Almost There, a note from Phil

Phew! What a full end to the 2008-2009 school year! Projects, tests, quizzes, presentations, potlucks, potlucks and more potlucks, concerts, recitals, more potlucks, award ceremonies and on and on. All interesting, all fun, all opportunities to display the hard work and serious learning that have gone on throughout year. My hat is off to the students and teachers who are managing to stay fresh and focused in the face of this series of quite fortunate events.The seniors are counting the hours until graduation—25 or so at press time. Last week the twelfth graders presented their Senior Projects, the result of internships and many weeks work, to standing room only crowds. Last Friday, the class attended the Senior Prom and tonight, along with their families, they will participate in the annual Senior Banquet. Performances, speeches, gifts for each student and the presentation of our most prestigious institutional awards—it is a wonderful evening and one to which we look forward each year. And tomorrow, their day of days, the senior class will be honored in LREI’s 64th Commencement Exercises. Hard to describe how moving this event is each year. If you are not a parent of a senior you will just have to wait to see.

Click here to see the most up to date list of our seniors’ college acceptances.
Click here to see the most up to date list of college matriculation plans for the Class of 2009.

Monday will bring a return to school for those the seniors will have left behind. Final exams will take up most of the last week in the high school, while Lower and Middle School students will finish up their academic and arts classes with a variety of events and participate in our traditional moving up exercises and then slip away to summer. Please visit the three divisional blogs to get a sense of what is happening throughout the school.

Our summer camp, “Summers at LREI”, will fill much of both campuses starting in late June. Summer will also bring significant construction to both buildings. On Sixth Avenue we will continue the upgrade and greening of the classrooms that we began last summer. The middle school classrooms that we renovated a year ago have added tremendously to the day-to-day life in the brownstones. During the coming summer we will renovate several lower school classrooms in a similar manner. I will be in touch to share renderings of these spaces as soon as possible. .

On Charlton Street, we will continue the phase of construction that we started in March. Let me pause to thank the high school students and faculty for their patience during the construction. Major disruption was limited to a few days, but these days were hard. Thank you very much. This summer we will be renovating the 40 Charlton Street lobby and our chemistry lab, adding an elevator and renovating the townhouse (future home to the college guidance and admissions offices, humanities classrooms and faculty offices) to the west of the current high school building and integrating this restored landmark building into the existing facility. We will be adding considerable space to the high school’s basement classrooms and enlarging the cafeteria/student center. In the fall we will hold classes and receptions in a spacious outdoor courtyard. This project is a huge undertaking. The bulk of the work will be completed in time for the opening of school with the rest coming on line in mid-September.

I hope that you enjoy the exciting end of the school year. The thought and care and learning evident in all that the students will do in the next two weeks will earn them well deserved pats on the back and will send a raft of “Thank you’s” to their teachers. The summer will begin, and end, at the same breakneck pace that we are experiencing now. We will, and hope that you will, find some time during the summer to reflect on your child’s experience at LREI and how much they have learned and grown.

Warmly,

Phil

 

 

 

 

 

LOWER SCHOOL NOTES & ATTACHMENTS

(click on the links below to view and print information from teachers and specialists.)

  • All grades: To view photo galleries from all divisions of the school, click here.
  • EK: Click here for a letter from Diane and Charles.

UPCOMING PARENT MEETINGS & EVENTS

  • For the most up-to-date, searchable all school calendar, please visitwww.lrei.org/calendar. Click here for the 2009-10 school calendar.
  • Friday, May 29, 8:15AM – Memorial event for Owen Gerson
  • Tuesday, June 2, 5:30pm – Afterschool Piano and Voice Recital
  • Tuesday, June 2, 6:30pm – Afterschool Instrumental Concert
  • Thursday, June 4, 8:15am – Goodbye Breakfast for Pippa, Samantha & Sandra
  • Friday, June 5 – School closes early. Dismissal at 12noon (Fours – 1st grade at 11:45am)

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What to Expect: Please join us on the following mornings for discussions about moving on to the next grade level. All meetings will be held in the Bleecker street cafeteria.

  • What to expect in first grade – May 4 at 8:45am
  • What to expect in second grade – May 7 at 8:45am
  • What to expect in third grade – May 14 at 8:45am
  • What to expect in fourth grade – May 15 at 8:45am
  • What to expect in fifth grade – Updated! June 5 at 8:45am

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LS class picnic schedule: All class picnics start at 6pm. Please contact your classroom parent representative to confirm the time, date and location for your class.

  • Wed, May 6 – Alison’s 3rd Grade Picnic
  • Tue, May 12 – Dina’s 4th Grade Picnic
  • Wed, May 13 – Dot’s 3rd Grade Picnic
  • Mon, May 18 – Rebecca’s 1st Grade Picnic
  • Wed, May 20 – Gina’s 1st Grade Picnic
  • Tue, May 26 – Colleen’s 2nd Grade Picnic
  • Wed, May 27 – Jamie’s 1st Picnic
  • Thu, May 28 – Tasha’s 2nd Grade picnic
  • Mon, Jun 1 – Luise’s K’s Grade Picnic
  • Wed, Jun 3 – Crystal’s K Picnic
  • Mon, Jun 8 – Diane’s EK Picnic
  • Tue, Jun 9 – Fours Picnic
  • Wed, Jun 10 – Kate’s 4th Picnic

 

 

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

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From the Lesbian, Gay, Straight Alliance (LGSA): Information on the upcoming upcoming Gay Pride March — The parade this year is Sunday, June 28th and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. These riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when gays and lesbians fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. This year LREI’s participation in the parade will include a float along with music, balloons, bubbles, flags and more. For the first time we will be joined by families from The Calhoun School, another independent school in New York City. The theme for the float this year is “Together We Are One” and t-shirts for the event will be sold outside the Lower School on Wednesday, June 10th, and Thursday, June 11th, in the morning. Anyone who is interested in attending the parade should contact Keith Stout at keithstout@mac.com or Carrie Borows at cborows@gmail.com to be placed on the mailing list for informational updates such as when and where to arrive for the parade, safety tips, weather forecasts, etc. The parade and the LREI float are an amazing way to show support for our school and community and as always is a day of amazing fun and excitement for the kids. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you. Click here to view the flyer.

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Library Update: Click here to read the LS Library blog with one final recommendation from your Early Childhood Librarian.

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The library will be closed to circulation the first week of June. Books may come into the library, but may no longer be checked out of the library. The librarians need to get all material back on the shelves in order to take inventory of the collection. The library space will be open to families and students as usual. If you have any questions, please stop by to speak with Jesse, Jen or Stacy. Thanks so much!

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A reminder: Please be sure to check the lost and found. We will be donating lost items at the close of school.

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PA Election Poll: 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 ballot for the 2009-2010 school year. All parents/guardians of LREI students are members of the association and are encouraged to vote. There is no election for class parent representatives. If you would like to volunteer to be a parent rep, please speak to your divisional coordinator or the current year’s parent reps. Once completed, please return your ballot to the receptionist in either building. Ballots can also be mailed to the school, please address them to Parents Association Elections.

 

 

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