Visibility: A Frame for Social Justice

Dear Families:

If you have not had a chance to visit the Visibility exhibit, I encourage you to do so. It is a visible reflection of LREI’s commitment to social justice; it provides us with an important opportunity to wrestle with the complicated issues that surround authentic discussions of diversity. Students have been visiting the exhibit in their Adolescent Issues classes and engaging in meaningful dialog provoked by the exhibit’s images and text. In all of the discussions, we invariably find ourselves pursuing questions about equality, inclusion, and our collective obligation to each other as human beings and as citizens in a democracy.

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On another front, I’d like to say a few words about the upcoming ERBs: As you are aware, students are currently preparing for the ERBs, which they will take next Tuesday through Thursday. The ERBs represent one piece of the assessment puzzle at LREI and it is important that they are seen in this light. They convey useful information, but not the full-picture of a child’s achievement. While the content of the ERbs is generally aligned to grade-level expectations, there are areas where this is not the case. For example, a math concept that appears on the sixth grade test, may not be addressed in our curriculum until the seventh grade and teaching this concept out of context may not always make sense. Your child’s teachers will make every attempt to identify these particular alignment areas. So while much of our ERB prep is focused on reviewing concepts that have been addressed in the curriculum, teaching general test prep skills, and helping students to feel comfortable with standardized testing conditions, our focus tends not to be on “cramming” new concepts. Please do not hesitate to speak with me if you have questions about the ERB process.

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:
Visibility Press Release
MS Musical Information
Sixth-Eighth Grade Chelsea Piers PE Program
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) At Middle School Meeting this week Julia Collura announced this year’s Middle School Musical . . .Kiss Me Kate. Please read the attached annoucement flyer and contract. Students interested in auditioning must attend the pre-audition meeting on Monday, February 13th from 3:30-4:30PM. Parents/guardians of students interested in auditioning are asked to attend one of the following parent meetings: Monday, February 13th from 8-8:30AM or Tuesday, February 14th from 8-8:30AM. Both meeting will take place in the cafeteria.

2) The Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love Exhibit opening night is Monday, February 13th from 6-8PM.

3) From School Nurse Kitty Highstein: It seems as though many companies that distribute packaged foods (i.e., candy, cookies, etc.) are now routinely including a disclaimer on the packaging that states “may contain peanuts” when in the past the statement was “may have been processed on the same line with peanuts.” Big distributors, like Whole Foods, are putting pressure on their suppliers to make this claim or they won’t sell their products. So that makes it more difficult to know whether food being brought into the school is acceptable regarding our nut and seed policy. The policy says “no nuts or seeds in or on the food” and that is what we are trying to adhere to. Now with an indiscriminate use of this disclaimer, we have to be even more careful inspecting the food that’s coming into the school because it may actually be fine…or it may not be.. so that means looking at it very carefully or even taking a bite. If you’re not sure that it’s safe, please don’t use it . . . and always read labels. It’s made life much more complicated . . . especially for people with food allergies. Thanks for your cooperation.

4) The LREI PA Community Service Committee is once again collecting donations for Room to Grow from Monday, February 13th through Friday, February 17th in the lobby of the Sixth Avenue Building. Use this as away to get your children to get rid of items they are not using. Donations should be anything appropriate for children (newborns to 3 years of age) and in good condition (something you would pass on to a friend or family member). Room to Grow accepts books, clothing, video and music tapes, toys, bedding, strollers, highchairs, swings, baby monitors, baby’s room accessories. They do not accept stuffed animals, recalled items, furniture, diapers, car seats, cribs. If you would like a tax donation receipt please label all your boxes and bags with your name and address. Please hold onto larger items until the last collection day, Thursday, February 16. For more information on the organization and a more detailed list of what they accept/do not accept go to http://www.roomtogrow.org/.

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. You can access their on-line calendar of events at www.parentsinaction.org. Upcoming events for parents of students in grades 7-12 include:

Parents Of Teen Scene: AFTERSHOCK
February 16, 2006 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Temple Israel at 112 East 75 Street
A forum for parents who would like to discuss the issues they encounter as they partner in their teenagers’ journey through the high school years. RSVP to NYC-Parents in Action at 212 987-9629

7) 92nd St Y Lectures & Conversations: Parenting Perspectives
Kids, Teens and Sex: Tackling the Tough Questions, Robie H. Harris, Thursday, 3/9/06, 8:00pm, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street

For 8th Grade Families . . .
1) Please read the attached letter from Middle School PE teacher Marcus Chang about the upcoming Chelsea Piers program for sixth through eighth graders.

2) A heads up that next Friday the eighth grade will go to City Center to participate in the Young People’s Dance Series. Please be sure your child brings a bag lunch (no bottles and no nuts and/or seeds) to school that day.

For 7th Grade Families . . .
1) Please read the attached letter from Middle School PE teacher Marcus Chang about the upcoming Chelsea Piers program for sixth through eighth graders.

For 6th Grade Families . . .
1) Next Thursday, after the ERBs, the sixth grade will view the Arms and Armor exhibit at the Met. Please be sure your child brings a bag lunch (no bottles and no nuts and/or seeds) to school that day.

2) Please read the attached letter from Middle School PE teacher Marcus Chang about the upcoming Chelsea Piers program for sixth through eighth graders.

3) Andrew Weiss and I will host a fifth and sixth grade Adolescent Issues Parent Evening on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30PM. Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any topics you’d like to discuss.

4) The Intramural Basketball schedule is on-line at http://lrei.org/athletics/int_bball.html.

For 5th Grade Families . . .
1) On Friday, February 10th, the fifth grade will take a trip to the Brooklyn Museum to view their Ancient Egyptian collection. Please be sure your child brings a bag lunch (no bottles and no nuts and/or seeds) to school on Friday.

2) Andrew Weiss and I will host a fifth and sixth grade Adolescent Issues Parent Evening on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30PM. Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any topics you’d like to discuss.

3) The Intramural Basketball schedule is on-line at http://lrei.org/athletics/int_bball.html.

Middle School Sports
Schedules and general information about Middle School sports programs can be found at http://lrei.org/athletics/at_4b.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, February 10th — Fifth Grade trip to Brooklyn Museum of Art
  • Monday, February 13th, 6:00PM – Visibility Photo Exhibit Opening and Reception at Sixth Avenue
  • Tuesday, February 14th, 8:15AM — Parent Rep Meeting
  • Tuesday, February 14th – Thursday, February 16th – ERBs
  • Thursday, February 16th — Sixth grade to the Met to view the arms and armor collection
  • Thursday, February 16th, 6:00PM — Middle School Parents of Children of Color meeting
  • Wednesday, February 22nd – Friday March 10th – Visibility Photo Exhibit at Charlton Street
  • Wednesday, February 22nd – Black History Month Assembly
  • Friday, February 24th, 7:30PM-9:30PM — Eighth Grade DISC dance. The dance will be held at Grace Church School (86 Fourth Avenue)
  • Wednesday, March 1st, 6:00PM – Seventh Grade Colonial Museum Exhibit
  • Thursday, March 2nd, 8:00AM– Lesbian/Gay/ Straight Alliance Meeting in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria
  • Tuesday, March 14th, 8:15AM — Parent Rep Meeting
  • Wednesday, March 15th, 6:00PM – Sixth Grade Medieval Pageant
  • Thursday, March 16th, 8:45AM-3:00PM – Fifth Grade Egyptian Tomb
  • Thursday, March 16th, 6:00PM — Middle School Parents of Children of Color meeting
  • Friday, March 17th – School closes at noon for Spring Break.

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

Be well,
Mark

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