Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.

Jane Austen

Dear Families,

We are so proud of our high school. Please see the following letter from Phil Kassen, Director:


"Congratulations to the High School students and faculty on being named to the Blackboard High School Awards Honor Roll for excellence in three areas:

· Teaching of Reading and Writing
· Teaching of Math and Science
· Respect by Students for Each Other

There are so many other areas of the high school program we could recognize. After this past weekend’s performance of Ragtime it is hard not to mention our tremendous arts program. In addition, I invite all to join our digital arts students next Tuesday, November 14th at 6:30PM, at the Apple Store SoHo for a showcase of work from LREI. Finally, please join us on Monday, November 20th for a student-organized concert to benefit relief efforts work in Darfur. Tickets are on sale now in both buildings. We are proud of your hard work and of the incredible learning community you have created on Charlton Street."

Since day one, the high school community has worked together to create a supportive, nurturing, challenging academic environment while supporting students in their efforts to respect each other and themselves. In addition, our commitment to social justice continues. It is nice to be recognized by Phil and The Blackboard Awards.

All the best,

Ruth




Calendar for November:

November 12-15, 2006-NYSAIS Decennial Visit
November 14, 2006- We invite you LREI High School Arts Showcase at the Apple Store Soho, 103 Prince Street. This will be a wonderful opportunity to see our talented High School students' artistic and technological successes. Join us to experience their photography and digital film creations. 6-8 PM.
November 20, 2006-Please join us for a very important event: Save Darfur benefit concert, 6:30-8 PM, PAC
November 22, 2006- Thanksgiving break. School closes at 12:00 PM.
November 27, 2006- Review Day (regular classes meet)
November 28, 2006- Reading Day (School is open. Students may use this time to work on papers, projects, meet with teachers and use the Tech Center and Library. No regular classes.)
November 29-Dec. 1, 2006-Trimester I Exams and Exhibitions
November 30, 2006-Parents of Children who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM. The topic for this meeting will be The Learning Support Program here at the high school. Jerry Cascio and Patricia Carter will join the meeting.


This Week's Attachments and Announcements:


1. Reminder for all Tenth Grade parents: You are invited to a parent discussion on Monday, Nov. 13th from 6:15-8:00 in the High School Cafeteria. The discussion will be lead by two facilitators from the Parents in Action group. Those who attended last year's meeting found it very informative. The meeting is open to any topic that parents would like to discuss. Hope to see you there.

2. Please see Phil's NYSAIS letter.

3. Please do not schedule appointments, medical or otherwise, during the school day, between 8:30 AM and 3:50 PM. When a student must leave early for a non-emergency, it is very disruptive to the academic program and to a student's progress in any given class. Thank you.

4. Please note the following message from Admissions regarding early notification for applicants to the Fours and Kindergarten.

5. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

6. There is a change of date for the next Parent Rep meeting. We will be meeting on December 5, 6:30 PM in the Charlton Street cafeteria.

7. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

8. Please do not plan vacations that fall outside of scheduled school breaks. Each school day is important. Today’s classroom experiences are building blocks for tomorrow’s. Missing school on either end of a scheduled break, or at any time other than when school is closed, is disruptive to your child’s education and to that of her/his classmates. Often, the days preceding our longer breaks include community events such as buddy activities and assemblies. These essential community events are important. We feel strongly that students should not miss these occasions. It is our policy that teachers not prepare work ahead of time, or help students to catch up, if your family will be vacationing at times when school is in session. If your family is presented with a singular opportunity to travel that offers significant educational advantages we encourage you to speak with the division’s principal in advance.

9. It is essential that all students arrive at school on time. Students who arrive late often find it difficult to enter into the class’s discussion or activity. Some students find that this lag can last for the whole school day.

10. The LREI Business Office has relocated into 40 Charlton Street. Members of the Business Office can now be reached through LREI's main phone number, 212.477.5316, Michel de Konkoly Thege at ext. 319, Tema Tischler at ext. 306 and Marie Horan at ext. 317. E-mail addresses remain the same. In general, inquiries regarding status of tuition accounts may be directed to Tema, regarding facility rentals to Marie and all others, including tuition remission issues, to Michel.

11. Parents! Have your own LREI experience through the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) monthly parent dialogue group. Share stories, explore assumptions, view films and exchange information. Please contact Sharon DuPree (sdupree@lrei.org) or Peggy Peloquin (ppeloquin@lrei.org) if you are interested in joining LREI's first parent SEED group and the next meeting.

12. Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.


As always, please browse the web site at www.lrei.org. Also, note the links to the Middle and Lower School weekly emails on the right. Please take a look at what the students in the other two divisions are up to!

All attachments are in .pdf format. To view these files, please download Adobe Reader, if you do not already have it. Click on this link or paste it into your browser: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html.
If you are having trouble opening the attachments, go to http://www.lrei.org/weekly/ms/ to access the files.