Welcome back!

From guest blogger Phil Kassen:

Dear LREI Community,

Happy New Year. I hope that this note finds your family well and having enjoyed some restful and rejuvenating time during the Winter Break. On Monday morning the school was filled with children of all ages who, while looking a little sleepy, seemed quite happy to be back in school with their friends and teachers.

I want to take a moment to bring your attention to some special events coming this month. There are a number of events that will provide great wintertime activity. Most of the events and activities that I mention below can also be found on the calendar at http://www.LREI.org/calendar.

LREI Alumni College Panel—January 10th, 2007, 6:30PM at the high school, 40 Charlton Street. This discussion is an opportunity to meet and speak with some recent LREI graduates and to hear from them about their experiences and about how LREI prepared them for college.

LREI Athletics—Our basketball season is in full swing for all 10 teams! I encourage you to attend a home game at the Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street (between Houston Street and Prince Street.) You can find the schedules for all teams at http://www.lrei.org/athletics. In addition, we post a sign in the Sixth Avenue lobby each morning announcing any home games that afternoon. Upcoming home games include:

• Our 5th/6th grade intramural league, an instructional/recreational league for our youngest middle schoolers, plays each Friday from 3:30PM-5:15PM. These are great games for young fans.
• January 14th, 4:00PM—7th/8th grade Boys vs. St. Luke’s School
• January 16th, 4:15PM—7th/8th grade Girls vs. UNIS
• January 17th, 4:00PM—Varsity Boys vs. Garden School
• January 23rd, 5:00PM—JV Girls vs. Steiner
• January 24th, 4:30PM—Varsity Girls vs. Birch Wathen Lenox School
• February 21st, 4:00PM—JV Boys vs. Trevor Day School

There are many other home games on the schedule. Come out and cheer for our student athletes!!!

Karamu! —On Friday, January 25th from 6:00PM to 9:00PM the PA Multicultural Committee will host Karamu!, a celebration of food and the arts and community. Tickets will go on sale soon. This is one of the high points of each school year.

Finally, I encourage all families who are able to do so to make this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—Monday, January 21st—a day on rather than a day off. As stated by the Mayor’s Volunteer Center, “The mission of the MLK Day of Service is to realize Martin Luther King’s dream and legacy by breaking down barriers amongst people and establishing volunteer service as a means for social change.” Among the service opportunities available on this day are:

“Share the Dream, Live the Reality” will be held on Monday, January 21, 2008, from 9:00AM-3:30PM. The event will take place in Queens at Long Island City High School, 14-30 Broadway, Long Island City, NY. Please register now to join hundreds of volunteers and help revitalize the community by painting murals, cleaning schools, and giving back to the community. Register online as an individual or group. For additional questions, please call Shante Smith at 212-542-0798 or visit http://www.cityyear.org/newyork.

5th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Anti-Hunger Serve-A-Thon
On January 19th-21st, 2008, celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday by partaking in the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) 5th Annual Anti-Hunger Serve-A-Thon. The Anti-Hunger Serve-A-Thon is similar to a walk-a-thon, but instead of walking you’re performing a service to help pantries and kitchens meet their immediate needs. Individuals and groups can sign-up through the Coalition’s Volunteer Matching System to serve at selected food pantries and/or soup kitchens on Saturday, Jan. 19, Sunday, Jan. 20, and/or Monday, Jan. 21. The time commitment is flexible and is meant to fit within a busy schedule. Service opportunities will be available in all five boroughs. For questions, contact Andrea Dispenza 212-825-0028 ext 202, adispenza@nyccah.org.

Children for Children (http://www.childrenforchildren.org) hosts an annual event on this day. Last year, more than 2,000 volunteers came together for this event and we look forward to another momentous day this year. Participants will have the chance to complete a wide variety of hands-on projects, benefiting many different New York City-based and international causes. See their website for more details.

If you have suggestions of service opportunities available on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, please send me the information so that I can make it available to all.

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

As you can see, there are many opportunities to get involved in LREI events and events sponsored by other communities in the coming weeks. I hope that all LREI families find them enjoyable and enriching.

Best,
Phil

This Week’s Attachments
General:
College Panel Invite
Visibility Exhibit Letter
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) A reminder that the first Middle School dance will take place tomorrow, Friday, January 11th (this is a change from the January 18th date on the Art Calendar). The dance will start at 6:30PM for fifth graders and at 7:00PM for sixth-eighth graders. Fifth and sixth graders should be picked up at 8:30PM. The dance ends at 9:00PM for seventh and eighth graders. Please make sure that you have returned a permission form.

2) 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 will take place between January 8th-15th in the classroom. In this round, students respond orally to a series of geography 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 16th. The winner of the championship round will then take the state-qualifying test on Tuesday, January 22nd. Some useful 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

3) Middle School “Pajama Day” is scheduled for next Friday, January 18th. Highlights will include hot chocolate and cookies at lunch and stories read by 8th graders during independent reading. Here are a few guidelines, which were developed by the Student Representatives on the occasion of the first Pajama Day:

  • Just because it’s Pajama Day doesn’t mean the dress code went to sleep
  • A robe adds a nice touch
  • No lingerie or underwear
  • If you wear boxers, please wear some type of undergarment beneath
  • Slippers are fine, but you should bring a pair of shoes/sneakers (especially if you have PE)
  • Blankets and stuffed animals are welcomed, but should not be so big that they require their own desk
  • If you don’t wear pajamas, we do not want to know about it!
  • If you can imagine Mark wearing it, it is probably okay.

4) Afterschool Winter/Spring 2008 Registration: Information and registration forms for Afterschool at LREI’s Spring Core, Enrichment, and Instrumental programs is posted on the Afterschool page of the school’s website. You can also download Enrichment, Core and Instrumental registration forms by clicking on the attachments below:

The following is a schedule for the beginning of Afterschool in the New Year:

  • Monday, January 7th -Registration week begins. Registration for all programs will be processed starting at 3:00PM.
  • Friday, January 11th – The last day to register for Afterschool programs.
  • Monday, January 14th – All Enrichment Classes, Instrumental Lessons and Core Afterschool programs begin.

5) Please read the attached letter from the LREI Lesbian Gay Straight alliance (LGSA) announcing the upcoming Visibility show.

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 2007-2008 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) Parent meetings for the foreign language class trips to Spain and France will take place on Wednesday, 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.

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 . . .
No updates this week.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) On Friday, January 11th, the sixth grade will travel to the Met to see their arms and armor collection. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, and bottles).

2) On Tuesday, January 22nd, the sixth grade will travel to St. John the Divine for a series of medieval-themed workshops. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, and bottles).

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) On Thursday, January 31st, the fifth grade will travel to the Brooklyn Museum of Art to see the Egyptian collection. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, and bottles).

For additional information, follow these links:

  • Calendar of Events
  • LREI Athletics. For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and season recaps.
  • Click here to view the Middle School Photo Gallery.

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and other interesting school-related information.

Be well,
Mark

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