And so we begin again . . .

Dear Families:
Walking through the halls of the Middle School building, it feels like school has been in session for much longer than six days. Students have jumped into their classes with a purposefulness that is inspiring. This same spirit infused our discussions preceding and following our participation in the September Concert on Monday. Students were both thoughtful and serious as they explored with their classmates the meaning of the events of 9/11 and the implications of these events for all of us today. We also talked about the power of music as a means for remembering and as an expression of our common humanity. We touched on many important themes in these discussions that we will return to throughout the year in classes and in advisory.

The start of the year is also a time when we reestablish old ties within the community and begin to forge new ones. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to drop in and say hello to your child’s teachers. You may also want to email your child’s advisor a brief note that touches on some of your hopes for your child this year. Please know that my door is always open; I look forward to speaking with each of you throughout the year and learning more from you about your experience as an LREI Middle School parent.

On a more nuts and bolts level, please note the following adjustment to the morning arrival policy:

  • From 8:00-8:15AM, students may be in the library, lab, and lobby. While the weather is nice, students can wait in the square in front of the building before entering.
  • Please remind your child that if s/he needs to print something out in the lab s/he should do so during this time. Students who need to meet with a teacher may also do so between 8:00-8:15AM.
  • At 8:15AM, students will proceed to their homerooms.
  • Students will have from 8:15-8:20AM to get to homeroom, hang up their coats, and get their materials ready for the day.
  • Homeroom activities will begin at 8:20AM
  • Those students who enter the building after 8:20AM will be marked late.
  • Students who lateness is unexcused will make up this time during recess (fifth and sixth grade) or after school (seventh and eighth grade). If your child arrives late with a note or if you contact your child’s homeroom teacher to excuse the lateness, s/he will be marked late, but will not be expected to make up this time. Notes should only excuse lateness that is the result of circumstances outside of the student’s control (e.g., emergency at home, problems with transportation, etc.).
  • On Tuesdays, students are expected to be in their advisories at 8:20AM with their materials for their morning classes.
  • We will use the Tuesday advisory period exclusively for check-ins with advisees. Students who are not checking in with their advisors are expected to be in the advisory room working quietly, reading, or otherwise preparing quietly for the day.

This Week’s Attachments
(Click on the links below to open the attachments. If you are having trouble opening the links, go to http://www.lrei.org/weekly/ms/ to access the files.)

General:
2006-2007 At-a-Glance Calendar
PA Welcome Fairs
Parent Survey Flyer
Advisory Group Lists
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Williamsburg Trip Payment Forms
Sixth Grade:
Greenkill Forms
Sixth Grade Math Letter
Fifth Grade:
Greenkill Forms
Fifth Grade Math Letter

Of General Interest . . .
1) Tonight: New Parents—you are invited to a cocktail party hosted by Board Chair Michael Patrick (LREI ’71) and his wife Carol Sedwick— Thursday, September 14th at 6PM, at the home of Michael and Carol, 250 West 94th St. 15E

2) From Director of Afterschool Programs Cari Kosins: A reminder that all Afterschool Core, Enrichment, and Instrumental Programs begin this Monday, September 18th.

3) Two Reminders from the Parents Association:

  • Please join us at one of the welcome fairs next week — Tuesday, September 19th, from 6:00-6:30PM in the Charlton Street PAC or Thursday, September 21st, from 8:00-9:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria. For more information, please see the attached flyer.
  • Please remember to fill out your parent survey (see attached flyer) In November, a group of educators from other independent schools in New York State will visit LREI. These professional colleagues will be serving as members of the team that will perform our ten-year re-accreditation exercise, a requirement for all NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independent Schools) member schools. As part of this process, NYSAIS asks that all parents complete a survey. We have chosen to do this on-line. Anonymous responses, and the summary of these responses, will be presented to our visitors. The goal of the visit is to gauge the extent to which LREI does what it says it does. The survey can be accessed at:
    http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=11362252235

4) Middle School Chorus and Band—The Little Red Singers (grades 5-8) meets twice a week for 45 minutes (Mondays, 8:00-8:45AM and Wednesdays, 3:00-3:45PM). The Little Red Singers are directed by Henry Chapin. The Middle school band meets on Fridays from 2:15-3:45PM. All instrumentalists and vocalists are invited to attend. The focus of the band is on performance and not individual instruction. Henry Chapin also directs the band.

5) Just a reminder that Coffee Pond Photography will be with us on Monday, October 16th to take individual and class pictures (in case fo inclement weather, the pictures will be taken on Monday, October 23rd). After the pictures are taken, you will receive a proofs and an order form in the mail. To get the best portrait of your child, please make sure that they are dessed appropriately on Portrait Day. If you have specific questions about the ordering process, you can contact Coffee Pond Photography at lifeguards@coffeepond.com or by phone at 1-800-632-2323 extension 0.

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

7) 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. You can access their on-line calendar of events at www.parentsinaction.org.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1)On the afternoon of Friday, September 22nd, the eighth grade will travel to Prospect Park to visit the Doctors Without Borders interactive program “A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City.” Eighth graders will return to Prospect Park the following Friday, September 29th, to participate in our annual park clean-up project. Students should bring a bagged lunch on this day (please remember no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles).

2) In conjunction with a program sponsored by the Carmine Street Recreation Department, girls in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to participate in a weekend basketball program run by our high school girls basketball coach Orville Drummond. The goal of the program is to build fundamental basketball skills, support individual growth, and develop team skills. Depending on the size of the group, participants may be placed into smaller groups according to skill level. We are hoping to compete in the Carmine Recreation League tournament, which starts in December. The program will also help the girls prepare for their respective school teams. Practices will start on Saturday, September 23rd at 1:00PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center. There will be a no cut policy, but competing at this level demands skill, dedication, and commitment. Therefore, attendance and punctuality will determine playing time.
All guideline set forth by the LREI Athletic Department will be followed. Please visit the school’s website to get the necessary permission forms. If you have questions about the program, please contact Orville Drummond at odrummond@lrei.org.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Before you know it, students will be packing and hitting the road for the annual seventh grade trip to Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia, which is scheduled for the week of October 23rd. The attached form provides important information about payment for the trip.

2) Seventh graders will journey to Prospect Park on Friday, September 29th, to participate in our annual park clean-up project. Students should bring a bagged lunch on this day (please remember no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles).

3) In conjunction with a program sponsored by the Carmine Street Recreation Department, girls in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to participate in a weekend basketball program run by our high school girls basketball coach Orville Drummond. The goal of the program is to build fundamental basketball skills, support individual growth, and develop team skills. Depending on the size of the group, participants may be placed into smaller groups according to skill level. We are hoping to compete in the Carmine Recreation League tournament, which starts in December. The program will also help the girls prepare for their respective school teams. Practices will start on Saturday, September 23rd at 1:00PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center. There will be a no cut policy, but competing at this level demands skill, dedication, and commitment. Therefore, attendance and punctuality will determine playing time.All guideline set forth by the LREI Athletic department will be followed. Please visit the school’s website to get the necessary permission forms. If you have questions about the program, please contact Orville Drummond at odrummond@lrei.org.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Greenkill–Fifth and sixth graders will leave for their three-day outdoor education trip to the Greenkill Environmental Center on Wednesday, September 20th. Please read and complete the attached forms. If you have not done so already, these forms must be returned by Monday, September 18th. As Greenkill will not be providing blankets this year, your child should bring a sleeping bag or sheets and a blanket.

2) Please read the attached letter from sixth grade math teacher Ana Chaney about the new math unit.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Greenkill–Fifth and sixth graders will leave for their three-day outdoor education trip to the Greenkill Environmental Center on Wednesday, September 20th. Please read and complete the attached forms. If you have not done so already, these forms must be returned by Monday, September 18th. As Greenkill will not be providing blankets this year, your child should bring a sleeping bag or sheets and a blanket. We have spent time in class talking about the trip and what to expect. Fifth graders will also have a chance to talk with sixth graders about the upcoming experience.

2) This is to announce a change in policy regarding chorus activities in the Middle School. Fifth grade singers are now invited to join the Middle School Chorus. The Middle School Chorus rehearses on Monday mornings, from 8:00AM until 8:30AM, and Wednesday afternoons afterschool, from 3:00PM until 3:45PM. Previously, fifth graders were invited to join the Lower School chorus. If you have any questions regarding this change, please do not hesitate to email Middle School Chorus director Henry Chapin at hchapin@lrei.org.

3) Please read the attached letter from fifth grade math teacher Ana Chaney about the new math unit and expectations for fifth grade math.

Middle School Sports
Schedules, permission forms and general information about Middle School sports programs can be found at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/index.html. Information is also available through the LREI Sports Hotline at 212.477.5316 x 494.

Looking Ahead . . .
On the LREI web site additional information about upcoming events can be found at http://www.lrei.org/caleven/index.html (the middle school events page can be found at http://www.lrei.org/midschool/Events.html)

  • Thursday, September 14th, 2006, 6:00PM — New Parent Cocktail Party hosted by Board Chair Michael Patrick ’71 and Carol Sedwick.
  • Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 8:00AM — Fifth & Sixth Grade to Greenkill (return on Friday, September 22, 2006)
  • Thursday, September 21, 2006, 6:00PM — MS POCOC
  • Friday, September 22, 2006 — Eighth grade to Prospect Park for Doctors Without Borders program
  • Tuesday, September 26, 2006, 6:00PM — MS Curriculum Night
  • Friday, September 29, 2006 — Seventh and Eighth Garde to Prospect Park for park clean-up
  • Monday, October 2, 2006 — Yom Kippur School Closed
  • Wednesday, October 4, 2006 — Sixth Grade DISC Field Day (raindate Tuesday, October 24, 2006)
  • Monday, October 9, 2006 — Columbus Day – School Closed
  • Tuesday, October 10, 2006, 6:30PM — Diversity and Community Evening
  • Wednesday, October 11, 2006 — Eighth Grade HS Tour
  • Monday, October 16, 2006 — Photo Day (raindate Monday, October 23, 2006)
  • Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, October 18, 2006 – Sixth Grade to the Cloisters
  • Wednesday, October 18, 2006 — Eighth Grade HS Tour
  • Thursday, October 19, 2006, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Meeting
  • Saturday, October 21, 2006, 7:00PM — Coffeehouse
  • Monday, October 23, 2006, 8:00AM — Seventh Grade to Williamsburg (return on Friday, October 27, 2006)
  • Tuesday, October 24, 2006 — HS Minimester (through Thursday, October 26, 2006)
  • Sunday, October 29, 2006 — Halloween Fair
  • Tuesday, October 31, 2006 — Fifth Grade to the Met (Ancient Near Eastern Art)
  • Friday, November 3, 2006 — MS-End of 1st Quarter
  • Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 12:15PM — MS Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Thursday, November 16, 2006, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, November 17, 2006, 8:30AM — MS Parent-Teacher Conferences (MS closed)
  • Monday, November 20, 2006 — Irwin Scholars Application due
  • Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, November 22, 2006 — Thanksgiving-School closes at 12:00PM (school reopens on Monday, 27, 2006)
  • Friday, December 1, 2006, 7:00PM — Seventh Grade DISC Dance 40 CHST
  • Monday, December 4, 2006 — Book Week (through Friday, November 8, 2006)
  • Wednesday, December 6, 2006 — Book Fair (through Friday November 8, 2006)
  • Thursday, December 7, 2006, 7:00PM — Literary Evening
  • Friday, December 8, 2006, 7:00PM — MS Play
  • Saturday, December 9, 2006, 2:00PM and 7:00PM — MS Play
  • Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 6:00PM — Seventh Grade Colonial Museum
  • Thursday, December 14, 2006, 6:00PM — Winter Concert
  • Thursday, December 14, 2006, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, December 15, 2006 — Winter Break – School closes at 12:00PM (school reopens on Wednesday, January 3, 2007)

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and interesting information – http://www.lrei.org.

Be well,
Mark

To view the attached .pdf files, please download Adobe Reader, if you do not already have it. Click on the following link or paste it into your browser: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Comments are closed.