CSI: LREI

Dear Families:

I write this blog as eighth graders are about to step into our auditorium, which has been transformed into a courtroom, for our annual Forensics Evening. It was only a handful of weeks ago that students entered their science class to find that a “crime” had been committed. Science teacher Stephen Volkmann’s treasured CD “Scientists of the 20th Century Sing Your Favorite Songs” had been stolen. Left behind was a set of clues that he hoped would lead students to discover the faculty member guilty of the crime. So the students set themselves to work investigating the clues, doing research on related scientific concepts and developing experiments to test their hypotheses about the clues.

As an observer to the unfolding of this experience over the past few weeks, it has been most exciting to watch students wrestle with the evidence, revise questions until they were focused and testable, and develop well-conceived plans for investigating the key evidence in the case. In the midst of all the legal trappings of the evening, it is important not to lose sight of the many important science concepts at the heart of the investigation: the role of kinetic energy in the cooling of a liquid, the relationship between temperature and kinetic energy, the effect of various insulating materials on the rate of cooling of a substance, the behavior of solutes, the nature of homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, methods for separating substances dissolved in a liquid and for determining the mass of the dissolved substance, using chromatography as a means for separating pigments, the impact of the presence of a solute on the boiling point of a mixture, the impact that the concentration of a substance can have on the flammability of a mixture, controlling for variables in an experimental design, and understanding and accounting for variability inherent to data collection.

I have no doubt that Stephen and his league of young sleuths will spend some time debriefing the experience and determining how their work on this mystery will inform future work. That said, I hear the gavel banging and the court being called to order . . .

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:

2007-2008 Calendar
Parents in Action Flyer
Eighth Grade:

DC Trip Payment Letter

Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .

1) Upcoming Parent Events–Facebook, AIM, Club Penguin, BitTorents, YouTube, and countless other old, new and emerging web technologies are used by our children everyday. What do you know about them? How safe are they for your kids? Are there ways to make your child/tween/teen’s computer environment safer and more productive? What can you do as a parent? What can the school do? The answers to these and other questions in a frank discussion on kids and technology moderated by the LREI tech coordinators. We will visit some sites, explore options that will make you child’s cyber-environment safer and give you an overview of what we teach at LREI about internet safety. Additional resources will be given out for parents on paper and on http://www.lrei.org/. Two sessions:

  • Session One for parents of 7th – 12th graders on April 17th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium
  • Session Two for parents of 3rd – 6th graders on April 18th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium.

2) Think LREI Big Auction! While shopping in your favorite stores or dining out at your favorite restaurant, take along some donor forms and make on-the-spot requests. It’s easier than you think! Think… Restaurants, Entertainment (tickets to shows, sporting events, film festivals), Beauty and Health (facials, massages, spa gift certificates), Wine, Champagne and Specialty Foods, Children’s Items, Services (passes to museums, classes, birthday party certificates), Designer Fashion (handbags, gift certificates, jewelry), Vacation Homes, Creative One-of-a-Kind Events (behind the scenes tours, backstage passes), Frequent Flyer Miles and Preferred Guest Points. Donation forms can be found here or in the Sixth Avenue and Charlton Street lobbies. If you have any questions, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org. Remember…The Big Auction is on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007. All proceeds of the auction support Tuition Assistance. Donations are tax deductible.

3) Summers at LREI: LREI Institute for ages 10-14
For the third year, Summers at LREI will offer LREI Institute for children ages 10 to 14 during June and July. The Institute is built around two-week major and minor workshops taught by specialists as well as teachers from LREI’s Middle and High Schools. The spacious summer format of the program allows students to work on extended projects, collaborate across disciplines, use the resources of the city as a classroom through field trips, and have lots of fun together. The following are the major workshops this summer. Major workshops meet mornings Monday-Thursday and for a full 9:00am-4:00pm day on Friday.

  • Session 1 June 18-June 29
    The Science of Invention taught by Stephen Volkmann
    Writing New York taught by Ariel Horn Levenson
    Documentary Moviemaking: Fact or Fiction taught by Vinay Chowdhry
  • Session 2 July 2-July 13
    Robotics taught by Sherezada Acosta
    Engineering: Building Bridges taught by Stephen Volkmann
    Moviemaking: Special Effects taught by Vinay Chowdhry
  • Session 3 July 16-July 27
    Challenge Course taught by Marcus Chung
    Chess taught by Micheas Yohannes

Minors are offered afternoons Monday-Thursday and are athletic or arts workshops. Offerings this year include Karate, Basketball, Drawing and Painting, Physical Theatre, and Summer in the City.
Students may register for major or minor workshops or for full days, including both.

Registration materials with full workshop descriptions will be mailed to Fourth Grade and Middle School families early next week. Information about the Institute is available at www.lrei.org on the Summers at LREI page. The registration form will be available online as well by Tuesday, April 17th. An Early Bird discount is available for registration by May 11th, 2007. Contact Catherine Friesen at the Summers at LREI office at 212-477-5316 ext. 506 or cfriesen@lrei.org for more information.

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

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) If you have not done so already, please read the attached letter with information about the upcoming DC trip.

2) Please note the following schedule changes for Middle School Softball practice:

  • Tuesdays at JJ Walker field from 7-8am
  • Thursdays at Pier 40 from 3:30-5:00pm

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Please note the following schedule changes for Middle School Softball practice:

  • Tuesdays at JJ Walker field from 7-8am
  • Thursdays at Pier 40 from 3:30-5:00pm

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week

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)

  • Saturday, April 14, 2007, 7:00PM — Human Rights Coffeehouse
  • Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 12:15PM — MS Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 7:00PM — Literary Evening
  • Thursday, April 19, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, April 20, 2007, 8:30AM — LS/MS Parent-Teacher Conferences-LS/MS Closed
  • Friday, April 27, 2007 — HS Arts Festival
  • Thursday, May 3 & Friday, May 4, 2007 — Middle School Art Show, Sixth Avenue Auditorium
  • Friday, May 11, 2007, 7:00PM — MS Musical
  • Saturday, May 12, 2007, 2:00PM and 7:00PM — MS Musical
  • Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:00AM — Eighth Grade to DC (return on Friday, May 18, 2006)
  • Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Thursday, May 17, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, May 18, 2007 — Seventh Grade HS Visiting Day
  • Saturday, May 19, 2007, 7:00PM — Literary Magazine Coffeehouse
  • Monday, May 21, 2007, 6:00PM — MS Awards Night
  • Thursday, May 24, 2007 — Spring Book Sale
  • Friday, May 25, 2007 — Field Day
  • Friday, May 25, 2007 — Memorial Day Weekend-School closes at 1:00PM (school reopens on Tuesday, May 29, 2006)
  • Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 8:00AM — Sixth Grade Potluck & Poetry Breakfast
  • Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 6:00PM — Fifth Grade Grecian Festival & Potluck
  • Thursday, June 7, 2007, 8:00AM — Seventh Grade Potluck Breakfast and Constitution Works
  • Friday, June 8, 2007 — High School Graduation (regular dismissal for MS)
  • Friday, June 8, 2007 — MS End of 4th Quarter
  • Friday, June 8, 2007, 6:00PM — Eighth Grade Pre-Moving Up Party
  • Monday, June 11, 2007, 6:00PM — MS Dance
  • Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 9:00AM — Eighth Grade Moving Up
  • Tuesday, June 12, 2007 — Last Day of School, School closes at 12:00PM for all Divisions

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

Be well,

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