Dear Families,

One can find over twenty-five different definitions of plagiarism and about a dozen different types of plagiarism, including cyber-plagiarism, incremental plagiarism, intentional plagiarism, global plagiarism, patchwork plagiarism and unintentional plagiarism.

In this Internet Age, it is becoming more and more difficult to determine what counts as plagiarism. As a result, more and more time is spent in classes discussing the definition, yet one all-inclusive policy is difficult to reach. The members of this year's Honor Board, a group of students elected by their peers to represent any member of the student body who finds themselves in a disciplinary situation involving one's integrity or honesty, decided to take the problem of plagiarism on as one of their projects for the school year (not unlike Student Government, which is actively reworking LREI's Student Handbook).

Honor Board began their work with an assembly, which ended with an explanation of Honor Board's role in the school community, and with a definition of plagiarism here at LREI. Here is the definition they decided to use in cases of plagiarism. A student has plagiarized if the student did not acknowledge using someone else's

words or phrases
ideas or thoughts
term paper
recording
images
computer code
experiment results
lecture content

or if a student uses his or her own previously submitted work or he or she falsifies data.

Further, members of Honor Board met with each class to go over different scenarios of plagiarism or cheating students may or may not find themselves in. Here is an example of one of the scenarios discussed during class meetings:

"You and a friend are struggling in Physics class. You work together on an assignment for class. You both do the work and hand in exactly the same work. A friend of yours was absent from class, so you give your assignment to that person and he/she copies it exactly. Who is plagiarizing? Who is cheating? Who is responsible?"

One can imagine just how complicated it is to determine what happened, who is to blame, and what the consequences should be. However difficult, Honor Board will continue its work to bring us closer to clarity and closer to a resolution regarding this complex issue. What is the faculty doing? We will have two guest speakers in the spring, an expert in academic honesty, and a copyright lawyer to discuss fair use with us.

It is really great to have a partnership with the student body regarding those issues most important to the community. Working together, we can provide a clear definition of plagiarism, a program that continues to value honesty and integrity above all things when it comes to one's academic and social experiences, guidelines across the curriculum for all students and hopefully in the future, a distinctive honor code.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

All the best,


Ruth

March 2, 3, 2007- High School Play, "Apartment 6D," 7PM, PAC
March 5-9, 2007- Exam Week
March 9, 2007- End of Trimester Party, 8PM-11:00PM, PAC
March 12, 2007- First Monday, "Global War on Terror"
March 13, 2007- Arts Assembly I, 1 PM
March 15, 2007- Arts Assembly II, 1 PM
March 16, 2007- An evening of One Acts, 6:30PM, PAC
March 20, 2007-Parent Rep meeting, 6:30PM with Special Guest Speaker, Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son and Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White.

March 22, 2007- Eleventh Grade College Trip to Columbia University
March 23, 2007- Founder's Day

Academic Calendar, Trimester II


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. Please come to the High School Play, written by LREI Arts Chair and director Meghan Farley Astrachan, "Apartment 6D," 7 PM, Charlton Street PAC, this Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3. "Apartment 6D" is a play about friendship, loss, betrayal, and hope. Set in a cramped West Village apartment, it is the story of four friends attempting to cope with the future four months after the September 11th disaster that shook the foundations of downtown Manhattan and of the world as they knew it.

2. Coming soon! Saturday, March 17, 2 PM at Dance Theater Workshop, 219 West 19 Street, our LREI Step Team will be performing as part of the professional show, Family Matters. This show is for ages 3 and up! $10 for kids, $20 for adults.

3. 5) An open invitation to those in our community who would like to participate in creating this year's Afghan Quilt for the Big Auction: It is time to pick up your needles and yarn and knit or crochet a 6x6" square in colors and patterns of your choosing to be assembled into a beautiful, cozy, handmade creation. In celebration of this group effort, Claudia Baez will host a Champagne & Cheese Knitting Circle on Wednesday, March 14th for anyone who would like to participate. Beginners to seasoned knitters and crocheters are welcome. Please bring your children and encourage them to give it a try! All you need to start is some yarn and a pair of knitting needles or a crochet hook. We will meet at 260 West Broadway, #11B, from 4-6PM. If you can't join us on March 14th, you can drop completed squares off in the collection box in the Sixth Avenue lobby up until Thursday, April 12th. This us a perfect project for Spring Break that will also support the school.If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Torres at jennasdreamworld@hotmail.com.

4. From Phil Kassen, Director: Dear Families, click here for the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. I am sorry that it is so late in coming. I hope that this has not caused any inconvenience. A couple of notes--the two long vacations have moved back to their traditional spots, we will have two professional development days for faculty—October 5th and February 29th—and we have added a second full day of conferences for the Lower School in the fall and the spring. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions.

4. After notifying students in homeroom and advisory about missing or long overdue books, we are now preparing to send invoices home for lost books. This invoice will detail the missing text(s) and the price of the book. Please know, replacement copies are accepted!


5. Think LREI Big Auction!
While shopping in your favorite stores or dining out at your favorite
restaurant, take along some donor forms and make on-the-spot requests.
It's easier than you think!

Think...
Restaurants
Entertainment (tickets to shows, sporting events, film festivals)
Beauty and Health (facials, massages, spa gift certificates)
Wine, Champagne and Specialty Foods
Children's Items and Services (passes to museums, classes, birthday party certificates)
Designer Fashion (handbags, gift certificates, jewelry)
Vacation Homes
Creative One-of-a-Kind Events (behind the scenes tours,backstage passes)
Frequent Flyer Miles and Preferred Guest Points

Donation forms can be found at here or in
Sixth Avenue and Charlton Street lobbies. Please return your forms to
the LREI Development Office no later than Friday, March 2nd. If you
have any questions, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org.

Remember...
The Big Auction is on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007.
All proceeds of the auction support Tuition Assistance.
Donations are tax deductible.


6. Attention Sports Fans---Friday, March 16th (not Friday, February 23 as originally announced) will be the annual LREI Spirit Game that will match up LREI's multi-talented faculty/staff against the up-and-coming stars of the Middle School and High School basketball teams. This will be a great opportunity to witness the athletic talents of our student athletes and to experience firsthand how exciting it has been to have a home court gym this year. At half time there will be a foul shooting contest for athletes sixth grade or younger. We have hosted some amazing games this season, where the roars for the home team were heard on Houston Street. So come out and see what all of the excitement is about -- March 16th at 3:30PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street between Houston and Prince. We look forward to having a big crowd help to celebrate the end of our first year of having a "home court advantage."

7.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.

8. As Spring Break approaches, 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.

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy ... I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del


Dear Families,


As our students celebrate Black History Month, I find that my colleagues and I are astounded by the history created right now, this year. Senator Barack Obama is not the first African-American candidate for president, but widely considered to be the first electable African-American candidate (although I do understand he is in fact from a bi-racial background, he identifies as African-American).

Our students had the luxury of experiencing "The Human Race Machine" a month ago, and learned about the origins of ‘race’ as a category. This experience was meant to put our community on the same page regarding race and diversity issues, and it really did. As we ask our students to participate in assembly programming celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, many noted that our celebration is not about African-Americans, but all of us, and the impact different cultures have on the wider culture. We are starting to attempt at a deeper connection with other cultures and ethnicities by understanding and respecting aspects of both.

While we continue in this work, and celebrate how many things have changed in the years since we attended high school, we must confront the challenges so many from different ethnicities still face. Even Senator Obama must face the celebration of his articulateness (click here for an interesting New York Times article about the racial politics of speaking well), his cleanliness, above all things, by a colleague. Further, I have read time and time again articles that question whether or not Senator Obama is really African-American enough, whether or not he understands the experience of African-Americans. These discussions seem to me to be distractions. There are far more serious, pressing issues to discuss, issues that directly affect all of us, but especially adolescents.

While students are preparing their own arguments for who should be elected as the next President of the United States, and while students do reflect the opinions of many Americans (yesterday, a student declared that he was "ready for an African-American president, but not a woman, and especially not another Clinton"), we still can assume the impact all of the current candidates are bound to have on history. Senator Obama is destined to be part of future discussions regarding Black History. And every educator here continues to work tirelessly to make sure our students are not needlessly distracted, because history should not be made without them.

All the best,


Ruth

February 27, 2007-High School Play preview, 1PM, PAC
March 2, 3, 2007-High School Play, "Apartment 6D" 7PM, PAC
March 9, 2007-End of Trimester Party, 8PM-11:00PM, PAC
March 16, 2007-An evening of One Acts, 6:30PM, PAC
March 20, 2007-Parent Rep meeting, 6:30PM with Special Guest Speaker, Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son and Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White.

Academic Calendar, Trimester II


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. Our own Ninth Grader, Claudia Berger wrote an essay last year, which was selected to be part of a collection of esasys written by teenaged girls, called: RED: The Next Generation of American
Writers—Teenage Girls—on What Fires Up Their Lives Today, from Hudson
Street Press (a division of Penguin-Viking). We are so proud of her achievement!

2. From Phil Kassen, Director: Dear Families, click here for the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. I am sorry that it is so late in coming. I hope that this has not caused any inconvenience. A couple of notes--the two long vacations have moved back to their traditional spots, we will have two professional development days for faculty—October 5th and February 29th—and we have added a second full day of conferences for the Lower School in the fall and the spring. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions.

3. After notifying students in homeroom and advisory about missing or long overdue books, we are now preparing to send invoices home for lost books. This invoice will detail the missing text(s) and the price of the book. Please know, replacement copies are accepted!

4. Change of date! The next meeting of Parents whose Children Receive Academic Support will be held on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 P.M. at Charlton Street. The topic for the meeting will be The Educational Testing Process. Dr. Iona Aibel will speak on the testing process and how to use the results of this testing to help your child succeed in school.

5. Think LREI Big Auction!
While shopping in your favorite stores or dining out at your favorite
restaurant, take along some donor forms and make on-the-spot requests.
It's easier than you think!

Think...
Restaurants
Entertainment (tickets to shows, sporting events, film festivals)
Beauty and Health (facials, massages, spa gift certificates)
Wine, Champagne and Specialty Foods
Children's Items and Services (passes to museums, classes, birthday party certificates)
Designer Fashion (handbags, gift certificates, jewelry)
Vacation Homes
Creative One-of-a-Kind Events (behind the scenes tours,backstage passes)
Frequent Flyer Miles and Preferred Guest Points

Donation forms can be found at here or in
Sixth Avenue and Charlton Street lobbies. Please return your forms to
the LREI Development Office no later than Friday, March 2nd. If you
have any questions, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org.

Remember...
The Big Auction is on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007.
All proceeds of the auction support Tuition Assistance.
Donations are tax deductible.


6. Attention Sports Fans---Friday, March 16th (not Friday, February 23 as originally announced) will be the annual LREI Spirit Basketball Game that will match up LREI's multi-talented faculty/staff against the up-and-coming stars of the Middle School and High School basketball teams. This will be a great opportunity to witness the athletic talents of our student athletes and to experience firsthand how exciting it has been to have a home court gym this year. At half time there will be a foul shooting contest for athletes sixth grade or younger. We have hosted some amazing games this season, where the roars for the home team were heard on Houston Street. So come out and see what all of the excitement is about -- March 16th at 3:30PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street between Houston and Prince. We look forward to having a big crowd help to celebrate the end of our first year of having a "home court advantage."

7.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.

8. As Spring Break approaches, 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.

There’s no place like home...

Dear Families,


As basketball season ends, it is safe to say our TSAC has been soundly broken in. The tremendous girls’ basketball team’s last game against BWL on February 13 turned out to be the sporting event of the season. With dozens of students, many with painted faces and signs of support, all of the high school faculty, several parents, and of course, our mascot, The Knight, played by Jesse Highstein, ’07, the roar of the crowd was deafening and inspiring. There was not a bleacher seat in the house. The girls pulled out a victory at this last home game, winning by five points, and the victory brought them to the semi-finals yesterday against UNIS. While we lost to UNIS in the semi-finals, we made sure that the team felt the EI spirit; more than fifty students insisted they bring the girls some home away from home. At the end of our school day, dozens of students crowded the school bus, meant for the team, for a seat. Other students pulled up in their own cars (something I never thought I would see in NYC!) to take fired-up fans to the game.

I hope this spirit continues throughout the year, the pride in the EI of LREI. Both basketball teams, boys and girls, demonstrated tremendous teamwork and effort. Congrats to our graduating seniors who played their last high school game: Lily Wiggins, Sara Wyatt, Naida Gluhic, and Bella Klein, and also to our graduating Knight, Jesse. They are leaving a legacy of leadership, passion and vision.

Next up: The High School production of "Apartment 6D" written by our own Meghan Farley Astrachan, March 2 and 3. We cannot wait!


All the best,


Ruth


February, 2007-Black History Month celebration, every Tuesday, 1PM
February 19 and 20, 2007-President's Weekend, School Closed.
March 2, 3, 2007-High School Play, "Apartment 6D" 7PM, PAC
March 9, 2007-End of Trimester Party, 8PM-11:30PM, PAC
March 16, 2007-An evening of One Acts, 6:30PM, PAC
March 20, 2007-Parent Rep meeting, 6:30PM with Special Guest Speaker, Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son and Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White.

Academic Calendar, Trimester II


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. Change of date! The next meeting of Parents whose Children Receive Academic Support will be held on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 P.M. at Charlton Street. The topic for the meeting will be The Educational Testing Process. Dr. Iona Aibel will speak on the testing process and how to use the results of this testing to help your child succeed in school.

2.Think LREI Big Auction!
While shopping in your favorite stores or dining out at your favorite
restaurant, take along some donor forms and make on-the-spot requests.
It's easier than you think!

Think...
Restaurants
Entertainment (tickets to shows, sporting events, film festivals)
Beauty and Health (facials, massages, spa gift certificates)
Wine, Champagne and Specialty Foods
Children's Items and Services (passes to museums, classes, birthday party certificates)
Designer Fashion (handbags, gift certificates, jewelry)
Vacation Homes
Creative One-of-a-Kind Events (behind the scenes tours,backstage passes)
Frequent Flyer Miles and Preferred Guest Points

Donation forms can be found at here or in
Sixth Avenue and Charlton Street lobbies. Please return your forms to
the LREI Development Office no later than Friday, March 2nd. If you
have any questions, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org.

Remember...
The Big Auction is on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007.
All proceeds of the auction support Tuition Assistance.
Donations are tax deductible.


3. Attention Sports Fans---Friday, March 16th (not Friday, February 23 as originally announced) will be the annual LREI Spirit Basketball Game that will match up LREI's multi-talented faculty/staff against the up-and-coming stars of the Middle School and High School basketball teams. This will be a great opportunity to witness the athletic talents of our student athletes and to experience firsthand how exciting it has been to have a home court gym this year. At half time there will be a foul shooting contest for athletes sixth grade or younger. We have hosted some amazing games this season, where the roars for the home team were heard on Houston Street. So come out and see what all of the excitement is about -- March 16th at 3:30PM at the Thompson Street Athletic Center, 145 Thompson Street between Houston and Prince. We look forward to having a big crowd help to celebrate the end of our first year of having a "home court advantage."

4.LREI Community Drive: The Commmunity Service Committee will be collecting NEW and VERY GENTLY used baby items for 0-3 years of age. They will be collecting at the Sixth Avenue campus next week, Monday - Friday, Feb 12 - 16. All donations are tax deductible, and if you attach your name and address and value of donation, RTG will send you a receipt.

5.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.

6. As Spring Break approaches, 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.

Education + Action=Impact

Dear Families,

This week, the faculty participated in a workshop presented by the wonderful facilitators at NetAid, an organization committed to “educating, inspiring and empowering young people to fight global poverty.”

After an introduction, we got down to work. First, we defined poverty (which is not as simple as one would think), then participated in two challenging activities. Both asked each of us to make the sacrifices a family in poverty must make. The discussion that followed, and the impact of the meeting were extraordinary. Already, this powerful workshop inspired several departments to incorporate lessons and discussion questions into their classes. Other teachers are working furiously to include many of the resources and activities into the elective offerings for next trimester. Finally, as we work to make advisory and community service much more extensive next year, the NetAid program proved valuable, and its impact on us as a professional community will be long lasting.

Here are some of the other professional development opportunities members of our faculty have participated in so far this school year:

Pat Carter, Academic Support: “Providing Organizational Systems for Note taking, Study Skills and Homework.”

Guo-Qing Heaton, Chinese: “Classroom Management for (Relatively) New Teachers-Series.”

Benjamin Rubin, Math and Physics: The American Association of Physics Teachers-Winter Meeting, Seattle, Washington.

Vinay Chowdry, Media Arts, and Ileana Jimenez, English: National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference, “Nurishing Ourselves for the Swim Upstream.”

Julia Heaton, Jane Belton and Ileana Jimenez, English: Bard Institute for Writing and Thinking, “Writer as Reader Workshops."

Karyn Silverman, Librarian and Chair of the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults Committee: “American Library Association Conference.”

Professional development is a challenge to fit in during the school year, but our commitment to it is ongoing. We are grateful to have had so many opportunities.

All the best,
Ruth


February, 2007-Black History Month celebration, every Tuesday, 1PM
February 13, 2007-HS Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM
February 19 and 20, 2007-President's Weekend, School Closed.
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. Change of date! The next meeting of Parents whose Children Receive Academic Support will be held on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 P.M. at Charlton Street. The topic for the meeting will be The Educational Testing Process. Dr. Iona Aibel will speak on the testing process and how to use the results of this testing to help your child succeed in school.

2. LREI Community Drive: The Commmunity Service Committee will be collecting NEW and VERY GENTLY used baby items for 0-3 years of age. They will be collecting at the Sixth Avenue campus next week, Monday - Friday, Feb 12 - 16. All donations are tax deductible, and if you attach your name and address and value of donation, RTG will send you a receipt.

3.Art Auction Encore: Thank you all for your support of last week's Art Auction. The auction brought in sales of $107,000. There are still some wonderful pieces available so next week we will have the Art Auction Encore in the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. Pieces will be on show and available for sale. There will be a final reception and last chance to purchase the art on Thursday, 2/15 from 5:30-7:00PM. For those who missed it the first time, here's your chance to see some great art and support the School.

4.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.

5. As Spring Break approaches, 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.

Dear Families,

The High School Admissions Committee has tirelessly worked all week to fit in reading student files, dozens and dozens of applications, in preparation for our day long meeting to determine not only the potential class of 2011, but a couple of additions to other classes as space allows.

As I write this update, students surround me, even though it is well after the last period of the day, gradually becoming dark outside and I am hungry for dinner. Student Government, a group of twelve dedicated students, are meeting next door to my office discussing the results of the latest school survey (this one focused on student programming, mainly assemblies, for the rest of the year) and preparing their edits to the student handbook for my review. The LREI Step Team, a solid group of nineteen with new uniforms, are practicing across the hall (plenty of stomping, clapping, and laughing), thirty-five students are preparing for play practice, ten others are in the library studying for their Veritas (SAT prep) class, a dozen are trickling in from seeing a play with their class this afternoon, and another thirty students are over at Thompson Street Athletic Center at basketball practice or warming up for their game (and a group of teachers are headed over there to see it). Three library assistants are helping Karyn catalog books, five Twelfth Graders are working on the yearbook downstairs in the photo room, and a few more lingering at reception, relentlessly teasing Adria, our receptionist.

As I notice and cherish all the different voices, and as I watch students who have worked all day continue with their passions and projects with such energy, well after the school day has concluded, my heart fills with joy. We must have the most active high school student body in the city. And as the Admissions Committee retreats into ‘seclusion’ to construct the next great class, our students’ distinct voices will echo in my head. Our applicants have a lot to live up to. We expect a lot from our students, but not nearly as much as what our students expect from themselves and their peers. I expect an acceptance letter is followed by a feeling of great pride in knowing that we feel a student can successfully distinguish his or herself in the most dynamic of populations, but also great desire to get started! We can’t wait to welcome them.

On another note, while we just had parent/advisor conferences not too long ago, another update will be going home tomorrow. Interims for students earning B- or below in any course, along with comments for all 9th graders in the Arts rotation, are complete. We have a month before exam week, so there is plenty of time for conversation with teachers and renewed efforts from students.

All the best,
Ruth


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


February, 2007-Black History Month celebration, every Tuesday, 1PM
February 13, 2007-HS Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM
February 19 and 20, 2007-President's Weekend, School Closed.
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. The next meeting of Parents whose Children Receive Academic Support will be held on Thurs. Feb. 15 at 6:30 P.M. at Charlton Street. The topic for the meeting will be The Educational Testing Process. Dr. Iona Aibel will speak on the testing process and how to use the results of this testing to help your child succeed in school.

2. The 2007 LREI Art Auction is TONIGHT!

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


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.