Dear LREI Families,

As Phil mentioned last week, Family Conferences are an important part of the school year. Middle School students and their teachers have been preparing for these dialogs and the fruits of this hard work was much in evidence on Wednesday. I have no doubt that Friday’s conferences will be equally rich in substance. If you have not done so already, please read my previous posts about Progress Reports and Family Conferences (and some additional resources). The structure of our Family Conferences is always an evolving one and I encourage you to let me know about your conference experience. Your feedback is tremendously useful in helping us to shape this experience so that it is a meaningful and productive one for all.

On the subject of home-school communications, please access https://blog.lrei.org/msnews/the-middle-school-digital-classroom/ for a listing of all of the Middle School homework blogs. You can bookmark this page or return to this blog where the address appears on the sidebar on the left. This page serves as an entry to our “Digital Classrooms.” As we explore the use of this technology as a way of disseminating information, I offer the following observations, which I hope will provide some context for how we envision these pages fitting into our educational program.

First, while much valuable information can be found in the blogs, we will still expect students to record homework assignments in their planners. We think it is absolutely critical that students develop this important organizational skill. While this is especially true for fifth graders, it is also important that students in all four grades continue to refine this skill. The seemingly simple task of writing down homework calls on students to listen actively, to ask clarifying questions, and to attend to specific instructions given by teachers. If a student thinks to him or herself, “I don’t need to pay attention to this, I’ll just check the blog,” he or she is likely to miss more than just the homework assignment. So you should continue to check your child’s planner and you can use the blog as a reference to see if your child’s is capturing in his or her planner what he or she needs in order to complete an assignment.

Teachers will use the blogs in a variety of ways and, as a result, the blogs will vary in the quantity and kind of information provided. It is reasonable to expect blogs to identify nightly homework assignments. In those classes where homework is assigned less frequently, the blogs may also be used to communicate information about what is happening in these classes. These blogs may not be updated on a daily basis and will more likely be updated weekly. Some teachers will post additional resources on the blog and others will not. If you have suggestions for a teacher that you think would be helpful, please do not frame these suggestions in a way that compares their blog to another teacher’s blog. Just describe the kind of information that would be helpful for you and your child. In these cases, teachers will consider the information in terms of thinking about how to best support your child. They may offer alternative suggestions that they feel may be more useful than changes to the blog. The homework blogs should be seen as one of a number of tools and not the be all and end all of what we do. We also hope that you will use the blog not just as a check for homework, but as a means to engage your child in conversations about his/her school experience.

Finally, as teachers refine their use of the blogs, we will identify ways in which the use of this technology can enhance and deepen opportunities for learning. An example: In the next few weeks, seventh graders will start to use the blogs as a forum to discuss the literature that they are reading. In this way, we will be able to add a new dimension to the literature circle experience that is already an important part of our program.

So we look forward to strengthening our partnership with you as we take this step forward into the digital world.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Eighth Grade:
Irwin Scholars Application
DC Trip Payment Letter
Seventh Grade:
Sixth Grade:
Fifth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) Would you like to contribute to a great cause and get in a good run or walk at the same time? Join the LREI Race to Deliver team! God’s Love We Deliver will hold their annual 4-mile run/walk called the Race to Deliver on Sun., Nov. 18; this year will be the first time there is an LREI team! To join, visit http://www.racetodeliver.org, click on Join a Team, and choose LREI from the list of teams. Prior to the main race, there are Fun Runs for kids, at manageable distances. It is lots of fun, the kids get goody bags, you can run, walk or cheer on the participants. Even if you don’t run, your children can participate in the kids’ runs, and any running friends you may have can sign up to be on our team as well.

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

3) 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 2007-2008 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/. Upcoming Seminar:

• Life Skills 101:
  Mastering the Big Transitions in Middle and Upper School
  The seminar will take place Thursday November 8, 2007 from 6:00-7:30 PM at Temple Israel located at 112 East 75th Street in New York City.
  Featured panelists will include: Bernard Dreyer, M.D. NYU Professor of Pediatrics and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, Kimberly Williams Psy.D. NYU Child Study Center, Edes Gilbert Retired Head of the Spence School and President of Resource Group 175, an education consultantcy, and Bruce Breimer Principal Emeritus of Collegiate School and college consultant.
  This seminar will be moderated by Lucy Martin Gianino. Reservations are required. To place a reservation send an email to reservations@parentsinaction.org, or call NYC-Parents in Action at 212-987-9629. To view a copy of the Seminar Flyer click on http://parentsinaction.org/file/Life_Skills_Flyer.

For Eighth Grade Families . . . .
1) A reminder that Irwin Scholar Applications are due no later than 4pm on Monday, November 19, 2007. Notification letters will be mailed during the week of December 10, 2007.

2) From High School Principal Ruth Jurgensen: Thanks to those of you who joined a tour or attended one of the open houses. It was a pleasure to meet with you. For those parents who were unable to attend, we hope you will schedule a visit to get to know your high school, or feel free to attend my informal Thursday coffee in the high school cafeteria, 7:45-8:15 AM, through November 29. I look forward to getting to know your child’s passions, academic interests and plans for their LREI High School experience. If you have any questions regarding our diverse, rigorous program, please do not hesitate to contact me. Here are some additional opportunities to learn more about the high school program:

• If you were not able to attend one of the High School tours, please contact Director of Admissions Samantha Caruth who can schedule you for a tour at some other time that is more convenient for you. Samantha can be reached at scaruth@lrei.org or at extension 305.
• If you have any questions about the high school program, please contact Ruth (rjurgensen@lrei.org or at extension 303). If you would like to make a reservation for one of the general admission tours, please contact Director of Admissions Samantha Caruth (scaruth@lrei.org or at extension 305).

3) The MS (7th and 8th graders) boys start practice on November 8th (at Thompson Street) and the girls (7th and 8th graders) start on November 12th (at Charlton Street). These first practices will take place at 3:30PM. A full practice schedule will be forthcoming. Please look to the calendar for times and locations. http://lrei.org/calendar/main.php. The game schedule for the season can also be found at: http://lrei.org/athletics/wintersports.html

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) The MS (7th and 8th graders) boys start practice on November 8th (at Thompson Street) and the girls (7th and 8th graders) start on November 12th (at Charlton Street). These first practices will take place at 3:30PM. A full practice schedule will be forthcoming. Please look to the calendar for times and locations. http://lrei.org/calendar/main.php. The game schedule for the season can also be found at: http://lrei.org/athletics/wintersports.html

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

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

For additional information, follow these links:

• Calendar of Events
• LREI Athletics

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

Be well,
Mark