York Times. Many second graders asked me to write down the names of these animals so that they could look at the photos with you at home. Here is a link to the online article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/science/14creatures.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Wholphin&st=cse
We gave each animal a Spanish name by combining the names of the its parents. We call the liger a ligre, the wholphin a belfin, and the zorse a cebrallo. We also invented one of our own: an elefancho. Can you guess what two animals it is a combination of?
Dan and Jessica’s 3rd grade: Click here for a preview of curriculum night and some important information about the coming year from Dan and Jessica.
Vonick and Jason’s 3rd Grade: Click here to learn more about how you can best support the students’ study of math in third grade.
Dina and Farrah’s 4th grade: Click here to hear from Dina and Farrah about the students’ summer poems and an upcoming field trip.
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LOWER SCHOOL REMINDERS
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.
Friday, Sept 17 – 1st-4th grade welcome conferences are on September 17th. All Lower School students have a regular school day. Grades 1-4 have some special classes but a fairly normal schedule. Conference locations are listed below.
- Rebecca’s Conference Location: Namita’s Office (located on the second floor of the Lower School).
- Gina’s Conference Location: Harriet, LS Learning Specialist’s Office (on the third floor of the Lower School).
- Galen’s Conference Location: Dawn’s Office (located on the third floor of the Lower School).
- Tasha’s Conference Location: Wendy’s 5th Grade Classroom (on the third floor of the Middle School).
- Deborah’s Conference Location: Heather’s 5th Grade Classroom (on the third floor of the Middle School).
- Dan’s Conference Location: Middle School Learning Lab (on the third floor of the Middle School).
- Vonick’s Conference Location: Charissa’s Office (on the fourth floor of the Lower School).
- Dina’s Conference Location: Frank’s 6th Grade Classroom (on the third floor of the Middle School).
- Kate’s Conference Location: Lynne’s 6th Grade Room (on the second floor of the Middle School).
Monday, September 20 – LREI New Parents Reception: Carol Sedwick and Michael Patrick ’71, LREI Board Chair, cordially invite you to the New Parents Reception from 6-8 PM at 250 West 94th Street (between Broadway and West End).
Math Handbooks at Welcome Conferences: At your Friday Welcome Conference, all parents will receive a hardcover math handbook to help support your child(ren) as they work on their mathematical thinking at home. It will need to be returned at the end of the school year. Teachers will provide more information about this wonderful parent resource on Curriculum Night. In the meantime, please feel free to direct any questions to Rose Reilly, our Lower School Math Coordinator, at rreilly@lrei.org.
Wednesday, Sept 22 – LS and MS Photo Day – Marty Hyman Photography will be taking individual portraits of each student and each class. All students will have their picture taken on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010. To get the best photo of your child, please make sure they are dressed appropriately that day. Weather permitting, the photos will be taken outside. We will notify you a few weeks after photo day via email when your child’s proofs are ready to be viewed online for purchase.
Thursday, Sept 23 – Curriculum Night for Fours, Fours-K, and First Grades – Begins promptly at 6pm in the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. Childcare is available for students enrolled at LREI. The cost is $15 per child and $5 for each additional (sibling) child. Pizza and juice will be served. If you intend to use this service, please contact Mary Shea, at mshea@lrei.org or 212.477.5316 x244, as soon as possible. The deadline to sign up for curriculum night childcare is Tuesday, September 21st.
Thursday, Sept 30 – Curriculum Night for Second-Fourth Grades – Begins promptly at 6pm in the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. Childcare is available for students enrolled at LREI. The cost is $15 per child and $5 for each additional (sibling) child. Pizza and juice will be served. If you intend to use this service, please contact Mary Shea, at mshea@lrei.org or 212.477.5316 x244, as soon as possible. The deadline to sign up for curriculum night childcare is Tuesday, September 28th.
Wednesday, Oct 6 – Third Grade Farm Trip Parent Information Meeting: All Third Grade Families, please join us on October 6th at 8:45 am in the cafeteria to learn more about this year’s exciting trip to the farm.
Math Breakfasts are coming soon! Learn more about our constructivist math curriculum and our mathematics teaching approach at math breakfasts. You will meet Rose Reilly, Lower School Math Coordinator, and learn real ways to support your child’s math learning. See below for date, time, and location information. All math breakfasts begin at 8:45 am.
- 1st grade Parent Math Breakfast: October 15th in the cafeteria
- 2nd grade Parent Math Breakfast: October 22nd in the cafeteria
- 3rd grade Parent Math Breakfast: October 28th in the cafeteria
- 4th grade Parent Math Breakfast: November 2nd in the cafeteria
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LOWER SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES
All Lower School Assemblies are held in our Auditorium at 8:45 a.m, unless otherwise noted.
Wed, Oct 20, 2010: 2nd Grade Music Assembly
Wed, Oct 27, 2010: First Grade Assembly
Wed, Nov 3, 2010: 4th Grade Music Assembly
Wed, Nov 10, 2010: Ks Music Assembly
Wed, Nov 17, 2010: Fours/Fours K Assembly
Wed, Dec 1, 2010: 3rd Gr. Assembly
Fri, Dec 17, 2010: 10:15am, Lower School Winter Assembly
Wed, Jan 19, 2011: 9:00am, LS MLK Jr. Assembly
Wed, Feb 23, 2011: 9:00am Families Assembly
Wed, Apr 13, 2011: First Gr. Assembly
Wed, Apr 20, 2011: K’s Music Assembly
Wed, Apr 27, 2011: 2nd Gr. Assembly
Wed, May 4, 2011: 4s/4k Assembly
Wed, May 11, 2011: 3rd Gr. Assembly
Wed, May 18, 2011: 4th Gr. Assembly
Wed, May 25, 2011: K’s Movement Assembly
Wed, Jun 1, 2011: 4s/4k Movement Assembly
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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
Hillary Butler
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