May you live in interesting times . . .

Dear Families,

It has been an amazing week, which started for many with the call to service in honor of the MLK holiday on Monday. On Tuesday, we came together as a community to watch the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. As the swearing in ceremonies were about to get underway, we spoke with math teacher Margaret Andrews who was at the event; the palpable excitement in her voice as she described what she was seeing and feeling helped to bring us one step closer to the stage on which this historic event was playing out. We listened, we cheered, some cried and we all understood that these were indeed “interesting times.” Phil made the astute observation that amid all the excitement surrounding our new president, the image of Barack Obama standing next to George Bush on the capital steps was for him a profound one. Without the violence or disruption that is often all too common in other parts of the world, we bore witness to the smooth transition of government and saw in it a clear manifestation of the democratic principles on which our nation was founded.

With President Obama’s words still fresh in our minds, we reconvened in the auditorium on Wednesday for our annual Martin Luther King assembly. In song, poem and prose, we honored Dr. King and sought to connect his life’s work to our on-going obligation to fight for freedom, equality and justice.  The assembly was led by the eighth graders who in the spirit of James Taylor’s “Shed a Little Light,” which served as frame for the assembly, also”shed a little light” on the connection between King’s call for social justice and the multi-month service project “Choosing to Participate” that they are about to undertake in their core class. This project will culminate in April with a “Teach In” during which the eighth graders will lead workshops for the rest of the Middle School on a range of social justice and sustainability topics connected to their work. As a prelude to this event, the eighth graders shared original poems focused on some of the tasks that stand before us if we are to make children, families, communities, cultures, animals, and/or the planet free and strong. The eighth graders will also lead workshops tomorrow in advisory during which every middle schoolers will explore these tasks and write their own poems.

As a way to connect Tuesday’s events with our MLK assembly, we also listened to an excerpt from the speech given by Barack Obama last year on the MLK holiday. This moving speech echoed the call expressed in James Taylor’s lyrics that:

… there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound

As we continue to navigate through these interesting times within and beyond the LREI community, we will be mindful of the words of inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander who observed that:

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise.
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, “I need to see what’s on the other side; I know there’s something better down the road.”
We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.

Of General Interest . . .

1) Director’s Drop-In — Phil will be available for drop-in conversations in his Sixth Avenue office from 8:45AM-9:30AM on Friday, January 23rd; Friday, January 30th; Thursday, February 12th; Thursday, February 19th and Friday, March 6th. Drop in, ask a question, and hear about what is going on at LREI.  Can’t make these times?  Give a call or send and email.

2) Important Dates:

  • February 1, 2009: Re-enrollment contracts are due.

3) Save the Date for Karamu! Friday January 23rd… Karamu! is a multicultural celebration of music, dance, and food celebrating the diversity of our school and community.

  • Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 22nd.… Karamu! always sells out; get your tickets early (discounted tickets available – contact Juliet Burrows: julietburrows@mac.com)
  • We need food and volunteers!.. Sign up boards are in the 6th Ave. lobby – please volunteer and join this wonderful community building event.
  • If you would like to solicit a donation of food or wine from a restaurant or business please use this letter and forward information to Juliet

4) A message from Chap, Director of Diversity and Community:

Bring The Conversation Home:
Strategies for addressing challenging diversity topics your child brings home:
Socioeconomic Class Part II

We invite you to attend Bring the Conversation Home, Part 2 during which Dr. Patricia Romney, President and Founder of Romney Associates, will return to LREI to facilitate a second parent diversity discussion addressing issues of class. The focus of Dr. Romney’s work is change. Using her finely honed assessment skills as a starting point for change efforts, she has assisted organizations in the areas of diversity, community building, and leadership development. Join us for one or both of the following events:

  • Wednesday, January 28, 6:00 PM– 8:00 PM in the Charlton Street Library
    (Please RSVP to the receptionist by Tuesday Jan 27th if you will need childcare for this event.)
  • Thursday, January 29, 8:30AM-10:30 AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria

5) Red is Green Committee’s January Holiday Card Recycling Drive

  • January is recycle your greeting cards month! Save all your cards this holiday season and we’ll be collecting them in January. St. Jude’s Ranch accepts recycled cards which they use to make “green” holiday cards. The proceeds go towards helping abused, abandoned and neglected children.
  • Last chance: You can drop off your old sneakers in the collection boxes located in the lobbies of the Sixth Avenue and Charlton Street campuses through January 15. This drive is part of the Nike Re-Use A Shoe program. Shoes will be ground up and recycled into outdoor basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, soccer fields and playgrounds.

6) The first Coffeehouse for 2009 will be on February 7th at 7:00PM in the Charlton Street PAC. The High School Community Service Roundtable will be sponsoring this event. If you would like to participate or your child would like to participate, please contact Micah at 212-477-5316, x 304. The coffeehouse on the calendar for Janunary 24th is canceled.

7) Calling All Embroidery Buffs! Embroider a square for the 2009 Big Auction Community Quilt. All squares must be completed by February 1, 2009. Please see the PDF for details.

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 2008-2009 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

  • February 9, 2009
    Teen Scene XXIII
    Park East Day School, 164 East 68th Street (between Third and Lexington Avenues)
    6:00-8:00 pm
    Co-sponsored with Parents League. Panelists: Independent School Teenagers. Moderator: Lucy Martin Gianino. Space is limited.RSVP Required. For reservations, click here.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Math ERB Prep Letter
Eighth Grade:
DC Trip Registration Form
Seventh Grade:
Fifth Grade:
Sixth Grade:

For All Grades . . .
1)Please read the attached letter from the Middle School math teachers regarding prep for the upcoming ERBs, which are scheduled for February 10-12.

2) Just a reminder that the Middle School dance originally scheduled for Friday, January 9th, has been rescheduled for Friday, January 30th. The dance will start at 6:30PM for fifth graders and at 7:00PM for sixth through eighth graders. The dance will end at 8:30PM for fifth and sixth graders and at 9:00PM for seventh and eighth graders. Permission slips will go out the week of the dance.

For Eighth and Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Boys and girls practice and basketball schedules are online:

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) There student-parent meeting for the spring Spanish class trip will take place on Thursday, January 28th, at 8:00AM. This is in lieu of the meeting that appears on the Art Calendar for March 4th. If you have questions, please contact Gabrielle Keller.

2) A reminder that final payments are due on February 18th. If you have payment questions, please let me know. If you have not registered, please do so ASAP using the attached form.

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

For Fifth and Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) Click here to view the full practice and game schedule for the intramural basketball program.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) On Friday, January 23rd, the sixth grade will visit St. John the Divine.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) On Wednesday, January 28th, the fifth grade will travel to the Brooklyn Museum to view their Egyptian artifact collection.

============= For additional information, follow these links: =============

  • View important middle school dates here.
  • View all events with the LREI On-line Calendar
  • LREI Athletics. For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and season recaps.
  • Click here to view the Middle School Photo Gallery.

A reminder that the individual homework blog and the “feeds” for every class can be accessed from the Digital Classroom link on the sidebar (you may want to bookmark this page for easy access). These feeds provide an easy “one-click” solution to find out what has been assigned for homework. Keep in mind that a feed will only show what has been posted as of the time you check it.

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and other interesting school-related information.

Be well,
Mark

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