Take Action for Ally Week

From guest blogger Director of Diversity and Community Sandra Chapman:

Dear Families,

I would like to take a moment to highlight social justice work happening in classrooms throughout the school. In Early Childhood, students are reading books about cooperation and friendship. They are discussing ways to support each other and stand up for each other in small, yet meaningful ways. Upper elementary students are applying these same skills in a more focused way. They are revisiting how it feels to be teased about an aspect of their identity and what they can do to help each other build a strong community. Fourth Graders are role playing scenarios in order to better understand the roles of target, perpetrator, bystander and ally.

During Adolescent Issues classes in the Middle School, fifth graders have explored how community building activities that strengthen trust in and responsibilities for others are essential building blocks for being an ally. Sixth graders have been exploring the various pressures related to fitting in that can either support or interfere with being an ally. In the seventh and eighth grades, students viewed video clips and shared their own ideas about how to respond to incidents of bias. In their core classes, eighth grade social justice projects are connecting being an ally to activism. A student also informed me she plans to announce at a Middle School Meeting that Facebook friends are encouraging people to wear purple on October 20. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s what these youth would like to promote, spirit for all.

High School students engaged in an open Town Hall meeting last week. The topics they raised ranged from internet safety and the use of technology, hate crimes, Tyler Clementi’s tragic suicide and LGBT bias in society. One student shared the importance of relying on family to navigate social challenges and other students and teachers encouraged us to “Choose To Act” on behalf of anyone
discriminated against.

Students are generating ideas and, more importantly, they are taking action. As a school, we are acknowledging Ally Week from October 18-22.  ALLIES can help us the most to end anti-LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) bullying and harassment. Ally Week is about identifying and supporting allies in our school and asking them to intervene on behalf of LGBT equality throughout the school year.

Click here for a few things you can do to continue the dialogue, support your children’s understanding, and join us in the work of developing social justice citizens.

Chap
Director of Diversity and Community

Of General Interest . . .

1) From the Red is Green Committee: Red is Green recycling drive: Did you know that approximately 500 to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide?  Did you also know that plastic bags are not biodegradable and take from 500 to 1000 years to decompose?  It would help the environment if we all used less plastic bags.  But, it is sometimes unavoidable so let’s recycle the bags we have.  Red is Green is kicking off its 2010-’11 school year recycling drive with plastic bags.  We will collect clean plastic bags in the lobby throughout October.  After that, you can bring your bags to most chain stores for collection.

2) LREI Knights Volleyball: Both the Middle School Co-ed team and the Varsity Girls are having a great season so far and its always fun to have some fans in the bleachers cheering on our student athletes. Wear your team colors and join us!

Upcoming games:

  • Monday 18th October 4pm   Varsity Girls vs Garden

All home games are played in the Thompson Street Athletic Center (145 Thompson, just below Houston). All game schedules and news can be found at www.lrei.org/athletics.

Upcoming MS and HS home soccer games:
Tuesday, 11/2 Middle School Soccer vs Garden, 3:00PM Pier 40

3) Adult r(ED): There are still a few more days to enroll in Adult r(ED).  Click here to see the full list of courses.  Please contact Rowena at rpenaranda@lrei.org to enroll.

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) Family Conferences and Subject Area Meetings (November 5th and 11th): 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 second 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 quarter.

On these days, you will also be able to schedule 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.

2) Please note the following change (in italics) to last week’s note on Communicating Absence, Lateness and Changes in Pick-up: Just a brief note to help improve information flow. If your child is going to be late or absent, it is fine to send an email to your child’s advisor. If you do this, please make sure that you also copy Eileen Dougherty at edougherty@lrei.org. This will save Eileen having to call you in the event that the teacher does not see your email first thing in the morning. If you call, you can leave your message with reception. If you are trying to get in touch with your child about a change of plans for the end of the day or any other time sensitive information, we ask that you do not call or text your child directly. Instead, please call the school’s main number (212-477-5316) and leave a message with reception. This message will then be given to your child. Emails sent to teachers/advisors or voicemail messages left for teacher/advisors may result in your child not getting the information that s/he needs. If your change of plan is that your child will attend Afterschool, please call the Afterschool office directly at extension 239. They will make sure that the message gets to your child and her/his teachers. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

3) School Photo Proofs Are Ready This Week: On Friday, an ordering envelope with a proof of your child’s school photo will be sent home. You may order prints in one of two ways: using the envelope that will be sent home or ordering online.

To order proofs via mail, using the ordering envelope:

  • Select a package from the options listed on the envelope.
  • Detach and fill out the bottom portion of the envelope, indicating which packages you’d like to order.
  • Complete payment information and return in a separate envelope to:
  • Marty Hyman Photography, PO Box 1058, Valley Stream, NY 11582
  • Your prints will be sent directly to your home address.
  • NOTE: Even if ordering prints through the mail, you may choose to view a larger version of your child’s proof online, following the instructions below for online ordering.

To view/order proofs online:

  • Go to www.martyhyman.com
  • Click the yellow link that reads “PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ORDER PHOTOS ONLINE,” in the top left corner.
  • Click where it says “please click here” after where it says “If your ‘WEB PASSWORD’ consists of letters & numbers.”
  • Enter your child’s web password. The web password is a combination of letters and numbers that is listed on the ordering envelope both in the top right (below the student’s name) and in the bottom left corner just above the bar code. Click “login.”
  • Click “No, thanks” or enter your email address to receive notifications.
  • You will now be taken to an online proof of your child’s photo.
  • Use the buttons at the right of the photo to view packages and color options and to place your order.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .

1) Looking ahead to the spring, click here to access the registration form for the spring Gettysburg/DC trip that will take place next May. I’m sending you this information now so that you can spread out payments over a longer period of time. If you register online, please use the following trip ID#: 55757. If you have specific questions about payment, please do not hesitate to contact me. The deadline for registration for this trip has past so please register ASAP.

2) For students in Math 8X, please read the new unit letter from math teacher Michelle Boehm.

3) We encourage all eighth grade students and their families to learn more about high school program first-hand, by attending one or more of the following events:

  1. High School Tours: A tour for eighth grade families is scheduled for Monday, October 25th at 9:00AM. If you are unable to make this tour, please contact Julia Heaton at jheaton@lrei.org or at extension 305. Julia can sign you up for one of the general high school admissions tours or she can schedule you for a tour at some other time that is more convenient for you.
  2. High School Open Houses are scheduled for Thursday, October 28th and Tuesday, November 9th at 6:30PM. This is an opportunity to learn more about the academic program and extracurricular offerings at the high school, meet high school faculty and administration, and hear a panel of current LREI students.  If you plan to attend an Open House, please contact the Admissions Office at extension 210.
  3. Minimester is a three-day event in the high school when faculty members offer special interdisciplinary workshops to students in grades 8-12.  This year, Minimester will take place from Wednesday, October 20th through Friday, October 22nd.  All eighth graders will attend and regularly scheduled classes will not meet.
  4. Eighth Grade Visiting Days: In groups of two and three, eighth graders will also spend a half-day in the high school before the winter break following a regular schedule with a high school buddy.
  5. Assembly programs at the high school also provide students with additional opportunities to gain insights into life at the high school.
  6. During the week of October 19th, you will receive an application for the Irwin Scholars program. Each year, LREI offers Irwin Scholars merit scholarships to students moving from our eighth grade into the ninth The Irwin Scholars program recognizes selected eighth grade students moving on to the high school who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the areas of scholarship, citizenship, leadership and service. Scholars will receive up to $10,000 per annum towards their high school tuition at LREI.

If you have any questions about the high school program or the events listed above, please contact High School Principal Ruth Jurgensen (rjurgensen@lrei.org, extension 303) or Director of Admissions Julia Heaton (jheaton@lrei.org, extension 305).

For Seventh Grade Families . . .

1) Please make sure that your child arrives to school on Monday no later than 8:00AM so that we can make our 8:15AM departure for Williamsburg. The permission form and packing list are attached. Also attached is the required NCT health form.

2) Please join other LREI seventh grade families for a ParentTalk on Monday, October 25th at 6:30PM. This discussion will provide an opportunity for parents to come together to talk about a variety of issues with a trained facilitator from Parents In Action.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .

1) The sixth grade will travel to the Cloisters on Friday, October 15th, to view their Medieval collection. Students should bring a bagged lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles) to school on this day.

2) On Wednesday, October 20th, please join me at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria for a discussion on “Making Sense of MS Reports.” This will be an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the format of the Middle School progress report and to think about how best to prepare for Middle School Family Conferences.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .

1) From fifth grade math teacher Ana Chaney: Are you curious about your child’s experience learning math in the Middle School? Do you want to know how you child will be challenged and supported in fifth grade and beyond? Are you wondering how you can be involved at home? Join me for a hands-on investigation taken from the curriculum, short talk and Q&A. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the Fifth Grade Math Breakfast, which will take place on Monday, October 18th, at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.

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