Congratulations

June 9, 2021

Dear LREI Community,

Congratulations to the Class of 2021, LREI’s 76th graduating class. Today we held an in-person graduation for the seniors and their families. It was quite lovely – amazing to be in person celebrating this class and so moving to see them all together on the banks of the Hudson. We are proud of the seniors for so many reasons.  Click here to see their college choices and here to watch the graduation ceremony.  Enjoy!

While we are at it, congratulations to all LREI students for their incredible accomplishments. I am so very proud of the members of the community, from all constituencies; proud of their dedication to each other, to the community as a whole, and, most importantly, to LREI’s mission. When we began our transformation over a year ago, everybody jumped in, explored new ways of learning and teaching, and of being “together,” learning that together remotely in service to a shared goal can be as effective as actually being together. We grew in our roles, supported and learned from each other and with each other, all assisted by a heavy dose of patience.

We learned many lessons this year, with more to be identified over time. We learned a great deal about adult practice and student learning through the lens of the pandemic. We learned that we are more nimble than we assumed and that we are capable of more than we imagined. Though different in so many ways, classrooms were filled with the familiar creative thought and optimism. There was confirmation about the depth and long lasting nature of the work that we do as a progressive school. An excellent outcome in this our hundredth year. (A reminder that while ‘20-’21 was our Centennial, we postponed our celebration until ‘21-’22.  Stay tuned for more details.)

I am grateful for the work that the community put forth in conjunction with the Plan for Equity and Community at LREI. We made great strides and are in a good place to create a new plan for the coming year, as most of these items require on-going attention and effort. The leadership team and others involved in DEI leadership will begin addressing the next plan in the coming weeks. There are near daily reminders of the work to be done. Our community remains squarely within the world around us, influenced by all that goes on in society. We need to create such a powerful program and community that we are influencing others rather than the other way around. This is one of those dreams that while maybe never realized, can be a powerful motivating force.

Thank you to the parent affinity groups and all members of the LREI family community who organized events, joined conversations, attended meetings, and/or pushed us to do more and to be better.  Thank you to the PA committee chairs for organizing on-line events that were fun and informative and to the class reps who helped to keep the community’s machinery running. We will be forever grateful to PA Co-Presidents Maren Berthelsen and Lunie Small. Wow! You found so many ways to keep us together and to foster closeness and respect. Not easy to do.  Thank you, Maren, for your two years of tireless and creative leadership. Welcome to Shira Cornfeld, newly elected co-president. Thank you, as well, to the members of LREI’s Board of Trustees, led by board chair Jim Harris, whose support and wisdom were invaluable this year, as always.

A final set of “Thank you’s.”  Thank you to the school’s nurses – Ava Dawson, Joanne MacDonald, and Linda Perlmutter, with an assist from Allison Brown and Eileen Hughes. We can never thank you enough for keeping us all healthy. Clearly this year was not what you had in mind when you signed on to be a school nurse. Absolute superstars!

And, one more time, to the faculty, staff, and students who labored through this seemingly impossible challenge. Each day, through masks, in pods, with silent lunches, cold and wind and snow, microphones, Zoom, and on and on, you worked together to learn and to engage with the world, even if from a little farther away than we would have liked. Your commitment to learning and to each other is so very moving. It gives me great hope for the future. I think that this thank you goes double for students who were new to LREI this year. So hard and so well done.

As we head into the summer, know that we are here if you need us and that we are looking ahead to creating a safe and more typical ‘21-’22 and that we will continue to examine the experiences of the past 15 months and will learn from them so that as we “get back to normal,” we are being thoughtful about how we do that.

Lastly, the impact of the past 15 months will continue to reveal itself. Please be aware of this and seek support for yourselves and for your children, as needed. I know that the principals and psychologists have shared resources in the past, and I want to do so again. You will find a list at the end of this letter.

A number of months ago I commented that while this year has been just so challenging, both day-to-day and with a longer term view, that it was an honor to be charged with supporting the work of so many talented people in this defining moment. As I look at all that we have accomplished since March 12, 2020, I have to add humbled to that statement. In the world of magical thinking, I wish the last 15 months never happened. In the real world, there is no place or community where I would rather have focused my efforts during this time than at LREI.

I look forward to seeing you in the fall, as we return to a more typical school and to LREI’s Centennial Celebration!.

With gratitude and wishes for peace and health,

P.S. How did you spend the last year+ during the COVID-19 pandemic? Please share images and stories with the LREI Quarantine Time Capsule at timecapsule@lrei.org so that future students can learn about what it was like during a year like no other.

For more info and to see what others in our community have been up to, click here.

P.P.S. A reminder that there is a lot of information about the next school year on the Fall ‘21-’22 Information Page.  We will update it throughout the summer and will email you when there are significant additions.  There will not be a printed August mailing.

 

 

For Therapeutic Support:

For Families with Older Children:

For Families with Younger Children:

Story books about resilience/overcoming anxiety:

Resources for Parents:

Mindfulness: