Focused on Student Understanding

Dear Families,

Last Friday, progress reports for the second quarter were sent home. The reports provide an important opportunity for shared discussion about successes to date and challenges to address as we move forward into the second half of the year. In reviewing assessments for the second quarter, we hope that you will look at the progress for this quarter in a broader context of your child’s overall learning experience. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to take the opportunity to speak with your child about his/her perceptions of the work s/he has completed this past quarter and how s/he sees this work in relation to the work completed last quarter. This will help to frame your ongoing discussions about her/his learning experience.

While progress reports provide an opportunity to reflect on a student’s progress and to think about strengths and challenges, it is important to remember that assessment is an on-going process at LREI; it is a means to an end, but not an end in and of itself. Its aim is to improve student understanding of key ideas and skills. In the Middle School, teachers strive to develop assessments that are learner-centered and focused on student understanding in relation to the particular goals identified for each area of inquiry. Rather than being separate from learning, assessment plays a central role in the instructional process. The assessment process also sheds light on which instructional strategies are most effective. Through thoughtful assessment, the teacher gains critical feedback for choosing and utilizing those teaching strategies that can best help a learner progress towards the goals of a particular unit of study. Opportunities for meaningful assessment also allow students to gain deeper insight into areas of strength and challenge and allow them to develop plans to address growth in both of these areas.

Also on the subject of assessment, I’d like to say a few words about the upcoming ERBs, which are scheduled For February 10th-12th. The ERBs represent one piece of the assessment puzzle at LREI and it is important that they are seen in this light. They convey useful information, but not the full-picture of a child’s achievement. While the content of the ERBs is generally aligned to grade-level expectations, there are areas where this is not the case. For example, a math concept that appears on the sixth grade test, may not be addressed in our curriculum until the seventh grade and teaching this concept out of context may not always make sense. Your child’s teachers will make every attempt to identify these particular alignment areas. So while much of our ERB prep is focused on reviewing concepts that have been addressed in the curriculum, teaching general test prep skills, and helping students to feel comfortable with standardized testing conditions, our focus tends not to be on “cramming” new concepts. Please do not hesitate to speak with me if you have questions about the ERB process.

Of General Interest . . .

1) Director’s Drop-In — Phil will be available for drop-in conversations in his Sixth Avenue office from 8:45AM-9:30AM on Friday, January 30th; Thursday, February 12th; Thursday, February 19th and Friday, March 6th. Drop in, ask a question, and hear about what is going on at LREI. Can’t make these times? Give a call or send and email.

2) Important Dates:

  • February 1, 2009: Re-enrollment contracts are due.

3) Red is Green Committee Updates:

  • During the month of January we teamed up with the Nike Grind Program. We were able to recycle over 100 pairs of sneakers which will be turned into playgrounds and sports surfaces.
  • If you still have holiday and greeting cards lying around, your last day to drop them off is this Friday January 30. No photo cards please.
  • In February, we will be partnering with Project KOPEG to recycle cell
    phones, chargers, ipods, inkjet cartridges and digital cameras.  And the
    best part is we can raise money for LREI by recycling our electronic waste!
    Look for the drop-off boxes in the 6th Ave lobby and the high school lobby
    beginning Monday February 2.
  • Get to School the Green Way: Also beginning in February, we are starting a campaign to encourage everyone at LREI to find an eco-friendly way to get to school. Walk with your kids, ride bicycles, use public transportation or even carpool. Once a month we will have Get to School the Green Way! Reduce greenhouse gases and get the kids involved at the same time. Our first Get to School the Green Way will be Wednesday, February 25, rain or shine!

4) Calling All Embroidery Buffs! Embroider a square for the 2009 Big Auction Community Quilt. All squares must be completed by February 1, 2009. Please see the PDF for details.

5) The first Coffeehouse for 2009 will be on February 7th at 7:00PM in the Charlton Street PAC. The High School Community Service Roundtable will be sponsoring this event. If you would like to participate or your child would like to participate, please contact Micah at 212-477-5316, x 304. The coffeehouse on the calendar for Janunary 24th is canceled.

6) Have a Heart, Get a Heart: We’re collecting new and gently used clothes and baby equipment for children 0 to 5 years for donation to “Room-to-Grow” (click here for details on items you could donate). On February 11th, 12th and 13th, when you drop your donations to the Sixth Ave. lobby you’ll get a heart sticker. Click here for more information.

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

8) 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 2008-2009 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

  • February 9, 2009
    Teen Scene XXIII
    Park East Day School, 164 East 68th Street (between Third and Lexington Avenues)
    6:00-8:00 pm
    Co-sponsored with Parents League. Panelists: Independent School Teenagers. Moderator: Lucy Martin Gianino. Space is limited.RSVP Required. For reservations, click here.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Fifth Grade:
Sixth Grade:

For All Grades . . .
1) From LREI Athletic Director Peter Fisher: I am writing to let you know we have some fantastic basketball teams working very hard who would love to see you in the stands at their games. When the stands are packed there is unbelievable energy in the gym. If you have time, please try to catch some of the action. I know the players would appreciate some additional support from our LREI community; so if you haven’t seen them play, now is the time! The MS boys team is battling for the final playoff spot and the MS girls team is undefeated! Both of our teams are playing very exciting basketball and battling for playoff spots, so make sure you come check them out! Remaining games:

  • MS GIRLS
    Away    : Thursday, Feb 5th, vs Brooklyn Friends
    Away    : Friday, Feb 6th, vs St. Hilda’s
    Home    : Monday, Feb 9th, vs Columbia Prep, 4:00
    Home    : Thursday, Feb 19th vs St. Lukes, 4:00
  • MS BOYS
    Home    : Thursday, Jan 29th, vs Columbia Prep, 4:00
    Away    : Tuesday, Feb 3rd, vs Browning

Click here for all LREI team schedules and here for league standings. Many thanks to those who have been to the games so far! GO KNIGHTS!

2) Just a reminder that the Middle School dance originally scheduled for Friday, January 9th, has been rescheduled for this Friday, January 30th. The dance will start at 6:30PM for fifth graders and at 7:00PM for sixth through eighth graders. The dance will end at 8:30PM for fifth and sixth graders and at 9:00PM for seventh and eighth graders. Permission slips will go out the week of the dance.

3) Upcoming Service events:

  • Our Pennies for Patients Drive has begun and will run through Wednesday, February 18th. Since 1994, millions of dollars have been raised in pennies and other spare change by more than 10 million elementary, middle and high school students throughout the country. The funds, collected during a three-week period, benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Everyone who participates is a winner! Students across the country are collecting pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters during the Pennies for Patients campaigns benefiting the Society.
  • Monday, March 2, 2008 — Project Cicero Book Drive (through March 5)
    We are an annual non-profit book drive designed to create — or supplement — school and classroom libraries for children in under-resourced New York City public schools. Now in its eighth year, Project Cicero has distributed nearly 1,000,000 new and gently used books to 5,500 New York City classrooms and libraries, reaching 180,000 students. We solicit donations from individuals and families from over 90 independent, public, and parochial schools each year, and have received generous contributions from many book publishers.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) A reminder that final payments are due on February 18th. If you have payment questions, please let me know. If you have not registered, please do so ASAP using the attached form.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.

For Fifth and Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Click here to view the full practice and game schedule for the intramural basketball program.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.

============= For additional information, follow these links: =============

  • View important middle school dates here.
  • View all events with the LREI On-line Calendar
  • 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.

A reminder that the individual homework blog and the “feeds” for every class can be accessed from the Digital Classroom link on the sidebar (you may want to bookmark this page for easy access). These feeds provide an easy “one-click” solution to find out what has been assigned for homework. Keep in mind that a feed will only show what has been posted as of the time you check it.

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

Be well,
Mark

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