Information for 2021-2022

May 27, 2021

Dear LREI Community,

Today I share a significant amount of information about the rest of this year, about the summer, and about the ‘21-’22 school year.  This information is also available by watching the video above, simply click on the picture. I share it this way as we could not find a free evening to do a live presentation, there is just so much going on! For those who have questions, I will be available on Zoom for drop-in conversations at the following times:

• Tuesday, June 1, 8:15a.m.-8:45a.m.

• Thursday, June 3, 5:30p.m.-6:00p.m.

• Monday, June 7, 9:00a.m.-9:30a.m.

• Tuesday, June 8, 6:00p.m.-6:30p.m.

Most immediately, please make time to join us for tonight’s Spring Concert.

End of the ‘20-’21 School Year

• School ends on Tuesday, June 8 at the following times:

  • Fours, Kindergarten, First Grade – 11:45a.m.

  • Second – Eighth Grades – 12:00p.m.

  • Ninth – Eleventh Grades – 3:10p.m.

  • Seniors – 12:30p.m. graduation rehearsal.

Graduation/Moving-up

• We are unable to welcome students in the 7th – 12th grades to graduation this year. For anyone interested in participating in LREI’s 76th Commencement Exercises, you will be able to watch the live stream. We will distribute the link closer to the event.

• Fourth and eighth grade families will hear from Faith/Ana regarding moving up details. Thank you for your understanding regarding events that are not as they always were.

Summer Opportunities

• It is not too late to register for Summers at LREI for children aged four – twelve. Interested?  Check out Summer@LREI.

• LREI Summers at Home – For students in 7th-12th grades we will offer online courses similar to those offered last summer. Interested?

Summer Information

All information about the coming school year will be shared digitally; there will be no August mailing. The Fall ‘21-’22 Information Page has been updated and will be updated again throughout the summer We will send an email to all ‘21-’22 families when we update the page. Summer reading lists will be posted before the end of the school year, and will be shared divisionally as well as being linked to this page next week. 

• You will receive information from principals/librarians regarding Summer Reading in your child’s/children’s division(s).  This information will be distributed shortly.

• Margaret and Allison, high school co-principals will share a ninth grade welcome page with all ninth grade families, those rising from our eighth grade and the half of the class coming in from the outside.  If you are a rising ninth grade family, please review this information with your child.

• Likely by August 1 we will have additional information regarding the nuts and bolts of the opening of school in September. We will email all families as we update the Fall ‘21-’22 Information Page.

• At the end of August we will post additional information including class lists / advisory groups and class directories, early childhood phase-in schedules,  letters from administrators, etc.

• High school students will receive information shortly about late August, pre-season practices for soccer, volleyball, and cross-country.

2021-2022 School Year

It is our intention to have all students in school five days per week beginning on September 9. That said, it is hard to predict what will happen in the coming months.  We will alert you to any changes to this plan ASAP.  

While we generally like to reduce our communication over the summer, we will be in touch as we need to in order to keep you up to date on our plans for the fall and again, we will email when we make significant additions to the Fall ‘21-’22 Information Page at LREI.org.

More specifically

• We will not be offering full time remote school in the fall. If this is a concern for your family, please contact me.

• Principals will be in touch with arrival and dismissal times.

• We intend to bring back all afterschool, extracurricular, and athletics in the fall.

• Days will feel more typical and familiar, with students moving about the buildings using all spaces, less-restrictive podding, etc.

• Significant attention to health habits – hand washing, daily health reporting, etc. – will continue.

• Many adult events will remain on Zoom for the first part of the year, at least, though we will look for ways for families to be in classrooms/school buildings to the extent allowed.

We will keep you up to date on any changes in our plans for the fall.  It is important to remember that changes in regulations published by the CDC, does not mean that these changes will be followed by NY State, NYC, or the NYC Department of Health.  Therefore, it is likely that we will continue to wear masks in school in September, regardless of what is required, or not, in other “public spaces.”

Vaccinations

• We strongly encourage all students who are 12-years old or older to get a Covid-19 vaccination.  If/when the vaccines become available to students younger than 12, we encourage families to vaccinate these students as well.  Check out NYC Covid-19 Vaccine Finder.

• The more students who are vaccinated the safer school life will be for all.

• Vaccinated students will be able to take advantage of all that our program has to offer, participate in athletics with other schools, for example, and are less likely to be required to have periodic Covid tests.

• It is likely we will ask for all unvaccinated students to have periodic, even weekly, Covid tests.  This will possibly be the same for adults attending in-person gatherings/events. We will share our determination about these tests before the school year begins.

• We are optimistic that younger students will become eligible for the vaccine in the fall.  We encourage families to vaccinate their younger children as soon as possible.

Medical Forms

A reminder that all annual medical forms will have to be completed this year and that typically scheduled vaccinations will be required to return to the school in the fall. Please plan ahead if your child missed vaccinations due to the pandemic. Please refer to the May 19th  email from Ava Dawson or visit Magnus to complete these forms. 

—

• Tonight, you are invited to the annual Spring Concert, 6:30p.m.
• High School Performing Arts Festival (most appropriate for MS/HS students),  Thursday, June 3, 6:30p.m.
• Middle School Musical Scenes and Songs, Friday, June 4, 6:30p.m.
• LREI’s 76th Commencement, Wednesday, June 9, 10:00a.m.

For now, we are so looking forward to Field Day tomorrow.  We are eager to see our buddies, to play together, to celebrate the seniors as we do on this day each year and to feel some growing sense of normalcy and wellness.  You can tune into the live stream of the annual Senior Celebration – Friday, May 28 at 9:00a.m. The link is on the Community Events Calendar.

As we head into the last two weeks of the school year and into the summer, I encourage you to be in touch with any questions you may have.  Do not hesitate. 

Enjoy the long weekend,

Phil