The Power of Letters

Dear Families:

This week in our MLK Assembly, after a communal singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” we looked to Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” for inspiration. Student representatives read selections from the essay against a backdrop of images that chronicled the events that took place in Birmingham during the spring and summer of 1963. As they read, we reflected on the power of words and the role that they play in supporting social justice movements. Building on this idea, we also watched a short film called “One Million Postcards” that told the story of the efforts of two young girls to support a social justice action. We ended the assembly portion of our activities with a rousing singing of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.”

As a continuation of the ideas and issues explored in the assembly, students met in their advisory groups to discuss issues of importance on which they wanted to take a stand. Each advisory then agreed on an issue of shared interest; we are now in the process of drafing letters on these issues. Advisory groups will also research who should receive these letters. This may include local city council representatives, members of Congress, or the President. The discussions in advisory groups were heartfelt and passionate. So as we reflect on the life and work of Martin Luter King, we understand that it is our obligation to continue to raise our voices against injustice and in support of our common humanity.

IThis 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:
Parents in Action Flyer
Eighth Grade:
Costa Rica Trip Form
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) Save the Date: The 2007 LREI Art Auction is scheduled for Wednesday, January 31st and Thursday, February 1st, and will take place at I-20 Gallery at 529 West 20th Street (11th Floor) NYC. Admission is Free – Reception and Final Bidding on Thursday, February 1st, 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Auction catalogs will be available on Monday, January 22 in the Sixth Avenue Lobby. Visit the auction website at www.lrei.org/caleven/aa_2007/index.html to preview the exhibition, pre-register and get further information.

2) A reminder that the first Middle School dance will take place tomorrow, Friday, January 19th (this is a change from the February 2nd date on the Art Calendar). The dance will start at 6:30PM for fifth graders and at 7:00PM for sixth-eighth graders. PLeas emake sure that you hav ereturned a permission form.

3) It’s time again for the Middle School to participate in the National Geographic Geography Bee (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographybee/index.html). The first round of the Bee will take place between January 12th-19th in the classroom. In this round, students respond orally to a series of geography-related questions. Participation in the Bee is voluntary and those who don’t want to participate will serve as the audience for their peers who do choose to participate. We will do the final and championship rounds at Middle School meeting on Wednesday, January 24th. The winner of the championship round will then take the state-qualifying test on Monday, January 29th. If you think your child may be interested in participating, some useful preparation resources can be found at:

http://geography.about.com/library/quiz/blpreviss.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/ax/newquizstart.html
http://geography.about.com/od/testyourknowledge/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographybee/resources.html

4) Meeting About Tuition Increase and 2007-2008 Budget: Michel de Konkoly Thege, Director of Finance and Operations, will give presentations to the LREI community concerning the planned tuition increase and overall budget for the 2007-2008 school year. These presentations will take place at 6:30PM on Tuesday, January 16th in the Charlton Street cafeteria and at 8:00AM and 8:45AM on Wednesday, January 24th in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. All parents and other members of the LREI community are invited to attend and ask questions.

5) There’s an updated Home Game only basketball schedule on the web – enjoy !
http://www.lrei.org/athletics/pdf/winter_sports_home.pdf

6) For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.

7) 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. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2006-2007 calendar. You can also access their on-line calendar of events at www.parentsinaction.org.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) Parent meetings for the foreign language class trips to Costa Rica and France will take place on Tuesday, January 23rd at 800AM. Gabrielle’s meeting will be held in the auditorium and Sharyn’s meeting will be held in the science lab. These meetings will provide an opportunity to here more about the specifics of the trip and to ask questions. Some additional points to help you prepare for the meeting:

  • We will be asking for information including medical info and prescriptions, allergies, emergency contacts, birthdays abroad, etc.

  • Please bring in a copy of your child’s passport (or the passport and we’ll make a copy)

  • We will talk about the itinerary, evening activities, currency (electrical and monetary) etc

  • Please plan to be there with your child so that everyone is on the same page in terms of educational and behavioral expectations.

  • For those going to Costa Rica: Costa Rica requires a parental permission form to be signed and notarized for Gabrielle to take your child into and out of the country. Please read the attachment carefully. You should print the form and bring it filled out and notarized to the meeting. If you fill out the form and would like to get it notarized at the meeting, Gabrielle will try to arrange that. Please let her know.

  • You can email Gabrielle (gkeller@lrei.org) or Sharyn (shahn@lrei.org) anytime with questions/concerns that you’d like addressed at the meeting.

 

 

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Looking Ahead at LREI: All parents of third to seventh grade students are being invited to an informal evening with Director Phil Kassen for a conversation about “The Value of an LREI Education” as your child enters the middle and upper years. Invitations were mailed to you this week. Please note you are given three evenings to choose from in order to accommodate your schedule: January 18th or January 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rowena Penaranda (ext. 295) or Sandra Song (ext. 275).

2) Our annual seventh grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening will take place on Wednesday, February 7th, at 6:30PM. If you have any issues/concerns/questions that you would like School Psychologist Andrew Weiss or me to address, please email one of us (aweiss@lrei.org or msilberberg@lrei.org).

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Looking Ahead at LREI: All parents of third to seventh grade students are being invited to an informal evening with Director Phil Kassen for a conversation about “The Value of an LREI Education” as your child enters the middle and upper years. Invitations were mailed to you this week. Please note you are given three evenings to choose from in order to accommodate your schedule: January 9th, January 18th or January 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rowena Penaranda (ext. 295) or Sandra Song (ext. 275).

2) Our annual fifth and sixth grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening will take place on Monday, February 5th, at 6:30PM. If you have any issues/concerns/questions that you would like School Psychologist Andrew Weiss or me to address, please email one of us (aweiss@lrei.org or msilberberg@lrei.org).

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Looking Ahead at LREI: All parents of third to seventh grade students are being invited to an informal evening with Director Phil Kassen for a conversation about “The Value of an LREI Education” as your child enters the middle and upper years. Invitations were mailed to you this week. Please note you are given three evenings to choose from in order to accommodate your schedule: January 9th, January 18th or January 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rowena Penaranda (ext. 295) or Sandra Song (ext. 275).

2) Next Thursday, January 25th, the fifth grade will be visiting the Brooklyn Museum’s Ancient Egyptian galleries. While at the museum students will be making observations using writing and sketching activities. We will be leaving LREI at 10:00AM to meet our 11:00AM appointment. Please be sure your child brings a bag lunch to school that day (no seeds, nuts or glass bottles) and dresses appropriately for the weather.

3) Our annual fifth and sixth grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening will take place on Monday, February 5th, at 6:30PM. If you have any issues/concerns/questions that you would like School Psychologist Andrew Weiss or me to address, please email one of us (aweiss@lrei.org or msilberberg@lrei.org).

Middle School Sports
Schedules, permission forms and general information about Middle School sports programs can be found at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/index.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)

  • Monday, January 15, 2007 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday-School Closed
  • Tuesday, January 16, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, January 17, 2007 — MS MLK Assembly
  • Thursday, January 18, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, January 19, 2007 — MS End of 2nd Quarter
  • Friday, January 19, 2007, 7:00PM — MS Dance
  • Thursday, January 25th, 11:00AM — Fifth grade to the Brooklyn Museum to view their Egyptian collection
  • Friday, January 26, 2007, 5:00PM – Karamu
  • Saturday, February 3, 2007, 7:00PM – Coffeehouse
  • Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Tuesday, February 13, 2007 — MS ERBs (through Thursday, February 15, 2006)
  • Wednesday, February 14, 2007 — MS Literary Festival
  • Thursday, February 15, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Meeting
  • Monday, February 19, 2007 — Presidents’ Weekend-School Closed (school reopens on Wednesday, February 21, 2007)
  • Wednesday, February 21, 2007 — MS Black History Month Assembly
  • Friday, February 23rd — 8th grade Spanish classes to the Guggenheim
  • Friday, February 23, 2007, 7:30PM — Eighth Grade DISC Dance @ Grace Church
  • Thursday, March 15, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6:00PM — Sixth Grade Medieval Pageant
  • Thursday, March 22, 2007 — Fifth Grade Egyptian Tomb
  • Friday, March 23, 2007 — Founder’s Day
  • Friday, March 23, 2007 — MS End of 3rd Quarter
  • Friday, March 23, 2007 — Spring Break-School closes at 12:00PM (school reopens on Monday, April 9, 2006)

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and interesting information – http://www.lrei.org.

Be well,
Mark

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