Challenging machines and crazy contraptions

Dear Families:

On April 14, the LREI Rube Goldberg Team competed in a competition with 20 other teams at The Fay School in Southborough, MA. Teams came from MA, CT, RI and NY to participate. Our traveling team consisted of five seventh graders, Cameron, Emma, Deion, Maya, Nicholas, and one eighth grade student, Zoe. The other team members included seventh grade students Brianna, Zaran and Robbie who helped with the preparations, but did not travel to the competition. The competition was modeled after MIT’s annual machine contest in which young engineers create innovative and complex devices to perform simple tasks. This program, co- sponsored by GE, EMC2, MIT, and Fay School, was designed to foster scientific literacy as it seeds student interest in the field of engineering.

The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is named after cartoonist Reuben Lucius Goldberg, the spirit of whose work inspires the contest’s weird and engineeringly challenging machines and crazy contraptions. Goldberg’s “inventions,” drawn for our pleasure, will work. By inventing excessively complex ways to accomplish simple tasks, he entertained us as he made fun of machines that seemed to be designed to make our lives easier. Goldberg himself claimed that the machines were a “symbol of man’s capacity for exerting maximum effort to achieve minimal results.” He believed that most people preferred doing things the hard way instead of using simpler solutions.

After spending seven weeks working after school designing and testing their machine, the team took its plans to The Fay School where they built and ran the machine under competition conditions. The day was filled with abundant energy and the LREI spirit of collaboration. Our team performed well with the machine completing nine successful energy transfers and the final task. Along the way, students explored a range of important physics concepts and discovered the challenges associated with engineering a complex machine. Well done!

Our participation in these kinds of extracurricular events is an extension of the philosophy that drives our science program. In the Middle School, the many hands-on problem-solving projects designed by our science teachers provide students with opportunities to explore and understand important science concepts. Whether designing and building a scale model of a Medieval trebuchet, using forensics skills to make sense of a crime scene, creating a mouse-trap-powered vehicle, or modeling pillbug behavior with a robot, LREI students embrace these experiences with curiosity, enthusiasm and joy. These challenges afford students the opportunity to apply and synthesize their thoughts in a complex and inherently interesting problem-solving environment. The science classroom is a place that resonates with the energy of active and engaged minds that are fueled by a desire to make sense of the world in which we live. What could be better?

Last week’s blog included information about the Sea of People event, which was brought to our attention by the students in two of our advisory groups. What follows is a letter from these groups about the event and some follow up actions:

The LREI Community is always concerned about problems in the world and finds ways to help out, from donating coats for coat drives to going on walks for a cause. Each advisory was asked to come up with issues they wanted to focus on and how they could help. Two advisories (Sherezada/Wendy and Frank/Steve) decided to focus on Global Warming.

We began by learning more about this issue. In our research we found out about the Sea of People — a rally to reduce CO2 emissions, which is the next step to putting an end to global climate change. We worked together to spread the news about this event through letters to the school community, speaking at student assemblies, creating displays, and getting our friends and families involved. Our goal was to have fifty participants from our school at the Sea of People. On Saturday, April 14th, the LREI community was represented at the rally with over 90 people, almost doubling our goal!! Check out photos of the event at: http://photos.lrei.org

We (Sherezada and Wendy’s advisory) are continuing our work to create awareness in our community about global warming. Some of our actions range from creating a kid-friendly educational video to educating lower school classes about these issues. Anyone interested in learning more about what we are doing or getting involved should contact our advisory.

Thank you LREI for your support!
Sherezada & Wendy’s Advisory

On other fronts and no less inspiring, Thursday, May 3rd, and Friday, May 4th, are the dates of our first Middle School Art Show. The show will provide an opportunity for the community to enjoy a wide range of works produced by students in all four grades this year. An opening reception will be held on the afternoon of the 3rd from 3:15-4:15PM in the auditorium. We look forward to seeing you there.

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:
MS Parent Rep Mtg Minutes 4-17-07

2007-2008 Calendar
Parents in Action Flyer
Eighth Grade:
Math Section X Letter

Seventh Grade:
New Math Unit Letter
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .

1) To all families who have children participating in the LREI extracurricular sports program: In order to make sure that you receive timely notifications about changes to the practice or game schedules, we have created an email list that we will be using to provide these updates. If you child participates on an LREI sports team, we ask that you go to http://lists.lrei.org/mailman/listinfo/lrei-sports where you will be able to subscribe to the list. The instructions are posted on this page. After you subscribe, you will receive a confirmation email and instructions for how to reply. This email will be followed by a welcome email that will give you additional information about the list. Please note that subscribers to the list will not be able to post to the list. The list is for information distribution from the school. If you need to respond to an update, please respond directly to Marcus (mchang@lrei.org) or Larry (lkaplan@lrei.org). These updates will also go to coaches who will include this revised information in subsequent emails to their team lists. When you receive an email from this list , the subject line will indicate the group for which it is intended (e.g., “[LREI-Sports] HS Baseball”). If your child is not a member of the indicated team, you can delete the email without reading it. We do not expect the volume of this list to be so high that this will be a problem. As we pilot this list, please send Marcus and Larry any feedback that you think would help us to refine this process.

2) Tuesday, April 24 is Poem in Your Pocket Day! Spend some time over the weekend reading some poetry together as a family and have your child bring in a favorite poem or some original verse on Tuesday. Click here to view the flyer.

3) Think LREI Big Auction! LREI’s Big Auction is coming – Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:00pm at The Puck Building.Tickets must be purchased prior to the event, so if you haven’t already done so, please contact Patricia Conroy at pconroy@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 232. Tables are for 10 people – gather your friends and make it a party. This is a fun night and a terrific way to support LREI and the Tuition Remission Fund. To see all the great items on offer, you may view the catalog online, pick up a catalog in either the Sixth Avenue or Charlton Street lobby or ask Patricia to mail you one. We look forward to seeing you in two weeks!

4) Summers at LREI: LREI Institute for ages 10-14
For the third year, Summers at LREI will offer LREI Institute for children ages 10 to 14 during June and July. The Institute is built around two-week major and minor workshops taught by specialists as well as teachers from LREI’s Middle and High Schools. The spacious summer format of the program allows students to work on extended projects, collaborate across disciplines, use the resources of the city as a classroom through field trips, and have lots of fun together. The following are the major workshops this summer. Major workshops meet mornings Monday-Thursday and for a full 9:00am-4:00pm day on Friday.

  • Session 1 June 18-June 29
    The Science of Invention taught by Stephen Volkmann
    Writing New York taught by Ariel Horn Levenson
    Documentary Moviemaking: Fact or Fiction taught by Vinay Chowdhry
  • Session 2 July 2-July 13
    Robotics taught by Sherezada Acosta
    Engineering: Building Bridges taught by Stephen Volkmann
    Moviemaking: Special Effects taught by Vinay Chowdhry
  • Session 3 July 16-July 27
    Challenge Course taught by Marcus Chung
    Chess taught by Micheas Yohannes

Minors are offered afternoons Monday-Thursday and are athletic or arts workshops. Offerings this year include Karate, Basketball, Drawing and Painting, Physical Theatre, and Summer in the City.
Students may register for major or minor workshops or for full days, including both.

Registration materials with full workshop descriptions will be mailed to Fourth Grade and Middle School families early next week. Information about the Institute is available at http://www.lrei.org/ on the Summers at LREI page. The registration form will be available online as well by Tuesday, April 17th. An Early Bird discount is available for registration by May 11th, 2007. Contact Catherine Friesen at the Summers at LREI office at 212-477-5316 ext. 506 or cfriesen@lrei.org for more information.

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

6) 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 2006-2007 calendar. You can also access their on-line calendar of events at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) Please read the attached letter about the new math unit for section X from math teacher Michelle Boehm.

2)Seventh and Eighth Grade classes will visit the New York City Ballet on Thursday, May 3rd to see Romeo and Juliet from 12:00-1:30PM.

3) Please note the following schedule changes for Middle School Softball practice:

  • Tuesdays at JJ Walker field from 7-8am
  • Thursdays at Pier 40 from 3:30-5:00pm

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Please read the attached letter about the new math unit from math teacher Michelle Boehm.

2) From Matthew and Victor: On Monday, April 30th, the seventh grade will travel to Philadelphia for a day-long trip. We will visit the National Constitution Center, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and, time permitting, other historical sites. Students should arrive to LREI on the morning of April 30th by 7:30AM. Our chartered bus will be departing promptly at 7:45AM. Students should be sure to bring their writer’s notebook, a bag lunch, an extra sweatshirt, a snack for the ride back and a backpack for these items. Cameras and some spending money (no more than $15) are optional. Students should dress as appropriate for the day’s predicted weather and they should be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. We will be departing from Philadelphia at around 3:00PM, and expect to return to LREI by 5:00PM. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

2) Seventh and Eighth Grade classes will visit the New York City Ballet on Thursday, May 3rd to see Romeo and Juliet from 12:00 to 1:30PM.

3) Please note the following schedule changes for Middle School Softball practice:

  • Tuesdays at JJ Walker field from 7-8am
  • Thursdays at Pier 40 from 3:30-5:00pm

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) On Wednesday, May 23, the Sixth Grade will visit Carnegie Hall for a LinkUP! concert. The concert is scheduled for 10:15AM.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
No updates this week

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)

  • Friday, April 20, 2007, 8:30AM — LS/MS Parent-Teacher Conferences-LS/MS Closed
  • Friday, April 27, 2007 — HS Arts Festival
  • Monday, April 30, 2007 – Seventh Grade trip to Philadelphia
  • Thursday, May 3 & Friday, May 4, 2007 — Middle School Art Show, Sixth Avenue Auditorium
  • Thursday, May 3, 2007 – Seventh and Eighth Grade to see Romeo and Juliet at NYC Ballet
  • Friday, May 11, 2007, 7:00PM — MS Musical
  • Saturday, May 12, 2007, 2:00PM and 7:00PM — MS Musical
  • Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:00AM — Eighth Grade to DC (return on Friday, May 18, 2006)
  • Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Thursday, May 17, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, May 18, 2007 — Seventh Grade HS Visiting Day
  • Saturday, May 19, 2007, 7:00PM — Literary Magazine Coffeehouse
  • Sunday, May 20, 2007 – AIDS Walk New York
  • Monday, May 21, 2007, 6:00PM — MS Awards Night
  • Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 1:00PM — Middle School Chorus to Hudson Guild
  • Wednesday, May 23, 2007 — Sixth Grade to Carnegie Hall
  • Thursday, May 24, 2007 — Spring Book Sale
  • Thursday, May 24, 2007 — Spring Concert
  • Friday, May 25, 2007 — Field Day
  • Friday, May 25, 2007 — Memorial Day Weekend-School closes at 1:00PM (school reopens on Tuesday, May 29, 2006)
  • Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 8:00AM — Sixth Grade Potluck & Poetry Breakfast
  • Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 6:00PM — Fifth Grade Grecian Festival & Potluck
  • Thursday, June 7, 2007, 8:00AM — Seventh Grade Potluck Breakfast and Constitution Works
  • Friday, June 8, 2007 — High School Graduation (regular dismissal for MS)
  • Friday, June 8, 2007 — MS End of 4th Quarter
  • Friday, June 8, 2007, 6:00PM — Eighth Grade Pre-Moving Up Party
  • Monday, June 11, 2007, 6:00PM — MS Dance
  • Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 9:00AM — Eighth Grade Moving Up
  • Tuesday, June 12, 2007 — Last Day of School, School closes at 12:00PM for all Divisions

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

Be well,

Comments are closed.