From guest blogger Phil Kassen:

Dear LREI Families,

As we sprint towards the end of the school year—two weeks filled with all sorts of special events and celebrations to go—it seems like a good time to congratulate members of the faculty on some of their successes this year.  I asked the faculty in all three divisions to volunteer specific honors earned this school year.  The responses were:

• Ana Chaney, middle school math teacher and math department chair, completed Bank Street College of Education’s Leadership in Mathematics Education program and earned a Masters’ of Science in Education.

• MicahDov Gottlieb, high school Assistant Principal, was chosen to represent Brooklyn College’s Educational Leadership program at their NCATE (National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education) accreditation.  In addition, he will be working with PBS on an episode of a new program called “Do The Math.” His record label “The Brooklyn Label” will be showing children how math is used in the recording studio. The group that will be featured is DobleFlo (a hip-hop duo), which features LREI alum Luis Lopez, ‘03.

• Matthew Rosen, seventh grade core teacher, was awarded an National Endowment for the Humanities grant to attend a summer institute at Yale, The Lost World of Early America, in which he will explore themes in colonial American history, such as race relations, politics, economics, family and community life, and rites of passage..  In addition, he was selected to be a recipient of the Richard Koppenaal Scholarship for superior academic achievement at NYU where he will continue with his graduate studies in English Literature and Writing in the fall.

• Deborah Damast, lower school movement teacher/middle school dance teacher, was the recipient of the Outstanding Postsecondary Educator award from the National Dance Education Organization for outstanding contributions to dance education nationally and in the community. This award is given once every two years and nominations come from colleges and universities across the nation.

• High school English teacher Ileana Jiménez has recently been awarded the Distinguished Fulbright in Teaching Award (which is different from the Fulbright Teacher Exchange). The Fulbright will allow Ileana to spend six months in Mexico conducting research at a major university, providing professional development to local teachers, and completing a capstone project on gender and education. Her Fulbright will extend from January through June 2011.  She hopes to bring her research on gender and education back to both our English program and the high school’s program re-design focusing on global education and diversity.

• Vin Scialla, high school music teacher/jazz band director was recently offered an album and distribution deal with Random Chance records for Snehasish Mozumder & Som, whom he performed with at Lincoln Center Out of Doors.

• Elizabeth Simmons, seventh grade Core teacher, will attend the Klingenstein Summer Institute for Early Teachers. The Institute brings together approximately 75 teachers from across the country and around the world, and is especially designed to make teachers more effective leaders in the classroom and throughout the school.

• Early childhood librarian Jesse Karp’s first novel, Those That Wake, will be published by Houghton Mifflin in Spring 2011.  The young adult novel centers on two teenagers who stumble upon a dark force that secretly manipulates society, and their struggle against it.  In addition, Jesse’s Graphic Novels in Your School Library, a non-fiction book about using comics and graphic novels in education, will be published by ALA Editions in Spring 2011.  Finally, he is currently serving his second year on the American Library Association’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee, a body devoted to selecting the best graphic novels for ages 12-18.

• Stacy Dillon, Lower School Librarian, has been selected to be a member of the Newberry 2012 committee. What an honor!  As you may know, the “Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”

• MS Librarian and Library Department Chair Jennifer Hubert Swan has been accepted into the Cullman Center Institute for Teachers Summer Seminar taught by author Karen Russell this July, and will be chairing the 2012 YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award for Excellence in Nonfiction committee starting in September. She is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute in the School of Information and Library Science where she teaches evening courses in young adult and tween literature.

• Karyn Silverman, high school librarian, is currently Chair of the Frances Henne YALSA/VOYA Research Grant Jury, which awards an annual fund to research supporting the Strategic Goals and Mission of YALSA, and am currently a member of the YALSA Nominating Committee, which is charged with finding qualified candidates for all award committees and governance positions. In addition, I will be teaching a graduate class on Young Adult Literature at Queens College this summer.

Each summer, for many years, LREI awards summer grants to support program development. Two years ago we began to award a series travel grants to support travel by LREI employees that may be, but does not have to be, related to the curriculum.  Click here to go to the Director’s blog to see a complete list of grant recipients.

We also had a very successful year for some of our academic teams. To read of their successes, please click here.

Phil

Of General Interest . . .

1) Click here to access the most current “At a Glance” calendar for the 2010-2011 school year. This calendar includes Family Conference dates not included in the last version that was sent by Phil.

2) From the Admissions Team: Spring Admissions Alert — Greetings! As the end of the school year approaches, the Admissions Office is already planning for Fall 2011. In order to best anticipate enrollment needs, it is helpful for the department to know the number of current LREI families who intend apply for admission for a sibling for the 2011-2012 school year. In order to facilitate our planning for 2011-2012 we ask that you contact the Admissions Office by June 11th to provide your child’s name, date of birth, current grade and school name, and the grade to which she or he will apply for the 2010-2011 school year. In doing so you will assist the admissions office with entering this information into our database so we may provide you with information about the process beginning in late summer. As a point of reference, please be advised that LREI offers an optional Early Notification Program for applicants to Fours, Kindergarten and First Grade who are siblings of current LREI students, children of faculty or staff, and children or grandchildren of alumni. This program expedites the admissions process for those who are members of the community and benefits the School by clarifying the number of places available in each grade for the general applicant pool. Applicants to Fours and Kindergarten must be four years old and five years old respectively by September 1st of the year in which a child will begin school. Should you have any questions about the admissions process for your child, please contact the admissions office at 212.477.5316. You may also send us information about your child by sending the aforementioned details to admissions@lrei.org. We look forward to our continued work with LREI families. Best wishes for a healthy spring!

3) Click here to access the photo collection of LREI events and happenings at our on-line photo gallery. Enjoy the following slideshows from the Spring Concert, 24 Tournament, the Charlton Street Ribbon Cutting event and Field Day.

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4) From the Art Auction Committee: 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.

5) Join us on the 17th Annual LREI Camping Trip — June 4, 5 and 6
All LREI families and their children — from the 4’s through high school — are invited to participate in fun, swimming, hiking, games, fishing, and S’mores! – Sign up online at http://lrei.org/caleven/camping/ with PayPal. Detailed information including directions/map, camping rules, etc. can be found at http://lrei.org/pdf/CampingInfo.pdf. We look forward to seeing you there!

6) From the Literary Committee: 6/8 – 6/9 Little REaD Book Swap! Are your kids’ bookshelves so full they’re about to buckle? You can start clearing them out for the first ever Little REaD Book Swap! On June 8th and 9th, bring those books that your kids loved a few years ago but will never read again to school to swap for something new. Drop off and pick up books from 8-9 AM and 2:45-3:45 PM next Tuesday and Wednesday. Please — only kids’ books in good condition. Foreign-language books are fine. Any leftover books will be given to the GO Project or other charities. Please help recirculate good books around our community! Please see the flyer for more information.

7) The cookbook committee is still taking pre-orders for our new LREI community cookbook, Downtown Potluck, to be published in the fall of this year. Look for us in the lobby, or send an email to cookbook@lrei.org if you would like to order a copy ($25 each). If you place an order by the end of the school year, you will be entered in a drawing to win a free cookbook and a dinner for two at Minetta Tavern!Thanks to everyone,

8) Red is Green Committee Announcements:

• For more details about our monthly recycling drives and Go Green to School dates, please click Red is Green PA Page.

9) I would again like to thank this year’s Middle School Parent Representatives for their hard work on your behalf in helping to make the Middle School the vibrant learning community that it is. If you are interested in continuing as a rep next year or would like to volunteer to serve as rep for the 2010-2011 school year, please email the PA Co-Presidents PA-Presidents@lrei.org. Also, each year the Parents Association asks its members to vote on a slate of officers and representatives for the following school year. Click here for the 2010-2011 Ballot for Parents Association Officers.  To cast your ballot, please print the form, complete it and return it to the receptionist in either building by Monday, June 14th.

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

11) 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) So far 34 hours have been logged in our “Getting Tools to City Schools — Turning Chores into Service Drive.” We can do better. The weekend should provide ample opportunity for some helpful work that your child can do around the home. Below is additional information about the drive:

• Getting Tools To City Schools – Over the course of the year, we have had a number of collection drives to collect school supplies to make 200 binders that will be donated to students in one of Getting Tools to City Schools‘ partner schools. We are asking middle school students to ask parents, friends and relatives if there are chores around the home that they can do. In compensation for this work, you will contribute $2/hour worked to support our collaboration with Getting Tools to City Schools. All of the money raised will be used to buy school supplies at wholesale cost. Please use the attached certificate to record hours worked by your child. We ask that the monies earned and the completed certificate(s) be returned to your child’s advisor. At the end of the month, the homeroom that has logged the most hours will earn a pizza lunch party.

2) Just a heads up that the annual End-of-Year Middle School dance will take place tomorrow, Friday, June 4th a the Charlton Street PAC. The dance will start at 6:00PM and pizza and ice cream will be provided. The dance will end at 8:00PM for fifth and sixth graders and at 8:30PM for seventh and eighth graders. For seventh and eighth grade families, please make sure that you arrive by 8:25PM to pick up your child so that dismissal can flow smoothly.

3) On Friday, June 11th, 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.

4) The Judo team will hold its annual spring LREI Shiai (tournament) an Friday, June 11th at 3:30PM in the Thompson Street Athletic Center. For the tournament , students will be grouped into small subsections determined by gender and weight to compete against each other. The winners of each of the smaller subsections will then compete against each other for the title, “The Grand Champion.” There will be one Grand Champion for boys and one for girls. Each Judoka (practitioner) will have at least one match and will medal. The awards for “Best Technique” and “Best Fighting Spirit” will be on the line for both girl and boy divisions respectfully. The award ceremony and belt promotions immediately follow the Shiai and, at this time, we will issue the esteemed honor of “Player of the Year.” The Shiai is always a great event and, as in years past, we hope to see many students and families in the stands.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .

1) Eighth graders moving on to EI will learn more about summer reading assignments tomorrow afternoon and will receive the assigned reading books at that time. Additional information about summer work can be found at http://lrei.org/libres/sr.html.

2) Please join is on Tuesday, June 8th, 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 11th. 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) For Monday June 14th, the eighth graders will be making their annual trip to Jacob Riis beach. Please make sure that your child comes to school with a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), bathing suit, towel, hat, sunglasses, sunblock and any sports equipment (including basketballs as there are courts next to the wild beach roses).  We also recommend a sweatshirt in case of chilly breezes and anything else one might want at the beach (ipod, book, camera, etc). As students will receive their yearbooks in the morning, a pen is also recommended.

5) The Moving Up Assembly/Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 15th, 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 Seventh Grade Families . . .

1) Please read the attached summer reading and summer math assignments. Click here to read the grade level reading list and  here to view the supplemental reading list. Next year’s core teachers will visit the class to go over the assignment. The lists and assignments are also accessible on the school website at http://lrei.org/libres/sr.html.

2) The seventh grade potluck breakfast and Constitution Works is scheduled for Thursday, June 10th. 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. Please click here for important information about courthouse procedures and directions. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds or glass bottles) as they will east outside the courthouse after the simulation. 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).

3) On Monday, June 14th, the seventh graders will make their annual end-of-year trip to Bear Mountain. Please make sure that your child comes to school with a comfortable light backpack containing a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), a hat, sunblock and a windbreaker. Students must wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers. No open toed shoes, sandals or flip flops.

4) Looking further ahead to next year, click here to access the registration form for the spring Gettysburg/DC trip that will take place next May. I’m sending you this information now so that you can spread out payments over a longer period of time. If you register online, please use the following trip ID#: 55757. If you have specific questions about payment, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .

1) Please read the attached summer reading and summer math assignments. Click here to read the grade level reading list and  here to view the supplemental reading list. Next year’s core teachers will visit the class to go over the assignment. The lists and assignments are also accessible on the school website at http://lrei.org/libres/sr.html.

2) The annual sixth grade poetry and potluck breakfast will take place on Tuesday, June 8th 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).

3) On Monday, June 14th, the sixth graders will be participating with their advisory group and advisor in an adventure-packed scavenger hunt around the neighborhood.  Please make sure that your child comes to school with a comfortable light backpack containing a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), a hat, and sunblock. Students must wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers. No open toed shoes, sandals or flip flops.

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. If you register online, please use the following trip ID#: A76310. W e 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) Please read the attached summer reading and summer math assignments. Click here to read the grade level reading list and  here to view the supplemental reading list. Next year’s core teachers will visit the class to go over the assignment. The lists and assignments are also accessible on the school website at http://lrei.org/libres/sr.html.

2) Our annual Grecian Festival will take place on the evening of Wednesday, June 9th at 6:00PM. From 6:00-6:30PM, you are invited to view students’ projects in the computer lab and in the science lab. 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).

3) On Monday, June 14th, the fifth graders will make their annual end-of-year trip to The New York Aquarium. Please make sure that your child comes to school with a comfortable light backpack containing a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), a hat, and sunblock.

============= 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