Doing and Being
Dear Middle School Families,
In many schools, young people spend the bulk of their time being students and in this fairy narrow and prescribed role they diligently do what adults ask them to do. At LREI, we try to spend as little time as possible with students having this as their frame of reference. Our goal is to engage learners in tasks that actively seek to narrow the distance between school and the wider world that surround us. In this way, students not only learn history, but work at being historians, and students in music class become musicians and composers.
In this spirit, our seventh graders presented their annual Colonial Museum to lower and middle school students and teachers and to their families. The museum represents a culmination of several months of study including a week-long visit to Williamsburg. During their week in Williamsburg, students gathered information for their research papers, conducted and recorded interviews with historical re-enactors, and took photos to document their experience. This initial research in the field informed the substantial additional research that they carried out once they were back at school. Based on the research papers that they then wrote, each student created an exhibit that s/he curated at the museum. For the final stage of the project, students will make additions to our growing Colonial Museum wiki that future seventh grade classes will explore and will then add to in turn. In this way, students come to understand something of the historians experience as they wrestle with what new contributions they can make to the field.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u5xW54zWJI
Today, fifth and sixth grade music students had the unique opportunity to have the original compositions they wrote in music class workshopped and performed by an ensemble of guest musicians from NYU. Our LREI composers gave the ensemble members important contextual information about their pieces and after hearing them rehearsed provided additional direction for the players. In turn, the musicians offered feedback and suggestions to the composers about the pieces. It was an exciting collaborative experience and one in which the title of “fifth” or “sixth grade student” faded away to be replaced by the more correct title of “composer.”
Our eighth graders are also engaged in important and authentic work related to a range of social justice issues. Middle School librarian Jenifer Hubert Swan has been documenting this work on her blog. Here are links to her first two posts.
Here again is the email that went out about ways that you can help to support this project:
Dear Friends and Family,
Two weeks ago the eighth grade launched our 2010-2011 Social Justice Project. This project connects our study of people and groups in history that have chosen to stand up and participate in positive social change with real-world experiences doing that. This year we have ten groups working under various topics including: Homelessness/Food Access, GLBTQ Issues, War and Violence Topics, Educational Equity, Women and Girls’ Issues, Child Abuse and Children’s Rights, Environment and the Natural World, Health and Communities and Refugee Rights.
We are writing to ask if you are involved in social justice work or know someone who is. If so, is this organization willing to have LREI eighth graders work with them as a part of this project. The organization needs to be local (within the 5 boroughs) and have a focus on one of our ten topics. The eighth grade will be trained in work-place etiquette, attire, letter writing and phone-call making; they are also creating websites about both what they volunteer doing and what they’re learning. Each group is required to make five visits, but often they have been compelled to make more. In the past, they have been praised for their commitment and their impact; they have attended conferences, assisted in mailings, been fundraisers for events and interviewed experts.
If you know of an applicable organization, please let us know as soon as possible. We would like all groups to be placed quickly so they can begin their work. You can email Mark at msilberberg@lrei.org if you have ideas or questions. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Momii, Bobby, Christopher and Jennifer
Eighth Grade Social Justice Project team
Continuing in this vein, congratulations to the cast and crew of the Middle School production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For those of you who were able to catch one of the performances, I hope that you enjoyed the experience as much as I did. Finally, congratulations also to all of the members of the Middle School chorus and band for their wonderful performances at Tuesday’s annual Winter Concert.
It has been a busy and exciting first half of the year and I wish yo a relaxing and restful winter break.
Of General Interest . . .
1) There is still time to sign up for the second two terms of Adult r(ED). Don’t miss out! Click here to view the course offerings and meeting dates. There is a $100 registration fee per course for each participant. If you would like to register for one of these courses, please contact Rowena Penaranda-Askins at rpenaranda@lrei.org or (212) 477-5316, x295.
2) Alumni College Panel: Join us for our annual Alumni College Panel. This is a terrific opportunity to hear recent LREI grads discuss their transition from high school to college and how their time at LREI prepared them for success. Thursday, January 6th, 6:30PM, PAC 40 Charlton Street. Moderated by our new Director of College Guidance Carey Socol. RSVP to Liza Sacks at (212) 477-5316 ext. 291 or lsacks@lrei.org. Click here to view and print a flyer with full details.
3) Our brand-new community cookbook, Downtown Potluck, a wonderful compilation of recipes from our talented parents and teachers will be on sale on Wednesday, December 8th, at the Book Fair, through Friday, December 10th. The book costs $25 for those in our community and supplies are limited. Think of it for your holiday gift-giving. If you pre-ordered a cookbook, please pick it up at the book fair, or email cookbook@LREI.org.
4) Red is Green: In January the Red is Green Committee will be collecting holiday cards for recycling. The cards will be donated to St. Jude’s Ranch. St. Jude’s will remove the front of each card and attach a new back then sell the new card to raise money for the organization. Cards that can be recycled must not have writing on the back side of the front cover. Please, no cards with personal photographs or Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards. Cards can be placed in the collection bin located in the lobby.
5) Save the date for Karamu! The Multicultural Committee of the Parents Association is busily planning another wonderful “joyous celebration” (which is what Karamu means in Swahili) after the new year. Please save the date–Friday January 21st. The dinner buffet and a performance by our wonderful high school Jazz band begin at 5pm at the Charlton Street building. Guest performances of music and dance begin at 6:15pm and will be followed by our annual DJ’d dance party in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, January 18th in the Sixth Avenue lobby and also at the front desk of the Charlton Street building. We will also be selling tie dye Karamu bandannas and raffle tickets for exciting prizes.
6) Spirit Club: Baby, it’s cold outside…but our Basketball teams are smoking hot! So warm up with friends after winter break and come to one of our exciting home games! The Spirit Super Fan Club will gather on our first day back, Tuesday, January 4th at 3PM, before the exciting Varsity Boys home game!
Spirit Club is open to all – so come hang out, have a snack, do your homework and have some fun while the teams warm up. Get ready to scream, yell, wave your flags and MAKE SOME NOISE!! All games are held at Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street.
- Tuesday, 4th January at 4pm: Varsity Boys vs LFNY
- Wednesday, 5th January at 4:30pm: MS Girls vs Churchill
- Thursday, 6th January 4:15pm: JV Boys vs Birch Wathen Lenox
Come out and cheer our teams on to victory! LET’S GO KNIGHTS!! Click here for a flyer with all the information.
7) Click here to access the most current “At a Glance” calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.
8) For additional school news, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
9) 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) Click here to read the minutes from this week’s Middle School Parent Rep Meeting
2) Afterschool Registration: Please be on the look out for an email with registration information and materials. All of the information included in the email — including class descriptions, and teacher bios will be available on the LREI website by tomorrow. Afterschool Registration Week for the Winter/Spring session begins on Tuesday, January 4th. During registration week (1/4-1/7), students are welcome to come for free childcare during regular Afterschool hours (2:30-6:00). The Enrichment and Instrumental Registration Shuffle will take place on Tuesday, January 4th at 3 p.m. We urge you to turn in your completed registration forms to the Afterschool Office by that time. Registration forms received after the shuffle will be processed on a first come, first serve basis.
3) POCOC Book Club & Potluck — From MS POCOC Co-Chairs Rhonda Hartley & Kaiko Hayes: The Parents of Children of Color Committee (POCOC) provides a forum for discussion on the needs and concerns of parents of children of color. Each school division hosts its own Parent of Color Children Committee for dialogue and support on common issues. Currently, 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, January 19th. One of the POCOC community building events for the POCOC children is the bi-annual POCOC Book Club & Potluck that will take place on Friday, January 7th from 6:00 — 8:00 in the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. On the evening of January 7th we will have our potluck dinner then the children will be split into their book clubs which will be led by teachers & parents with help from students from Elizabeth Irwin High School. We are actively seeking facilitators for each group. Middle School teacher Margaret Andrews has volunteered to lead the 5th – 8th Grade discussion and if someone knows of another teacher who would like to volunteer for the other grades, please let us know. The Book Club reading choices are:
- 4’s through 1st Grade: Amelia’s Show and Tell Fiesta by Mimi Chapra and Dear Juno by Soyung Pak
- 2nd through 4th Grade: Bussing Brewster by Richard Michelson
- 5th through 8th Grade: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
The link for the Potluck signup sheet can be found here. We look forward to seeing you at the monthly meeting and the Book Club Potluck.
4) Summers at LREI:
Session Dates:
June 27th-August 5th, 2011
Session 1: June 27th-July 8th
Session 2: July 11th-July 22nd
Session 3: July 25th-August 5th
Early Registration for returning 2010 camp families will run December 8th-17th. During this period, returning families will have the option to register online for either two, four, or six weeks of Summers at LREI programs at a discounted rate of 10% off session fees.
General Registration will open to all families in early March. In order to receive email notifications regarding online General Registration, visit summers.lrei.org and enter your information into the New Inquiries section.
New in 2011:
- Band Camp (taught by LREI Middle School Music and Band Teacher, Matt McLean), a two-week music intensive consisting of all woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments for 11-13 year-olds during Session 1. Specialty Camp programming for Session 2 is TBD, and will be announced on the camp website by December 8th.
- Musical Theater Workshop for ages 9-13 and Musical Theater Home Group for ages 7-8 will be offered for all three sessions of camp.
- Six week Home Groups are an option for campers attending all three sessions of camp, offered at a discounted rate of 15% off camp fees. Home Group activities will be geared toward the experiences of children participating in the entirety of the camp program.
- Sibling discount of 5% off camp fees per child for same sessions of registration.
Please visit summers.lrei.org for more information or call (212) 477.5316 ext.298 to speak with the Summer Camp Office.
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. If you have not done so already, please register ASAP.
For Seventh and Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) From Director Phil Kassen: In the crush of all of the things that happen at this time of the year, I write to invite you of two upcoming events of special interest to families of eighth graders.
- On Thursday, January 6th, 2011 at 6:30PM we will be hosting our annual Alumni College Panel. Join us to hear of the experiences of a panel of our recent graduates as they made the transition from LREI to college. Please see the attached flyer.
- On Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at 6:30PM, I invite you to join Michael Patrick, ’71, Chair of LREI’s Board of Trustees, and me for a discussion of the Board’s and Administration’s plans for the expansion of the high school building and the redesign of our progressive secondary curriculum.
Both events will take place in the 40 Charlton Street building. Do not hesitate to email or call if you have any questions. I hope to see you at both events.
For Sixth Grade Families . . .
1) On Friday, January 7th, the sixth grade will travel to the Met to view the Arms and Armor collection. trip. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles) on that day.
For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) On Thursday, January 20th, the fifth grade will travel to the Brooklyn Museum for our annual visit to their Egyptian collection. Students should bring a bag lunch (no nuts, seeds, or glass bottles) on that day.
============= 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