Note from Phil

From guest blogger Phil Kassen:

Dear Families,

Hello to all and happy mid-Winter.  We are certainly having a real winter this year—cold, snowy, long, dark.  I know that in my family, while we are enjoying the season, we are beginning to look ahead to what will feel like a well-deserved spring.

Karamu was so fantastic this year!  Wow!  The evening began with the traditional potluck dinner.  The variety of foods donated by members of the LREI community was amazing.  My family’s dinner choices alone represented cultures from at least four continents.   The evening continued with a series of fantastic performances (not the least of which was our very own EI Jazz Band) and the annual dance party. Thank you to the organizers, to those who donated to the potluck, to the performers and to the fabulous audience.  We should all be proud of the commitment to diversity that energizes this annual event.

Following Karamu! by a few days, last week’s two “Bringing The Conversation Home” meetings were an interesting contrast in diversity events.  Led by consultant Pat Romney, a familiar face at LREI, these conversations were more contemplation and struggle than celebration.  Attendees discussed ways to have conversations amongst themselves and with their children about class and privilege. Pat suggested strategies for responding when your children bring home comments or questions concerning the role money and wealth can play in the ways in which we experience the world and relate to each other.  These were tricky conversations and I am proud of my parent colleagues for their willingness to engage in them.  We all benefited from our participation during these gatherings.  Two reminders from Pat Romney:

  • Engage your child in a discussion about how you “are” in the world defines your life more than what you have or don’t have;
  • Help your child understand that differences are differences – not disabilities.

Celebrating our cultures, our differences and those aspects of culture—music, dance, food, art—that we share.  Examining differences in daily experience—money, class, privilege—and trying to better understand the lives of our classmates, friends and neighbors.  We believe that these sorts of activities are essential and it is only through honest conversation and open sharing of experience that we can truly learn to value one another as we do ourselves as we work towards strengthening the LREI community.

Finally, while the diversity work that I comment on above is important for the community and helps us all to be better community members and colleagues and people, we are first and foremost a school.  I believe deeply that these conversations and experiences deepen your children’s academic experiences.  Practicing the skills that allow us to value and understand the experiences of others can only deepen a student’s learning in history and literature, for example.  Having a greater understanding of their classmates’ lives will make LREI students better able to work with each other, to trust each other, to take risks and to challenge each other to excel.  These skills are essential for academic success and growth.

Thank you all for your willingness to participate and for your thoughtful and intelligent contributions.

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 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) Click here to see the 2009-2010 calendar.  Note that school will begin on the Wednesday after Labor Day this year, not Thursday. Middle School and High School orientation will be on the Tuesday after Labor Day.  Lower School phase in schedules, for our early childhood classes, will be distributed during the summer.

3) 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, as they try and raise money for their charitable givings. Special guest Steve Earle will play a 20-minute set. Super exciting! Plus great student performances, baked goods and good times!

4) Big Auction Updates: With the auction just a month away (Thursday, March 5)and so many fabulous items to choose from, we thought you would enjoy a weekly preview of some of the things you can bid on the night of the auction.  So click here to enjoy this week’s sneak peek of our 2009 Big Auction.

5) Big Auction ’09 Country Quilt: We hope to have all finished embroidered squares by next week. so get stichin’. (If you have any blank squares, please leave in the box at Sixth Avenue reception, no questions asked!) All completed squares must be in by February 9th in order to be included n this beautiful quilt. Have fun! For more info, contact Liz Kurtzman. Click here for more information.

6) Red is Green Committee Updates:

  • 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!

7) 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.

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

9) 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 regular season games:

  • MS GIRLS
    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

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) 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) The eighth grade will travel to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum on Friday afternoon, February 13th.

2) 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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