Dear Families,

Next Tuesday is Poem in Your Pocket Day, a wonderful tradition at the school. It is a perfect opportunity for students and faculty to revist some of the poems that have made an impact in one's life, or to find a new poem to share. Many students choose poems they have written themselves, which is appropriate since they all have the opportunity to write original work in their English classes. Every year I have been part of this community, I have chosen the same poem to share.

Those Winter Sundays
by Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?

When reading this poem I am reminded of many things, including how children do not often realize or appreciate the sacrifices of a parent while they are younger, and how important it is to demonstrate that appreciation, that love while you can. The poem makes the reader feel the cold, the lack of feeling, and the loss, but also the hope that the memory will be enough to make up for it all. It just haunts me.

I encourage you to remind your child of this significant tradition for all ages.

In other news, please note that the high school is closed tomorrow for a faculty professional day. Also, there are several new updates below. Please take a look.

All the best,


Ruth

Calendar:

April
20-High School Professional Day, School Closed.
24-Poem in your Pocket Day.
27-Arts Festival

May
1 2007-2008 Registration for courses (Grades 10-12)
1 Special Meeting with 12th grade parents, "Transition to College," 6:30 PM, PAC
2 Big Auction
9 Interims due for all students in the arts rotation and earning B- and below.
15 Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13
22 Sports Awards Night, 6:30 PM, PAC
23 New Families reception, 6:00 PM, PAC
25 Field Day
28 Memorial Day, school closed
30 Senior Project presentations, 6:30 PM



This Week's Announcements and Attachments:

1. Please be reminded that all students must complete 25 hours of community service this school year. There are many opportunities available to students now that spring is here! Opportunities include the AIDSWALK on May 20 and several spring clean-up opportunities through the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.


2. To all families who have children participating in the LREI extracurricular sports program: In order to make sure that you receive timely notifications about changes to the practice or game schedules, we have created an email list that we will be using to provide these updates. If you child participates on an LREI sports team, we ask that you go to LREI SPORTS where you will be able to subscribe to the list. The instructions are posted on this page. After you subscribe, you will receive a confirmation email and instructions for how to reply. This email will be followed by a welcome email that will give you additional information about the list. Please note that subscribers to the list will not be able to post to the list. The list is for information distribution from the school. If you need to respond to an update, please respond directly to Marcus (mchang@lrei.org) or Larry (lkaplan@lrei.org). These updates will also go to coaches who will include this revised information in subsequent emails to their team lists. When you receive an email from this list , the subject line will indicate the group for which it is intended (e.g., [LREI-Sports] HS Baseball). If your child is not a member of the indicated team, you can delete the email without reading it. We do not expect the volume of this list to be that high so this should not be a problem. As we pilot this list, please send Marcus and Larry any feedback that you think would help us to refine this process. Thank you!

3. Is your teen looking for a summer opportunity? See below:

Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) has an online application for 2007 NYC Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Access the site here. Applications are due May 18, 2007.

The program runs for 7 weeks from July 2-August 18. Students ( age 14-21) work 25 hours per week while earning $7.15/hour. Jobs assignments are at government agencies, law firms, nonprofits, small businesses, sports and retail organizations.

Marty Markowitz has a program in Brooklyn - Brooklyn Summer HEAT (Help Employ Ambitious Teens). The deadline is April 30 and students must be age 16-18. Pay is also $7.15/hour.
For more information click here.

4. LREI's Big Auction is coming - Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:00pm at The Puck Building.
Tickets must be purchased prior to the event,so if you haven't already done so, please contact Patricia Conroy at pconroy@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 232. Tables are for 10 people - gather your friends and make it a party. This is a fun night and a terrific way to support LREI and the Tuition Remission Fund. To see all the great items on offer, you may view the catalog on line at www.lrei.org, pick up a catalog in either the Sixth Avenue or Charlton Street lobby or ask Patricia to mail you one. We look forward to seeing you in two weeks!

5. Click here for the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year.

6. 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.

7. 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.