Finding Common Threads

Dear Families:

Welcome back! I trust that you all had a relaxing break and plenty of time to be together as a family. As part of our on-going diversity work, the faculty used this past Tuesday’s Professional Development day to explore a range of diversity issues. We were guided by consultant Pat Romney in the morning (Pat has a long-standing relationship with the school) and in the afternoon we participated in workshops run by our own colleagues. The workshops explored a range of issues that helped us to deepen our understanding of the interplay between different perspectives and experiences. They included:

  • East Meets West, an overview of current diversity titles – Jesse Karp, Stacy Dillon, Jennifer Hubert Swann, Karyn Silverman
  • Examining Class and Race, an exercise designed to examine issues of class and race in our lives – Delia Hernandez
  • The Culturally Competent Educator, an explanation of Multicultural Counseling Therapy – Noni Polhill
  • LGBT at LREI, welcoming new LGBT families into our community – Elaine Winter
  • “A Different Place”: Diversity in Greenwich Village – Tracing the changing racial, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic “geography” of Greenwich Village – Nicholas O’Han
  • White Allies, examining the role of white allies within a school community – Sandra Chapman and Kelly O’Keefe
  • African American and Caribbean American Cultures, comparing historical legacies, immigration patterns and experiences, communication styles, family values and traditions – Samantha Caruth and Sharon DuPree
  • An Open Dialogue about Religion in LREI, how religion and religious study present themselves at LREI – Pat Romney
  • Discussions about Class, a look at the sometimes forgotten “ism” in diversity work – Marcus Chang

They workshops challenged us to think about how this work informs our lives as teachers and as human beings. It was a challenging and exciting day. Equally important was the oppurtunity to learn from our colleagues and to come to see the incredible wisdom and support that exists in our own professional community. In future meetings, we will continue to build on this work.

As an outgrowth of this work, next week our seventh and eighth grade students will have the opportunity to experience the Human Race Machine (see http://www.wolfmanproductions.com/racemachine.html), which will be at the high school the week of January 8th. Prior to visiting the machine, students will participate in preparatory discussion in their Adolescent Issues class. For additional information about the Human Race Machine, please read High School principal Ruth Jurgensen’s blog. On a related note, the work we did this past Tuesday will also inform planned discussions in advisory groups and our upcoming MLK Assembly, which is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17th.

Lower School principal Elaine Winter’s blog included a nice reference, which I’ve included below, from our recent NYSAIS Self-Study document that addresses the relevance of our diversity work to the school’s mission.

“The foundations of democracy,” Elisabeth Irwin wrote, “are built by daily habits of recognizing the rights of those who differ from us.” The school’s objective, she wrote, was to instill in its students “the widest possible understanding and appreciation of all the peoples of the earth, a commitment to using knowledge to make a difference in the world, to enrich human life, to reduce human drudgery, to study community problems and to act upon them in constructive, democratic fashion.”

Our founder, Elisabeth Irwin, regarded the school as a laboratory for the development of those skills and values that are prerequisites for effective citizenship, democratic life and civic endeavor. The culture of the school was marked by pervasive respect for the dignity of each individual – the recognition and celebration of racial, ethnic and religious diversity and an ethic of abiding trust, cooperation and group decision-making. We continue to cultivate these values today as the LREI experience nurtures in
your children a predisposition to pursue learning within the context of active citizenship and service to the community. Yesterday’s Professional Day reinforced our school’s historic mission. Everyday of the school year witnesses that mission in action.

So it is good to be back in the thick of things feeling well rested and ready to be challenged by thoughtful colleagues and students.

 

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:
Parents in Action Flyer
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
New Math Unit Letter
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) From School Nurse Kitty Highstein: Just a reminder that Licenders will be doing post vacation head checks on Monday, January 8th. There have been no reports of any children having lice, so we’re hoping that we get a clean bill of health! It would be helpful if you could inspect your child’s head before Monday. Natural light or a 200 watt bulb provide the kind of lighting that parents say they need to be able to see lice and nits (lice eggs). If you discover your child has lice, please be sure to let me know so I can follow up with weekly classroom inspections. Any child who is found to have lice or nits will need to go home and be treated. Children who are waiting to be picked up will be made comfortable in my office. If your child needs to be treated for lice or nits, on the morning s/he returns to school, please stop by my office before going to the classroom so I can do a final head check. Thank you so much for your support in this effort to keep our school lice free. I hope you had a wonderful winter break. It’s good to be back!

2) Meeting About Tuition Increase and 2007-2008 Budget: Michel de Konkoly Thege, Director of Finance and Operations, will give presentations to the LREI community concerning the planned tuition increase and overall budget for the 2007-2008 school year. These presentations will take place at 6:30PM on Tuesday, January 16th in the Charlton Street cafeteria and at 8:00AM and 8:45AM on Wednesday, January 24th in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. All parents and other members of the LREI community are invited to attend and ask questions.

3) Dear Recyclers: It’s that time of year – after the holidays, with all the new electronic gadgets that have come your way, what to do with the obsolete, the unwanted or the downright broken stuff. The Lower East Side Ecology Center invites you to bring your unwanted electronics to our 4th annual “After the Holidays” e-waste event: Sunday, January 7th at Union Square Park – North Plaza – 17th Street & Broadway – Rain or shine from 8AM to 4PM. Acceptable items include all working and non-working: Computers (desktop & laptop), monitors, printers, and other peripherals (keyboards, mice, external cd drive, modems, etc), TV’s and cell phones. We’d like to thank the Department of Parks & Recreation for hosting this event and acknowledge the New York Community Trust and Con Edison for supporting our electronic waste recycling program. To get there: Union Square by subway: 4,5,6, N,R Q,W, L. If you are driving, you can enter the North Plaza by turning onto E 16th Street from 5th Avenue, once you reach the light on Union Square West proceed straight and then turn left into the North Plaza and look for a big red truck parked along 17th Street. PLEASE DRIVE SLOW WHILE IN THE PARK. For more information about our electronic waste recycling events please visit [ http://www.lesecologycenter.org/ ]www.lesecologycenter.org. Please help spread the word and share this information with family, friends and colleagues.

4) There’s an updated Home Game only basketball schedule on the web – enjoy !
http://www.lrei.org/athletics/pdf/winter_sports_home.pdf

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. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2006-2007 calendar. You can also access their on-line calendar of events at www.parentsinaction.org.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) We have been invited to host the launch party for the newest Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants title, Forever in Blue! Female students in grades 7-12 have been invited to a catered lunch to be held at the Sixth Avenue Auditorium on Tuesday, January 9, from 11:30AM-1:00PM. Author Ann Brashares will be there to do a reading, answer questions, and sign books; students will also be asked to being in an old pair of jeans to donate, in keeping with both the denim and social justice themes of the series. Further, NBC’s The Today Show will be there to capture the event. Tomorrow, I will email all families a release form from NBC producers just in case your child is interviewed or seen as part of the segment for the show. If you do not wish to give permission for her to be filmed, please let me know and we will make that arrangement.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) We have been invited to host the launch party for the newest Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants title, Forever in Blue! Female students in grades 7-12 have been invited to a catered lunch to be held at the Sixth Avenue Auditorium on Tuesday, January 9, from 11:30AM-1:00PM. Author Ann Brashares will be there to do a reading, answer questions, and sign books; students will also be asked to being in an old pair of jeans to donate, in keeping with both the denim and social justice themes of the series. Further, NBC’s The Today Show will be there to capture the event. Tomorrow, I will email all families a release form from NBC producers just in case your child is interviewed or seen as part of the segment for the show. If you do not wish to give permission for her to be filmed, please let me know and we will make that arrangement.

2) Please read the attached letter from math teacher Michelle Boehm about the new math unit.

3) Looking Ahead at LREI: All parents of third to seventh grade students are being invited to an informal evening with Director Phil Kassen for a conversation about “The Value of an LREI Education” as your child enters the middle and upper years. Invitations were mailed to you this week. Please note you are given three evenings to choose from in order to accommodate your schedule: January 9th, January 18th or January 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rowena Penaranda (ext. 295) or Sandra Song (ext. 275).

 

 

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Looking Ahead at LREI: All parents of third to seventh grade students are being invited to an informal evening with Director Phil Kassen for a conversation about “The Value of an LREI Education” as your child enters the middle and upper years. Invitations were mailed to you this week. Please note you are given three evenings to choose from in order to accommodate your schedule: January 9th, January 18th or January 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rowena Penaranda (ext. 295) or Sandra Song (ext. 275).

2) Next Wednesday, January 10th, the 6th grade will be taking a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We will be viewing the Medieval Arms and Armor collection. While at the museum students will have opportunities to make observations through writing and sketching activities. Please be sure your child brings a bag lunch to school (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles) and dresses appropriately for the weather.

3) The first games of the intramural basketball season are scheduled for this Friday. If your child has not already handed in a permission form, you can download one at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/pdf/lrei_athletic_forms.pdf.schedule. Students will not be allowed to play if we do not have a permission form on record. Unless you indicate on the form that your child has permission to walk to the Thompson Street gym on his or her own, players will be walked over to the gym by their coaches at schedule for the season is available at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/wintersports.html#intramural.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Looking Ahead at LREI: All parents of third to seventh grade students are being invited to an informal evening with Director Phil Kassen for a conversation about “The Value of an LREI Education” as your child enters the middle and upper years. Invitations were mailed to you this week. Please note you are given three evenings to choose from in order to accommodate your schedule: January 9th, January 18th or January 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rowena Penaranda (ext. 295) or Sandra Song (ext. 275).

2) The first games of the intramural basketball season are scheduled for this Friday. If your child has not already handed in a permission form, you can download one at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/pdf/lrei_athletic_forms.pdf.schedule. Students will not be allowed to play if we do not have a permission form on record. Unless you indicate on the form that your child has permission to walk to the Thompson Street gym on his or her own, players will be walked over to the gym by their coaches at schedule for the season is available at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/wintersports.html#intramural.

Middle School Sports
Schedules, permission forms and general information about Middle School sports programs can be found at http://www.lrei.org/athletics/index.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)

  • Monday, January 8, 2007 – Licenders
  • Wednesday, January 10, 2007 – Sixth grade to the Met
  • Monday, January 15, 2007 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday-School Closed
  • Tuesday, January 16, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, January 17, 2007 — MS MLK Assembly
  • Thursday, January 18, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, January 19, 2007 — MS End of 2nd Quarter
  • Friday, January 19, 2007, 7:00PM — MS Dance
  • Friday, January 26, 2007, 5:00PM – Karamu
  • Saturday, February 3, 2007, 7:00PM – Coffeehouse
  • Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Tuesday, February 13, 2007 — MS ERBs (through Thursday, February 15, 2006)
  • Wednesday, February 14, 2007 — MS Literary Festival
  • Thursday, February 15, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Meeting
  • Monday, February 19, 2007 — Presidents’ Weekend-School Closed (school reopens on Wednesday, February 21, 2007)
  • Wednesday, February 21, 2007 — MS Black History Month Assembly
  • Friday, February 23, 2007, 7:30PM — Eighth Grade DISC Dance @ Grace Church
  • Thursday, March 15, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6:00PM — Sixth Grade Medieval Pageant
  • Thursday, March 22, 2007 — Fifth Grade Egyptian Tomb
  • Friday, March 23, 2007 — Founder’s Day
  • Friday, March 23, 2007 — MS End of 3rd Quarter
  • Friday, March 23, 2007 — Spring Break-School closes at 12:00PM (school reopens on Monday, April 9, 2006)

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

Be well,
Mark

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