What the Tomb Taught

Dear Families,

For our fifth graders, it has been an exciting last few days as the many weeks of study of the ancient Egyptians culminated in their much anticipated Egyptian Tomb project. The depth of their study was clearly in evidence in the comprehensive tours that they gave of the tomb, in their focused museum demonstrations and in the recorded excerpts from their research papers playing in the listening room. In what was one of the most important part of the project, students stepped into the demanding role of expert and guide. Through this process, students solidified the important knowledge and skills that they had worked on throughout the project. As a result, the tomb became more than just a culminating experience it was an authentic assessment of student learning.

Authentic assessments ask students to read real texts and use real materials, to write for authentic purposes about meaningful topics, to confront meaningful problems that may have multiple solutions, and to participate in authentic tasks such as discussions, presentations, experiments, journal and letter writing, and regular revision of their work. Most importantly, authentic assessment values the thinking behind work, the process, as much as the finished product. As the tomb was unearthed beneath the sands of our “third floor Sahara,” the more significant discovery was each student’s realization of just how far s/he had traveled on this journey.

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I hope that you all have a relaxing and restful spring break and return refreshed for the many other authentic assessments that will unfold as we move towards the end of the year.

Of General Interest . . .

1) Click here to access other photo collections of LREI events and happenings at our on-line photo gallery.

2) VISIBILITY: Lesbian and Gay People We Love — A LREI Community Photo Exhibit.
Last chance to view the exhibit, which closes tomorrow.

3) We want your recipes! Plans for the LREI Community Cookbook are under way, and we are now seeking recipes from all members of the community. Recipes can be for any dish that you would bring to a potluck. Please send recipes or questions to cookbook@lrei.org. The deadline for recipes is March 19 (right before spring break). Help us create a cookbook that represents all the diverse facets of our community! Please see the flyer for more information.

4) Grandparents/Special Friends Day is coming on May 7th for Lower and Middle School students. We will be sending invitations out very soon. If you have not given us addresses yet, please email them to Liza Sacks at lsacks@lrei.org. Thanks.

5) Red is Green Committee Announcements:

  • This Friday, March 19 is the last day to drop off your old batteries and cell phones. Batteries will be brought to a city drop off location to be safely recycled. Cell phones will be sent to Phones for Haiti. All funds generated by Phones for Haiti will go to aid victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
  • April’s recycle drive will be corks, so start saving your corks now! Corks will either be collected by teachers at LREI who use them in the classroom or recycled by Terracycle.
  • Next Saturday, March 27, from 8:30-9:30pm local time is Earth Hour. Millions of individuals, organizations, governments, buildings and cities around the globe will be turning off their lights for one hour to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change. You can join them by turning off your lights for one hour. For more information on this movement, visit www.earthhour.org.
  • For more details about our monthly recycling drives and Go Green to School dates, please click Red is Green PA Page.

6) Stir the Pot: Taste of the Future — Thursday, May 13th at 6:00PM @ Charlton Street. Click here for more information about this exciting event.

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) Click here for the minutes from this week’s Middle School Parent Rep Meeting

2) Congratulations to all of the members of the Middle School Robotics Team for an excellent performance at this past week’s citywide championships. Special thanks to coach Sherezada Acosta and to Steve Neiman and Carin Cohen for their support. Below are some images from the competition:

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3) Thinking ahead? Join us for the High School Preview Night, which has been changed to Wednesday, April 28th at 6:30pm in the Charlton Street Performing Arts Center (PAC). This event is a wonderful opportunity for Middle School and Lower School parents to learn more about the High School from parents, students and recent alumni. We hope to see you there! RSVP to Barbara Scott, Director of Admissions, at 212-477-5316 ext. 305, bscott@lrei.org.

4) Family Conferences and Subject Area Meetings (April 16th and 23rd): Please check your child’s advisor’s blog to schedule a family conference for one of the dates indicated above. At this conference, your child will share work samples, offer reflections on her/his work and identify some goals for the fourth quarter. It is also a time for you to dialog with your child and her/his advisor about your child’s learning experience in the Middle School so far this year.

As we did in the first quarter, you will also be able to have brief meetings with each of your child’s teachers should you so choose. To schedule these subject specific meetings please click here. As always, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers if you have questions about her/his performance and/or the curriculum.

5) Mark your calendars: Just a heads up that our first MS Art Festival will open on Thursday, April 29th at 6:00PM for seventh and eighth grade families and at 6:30PM for fifth and sixth grade families. The evening will feature studio art work from students in all grades, digital art created by the eighth graders and performances by the seventh and eighth grade performing arts major classes (instrumental music, vocal music, dance and drama). The entire Sixth Avenue building will come alive with the arts. We hope to see you all there. In addition, the art displays in the auditorium wil also be up on Friday, April 30th.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .

1) A reminder that final payments for the DC trip were 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 . . .

1) Mark your calendars for our annual Sixth and Seventh Grade Parents Adolescent Issues Evening scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th at 6:30PM. Please let me know if you have topics you’d like us to address/discuss.

2) From Elizabeth and Matthew: We are excited to inform you that in conjunction with our current study of the American Revolution and our upcoming study of the Constitution itself, on Thursday, April 22nd the seventh grade will be traveling to Philadelphia for a day-long trip. We will visit to the National Constitution Center, where we will participate in 4 events that will help us better understand the founding and establishment of our country and its constitution. We will also visit Independence Hall and, time permitting, other historical sites. Like our trip to Williamsburg, the trip to Philadelphia will give us a first-hand understanding of important events in Colonial American history. Students should arrive to LREI on the morning of April 22nd by 7:00AM. Our chartered bus will be departing promptly at 7:15AM. Students should be sure to bring their writer’s notebook, a bag lunch (with an extra snack for the return trip — we will not stop at a rest stop on the return trip — and as always no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), an extra sweatshirt and a backpack for these items. Cameras and some spending money (no more than $10) are optional. Students should dress as appropriately for that day’s predicted weather, and they should be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. We will be departing from Philadelphia at around 2:45pm, and expect to return to LREI by 4:15PM. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. Thank you.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .

1) On Wednesday, April 14th, your presence is requested at our annual Medieval Pageant. The evening will begin at 6:00PM and will afford you the opportunity to view your child’s work as it relates to her/his on-going studies of the Middle Ages. Following the viewing of this work, we will convene in the auditorium for a dramatic and musical telling of tales connected to this study. The evening will conclude with a potluck supper in the cafeteria. Your class reps will be contacting you about preparations. In the spirit of the event, you are encouraged to bring in medieval inspired dishes. Below are a number of useful resources for potential recipes:

2) A related Medieval Pageant request: Students are enthusiastically learning their music, making props and rehearsing their parts to get ready for the big event. Joanne has requested that all sixth grade students bring in a basic black outfit for the week of April 12th. The black bottoms and tops need to be comfortable and practical with regards to movement and will likely have other items of costume layered on top. Sneakers and shoes do not need to be black. If you have questions, you can contact Joanne directly at jmagee@lrei.org.

3) Mark your calendars for our annual Sixth and Seventh Grade Parents Adolescent Issues Evening scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th at 6:30PM. Please let me know if you have topics you’d like us to address/discuss.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .

1) A thank you to all of the parent volunteers who helped to unearth the Egyptain tomb and also to those who helped to bury it back in the sand.

2) From math teacher Ana Chaney: I’ll be running a Thursday Math Club for 5th graders who would like extra support with basic computation skills or help with concepts we’re learning in class.  We’ll meet from 3:15 to 4:00 in Wendy’s room starting after spring break.  I announced this to the class today – please feel free to talk to your child about coming by.  Let me know if you have any questions.

3) Mark your calendars for our annual Fifth Grade Parents Adolescent Issues Evening scheduled for Wednesday, April 21st at 6:30PM. Please let me know if you have topics you’d like us to address/discuss.

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

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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