Fuel for Thought with a Side of Lit Fest

Dear Families,

Last Wednesday at our Middle School meeting, we had the unique opportunity to screen the Sundance award winning film “Fuel” and to speak with the director Josh Tickell.

FUEL is an insightful portrait of America’s addiction to oil and an uplifting testament to the immediacy of new energy solutions. Director, Josh Tickell, a young activist, shuttles us on a whirlwind journey to track the rising domination of the petrochemical industry—from Rockefeller’s strategy to halt Ford’s first ethanol cars to Vice President Cheney’s petrochemical company sponsored energy legislation — and reveals a gamut of available solutions to “repower America” —from vertical farms that occupy skyscrapers to algae facilities that turn wastewater into fuel. Tickell and a surprising array of environmentalists, policy makers, and entertainment notables take us through America’s complicated, often ignominious energy past and illuminate a hopeful, achievable future, where decentralized, sustainable living is not only possible, it’s imperative.

Josh’s story provided us with a profound example of the power of activism and made clear the powerful intersection of issues related to sustainability and social justice. While both personal narrative and persuasive essay, “Fuel” challenged each of us to wrestle with where we stand on the issues. We will continue to explore the issued raised by the film and the power of film as a communication medium in classes and in advisory. I encourage you to see the film.

On other fronts, students have been serious and focused during this week’s ERB administration. Truth be told, I think they like the three-day break from our regular demanding collaborative, inquiry-based and hands-on work, which was on hold while they sat quietly in rows, contemplated each question and carefully filled in the bubbles on their answer sheet. That said, we did reward ourselves on Wednesday afternoon with our annual Literary Festival during which students participated in a range of exciting workshops. This year’s menus of offerings included the following:

Booktalking (with Jennifer Hubert Swan). Want to find a more dynamic way to tell someone, “You’ve got to read this book!”?  Jen, the Queen of the Book Talk, will teach you how to help uncover the joys of reading for others.

ACTION! . . . Making a Story Into a Script (with Maureen Johnson) Ever go see a movie made from a book? Ever wonder why it’s so different?  The same but . . . not the same? Why does stuff get left out? Why do characters change? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? Don’t they KNOW they left out the most important part? Or maybe you just wonder how they do it at all—how do they take hundreds of pages of story and turn it into something you can see and hear. How does that work? The answer to all of these questions is HERE! Now you can learn about the art of adaptation—taking a story in one form and changing it to another—and try your hand at it yourself!

Found Poetry (with Heather Brandstetter). Explore the streets of New York and find the poetry that is there everyday.  Heather will lead participants on a poetry-finding adventure!

Writing Music (with Matt McClean) In this workshop we will cover the process that goes into composing music. We will look at how composers go about composing melodies and harmony and the part that rhythm plays in putting it all together. In addition we will examine the process of orchestration in an attempt to answer the question: How do composers decide which instruments to write for.

Who the Heck Are You?! (with Dennis Kitchen). A perennial favorite! Ever wonder who that person is you see wandering around the building? You know they work here, but you’re not quite sure what they do. In this workshop, you’ll be outfitted with a camera and you’ll hunt these people down, snap their picture and then interview them. Dennis Kitchen will share interviewing techniques and help you create a fascinating bio on that person you think you know, but not really…. Note: If you have a digital camera, please bring it to this workshop.

Visual Autobiography and Bookmaking Workshop (with Melissa Rubin and Robin Shepard). Come prepared to create your very own hardcover autobiography. Bring in memorabilia that tells a story about you. Any flat 2-D special items can be included. Items such as: your prose and poetry, photos, maps, stamps, feathers, ticket stubs, playbill covers, movie ads, pressed flowers, etc. can be used (anything that can be glued into a book that has personal meaning).  Note: Bring special items for your book to this workshop.

Playwriting (with Raquel Cion). In this workshop, you will join in a facilitated discussion of what constitutes dramatic writing. The building blocks of playwriting (character, action, conflict, setting) will be explored using tools such as automatic writing, image, and structured writing time. You will learn about the who, where, what, and how of constructing scenes. Through this exploration each student will write their own “mini-play”. These plays will then be read aloud and the workshop will culminate in a discussion of how to continue writing and creating plays on your own.

Scrap Booking (with Margaret Andrews). Margaret will provide the materials; all you need to do is bring in photos you’d like to include in your scrapbook page. Learn how to document your photos and create a keepsake that records special moments, people and places in your life. Note: Bring photos for your scrapbook page to this workshop.

Striking Viking Story Pirates  — In this interactive workshop, you’ll work with members of the Striking Viking Story Pirates theater group. They’ll guide you through a dynamic process in which individuals and small groups will write and act out stories. After the workshop, the Story Pirates will take these ideas back to their secret headquarters/laboratory, and several weeks later, they will return for Middle School meeting with newly-built puppets, props, and a brand new sketch comedy show, including some new stories written by participants in the workshops.

Newspaper Writing (with David Lee).  Ever want to write for a newspaper? Well David has, and he’s going to show you how you can too. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to come up with a story idea, a headline, how to interview people and how to write your piece. You’ll come up with the subject and David will help guide you through it. And he should know – his recent article about surfing in NY appeared in the New York Times this January!

Picture Books and Children’s Literature (with Matthew Rosen and Michelle Boehm). In this workshop, Matthew Rosen, a former editor, will talk about writing and constructing picture books. You’ll have the opportunity to create their own picture-book. You will lay out text, add illustrations, and format you book.

Enter The Writing Ninja (with Libba Bray) The mighty writing ninja approaches the story. It will not get away this time, for the ninja is strong and creative and also, the story is due tomorrow at 8:20, and not to turn it in is unacceptable to the ninja’s code of honor and the teacher’s grade book. Suddenly, from out of the shadows come the ninja’s greatest enemies: Writer’s Block, Lack of Inspiration, Boring Characters, Even More Boring Plot, and–worst of all–the dreaded Inner Critic. It will take all the stealth warrior’s cunning and writing ninjutsu to lay waste to these enemies. But how to defeat these monsters? How? HOW? HOOOOOWWWWW? (That was for dramatic effect. Four how’s would have been overkill. This is what we’re talking about here.) Come learn tricks to get your mind into prime fighting mode, featuring the Nunchuks of Word Styling, the Legendary Pressure Point Move of Improv Story-Building, and the Final Whammy of Something-I-Have-Yet-to-Make Up. For this workshop, you will need only paper, a writing implement of some sort, a sense of humor, and a thirst for adventure which cannot be slaked through ordinary means, such as Snapple Fruit Punch. Your heart is strong, mighty warrior. Soon, your writing will make nations tremble.

Tasting And Writing About Food (with Mario Batali). In this workshop, you’ll taste foods that are examples of the 5 taste sensations:  sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (and if you don’t know what this taste sensation is, you will by the end of the workshop!) Afterwards, you’ll describe these tastes without using their 5 exact terms (such as salty or sweet). You’ll discuss the geography of the tongue with chef and cookbook author Mario Batali, and he’ll show you how you can translate sensation into words.

Not bad for an afternoon feast!

Of General Interest . . .

1) Director’s Drop-In — Phil will be available for drop-in conversations in his Sixth Avenue office from 8:45AM-9:30AM on Thursday, February 19th and Friday, March 6th. Drop in, ask a question, and hear about what is going on at LREI. Can’t make these times? Give a call or send and email.

2) Click here to see the 2009-2010 calendar. Note that school will begin on the Wednesday after Labor Day this year, not Thursday. Middle School and High School orientation will be on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Lower School phase in schedules, for our early childhood classes, will be distributed during the summer.

3) From Lower School art teacher Ann Schaumburger and shop teacher Peggy Resnick: You are cordially invited to the Lower School Art Show in the Bleecker Street Auditorium Thursday, February 19, 10:30AM-6:00PM and Friday, February 20, 8:30AM-3:00PM.  There will be an opening for children, parents and caregivers on Thursday, February 19 from 3:00-4:00PM. The Lower School Art Show is a chance to share with the LREI community the artwork of children from the Fours to the Fourth Grade much of which is connected to our Social Studies program.  This year’s show looks exciting. Teachers will bring classes throughout the day of Thursday, February 19 to view their artwork with each other.  This gives students a chance to appreciate each others’ work and to share their unique expressions and ideas. We hope that you can drop by!

4) Big Auction Updates: Whether you like skiing the slopes or fun in the sun, plan your next vacation with the Big Auction in mind!  There is something for everyone – click here to take a look and dust off your suitcases! A reminder that the Big Auction is scheduled for Thursday, March 5th.

5) Red is Green Committee Updates:

  • Our 2 recycle drives this month are off to a great start!  Already we’ve collected over 560 batteries.  Did you know that batteries can be 100% recycled?  Or that it is illegal in NYC to throw rechargeable batteries in the trash?
  • We are also partnering with Project KOPEG (Keep Our Planet Earth Green) to recycle cell phones and other e-waste.  And, we’re raising money for Little Red at the same time.

In our first week we’ve collected over 30 cell phones, 80 ink cartridges and an assortment of phone chargers, ipods, pdas and digital cameras.  But we can do better!  Cell phones contain many toxic substances that pose a serious threat to our environment.  The amount of cadmium contained in a single cell phone is capable of polluting 158,200 gallons of water or the equivalent of 2.4 million cups of coffee (statistic taken from projectkopeg.com).

The average American cell phone user owns 3 or more cell phones and replaces his or her cell phone every 18 months. If every LREI family asks their friends, relatives and co-workers for their old cell phones, ipods, pdas or used ink cartridges we can keep these harmful toxins out of our landfills and ultimately out of our environment.  Set up a box in your apartment building or office and start collecting these items as well as raise money for LREI. For more information, check out their website at www.projectkopeg.com.

  • March’s recycling drive:
    Wine corks and Bear Naked Granola bags (http://www.terracycle.net/)
  • And don’t forget to check out Lets Go Green’s website for eco friendly water bottles, garbage bags, light bulbs, paper goods etc. LREI receives 25% of all sales as profit. Thanks for all your help. Start collecting and keep recycling!

6) Have a Heart, Get a Heart: We’re collecting new and gently used clothes and baby equipment for children 0 to 5 years for donation to “Room-to-Grow” (click here for details on items you could donate). On February 11th, 12th and 13th, when you drop your donations to the Sixth Ave. lobby you’ll get a heart sticker. Click here for more information.

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). 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. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2008-2009 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Fifth Grade:
Sixth Grade:

For All Grades . . .
1) Upcoming Service events:

  • Our Pennies for Patients Drive has begun and will run through Wednesday, February 18th. Since 1994, millions of dollars have been raised in pennies and other spare change by more than 10 million elementary, middle and high school students throughout the country. The funds, collected during a three-week period, benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Everyone who participates is a winner! Students across the country are collecting pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters during the Pennies for Patients campaigns benefiting the Society.
  • Monday, March 2, 2008 — Project Cicero Book Drive (through March 5) Project Cicero is an annual non-profit book drive designed to create — or supplement — school and classroom libraries for children in under-resourced New York City public schools. Now in its eighth year, Project Cicero has distributed nearly 1,000,000 new and gently used books to 5,500 New York City classrooms and libraries, reaching 180,000 students. They solicit donations from individuals and families from over 90 independent, public, and parochial schools each year, and have received generous contributions from many book publishers.

For Sixth-Eighth Grades Families
1) Middle School Musical Director Joanne Magee is proud to announce that this spring’s Middle School musical is “BUGSY MALONE Junior” music and lyrics by Paul Williams and Book by Alan Parker. Set in the late 1920’s where gangs and gangsters ran speakeasy joints and resolved their disputes with “splurgers,” this is a story of two gangs competing for the spot at the top. New York is in the midst of a depression, but behind the revolving door of a bookshop, anybody who is anybody is at Fat Sam’s Grand Slam Speakeasy. Students will be required to audition after school on either Wednesday, February 18th Thursday, February 19th. Possible callbacks will be held on Friday, February 20th. Students need to prepare the audition pieces and will not be permitted to audition without a signed contract from the folks at home.

  • Students interested in auditioning should pick up audition materials from Joanne or from the bulletin board outside of Mark’s office.
  • Click here to link to MTI’s site for BUGSY MALONE Junior. Students can read up on the background of the play, check out the characters and listen to samples of the songs. The audition song will be “BUGSY MALONE”
  • Click here to download the musical contract.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) The eighth grade will travel to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum on Friday afternoon, February 13th.

2) A reminder that final payments are 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 . . .
No updates this week.

For Fifth and Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Click here to view the full practice and game schedule for the intramural basketball program.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week.

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

  • View important middle school dates here.
  • View all events with the LREI On-line 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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