Absences and Lateness Presence and punctual arrival at school each day is essential to having a successful school experience. If a student will be absent or late, parents must notify their student’s advisor prior to 9:00 am via email.

All planned absences should ideally be scheduled outside the hours of the school day and/or during vacations.

Middle School students who arrive after school starts must sign in at the reception desk. Chronic lateness is viewed as a serious issue. For all students:

  • After 5 latenesses families will receive a phone call from their child’s advisor
  • After 8 latenesses families will receive a phone call from the Middle School Principal. At this point, students with 8 or more latenesses will not be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities on the days they are late to school.  
  • After 10 latenesses families will be asked to join the principal for an in-person meeting.

Middle school students may not participate in extracurricular activities on days they are absent from school or arrive after 10:00 a.m.
Activity Period During the last period of the day on Friday, teachers offer various elective activities for students. Students sign up to participate in the club or activity of their choice and though they are not guaranteed their first choice, the activities rotate several times throughout the year and many activities are offered more than once. Students are encouraged to propose activities according to their own interests and approach teachers to be faculty advisors. Some examples of clubs and activities are:  Band, Model Congress, Yearbook, Newspaper, Comic Book Club, Tinkering, and Running Club.
Advisors Each year students are assigned an Advisor who is the primary point of contact for the student. Advisors meet with families at the start of the year and serve as facilitators at Student-Led Conferences. They do not necessarily have all the information about their advisees, but are capable of helping families and students connect with the right people and often do have insights they share. They meet weekly with their advisees in a small group.
Affinity Groups Affinity spaces are an important part of life in the Middle School. They are a space where students can share and process experiences and to find strength in each others’ company. All students are required to be in an Affinity Group. They meet bi-weekly and are organized around a variety of identity markers. Each group is led by a teacher or staff member who shares that identity. 
Afterschool Students cannot remain in the building post-dismissal unless they are involved in a recognized program. Fifth and sixth graders who are enrolled in Afterschool should report to their program. Extracurriculars in the Middle School vary year-to-year, however, we consistently have a theater program that does two shows per year. Details about other programs, such as Robotics, are announced in September.
Arrival Students are invited to homeroom at 8:15 am. If students arrive prior to 8:15 am, they can be in the Little Red Square or the benches in the lobby. If they are in the building, cell phones and Smart Watches must be away.
Buddies Every class in LREI is matched with a Buddy class. Twelfth grade is with fifth grade and they move down from there. At specific times, they get together in their classrooms or for special events.
Cell Phones Students may bring their phone to school but it must be away from when they enter the building to when they leave the building. When students arrive in homeroom, they must  put their phone in their assigned lockbox where it will remain until the end of the day. If a parent needs to get in touch with their child, they should call the front desk. Phones that are not turned in will be confiscated and given to the principal. Parents may be required to come in to collect the phone. Repeated infractions may result in other disciplinary consequences and the loss of the privilege of bringing these devices to school. When students collect their phones at the end of the school day, they should exit the building to use them, as they are not allowed to use them while in the building. This policy also applies to devices such as Apple Watches.
Choices Each homeroom participates in the Choices Seminar. Classes meet once a week. Topics discussed in the class include decision-making, peer pressure, stealing, stereotyping, teasing, street/home safety, substance abuse, and sexuality issues. 
Connect LREI Connect is the primary piece of software that the Middle School uses. It serves a variety of purposes including, but not limited to: daily school calendar, class schedule, assignment posting, grades, narrative reports, communication, health forms, and a variety of resources. Tutorials will be offered in the fall each year so that students and families feel confident in using it. Questions concerning the system should be directed to the Middle School Principal.
Dances There are winter and spring dances every year. Students are welcome to dress up or down, and there are always non-dance options (like games) available as an option for socializing. The Downtown Independent School Council (DISC) includes LREI, St. Luke’s, Village Community School (VCS), City and Country School, Friend’s Seminary, and Grace Church School. Schools in DISC host a dance for students from single grade across the schools.
Dismissal Dismissal time in the middle school is 3:15 pm. Students are dismissed from their homeroom and exit the building by themselves. Each family should establish agreed upon routines for where their child should be for pick-up. At dismissal, students are expected to leave the building unless they are (1) meeting with a teacher, (2) have an approved after school activity, or (3) are in the after-school program/enrichment class. No one can be in an unsupervised classroom after school. Fifth and sixth graders who are in Core Afterschool should report directly to their Afterschool classroom. Students who re-enter the school building after they have left in the afternoon must let the receptionist know where they are going.
Fall Trips Typically, during the third week of October, each grade in the Middle School goes away for a multi-day field trip.
Habits of Mind In addition to the content standards that students are graded on in each of their classes, all students are also assessed on standards that fall into the categories of Discussion and Listening, Autonomy, Classroom Citizenship, and Complexity. These skills are assessed across all classes and are where students can focus their effort to go above and beyond in their daily efforts. 
Halloween Halloween is celebrated each year in the Middle School. See the Appendix C.
Homeroom This is the time for students to:

  • hang up their coat and unpack their backpack;
  • review the day’s schedule;
  • sharpen pencils;
  • read or chat quietly;
  • check in with their advisor.

Homeroom activities start by 8:20. Morning meeting sets the tone for the day. It is a time for organizing, announcements, and community-building. It is essential for students to be there on time and ready to begin. This means that the the five minute passing time between 8:15 and 8:20 really needs to be used for arriving and settling-in. Students are expected to be unpacked, seated, and ready by 8:20.
Independent Work Period (IWP) In the afternoons, homeroom is used to create a homework plan and is followed by a time for students to complete assignments and to meet with teachers for extra help and support, called Independent Work Period. 
Learning Lab Learning Lab opens at 3:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. It happens in room m309. It is supervised by the Middle School Learning Specialists: Mala Beckhoff and Susannah Flicker. It stays open until 4:30 pm. Students must enter the lab with a specific assignment to work on and identify that to the supervising teacher who can then serve to assist them with it.
Lockers All students have a locker in their homeroom. They should strive to keep it tidy but are encouraged to decorate it and store their school materials in it throughout the day.
Lunch Lunch is an important time for the Middle School community to come together. Students may not skip lunch to do school work. In certain circumstances, students may have assigned seats. Middle School lunch is served family style so that you can practice important cooperative and socialization skills. In general, lunch is a free social time for students and is a 30 minute block.
Middle School Meeting Middle School Meeting happens twice a month. It can be used as an Olympics block, a Student Rep-led meeting, or an Affinity Group-led meeting.
Moving Up Ceremony An all-school event in June where we celebrate and honor the eighth grade as they prepare to move up to our high school.
Olympics At the start of each year, students are assigned mixed-age Olympic Teams where they spend the year competing in fun challenges. This culminates at the end of April in Spirit Week where students dress up each day, and where Friday is an all-day competition filled with games, including the infamous lip-sync contest.
Recess Every Middle School student has a half-hour of recess each day. Recess takes place at the Houston Street ball field, which is located at the corner of Houston Street and Sixth Avenue. Recess equipment is maintained by the class reps and is stored in their homerooms. Students are expected to go to recess and are not permitted to stay in simply because they’d rather not go out (e.g., “It is too cold.”). However, students may stay in from recess to attend a club or complete work only if they have permission from a teacher and are going to be supervised by an adult.
Reports Reports are sent out at the end of each trimester. They include descriptions of curriculum in each class, specific narrative comments about a student’s work, and standards-based feedback from the trimester. Students should review these reports with their family. It’s vital to see the reports as snapshots of where each student is at a particular moment in the year and understand that all students make progress as the year progresses. Our goal is to support students so that they are clear on what they’re doing well and what they can do better. The first and third trimester reports comments are written by each child’s teachers, which provide additional information about areas of strength and challenge. The second trimester report contains a self-evaluation comment written by the student, which is focused on identifying an achievable goal(s) for the third trimester. 
Snack All students are provided with a snack at the end of the day during homeroom.
Standards Based Feedback The Middle School uses standards-based feedback  (sometimes also referred to as “mastery grading”). This means that students receive feedback about how much progress they are making in developing specific skills, understandings, or habits of mind. Any single assignment – whether homework, classwork, a test, or a project – might be used to measure progress in several of these standards at once. Students are assessed on a spectrum:

 ——-Emerging———————Practicing———————Achieving———-

Students are typically assessed on any specific skill more than one time. Although not always the case. Students often receive “Emerging” when they are just starting out or if they are not doing the work; they are regularly in “Practicing” zone as that is when they are learning how to do something and using the skill in a variety of contexts; “Achieving” signifies that a student has applied the skill in an area of use. It’s not unusual for a student to receive one piece of feedback on one day, and a different the next, as this signifies a new context or application of a skill. 
Student Clubs Students are able to create and run clubs during the lunch/recess hour. They need a faculty member who agrees to supervise and a classroom in which to meet. Students publicize these offerings by announcing them during Middle School Meeting, by making announcements in homeroom, and by creating flyers and posters. Typically, these clubs meet every other week and students are able to participate on a drop-in basis. Some examples of lunchtime clubs include the Newspaper Club, the Environmental Club, and Dr. Who Club. Offerings change each year with interest.
Student Representatives Two representatives are elected from each class at the start of the third trimester (four representatives per grade). They serve one year terms. Students who wish to serve, write speeches and share them in front of their homerooms. Reps meet with Middle School Assistant Principal one morning a week to discuss topics of interest to students.
Student-Led Conferences Student-Led Conferences happen twice a year: in November and in April. Daily classes do not happen on these days. Students prepare for these conferences throughout the year, reflecting on their work and social interactions with their teachers. Working closely with their Advisor, students lead these conferences speaking about their progress and their goals. The Advisor is there as a facilitator to ensure that the student is able to effectively share their preparations with their family. In addition to sharing their own thinking, students also share brief comments from their teachers during these conferences. Families are given time to ask their child questions about their progress, growth, and goals. If families feel the need, they can reach out to subject teachers to discuss additional questions that come up during these conferences.
Study Group Study Group is designed for those students who experience difficulties completing homework on time. Seventh and eighth graders who miss a homework assignment attend study group that day. Study Group is held daily from 3:15-3:45 pm.  Students work independently on homework during this time.  Middle School faculty members proctor Study Group on a rotating basis.
World Language Trips These optional trips happen during the spring and typically use some portion of spring break. Students travel to countries where the language they’ve been studying is a primary language used. The history and culture of these countries are intertwined with the eighth grade curriculum in these classes and there is a public presentation after the trips. Students who are not enrolled in a world language can choose one to attend if they would like.