LREI at the UN

Dear Families,

As we take in events happening around the world and as adults debate and argue on how to best resolve them, we often fail to hear the true power and authority that imbues the voices of our younger citizens. That failure, a sort of generational silencing, can have profound consequences for both adults and children. That is why one of the driving forces behind our progressive practice is the belief in the transformative possibilities that come from helping each student to find her/his voice. Just such a moment occurred this week when several of our middle school students presented to a panel of adults at the UN. This presentation, which grew out of work being conducted by all of our eighth graders, is part of a larger social justice project that will culminate on April 28th, the day of the “Social Justice Teach-In.” On this day,  the eighth grade will run the middle school morning schedule.  In addition to putting together an assembly, each research group will run two hour-long workshops with the fifth-seventh graders in order to share their knowledge and inspire them to act. You can learn more about this project at http://blog.lrei.org/greencore/ and you can also read student posts about their work in the “field.”

For three of our students, this week’s fieldwork took them to the UN for a unique opportunity to give voice to their current work. As Middle School core teacher Sara-Momii Roberts recounts:

I had the pleasure of taking three eighth grade students to speak at the United Nations this week. As a part of our the eighth grade social justice project “Choosing to participate,” Phoebe, Samantha, and Niles began researching gun violence and gun violence prevention in New York City and started volunteering at IANSA (International Action Network against Small Arms).  IANSA subsequently asked the three to speak on a panel at the United Nations, addressing their research and their school project.  They worked for two months to prepare. The group presented statistics, interviews with a number of NYC gun violence victims and activists in our city, and shared about their personal interest in the topic. The other speakers on the panel included women from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Columbia, Guyana and Norway, in addition to a United Nations representative from the Department of Disarmament Affairs. The students were very well received and the response to having a “youth voice” from the “field” was overwhelming.! It was a very proud moment for their family members who were in attendance and our school at large.

And this from Sarah Master our contact at IANSA:

Thanks once more for everything, the kids really made a difference and I was delighted that their speeches were received so well, interspersed with applause – fantastic! Thank you for making our event today so successful. There were over 80 people in the room, including lots of people sitting on the floor that we couldn’t see. The audience included diplomats from missions including the Gambia, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Korea, Kenya, USA and Sweden. You were fantastic and the audience was engaged the entire time.

We are so proud of these students for their hard work! Below is some video from the event:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz7F6JiIg9A

Of General Interest . . .

1) Click here to access other photo collections of LREI events and happenings at our on-line photo gallery.

2) Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make this year’s Art Auction a rounding success! It was a spectacular event and everyone had a wonderful time (see below for images from the event). There are still some pieces of art that are for sale so please visit http://artauction.lrei.org/ for additional information and to view items that are available. If you have any questions, please contact Maude Kebbon at mkebbon@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 232. Additionally, please watch this space for information regarding upcoming art related events in the spring.

[flickrslideshow acct_name=”lrei-photos” id=”72157623457079709″ width=”460″ height=”345″]

3) VISIBILITY: Lesbian and Gay People We Love — A LREI Community Photo Exhibit.
Please join us to celebrate this year’s exhibit which includes over 120 submissions. The exhibit will be on display at Sixth Avenue from Monday, March 8th through Friday, March 19th, 2010. Here are some photos from the opening reception:

[flickrslideshow acct_name=”lrei-photos” id=”72157623593103922″ width=”460″ height=”345″]

4) We want your recipes! Plans for the LREI Community Cookbook are under way, and we are now seeking recipes from all members of the community. Recipes can be for any dish that you would bring to a potluck. Please send recipes or questions to cookbook@lrei.org. The deadline for recipes is March 19 (right before spring break). Help us create a cookbook that represents all the diverse facets of our community! Please see the flyer for more information.

5) Grandparents/Special Friends Day is coming on May 7th for Lower and Middle School students. We will be sending invitations out very soon. If you have not given us addresses yet, please email them to Liza Sacks at lsacks@lrei.org. Thanks.

6) Our seniors are finishing their last full term of classes and are preparing for their senior projects, which include a six-week internship. We have students looking for internships in a number of fields, including: human rights, film/television/music production, medicine, photography, animation and the hospitality industry. If you are able to offer, or have access to, internships in these fields or in others, please contact our high school principal, Ruth Jurgensen at rjurgensen@lrei.org.

7) Red is Green Committee Announcements:

• Donate Old Cell Phones: Cell phones will be donated to Phones for Haiti, a partnership with the American Red Cross and ReCellular, Inc. For more info, see phonesforhaiti.com. By donating your old cell phone, you can provide critical aid to people in Haiti, protect the environment and bring new technology to developing areas. 100% of the proceeds from Phones for Haiti will go to aid victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
• Recycle Used Batteries: We will accept all rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Electronic waste is the fastest growing was concern in the world! Batteries contain toxic substances like mercury that are harmful to our landfills. Don’t throw them out in your regular trash – let us help you recycle them.
• Batteries and cell phones can be dropped off in the Red is Green recycle bins at the Sixth Avenue and Charlton St. lobbies throughout February and March.
• For more details about our monthly recycling drives and Go Green to School dates, please click Red is Green PA Page.

8) Stir the Pot: Taste of the Future — Thursday, May 13th at 6:00PM @ Charlton Street.
Click here for more information about this exciting event.

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

10) LREI is a member of NYC-Parents in Action (NYC-PIA – http://www.parentsinaction.org/). 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. Click here to view upcoming events and/or to download their calendar.

For All Grades . . .

1) The Middle School Intramural Basketball finals are this Friday at 3:30PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center. If past years are an indication, it should a great afternoon of basketball.

2) All members of the LREI community are invited to cheer on our Middle School and High School Robotics Teams as they appear in the 2010 City-Wide Championships.  We are so proud of both teams. The championships will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street in Manhattan. The schedule for these free events is as follows:

• Saturday, March 13^th—the high school robotics team will begin to compete at 9:45AM.
• Sunday, March 14^th—the middle school robotics team will compete from 8-3:30 with the best times to see our team being between 10:00AM-12:00PM and 1:00PM-2:00PM.

3) Thinking ahead? Join us for the High School Preview Night on Tuesday, April 13th at 6:30pm in the Charlton Street Performing Arts Center (PAC). This event is a wonderful opportunity for Middle School and Lower School parents to learn more about the High School from parents, students and recent alumni. We hope to see you there! RSVP to Barbara Scott, Director of Admissions, at 212-477-5316 ext. 305, bscott@lrei.org.

4) Family Conferences and Subject Area Meetings (April 16th and 23rd): Please check your child’s advisor’s blog to schedule a family conference for one of the dates indicated above. At this conference, your child will share work samples, offer reflections on her/his work and identify some goals for the fourth quarter. It is also a time for you to dialog with your child and her/his advisor about your child’s learning experience in the Middle School so far this year.

As we did in the first quarter, you will also be able to have brief meetings with each of your child’s teachers should you so choose. To schedule these subject specific meetings please click here. As always, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers if you have questions about her/his performance and/or the curriculum.

5) Mark your calendars: Just a heads up that our first MS Art Festival will open on Thursday, April 29th at 6:00PM for seventh and eighth grade familiesa and at 6:30PM for fifth and sixth grade families. The evening will feature studio art work from students in all grades, digital art created by the eighth graders and performances by the seventh and eighth grade performing arts major classes (instrumental music, vocal music, dance and drama). The entire Sixth Avenue building will come alive with the arts. We hope to see you all there. In addition, the art displays in the auditorium wil also be up on Friday, April 30th.

6) A couple of week ago, I blogged that:

This year’s representatives are hopeful that our first Mid-Winter Afternoon Olympics becomes an on-going tradition. Tomorrow afternoon, eight teams of fifth through eighth graders will meet at the Thompson Street Athletic Center dressed in their team colors with matching names, cheers, songs and dances to face a series of team challenges. The reps have worked hard with dean Gabrielle Keller and PE teacher Larry Kaplan to make the event a success. While it promises to be a fun afternoon, only time will tell if the Mid-Winter Afternoon Olympics enters the honored pantheon of desert, chocolate milk, Crazy Hat Day and Pajama Day, which are the lasting legacy of reps from the not so distant past.

If the following images are any indication, we are well on the way to establishing a new tradition. Well done reps!

[flickrslideshow acct_name=”lrei-photos” id=”72157623350480855″ width=”460″ height=”345″]

For Eighth Grade Families . . .

1) A reminder that final payments for the DC trip were 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 . . .

1) Mark your calendars for our annual Sixth and Seventh Grade Parents Adolescent Issues Evening scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th at 6:30PM.

2) From Elizabeth and Matthew: We are excited to inform you that in conjunction with our current study of the American Revolution and our upcoming study of the Constitution itself, on Thursday, April 22nd the seventh grade will be traveling to Philadelphia for a day-long trip. We will visit to the National Constitution Center, where we will participate in 4 events that will help us better understand the founding and establishment of our country and its constitution. We will also visit Independence Hall and, time permitting, other historical sites. Like our trip to Williamsburg, the trip to Philadelphia will give us a first-hand understanding of important events in Colonial American history. Students should arrive to LREI on the morning of April 22nd by 7:00AM. Our chartered bus will be departing promptly at 7:15AM. Students should be sure to bring their writer’s notebook, a bag lunch (with an extra snack for the return trip — we will not stop at a rest stop on the return trip — and as always no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles), an extra sweatshirt and a backpack for these items. Cameras and some spending money (no more than $10) are optional. Students should dress as appropriately for that day’s predicted weather, and they should be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. We will be departing from Philadelphia at around 2:45pm, and expect to return to LREI by 4:15PM. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. Thank you.

For Fifth and Sixth Grade Families . . .

1) Intramural Basketball Schedule:

NO MORE PRACTICES
Friday, March 12 Consolation game 3:30, championship game 4:15
Wednesday, March 17 parents game at 3:30

Parents game schedule will be:
3:30 – Green vs Green’s parents
3:50 – Red vs Red parents
4:10 – Grey vs Grey Parents
4:30 – Blue vs Blue parents

For Sixth Grade Families . . .

1) On Wednesday, April 14th, your presence is requested at our annual Medieval Pageant. The evening will begin at 6:00PM and will afford you the opportunity to view your child’s work as it relates to her/his on-going studies of the Middle Ages. Following the viewing of this work, we will convene in the auditorium for a dramatic and musical telling of tales connected to this study. The evening will conclude with a potluck supper in the cafeteria. Your class reps will be contacting you about preparations. In the spirit of the event, you are encouraged to bring in medieval inspired dishes. Below are a number of useful resources for potential recipes:

• http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/recipe_index.html
• http://www.bitwise.net/~ken-bill/med-p1.htm
• http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/food.html
• http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/islamic_dinner.html
• http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/recipe_toc.html

2) A related Medieval Pageant request: Students are enthusiastically learning their music, making props and rehearsing their parts to get ready for the big event. Joanne has requested that all sixth grade students bring in a basic black outfit for the week of April 12th. The black bottoms and tops need to be comfortable and practical with regards to movement and will likely have other items of costume layered on top. Sneakers and shoes do not need to be black. If you have questions, you can contact Joanne directly at jmagee@lrei.org.

3) Mark your calendars for our annual Sixth and Seventh Grade Parents Adolescent Issues Evening scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th at 6:30PM.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .

1) A reminder that our annual Egyptian Tomb exhibit will take place during the day on Thursday, March 18. Heather and Wendy will be in contact with you about scheduling visit times (8:30AM, 9:00AM, and 12:00PM — you should plan to spend about 30 minutes at the exhibit). They would also appreciate a few parent volunteers to help on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 17, with set up for the tomb and would also appreciate a few volunteers to help with taking down the tomb the day of the 18th starting at 2:15PM.

2) Mark your calendars for our annual Fifth Grade Parents Adolescent Issues Evening scheduled for Wednesday, April 21st at 6:30PM.

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

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