In addition to the rich academic program, which is outlined in the middle school curriculum guide, the following is an alphabetical list of some of the other elements of the Middle School Program:

Activity Period – During the last period of the day on Friday, teachers offer various elective activities for students. Students sign up to participate in the club or activity of their choice and though they are not guaranteed their first choice, the activities rotate several times throughout the year and many activities are offered more than once. Students are encouraged to propose activities according to their own interests and approach teachers to be faculty advisors. Some examples of clubs and activities are:  Band, Model Congress, Yearbook, Newspaper, Comic Book Club, Tinkering, and Running Club.

Ashokan Trip – Each year the fifth and sixth grades spend three days and two nights at the Ashokan Center in the Catskills.  This trip is designed to provide a welcoming beginning to the Fifth graders and to create a sense of group cohesion for our younger middle schoolers in order to pave the way for a more successful school year.

Assemblies – The Middle School gathers for assemblies approximately once per month.  Usually these gatherings occur during an extended Middle School Meeting period (Wed. 2:00-3:00 PM.)  Faculty members often organize thematic or curriculum-based assembly programs with their classes. Several times per year the Middle School will join with the Lower and/or High School for assemblies.  Traditionally, the Middle School participates in the following assemblies every year: Thanksgiving, Latino/a History, Winter, Martin Luther King, Jr., Black History, Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage, Founder’s Day, Senior Appreciation, and GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance).

Buddies – Every class in LREI is matched with a Buddy class.  Most often these are inter-divisional so that younger and older students can mix.  At specific times, they get together in their classrooms or for special events.

Coffeehouses – Over the course of the year, the High School sponsors a series of open-mic evenings where members of the LREI community perform and enjoy poetry, music, singing etc.  Coffee is served, and Middle School students and faculty are welcome to attend and/or perform!

Community Service – Our community service program offers students opportunities to participate in individual and group service activities.  Some of these projects directly benefit the school community, some the surrounding neighborhood, and still others the wider communities of which our students are members Each student is encouraged to participate in those opportunities for community service that s/he finds interesting. Service choices can range from working on a recycling project to volunteering in a soup kitchen to tutoring younger children.  Students will hear of projects through announcements and through flyers posted on the bulletin board on the second floor landing. Homerooms will discuss the degree to which we expect each student to participate in the community service program.  Homerooms, advisories, and classes will also plan community service projects to work on as a group.  We always appreciate family participation in the community service program.  Past community service projects include AIDS Walk New York, the Heifer Project, Jump Rope for Heart, UNICEF, and the Cicero Project and visits to St. John’s Food Pantry.  The Dean of Student Activities Margaret Andrews coordinates the community service program.

Constitution Works – This is a culminating interdisciplinary event to the seventh grade’s study of the constitution. Students take on the role of lawyers and judges as they explore a simulated legal case, which they then present at the Federal Courthouse.

Curriculum Night – An evening at school where parents meet with Nathan and all of their child’s teachers. Parents begin in the auditorium where they are greeted by Nathan and introduced to the Middle School faculty. Parents then go to their child’s homeroom for a more detailed presentation by each teacher. An overview of the curriculum should be provided. Teachers often choose to give out handouts, do an interactive activity, or show a slide show or iMovie of students in their daily routines, etc.

Dances – There are winter and spring dances every year held in the PAC at Charlton Street. Students are welcome to dress up or down, and there are always non-dance options (like games) available as an option for socializing. Permission forms are sent a week in advance with more details . Generally the dances are from 6pm to 8pm. There is no after school supervision available between the end of school in the beginning of the dance and we encourage families who live nearby to extend invitations to those students who live farther away to prepare for the dance at their home. Students often go together in small groups.

DISC Events – The Downtown Independent School Council includes LREI, St. Luke’s, Village Community School (VCS), City and Country School, Friend’s Seminary, and Grace Church School.  Several times a years, students from all these schools participate in events like the Sixth Grade Field Day and the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade DISC dances.

Discovery Afternoon – Discovery Afternoon, which occurs on a Friday in May, provides an opportunity for experiential learning guided by student leaders and teachers through activities that extended beyond the daily academic routine. Offered activities give group leaders an opportunity to share a hobby, passion, or favorite city location with a small group of interested learners. Activities are designed to help participants grow intellectually and emotionally as they pursue new interests or explore passions shared with their classmates and teachers.

Field Day – LREI students and staff convene for a day of games and a picnic lunch (brought from home) at fields at Pier 40.  Classes spend time with their buddies and after lunch participate in a number of different organized games.

Fifth Grade Festival – This is a culminating interdisciplinary event to the fifth grade curriculum. Work from all classes is displayed and students lead families in an exploration of key pieces of work from their classes. Each class also presents scenes and songs developed in their drama and music classes.

Independent Reading – Independent Reading is a time for quiet, independent reading for all Middle School students and all Middle School faculty. It is scheduled each week during the first half hour of the day. Those students who do not have a book may look for one in the library or may choose to read a short work for the week.

Halloween – Middle Schoolers are allowed to dress up for Halloween. The student reps have developed the following guidelines.

Kemetic Tomb – As a culminating event to their study of ancient Egypt, the fifth grade converts one of its classrooms into an Egyptian (Kemetic) tomb. Students guide their parents, other students, and teachers through the tomb during the course of the day.

Medieval Pageant – This is a mid-year interdisciplinary event as part of the sixth grade’s study of the Middle Ages. In the months leading up to the event, students work in “guilds” with teacher “guild masters.” The guild support independent/group work focused on a particular area of focus (e.g., Historians Guild, Astronomers Guild, Actors Guild, Musicians Guild, Knights Guild, Puppetry guild, Cooks and Bakers Guild, Stone Masons Guild). Guilds may change from year to year. At the Medieval Pageant, guild share their work and students take on the roles of medieval characters that hey have develop in their drama class. Related classwork is also on display.

Moving-Up Ceremony – An assembly held in June honoring the eighth grade as they prepare to move up to our high school.

Parent Tours – Once a week, led by the Admissions Office or Nathan, prospective parents tour the school in the mornings. Tour groups are brought into the classrooms and students can expect to be asked questions about the curriculum or their classroom activities.

Parent Association Events
Most of these events raise funds for various school needs. Although there is often a charge for tickets, faculty members receive free or discounted tickets.

  • Art Auction – An auction of artwork donated by members and friends of the community held over three days, often in a Chelsea gallery art space.
  • Big Auction – An auction of items, services, etc. donated by members and friends of the community that benefits the LREI Annual Fund and the Tuition Remission Program.
  • Book Week – A weeklong celebration of books and authors including author visits in the classroom and a Book Fair in the auditorium. Children can visit the Book Fair before or after school and teachers often set time aside to visit the Book Fair as a class.
  • Halloween Fair – Held on the weekend at Sixth Avenue, students and parents create a Halloween celebration including singing, costumes, food and games.
  • Karamu! – A community multicultural celebration featuring storytelling, music, dance and song. This evening event is sponsored by the PA Multicultural Committee and proceeds benefit diversity initiatives at LREI.
  • Literary Evenings – Adult evenings, including food and drink, where authors visit and read from recent or past works.

Poem-In-Your-Pocket Day – A day in April where all students and teachers are encouraged to carry a poem in their pocket in celebration of National Poetry Month.  Teachers often choose to share these poems with their class during the day as well as take a look at poetry throughout the month.

Potluck Dinners/Breakfasts – Each class has 1-2 potlucks or breakfasts during the school year.  They can take place in classrooms or in the Cafeteria.  Often these get-togethers celebrate the culmination of a class project or other milestone during the school year. For example, the seventh grade has a potluck in conjunction with the Colonial Museum.

Professional Development Days – Held once or twice a year, the school is closed for students while teachers attend workshops in-house or outside the school, work on curriculum, etc.

Social Justice Teach-In – As a culminating event to their study of social justice issues connected the eighth grade US history curriculum, the eighth grade students plan a day of workshops and assemblies for the rest of the Middle School community.

Spirit Week and Middle School Olympics – Occurs in February and includes a variety of theme days (e.g., Pajama Day, Twin Day, Super Hero Day, etc.) that vary from year to year. The week culminates with the Middle School Olympics that include a variety of physical and mental challenges. Students complete as 5th-8th grade teams and are on the same team each year.

Student Association Representatives – Two representatives are elected from each class at the start of the year (four representatives per grade). The election is anonymous and based on speeches written and submitted by each student candidate, which is then read aloud during Adolescent Issues. Student Association Representatives (Student Reps) meet with Middle School Dean of Student Activities Margaret Andrews on Tuesday mornings to discuss topics of interest to students, including snack, dances, and Spirit Week to name a few.

Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love – Held every other year, Visibility is a photography exhibit, accompanied by text, celebrating gay- and lesbian-headed families as well as gay and lesbian members of our community.  Classes tour the exhibit (one week on Sixth Avenue, one week on Charlton) and have discussions in the classroom.

Washington D.C. Trip – The eighth grade enriches their study of 19th and 20th century American history by visiting Washington DC.  Students, along with faculty chaperons, visit  sites like the Museum of African American History, the Smithsonian and Holocaust museums.

Williamsburg Trip – The seventh grade extends their study of 17th and 18th century American history by traveling to Williamsburg, VA.  Students, along with faculty chaperons, visit Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

Winter and Spring Concerts – Feature performance by each of the divisional choruses and bands.

World Language Trips – These optional trips are connected to our world language programs and take place in the spring.