A lens through which to view the wider world . . .

From guest blogger Phil Kassen,

Dear LREI Families,

I write this on what the Kindergartners tell me is the 15th day of school.  Fall is solidly upon us as evidenced by a drop in temperature, changing leaf colors and another annual autumnal event—Curriculum Night.  While I spend every day surrounded by our curriculum, it has been a pleasure to attend these evenings and to hear the teachers speak about the progressive program in which your children participate each day in all three divisions. For those who are interested in what is happening in the classrooms of another grade or another division, I invite you to read the divisional blogs and the curriculum guides (on the web site, by division.)

I want to point you to one particular section of the high school curriculum guide.  I was really quite impressed by the presentation made by the high school English and history teachers about our 11th and 12th grade electives. Clicking here will take you to the high school guide.  (Pages 14-17 and 21-22 describe the English and History electives.)  The opportunities offered to the students in these classes are akin to the experience of being in a college seminar.  After their presentations the teachers and I spoke of the tight focus of their courses as a lens through which to view the wider world of literature. History teachers spoke of their students’ interests and how this engagement creates an openness and readiness to explore other areas of history.  Take a look; I think you will be impressed.

This week, September 26th – October 3rd, is Banned Books Week. Sponsored by the American Library Association, “Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.”  Banned Books Week encourages all of us to consider what it means that the response by some to books that offer differing points of view or that challenge one’s strongly held beliefs is anger and avoidance rather than respectful engagement. In contrast to the English teachers noted above, those who seek to ban books offer blinders, not lenses.  Fine not to read a book that one finds objectionable, but to work to make these thoughts and opportunities unavailable to all?

I noticed with some pride that many of the books we read throughout the school have been banned or challenged at some point.  Pride not in the fact that we are reading books that are edgy or from a specific political point of view, but pride in the fact that we are offering your children the chance to be challenged by the books they read or have read to them, to see the world through the lives of others, to articulate their points of view and to become active participants in civil conversations.  As I discussed this with one of our librarians, she commented that I should not be surprised that so many of the books we read at LREI are part of this club as the list of challenged and banned books is incredibly long and grows every day.  A sad fact.

One other thought about Banned Books Week.  The people who challenge books seem to be organized and are able to effectively get their message out.  I encourage you to find time next week to visit a library (our Sixth Avenue library has a terrific bulleting board display of banned books), to read a book that has been banned or challenged and to speak with your children about the power of books and freedom speech.  For more information on Banned Books Week, visit the American Library Association’s web site.

-Phil

Of General Interest . . .
1) Open to all in the LREI community! Please join members of the Multicultural Committee on their first “field trip” of the year next Saturday, Oct 3rd to the Brooklyn Museum for the October “Target First Saturday”, a free afternoon-evening of programming featuring the art and culture of Hungary. Please contact Juliet Burrows (julietburrows@mac.com) or Holly Glass (hcritch@earthlink.net) for details and follow this link for more info on the event: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php.

2) Red is Green Committee: October kicks off our monthly recycling drives. Starting today, October 1st and continuing through the end of the month, you can bring in your plastic bags to be recycled at LREI. Please look for the box at the reception desk at 6th Ave. Next Wednesday October 7th is our first Go Green To School Day – click here for an informational flyer. It is also International Walk to School Day. So come to school by carpooling, public transportation, scootering, bicycling, and walking! We will continue to Go Green to School on the first Wednesday of every month. For more details about our monthly recycling drives and Go Green to School dates, please click Red is Green PA Page.

3) Ann Schaumburger, Lower School Art Teacher, invites you to the opening of her latest show.  The show will run from October 7th – November 1st.  The opening reception is on Thursday, October 8th, from 6:00-8:00PM at the AIR Gallery, 111 Front Street, #228, Brooklyn.  (www.airgallery.org) Congratulations, Ann!

4) Changing Families, Changing Classrooms: Come hear a leading expert on adoption and family issues, Adam Pertman, author of Adoption Nation, talk about adoption, the school community, and how to enrich the school experience for every child, on Wednesday morning, October 14, in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria. ALL PARENTS WELCOME! Please click here for a flyer with details. For a copy of the report Adoption in the Schools: A Lot to Learn, click here.

5) Virgilio Romero, our Superintendent of Buildings, will be retiring at the end of the month. Virgilio has kept LREI functioning for 30 years. While Virgilio is looking forward to the next stage in his life, we asked him to stay on through the summer for two reasons. The first was that we could not imagine accomplishing all that we needed to accomplish this summer without Virgilio leading the way. The second is that we wanted to be able to plan a terrific party. The students will be saying goodbye and thank you by division and all LREI community members are invited to join our thank you party for Virgilio on Thursday, October 15th from 6:00PM-7:30PM in the Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street (please click here for a flyer with details).

6) By now you should have received a letter from me regarding Grandparents and Special Friends Day on May 7th, 2010. We are thrilled that so many of you have responded so quickly.  Due to space constraints, we remind you that you can either invite Grandparents or Specials Friends in lieu of Grandparents, but not both.

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 – http://www.parentsinaction.org/). 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. Click here to view upcoming events and/or to download their calendar.

For All Grades . . .
1) A reminder that you can access teachers’ blogs by following the “Digital Classroom” link on the sidebar.

2) Photo Day is this Monday, October 5th. Please note the following:

  • Coffee Pond Photography will be taking individual portraits of each student and each class. All students will have their picture taken on Monday, October 5, 2009. To get the best photo of your child, please make sure they are dressed appropriately that day.
  • Coffee Pond Photography is able to offer a limited number of photo scholarships. If you receive tuition assistance and would like the scholarship, please contact Dena Tasse-Winter via email, dwinter@lrei.org, (or call at extension 215) by the end of the day Thursday, 10/1. Because of the small number of scholarships available, they will be first-come first-serve. Please list the name(s) and grade(s) of the children for whom you are requesting the scholarship package.
  • Coffee Pond’s new E/Proof program will notify you a few weeks after photo day via email when your child’s proofs are ready to be viewed online. If you have any questions about ordering, you can email Coffee Pond at lifeguards@coffeepond.com or call 800.635.2323 between 9AM and 5PM on weekdays.

3) From Middle School librarian Jennifer Hubert Swan: While it’s always a good time to write, the month of November is notable for a couple of great writing opportunities:

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) High School Tours for eighth grade families are scheduled for Friday, October 16th and Monday, October 26th at 9AM. If you are unable to make one of these times, please contact Director of Admissions Barbara Scott at bscott@lrei.org or at extension 210. Barbara can sign you up for one of the general high school admissions tours or she can schedule you for a tour at some other time that is more convenient for you. High School Open Houses are scheduled for Thursday, October 29th and Tuesday, November 3rd. Both Open Houses will start at 6:30PM. During the week of October 19th, you will receive an application for the Irwin Scholars Program. The Irwin Scholars program recognizes selected eighth grade students moving on to the high school who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to their academic success, contributed to the co-curricular life of the school, and exhibited strong leadership skills. The program provides a scholarship in the amount of $3-5K each year for four years. If you have any questions about the high school program, please contact Acting Principal Julia Heaton (jheaton@lrei.org or at extension 314). If you would like to make a reservation for one of the Open House nights or one of the tours, please contact Director of Admissions Barbara Scott (bscott@lrei.org or at extension 210).

For Eighth and Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) As outlined in the handbook, seventh and eighth graders who want to leave the building after dismissal and then return to use the library or lab must have a signed permission form. Click here to download the form.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Please join us on Thursday, October 15, at 8:00AM for a parent meeting to discuss the upcoming Williamsburg trip. Also, if you have not done so already, please register your child for the October Williamsburg trip. Click here to download the registration form. A reminder that payments should be made directly to the tour company NCT. If you have payment questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1 ) From sixth grade music teacher Matt McLean: I’m just sending out a reminder for all sixth grade students to bring in their object from home which they can use for our Found Sound Music Project. This object should meet two requirements:

  1. It should be capable of producing an interesting timbre.
  2. It should be an object that is of no value and can be left in school for about a week.

Some students have already brought in their object. If however, anyone would like to replace their object, they may do so. Objects can be dropped off in the Music Room before homeroom. Soon I’ll be posting video recorded performances of all student compositions!

2) Sixth Grade Parent Potluck: Thursday, October 8th, 6:30-8:30PM, parents only, at the home of Maria Mileaf and Neil Patel, 775 Sixth Ave #3 (NW corner of 26th), 212.255.6958. All 6th grade parents are welcome! Click here to access the online potluck sign-up sheet.

3) On Wednesday, October 14th, the sixth grade will visit the Cloisters to view their Medieval collection. Students will need to bring a lunch on this day (no nuts, seeds, and glass bottles).

4) On Wednesday, October 21st, please join me at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria for a discussion on “Making Sense of MS Reports.” This will be an opportunity to discuss how to the inclusion of grades on the report will inform your conversations with your child. It will as be an opportunity to discuss how best to prepare for Middle School Family Conferences.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Click here to read the new unit letter from math teacher Ana Chaney.

2) On Tuesday, October 13th, please join me at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria for a discussion on “Making Sense of MS Reports.” This will be an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the format of the Middle School progress report and to think about how best to prepare for Middle School Family Conferences.

3) From fifth grade math teacher Ana Chaney: Are you curious about your child’s experience learning math in the Middle School? Do you want to know how you child will be challenged and supported in fifth grade and beyond? Are you wondering how you can be involved at home? Join me for a hands-on investigation taken from the curriculum, short talk and Q&A. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the Fifth Grade Math Breakfast, which will take place on Monday, October 19th, at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.

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

  • View all events with the LREI On-line Calendar
  • Click here to see the 2009-2010 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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