January 25, 2007

Global Insight

Dear Families:

At this Wednesday’s Middle School Meeting, we had our annual National Geography Bee. Prior to this, students competed in their homerooms to identify our eight finalists. The first round was exciting and challenging. Students pondered a range of questions and supported each other as we worked through this preliminary competition. A number of these competitions were decided by tie breakers, which added to the excitement. So with a thank you first to all of those students who participated, the participants in the Final Round were as follows: Fifth Grade – Olivia and Niles, Sixth Grade – Edith and Liam M., Seventh Grade – David and Jimmy, and Eighth Grade – Noah and Ian. At the end of the Final Round, two students – Edith and Noah – moved on to the Championship Round. The Championship Round, which produced a stalmate after three questions, was ultimately decided after three additional tiebreaker questions with Noah emerging as the champion. On Monday, he will take the qualifying exam for the State Geography Bee competition. The state level competition will take place in the spring in Albany, NY. Congratulations to all of the finalists for a job well done.

In addition to the good fun that the National Geography Bee provides, it also points to the critical importance that a basic understanding of geography plays in being an informed citizen of the world. As technology makes the world smaller and increases our interconnectedness, we should not let ourselves be fooled into thinking that the boundaries, borders, and geographic features of our planet don’t matter any more. The geography of our planet provides a key to understanding important aspects of history and culture and provides a lens for focusing on issues that are “of the moment.” Knowing where something is by necessity establishes a relationship between places. With an understanding of place, we can gain a deeper insight into the people who inhabit that place while we simultaneously gain new insights about our own place in the world. It is these moments of insight that help to define us as citizens of the world.

On the subject of insight, I’d like to say a few words about the upcoming ERBs, which are scheduled For February 13th-15th. 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:
Parents in Action Flyer
Eighth Grade:
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .

1) From Seventh and Eighth Grade Dean of Students Gabrielle Keller: Our annual Pennies for Patients drive to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will run from January 29th through February 23rd. For more information about the drive, please read the attached parent letter. For more information about the Schools and Youth program that oversees the drive, please visit http://www.schoolandyouth.org/.

2) From Fifth and Sixth Grade Dean of Students Lynne Cattafi: On Wednesday, February 14th, we will hold our annual Middle School Literary Festival. As part of the festival, students take two one-hour workshops, which are led by faculty and those members of the community who are involved in the literary arts. Workshops are hands-on and allow students to explore different literary genres. Past workshops have included news writing, comic book writing, bookmaking, political letter writing, found poetry and food writing. Workshops will be held in two sessions: session 1 will run from 12:30-1:30, and session 2 will run from 1:30-2:30. If you are interested in running a workshop or know someone who might be, please contact Lynne at lcattafi@lrei.org.

3) Save the Date: The 2007 LREI Art Auction is scheduled for Wednesday, January 31st and Thursday, February 1st, and will take place at I-20 Gallery at 529 West 20th Street (11th Floor) NYC. Admission is Free. Wednesday, January 31st – Kid’s Day and Scavenger Hunt. A bus will leave from the Sixth Avenue Building at 3:15PM going to the gallery. Thursday, February 1st, 2007 – Reception and Final Bidding from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Admission is Free and includes wine and refreshments. Auction catalogs are available in the Sixth Avenue Lobby. Pre-registration starts Monday, January 29th in the Sixth Avenue Lobby or in the Development Office. Visit the auction web site (www.lrei.org/caleven/aa_2007/index.html) to preview the exhibition, pre-register and get further information.

4) A reminder: The next Coffee House is scheduled for Saturday, February 3rd from 7:00-9:00PM in the PAC. If your child or you is interested in performing please contact Micah Dov Gottlieb (mgottlieb@lrei.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. 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.

The Parents League of New York and NYC-Parents in Action invite parents of students in grades 7-12 to attend:

Teen Scene XXI
February 5, 2007
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Trinity School
101 West 91st Street

Learn what really goes on in the teenagers’ world as they journey
through the high school years!

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
No updates this week.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Our annual seventh grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening will take place on Wednesday, February 7th, at 6:30PM. If you have any issues/concerns/questions that you would like School Psychologist Andrew Weiss or me to address, please email one of us (aweiss@lrei.org or msilberberg@lrei.org).

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) On Friday, January 26th, the sixth grade will travel to St. John the Divine to participate in their Medieval Workshop program. Studnets shoudl bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles).

2) Our annual fifth and sixth grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening will take place on Monday, February 5th, at 6:30PM. If you have any issues/concerns/questions that you would like School Psychologist Andrew Weiss or me to address, please email one of us (aweiss@lrei.org or msilberberg@lrei.org).

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Our annual fifth and sixth grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening will take place on Monday, February 5th, at 6:30PM. If you have any issues/concerns/questions that you would like School Psychologist Andrew Weiss or me to address, please email one of us (aweiss@lrei.org or msilberberg@lrei.org).

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)

Thursday, January 25th, 11:00AM — Fifth grade to the Brooklyn Museum to view their Egyptian collection
Friday, January 26th — Sixth grade to St. John’s Cathedral for their Medieval Workshops
Friday, January 26, 2007, 5:00PM – Karamu
Monday, January 29th – Friday, February 23rd — Pennies for Patients Fundraiser
Saturday, February 3, 2007, 7:00PM – Coffeehouse
Monday, February 5th, 6:30PM — Fifth and Sixth grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening
Wednesday, February 7th, 6:30PM — Seventh grade Parent Adolescent Issues Evening
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 23rd — 8th grade Spanish classes to the Guggenheim
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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