A Picture of Words is Worth . . .

Dear Middle School Families,

As we move into the second half of the year, I thought it useful to take a moment to consider the key ideas that have featured prominently in my blog posts since September. To do this, I’ve created a “word cloud” using Wordle. Wordle provides a visual representation of the words that appeared with the most frequency in these posts. These posts, which are themselves a reflection of the rich and varied middle school experience, speak to the many ways in which we live out each day the core values of the LREI experience.

Words

Good words to live and learn by!

Of General Interest . . .

1) Sports Committee: Ready for some indoor fun on a chilly afternoon? Our basketball teams are RED HOT! So warm up with friends and come to one of our exciting home games! Be prepared to scream, yell, wave your flags and MAKE SOME NOISE as we CHEER OUR TEAMS ON TO VICTORY! All games are held at Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street. LET’S GO KNIGHTS!! Knights home game schedule for next week:

  • 2/4/2011 — Intramurals – Red/TieDye Blue/Green
  • 2/7/2011 — Varsity Boys vs Churchill 4PM
  • 2/8/2011 — Varsity Boys vs Trevor Day 4PM
  • 2/10/2011 – MS Girls vs BWL 4PM
  • 2/11/2011 – Intramurals – Red/Blue TieDye/Black
  • 2/14/2011 – MS Girls vs Packer 4PM
  • 2/15/2011 – Varsity Teams Big Apple Conference Playoff 2 vs 3
  • 2/16/2011 – MS Boys vs VCS 4PM
  • 2/17/2011 – MS Boys vs BWL 4PM
  • 2/18/2011 – Intramurals Playoffs
  • 2/23/2011 – Varsity Boys and Girls ISAL PLAYOFF
  • 2/24/2011 – JV Boys vs LFNY 4PM
  • 2/25/2011 – Varsity Boys and Girls ISAL FINAL and Intramurals Playoffs
  • 2/28/2011 – MS Boys and Girls Finals
  • 3/1/2011 – JV Boys Playoff
  • 3/3/2011 — JV Boys FINAL
  • 3/4/2011 — Intramurals Finals/Consolation Game
  • 3/11/2011 – Intramurals Parents Game

2) From the PA Red is Green Committee: RECYCLE Plastic Bottle Caps at LREI during the month of February. Click here for more information.

3) Our new community cookbook, Downtown Potluck, a compilation of recipes from our talented parents and teachers, has been garnering praise in the media, including Time Out New York Kids and Esquire. It will be on sale at Karamu! and other upcoming school events. It will also be available through the school store, and in the Sixth Ave. lobby shortly before Valentine’s Day (perfect for gift-giving!). The book costs $25; supplies are limited. Email cookbook@LREI.org for information.

4) Click here to access the most current “At a Glance” calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.

5) For additional school news, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

6) 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) Please join Director, Phil Kassen on Monday February 14, 2011 at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Library to learn about the re-design of the high school curriculum and how LREI is preparing our students for life in the 21st Century. RSVP to  lsacks@lrei.org, (212) 477-5316 ext.291

2) The POCOC Book Club & Potluck is Friday, February 4th from 6:00-8:00PM in the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. Rita Williams-Garcia , the author of our Middle School book selection and winner of the 2011 Scott O’Dell Award will join us. Reminder: The Parents of Children of Color Committee (POCOC) provides a forum for discussion on the needs and concerns of parents of children of color. For the remainder of the school year, the Lower and Middle school POCOC meet together every third Wednesday of the month starting at 8:15 am in the cafeteria.  The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 16th.

3) ERBs are scheduled for February 15th-17th. 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. Please also read the attached letter from the Middle School math teachers regarding prep for the upcoming ERBs.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .

1) Eighth graders have been traveling in groups of four to the high school for half-day visits in the morning. During the visit, they have the opportunity to sit in on several classes and to speak with High School principal Ruth Jurgensen and other members of the High School team. These visits provide students with a window into the high school experience.

2) On Friday, February 11th, author Cynthia Leitich Smith (http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/) will visit the eighth grade class. She writes a series of paranormal romances, similar to the Twilight series. Students will have an opportunity to read excerpts of her work prior to the visit.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .

No updates this week.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .

1) A reminder that next Friday, February 11th, is the Sixth Grade DISC dance. The dance runs from 7:00-9:00PM and is being hosted by St. Lukes (487 Hudson Street). Permission forms will be handed out next week. Please make sure that your child returns the permission form along with the dance fee of $5.

For Sixth and Fifth Grade Families . . .

Intramural Basketball: The link to the schedule can be found HERE. Below is our season schedule:

  • Every Tuesday – Blue and Green Teams practices from 7-8AM at TSAC (145 Thompson St.)
  • Every Wednesday – Black Team practices from 7-8AM at TSAC (145 Thompson St.)
  • Every Thursday – Red and Tie Dye Teams practices from 7-8AM at TSAC (145 Thompson St.)

Game Schedule:
Friday, Feb 4th – Red vs Tie Dye, 3:30, Blue vs Green 4:15 – Black – Bye Week
Friday Feb 11th – Red vs Blue 3:30, Tie Dye vs Black 4:15 – Green – Bye Week
Friday Feb 18th – Playoffs
Friday Feb 25th – Playoffs
Friday Mar 4th – Consolation and Championship
Friday Mar 11th – Parents Game 3:30

**The last practice will be March 3rd, no practices the week of the parents game

If you have any questions, please let me know!

For Fifth Grade Families . . .

No updates this week.

============= 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

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