Dear Families,
In the midst of preparing for finals, our students once again demonstrated the mission and goals of the school. On Tuesday afternoon, over 60 kids filed into the cafeteria to work on a very important project introduced to us by Amy Shapiro, Director of College Guidance. The Art Miles Mural Project is an "interactive initiative that spreads inspiration around the world. Donated shoes [and sneakers! In our case, NY Knicks team member, Stephen Marbury donated 100 pairs of sneakers for us to paint] painted by community Peace Paint Ambassadors are shipped internationally to children in need." The sneakers our students painted with messages of peace and hope, will eventually be sent to disarmed child soldiers in Uganda. However, they will be on display at the United Nations on June 5, to send a different message. The shoes painted by LREI students will be displayed to announce how "1,000,000 students will measure the use of greenhouse gases with the aim of reducing it by 25 billion tons--sharing, monitoring, measuring and evaluating it together on line over the next 3 years." As consistent sustainability education is something we are moving toward as an institution, we are excited to participate in this effort.

While our students are reminded of the importance of their own contribution to environmental action through such things as assemblies and community service projects, the students who volunteered three hours of time after school to paint 100 pairs of shoes only had one thing in mind: the kids who would ultimately be putting the sneakers on their feet. Their messages of peace included song lyrics and images of hope (a sun rising, toes in grass, hearts), and each student wrote a note to include with each pair. The notes revealed the messages they have heard themselves, they who are lucky enough to have families who care for them, a good education, a safe place to go to school, and a safe place to return to. Consideration and action on behalf of others are important aspects of progressive education; every opportunity we get to think outside of ourselves is an important one to take.

As you know, LREI encourages and teaches our students to probe, to challenge and to develop one’s own interests and passions, and certainly the goal of the senior project is to express our educational experience to those in the world of work. Last night, senior class parents, faculty, eleventh graders and guests enjoyed the terrific Senior Project Presentation Evening. This evening is of particular importance. As the internship demonstrates the ability of our students to move through the world and make a significant impact, the presentation demonstrates the ability to utilize one’s experience to educate others. It is also important because it marks the end. At the end of this evening, all of our seniors fulfilled the requirements for graduation. Congratulations to all of them and thank all of the faculty mentors who provided guidance and support throughout the process. Special thanks to the senior project coordinators, Adele Pelz and Antonio Valle, who provided the vision, the organization and the rehearsal direction.


All the best,

Ruth


June
2 Prom at AVEenue Loft, 15 West 28th Street, Suite 10B, 9:00 PM-12:00 AM
7 Senior Banquet, 6:30 PM, PAC. Senior class guests are limited to 2 people per senior. Please RSVP to Adria Maynor, extension 323.
8 Graduation, 1:00 PM, The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts @ NYU
566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South, New York City. RSVP & Ticket Policy for parents of graduating seniors: Seats for the LREI Commencement are limited. All attendees MUST have a ticket to enter the Skirball Center.



This Week's Announcements and Attachments:

1. Please join LREI families, faculty and administrators on the first ever LREI float in the Gay Pride Parade, Sunday June 24, 2007. We leave Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street at noon. High school students can receive three hours of community service credit by helping out. We will have music, kids, and fun--all are welcome!

2. Please be reminded that all students must complete 25 hours of community service this school year. If hours are not completed by June 8, students will have to complete their hours during the summer, but Ruth must approve the community service opportunity.

There are many opportunities available to students now that spring is here! Opportunities include several spring clean-up opportunities through the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Check out the calendar of opportunities offered by LREI for the rest of the school year.

3. Thank you to all of you who have served as Parent Representatives during the 2006-2007 school year. Your attention to the children is much appreciated. If you would like to be a Parent Rep during the 2007-2008 school year, email Kasey Picayo at picayosmith@aol.com

4. From our librarians:

Exciting news! The library will be migrating to a new computer catalog during June. Our current catalog and circulation software has become outdated, and is no longer accessible from most of our computers. The new software allows for catalog access from any computer via the internet, so our students will be able to check holdings from anywhere in the building or elsewhere-- including home! The new system has numerous additional advantages, and once it is running we will let you know so that you can explore the options.

There is only one complication--to ensure the smoothest possible transition, we need to close circulation of all library materials for several weeks. All library materials must be returned by Friday, June 1st. Your students have been and will continue to receive overdue notices and reminders, but it would be a great help if you could look around your homes and urge your student(s) to bring in those piles of books left from a research project during Trimester I!

5. 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!

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

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. 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!

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