Reflections on MLK
Dear Families:
On Wednesday, we held our annual MLK Assembly. This important assembly afforded us the opportunity to relfect individually and collectively on the legacy of Dr. King’s work and our own ethical obligations to continue this work. Students sang “Everybody Sing Freedom” and “We Shall Not Be Moved” and shared poems that they had fashioned from excerpts of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. As I listened to each poem, I was struck by the way in whch each student’s voice resonated with King’s words and, in a small way, helped to keep King’s dream alive. We also listened to excerpts from a speech delivered by Dr. King in 1967 on the subject of the Vietnam War. That these words, written in response to that particular moment in history, could just as easily have been written in response to the current war in Iraq gave us much to think about; they also forced us to confront the unfortunate truth that substantial work for civil and human rights that remains to be done.
In thinking about King’s call to action and our obligation to one another as members of this community, it is necessary that I inform you of conversations that Phil, Sharon Dupree (Director of Diversity and Community), and I have been having with students. In response to the recent middle school play, a number of concerns from a range of community members have been raised about certain stereotypical characterizations that were contained in the play. These characterizations were at odds with key values held by the LREI community and the discomfort they caused for members of the community must be acknowledged; I do so here. At the same time, while we hold these values as a standard, LREI is a community comprised of individuals and, like individuals, organizations can make missteps. So the question for us is what do we do? It is in that spirit that we have initiated these discussions in the middle school and will continue to do so. Through these discussions we will explore more deeply the values that LREI holds, their connection to us as individuals and members of this and other communities, and our obligations to each other as members of a community. I welcome your feedback on this issue, as this dialog is an important one.
In a parallel conversation, this past Friday the entire LREI faculty met with writer and educator Bill Ayers. We had all read his inspiring book To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher, which served as a jumping off point for valuable discussions of teaching practice, issues of social justice, and sustaining and enriching the learning community that we so value at LREI. We will continue our conversation with Bill throughout the year as we continue to address the many issues that confront our children. In so doing, it is our goal to provide LREI students with the opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to make ethical choices in an increasingly complex world.
This Week’s Attachments
(Click on the links below to open the attachments. If you are having trouble opening the links, go to http://www.columbia.edu/~mis14/ to access the files.)
1) Karamu
3) 7th Grade Math Update
2) Middle School Dance Update
3) Middle School Literary Festival
4) LREI Arts Festival
5) MS Parent Rep Meeting Minutes
Of School-wide Interest . . .
1) From High School Principal Tony Fisher’s weekly email: High School Librarian Karyn Silverman and Middle School Librarian Jennifer Hubert attended the prestigious Midwinter American Library Conference in Boston this past weekend. A number of LREI students – seven eighth graders, one ninth grader and one eleventh grader – attended the conference on Sunday to discuss their favorite books with the Best Books for Young Adults book list committee. The students were wonderfully articulate and impressed librarians and publishers from around the nation– and had a great time talking to publishers and receiving dozens of advance copies of new books.
2) Middle School “Pajama Day” WILL NOT take place tomorrow. It has been rescheduled for next Friday, January 28th.
3) The LREI Art Auction 2005 will be held at the I-20 Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, on Wednesday, February 2nd & Thursday, February 3rd. A kids afternoon at the auction, including scavenger hunt, drawing, candy and goodies will be held from4:00pm – 5:30pm on Wednesday. Reception and final bidding will take place on Thursday, February 3rd from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Admission is free.
4) Our first tsunami relief donation drive ends this Saturday. Please consult the list from the letter that is posted on our website.
5) Reminder: Our first middle school dance of the year is scheduled for Friday, February 4th at 7PM in the Charlton Street PAC. I have attached some general information about the dance, which can be accessed through the link above. This information will be especially useful for 5th Grade families and for families new to LREI. I wanted to get this information to you now so that you had a general overview of the dance. Next weeks email will contain more detailed information and permission forms.
6) Reminder: A Message from Michel de Konkoly Thege, Director of Finance and Operations, about Re-Enrollment for 2005-2006: Materials to re-enroll students for the 2005-2006 school year are being mailed during the week of January 10 to all families whose students are in good academic standing and where tuition obligations that are currently due have been paid or arrangements made for payment. In the case of families that are not current on tuition obligations, no re-enrollment materials will be mailed until payment or an arrangement for payment is made, and LREI will begin the process to fill the spot in the relevant grade on January 17. In the case of families applying for tuition remission, re-enrollment materials are being mailed in cases where the applications, including the Report of Family Contribution from School and Student Service for Financial Aid, are complete.
7) Reminder: From High School Principal Tony Fisher: I have attached a workshop proposal form for LREI Arts Festival 2005! This year, the Arts Festival is occurring on Friday, February 11, and will involve all students from grades 8 through 12. This is an exciting day when students choose from a variety of workshops offered by faculty, friends, parents and others in and out of the LREI school community. The workshops run in the morning and are followed by an afternoon of exhibitions. For more details, please see the attachment; in particular, if you or someone you know is interested in offering a workshop, please send the form in to me by Friday, January 28.
8) Reminder: We are now in the process of organizing this year’s Middle School Literary Festival, which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 16th. This annual event, which is a celebration of the writing and reading that goes on in our community everyday, is an excellent opportunity for parental involvement. Please read the attached letter from Middle School Dean of Students Noni Polhill for more information.
9) Reminder: Please join us for Karamu!, the annual performing arts celebration sponsored by the PA Multicultural Committee. Great performances, food and dancing for the whole family. Friday, January 28th. 5:00-9:00 PM. Tickets go on sale Monday, Jan. 24th; they always sell out quickly! Please also participate in our family photo exhibit; the purple “frames” were sent home this week (extras available in lobby). We look forward to seeing the photos around the school! (Flyer attached.)
Looking Ahead . . .
On the LREI web site additional information about upcoming events can be found at http://www.lrei.org/caleven/index.html (the middle school events page can be found at http://www.lrei.org/midschool/Events.html)
- Friday, January 21st, 8:30AM — Multicultural Comm. Mtg.
- Friday, January 21st, 8:30AM — Lit.Comm.Mtg.
- Friday, January 21st – Love Shakespeare production for 7th and 8th graders @ 2:00PM
- Monday, January 24th, 8:00AM — Development Comm. Mtg.
- Tuesday, January 25th, 5:30PM — Enroll. & Mkt. Comm. Mtg.
- Wednesday, January 26th, 6:30PM — PA Exec. Bd. Mtg. w/Phil ChSt. caf
- Friday, January 28th, 5:00PM – KARAMU (set up at noon) ChSt. PAC
- Saturday, January 29th, 7:00PM — Coffeehouse, ChSt. PAC
- Wednesday, February 2nd, 10:00AM – 6th Grade to Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
- Tuesday, February 1st, 8:00AM — Sports Comm. Mtg.
- Wednesday, February 2nd — Art Auction
- Thursday, February 3rd, 8:00AM — LGSA Mtg.
- Thursday, February 3rd — Art Auction
- Friday, February 4th, 7:00PM — MS Dance
- Thursday, February 10th, 8:45AM — PA Exec. Bd. Mtg., 6th Ave. caf.
- Friday, February 11th — HS Arts Festival
- Monday, February 14th, 9:00AM — Comm.Serv.Mtg.
- Tuesday, February 15th, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep Mtg.
- Tuesday, February 15th – Thursday, February 17th — ERBs
- Wednesday, February 16th — Literary Festival
- Friday, February 18th, 8:30AM — Lit.Comm.Mtg.
- Monday, February 21st — Presidents’ Weekend – school closed
- Tuesday, February 22nd — Presidents’ Weekend – school closed
- Thursday, February 24th, 8:45AM — PA Exec. Bd. Mtg. w/Phil, 6th Ave.caf
- Thursday, February 24th — LS Art Show
- Friday, February 25th — LS Art Show
- Friday, February 25th – 6th Grade to the Met (arms and armor exhibit)
Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and interesting information – http://www.lrei.org.
Be well,
Mark
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