Dear Families,

I thought I would take the first snowy day to give a winter update!

-We were fortunate to have Nancy Burson’s The Human Race Machine here all last week. Almost every member of our community experienced the art project, which allows participants to see themselves as different ethnicities. Several courses incorporated the machine into the curriculum. In fact, there are wonderful color photo portraits from our Tenth Grade on display on the lower level, all inspired by Burson’s own art work. Since the machine’s stay coincided with alumni events, even some former students had the opportunity to try it out. Needless to say, they wished they were back in High School! The Human Race Machine also encouraged students to reject the “Santa Clausification” (as coined by Dr. Cornell West) of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and provide an assembly that celebrated the man and his legacy in a way that encouraged students to believe they have the same potential within themselves.


-Speaking of alumni, the LREI Alumni Basketball game was one of the most competitive of the year! Alumni came up with the win after a fierce battle on the court; they won by one point. It was wonderful to see so many former students, not only at the basketball game, but at the Alumni College Night event. Other Alumni dropped by during the school day to connect with former teachers and speak with current students. Those who could not come by, called. It was fantastic to see everyone!


-We have noticed that our Ninth Graders have matured into confident high school students. They are staying later in the library to work on Chemistry projects, studying Macbeth and tutoring each other in several subjects. We are very proud that each and every one has made the transition successfully.


-Just in time for the winter blast, our faculty has been inspired to use this month to take many of their classes on educational trips. Some recent trips have included destinations such as Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and The Islamic Center of New York. In fact, our students are participating in several interesting academic projects. Tenth Grade English students are discussing self-invention, lies and rumors in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in preparation for their mid-trimester papers. In Physics, Tenth Graders are working on a major project called, “Finding Forces,” and our seniors are beginning another significant project for Physics, studying the “motion of their choice” and using LoggerPro to analyze the results. Also notable, several students submitted writing portfolios for this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing awards, which awarded two of our Twelfth Graders silver and gold keys last year.

-Our students are in heavy rehearsal for the spring production of the play “Apartment 6D,” written by our Arts Department Chair Meghan Farley Astrachan. This play was powerful, thought-provoking theater five years ago, right after September 11, and in honor of the fifth anniversary, we will produce the play again. It is a significant, moving event with alumni and former faculty participation.

-Finally, after a wildly successful run of The Importance of Being Earnest at last summer’s Fringe Festival (the largest international theater festival; we were the only New York school invited to perform last year!) in Edinburgh, Scotland, we have been nominated to bring another show in 2008!

I hope this finds you and yours warm and well.

All the best,

Ruth


Please check out our Winter Sports Schedule and join us at a home game!

January 25, 2007-Parents of children who receive academic support meeting, 6:30 PM.
January 26, 2007-KARAMU! 5:00 PM, Dinner and 6:00 PM, Show, Charlton Street
February, 2007-Black History month celebration, every Tuesday, 1PM
March 2, 3, 2007-High School Play, "Apartment 6D" 7PM, PAC
March 9, 2007-End of Trimester Party, 8PM-11:30PM, PAC

Academic Calendar

Jan. 31-Interims due, 8:30 AM (students earning B- and below; Arts)
Mar. 2-End, Trimester 2
Mar. 5-Review day for all classes
Mar. 6-Reading day for all students
Mar. 7-9- Exams
Mar. 14-Grades and Comments due, 8:30 AM





This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. Meeting About Tuition Increase and 2007-2008 Budget

Michel de Konkoly Thege, Director of Finance and Operations, will give presentations to the LREI community concerning the planned tuition increase and overall budget for the 2007-2008 school year. This presentation will take place on Wednesday, January 24 in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria at 8:00 AM and 8:45 AM. All parents and other members of the LREI community are invited to attend and ask questions.

2. Save the Date: The 2007 LREI Art Auction
Wednesday, January 31st and Thursday, February 1st, 2007
I-20 Gallery at 529 West 20th Street (11th Floor) NYC

Admission is Free - Reception and Final Bidding on Thursday, February 1st, 6:00PM to 8:00PM

Auction catalogs will be available on Monday, January 22 in the Sixth Avenue Lobby. Visit the auction website to preview the exhibition, pre-register and get further information.

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 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.

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.