Four Additional “R’s”

From guest blogger Phil Kassen:

Dear Families,

Welcome back! The students returned from a seemingly long Spring Break brimming with energy, mostly reserved for time with friends, and have now settled back into their routines and all is running smoothly and productively.

The Kassen family had an invigorating break. Deciding it was time for our kids to see the nation’s capital, my wife and I packed the car and off we went down I-95 to Washington, DC. We visited museums and memorials, landed on the edge of a major demonstration for immigration rights and had many mealtime conversations about government, history and democracy. Our trip coincided with the health care debate/vote, leading to even more conversations about governance, compromise and representation. At the end of it all, the most important thing we took away with us, more important than any gift shop knick-knack, was the fact that all of the museums and memorials, statues and pictures that we saw, visited and learned about represented real people; that society and leadership require regular women and men to take on significant responsibility and to act for the common good. The words and ideas seen in the National Archives have less meaning when not seen in concert with the actions of the men and women represented by the World War II memorial who had responsibility thrust upon them, for the most part, or, a short walk away, with the life of Honest Abe, who sought out his participation. In both cases, these memorials represent real people who took on life altering responsibilities in order to protect the common good.

From DC we continued on to Williamsburg, VA to visit historic Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg. We had a terrific few days visiting the site of the original Jamestown colony, the recreation of Jamestown fort and the Powhatan Village and Colonial Williamsburg. I found that even though I had visited these sites in years past with LREI’s seventh graders (who make this same pilgrimage to Virginia each fall) there was so much to learn and do. After three days of doing our best to live in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries we felt that we had gained some sense of what life must have been like back then. It became clear, as we discussed the trip on our long drive back north, that the Powhatan, and their new neighbors, were incredibly resourceful and resilient people. Life was hard back then, with few safety nets and many life and death consequences. Survival required a mix of self-reliance and true reliance on your community. (We learned that one way to accomplish all that had to be achieved each day was by giving real work and responsibility to the children in the community, beginning at a very early age. This was not a popular “take-away” for two members of the Kassen clan.)

Our conversations did prompt me to think about the skills that LREI should be teaching in order to help your children be resourceful and resilient in the 21st century. Some are similar to those taught and learned in the 17th and 18th centuries, others would have been unimaginable then. This is a conversation that we are having with increasing frequency in all three divisions of the school. I wonder what you think you need to know to be a resourceful, reliable and resilient person today? What will you need to know to be so tomorrow? Please share your thoughts on this.

Responsible, resourceful, reliable and resilient – an important roster of attributes and, while we do a good job of fostering them in our students, they are always worth reflecting on and discussing.

Cheers,
Phil

Of General Interest . . .

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

2) “Stir the Pot” Tasting Event Committee – The committee needs more volunteers! Please come to our meeting on Friday, April 9th at 8:45 a.m. in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria. The event will take place on Thursday, May 13th at 6:00PM @ Charlton Street. Click here for more information about this exciting event.

3) Open PA Thank You & Welcome Breakfast – Please join us for a special Parent Association Breakfast! We hope you can stop after drop-off on Tuesday, April 13th at 8:30 a.m. for LREI’s “Thank You and Welcome” PA Breakfast. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Parents Association yet, drop by the Sixth Ave. cafeteria, have a cup of coffee and a breakfast treat. This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow parent co-chairs and become better acquainted with our wonderful parent affinity groups and committees. Find out what your PA is up to and what we can look forward to! Remember, if you are a parent at LREI you are a member of the PA.

4) A message from Chap, Director of Diversity & Community:

Affinity Groups – what are they and how do they benefit my child? Why are schools across the country developing informal and formal affinity groups for students of all ages, parents, and former students? The term affinity group is used as a bringing together of people who have something important in common, e.g. race, gender, profession, or special interests. Any significant historical movement or everyday social interaction could probably be traced to the actions of people who share a common experience and passion.

Join us for our last discussion of How to Raise an Ally: Social Justice at LREI to learn more about successful affinity groups.  Monday, April 19 at 8:45 a.m. in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria. Grab some coffee, bring a friend, and engage in the last of our three part series of discussions with fellow LREI parents. Please click here for more information.

5) Recipe Raffle! Send in your last-minute recipe submissions to win a pair of tea towels! This is the absolute last call for submissions to be part of Downtown Potluck, the new LREI community cookbook. We’ve extended our deadline to April 12th; after that date we will draw names of contributors to find our lucky winner! Please click here for more information.

6) From the Art Auction Committee: Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make this year’s Art Auction a rounding success!  It was a spectacular event and everyone has a wonderful time. There are still some pieces of art that are for sale so please visit http://artauction.lrei.org/ for additional information and to view items that are available.  If you have any questions, please contact Maude Kebbon at mkebbon@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 232. Additionally, please watch this space for information regarding upcoming art related events in the spring.

7) 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.

8) Red is Green Committee Announcements:

  • Save the date for LREI’s 2nd annual Earth Day Celebration! April 22, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Our afterschool event takes place in the Sixth Ave. Auditorium and will be a fun and interactive way for kids to celebrate the day and learn about their environment. Click here for our poster.
  • Please join us for a presentation on Monday, April 26, at 8:45 a.m. in the Sixth Ave. cafeteria on how climate change is affecting our NYC water supply and wastewater infrastructure. Hilary Meltzer, LREI parent and part of NYC’s environmental  law team will discuss regional projections about environmental changes and threats to our water supply all posed by climate change.
  • April’s recycle drive is… Corks. Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. While it is a renewable resource, it takes a long time to harvest (25 years for the first harvest, 9 years thereafter). We recycle corks either by fulfilling teacher demand for them, or sending them to Terracycle, who turns them into products like cork boards. Drop off all used corks – natural or synthetic, wine or champagne. Drop off corks in the Red is Green bins in the Sixth Ave. or Charlton St. lobbies through the month of April.
  • For more details about our monthly recycling drives and Go Green to School dates, please click Red is Green PA Page.

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

10) 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) The next Middle School Students of Color Meeting will take place on Thursday, April 15 at 7:45AM in the Middle School Science Lab. Click here to view the flyer.

2) 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.

3) 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 on this special evening. We hope to see you all there. In addition, the art displays in the auditorium will also be up on Friday, April 30th.

4) As we welcome the spring weather, please make sure that you review the dress code with your child (especially the underlined portion below) and that s/he is dressed properly for school each day. Students who are not dressed properly will be asked to correct the violation and, in some cases, may be sent home to change. By addressing this with your child proactively, her/his learning experience will not be disrupted.

Students are expected to come to school dressed in a neat, clean, comfortable, and appropriate manner. We ask that students remove hats when they enter the building (students who wear a head covering for religious or cultural reasons should communicate this to their advisor). We ask that students not wear pants that are cut or worn so low as to show their underwear. We ask that students not wear tank tops or shirts that are too short to be tucked in should the wearer desire to do so (no bare midriffs.) We ask that no one wear tube tops. Tank tops should have wide-enough straps to cover undergarments, and not be more suitable for the beach than the classroom. We also specifically ask that shorts, skirts, and dresses be as long as a student’s hands when hanging by her/his side. If attire is shorter, it is too short. Students may not wear any clothing that contains advertisements, symbols, words, slogans, or pictures that are sexually suggestive; that are drug, tobacco, or alcohol related; that are racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive; or that promote or suggest violence. Students with specific concerns about interpreting these guidelines should check in with a teacher or with Mark. Students are also expected to keep jackets, extra clothing, and other personal possessions on coat hooks or in lockers. Repeated violations of the dress code will be treated seriously as they have less to do with dress and more to with issues of respect for and responsibility to the school community.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

5) From Athletic Director Peter Fisher: I hope everyone had a wonderful break and that you are finding time to enjoy such incredible weather!  I am very excited for Spring Sports, as I am a huge baseball fan, and love getting the baseball gloves and hats out from the closet.  Here is an overview of LREI Spring Athletics:

  • 5/6 grade – Intramural Softball
    Practices/games will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7AM.  The first three practices will be at Houston St Ballfield at 7AM, and then we will move to the Turf field at JJ Walker (Varick and Carmine St), for the rest of the season.  The season begins on Tuesday, April 13th and will run through May 13th.  If there are rain outs, we will extend the season.
  • 7/8 grade – Traveling Softball
    The season begins on Tuesday, April 13th and practices will be every Tuesday and Thursday after school at Houston Ballfield, from 3:15- 4:30.  The team will be coached by myself and Lauck Blake.
  • 6/7/8 grade – Track
    I am very please to announce that we now have a middle school track team that will be competing at Icahn Stadium on Randal’s Island.  Practices have already started with coach David Lee, but if you are interested, please email him asap — dlee@lrei.org. Practices are generally Tuesdays and Thursdays and locations vary.  Sometimes the team will take a bus to East River park with the HS track team.
  • All Ages – Judo
    Larry’s Judo team has started again and is now meeting on Wednesdays and Fridays after school.

Please let me know (pfisher@lrei.org) if you are interested in any of these teams or have any questions about the upcoming seasons.  I am happy to send you complete practice/game schedules for any team.

6) From middle school librarian Jennifer Hubert: April is National Poetry Month so please check out the library blog post for April: http://blog.lrei.org/jhubert/2010/04/05/4-5-10-april-is-national-poetry-month/. I’d love it if any of you were moved to leave a poem or favorite poet in the comments!

For Eighth Grade Families . . .

No updates this week.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .

1) Click here to read the new math unit letter form math teacher Michelle Boehm.

2) 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.

3) 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 travel 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.

4) Looking further ahead to next year, click here to access the registration form for the Williamsburg / Jamestown  trip that will take place next October. I’m sending you this information now so that you can spread out payments over a longer period of time. We would like all families to register for the trip by the end of the month. If you have specific questions about payment, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .

1) Click here to read the new math unit letter from math teacher Ana Chaney. Also from Ana: 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.

2) 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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