Dear Families,

Over thirty high school students will be walking in the annual AIDS walk this Sunday to raise money for education and research. As they gear up for this fun-filled, challenging, and important event, they remind me of my own HIV/AIDS education. I think it actually started in middle school, when I first heard of Ryan White, who became the face of AIDS in the mid-80s. I remember being so impressed with him because he was able to befriend my idols, Elton John and Michael Jackson. I did not quite understand what AIDS was,even after the prerequisite high school health class. Our students, in their life issues classes, have the opportunity to discuss the issues of health and wellness, and leave the class with substantial awareness. Still, when it comes to decision making, adolescents can't help but have an "it won't happen to me" attitude.

In fact, the face of AIDS for most of our students, unless affected personally, is an orphan child's face from Africa. Yet, AIDS is still too prevalent in their generation.

From the CDC:

STATISTICS

HIV/AIDS in 2004

The following are based on data from the 35 areas with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.*

* An estimated 4,883 young people received a diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS, representing about 13% of the persons given a diagnosis during that year.
* HIV infection progressed to AIDS more slowly among young people than among all persons with a diagnosis of HIV infection. The following are the proportions of persons in whom HIV infection did not progress to AIDS within 12 months after diagnosis of HIV infection:
o 81% of persons aged 15–24
o 70% of persons aged 13–14
o 61% of all persons
* African Americans were disproportionately affected by HIV infection, accounting for 55% of all HIV infections reported among persons aged 13–24.
* Young men who have sex with men (MSM), especially those of minority races or ethnicities, were at high risk for HIV infection. In the 7 cities that participated in CDC’s Young Men’s Survey during 1994–1998, 14% of African American MSM and 7% of Hispanic MSM aged 15–22 were infected with HIV.
* During 2001–2004, in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting, 62% of the 17,824 persons 13–24 years of age given a diagnoses of HIV/AIDS were males, and 38% were females.

Age of persons with HIV infection or AIDS diagnosed during 2004

No. = 38,730 Around less than 1% for persons less than 13 years of age Around 13% for persons between 13 and 24 years of age Around 26% for persons between 25 and 34 years of age Around 34% for persons between 35 and 44 years of age Around 19% for persons between 45 and 54 years of age Around 6% of persons between 55 and 64 years of age Around 2% of persons over 65 years of age

Note. Based on data from 35 areas with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting.

AIDS in 2004

* An estimated 2,174 young people received a diagnosis of AIDS (5.1% of the estimated total of 42,514 AIDS diagnoses), and 232 young people with AIDS died.
* An estimated 7,761 young people were living with AIDS, a 42% increase since 2000, when 5,457 young people were living with AIDS.
* Young people for whom AIDS was diagnosed during 1996–2004 lived longer than persons with AIDS in any other age group except those younger than 13 years. Nine years after receiving a diagnosis of AIDS, 76% of those aged 13–24 were alive, compared with
o 81% of those younger than age 13
o 74% of those aged 25–34
o 70% of those aged 35–44
o 63% of those aged 45–54
o 53% of those aged 55 and older.
* Since the beginning of the epidemic, an estimated 40,059 young people in the United States had received a diagnosis of AIDS, and an estimated 10,129 young people with AIDS had died. They accounted for about 4% of the estimated total of 944,306 AIDS diagnoses and 2% of the 529,113 deaths of people with AIDS.

RISK FACTORS AND BARRIERS TO PREVENTION

Sexual Risk Factors

Early age at sexual initiation. According to CDC’s Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS), many young people begin having sexual intercourse at early ages: 47% of high school students have had sexual intercourse, and 7.4% of them reported first sexual intercourse before age 13. HIV/AIDS education needs to take place at correspondingly young ages, before young people engage in sexual behaviors that put them at risk for HIV infection.

High school students reporting ever having had sexual intercourse, 2003

African American: Male: 73% Female: 61% Hispanic: Male: 59% Female: 46% White: Male: 42% Female: 44%

Source. CDC’s Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, 2003.

High school students reporting sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13, 2003

African American: Male: 32% Female: 8% Hispanic: Male: 13% Female: 6% White: Male: 7% Female: 4%

Source. CDC’s Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, 2003.

Heterosexual transmission. Young women, especially those of minority races or ethnicities, are increasingly at risk for HIV infection through heterosexual contact. According to data from a CDC study of HIV prevalence among disadvantaged youth during the early to mid-1990s, the rate of HIV prevalence among young women aged 16–21 was 50% higher than the rate among young men in that age group. African American women in this study were 7 times as likely as white women and 8 times as likely as Hispanic women to be HIV-positive. Young women are at risk for sexually transmitted HIV for several reasons, including biologic vulnerability, lack of recognition of their partners’ risk factors, inequality in relationships, and having sex with older men who are more likely to be infected with HIV...

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The presence of an STD greatly increases a person’s likelihood of acquiring or transmitting HIV. Some of the highest STD rates in the country are those among young people, especially young people of minority races and ethnicities.

Substance Abuse

Young people in the United States use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs at high rates. Both casual and chronic substance users are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex, when they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Lack of Awareness

Research has shown that a large proportion of young people are not concerned about becoming infected with HIV. Adolescents need accurate, age-appropriate information about HIV infection and AIDS, including how to talk with their parents or other trusted adults about HIV and AIDS, how to reduce or eliminate risk factors, how to talk with a potential partner about risk factors, where to get tested for HIV, how to use a condom correctly. Information should also include the concept that abstinence is the only 100% effective way to avoid infection...

CDC research has shown that early, clear parent-child communication regarding values and expectations about sex is an important step in helping adolescents delay sexual initiation and make responsible decisions about sexual behaviors later in life. Parents are in a unique position to engage their children in conversations about HIV, STD, and teen pregnancy prevention because the conversations can be ongoing and timely...

For Guidelines for Effective School Health Education to Prevent the Spread of AIDS, visit http://www.cdc.gov/
HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/guidelines/guidelines.htm.

The statistics are stunning and scary. This weekend may be the perfect time to speak with your teenager about the issue.

All the best,


Ruth


Calendar:

14-31 Senior Banquet Entertainment Rehearsal 3:30-5:30 PM
15 Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13
21 Prom tickets on sale! Tickets are $50 each. Students in grades 9 through 11 must be invited by a senior.
21 NYU College Preview proposals due for all 10th and 11th graders interested in taking an NYU class in the fall.
22 Sports Awards Night, 6:30 PM, PAC. Please RSVP to Adria Maynor, extension 323. If your child participated on a sports team this year, please plan to attend. Eleventh Graders who participated on a team, but were encouraged to attend the college event, "CTCL - "Colleges That Change Lives," should attend awards ceremony. The college fair is from 7-9:30 PM, and will also be in Tarrytown on May 23. Questions? Please call Amy Shapiro, Director of College Guidance at extension 324.
23 New Families reception, 6:00 PM, PAC
24 Spring into Summer Book Fair, 6th Avenue Auditorium. Spring Concert, 6:30 PM, PAC
25 Field Day, 8:30 AM. All Twelfth Graders must attend.
28 Memorial Day, school closed
29 Honors Project Breakfast, Room 10, 8:00 AM; Rehearsals for senior project presentations, all day.
30 Senior Project Presentation Evening, 6:30 PM

June
2 Prom
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. Each graduating senior is allotted a maximum of six tickets. All other attendees may request tickets which will be available on a first come - first served basis. Please contact Adria Maynor with your ticket requests by May 18. Telephone:(212) 477-5316 x 323 E-mail: amaynor@lrei.org



This Week's Announcements and Attachments:

1. Come to the coffeehouse
Saturday, May 19 at 7PM in the PAC
to celebrate the new issue of IE.

There will be readings by HS and MS students, and performances by th 9th grade band!

HS Student Readers Include:
Curtis Seeman
Harry D'Agostino
Kyle Deane
Ariana Sholette
Kortney Hartz

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 the AIDSWALK on May 20 and 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. On Friday, May 25th, we will hold our annual Field Day at Pier 40. This is a wonderful school event in which students from all three divisions will have the opportunity to participate in a fun-filled day of recreational activities. Students will spend the first part of the day in activities with their buddies. The younger lower school classes will return to the school after this while the third through twelfth grades will participate in a variety of activities in mixed age groups.

Students will need to bring their own lunch along with a container of water. (No nuts or seeds, please.) Plastic bottles are fine, but please no glass containers! Clothing should be comfortable and easy to move in, shorts or sweatpants and athletic shoes. No sandals. Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are strongly recommended.

Finally, it is very important for students to arrive at school on time, by 8:30AM. We will return to school in time for 1:00PM dismissal. Fours through First Grade will be dismissed at 12:45PM

Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to an exciting day!

Thank you,

Field Day Organizers


4. 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

5. The Diversity Dialogue Continues
Topic: Socio Economic Diversity
Sharon Dupree will facilitate a conversation
in the Sixth Ave cafeteria this Friday, May 18th
at 8:45 am.
All are welcome.
Thank You,
The Parents' Association

6. A reminder that this Sunday is AIDS Walk NY. If you and/or your child is/are registered to walk, please read the attached AIDS Walk NY Information Guide. Is it too late to join the team? No! If you or family members or friends would like to walk, you can register with Gabrielle Keller or you can register online at www.aidswalk.net any time between now and Sunday. LREI's team number is 1222. You can make your own sponsor sheets or pick up one at the Sixth Ave/Charlton Street reception areas. You can also sign-up on the day of the walk at our team table and raise money after the walk. Thank you for joining the LREI AIDS Walk team! Every step brings us closer to a cure.If you have any questions, you can contact Gabrielle at 212-477-5316 (ext.260) or gkeller@lrei.org. See you Sunday!


7. Please join our music department choruses and instrumentalists at the LREI Spring Concert Thursday, May 24th, from 6:30PM until 8:00PM, in the PAC. The concert is free.

This grand culminating event for the performing arts this year includes singers and instrumentalists from all three divisions. The Little Red Chorus (Lower School) directed by Helen Yoo, The Little Red Singers (Middle School) directed by Henry Chapin, The Elizabeth Irwin Singers (High School) directed by Sunny Kim and The High School Jazz Band directed by Vin Scialla will all perform. The concert will conclude with a grand finale: All choruses and jazz band players will join forces to perform “Des Colores,” LREI’s 2007 anthem-like favorite, which has been sung at various assemblies this year, including Founder’s Day. This concert is for the entire LREI community, including families of students who are not participating currently in school ensembles. Come out and support our music department, and hear a splendid concert of magnificent choral and instrumental music.

8. 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!

9. Glass Menagerie, LREI's resident adult chorus, conducted by former LREI music teacher and current LREI parent Susan Glass, will perform its annual Spring Concert UPTOWN:

Friday May 11th, 8:00PM
Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew
86th Street and West End Avenue

For more information: www.glassmenagerie.org

10. Summer is coming, and so is the LREI Spring into Summer Book Fair!

11. 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!

12. 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.

13. The 14th annual LREI camping trip will be held on the weekend of June 1-3. All LREI families and their children -- pre-K through high school -- are invited to participate. As in past years, we expect that a good time will be had by all: hiking, swimming, sports, fishing, camping, cooking, eating, singing around the campfire, etc.

The site, as in past years, will be near the Delaware Water Gap (somewhat north of where I-80 crosses the Delaware River). The cost will be $30 per adult, $20 per child. Also, we need volunteers to help with hauling food and supplies and equipment out to the camp site (and back) and providing extra space in their vehicles for those who need a ride out and back.

Click here for more information. We will have a sign-up table for a few mornings at LREI in May, when we get closer to the camping trip weekend.

Please save the date and let us know if you are interested in receiving more information -- and especially if you are interested in volunteering: Send an e-mail to Larry White (Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu).

Organizers:
Neil Capobianco (CapobiancoN@gtlaw.com)
Seth Tapper (sethtapper@yahoo.com)
Dave Trumbull (dave.trouble@gmail.com)
Larry White (Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu)

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

15. 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.

16. 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.