Excellence Everywhere
Dear Families,
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend the Middle School Awards Evening this past Tuesday. The number of students involved in extracurricular activities and the diversity of these activities was inspiring. There is no doubt that these opportunities, which challenge students to think and learn in powerful ways, play an important role in helping us to fulfill our mission of educating the whole child. As with all endeavors, these experiences are not without their own obstacles (being over-matched by an opposing team, struggling to get the harmonies just right, having to adapt materials to meet a robotics challenge). However, when we see our students pushing themselves to do their best for themselves and for the team/group, the opportunities for learning are self-evident. These programs also provide students with the opportunity to “bump” into a new passion or to deepen a commitment to an area of interest and strength. Through our extracurricular programs, students with varied prior experiences and abilities regularly come together under the guidance of experienced teacher leaders to support each other as they work to be their best selves. I hope that this year’s Awards Night sparked some new areas of interest for students and faculty alike. I look forward to future evenings where we are able to come together as a community to celebrate this important work.
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As a follow up to last week’s post on the Model Congress team, team facilitator Sharyn Hahn reports that:
The students had a very successful day at the Packer Collegiate Model Congress this past Saturday. All four of our bills passed in the House and Senate Committees, and Ben’s and Marcelo’s bill
Title: The National Dignified Death Act of 2011
Preamble: The purpose of this act is to ensure that those living with severe and incurable terminal physical disease can have the option of choosing legal physician-assisted suicide.
was voted to be debated in the afternoon plenary session. Only one bill per committee is chosen to move on, so this was exciting. Their bill passed in plenary session as well. There were 23 committees, 2 more than last year, and more students involved than have ever participated in this event.
At the awards ceremony at the end of the day, we were very happy to learn that eighth graders Marcelo, Olivia and Odelia each won an Honorable Mention, which recognizes excellent speaking skills when presenting one’s own bill, pro and con debating of other delegates’ bills in the session, and professional comportment. After all of these students’ ( Nicholas and Ray, Olivia and Odelia, Ben and Marcelo, Julia and Amalia ) hard work during the year, I am very proud of their accomplishment.
Building on the theme of excellence, yesterday’s Spring Concert represented a wonderful culmination to all of the dedicated work that LREI’s singers and musicians put in over the course of the year. Look for photo’s in next week’s blog.
Well done indeed! I would be remiss if I did not also include and excerpt from high school principal Ruth Jurgensen’s blog about the student films that I mentioned in a previous post:
We are so proud of Julian Pratt ‘12, Arvid Logan ‘12, and Zac Teller ‘12, who won Best Documentary for their film, “Gatfish” at the Toronto Student Film Festival this week! Please take a look at their winning film here. Even though the students could not attend the festival, festival organizers, when realizing they had won a major award, asked Julian, Arvid and Zac to send along an acceptance speech. Please read it as it informs the viewer of the intention behind their film. Here it is:
If we had things our way, we would be on a bus on our way to Toronto this very night so that we could accept this award in person. As for the few lines to be read aloud, we have agreed upon the following:
“When we began production of this film, we had no idea it would win an award of any kind. Our process began with a simple idea: To show the viewer that there is a correlation between pulling the trigger of a controller and pulling the trigger of a gun. Not to say that we are anti guns or anti video games. We just want people to think, and to realize that actions, such as playing video games, can have affects other than the immediate gratification one gets from what is happening on screen. We would like to thank our participants for being completely honest and for sharing so much of themselves with us. Thank you to our brilliant teacher, Vinay Chowdhry, for his constant encouragement and unending stream of suggestions. And most of all, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to watch our film. We hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Also, as you know, we were able to bring the film, Pediatric Cancer Research, by Simon Staples-Vangel ‘12, Leon Sukhram ‘12, and Tiffany Ramos ‘12, to The Westport Youth Film Festival (WYFF) in Fairfield County, CT this past weekend.
Finally, while there is still much to accomplish this school year, spring also signals the beginning of our formal planning cycle for the 2011-2012 school year. A crucial piece of this planning is the hiring process; while I am excited to report on some new additions to the middle school team, these efforts are connected to the more melancholy task of reporting to you on faculty who will be moving on.
- After 9 years of dedicated service to the LREI community, middle school science teacher Sherezada Acosta will be moving to Argentina where, among other interests, she will continue to pursue a lifelong passion for dance (especially the tango). LREI has benefited immeasurably from Sherezada’s boundless energy and unwavering commitment to the community. Beyond her science classes, which are always alive with purposeful energy and serious scientific inquiry, Sherezada has nurtured and unleashed on the world our most excellent Lego robotics team and has been strong advocate for LREI’s commitment to diversity through her work with our Middle School Students of Color group. Within and beyond our community, Sherezada has been recognized for her commitment to the profession, a commitment that has served well her many students and colleagues. It will be hard to imagine LREI without Sherezada, but she has left her mark on so many aspect of our program that her spirit will remain. We wish Sherezada the best in her new endeavors.
- I am excited to report that Jeremiah Demster will be joining us as our next middle school fifth and sixth grade science teacher. Jeremiah has a varied background in the arts and sciences and has taught in a number of other independent schools. He will be making the journey to LREI from his current school in Hawaii where, as part of his science classes, students go for regular scuba dives to conduct research. Perhaps underwater exploration of the Hudson River lies in LREI’s science future. He will be a great addition to the team.
- While only a temporary parting, Middle School art teacher and visual arts department chair Melissa Rubin will take a one-year leave to focus on her own work as an artist. From time to time, experienced LREI teachers take advantage of our leave program to pursue areas of personal interest related to their school work. This opportunity for renewal is an important component of on-going professional development. I will be excited to see the work that Melissa produces and equally excited to see how this experience informs Melissa’s ongoing work with LREI students and faculty.
- While Melissa is away, Nicole Parcher will take on the fifth and sixth grade art classes. Nicole is a long-time friend to the LREI community having worked for many years in the after school program and as a regular substitute in the middle school art classroom. Not only is Nicole a familiar face to many LREI students, she is also familiar with and well-versed in teaching that many exciting components of the fifth and sixth grade program. So the art program will be in most excellent hand for the coming year.
As I have said in the past, I am honored to work with such outstanding and passionate educators all of whom are equally committed to serving your children and to supporting each other in their own professional growth; I know that our new additions will prove no less remarkable. Setting aside any pretense of modesty, the Middle School faculty really is an exceptional team!
Of General Interest . . .
1) From Eighth Grade Class Student Representatives: Students Raising Funds for Tuscaloosa: Many in our school have been affected by the natural disasters in the Midwest and South, and students in both the Lower and Middle School are now trying to assist those who have been suffering because of these natural disasters. The first and eighth grade buddy classes have decided to host a bake sale in order to raise funds to help rebuild schools in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. For more information about the organization coordinating these efforts, visit http://helptuscaloosaschools.com. The bake sale will take place at 3:00pm on Monday, May 23rd in front of the Sixth Avenue building. We hope that you will support these efforts to help rebuild schools in Tuscaloosa on Monday afternoon. Additionally, if you want to support the efforts of of first and eighth graders by also bringing in baked goods (remember no nuts or seeds) you may do so. First and eighth grade families should bring baked good into their classrooms on Monday. Other grades can drop good of in one of the eighth grade classrooms. We hope to see you on Monday!
2) From Phil: From time to time the local paparazzi alert us to the presence of a well-known person eating lunch at one of the restaurants near school. We ask that students, parents and caregivers allow these people to enjoy their lunch and the weather and not to block access to these establishments. We understand the attraction for the kids, but are asking the adults’ help in being good neighbors to these businesses that are very good neighbors to LREI.
3) EE Ford Grant: As you may know, LREI has been awarded a prestigious $50,000 matching grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation to redesign the high school curriculum for the 21st century. EE Ford is the only foundation that awards money solely to independent secondary schools and it is a huge honor for LREI to be among the few recipients. This is a challenge grant and LREI has been successful in raising the needed matching funds from our community. Phil has given several talks about the grant and his vision for our high school curriculum. If you have not already attended his presentation, please join him on Tuesday, May 31st at 8:45am in the Sixth Avenue Library to learn more.
4) Password Anyone? – Can you come up with the name for our password-protected, community-only website? We hope so. The LREI community member who submits the name that best fits lrei.org will win a new iPad 2. Students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff are invited to participate in the contest. Entries should be submitted here by Friday, May 20. The following week, we will announce the winner. We hope you’re as excited as we are about this relaunch. If you have questions or comments, please email Laura Hahn. We’d love your feedback.
5) Book Swap: Bring in your old books and exchange them for new ones at this year’s LREI Book Swap, on Thursday and Friday, May 19-20. Last year’s Swap was such a success that we decided to try it in place of the Spring Book Fair this year. So, please bring in everything from beginning board books to adult books. We’d especially like any books from past summer reading lists. You might write a note about why you loved the book and leave it in the pages for the new owners. We’ll have donation boxes in the Sixth Avenue Lobby on May 17 and 18th. After that you can bring them to the swap directly. Hope to see you there!
6) LREI School Store: Will open on Monday, May 23rd from 8:00-9:00AM in the Sixth Avenue lobby. New spring items include LREI water bottles, Knights long-sleeve tees and ‘groovy’ colorful t-shirts!
7) Click here for the 2011-2012 school calendar.
8) From the Parents Association: If you’re looking for other ways to get involved, you could consider volunteering for any of our PA committees; please click here for the list. Please email us at PA-Presidents@lrei.org if you have any questions or suggestions. All parents are cordially invited to the Volunteer Thank You and Welcome Breakfast on Friday, May 20th, from 8 to 9:30 AM in the Sixth Ave. cafeteria. Click here for flyer. This event is for all present and future parent volunteers, and will be a time to learn more about what the PA does. Representatives of all PA committees will be present, so it will be a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have. PA Officers Poll: Each year the Parents Association asks its members to vote on a slate of officers and representatives for following school year. Click here for the ballot for the 2011-2012 school year. All parents/guardians of LREI studentare members of the association and are encouraged to vote. There is no election for class parent representatives. If you would like to volunteer to be a parent rep, please speak to your divisional coordinator or the current year’ parent reps. Once completed, please return your ballot to the receptionist in either building. Copies of the ballot are available at the front desk of either building. Ballots can also be mailed to the school; please address them to Parents Association Elections.
9) From the Red is Green Committee: For the remainder of the school year middle school science teacher Stephen Volkman’s Middle School advisory group is collecting batteries and corks for recycling. Their creatively designed boxes are in the lobby for your drop off. The group will also be collecting CD’s and cellphones. Watch for the new containers. Thank you to Steve and his group for their efforts.
10) Come check out the Afterschool blog at: http://blog.lrei.org/afterschoolphotos/. We have just posted The Afterschool Music Video!
11) LREI Camping Trip: The 18th Annual LREI Camping Trip will take place June 3-5 this year at the Riverbend Group Campground along the Delaware River. All LREI families and their children from all grades fours through twelfth grade are invited to participate. Sign-up tables will be in front of the 6th Ave building on Fri May 6, Tues May 17, and Thurs May 26. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help organize, please contact Larry White at LWhite@stern.nyu.edu or (212) 533-1966. Further information about the camping trip can be found at: http://www.lrei.org/community/parents/pa/camping?rc=0
12) For additional school news, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
13) 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 to view minutes from this week’s Middle School Parent Rep Meeting.
2) As promised, here are some photos from the recent Middle School musical production of Oliver!
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3) From the Middle School Math Department: Our annual 24 Challenge will be held on Friday, May 20th at 2:15 in the afternoon. Feel free to come spectate – we will be in the auditorium from 2:15PM until about 3:00PM.
4) Our annual Literary Coffeehouse, an evening of readings and musical performances to celebrate the newest issue of IE, the school literary magazine, will take place this Saturday, May 21st at 7:00PM in the Charlton Street PAC.
5) Here are some pictures from the most recent judo tournament and practice:
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From judo team coaches Larry, Frank and Ana: We will continue to work out on Wednesday and Fridays after school through June. There are enough practices left that students who join now can participate in our final Shiai (tournament) at the end of the season and earn a belt promotion. The Shiai will be held at the Thompson Street Athletic Center on the afternoon of June 10th. This is the culmination of all the work the team has done this season. It is a chance for students to demonstrate what they have learned and for families to watch and cheer them on. It is well-attended and highly anticipated each year – we strongly encourage you to come. Every student on the team will earn a medal, and everyone who has participated this season will be promoted. We hope to see you there!’
6) Field Day Information: On Friday, May 27th, we will hold our annual Field Day and Senior Appreciation at Pier 40. We’re looking forward to an exciting day! School will close at 1:00PM on this day. Some additional information follows:
- It is important for all students to arrive on time.
- Students will spend the first part of Field Day in activities with their buddies. The younger lower school classes will return to the school after lunch while the third through twelfth grades will participate in a variety of activities in mixed age groups.
- Students will need to bring their own lunch along with a container of water. (No nuts or seeds, please.) Plastic bottles are fine, but please no glass containers! Clothing should be comfortable and easy to move in, shorts or sweatpants and athletic shoes. No sandals. Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are strongly recommended.
- We will return to school in time for 1:00PM dismissal.
- Middle school students and their buddies will wear matching color t-shirts. Writing on the shirt or some design is okay, no need to buy a whole new shirt if you’ve got the right color. Buddy groups have been assigned the following colors of shirts to wear to field day:
- 4s and 4s/K and Sixth grades: LIGHT BLUE
- Ks and Seventh grades: WHITE
- First and Eighth grades: GREEN
- Fifth and Twelfth grades: RED
7) Afterschool Recitals:
- Tuesday, May 31st at 5:30 – Piano & Voice Recital for 2nd grade – Middle School, PAPAS
- Tuesday, May 31st at 6:30 – Instrumental Concert for 2nd grade – Middle School, 6th ave auditorium
8) From librarian Jennifer Hubert: Just wanted to remind everyone that circulation of books in the Sixth Avenue library ends Tuesday, May 31st. That means no more books may be checked out, as the librarians will be doing their end of the year shelf-reading and inventory.
9) Just a heads up that the annual End-of-Year Middle School dance will take place on Friday, June 3rd in the Charlton Street PAC. The dance will start at 6:00PM and pizza and ice cream will be provided. The dance will end at 8:30PM.
10) On Friday, June 10th, the Middle School students will attend our High School Graduation Ceremony held at New York University. Please note that this is not an early dismissal day for Middle School students. Students will leave the Sixth Avenue building at about 12:45PM. At the graduation, Middle School students will be recognized for their hard work, completion of their current grade and their movement to the next and will join in the celebration of the accomplishments of the seniors as they move on to the next phase in their education. As this is a very special occasion, we ask that students dress appropriately—no jeans, no printed T-shirts, shirts with collars and shoes are preferable. After graduation, the students will return to the Sixth Avenue buildings by 3:15PM.
11) From Athletic Director, Peter Fisher: Get ready for LREI Basketball Camp! Great players are made in the off-season! Don’t miss this opportunity to work on basketball skills, play fun and exciting games, and hang out with all your friends! Varsity basketball coaches and players will be running drills and skill work in the mornings, breaking for lunch, and then running games and tournaments in the afternoons. The camp runs from 9AM-4PM for one week only: June 20-24. We have two gyms (Thompson Street Athletic Center and our High School) and are looking forward to a big turnout. The camp is open to all fourth though eighth graders, no matter their skill level. If you are interested, please contact Peter Fisher — pfisher@lrei.org 212-477-5316 ext 233
For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) Here are some photos from the recent trip to Gettysburg and DC:
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2) Please join is on Tuesday, June 7th, at 6:00PM in the Sixth Avenue auditorium for the Science Exploratorium. This culminating event will afford students an opportunity to share with you the fruits of their independent research on key science concepts that were explored throughout the year.
3) Mark your calendar: Eighth Grade Pre-Moving Up Party, Friday, June 10th. Please arrive by 6:00PM for the Potluck Dinner and Recognition Program. Additional details from your parent reps will follow. Click here to access the potluck sign-up form (make sure that you select the tab for the correct event).
4) The Moving Up Assembly/Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 14th, in the Sixth Avenue auditorium. The assembly will start promptly at 9:00AM and will run until about 10:30AM. Given space constraints we ask that only immediate family members attend (that being said, if there are extenuating circumstances please contact me directly). Immediately following the assembly, the eighth graders will return to their classroom and parents will exit out the Bleecker Street doors and gather by the steps in front of Sarah’s classroom. The rest of the Middle School community will exit the building from the Sixth Avenue side and then join families by the steps. When all are assembled, the eighth graders will receive their certificates and process one-by-one down the steps.
For Eighth and Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Join us on Thursday, May 26th at 6:30PM for our annual parent discussion with a counselor from the Freedom Institute about substance abuse and prevention issues. This conversation for parents can serve as a useful bridge to connect with conversations that have taken place in Adolescent Issues classes. It is also an excellent opportunity to dialog with other parents about strategies to best support your children so that they make safe and healthy decisions.
For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) In preparation for the Seventh Grade Constitution works program, on Thursday, June 2nd, Rachel Meeropol, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, will speak to the seventh grade about First Amendment Rights and the U.S. Supreme Court.
2) The seventh grade potluck breakfast and Constitution Works is scheduled for Thursday, June 9th. The breakfast will begin at 8:00AM in the seventh grade classrooms. Following the potluck, we will leave for the Constitution Works program at 9:15AM, which will be conducted at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Parents are encouraged to attend this exciting event. Your parent reps will be in touch with you about the potluck breakfast. Click here to access the potluck sign-up form (make sure that you select the tab for the correct event).
For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) The annual sixth grade poetry and potluck breakfast will take place on Tuesday, June 7th at 8:00AM in the cafeteria. Your parent reps will be in touch with you about the potluck breakfast. Click here to access the potluck sign-up form (make sure that you select the tab for the correct event).
For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) An update on fifth grade music from music teacher Matt Mclean:
In music class students are composing music that will be used as a soundtrack to an animation they are creating in art class with Melissa. This project is a culmination of everything students have experienced in Music over the course of the year. There are 5 short composition assignments that utilize the composition skills we have explored in other pieces. Students who have learned to play an instrument have the option of recording a short original piece for the soundtrack and students who love to sing may add a vocal selection. The animation will be shown at the Pageant. For all project details, visit the assignment page by clicking here. In addition, all students are learning a number of Grecian themed songs composed by Lower School music teacher Ledell Mulvaney.
2) Our annual Grecian Festival will take place on the evening of Wednesday, June 8th at 6:00PM. From 6:00-6:30PM, you are invited to view students’ projects in the classrooms. At 6:30PM, we will convene in the Sixth Avenue auditorium for a dramatic presentation, which will be followed by the fifth grade potluck in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. Your class reps will be contacting you about the potluck. Click here to access the potluck sign-up form (make sure that you select the tab for the correct event).
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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