Dear LREI Families,

No doubt there are those moments when, with the planets perfectly aligned, your child without prompting lowers the veil that shrouds her/his adolescent experience and lets you know about what is going on at school. These narratives of offered experience stand in bold contrast to the more mundane responses of “Nothing,” “It was fine,” “I forget.” So to assist you in the search for the holly grail of full disclosure, below please find an overview of some of the current happenings in our Middle School classrooms. My colleagues and I hope that they provide you with some valuable entry points into conversation with your child.

Fifth graders are . . .

• in the midst of their “civilization simulation” and are creating shelters suitable for the climate and resources in their area. In this first phase that takes place 10,000 years ago, they will begin to “hunt and gather” food to survive as a band of nomadic peoples. They are also reading The Breadwinner, doing plurals in spelling, and writing about small moments that matter in writer’s workshop.
• exploring beat and rhythm as a prelude to a study of melody and always singing, singing, and singing
• flipping, exaggerating, inverting, and overlapping the letters of their names to create nonrepresentational compositions that emphasizes lines and shapes. The next challenge is to use their primary colors to create as many secondary colors as possible and use these colors to fill the negative space created by their letters.
• continuing with their French adjective study and are using puppets to learn new body parts vocabulary

Sixth graders are . . .

• getting to the heart of Beowulf’s struggle against the monstrous Grendel and creating timeline cards to get a better sense of the scope of the Middle Ages. Books talks and current events are also the order for the day.
• delving into color theory by creating their own color wheels and exploring the relationships between primary, secondary and tertiary colors. This study has led to a set of drawings of mirror images with one side painted in primary, secondary and tertiary colors and the mirror image painted in complementary colors.
• composing and notating 4-measure rhythm-only phrases and exploring melodies based on Mediaval themes
• Practicing oral and written dialogues using new French vocabulary
• refining their soccer skills, making their way along the climbing wall and and learning new fitness routines
• using “Inspiration” to create digital family tress and learning how to organize data on the computer

Seventh graders are . . .

• continuing their thematic exploration of the novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry and are finding textual evidence to support the novel’s many themes, including sameness and Utopian ideals, ignorance versus knowledge, fairness and its relationship to justice, and the subtle differences between honor and power. This work is finding its way into a formal book review. Students are also well into the notetaking process as they gather information for their Colonial Research Papers and Projects.
• learning English Country dances from 1650, and exploring African-American ring shouts.
• writing descriptive sentences in French using multiple verbs
• making JJ Walker field the home of some spirited soccer workouts
• designing, carrying out, writing up and presenting on their investigations that have focused on identifying and controlling variables, and collecting and analyzing data about the properties of matter

Eighth graders are . . .

• concluding a study of Bob Dylan by writing a critical analysis of a Dylan song
• deducing meanings from context through their close reading of the French text Un Ete pas Comme les Autres
• exploring the early roots of the American Civil Rights Movement from multiple angles and have committed themselves to the notion of studying history from the “bottom up,” through the voices of the disenfranchised.
• raising the level of their soccer skills and tactics to new heights
• investigating motion and deriving and coming to an understanding of Newton’s Laws on Motion. They are also reviewing the principles of Simple Machines and will soon be using this information to design and construct mousetrap powered vehicles to illustrate these concepts.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Know Your Library event flyer
Eighth Grade:
DC Trip Payment Letter
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) Just a reminder that Coffee Pond Photography will be with us this Monday, October 15th to take individual and class pictures (in case of inclement weather, the pictures will be taken on Monday, October 29th). After the pictures are taken, you will receive proofs and an order form in the mail. To get the best portrait of your child, please make sure that s/he is dressed appropriately on Portrait Day. Our photographer, Coffee Pond Photography, is able to offer a limited number of photo scholarships. Please contact me (msilberberg@lrei.org or at extension 221), if you receive financial aid and are unable to pay for photographs. 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.

2) Please join the librarians this Wednesday, October 17th from 8:30-9:3AM in the Sixth avenue Library to learn more about the new library catalog, new materials, and how to use the library as resource to support school-home collaborations. Click here to view the event flyer.

3) Coat Drive for St. John’s Church — October 22-26: We are holding our annual coat and outerwear drive for the clients of the St. John Food Pantry. The church has asked that we focus on larger sizes this year- older teen and adult. THEY WOULD ALSO WELCOME MEN’S PANTS, JEANS, AS WELL AS NEW (IN PACKAGE) UNDERWEAR FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. Please bring your clean and gently used donations to Matthew’s room in the Middle School (push 2 in the elevator) beginning Monday, October 22rd. Thanks!

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

5) 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 2007-2008 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) Learning more about the high school program:

• High School tours for eighth grade families are scheduled for this Friday, October 12th and Monday, October 22nd at 9AM. Please contact Director of Admissions Samantha Caruth at scaruth@lrei.org or at extension 305 to let her know if you are planning on attending one of these tours. Samantha can also schedule you for a tour at some other time that is more convenient for you.
• The High School Open Houses are scheduled for Thursday, October 18th and Tuesday, November 6th. Both Open Houses will start at 6:30PM.
• Wednesday, October 31st through Friday, November 2nd: Eighth graders will participate in Minimester at the High School. Minimester affords eighth graders the opportunity to work and learn with high school students and faculty. Students choose an elective of interest from a range of offerings, which they then explore in-depth over the three days of Minimester. In groups of two and three, eighth graders will also spend a half-day in the high school following a regular schedule with a high school buddy.
• During the week of October 22nd, you will receive an application for the Irwin Scholars program. The Irwin Scholars program recognizes selected eighth grade students moving on to the high school who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to their academic success, contributed to the co-curricular life of the school, and exhibited strong leadership skills. The program provides a scholarship in the amount of $3-5K each year for four years.
• If you have any questions about the high school program, please contact Ruth (rjurgensen@lrei.org or at extension 303). If you would like to make a reservation for one of the Open House nights or one of the tours, please contact Director of Admissions Samantha Caruth (scaruth@lrei.org or at extension 305).

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) We hope that you will be able to join us for a parent information meeting next Wednesday, October 17th at 8AM in the seventh grade classrooms to discuss the upcoming Williamsburg trip.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) On Wednesday, October 17th, the sixth grade will visit the Cloisters to view collection of medieval art. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles) and should dress appropriately for the weather.

2) At Greenkill, Fifth and Sixth Grade students and their teachers were immersed in a blend of social and academic education. Through direct experience students developed a greater appreciation of their environment and better understood the impact humans have on it. As students understood the importance of working together, they discovered similar lessons in nature. Teamwork and communication were the backbones of the Greenkill experience and students will continue to build on these experiences now that thay have returned to school. To see photos of Greenkill 2007 click here.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) From fifth grade math teacher Ana Chaney: Are you curious about your child’s experience learning math in the Middle School? Do you want to know how your child will be challenged and supported in fifth grade and beyond? Are you wondering how you can be involved at home? Join me for a hands-on investigation taken from the curriculum, short talk and Q&A. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the Fifth Grade Math Breakfast, which will take place on Monday, October 15, at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.

2) 2) At Greenkill, Fifth and Sixth Grade students and their teachers were immersed in a blend of social and academic education. Through direct experience students developed a greater appreciation of their environment and better understood the impact humans have on it. As students understood the importance of working together, they discovered similar lessons in nature. Teamwork and communication were the backbones of the Greenkill experience and students will continue to build on these experiences now that thay have returned to school. To see photos of Greenkill 2007 click here.

For additional information, follow these links:

• Calendar of Events
• LREI Athletics

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and other interesting school-related information.

Be well,
Mark