An ongoing dialog . . .

Dear Families,

I had the pleasure this week to meet with a number of parents from the fifth grade on Tuesday morning to talk about how to make sense of our progress reports and how to prepare for family conferences (I’ll have more to say about family conferences in a subsequent post and be on the lookout next week for an email from your child’s advisor about how to sign up for a conference). An underlying theme to our conversation was the importance of making sure that you have the information  you need to talk with your child about her/his school experience in meaningful ways. To this end, we actively encourage you to reach out to your child’s teachers before the conferences to get a sense of how things are going. This can be accomplished by a quick phone call or email; the follow up by teachers will likely provide you with important information about the class and your child’s progress.

As I mentioned at curriculum night, we are also adjusting the schedule on the two conference days (November 6th and 13th) to create time so that all teachers can be available to meet with families. While we expect all families to participate in a Family Conference with your child’s advisor,  these brief conversations with subject area teachers will be optional. We suspect that families will chose to meet with some, but not all teachers in order to have questions answered, learn more about the program, or just to say hello. However you choose to use this time, we think it will be an important programmatic addition to help you develop the most complete picture of your child’s school experience.

I’ve included below an explanation of some of the expectations that we have for middle school students that drive their everyday work and that are assessed on our progress reports across all subjects. I encourage you to look over these expectations and to use them as a jumping off point for a conversation with your child about what they see as areas of strength and challenge and how they impact on her/his daily work.

Middle School Report to Families: Explanation of Common Skills and Expectations
In the paragraphs below you will find descriptions of the common skills and expectations found on the progress grid section of the Middle School Report to Families.  These categories are on each progress report and students are evaluated against a set of criteria agreed upon by the entire Middle School faculty.  These criteria are described below.

Homework:

  • Timely completion: A student who excels in this area submits work when it is due. In order to do this, she records assignments properly in her assignment book and seeks out support from peers and/or the teacher when she has questions. If she encounters a problem that may result in work not being handed in on time, she proactively seeks out the teacher to address the situation and come up with a plan. On occasion, work is handed in in advance of its due date without the quality of the work being compromised. If the teacher asks the student to use the extra time to review the work and see if there is anything else to add, she willingly does so.
  • Quality: When submitting homework, the student who excels in this area is sure to address all aspects of the assignment. Work is neat, legible and well organized. He proofreads and reviews his work to make sure that it fully answers the questions and includes all of the required steps. The work includes not only specific answers, but also provides ample evidence of his underlying thinking The work will also often make connections to other relevant concepts and content being studied, but not necessarily required to be addressed in the assignment.

Classwork:

  • Quality: While this category includes a wide range of assignment types (including written, oral and hands-on work), the student who excels in this area works with precision and attention to detail. Her written work is neat, legible, well-organized and comprehensive with respect to the content being addressed. Oral comments reflect a depth of thinking and engagement with the topic at hand. Hands-on work reflects careful planning and an attention to detail. Whatever the format, her work provides a clear record of her individual thinking and the ideas being shared in class. She is able to use the products of this work at other times to extend and deepen her understanding of the topic.
  • Attention and focus: A student who excels in this area is prepared for class and makes the transition from one room to another efficiently and independently.  He gets to class on time and settles down quickly and quietly in his seat and is ready to work.   The student has his texts, notebook, assignment book, paper and pencil, and any other necessary materials ready for immediate use. Homework is ready for collection or for class use. When working on a task, the student who excels in this area remains engaged and active throughout the activity at hand. She will be able to delve into his work while working alone or in a group and will work hard to stay focused in a variety of different learning environments. The student also follows routine directions for everyday classroom practice and directions for specific projects and activities.  These directions may be written, oral, or demonstrated. She not only follows directions, but also asks for clarification when needed.
  • Independent work: When working independently a student who excels in this area takes ownership of his work.  He is serious and self-motivated.  While being supportive of the independent work of others, he respectfully asks his peers for help when needed.  This student is able to generate and develop his own ideas and is familiar with the available resources to bring those ideas to fruition.  Strong independent work requires perseverance, follow-through and the ability to pace oneself throughout, which this student demonstrates on a regular basis.
  • Group work: A student who excels in this area collaborates and works cooperatively with others. She listens to and respects colleagues and is responsible for an even distribution of tasks. She is willing to take leadership or supportive roles as decided upon by the entire group.  She will provide for an inclusive environment and work towards a completed product in the time allotted.  Although, the entire group is responsible for the progress of a group-oriented activity, the excelling student is proactive in requesting assistance when needed.
  • Discussion: A student who excels in this area contributes relevant ideas, questions and information during discussion.  He is able to communicate his thoughts clearly and concisely.  His contributions stay on the topic while enhancing and widening the scope of the discussion. He is equally adept at being an active listener. He is alert as others speak and does not interrupt.

Conduct:

  • Respects adults: A student who excels in this area demonstrates appropriate tone, language, and demeanor when interacting with adults. She responds promptly and respectfully to teacher requests and directions.  She questions the teacher at the appropriate time and in a constructive and respectful way.
  • Respects peers: A student who excels in this area uses appropriate tone, language, and demeanor when interacting with his peers.  He displays a sensitivity to the feelings and needs of other students in the class, and he respects his classmates’ property and work.  He responds to peers’ academic work and ideas in a constructive and respectful manner.  He does not use insults or “put-downs”.
  • Respects classroom environment and norms: A student who excels in this area actively participates in creating and maintaining a positive and productive learning environment.  She respects all agreed upon routines and practices established in the classroom. She respects common space, peer space, and teacher space. She uses classroom supplies and materials in a respectful manner and assists in classroom set-up and clean-up. She keeps her desk, locker, and personal materials neat and orderly and her materials are in their appropriate places.  She understands and follows classroom routines that may vary from teacher to teacher.  The student follows proper format for assignments including a proper heading and presents her work neatly.  She copies homework accurately in her assignment book and uses this book as a reference.  She is able to manage her time so that he completes both short and long-term assignments in a timely fashion.

Of General Interest . . .

1) 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).

2) We begin our 9th season of Coffee Houses this Saturday October 17th!  The Coffee House will run from 7:00-9:00PM in the High School’s Performing Arts Center at 40 Charlton Street and will feature performances by students, faculty and alumni.

3) The LREI Community Cookbook – Potluck!

Recipe: Representation of the delicious diversity of LREI in cookbook form

Ingredients: Recipes from our highly skilled cooks and eaters, mixed with expertise from in-house publishing and marketing mavens

Yield: A cookbook with broad appeal (even outside our school community) that answers the universal question: What should I bring to a class potluck?

The cookbook will be a snapshot of the culinary life of the LREI community, combining our homemade tried-and-trues with neighborhood restaurant favorites. Space restrictions and chapter structure mean that not every recipe can be included, so careful editing is a must to produce a widely appealing cookbook. We plan to call for recipes from parents, faculty and staff later this fall. All proceeds from sales of Potluck! will go to the LREI Annual Fund. If you would like to get involved in the publishing process, please join us on October 22nd at 8:45 AM in the Sixth Ave. cafeteria (especially if you’ve had any experience with book production, self-publishing, PR or marketing). Click here for additional information. If you can’t make the meeting but would like to help, please contact Kathryn Kellinger (kksidedish@aol.com) or Susie Marples (susiemarples@yahoo.com).

3) All are invited to “Learn your Library” and to meet our award winning librarians on Friday, October 30th, at 8:30AM in the Sixth Avenue library. Click here for additional information.

4) 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.  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.

5) Save the Date! The LREI Halloween Fair will be held, Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 1pm – 4pm at the Thompson Street Athletic Center 145 Thompson Street (just below Houston St). There will be fun games, spooky crafts, great food, and many more Surprises! Volunteer sign-up sheets are located in the lobby. We encourage parents to get involved, Also in the lobby, is a toy donation cauldron, where we turn old toys into prizes for the Fair. This is a great opportunity to clean out the toy bin and recycle at the same time! So please join in on the spooktacular good time for all! Click here for additional information. If you have any further questions, please contact Pam at PamDalton@aol.com

6) 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!

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) Middle School parents are invited to attend the presentation “The Five Best Ways to Help Your Child in School: Your Children Gain Independence and You Regain Your Life” being given by Colleen Berge on Thursday, October 22nd, at 6:30PM at the High School (40 Charlton Street).  Colleen Berge began her career in education teaching A.P. American History to high school students in Charlottesville, Virginia. After moving to New York City, she taught history while working at both Fieldston and The Professional Children’s School and in addition coordinated middle school programs at PCS. While still teaching, she began postgraduate study at Bank Street College in the field of reading and special education. She has a private practice on the Upper West Side, working with another learning specialist, and several other subject area tutors. Colleen has worked with children ranging in age from first grade through college; an essential aspect of her work with children is to help parents understand how to respond to their child’s learning style.

3) As a follow up to Photo Day, 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.

4) 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) Starting on Wednesday, October 21st, and running through Friday, October 23rd, eighth graders will participate in Minimester at the High School. Minimester is our annual three-day immersion program, during which faculty and a few seniors offer workshops on a wide range of topics outside of the regular curriculum.  It is  a wonderful break from the every day, and a unique community event.   To read the full list of offerings, click the following link: Minimester 2009.

2) From Director of Admissions Barbara Scott: Greetings from the Admissions Office! Due to scheduling at the High School it has become necessary to host the Eighth Grade family tours on October 26th only. We therefore ask families who were scheduled to tour the High School on October 16th to join us later in the month. Additionally, we encourage all families to RSVP with us for one of our evening Open Houses. The events are scheduled for October 29th and November 3rd at 6:30PM, and provide an opportunity to speak with faculty, administration and current students. You may contact me by telephone at 212.477.5316, ext. 210, or by email at bscott@lrei.org if you have questions, or plan to attend an evening Open House. Admissions will need your child’s name and homeroom class in order to reserve your place. We look forward to greeting you!

Also, 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).

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Please click here for additional Williamsburg trip information and the packing list. Please make sure that you have returned a completed permission slip. Students should plan to arrive at school on Monday by 7:45AM to ensure a timely departure.

2) Seventh Grade Parent Potluck: Tuesday, October 27th, 6:30-8:30PM, parents only, at the home of Lena Viddo. All seventh grade parents are welcome! Click here to access the online potluck sign-up sheet.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) 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 also be an opportunity to discuss how best to prepare for Middle School Family Conferences.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) 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. Please RSVP to Ana (achaney@lrei.org) if you plan to attend.

============= 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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