The Hiring Cycle
Dear Families:
A reminder that Family Conferences are scheduled for tomorrow and for Friday, April 28th (school dismisses at noon for afternoon conferences). Sign-up sheets for core teachers are posted outside of their rooms and sign-up sheets for specialist teachers are posted on the bulletin board outside of my office.
As we are currently in the midst of the hiring season for next year, I thought it would be useful to update you on the status of plans for next year. The hiring process is a collaborative one that involves all members of the Middle School faculty. After reviewing resumes and identifying potential candidates, candidates are asked to visit with us for a part of the day. During their visit, they meet with faculty, tour the building, and give a demo lesson.
Next year, fifth grade core teacher Gina Ma, seventh and eighth grade science teacher Rebecca Webb, and seventh and eighth grade art teacher Susan Leopold will be taking one-year maternity leaves so that they can spend time with their families, which will grow by one this summer. This will be an exciting time for them and we look forward to their visits during the year. We are in the process of seeing final candidates for these positions and hope to have these positions filled by the end of the month.
After many years of dedicated service to the LREI community, sixth grade math teacher Jenny Cashin will be returning to Canada to pursue graduate studies in mathematics education. Jenny’s contributions to the both the lower school and the middle school programs will be missed, but we are excited for her. I know that she will bring to this new adventure the same spirit of creativity and commitment that have defined her work here at LREI. I am also excited to report that lower school math coordinator Margaret Andrews will be joining us in the Middle School. This transition has also afforded us the opportunity to make some changes in the structure of the math department, which we believe will further enhance an already strong program. Margaret will take on a section of eighth grade math, fifth through seventh grade math seminar, and will provide math support for students experiencing challenges in math. In addition to teaching fifth grade math, Ana Chaney will also take on sixth grade math. Michelle Boehm will continue to teach seventh grade math and a section of eighth grade math and will also take on a piece of the math support program. I am excited about these new changes in the math department and am looking forward to having Margaret as part of our team.
Sixth grade core teacher Geoff LoConte will be relocating to Charlottesville, North Carolina to pursue teaching opportunities there. I am grateful for the dedicated time and energy that Geoff has given to our students and wish him the best on this new endeavor. Current eighth grade core teacher Frank Portella will join Lynne Cattafi in sixth grade and former seventh grade core teacher Noni Polhill, who has been on leave this year as a Klingenstein Fellow at Teachers College Columbia University, will join Sarah Barlow in eighth grade.
So this has been a busy time for us, but the opportunity to meet potential candidates has also provided us with an opportunity to reflect on the impressive work that takes place each day in the Middle School. I will keep you posted as the hiring process moves towards a conclusion.
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.lrei.org/weekly/ms/ to access the files.)General:
Middle School Parent Rep Meeting Minutes 4-18-06
LREI Summer Institute Flyer
2006 Arts Festival Form
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
New Math Unit Letter
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:
Of General Interest . . .
1) From Director of Development Pippa Gerard: Wednesday, April 26 is the Big Auction. We hope you are planning on attending! If you do not have a ticket yet but want one, we need to know for sure by Monday, 10:00 AM. If you do need a ticket, or if you cannot attend but would like to bid on an item, please contact Pippa Gerard at 212-477-5316, ext. 236 or via email at pgerard@lrei.org. The auction catalog is available in the Sixth Avenue lobby or on our website at http://www.lrei.org/caleven/ba2006/index.html. Many thanks for supporting LREI.
2) From High School Principal Tony Fisher: This year, the Arts Festival is occurring on Friday, April 28, and will involve all students in 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, April 14.
3) Summers at LREI announces the LREI Institute. Please read the attached flyer for information about this exciting summer opportunity for students.
4) For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.
5) LREI is a member of NYC-Parents in Action (NYC-PIA). NYC-PIA provides parenting education, information and a communications network to help parents prepare their children and teenagers to cope with social pressures and to make sound choices towards a future free of alcohol and drug abuse. You can access their on-line calendar of events at www.parentsinaction.org.
For Eighth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.
For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Please read the attached letter from math teacher Michelle Boehm about the new math unit.
For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) The intramural softball schedule can be found at http://lrei.org/athletics/mssoftball.html.
For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) The intramural softball schedule can be found at http://lrei.org/athletics/mssoftball.html.
Middle School Sports
Schedules and general information about Middle School sports programs can be found at http://lrei.org/athletics/at_4b.html. Information is also available through the LREI Sports Hotline at 212.477.5316 x 494.
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, April 28th, 12:10PM – 3:00PM – School closes at noon for Family Conferences
- Thursday, May 4th, 8:00AM– Lesbian/Gay/ Straight Alliance Meeting in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria.
- Friday, May 5th — Middle School Musical @ 7PM
- Saturday, May 6th — Middle School Musical @ 2PM and 7PM
- Tuesday, May 9th – Friday, May 12th — Eighth Grade trip to Gettysburg/DC
- Tuesday, May 16th, 8:15AM — Parent Rep Meeting
- Tuesday, May 16th, 6:30PM – MS Sports/Extracurricular Awards Night
- Thursday, May 18th, 6:30PM – Spring Concert
- Wednesday, May 24th, 6:30PM – HS New Families Reception
- Thursday, May 25th, 6:00PM — Middle School Parents of Children of Color meeting
- Thursday, May 25th – Book Fair in auditorium
- Friday, May 26th – Field Day – School Closes at noon for Memorial Day Weekend
- Monday, June 5th, 3:30PM – HS Placement Exams
- Tuesday, June 6th, 8:00AM – Sixth Grade Potluck and Poetry Breakfast
- Wednesday, June 7th, 3:30PM – HS Placement Exams
- Wednesday, June 7th, 6:30PM – Fifth Grade Grecian Festival and Potluck
- Thursday, June 8th, 8:15AM – Seventh Grade Potluck Breakfast and Constitution Works!
- Friday, June 9th – High School Graduation – School closes at noon.
- Friday, June 9th, 6:00PM – Eighth Grade Pre-Moving Up Party
- Monday, June 12th, 6:00PM – MS Dance
- Tuesday, June 13th, 9:00AM – MS Moving Up Ceremony – School closes at noon for Summer Break
Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and interesting information – http://www.lrei.org.
Be well,
Mark
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