Resistance, Revolution, and Redemption

Dear Families:

This week at Middle School Meeting we had our annual Black History Month Assembly. The assembly was kicked off by Victor’s Seventh Grade class who led us in a rousing rendition complete with musical accompaniment of Harriet Tubman/Steal Away by Walter Robinson. We then listened to an excerpt from an essay by Tavis Smiley’s entitled “Years to Remember: Resistance, Revolution, and Redemption.” The highlight of the assembly was a shared reading given by members of each class of a timeline of key events and people in Black History. We concluded the assembly by watching a brief video of Harry Belafonte reflecting on the theme of “Progress for African Americans.”

We then reflected on how the assembly — one particular moment of learning and celebration — connected more broadly to issues and themes that we confront in the curriculum every day. We acknowledged that the true measure of our commitment to the diverse heritages that define what it means to be an American is revealed not only in the knowledge we have of others’ experiences, but in how that knowledge informs our words and actions. As Harry Belafonte offers in an interview entitled “Freedom Sings:”

Each time we arrive at a new level in extricating ourselves from economic, social, spiritual domination, we have a moment when we dance in the world of these new experiences, only to find that the music soon stops, the dance ends, and we’re struggling once again to save ourselves from being thrown back into those conditions.

I don’t know what America has really learned. We are too quick to do what’s expedient on behalf of our culture of greed and hedonism. We’re quite prepared to go to conditions of tyranny in order to sustain that culture, and we do it in the name of democracy, when nothing could be more undemocratic. We do it in the name of saving the values of our society, when the way we behave corrupts those values.

[At the same time,] the human spirit is resilient and truth—no matter how long you abuse it and how long you try to crush it—will, as Dr. King would say, rise up again, and in the final analysis will prevail. From the point of view of the poor, the hungry, the disenfranchised, the wretched of the Earth … there will never be peace until their condition has been alleviated and until their humanity is in full bloom.

Not since the early days of the civil rights movement has America been given an opportunity as great as the opportunity we have now. It’s one thing for us to avenge our pain, our anger, and our rage by targeting bin Laden and a handful of men who have wrought this villainy. But one should be wise enough to ask, What fueled all this? What continues to sustain the possibility that this will not go away?

Dr. King once said that when we reach this kind of crisis, this kind of terror experience, that we should stop long enough to look at ourselves through the eyes of our detractors and find what wisdom we can glean from understanding how we have directly contributed to that tyranny. What have we done to humanity that brings us to this place of inhumanity? Terrorism is in many, many ways the final utterance of voices unheard.

We have the opportunity now to look at the two billion people in the world who suffer from the most abject poverty, hunger, disease, and devastation. Add to that another two billion people who are just plain poor. If you look into the world of those caught in economic oppression, illiteracy, disease, and sexism, then you’ll understand more clearly what we have to do.

Even with all the difficulties and the frustrations that we feel—those of us who have been consistent in this journey—what makes it so remarkably attractive and encouraging are the men and women you meet on the way. I have met some glorious human beings: Eleanor Roosevelt, Fanny Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Dr. King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and Che Guevarra, and Cesar Chavez and others not quite so famous—they are the ones who really make the journey rewarding. [It is] the courageous things that simple, wonderful human beings do for each other. In the face of all the inhumanity, it is their humanity that feeds the capacity to endure and continue to pursue honorable solutions to our pain.

And so it is that we understand that one of our purposes as an educational institution is to help students to pursue these “honorable solutions.”

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:

2007-2008 Calendar
Parents in Action Flyer
Big Auction Donation Forms
Spirit Game Flyer
Afghan Quilt for the Big Auction
Eighth Grade:
LREI High School Reception
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) Please come to the High School Play, “Apartment 6D,” written by LREI Performing Arts Chair and director Meghan Farley Astrachan. Performances are this Friday and Saturday, March 2nd and 3rd at 7PM in the Charlton Street PAC. “Apartment 6D” is a play about friendship, loss, betrayal, and hope. Set in a cramped West Village apartment, it is the story of four friends attempting to cope with the future four months after the September 11th disaster that shook the foundations of downtown Manhattan and of the world of these four friends as they knew it.

2) From Phil Kassen, Director: Dear Families, click here for the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. I am sorry that it is so late in coming. I hope that this has not caused any inconvenience. A couple of notes–the two long vacations have moved back to their traditional spots, we will have two professional development days for faculty—October 5th and February 29th—and we have added a second full day of conferences for the Lower School in the fall and the spring. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions.

3) Middle School Sports Update: The Fifth and Sixth Grade Intramural Basketball Program is continuing a string of great games. The season will conclude on March 9th. The spring sports season starts on March 12th for seventh and eighth graders. For the spring season we will field the following teams:

All eighth graders are eligible to participate on the high school teams. Any seventh graders who are interested in participating on one of the high school teams must speak to Larry and Marcus.

Fifth and Sixth Grade Intramural Softball will start after Spring Break. The team will be coached by Luis Hernandez (louishernandez@rcn.com).

Specific dates for practices for all teams will be posted as soon as fields are finalized.

4) Attention Sports Fans — Friday, March 16th (not Friday, February 23rd as originally announced) will be the annual LREI Spirit Basketball Game that will match up LREI’s multi-talented faculty/staff against the up-and-coming stars of the Middle School and High School basketball teams. This will be a great opportunity to witness the athletic talents of our student athletes and to experience firsthand how exciting it is to have a home court gym. At half time, there will be a foul shooting contest for athletes in the Sixth Grade or younger. We have hosted some amazing games this season, where the roars for the home team were heard on Houston Street. So come out and see what all of the excitement is about — March 16th at 3:30PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street between Houston Street and Prince Street. We look forward to having a big crowd to help celebrate the end of our first year of having a “home court advantage.”

5) Coming soon! The LREI Step Team will be performing as part of FAMILY MATTERS Dance Theater Workshop on March 17th at 2:00PM. The theater is located at 219 West 19th Street. The show is appropriate for ages 3 and up. Tickets are $10 for kids and $20 for adults. Call for 212-924-0077 for reservations. Program Description: The body becomes a canvas on which colorful legends and rueful storiesare painted. On the menu: Strokes of genius are delivered by Merce Cunningham alum Glen Rumsey’s gender-bending ballet, the inspirational stepdancing of the LREI STEP TEAM, and the Brazilian influenced free worldmusic of The Nation Beat. The feast continues with Lawrence Goldhuber and his all-diva cast who serve-up a cautionary tale about what can happen if you eat too much. Flamenco fans will delight in the foot fallsof the Ballet Hispanico School Ensemble, while the graceful Trinayan Collective will execute a fable in the Odissi style of classical Indian dance.

6) Think LREI Big Auction! While shopping in your favorite stores or dining out at your favorite restaurant, take along some donor forms and make on-the-spot requests. It’s easier than you think! Think… Restaurants, Entertainment (tickets to shows, sporting events, film festivals), Beauty and Health (facials, massages, spa gift certificates), Wine, Champagne and Specialty Foods, Children’s Items, Services (passes to museums, classes, birthday party certificates), Designer Fashion (handbags, gift certificates, jewelry), Vacation Homes, Creative One-of-a-Kind Events (behind the scenes tours, backstage passes), Frequent Flyer Miles and Preferred Guest Points. Donation forms can be found here or in the Sixth Avenue and Charlton Street lobbies. Please return your forms to the LREI Development Office no later than Friday, March 2nd. If you have any questions, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org. Remember…The Big Auction is on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007. All proceeds of the auction support Tuition Assistance. Donations are tax deductible.

7) An open invitation to those in our community who would like to participate in creating this year’s Afghan Quilt for the Big Auction: It is time to pick up your needles and yarn and knit or crochet a 6×6″ square in colors and patterns of your choosing to be assembled into a beautiful, cozy, handmade creation. In celebration of this group effort, Claudia Baez will host a Champagne & Cheese Knitting Circle on Wednesday, March 14th for anyone who would like to participate. Beginners to seasoned knitters and crocheters are welcome. Please bring your children and encourage them to give it a try! All you need to start is some yarn and a pair of knitting needles or a crochet hook. We will meet at 260 West Broadway, #11B, from 4-6PM. If you can’t join us on March 14th, you can drop completed squares off in the collection box in the Sixth Avenue lobby up until Thursday, April 12th. This us a perfect project for Spring Break that will also support the school. If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Torres at jennasdreamworld@hotmail.com.

8) For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.

9) 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 http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) A reminder that you are all invited to attend a reception with current high school parents, students and members of the faculty and administration on Monday, March 5th from 6:00-7:30PM. Please RSVP to the Admissions Office (scaruth@lrei.org or 212-477-5316 ext 305) by Wednesday, February 28th.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
No updates this week

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Mark your calendar: The annual Middle School Intramural Basketball League student-parent game will take place on Friday, March 9th after the regularly scheduled playoff games. This game is a wonderful oportunity for parents and children to come together and celebrate a great season. As is our tradition, the parents from each team play their child’s team and we keep a running score from game to game. The schedule for both the student-parent game and the playoffs will be posted on Monday once we have the results from this week’s games. Each parent-student game will run 20 minutes and all the games should be finished by 6:30PM.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Mark your calendar: The annual Middle School Intramural Basketball League student-parent game will take place on Friday, March 9th after the regularly scheduled playoff games. This game is a wonderful oportunity for parents and children to come together and celebrate a great season. As is our tradition, the parents from each team play their child’s team and we keep a running score from game to game. The schedule for both the student-parent game and the playoffs will be posted on Monday once we have the results from this week’s games. Each parent-student game will run 20 minutes and all the games should be finished by 6:30PM.

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, 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)
  • Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 6:30PM — Fifth – Seventh Grade HS Preview Night
  • Friday, April 13, 2007, 7:00PM — Sixth Grade DISC Dance @ VCS
  • Saturday, April 14, 2007, 7:00PM — Human Rights Coffeehouse
  • Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 12:15PM — MS Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 7:00PM — Literary Evening
  • Thursday, April 19, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, April 20, 2007, 8:30AM — LS/MS Parent-Teacher Conferences-LS/MS Closed
  • Friday, April 27, 2007 — HS Arts Festival
  • Thursday, May 3 & Friday, May 4, 2007 — Middle School Art Show, Sixth Avenue Auditorium
  • Friday, May 11, 2007, 7:00PM — MS Musical
  • Saturday, May 12, 2007, 2:00PM and 7:00PM — MS Musical
  • Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:00AM — Eighth Grade to DC (return on Friday, May 18, 2006)
  • Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 8:15AM — MS Parent Rep. Mtg.
  • Thursday, May 17, 2007, 6:00PM — MS POCOC Mtg.
  • Friday, May 18, 2007 — Seventh Grade HS Visiting Day
  • Saturday, May 19, 2007, 7:00PM — Literary Magazine Coffeehouse
  • Monday, May 21, 2007, 6:00PM — MS Awards Night
  • Thursday, May 24, 2007 — Spring Book Sale
  • Friday, May 25, 2007 — Field Day
  • Friday, May 25, 2007 — Memorial Day Weekend-School closes at 1:00PM (school reopens on Tuesday, May 29, 2006)
  • Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 8:00AM — Sixth Grade Potluck & Poetry Breakfast
  • Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 6:00PM — Fifth Grade Grecian Festival & Potluck
  • Thursday, June 7, 2007, 8:00AM — Seventh Grade Potluck Breakfast and Constitution Works
  • Friday, June 8, 2007 — High School Graduation (regular dismissal for MS)
  • Friday, June 8, 2007 — MS End of 4th Quarter
  • Friday, June 8, 2007, 6:00PM — Eighth Grade Pre-Moving Up Party
  • Monday, June 11, 2007, 6:00PM — MS Dance
  • Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 9:00AM — Eighth Grade Moving Up
  • Tuesday, June 12, 2007 — Last Day of School, School closes at 12:00PM for all Divisions

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

Be well,
Mark

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