LREI High School News

2007-06-07T17:13:00.000-04:00

Dear Families,

Tonight is the Senior Banquet and tomorrow is graduation. Bittersweet events. Tonight, Micah will sing the following song in The Class of 2007's honor:

Too Cool For High School (2007) by Micah Dov Gottlieb

The Year 20-03 they began,
Had a rough start but hit their feet and ran.
Their was strife in their life, that can always be said,
In this City, in a school named Little Red,
Dreamers, Writers, Schemers, look how they have grown
Learned a few things, this they’ve shown

That They Are:
Too Cool For High School 4X

It’s a Story that never ends,
About a rag-tag group that became friends.
Actors, Poets, Photographers, see worlds through their eyes
Musicians and Artists with dreams to realize
Dancers and Singers who know they’ll be stars
What really scares me is that they can drive cars

But They Are:
Too Cool For High School 4X

Lisa Rakhel Leah, Alex Brunnell
Sebastian Graham Genesis, Kristin Danielle

Adrianne Al Amara, Shameena Khan
Dana Bruno Elle and Shelley will soon be gone

Hanna Beau Kortney, Melissa Ricky
Kamillah Jerelyn Sara, Nick and Lily

Shenique Samantha Yanirys, Naida Zach
Molly Jesse Sophia Bella please come back

That you are:
Too Cool For High School

Please take a look at the summer newsletter; you do not want to miss excerpts from the graduation speeches.

Have a wonderful, safe summer. Thanks for a terrific year.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar

June

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. 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!

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

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.

2007-05-31T08:38:00.000-04:00

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!

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.

2007-05-24T16:21:00.000-04:00

Dear Families,

Traditionally, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer. Last night, we hosted our annual new student reception, and celebrated (with strawberries, of course!) not only the end of the school year, but the beginning of summer, and looked forward to the fall. Our student hosts, current community members in Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Grades, were welcoming, encouraging and excited to meet their new school mates.

Every new student received a gift bag, which included a t-shirt, and a folder to keep. The folder contains important information, including a description of the 2007 summer reading assignments. While some may not consider summer work appropriate for a gift bag, in fact it actually is. What our students are receiving is a gift from their teachers. Not only do they receive the confidence that they as students will be able to enjoy and complete the assignments on their own, but the message that education does not stop once school is out is an important one to receive. Our students should be reminded that they have the luxury of living the life of the mind. They are given books, assignments are thoughtfully considered and rooted in the curriculum. Our assignments ensure that every student enters with something to talk about with a classmate, something to say in class, something to discuss with a teacher, something to connect him or her to LREI. As we are thinking of them all summer, they will undoubtedly be thinking of us. I encourage you to take a look at the assignments, which teachers will go over in classes in the next two weeks, and if you have any questions, please be sure to connect with any particular teacher before the summer vacation.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar:

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 Graduation rehearsal, 8:30 AM; 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. Thank you to the High School Parent Representatives for their hard work. If you are interested in continuing as a rep next year or would like to volunteer to serve as rep for the 2007-2008 school year, please let Kasey Picayo know. You can email Kasey at picayosmith@aol.com.

Also, please fill out the PA ballot and return to the reception desk at the Sixth Avenue or Charlton Street buildings by Wednesday, May 30th. Hard copies are also available at the reception desks.

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. 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. 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!

6. 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!

7. 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)

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

2007-05-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

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.

2007-05-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Families,

Today's New York Times has an interesting article, Harvard Task Force Calls for New Focus on Teaching and Not Just Research which begins, "You would be stupid if you came to Harvard for the teaching." Of course, Harvard has a distinct reputation. But perhaps it is not for teaching, despite the fact that people attend Harvard "to be around some of the greatest minds on earth." But there is a price. “It’s well known that there are many other colleges where students are much more satisfied with their academic experience,” states a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. He goes on to point out that Amherst is "always pointed to" when it comes to excellence in teaching. In fact, this year, we had one senior struggling to decide between an Ivy and Amherst. His decision came down to exactly that point. He wanted to be recognized as an individual with diverse interests, as he has been here, and to truly interact with his professors, as he has had here. At Harvard, “People...are concerned when they hear that some of our undergraduates can go through four years here and not know a faculty member well enough to get a letter of recommendation.” As Harvard reflects on the possibility of a shift from research and publishing to teaching, it is clear from the article that the value of teaching, of interactive, student centered learning is key in one's educational experience. From the end of the article:

He threw out his lectures in his introductory physics class when he realized his students were not absorbing the underlying principles, relying instead on memory to solve problems. His classes now focus on students working in small groups.

“When I asked them to apply their knowledge in a situation they had not seen before, they failed,” Professor Mazur said. “You have to be able to tackle the new and unfamiliar, not just the familiar, in everything. We have to give the students the skills to solve such problems. That’s the goal of education.”

We're way ahead of you.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar:

8 2007-2008 Registration for courses will begin (Grades 10-12)
9 Interims due for all students in the arts rotation and earning B- and below.
11 Senior Project ends.
14 John Lennon Bus visits the High School! Senior Class Meeting, 8:30 AM-11:00 AM; Senior Project Presentation meetings to be arranged with Twelfth Grade Dean, Adele Pelz. These meetings will take place through May 24.
14-31 Senior Banquet Entertainment Rehearsal 3:30-5:30 PM
15 Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13
22 Sports Awards Night, 6:30 PM, PAC. 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
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. 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. Here is a terrific opportunity offered this Saturday and the calendar of opportunities offered by LREI for the rest of the school year.

2. 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!

3. 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

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

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. 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.

7. 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)

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

2007-05-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Families,

Thanks to all who attended and participated in the auction last night. This is such an exciting time for LREI! Thanks to the board, we have a brand new building, 42 Charlton Street. Our seniors have all made their college decisions, and are excited about the future. Our juniors are enjoying their new role as leaders of the school, the sophomores are furiously trying to raise money for their prom in two years, and the freshmen no longer feel like the youngest ones in the high school(although they still are). The weather is consistently improving, and just yesterday we could spy a third of the sophomore class outside cheering as one classmate taught another to ride a bike. Such is life here. If you are ever in the neighborhood, stop by.

As you may know, all seniors are required to complete a senior project, an internship, for five weeks in the third trimester. Next week is technically the last full week for the project, which ends on May 11, although some are committed to continuing their work into the summer. On May 14, they will return to school regular time, 8:30 AM, for a class meeting, turn in four copies of their research journals (they have their instructions) and to begin the process of taking their experiences and creating the ten-minute presentation, which serves as their final. Presentations are on May 30 at 6:30 PM. All senior parents are invited, as well as faculty, staff, internship mentors, and Eleventh Graders.

As a community, we look forward to the senior project presentations because it serves as the culmination of the senior year. This year, the presentations should be even more significant because of the terrific internship opportunities. Just a few of the opportunities offered include working with:

Holtzbrinck Publishing company (parent of St. Martin's Press, Picador, and more) in the Library Marketing Department

Kate Spade, organizing the seasonal collections

Brooklyn Academy of Music in the Department of Education and Humanities preparing materials for the Young Critics class, producing the Spoken Word Poetry event, and participating as a fully functioning member of the department

Oliphant Backdrops painting and creating sets for advertising and photo shoots

IRC to work with children who have recently immigrated to the United States

Commercial photographer Sara Silver in post-production

Pre-production for the art department of Sam Mendes' new film, "Revolutionary Road"

La Esquina owner Serge Becker to learn about NYC nightlife and the restaurant business

Developing a website for teenagers with Cerebral Palsy

Larry Kaplan in the PE department creating PE classes for the LREI Middle School and implementing them, focusing on fair-play

The list does not fully capture the entire range of internships, but they are all enjoying their experience and the challenge of time management in the 'world.' They are certainly fully prepared for the same challenge in college.

Speaking of college, here is a message from Phil Kassen, Director:

We are so proud of our seniors. As they move towards graduation, just over a month away, it is time to step back and look at all that these wonderful people have accomplished during their time at LREI. Among these accomplishments is gaining admission to many fine colleges and universities. Follow the links below to see a list of this year’s college acceptances and a list of college acceptances for the 2004-2006 school years. Congratulations, seniors!!!!

2007 College Acceptances
2004-2006 College Acceptances

Please scroll down for the calendar, which includes the schedule for seniors after May 11.

All the best,

Ruth

May
8 2007-2008 Registration for courses will begin (Grades 10-12)
9 Interims due for all students in the arts rotation and earning B- and below.
11 Senior Project ends.
14 Senior Class Meeting, 8:30 AM-11:00 AM; Senior Project Presentation meetings to be arranged with Twelfth Grade Dean, Adele Pelz. These meetings will take place through May 24.
14-31 Senior Banquet Entertainment Rehearsal 3:30-5:30 PM
15 Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13
22 Sports Awards Night, 6:30 PM, PAC. 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 Night.
23 New Families reception, 6:00 PM, PAC
24 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
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. 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.

2. 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

3. You are all invited to a Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday!

4. 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!

5. 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.

6. 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)

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

8. 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.

9. 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.

2007-04-25T20:36:00.000-04:00

Dear Families,

Tomorrow we celebrate another great tradition in the High School: Arts Festival! While this is a day long event celebrating the arts with a variety of professionals who volunteer their time is a lot of fun for our students (and Seventh Graders who will join us), the day's offerings are also rigorous. Our students are ready for such rigorous and intensive workshops because they are fortunate to have art every day; here at LREI, art is an academic, not an afterthought.

This year's workshop offerings include:

LA VIE BOHÈME with Sara Heaton (sister of Julia Heaton, English teacher and Eleventh Grade class dean)
Long before RENT became a hit on Broadway, La Bohème – the opera upon which RENT is based – was one of the best-loved operas of all time. Composer Giacomo Puccini wrote some of opera’s most beautiful music to tell the love story of Mimi and Rodolfo (a.k.a. Roger), the unstable relationship between Marcello and Musetta (Mark and Maureen), and the antics of their friends Schaunard and Colline. Hailed as one of opera’s most dramatically-driven composers, Puccini used specific musical gestures to add depth to his characters, to dictate the atmosphere of a scene, or even to direct the action on stage. In this workshop, we will compare the music and stories of La Bohème and RENT. How closely did Jonathan Larson stick to Puccini’s plot and characters? Can we find any traces of Puccini’s music in RENT? Students will study musical scores, listen to recordings, and watch video of recent productions. Although singing ability and musical training are not required, interested students will have the opportunity to perform vocal numbers from both shows.

COMMERCIAL FILM with Honest
Honest is creative firm that directs commercials and short films and does graphic design for websites, print and identities. They also publish their own magazine. Some recent projects include a music video for Rapcat, the mascot of the Checkers fast food chain, filming a commercial for Nike during the world cup and building the Axe - boostyouresp.com website. Go to Stayhonest.com or Honestdirectors.com to learn more. Honest will guide students through the process of creating a 30 second commercial for LREI. Students will quickly brain storm an idea to create a spot. Once the idea is agreed upon, they will draw boards or create a shot list. This will lead to shooting the desired shots, which we will edit. While some students are shooting, others will work on the graphics and music. In the end all assets will be combined to create a final spot, which will show how LREI is the best school in Manhattan.

MYSTERIES OF THE FACE-THE PORTRAIT with John Wellington P'09
This is a workshop on the portrait. Students will work in dry mediums (pencil, charcoal, etc.) on paper. There will be an introduction to drawing the anatomy of the face, focusing on proportions, and concepts for drawing the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

COMIX CLASS with JP Cummings
This class is an exciting look into creating one's own comic book. Bring your pencils, designs and imagination and students will plunge into the wild, unpredictable world of comics and graphic storytelling.

WHACKY T-SHIRTS with Janet Koenig, P '08
Transform old T-shirts into nifty, thrifty fashion statements. Bring in your old tees and alter them: swap, add, or remove sections (sleeves, collars, parts of backs, fronts, sides); add collages, cartoons, thought bubbles, words, etc. using colored felt, fabric remnants, permanent markers, beads, buttons, ribbons, feathers, etc. and apply with thread or fabric glue.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC with Valery Ponomorev
We will form a music ensemble that will blur the lines between jazz, blues, funk and the modern world of music. We will be performing Jazz compositions and learn the techniques involved in musical improvisation. The ensemble will arrange a piece of music and then perform it in the afternoon. This is an opportunity to work with one of the premier trumpet players of Jazz. Ponomarev has worked with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Benny Golson, and the Mercer Ellington Orchestra.

HIP HOP, Spoken Word and Playback Theater with Baba Israel
This workshop uses free style Hip Hop and improvisational theater to transform the stories into the art of theater. Rooted in ancient story telling traditions and tempered by current poetic and musical forms, this workshop takes the script from audiences, memories, feelings, dreams, social and political conflicts and are all transformed into a performance. Baba is an actor, rapper, beat-boxer, playwright and cultural activist. www.openthoughtmusic.com

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY with Daryl Embry
By merging texts from Shakespeare's most famous works along side your creative energies, participants will create a performance that draws a connection between timeless literary themes and the world we live in today.

USING COLLAGE TO ILLUSTRATE FOR CHILDREN with Marthe Jocelyn, P '08
In this workshop students will look at the tradition of pictures made for children using papers, fabrics, and found objects. We will analyze different techniques and effects. Each student will create a collage illustrating one page in a children’s book.

BOOKS ARE WACK (because you are not writing them...) with author Gabriel Tolliver
A fun, informative workshop on how to create a book proposal and pitch your great novel, coffee table, or photo book idea.

THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE with Isaac-Daniel Astrachan (husband of Meghan Farley-Astrachan, Arts Department Co-Chair)
Students will visit the Center for Architecture on LaGuardia Place and see the current exhibits including POWERHOUSE a juried design competition for affordable, sustainable housing, and the 2007 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards. A hands-on workshop pertaining to the exhibits will then take place at the Center before returning to school.

DIGITAL DARKROOM with Denise Adler, P '08
Students will experiment with layering images and parts of images to create a computer generated composition from multiple photographs. The outcome can be abstract, surreal or completely realistic. The goal can be to create art, intrigue or advertising or all of the above.

IMPROV with Zohar Adner
"I know what you're gonna say. Um, well... actually, we don't. With a little help you can take your conversations to a whole new place – one where you're communicating openly and comfortably ... and hilariously."

FASHION DESIGN with Roberto Crivello, P '08
Co-owner and Co-designer of the New York City fashion brand DDCLAB which produces men’s and ladies wholesale and retail. DDCLAB has 2 retail locations, one in the hip and trendy, MEAT PACKING DISTRICT here in NYC and the other in LOS ANGELES on Melrose Ave. We also own DDCUSA an apparel design studio which previously designed for companies like GAP, LEVIS, REEBOK, TOMMY HILFIGER, ENYCE, DIESEL,BMW apparel, DUPONT FIBERS , and now have an exclusive contract with NEW BALANCE. We also do special projects for the likes of celebrities as LENNY KRAVITZ, LAUREN HILL, FERGIE, and BRAD PITT. Students will experience the A to Z for constructing a garment from concept to retail.

WEST AFRICAN DANCE with Imani Faye
This west African dance class is a beginner level class, and will begin with a series of warm up exercises which will prepare the students to dance. They will learn vocabulary from a traditional dance which will lead to their final presentation. Students will be introduced to the music and the dance Ku-Ku, a dance of celebration from Guinea, West Africa, along with song and historical background. This will involve a breakdown of individual steps and movements, which will develop into a dance combination. They will execute the dance movements in small groups and going across the floor; and the dance combination will be repeated together in the center. Building on this process, choreography will develop for the final presentation.

SOLARIZATION WORKSHOP with Kostas Kiritsis
Ever wonder how to turn a black and white image into a metallic image? In this class, students will look at some of Kostas’ artist books, review the solarization process and then begin making images.

ANIMAL PAINTING with Shaunna Finn
Students will work in either oil or acrylic paints, on either canvas or paper, depending on preference. The class begins with a brief showing of a few examples of various animal paintings; from old-master works to modern childrens' book illustrations, and a couple of my own. Next, students will move to a discussion about different symbolic meanings that animals can have. Students will then paint a live animal model!

BENTO BOX LUNCH with Takako Honda
In this workshop, students will learn how to make two types of Japanese bento boxes. One is for everyday and the other is for a trip or a picnic, but both are works of art. Students will learn how to put together two lunch boxes and make rice balls. They will not only prepare this visually beautiful meal, but they will also get a chance to sample what they have created.

Our students are very lucky to enjoy this fantastic tradition; we are so fortunate to have so many people who have gone to great lengths to offer terrific workshops. Many thanks in advance to all of the parents participating, and all of the parent and faculty connections who provided many of the workshops. If you have a chance on Friday, you are more than welcome to come for the afternoon assembly which will celebrate the great work that took place in the day's workshops, 1:00 PM in the PAC.

All the best,

Ruth

May
1 2007-2008 Registration for courses will begin (Grades 10-12)
1 Special Meeting with 12th grade parents, "Transition to College," 6:30 PM, Library
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
24 Spring Concert, 7:00 PM, PAC
25 Field Day
28 Memorial Day, school closed
29 Honors Project Breakfast, Room 10, 8:00 AM
30 Senior Project presentations, 6:30 PM

This Week's Announcements and Attachments:

1. The second open Community Meeting will be held on Monday, April 30th from 8:45-9:45 in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.

2. Friday, April 27 is your last chance to purchase tickets for the Big Auction which is next 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.

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. If you are not able to attend but would like to place an absentee bid, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 275 before the end of business
on Tuesday, May 1st.

Thank you for supporting LREI.

3. 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 a community service opportunity at East NY Farms this Saturday, the AIDSWALK on May 20 and several spring clean-up opportunities through the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.

4. 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!

5. 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.

6. 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.

More details will be forthcoming for those who are interested. 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 ([ mailto:Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu ]Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu).

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

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

8. 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.

9. 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.

2007-04-19T08:19:00.000-04:00

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.

2007-04-12T15:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Families,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had an enjoyable spring vacation. With 42 class days left (so students have told me), there is much to do in little time. Please be sure to take note of the calendar below.

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of participating in the High School Preview Night for families of LREI students in fifth through seventh grades. My opening talk focused on the quest that families often find themselves on, the quest for the 'perfect' high school to provide their child access to the 'right' college. However, more and more, families are beginning to realize and read that it is not nearly as easy as that. Colleges and universities have never been more selective. Acceptance letters are few and far between, no matter where a student attends high school, no matter the test scores, the extra-curriculars or the varsity sport participation.

Our students are aware that they must be competitive, and of course, they are offered every opportunity to be so in every area at LREI. They understand that they must measure up and be able to do it all. They also realize they attend the most ideal place to learn the skills and participate in the activities that will ultimately distinguish themselves from the rest, a very crowded field of adolescents. I can confidently say our students stand out because they attend a school that has always remained true to its values, its commitment to diversity, to community service, academic excellence and nurturing the most extraordinary group of teenagers in the city.

And so in the landscape of seemingly impossible odds of being admitted to the college of one's dreams, take comfort in the fact that your children attend the most standout high school in the city. Members of The Senior Class, Amy Shapiro, Director of College Guidance, and Jane Gabin, College Counselor, are to be commended for successfully demonstrating this to the colleges and universities, including those schools that have been in the news lately for their huge volume of applications, low acceptance rates and long waitlists including Tufts, Amherst, Middlebury, Johns Hopkins, Bates, Carnegie-Mellon, Colby, Occidental, Columbia, Pratt, University of Vermont, NYU, Skidmore, Vassar, Smith, Wesleyan and Oberlin. This list does not include all of the terrific schools our students have to choose from. A more complete list will hopefully go out to families very soon.

All of our Twelfth Graders and their families should be very, very proud of their accomplishments. Throughout, our students' self-esteem was never compromised. Rather, our 2007 graduates understand that their place in the world is not defined by their college choice, but rather the choices they make while here on Earth.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar:

April
17-Parent Rep meeting, 6PM, Marie Weiss Reading Room, 6th Avenue. This meeting will take place before the Internet Safety meeting for all parents at 6:30 PM, also at 6th Avenue. Please see details below.
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.
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! Please click here for a unique opportunity for community service this weekend. Also coming up, on May 20, NYC's AIDSwalk and several spring clean-up opportunities through the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.

2. Internet Safety--Facebook, AIM, Club Penguin, BitTorents, YouTube, and countless other old, new and emerging web technologies are used by our children everyday. What do you know about them? How safe are they for your kids? Are there ways to make my child/tween/teen's computer environment safer and more productive? What can I do as a parent? What can the school do? The answers to these and other questions in a frank discussion on kids and technology moderated by the LREI tech coordinators. We will visit some sites, explore options that will make you child's cyber-environment safer and give you an overview of what we teach at LREI about internet safety. Additional resources will be given out for parents on paper and on www.lrei.org.

Two sessions:

Session One for parents of 7th - 12th graders on April 17th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium
Session Two for parents of 3rd - 6th graders on April 18th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium.

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

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. 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.

2007-03-22T15:10:00.000-04:00

Phil Kassen, guest blogger, here. A quick word of “Thanks” to all of our students for their hard work and dedication and for being involved and active members of their classrooms. Within the last three weeks we have experienced the outstanding high school musical and a series of one-act plays written by juniors and seniors—among them a musical depiction of the seven deadly sins. High schoolers also spent a day learning about American foreign policy and the war in Iraq. For more information on Global War on Terror Day—a series of student created and taught seminars on the current world situation—see Ruth Jurgensen’s high school blog from last week. Fifth and sixth graders presented major social studies projects this week. Working with the art, music and drama teachers, sixth graders presented their annual Medieval Pageant featuring folk tales from Europe, Asia and Africa. Fifth graders turned their classrooms into an Egyptian tomb. Visitors were treated to a variety of artifacts including beautiful artwork, life size sarcophagi and a variety of Egyptian relics. In the Lower School, we all enjoyed and learned from the annual Art Show, which included work from all lower school students; the first grades’ bookstore, bakery and penguin study; the third graders’ presentation on the Native Americans of the northern woodlands and publishing parties in various classrooms. The stands were filled with cheering fans at the Thompson Street Athletic Center last Friday as the faculty lost a close game to the middle and high school basketball teams in our annual Spirit Game. Finally, today we have three groups leaving on foreign adventures—a group of high school students are off to visit a school in Munich with which we have an exchange relationship and the eighth graders are off to Costa Rica or Paris, depending on whether they study Spanish or French. A well deserved rest approaches. All that separates us from Spring Break is the Founder’s Day Assembly with its traditional re-enactment of the founding of the school and annual ice cream celebration.

One comment about next week. This year the annual Kick Butts Day is on Wednesday, March 28th. Sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (www.tobaccofreekids.org), Kick Butts Day is a day of learning and activism focused on ending the use of tobacco and tobacco products by children and teens. A few facts from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids web site:

• Each day, about 4,000 kids try their first cigarette; and each day another 1,000 other kids under 18 years of age become new regular, daily smokers. That’s 416,000 new underage daily smokers each year.
• The addiction rate for smoking is higher than the addiction rates for marijuana, alcohol, or cocaine; and symptoms of serious nicotine addiction often occur only weeks or even just days after youth "experimentation" with smoking first begins.
• 90 percent of all adult smokers begin while in their teens, or earlier, and nearly two-thirds become regular, daily smokers before they reach the age of 19.
• Roughly one-third of all youth smokers will eventually die prematurely from smoking-caused disease.

As a school community, one of the most important things we can do to promote our children’s health is to emphatically state that it is unacceptable for our students, of any age, to smoke. No exceptions. We will look for every opportunity to reinforce the message that smoking is neither cool nor glamorous and that the expectation of the adults in their lives is that your children will never smoke. We will also spend considerable time discussing the manipulative messages used by tobacco companies in their advertising campaigns.

I encourage all families to spend time discussing the dangers of tobacco use and to take every opportunity presented by advertising, movies and TV to discuss the often misleading messages about smoking presented by the media.

Interested in additional resources about kids and smoking?

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/smoking
http://www.scenesmoking.org
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/smoking.html

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Please don’t hesitate to email or call if you would like to discuss it further. Have a great spring break. See you on April 9th!!

This Week's Announcements and Attachments:

1. Upcoming Parent Events--Facebook, AIM, Club Penguin, BitTorents, YouTube, and countless other old, new and emerging web technologies are used by our children everyday. What do you know about them? How safe are they for your kids? Are there ways to make my child/tween/teen's computer environment safer and more productive? What can I do as a parent? What can the school do? The answers to these and other questions in a frank discussion on kids and technology moderated by the LREI tech coordinators. We will visit some sites, explore options that will make you child's cyber-environment safer and give you an overview of what we teach at LREI about internet safety. Additional resources will be given out for parents on paper and on www.lrei.org.

Two sessions:

Session One for parents of 7th - 12th graders on April 17th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium
Session Two for parents of 3rd - 6th graders on April 18th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium.

2. 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.

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

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

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. 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.

2007-03-15T12:42:00.000-04:00

The dominant group is damaged even as it receives huge benefits. You pay for the privilege and the cost is enormous.

Tim Wise, Director of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE)

Dear Families,

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, anti-racism activist and writer, Tim Wise, will visit us. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to dialogue and meet with the dynamic speaker. Most recently, he has visited University of Massachusetts, Amherst, University of Pennsylvania, dozens of independent schools, and is coming to us directly from speaking at Harvard Law. He works tirelessly in the quest to “challenge racism in an age of backlash.” Some of his most interesting work,in my opinion, comes from his commentary on such events as 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina. He successfully sheds a provocative light on media influence, the history of racism, and socio-economic equality. He is an expert in student activism, white privilege, and alliance building, and cares deeply about equality and civil rights, during a time when those things can seem old or out of touch to some people.

Tim Wise will be here Tuesday morning and be with us through Wednesday afternoon. During his time here, he will visit with students in classes such as “Human Rights,” and meet with Student Government. Students will also hear from him in a special assembly, and have the opportunity to continue the conversation on Wednesday afternoon. Parents will also have the unique opportunity to engage in the same subject matter with their child by attending the parent meeting at 7 PM, Tuesday night. The opportunity to continue that conversation will occur at 6th Avenue on Wednesday morning, 8:45 AM. I encourage you to attend both events and speak with your child about his or her experience with Tim. That dialogue would be well worth the time.

Click here to take a look at Tim Wise’s blog.

On another note, from Phil Kassen, Director:

On Monday, High School students participated in a daylong examination of American foreign policy since September 11, 2001called, Global War on Terror Day. This event grew out of an eleventh/twelfth grade history elective of the same name taught by History Department Chair Tom Murphy. Throughout the day, students participated in seminars such with topics such as, Middle East Geopolitics, The Bush Revolution, Islam and Terrorism, Human Rights, the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and Human Rights. In addition to these student created and student run conversations, each student watched an advance copy of Operation: Homecoming and the day ended with the whole school coming together to hear a presentation by Martin Smith, dad of Sam in the 10th grade and producer for Frontline, who has spent a considerable amount of time in Iraq. When I congratulated Tom on the day, he told me that the whole idea came from his students and that they created the structure for the day, organized their schoolmates’ participation and spent considerable time preparing themselves to teach the seminars. As I stood in the hall outside of the first floor classrooms as students moved from one seminar to the next I was pleased to see clusters of kids moving out of the rooms while continuing the conversation. I was thrilled to hear one young woman turn to another and say, “I learned so much in there” and excitedly move off towards her next opportunity to learn from a colleague.

It really was a terrific day!

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar:

March 16, 2007- An Evening of One Acts, 6:30PM, PAC

This winter, seventeen juniors and seniors enrolled in Julia Heaton's new English elective - "Playwriting: From Page to Stage." In this writing workshop class, students studied the foundations of dramatic writing and took on the unique challenge of bringing human experience to life on the stage. Through exposure to a variety of dramatic texts, from classical to contemporary, students learned to identify and analyze various aspects of the playwriting form— dramatic structure, characterization, conflict, dialogue, plot and setting, stage directions, and design. Over the course of the trimester, each student wrote a ten-minute scene, a character monologue, and a one-act play. Each day, students took turns reading and performing each other's work, offering constructive feedback, and engaging in peer revision. Friday night's “Playwrights Showcase” is the culmination of three months of hard work by an incredibly talented group of writers, actors, and directors. We hope you will enjoy it! Admission is free.

March 20, 2007-Parent Rep meeting, 7:00 PM 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; Spring Break begins, 12:00 PM.

April 9, 2007- School reopens.

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. An Invitation from Phil Kassen, Director: On March 20th Tim Wise will speak with the LREI community on the topic of privilege and class in America. Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and activists in the U.S. Many of our faculty members have heard Mr. Wise speak and found him to be engaging and insightful. He will spend a good part of the day here on March. 20th and 21st meeting with students, faculty and parents.

Parent Events featuring Tim Wise:

Tuesday, March 20th, 7:00PM, Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street. (Child Care Available, please sign up at the Sixth Ave. Reception Desk.

Wednesday, March 21st, 8:45 AM, Sixth Avenue Cafeteria, Breakfast Discussion with Tim Wise.

There are several copies of Tim Wise’s book, White Like Me, in each library.

Click here for more information about Tim Wise.

Tim Wise’s visit to LREI is generously supported by the Wendling Foundation as part of an ongoing grant to support diversity efforts, including the visit by the Human Race Machine, earlier this year.

2. THE LREI STEP TEAM will be performing as part of FAMILY MATTERS this Saturday!

The body becomes a canvas on which colorful legends and rueful stories are painted. Strokes of genius are delivered by Merce Cunningham alum Glen Rumsey presenting a gender-bending ballet, the inspirational step dancing of the LREI STEP TEAM, and the Brazilian influenced free world music of The Nation Beat. The feast continues with Lawrence Goldhuber and his all-diva cast who serve-up a cautionary tale about what can happen if you eat too much. Flamenco fans will delight in the foot falls of the Ballet Hispanico School Ensemble, while the graceful Trinayan Collective execute a fable in the Odissi style of classical Indian dance.

Dance Theater Workshop 219 West 19th street
March 17th at 2:00pm
reservations 212 924 0077
TKTS $10.00 children $20.00 adults
Family Matters. This show is for ages 3 and up!

3. On Tuesday, March 20, a group of students and a few faculty are headed to Washington, DC for Climate Crisis Action Day. The trip is being organized by Kai Furbeck, '10 and Joe Sharp, '10. Click here for more information. There may be room on the bus for parents! Please let me know if you would like to attend. The bus is leaving from Charlton Street at 6:00 AM sharp, and the bus will return by 10:00 PM.

4. Upcoming Parent Events--Facebook, AIM, Club Penguin, BitTorents, YouTube, and countless other old, new and emerging web technologies are used by our children everyday. What do you know about them? How safe are they for your kids? Are there ways to make my child/tween/teen's computer environment safer and more productive? What can I do as a parent? What can the school do? The answers to these and other questions in a frank discussion on kids and technology moderated by the LREI tech coordinators. We will visit some sites, explore options that will make you child's cyber-environment safer and give you an overview of what we teach at LREI about internet safety. Additional resources will be given out for parents on paper and on www.lrei.org.

Two sessions:

Session One for parents of 7th - 12th graders on April 17th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium
Session Two for parents of 3rd - 6th graders on April 18th at 6:30 in the Sixth Avenue auditorium.

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.

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

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

8. 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."

9.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.

10. 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.

2007-03-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

Dear Families,

As you know, this week is exam week here at the high school. I have seen many impressive scenes, from the entire Ninth Grade in the PAC taking their final for History 9, to original interpretations of the most pivotal scenes from Macbeth. English 10 today presented a living museum, filled with incredible stories from the 1920’s, all of which relate to their study of The Great Gatsby. Even The Marx Brothers (played by students from our middle school, and a parent of a high school student) were there! English teacher, Ileana Jimenez, loved having “the opportunity to watch a re-enactment of Al Capone’s trial, learn the Charleston…, was blown away by a student analysis of the film, Birth of a Nation and [was] even more inspired by a performance of a song by Josephine Baker sung by Amy Hernandez, ’09, in French.”

This morning I also sat in on Twelfth Grade Calculus, where students worked on an in-class essay, which was to address the following topics

-definitions of the derivative and the integral
-derivatives and integrals as they relate to graphs
-derivatives and integrals of various types of functions
-rules for differentiation and integration
-applications of the derivative and the integral

and include specific examples. At lunch today, I sat with students who reviewed for their exam for “Gotham,” and saw other students studying together for Physics 9. While at the same table, a few others put the final changes on their projects for “Journeys,” Jane Belton's English elective.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of touring classes with a prospective family. On the tour, we witnessed traditional assessments, exhibitions in progress, discussions in final classes and students preparing art for display. Later, I also had the pleasure of judging Twelfth Grade final portfolios for Studio Art. Each portfolio, carefully edited, included a painting in oil or acrylic, a sculpture in any medium, a print (artists chose their method), and an illustration to a children’s story. The portfolio also included the prep work for each final work.

Students will end the week proud of their achievements, and exhausted from their efforts. As I told the family on the tour, this is a place where our students do everything, are prepared for any assessment, and can present their knowledge in a variety of ways. I am so impressed and proud of the entire faculty. The rigor we witnessed demonstrated their consistent efforts. Because of them, students are actively engaged, and their education, meaningful. What a wonderful week!

Monday is GWOT (Global War on Terror) Day prepared and taught by students of Tom’s elective class of the same name. Not only will students participate in a variety of workshops, including “The Bush Revolution,” and “New Terrorism,” they will view “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience,” which will not be available for public viewing until mid-April (Tom Murphy called the director after taking his class to see the film at Film Forum, and he kindly offered to lend the film to us for the day!). We are also fortunate to have Martin Smith, PBS Frontline reporter, as our keynote speaker joining us at 1:30 PM. We look forward to a thought-provoking, enlightening day.

All the best,

Ruth

March 5-9, 2007- Exam Week
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. 7-9- Exams
Mar. 16-Grades and Comments due, 8:30 AM

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. An Invitation from Phil Kassen, Director: On March 20th Tim Wise will speak with the LREI community on the topic of privilege and class in America. Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and activists in the U.S. Wise has spoken in 48 states, and on over 400 college campuses, including Harvard, Stanford, and the Law Schools at Yale and Columbia. Many of our faculty members have heard Mr. Wise speak and found him to be engaging and insightful. He will spend a good part of the day here on March. 20th and 21st meeting with students, faculty and parents.

Parent Events featuring Tim Wise:

Tuesday, March 20th, 7:00PM, Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street. (Child Care Available, please sign up at the Sixth Ave. Reception Desk.

Wednesday, March 21st, 8:45 AM, Sixth Avenue Cafeteria, Breakfast Discussion with Tim Wise. (We recommend you attend the evening talk on March 20th if you plan to attend this conversation.)

There are several copies of Tim Wise’s book, White Like Me, in each library.

Click here for more information about Tim Wise.

Tim Wise’s visit to LREI is generously supported by the Wendling Foundation as part of an ongoing grant to support diversity efforts, including the visit by the Human Race Machine, earlier this year.

2. THE LREI STEP TEAM will be performing as part of FAMILY MATTERS

The body becomes a canvas on which colorful legends and rueful stories are painted. Strokes of genius are delivered by Merce Cunningham alum Glen Rumsey presenting a gender-bending ballet, the inspirational step dancing of the LREI STEP TEAM, and the Brazilian influenced free world music of The Nation Beat. The feast continues with Lawrence Goldhuber and his all-diva cast who serve-up a cautionary tale about what can happen if you eat too much. Flamenco fans will delight in the foot falls of the Ballet Hispanico School Ensemble, while the graceful Trinayan Collective execute a fable in the Odissi style of classical Indian dance.

Dance Theater Workshop 219 West 19th street
March 17th at 2:00pm
reservations 212 924 0077
TKTS $10.00 children $20.00 adults
Family Matters. This show is for ages 3 and up!

3. On Tuesday, March 20, a group of students and a few faculty are headed to Washington, DC for Climate Crisis Action Day. The trip is being organized by Kai Furbeck, '10 and Gabe Cook, '10. Click here for more information. There may be room on the bus! Please let me know if you would like to attend.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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!

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

8. 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."

9.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.

10. 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.

2007-02-26T12:46:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-02-22T09:37:00.001-05:00

"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.

2007-02-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-02-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-02-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

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 childÂs 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.

2007-01-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

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 childÂs 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.

2007-01-10T14:35:00.000-05:00

Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Families,

As the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. encourages, Monday's day off should not be a day off, but a "day on." I love the idea of using this time to contribute to a community with one's family or friends in a simple way.

When I consider Martin Luther King and his legacy, I cannot help but also think his assassination. In total, his hope, his dream for a better country, and thus, his legacy is intertwined with the violence and injustice of his murder. His message and his untimely death encourage a complex and serious reflection. On his holiday, we tend to focus on his famous speech, his impact on all people, and his fight for socio-economic equality, but not necessarily the impact of his assassination, although it frames our celebration and is in the forefront of our minds as we recall lines from "I Have a Dream." What does it say when someone with such clarity in his vision, someone who is giving, powerful in voice, significant in impact, is gunned down? When we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, we must look at it in total and, I think, recommit ourselves to our own social justice efforts.

What can you do on Monday? Click here.

All the best,

Ruth

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

January 15, 2007- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday observed. School Closed.
January 16, 2007- High School Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration assembly, 1:00 PM, PAC
January 16, 2007-High School Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13. Meeting about Tuition Increase with Michel de Konkoly Thege, Director of Finance and Operations, 6:30 PM, Cafeteria.
January 25, 2007-Parents of children who receive academic support meeting, 6:30 PM.
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. These presentations will take place at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 16 in the Charlton Street cafeteria and at 8:00 and 8:45 am on Wednesday, January 24 in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. All parents and other members of the LREI community are invited to attend and ask questions.

2. 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.

3. 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 childÂs 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.

2007-01-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

Human Family by Maya Angelou

I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

Dear Families,

In the spirit of Maya Angelou's poem, next week, LREI is fortunate enough to host Nancy Burson's extraordinary art project called, "The Human Race Machine." This machine (picture a photo booth) allows participants to see themselves as different ethnicities in the hope that those who experience her project will understand that "there is no gene for race." We are more alike than not, and that 'race' is a social construct designed to establish a power structure which benefits few. In addition to experiencing The Human Race Machine, students will view parts of the PBS series, Race: The Power of an Illusion in order to frame their experience and allow for the most productive dialogue. Additionally, our technology classes, our arts courses, many of the humanities electives and, of course, science classes will be looking at the project from several other different lenses.

On another note, also this week, thanks to High School Librarian, Karyn Silverman, we have been invited to host the launch party for the newest Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants title, Forever in Blue! Female students in grades 7-12 have been invited to a catered lunch to be held at the 6th Avenue Auditorium on Tuesday, January 9, from 11:30-1. Author Ann Brashares will be there to do a reading, answer questions, and sign books; students will also be asked to being in an old pair of jeans to donate, in keeping with both the denim and social justice themes of the series. Further, NBC's The Today Show will be there to capture the event. Tomorrow, I will email all families a release form from NBC producers just in case your child is interviewed or seen as part of the segment for the show. If your daughter is planning on attending, but you do not wish to give permission for her to be filmed, please let me know and we will make that arrangement.

Finally, on Friday, January 12, we will hold Parent/Advisor conferences all day. Advisors will be in touch to schedule your thirty-minute appointment; however, you may always contact the advisor directly, if you wish.

In many ways, the activities and energy at the High School match the Spring-like weather! We are not hibernating at all.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar for the beginning of January:

January 8-12, 2007-"The Human Race Machine" exhibit, all day, PAC
January 10, 2007- College Night with Junior parents and families, 6:30 PM, Cafeteria
January 12, 2007- Parent-Advisor Conferences, all day. No classes.
January 15, 2007- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday observed. School Closed.
January 16, 2007- High School Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration assembly, 1:00 PM, PAC
January 16, 2007-High School Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13. Meeting about Tuition Increase with Michel de Konkoly Thege, Director of Finance and Operations, 6:30 PM, Cafeteria.

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. These presentations will take place at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 16 in the Charlton Street cafeteria and at 8:00 and 8:45 am on Wednesday, January 24 in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. All parents and other members of the LREI community are invited to attend and ask questions.

2. You are cordially invited to attend the LREI ALUMNI COLLEGE PANEL, Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, PAC. Meet recent LREI graduates. Hear about their experiences and how LREI has prepared them for college. Students from Columbia, New York University, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, University of Massachusetts Amherst and other select colleges and universities will be in attendance.
Please note that prospective families for the 2007-2008 school year will also attend this event.

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 the files.

2006-12-14T09:40:00.000-05:00

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.

~Benjamin Franklin

Dear Families,

Students have started in their new courses, or are continuing in their year long courses. However, tomorrow we will take a break from school life to focus on home again.

Today, I asked faculty and staff what their new year resolutions are, and this is what they said:

"Practice my religion more deeply."

"Lose weight."

"Focus more intently on what's important."

"Make more money and spend less money."

"To have a positive outlook every day."

"To keep all of my grades on GradePro, so I can maintain running averages for all of my students."

"To take a trip to somewhere I have never been."

"To appreciate each and every day."

"To be more nurturing."

"To say no to doughnuts."

I also asked students what their resolutions were this year. Their resolutions include:

"To walk my dog longer. I tend to cheat her by walking two blocks, instead of walking her for a half hour. I always feel guilty for that."

"Surround myself with only positive people."

"To earn higher grades."

"To be kinder, nicer."

"To make more of an effort to get along with my mom."

It may be too early to ask people for their resolutions; it strikes me that many resolutions are ones we should have every day, anyway.

Happy New Year and have a wonderful holiday!

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar for December and January:

December 15, 2006- School closes for Winter Break, 12:00 PM.
January 3, 2007- School reopens.
January 10, 2007- College Night with Junior parents and families, 6:30 PM, Cafeteria
January 12, 2007- Parent-Advisor Conferences, all day. School closed for students.
Advisors will contact parents to set up appointments the week of January 1.

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. These presentations will take place at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 16 in the Charlton Street cafeteria and at 8:00 and 8:45 am on Wednesday, January 24 in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. All parents and other members of the LREI community are invited to attend and ask questions.

2. A reminder from Phil Kassen as we approach the Winter Break:

Gifts to Teachers: If your child wants to give his or her teacher a gift at winter break, the end of the year, or any other time during the year, a homemade gift or drawing is welcome and appreciated. A group gift from parents and children in the class may be given at the end of the school year. It has been our experience that individual gifts, though thoughtfully intended, may be misinterpreted by the children and, consequently, we discourage this. Thank you for your awareness and cooperation.

3.Ragtime DVD is available now! Professionally shot and edited DVDs of Ragtime (of the Saturday evening performance) can be ordered through danmeyerson@gmail.com or mattschlichter@gmail.com. DVDs are $28 each and include a copy of the artwork on the playbill and the cast list. This is a great opportunity to hold onto the experience of this production for future portfolios, family screenings, as well as adding a great DVD to your collection.

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. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

6. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

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 the files.

2006-12-07T10:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Families,

As we have wrapped up Trimester I,and head into a new Trimester (and soon a new year), students and faculty are enjoying the sparkle of fresh beginnings:

-Amy Shapiro, Director of College Guidance, had her baby girl, Sadie, on November 29. Everyone is doing great! She is absolutely adorable, and we can't wait to meet her.

-We have timely new electives to choose from in the History Department, including:

"The Middle East," which is a brief survey of the religious, the literary, and the cultural history of the Middle East. There is emphasis on Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, and a brief study of both the past and present cultural and political histories of Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

and

"The War on Terror: American Foreign Policy Since 9/11" which will examine American foreign policy since 9/11 from a variety of perspectives. The War on Terrorism, (also the Global War on Terrorism or GWOT) campaign was launched by the United States, with support from NATO and other allies, following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington. The class will examine American foreign policy since 9/11 from a variety of perspectives.

-We are getting good use out of our new athletic center! The girls and boys basketball teams are incredible to watch; the support they have for each other is inspiring. If you can, please come and join the crowd!

-Many of our Twelfth Graders are starting to hear from colleges and realizing that they have to truly think about choosing a new home away from home.

We have so much to be thankful for, so many things to be proud of. We will take the next six class days and enjoy them together before we take a break.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar for December and January:

December 8, 9, 2006- Middle School Play, 7:00 PM, Friday, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM on Saturday, PAC
December 12, 2006- Assembly, Arts and sing-along, 1:00 PM, PAC
December 14, 2006- Winter Concert, 6:30 PM, PAC
December 15, 2006- School closes for Winter Break, 12:00 PM.
January 3, 2007- School reopens.
January 10, 2007- College Night with Junior parents and families, 6:30 PM, Cafeteria
January 12, 2007- Parent-Advisor Conferences, all day. School closed for students.
Advisors will contact parents to set up appointments the week of January 1.

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. A reminder from Phil Kassen as we approach the Winter Break:

Gifts to Teachers: If your child wants to give his or her teacher a gift at winter break, the end of the year, or any other time during the year, a homemade gift or drawing is welcome and appreciated. A group gift from parents and children in the class may be given at the end of the school year. It has been our experience that individual gifts, though thoughtfully intended, may be misinterpreted by the children and, consequently, we discourage this. Thank you for your awareness and cooperation.

2. Please join us for a longstanding LREI tradition:
The Glass Menagerie Chorus Holiday Concert.
Susan Glass, founder and director (former LREI music teacher, current LREI parent)
Friday, December 8th at 8:00PM
St. Joseph's Church in the Village
371 Sixth Ave. (2 blocks south of 8th Street.)

3.Ragtime DVD is available now! Professionally shot and edited DVDs of Ragtime (of the Saturday evening performance) can be ordered through danmeyerson@gmail.com or mattschlichter@gmail.com. DVDs are $28 each and include a copy of the artwork on the playbill and the cast list. This is a great opportunity to hold onto the experience of this production for future portfolios, family screenings, as well as adding a great DVD to your collection.

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. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

6. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

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 the files.

2006-11-29T20:02:00.000-05:00

In the absence of man, we turn to nature, which stands next. In the divine order, intellect is primary; nature, secondary; it is the memory of the mind. That which once existed in intellect as pure law, has now taken body as Nature. It existed already in the mind in solution; now, it has been precipitated, and the bright sediment is the world. We can never be quite strangers or inferiors in nature. It is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone. But we no longer hold it by the hand; we have lost our miraculous power; our arm is no more as strong as the frost; nor our will equivalent to gravity and the elective attractions. Yet we can use nature as a convenient standard, and the meter of our rise and fall. It has this advantage as a witness, it cannot be debauched. When man curses, nature still testifies to truth and love. We may, therefore, safely study the mind in nature, because we cannot steadily gaze on it in mind; as we explore the face of the sun in a pool, when our eyes cannot brook his direct splendors.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Families,

We have had an extraordinary few weeks, with Minimester, the NYSAIS visit and exam week. Friday marks the end of the first trimester, which means on Monday, students will enjoy "First Monday," where we provide special programming for the first Monday of the second and third trimesters. For Monday, Dec. 4, we will use the day to focus on the environment, global warming and determine our own goals regarding sustainability. After this memorably warm November with several days of record temperatures, including today, and many struggling to get into the holiday spirit despite the weather, this topic is apropos. Whether or not current conditions are a result of irreversible global warming, we still waste too much, use too much and throw away too much. It is time for students to determine their own personal responsibility and remind adults to protect what they cannot.

What is one's ethical responsibility to the environment? Is the earth here for our enjoyment, our comfort? I love the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson because his work is the truth and a reminder of who we really are when we are alone. "In the absence of man, we turn to nature, which stands next." How many of us, when feeling alone or literally alone, have turned to the sky, face to the rain, the horizon, the ocean, a sunset or star, for comfort, a sign, hope, or strength? How many of us long for a room with a view?

The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance.

While we seem to instinctively look outward, our efforts seem to aim to provide us, buy us, only surface comforts and we have to destroy nature in order to get them. Light bulbs replace natural light. Air conditioners replace the breeze.

Believe it or not, high school students are very romantic in their views of nature, and of course they consistently refer to nature's magic and ability to understand and heal in their creative writings, as maybe you once did in high school. We will take next Monday and do the best we can to educate ourselves and determine our responsibilities towards maintaining and improving our planet, not so we can preserve it for future generations, but because its health reflects our health.

Every earnest glance we give to the realities around us, with intent to learn, proceeds from a holy impulse, and is really songs of praise. What difference can it make whether it take the shape of exhortation, or of passionate exclamation, or of scientific statement?

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar for December and January:

December 4, 2006- First day of Trimester II; Environmental Day, 8:30-3:00 PM, Charlton Street.
December 4-8, 2006- Book Week!
December 5, 2006- Arts Assembly, 1:00 PM, PAC
December 7, 2006- Literary Evening, 7:00-9:00 PM, PAC
December 8, 9, 2006- Middle School Play, 7:00 PM, PAC
December 14, 2006- Winter Concert, 6:30 PM, PAC
December 15, 2006- School closes for Winter Break, 12:00 PM.
January 3, 2007- School reopens.
January 10, 2007- College Night with Junior parents and families, 6:30 PM, Cafeteria
January 12, 2007- Parent-Advisor Conferences, all day. School closed for students.

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. Book Week is almost here! During the week of Dec. 4th through 8th, authors will be visiting all grades to read from their work and talk to the kids about books. The annual Book Fair will take place from Wednesday, Dec. 6th, through Friday, Dec. 8th, in the Sixth Avenue auditorium, with books on sale for all ages. Please click here for more information on Book Week. This year's Literary Evening will be on Thursday, December 7th, in the Charlton Street PAC at 7 PM. This year's theme is "Who am I? An Evening Contemplating Cultural Identity" featuring authors Nilo Cruz, Stephane Gerson and Todd Shepard, Madhur Jaffrey, Josclyn Lieu, and Nahid Rachlin. The emcee is High School Vice Principal, Sarvjit Moonga. Enjoy an intimate evening listening to great literature, with complimentary wine and delicious food courtesy of Balthazar and 'Ino Restaurants.

For these events to be successful, the Literary Committee needs help from parent volunteers! Please sign up in the Sixth Avenue lobby to help with all aspects of Book Week, or e-mail susiemarples@yahoo.com.

2. The divisional Parents of Children of Color Groups will be hosting a potluck breakfast for the parents and children of color in all three divisions on Tuesday, December 5th from 8:00AM-8:30AM in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria. Please attend and bring a breakfast treat to share. See you there.

3. Please join us for a longstanding LREI tradition:
The Glass Menagerie Chorus Holiday Concert.
Susan Glass, founder and director (former LREI music teacher, current LREI parent)
Friday, December 8th at 8:00PM
St. Joseph's Church in the Village
371 Sixth Ave. (2 blocks south of 8th Street.)

4.Ragtime DVD is available now! Professionally shot and edited DVDs of Ragtime (of the Saturday evening performance) can be ordered through danmeyerson@gmail.com or mattschlichter@gmail.com. DVDs are $28 each and include a copy of the artwork on the playbill and the cast list. This is a great opportunity to hold onto the experience of this production for future portfolios, family screenings, as well as adding a great DVD to your collection.

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. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

7. There is a change of date for the next Parent Rep meeting. We will be meeting on December 5, 6:30 PM in the Charlton Street cafeteria.

8. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

10. 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.

11. Next Thursday, December 7, will be the last drop-in coffee of the season, 7:45-8:15 AM. All parents are welcome.

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 the files.

2006-11-16T15:40:00.000-05:00

If, in the light of things, you fade
real, yet wanly withdrawn
to our determined and appropriate
distance, like the moon left on
all night among the leaves, may
you invisibly delight this house;
O star, doubly compassionate, who came
too soon for twilight, too late
for dawn, may your pale flame
direct the worst in us
through chaos
with the passion of plain day.

Derek Walcott

Dear Families,

Please join us on Monday night for our "Save Darfur" benefit, produced by students Vio Picayo, Lily Wiggins and Kamillah akLaff. Some reasons to make every effort to support this cause (from SaveDarfur.org):

-Darfur has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years. At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter.

-Since early 2003, Sudanese armed forces and Sudanese government-backed militia known as “Janjaweed” have been fighting two rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The stated political aim of the rebels has been to compel the government of Sudan to address underdevelopment and the political marginalization of the region. In response, the Sudanese government’s regular armed forces and the Janjaweed – largely composed of fighters of Arab nomadic background – have targeted civilian populations and ethnic group from which the rebels primarily draw their support – the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

-The Bush Administration has recognized these atrocities – carried out against civilians primarily by the government of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militias – as genocide. António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has described the situation in Sudan and Chad as “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.” The Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias are responsible for the burning and destruction of hundreds of rural villages, the killing of tens of thousands of people and rape and assault of thousands of women and girls.

-With much international pressure, the Darfur Peace Agreement was brokered in May 2006 between the government of Sudan and one faction of Darfur rebels. However, deadlines have been ignored and the violence has escalated, with in-fighting among the various rebel groups and factions dramatically increasing and adding a new layer of complexity to the conflict. This violence has made it dangerous, if not impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to their homes. Humanitarian aid agencies face growing obstacles to bringing widespread relief. In August 2006, the UN's top humanitarian official Jan Egeland stated that the situation in Darfur is "going from real bad to catastrophic." Indeed, the violence in Darfur rages on with government-backed militias still attacking civilian populations with impunity.

-On July 30, 2004, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1556 demanding that the government of Sudan disarm the Janjaweed. This same demand is also an important part of the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May of 2006. On August 31, 2006, the Security Council took the further step of authorizing a strong UN peacekeeping force for Darfur by passing resolution 1706. Despite these actions, the Janjaweed are still active and free to commit the same genocidal crimes against civilians in Darfur with the aid of the Sudanese government.

Many thanks to all who have supported this event. If you cannot attend the benefit, but would like to make a donation, please let me know.

In other LREI news, as you may know, this week we were visited by a group of educators and administrators for our ten year accreditation review for NYSAIS. Although the week was incredibly busy, it was also rewarding for all of us, since we had the opportunity to discuss all aspects of our program. Following is a letter from Director, Phil Kassen:

Dear LREI Families,

Our NYSAIS Visiting Committee left at the end of the school day on Wednesday. As the next steps in the accreditation process will continue for the next few months, there was little that our visitors could tell us at a meeting we had on Wednesday afternoon. A few comments they did share:

· They were impressed with the level of engagement of students in all three divisions. They commented on how welcoming and articulate the students are and how happy they seem in school.
· They spoke of the thoughtful conversations they had with LREI’s faculty and staff.
· They thanked us for the ways in which we welcomed them into the LREI community.

Once we have received a final copy of the committee’s report we will share appropriate sections with the community. We will share commendations, recommendations and our plans for addressing the recommendations. We will share a similar set of plans that grows out of our conversations about your responses to the parent survey.

Thank you for your participation and interest.

Best,

Phil

Finally, as this will be the last blog before Thanksgiving, there is quite a bit of information and announcements, so be sure to scroll down. Most importantly, let me wish you and your family a wonderful holiday.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar for November:
November 17, 2006-Special Assembly: The Skidmore Accents, an acappella group from Skidmore which includes our own alum, Allison Wiggins (class of 2005), 1:00 PM, PAC
November 20, 2006-Please join us for a very important event: Save Darfur benefit concert, 6:30-8 PM, PAC
November 22, 2006- Thanksgiving break. School closes at 12:00 PM.
November 27, 2006- Review Day (regular classes meet)
November 28, 2006- Reading Day (School is open. Students may use this time to work on papers, projects, meet with teachers and use the Tech Center and Library. No regular classes.)
November 29-Dec. 1, 2006-Trimester I Exams and Exhibitions
November 30, 2006-Parents of Children who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM. The topic for this meeting will be The Learning Support Program here at the high school. Jerry Cascio and Patricia Carter will join the meeting.
December 4, 2006- Human Rights Day, all day, Charlton Street.
December 5, 2006-Arts Assembly, 1:00 PM, PAC

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. Join the LREI Varsity boys and girls basketball teams for their home openers on Tuesday, November 28th at 4:15 and Wednesday, November 29th at 4:00PM in the Thompson Street Athletic Center, 143 Thompson Street. Come out and cheer on our student athletes. Go Knights!

2.Ragtime DVD is available now! Professionally shot and edited DVDs of Ragtime (of the Saturday evening performance) can be ordered through danmeyerson@gmail.com or mattschlichter@gmail.com. DVDs are $28 each and include a copy of the artwork on the playbill and the cast list. This is a great opportunity to hold onto the experience of this production for future portfolios, family screenings, as well as adding a great DVD to your collection.

3. This Saturday, the Parents Association Community Service Committee will be going to the Fulton Community Center of Hudson Guild to join with some of the seniors to make centerpieces and decorations for the Hudson Guild's Annual Thanksgiving Feast.

This event is open~to students in~all divisions as well as parents, teachers and staff. As an added benefit, this~is a community service opportunity for High School students. More importantly, it is a wonderful intergenerational event that affords the opportunity to meet some very interesting senior citizens who live in our area. It's really a lot of fun. There will be bagels, juice and coffee.

4. LREI in the news: The New York Sun

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. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

7. There is a change of date for the next Parent Rep meeting. We will be meeting on December 5, 6:30 PM in the Charlton Street cafeteria. Here are the minutes from our last meeting on November 7, 2006 written by parent Denise Adler:

Joining us was Amy Shapiro who introduced Jane Gabin (jgabin@lrei.org), who is working as a part time associate with Amy until she goes on maternity leave. Jane will be full time until Amy's return, and then will go back to part time. This is Jane's third year in college counseling; she has ten years experience working in college admissions at UNC Chapel Hill. She started her career as an English professor. She is very much into “de-stressing the college selection process” and knows what admissions offices are looking for based on her experience. She is also a mother who has been through this process with her own children.
The two counselors described the process as it takes place at EI. They said it helped that they were able to really get to know the students because it was such a small community. They also said that it was fine for students to be undecided in a major, that professors preferred this. The key is to find out what students expect in their college communities by distinguishing between the must haves and the negotiable. There is a college trip in the spring to three or four campuses with the Eleventh Grade. Where they go is based on the broad a spectrum of needs in the class. January 7, 2006 is College Night and College Class starts in December with two trimesters in Eleventh Grade and one in Twelfth.
A question was asked about taking a gap year (deferring for a year). Both Amy and Jane said it was much better to take advantage of the support available here, which means if a student is considering this, he or she should apply, get accepted and then defer. There are established gap year programs and some colleges are more flexible to them than others.
Also on the agenda was PSAT, SAT and ACT tests. Tenth and Eleventh graders take the PSATs in October. This is a preparatory test only and the scores do not count. They are a good measure of where a student is and where one should be. For students who are not strong test takers, there is test prep program in the spring for Eleventh Graders. This prep is for the SATs but some people think they should also try ACT test as these tests are gaining popularity in our area. In addition, there are some colleges that do not require tests -- go to www.fairtest.org where there is a list of colleges that are test optional.
Finally, Ruth told us of the new schedule for exams. Instead of starting right after Thanksgiving break, Monday will be a review day. Attendance is required. Tuesday is a reading day (the library will be open, all staff will be here and students can use this day to prepare at school or at home), and exams begin on Wednesday -- students may come for their exams and then leave.

Submitted 11/15/06 DJA

8. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

9. 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.

10. It is essential that all students arrive at school on time. Students who arrive late often find it difficult to enter into the class’s discussion or activity. Some students find that this lag can last for the whole school day.

11. Parents! Have your own LREI experience through the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) monthly parent dialogue group. Share stories, explore assumptions, view films and exchange information. Please contact Sharon DuPree (sdupree@lrei.org) or Peggy Peloquin (ppeloquin@lrei.org) if you are interested in joining LREI's first parent SEED group and the next meeting.

12. Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.

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 the files.

2006-11-09T09:57:00.000-05:00

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.

Jane Austen

Dear Families,

We are so proud of our high school. Please see the following letter from Phil Kassen, Director:

"Congratulations to the High School students and faculty on being named to the Blackboard High School Awards Honor Roll for excellence in three areas:

· Teaching of Reading and Writing
· Teaching of Math and Science
· Respect by Students for Each Other

There are so many other areas of the high school program we could recognize. After this past weekend’s performance of Ragtime it is hard not to mention our tremendous arts program. In addition, I invite all to join our digital arts students next Tuesday, November 14th at 6:30PM, at the Apple Store SoHo for a showcase of work from LREI. Finally, please join us on Monday, November 20th for a student-organized concert to benefit relief efforts work in Darfur. Tickets are on sale now in both buildings. We are proud of your hard work and of the incredible learning community you have created on Charlton Street."

Since day one, the high school community has worked together to create a supportive, nurturing, challenging academic environment while supporting students in their efforts to respect each other and themselves. In addition, our commitment to social justice continues. It is nice to be recognized by Phil and The Blackboard Awards.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar for November:

November 12-15, 2006-NYSAIS Decennial Visit
November 14, 2006- We invite you LREI High School Arts Showcase at the Apple Store Soho, 103 Prince Street. This will be a wonderful opportunity to see our talented High School students' artistic and technological successes. Join us to experience their photography and digital film creations. 6-8 PM.
November 20, 2006-Please join us for a very important event: Save Darfur benefit concert, 6:30-8 PM, PAC
November 22, 2006- Thanksgiving break. School closes at 12:00 PM.
November 27, 2006- Review Day (regular classes meet)
November 28, 2006- Reading Day (School is open. Students may use this time to work on papers, projects, meet with teachers and use the Tech Center and Library. No regular classes.)
November 29-Dec. 1, 2006-Trimester I Exams and Exhibitions
November 30, 2006-Parents of Children who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM. The topic for this meeting will be The Learning Support Program here at the high school. Jerry Cascio and Patricia Carter will join the meeting.

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. Reminder for all Tenth Grade parents: You are invited to a parent discussion on Monday, Nov. 13th from 6:15-8:00 in the High School Cafeteria. The discussion will be lead by two facilitators from the Parents in Action group. Those who attended last year's meeting found it very informative. The meeting is open to any topic that parents would like to discuss. Hope to see you there.

2. Please see Phil's NYSAIS letter.

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 note the following message from Admissions regarding early notification for applicants to the Fours and Kindergarten.

5. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

6. There is a change of date for the next Parent Rep meeting. We will be meeting on December 5, 6:30 PM in the Charlton Street cafeteria.

7. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

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.

9. It is essential that all students arrive at school on time. Students who arrive late often find it difficult to enter into the class’s discussion or activity. Some students find that this lag can last for the whole school day.

10. The LREI Business Office has relocated into 40 Charlton Street. Members of the Business Office can now be reached through LREI's main phone number, 212.477.5316, Michel de Konkoly Thege at ext. 319, Tema Tischler at ext. 306 and Marie Horan at ext. 317. E-mail addresses remain the same. In general, inquiries regarding status of tuition accounts may be directed to Tema, regarding facility rentals to Marie and all others, including tuition remission issues, to Michel.

11. Parents! Have your own LREI experience through the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) monthly parent dialogue group. Share stories, explore assumptions, view films and exchange information. Please contact Sharon DuPree (sdupree@lrei.org) or Peggy Peloquin (ppeloquin@lrei.org) if you are interested in joining LREI's first parent SEED group and the next meeting.

12. Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.

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 the files.

2006-11-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Life is ten percent what you make it, and ninety percent how you take it.

Irving Berlin

With the holiday season, which seems to begin right after Halloween, and of course, with the high school musical, Ragtime, opening tonight and running through Saturday, I have thought of Irving Berlin, who played an essential role in the age of musicals, the advent of jazz and in ragtime. I especially love the quote above and think of it often.

I will really miss the music drifting from the PAC in the evenings, the sound of student voices warming up and running through songs, members of the cast stopping by for a chat between scenes, and talking with Musical Director, Julia Collura, about the complexities of not only the musical itself, with its challenging songs and involved setting, but also the difficulties of our American history and how Ragtime inspires discussion. When reviewing the script initially, we were disturbed by the extensive use of racist language by many characters in the show. After meeting with Director of Diversity and Community, Sharon Dupree, it quickly became clear to us that, while we were confident our students and families have the education to put into context the use of such racially prejudiced and hateful language, we could not guarantee this would be true for every single audience member. We felt that its use would detract from the musical as a whole.

As you may know, Ragtime, is set in the early 1900’s, and examines immigrant tensions and issues of race in America. The musical as it was originally written employs racist and offensive language considered acceptable during the period in which the story is set. Yet, since the musical opened on Broadway in 1988, it has been critically acclaimed and considered by some to be one the preeminent American musicals, which makes the issue very complex but worth addressing. Our production features a very large cast, dynamic musical numbers, and many moving moments. It is ambitious, challenging, entertaining, and thought provoking. We hope to see you tonight, tomorrow night and Saturday night. Enjoy the show!

All the best,
Ruth

Calendar for November:

November 2, 3 and 4, 2006- Don't miss Ragtime, The High School Musical, 7 PM, PAC.
November 7, 2006-High School Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM in the cafeteria
November 12-15, 2006-NYSAIS Decennial Visit
November 14, 2006- We invite you LREI High School Arts Showcase at the Apple Store Soho, 103 Prince Street. This will be a wonderful opportunity to see our talented High School students' artistic and technological successes. Join us to experience their photography and digital film creations. 6-8 PM.
November 22, 2006- Thanksgiving break. School closes at 12:00 PM.
November 27, 2006- Review Day (regular classes meet)
November 28, 2006- Reading Day (School is open. Students may use this time to work on papers, projects, meet with teachers and use the Tech Center and Library. No regular classes.)
November 29-31, 2006-Trimester I Exams and Exhibitions

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. Reminder for all Tenth Grade parents: You are invited to a parent discussion on Monday, Nov. 13th from 6:15-8:00 in the High School Cafeteria. The discussion will be lead by two facilitators from the Parents in Action group. Those who attended last year's meeting found it very informative. The meeting is open to any topic that parents would like to discuss. Hope to see you there.

2. Please note the following message from Admissions regarding early notification for applicants to the Fours and Kindergarten.

3. Please check out the Community Service Calendar!

4. The Parents' Association Food Committee is hard at work! Through the efforts of this very active parent body, we aim to work with an enthusiastic administration and an open-minded catering company to continue to upgrade the quality and variety of the food served in school. We are also discussing ways to bring nutrition discussions into each classroom to educate our children about how to eat more healthfully. In the future, the Food Committee hopes to invite guest speakers to talk to parents interested in learning more about your family's nutrition. Stay tuned!

5. 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.

6. It is essential that all students arrive at school on time. Students who arrive late often find it difficult to enter into the class’s discussion or activity. Some students find that this lag can last for the whole school day.

7. Attention book lovers: On Tuesday, November 8th join the Literary Committee as the LREI librarians present, "East Meets West" an evening of youth books that feature culture clashes and truces, diverse viewpoints and changing perspectives. Each year our nationally recognized librarians share their literary suggestions for students in all grades, Fours-12th grade, with the LREI community as they do with other school and professional audiences throughout the school year. All three of our full time librarians have served, or are presently serving, on American Library Association panels responsible for selecting prize winning books. Join this evening as Stacy, Jennifer and Karyn share their book selections with us, along with LS library teacher and graphic novel reviewer, Jesse Karp (LREI '87), who will give his suggestions for the best in graphic novels.

Each year the Literary Committee brings us the book fairs, Book Week, the amazing Literary Evening (December 7th) and this evening with our librarians. The Committee also supports the librarians', and their students', attendance at conferences.

If you have questions for the librarians, don't forget to join us for Learn Your Library morning on October 23rd in the Sixth Avenue Library.

8. The LREI Business Office has relocated into 40 Charlton Street. Members of the Business Office can now be reached through LREI's main phone number, 212.477.5316, Michel de Konkoly Thege at ext. 319, Tema Tischler at ext. 306 and Marie Horan at ext. 317. E-mail addresses remain the same. In general, inquiries regarding status of tuition accounts may be directed to Tema, regarding facility rentals to Marie and all others, including tuition remission issues, to Michel.

9. Parents! Have your own LREI experience through the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) monthly parent dialogue group. Share stories, explore assumptions, view films and exchange information. Please contact Sharon DuPree (sdupree@lrei.org) or Peggy Peloquin (ppeloquin@lrei.org) if you are interested in joining LREI's first parent SEED group and the next meeting.

10. Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.

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 the files.

2006-10-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward.

Patricia Sampson

Dear Families,

Our students continue to stand out, shine and impress, and we have been in school for only six weeks.

Last Thursday night, the High School hosted its first of two admissions open houses. Many students volunteered to participate, speak with families, and answer questions during the curriculum fair, where they stood side by side with their teachers to discuss highlights of our academic program. After the curriculum fair portion of the evening, families returned to the PAC to hear from a diverse panel of students: Vio Picayo, Amy Hernandez, Jesse Townsen, Alejandro Montoya, Kamillah Aklaff, Lily Wiggins, and Graham Brewster. They demonstrated how diverse a student's experience could be here, yet also how well they know each other. All of our student volunteers have our greatest appreciation. They were nothing short of phenomenal.

On Monday, I was invited to witness the Ninth Grade's Art Share. The Art Share is an important moment in the Arts curriculum because it provides closure for the first rotation, but also encourages students to get excited about the next class in the rotation. From Studio Arts, to Dance, to Drama, to Media, and finally, Photography, the Ninth Graders supported each other and cheered their classmates repeatedly. The Arts faculty should be very proud of the work they have done. Members of the Ninth Grade become more and more confident in themselves and in each other with every passing day.

Finally, on Wednesday, as the Tenth and Eleventh Grades took the PSAT, our Twelfth Graders had the first annual "College Day." We closed the library to everyone but the Twelfth Grade until the end of the day. There they had the opportunity to work with each other, work with Jane Gabin, our new Associate Guidance Counselor, and of course Amy Shapiro. While they worked, a camera crew from "CBS Evening News," walked around the library to film our students working hard on their applications. The CBS News Department is working on a story about how terribly competitive it is to apply to college, and spoke with four seniors about their own personal process. We are excited CBS chose our school to represent the student side, and the story will be airing soon. I will keep everyone posted.

In every way, our students demonstrate the value of an LREI education, which goes far beyond the academics. In addition to reading, writing and thinking, we teach self-confidence, self-reliance, how to use one's voice effectively, and give the tools to work together and with anyone. Our faculty and staff work tirelessly to provide for our students. When I think about the amount of violence and harm taking place in so many schools, the "six shootings in six weeks," and think about our first six weeks, I cannot help but feel grateful.

All the best,
Ruth

Calendar for October:

October 19, 2006: Parents of Students who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner, Charlton Street, 6:30 PM
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. Coat Drive for St. John's Church-Monday October 23 through Friday, October 27
We are holding our annual coat and outerwear drive for the clients of the St. John's Food Pantry. The Church has asked that we focus on larger sizes this year-older teen and adult. They would also welcome men's pants, jeans, as well as new (in package) underwear for both men and women. Please bring your clean and gently used donations to Matthew's room, 2nd Floor, Middle School building (parents can push "2" in the elevator). Start bringing in clothing on Monday, October 23rd. Thanks!

2. While we may be the the brainy older sister (see number 9 of the 50 best blocks in New York), we are so proud of the Middle School's recent Rising Star award!

3. 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.

4. It is essential that all students arrive at school on time. Students who arrive late often find it difficult to enter into the class’s discussion or activity. Some students find that this lag can last for the whole school day.

5. Attention book lovers: On Tuesday, November 8th join the Literary Committee as the LREI librarians present, "East Meets West" an evening of youth books that feature culture clashes and truces, diverse viewpoints and changing perspectives. Each year our nationally recognized librarians share their literary suggestions for students in all grades, Fours-12th grade, with the LREI community as they do with other school and professional audiences throughout the school year. All three of our full time librarians have served, or are presently serving, on American Library Association panels responsible for selecting prize winning books. Join this evening as Stacy, Jennifer and Karyn share their book selections with us, along with LS library teacher and graphic novel reviewer, Jesse Karp (LREI '87), who will give his suggestions for the best in graphic novels.

Each year the Literary Committee brings us the book fairs, Book Week, the amazing Literary Evening (December 7th) and this evening with our librarians. The Committee also supports the librarians', and their students', attendance at conferences.

If you have questions for the librarians, don't forget to join us for Learn Your Library morning on October 23rd in the Sixth Avenue Library.

6. The LREI Business Office has relocated into 40 Charlton Street. Members of the Business Office can now be reached through LREI's main phone number, 212.477.5316, Michel de Konkoly Thege at ext. 319, Tema Tischler at ext. 306 and Marie Horan at ext. 317. E-mail addresses remain the same. In general, inquiries regarding status of tuition accounts may be directed to Tema, regarding facility rentals to Marie and all others, including tuition remission issues, to Michel.

7. Parents! Have your own LREI experience through the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) monthly parent dialogue group. Share stories, explore assumptions, view films and exchange information. The first meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th at 6pm. Please contact Sharon DuPree (sdupree@lrei.org) or Peggy Peloquin (ppeloquin@lrei.org) if you are interested in joining LREI's first parent SEED group and the next meeting.

8. Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.

9. From the Admissions Office: Please take a look at the attached note concerning early childhood admissions.

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 the files.

2006-10-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

October by Robert Hayden

I

October-
its plangency, its glow

as of words in
the poet's mind,

as of God in
the saint's.

II

I wept for your mother
in her pain, wept in
my joy when you were
born,
Maia,
that October morning.
We named you
for a star a star-like
poem sang.
I write this
for your birthday
and say I love you
and say October
like the phoenix sings you.

III

This chiming
and tolling
of lion
and phoenix
and chimera
colors.
This huntsman's
horn, sounding
mort for
quarry fleeing
through mirrors
of burning
into deathless
dying.

IV

Rockweight
of surprising snow

crushed
the October trees

broke
branches that

crashing set
the snow on fire.

This poem in four parts reflects on the spiritual connection and sacredness of the vocation of creating art. It was written by Robert Hayden (1913-1980) in celebration of his daughter Maia's birth. Not only is the poem relevant and in celebration of the month, Maia Hayden Pollito was once a student at LREI.

While Hayden was a professor at Fisk University in Nashville in the late 40's, he and Erma, his wife, determined they did not want their daughter to attend a segregated school. They had never attended one and they did not want her to begin her education under those circumstances. Robert and Erma chose Little Red School House for their daughter. Erma brought her here, as she was able to find work as an accompanist with a dance company. Although Hayden called his family's experience at our school a blessing, it turned out to be a mixed blessing with a divided family being too much to bear. Still considering what was best for Maia, Hayden took leave from Fisk for a year to keep her enrolled. Eventually, the family did return to Nashville and Maia had to attend public school.

Maia is now living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has not been well as of late. This is all I know and the limited information is from a recent correspondence with literary arts professor Michael Harper from Brown University, Rhode Island's poet laureate from 1988-1993. Through our correspondence, Professor Harper reminded me of one of the many stories that capture the fantastic history of the school and how necessary progressive school can be for so many families.

In the coming days, I will tell the Hayden story in Morning Meeting and read the poem. And I will have the luxury of looking into so many different faces, which is all Robert and Erma wanted for their daughter, but had to travel almost a thousand miles to find it.

Please find more information about Robert Hayden and his important writings at Robert Hayden, Poet.

All the best,
Ruth

Calendar for October:

October 14, 2006: Coffee House! 7:00 PM, Charlton Street in the PAC. This is an evening of poetry, music, dance and comedy, all performed by students and faculty!
October 17, 2006: High School Parent Rep Meeting with "Freedom Institute," 6:30 PM, Charlton Street. This is open to all high school parents. We will be discussing student wellness, substance use and abuse, and how to speak to your children about making informed choices. Our nurse, Joanne Gouge, will be in attendance. Please come!
October 18, 2006: PSAT day for Tenth and Eleventh Grades
October 19, 2006: Parents of Students who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner, Charlton Street, 6:30 PM
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

1. 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.

2. It is essential that all students arrive at school on time. Students who arrive late often find it difficult to enter into the class’s discussion or activity. Some students find that this lag can last for the whole school day.

3. Attention book lovers: On Tuesday, November 8th join the Literary Committee as the LREI librarians present, "East Meets West" an evening of youth books that feature culture clashes and truces, diverse viewpoints and changing perspectives. Each year our nationally recognized librarians share their literary suggestions for students in all grades, Fours-12th grade, with the LREI community as they do with other school and professional audiences throughout the school year. All three of our full time librarians have served, or are presently serving, on American Library Association panels responsible for selecting prize winning books. Join this evening as Stacy, Jennifer and Karyn share their book selections with us, along with LS library teacher and graphic novel reviewer, Jesse Karp (LREI '87), who will give his suggestions for the best in graphic novels.

Each year the Literary Committee brings us the book fairs, Book Week, the amazing Literary Evening (December 7th) and this evening with our librarians. The Committee also supports the librarians', and their students', attendance at conferences.

If you have questions for the librarians, don't forget to join us for Learn Your Library morning on October 23rd in the Sixth Avenue Library.

4. The LREI Business Office has relocated into 40 Charlton Street. Members of the Business Office can now be reached through LREI's main phone number, 212.477.5316, Michel de Konkoly Thege at ext. 319, Tema Tischler at ext. 306 and Marie Horan at ext. 317. E-mail addresses remain the same. In general, inquiries regarding status of tuition accounts may be directed to Tema, regarding facility rentals to Marie and all others, including tuition remission issues, to Michel.

5. Parents! Have your own LREI experience through the SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) monthly parent dialogue group. Share stories, explore assumptions, view films and exchange information. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th at 6pm. Please contact Sharon DuPree (sdupree@lrei.org) or Peggy Peloquin (ppeloquin@lrei.org) if you are interested in joining LREI's first parent SEED group.

6. Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.

7. From the Admissions Office: Please take a look at the attached note concerning early childhood admissions.

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 the files.

2006-10-02T20:49:00.000-04:00

home (hōm)
n.
1. A place where one lives; a residence.
2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment.
3. A dwelling place together with the family or social unit that occupies it; a household.
4. An environment offering security and happiness.
5. A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.
6.The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.
7. The native habitat, as of a plant or animal.
8. The place where something is discovered, founded, developed, or promoted; a source.
9. A headquarters; a home base.
10. An institution where people are cared for.

Admissions season has begun. As we are ready to tour families and host open houses, our Twelfth Graders are ready to apply to college. They are naturally beginning to feel stress; we all are aware, competition is fierce and students are made to feel by some colleges that they are not good enough before they even apply.

The class of 2007, who have been so good at balancing everything, now worry about how they look on paper and how they will be judged by their transcripts and scores. Thank goodness, they continue to go through this process with the unconditional support of our faculty and staff, but especially with Director of College Guidance, Amy Shapiro.

Now that she is pregnant, we look to our new community member, Associate College Guidance Counselor, Jane S. Gabin, to assist our students while Amy is on maternity leave. Jane comes to us from UNIS, United Nations International School, where she was a college guidance counselor. She has also worked in admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill and at Chapin in the college guidance office. Jane has a PhD in English from UNC-Chapel Hill and just had her book, American Women in Gilded Age Britain: Expatriates Rediscovered, published by University Press of Florida. Undoubtedly, her experiences will help our students understand and articulate their own, and we welcome her to LREI!

So, even though Twelfth Graders are beginning to feel the pressure, we are confident in their ability to successfully balance classes and college applications with Amy and Jane’s guidance. And in a few months, they will graduate and move on. However, we know they will continue to love their school and come back to visit, not only because of the friends and faculty they knew, and not because of the college they will choose to attend. Perhaps it is because when they were here, we expected them n to of course do their homework, participate in the community, and make a commitment to civic responsibility, but also to respect each other, to pick up after themselves, and to have fun. We do this because LREI is not just a school. It is a home.

All the best,
Ruth

Calendar for October:

October 14, 2006: Coffee House! 7:00 PM, Charlton Street in the PAC. This is an evening of poetry, music, dance and comedy, all performed by students and faculty!
October 17, 2006: High School Parent Rep Meeting with "Freedom Institute," 6:30 PM, Charlton Street. This is open to all high school parents. We will be discussing student wellness, substance use and abuse, and how to speak to your children about making informed choices.
October 18, 2006: PSAT day for Tenth and Eleventh Grades
October 19, 2006: Parents of Students who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner, Charlton Street, 6:30 PM
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

Diversity & Community Evening

Please join us for the next Diversity & Community Evening: "How to Continue Diversity Conversations at Home," on October 10th at 6:30pm in the Sixth Avenue Auditorium. The evening will be hosted by Sharon DuPree, Director of Diversity & Community, Phil Kassen, Director and Administrative and Faculty Colleagues. Come hear about effective strategies, share experiences, ask questions and learn about resources available to parents.

Please remember, every Thursday morning through December 7, parents are invited to have coffee at the high school with me. We are there from 7:45-8:15, in the cafeteria.

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 the files.

2006-09-25T20:45:00.000-04:00

I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.

Ralph Ellison

This trimester, I have the pleasure of re-reading Ralph Ellison's important novel, Invisible Man, while teaching the novel to Sebastian Slayter '07, in an Honors Study. As I reflect on this week, I have to think of the novel, which never fails to influence and inspire me.

September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. This week, our students held a Hispanic Heritage Day at the school. Not only was a variety of flags on display, we enjoyed many aspects of a diverse culture: the literature, the music, the food, the dance. During the assembly portion of the day, there was music from both our Tenth Grade and Eleventh Grade music classes, poetry from students and faculty, and even a dance lesson for the entire high school.

This day was not only about enjoying what is so beautiful about another's culture, or about learning or even tasting something new. It is about being seen, about visibility. We understand that we only scratched the surface of Hispanic heritage with the day's events. At the same time, we as educators also know how critical it is for adolescents, our students, to be seen for whom they feel they are. In turn, it is our mission to see them as how they see themselves, and educate them in the ways to genuinely see others.

As part of this mission, we take our Ninth and Tenth Graders on an upstate retreat every year. This year, unlike year's past, we took the Ninth Grade for two nights, so that the first day they would have a chance to bond, to take risks together, and to teach them strategies to handle uncomfortable moments. Helping them in this process of challenge and risk-taking are their advisors, class deans and Dean of Student Life, Micah Gottlieb. Also joining the retreat for the first time were our ten Peer Leaders, select and diverse members of the class of 2007. The class of 2007 as a whole is a confident and sure class, filled with very diverse individuals, with different goals and ambitions, many of them shaped right here. Last night at campfire, Peer Leaders led the Ninth Grade through a variety of events like a song game, s'more making, and expressions of gratitude for very special moments, which occurred during the day.

The Ninth Graders pushed themselves yesterday, laughed a lot, cheered each other on and they will return tomorrow a stronger group than before. Our Tenth Graders, leaders in their own right, arrived today, ready to support and push themselves even more in preparation for their own important journey.

Ralph Ellison believed that in America, we are not allowed to know who we are. This is why the protagonist of Invisible Man retreats underground. However, our understanding as readers, to put it very simply, is that he will emerge again when the world changes. We work, in our classes, with small efforts like special assemblies, community service and thoughtful trips, to make sure it does, so the students we see so well, are seen by everyone, and when they are not, they will have the confidence to keep going in their personal missions and not retreat underground.

"I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone...I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me...They see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination--indeed, everything and anything except me."

Ellison may be right. Nevertheless, with this quote fresh in our minds, we continue our work here at the High School.

All the best,
Ruth

Sept. 29: Lesbian, Gay, Straight Alliance Family Welcome Breakfast, 8:00 AM, 6th Avenue Cafeteria
Oct. 5: Eleventh Grade Potluck, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street Cafeteria
October 17, 2006: High School Parent Rep Meeting with "Freedom Institute," 6:30 PM, Charlton Street
October 18, 2006: PSAT day for Tenth and Eleventh Grades
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner, Charlton Street
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

The Multicultural Brunch, scheduled for 9/30, is postponed. Kasey Picayo will notify everyone when it is rescheduled.

From the PA Co-Presidents--Thank you to all who have completed the parent survey for LREI's 10-year reaccreditation process. Your responses are very helpful to us as we prepare the Parent Association's section of the self-study. By popular request, we will continue to accept responses through the end of the month.

For All Families: NYSAIS Parent Survey

The High School Musical Announcement

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 the files.

2006-09-18T21:04:00.000-04:00

"Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week, LREI proved Emerson's point:

On Tuesday evening, Curriculum Night was greeted with enthusiasm by teachers and families. We always look for ways of presenting the challenging, experiential instruction that takes place in our classrooms. While the evening's presentations were brief, we will continue to find ways to demonstrate the thoughtful work of our students and faculty.

On the night before, LREI won its first home game in the Athletic Center. Our volleyball team, coached by Susan Now, won against Garden in three games. The girls were enthusiastic (and something great was accomplished), but the audience was even more so! The bleachers have not seen so many LREI community members in recent memory, and the enthusiasm and pride in "Big Red" was infectious and continues in our halls. Win or lose, our athletic season promises to be memorable.

Third, after many students attended Sunday's rally in Central Park to "Save Darfur," I have had countless students meet with me determined to create a fundraiser to assist in the cause. Again, our students, who feel empowered, valued and enthusiastic, are ready to create something meaningful, and yes, great, for those who are significantly less fortunate than they are. I will certainly keep you posted as this major fundraiser evolves.

So, we end another week. We are lucky to have such a thoughtful and dynamic community, and what a great year so far.

Important dates to remember:

Sept. 27-29: Annual Ramapo trip for Ninth and Tenth Grades
Sept. 28: Parents of Children who receive Academic Support meeting, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street
Sept. 29: Lesbian, Gay, Straight Alliance Family Welcome Breakfast, 8:00 AM, 6th Avenue Cafeteria
Oct. 5: Eleventh Grade Potluck, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street Cafeteria
October 17, 2006: High School Parent Rep Meeting with "Freedom Institute," 6:30 PM, Charlton Street
October 18, 2006: PSAT day for Tenth and Eleventh Grades
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner, Charlton Street
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments and Announcements:

Asian-American Families Potluck Breakfast

Set your alarm clocks for our 3rd annual start-of-year breakfast. For parents and students in all divisions. Wednesday, September 27th, 8:00-8:45 a.m. Things to Bring: orange juice, apple juice, bagels, cream cheese, donuts, yogurt, fruit, eggs, breads, cereal, bialys, muffins. BUT, NO NUTS OR SEEDS please! RSVP to Ruth Yang at ryang@walzyanglaw.com with food and beverage commitments.
Hope to see you all there,
RUTH YANG, Asian-American Families Chairperson

From the PA Co-Presidents--Thank you to all who have completed the parent survey for LREI's 10-year reaccreditation process. Your responses are very helpful to us as we prepare the Parent Association's section of the self-study. By popular request, we will continue to accept responses through the end of the month.

For All Families: NYSAIS Parent Survey

The High School Musical Announcement

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 the files.

2006-09-09T18:17:00.000-04:00

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

This has been an extraordinary week in the life of the high school. Students are back in the full swing of things, the renovations and new desks still impress us, and the great work of our faculty begins to reveal itself once again.

As we enjoyed our renovated building, our new community members, and the hint of fall in the weather, this week we were reminded of the need for humanity, humility, compassion, and awareness. On Monday, September 11, students and faculty attended "The September Concert Series" in Washington Square Park, to remember lives lost on that incredible day. Organized by music teacher and LREI Jazz Band Director, Vin Scialla, the goal of the series is to "fill the skies with music every September 11th to bring communities together, to reaffirm our hope for peace, and to celebrate our universal humanity." It was a wonderful tribute, and thank you to Vin for inviting our participation.

In another reminder of the importance of humanity, Twelfth Grader Adriane Alicea organized a "Save Darfur" assembly to bring awareness and encourage students to participate in the "Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide" rally on September 17 in Central Park. Presented today, she and several other students spoke eloquently about the challenges facing the people of Darfur. What can you do? Please take a look at the attachment below for more information.

It is truly a luxury to enjoy such programming, to be able to think about the tragedies of the world together in our safe space and put them in context. We must remember our ability to make a difference. At LREI, progressive education manifests itself in so many ways. Our hope is to continue to provide our students with what they need, not only for college, but for the world we live in.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar reminders:

September 15, 2006: Picture Day! Class pictures may be ordered at any time.
September 19, 2006 at 6:00 PM: Parent Association Welcome Fair in the PAC
September 19, 2006 at 6:30 PM: Curriculum Night, right after the Welcome Fair, PAC
September 21, 2006 at 6:30 PM: Ninth Grade Potluck Dinner
September 26, 2006 at 6:30 PM: Twelfth Grade Potluck Dinner
September 27-29, 2006: Ramapo for Ninth and Tenth Grades
October 17, 2006: High School Parent Rep Meeting with "Freedom Institute," 6:30 PM
October 18, 2006: PSAT day for Tenth and Eleventh Grades
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments:
www.SaveDarfur.org
The High School Musical Announcement
Letter to Parents and Actor's Contract
For all families: NYSAIS Parent Survey
Parent Association Welcome Fair!

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 the files.

Weekly Email June 8, 2006

2006-06-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Parents,

The last weeks of school are always a blur of activity as we wrap up this year and plan for the year ahead. I continue to bask in the glow of last week's terrific Senior Project Presentation Evening; and, of course, students in grades nine through eleven have been hard at work completing projects and taking exams. It is such a privilege to be able to walk around from room to room seeing how far students have come in all subject areas since September. This trimester's Final Exam/Presentation week is, appropriately for the end of the year, tilted a bit more toward the former, and I am pleased to report that our students are equally skilled at getting up and presenting in front of a roomful of their peers, and at sitting a string of exams, as they will need to do when they move on to college.

I am also thrilled to report on the activities of the High School's signature community service activity, the Community Service Roundtable. As many of you know, the Roundtable petitions for and receives block grants from outside foundations, then accepts petitions from worthy volunteer activities and service organizations in the community. This year, the Roundtable made seven grants for a total of $8000. Grants went to: Family Focus, Foster Pride, Go St. Lukes, Stop, United Community Center/East New York Farms, SEED Artists and Outside the Dream. The activities of the Community Service Roundtable demonstrate that the school's long tradition as an incubator of tomorrow's leaders in community service is alive and well.

We will have four new faculty members join us in September (actually, one of them has been working with us since the middle of the year):

* Peter Bonfanti comes to us after fifteen years of mathematics teaching experience at a variety of schools, most recently the Nightingale-Bamford School uptown. He has a BA from Princeton - major in Architecture, minor in Mathematics - and an MA in Secondary Education from LaSalle University. Peter is also an accomplished soccer coach and piano and guitar teacher, and he wrote the Mathematics section of The SAT I For Dummies. Peter will be teaching mathematics across all four grades.
* Ben Rubin joins us after three years at Packer Collegiate as a teacher of mathematics and physics and as an assistant track coach. He has a BA from Oberlin with a double major in Mathematics and Physics, and he will be teaching both subjects next year.
* Our new Biology teacher next year will be Stacy Goldstein. Stacy has a BS in Biology, with a concentration on Cellular and Molecular Biology, from SUNY Binghamton, and an MA in Secondary School Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Stacy's specialty has been using technology, including Smartboards, special science software and the Internet, to enhance science education. Stacy comes to us from Blind Brook High school in Westchester.
* Finally, Sunny Kim, who began leading the High School Chorus in the middle of the year, will continue to do so and will teach at least one if not two music classes during the year as well. Sunny is an extremely accomplished teacher of voice and choral conductor, having conducted choral groups of all sizes everywhere from Malaysia to South Korea to Colorado to Boston, and having taught vocal music both to individual students and to groups in schools and other settings to varied to list! A frequent performer at local clubs, Sunny has a BA magna cum laude in Jazz Studies and Voice Performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver and a Master's of Music in Jazz Studies and Voice Performance with an education concentration from the New England Conservatory of Music. Sunny has done a great job with the Chorus so far and we look forward to years of the same.

Along with these new faculty members, I am pleased to report that the increase in curricular opportunity continues apace. Next year's Seniors will have, in their two trimesters, a remarkable 388,800 (!) different ways to sign up for classes. These include a new Senior Precalculus course, designed for students who are not yet ready for Calculus but who may wish to study subjects such as Economics or Science in college; "Experimental Science in History," a new science elective that will delve into the history of significant scientific ideas and look toward the future; and potentially a vocal music offering in the Winter. The English and History Departments continue to expand their offerings; just to give you a taste, the first trimester's offerings in History are: Japan, China, Korea, India; Gotham - The Global City; Government and Politics; 20th Century Europe; American Culture and Ideas in the Twentieth Century; and Wealth and Poverty: The American Economy in the 21st Century. The English Department counters with Dangerous Language; Latino/a Literature: Voices of the 20th and 21st Century; Creative Writing: Short Fiction; Shakespeare Revisited; Discovering the Self: Writing Memoir and Personal Narrative; and American Writers and the American Dream - the 19th Century. To think that just a few short years ago, the choices were 12th Grade History and 12th Grade English! Meanwhile, the highly successful Chinese program will grow to include the Tenth Grade, and the Foreign Language Department will have impressive new language lab facilities at their new digs over on Macdougal Street.

Some additional notes on the end of the year:

* Summer 2006 Building Projects--Have you seen our exciting new plans for the high school and the gym? Are you looking for a hands-on way to participate in our summer renovations? We need your help to pack up the Charlton Street Library. Come lend a helping hand at Charlton Street on Monday, June 12 from 2:00PM - 7:00PM. By using volunteers we can save $15,000 on the High School renovations! JUST SHOW UP!

*The summer reading list is ready and online. Note that rising ninth, tenth and eleventh graders will have assigned books from either the English or History Departments (or both) - which will be given to the students by the school - along with choices from the list.

* If your children have school textbooks, they need to return them or you will receive a bill from the school!

* An upcoming event: Family Picnic: Sunday, June 11th
Welcoming families touched by adoption and the friends and classmates who support us. A chance to celebrate LREI's diverse community of families. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Time: 1AM on, throughout the afternoon
Place: Hudson River Park (just north of the World Financial Center)
We'll set up on the grass just across from the playground. Look for lots of balloons! Bring your own lunch/snack/beverage and something to sit on. There are sprinklers for younger kids so bring bathing suits and towels.
Rain Date: Sometime in September
Sponsored by the LREI Adoptive Families Committee
For more info, contact Susan Glass at: sglass9@nyc.rr.com or Mamie McIndoe at: mmcindoe@marblechurch.org

* LREI celebrates Gay Pride: Sunday, June 25, 2006. Be a part of a worldwide movement for freedom and equality, and march with the LREI banner in the 2005 NYC PRIDE parade. It's fun and festive, and kids are very welcome. High School students may earn three hours of community service credit. Three years ago, we were the first school ever to march, and we proudly wore our Elisabeth Irwin T-shirts. The crowd went wild! Come and join us, or come out and cheer us on. Please check the school web site, where the meeting place and time will be posted shortly.

* Schedule for the remainder of the year (8:45 AM Homeroom each day):
- Thursday, June 8, 6:30 PM (Tonight) - Senior Banquet
- Friday, June 9, 1:00 PM - Graduation at NYU's Skirball Auditorium - Ticket Required
* Monday, June 12, 8:45 AM - Homeroom, Locker Clean-up, Student Government Field Day
* Monday, June 12, 2:00 PM - Community Service Boxing/Clean-up Afternoon - ALL STUDENTS IN NEED OF COMMUNITY SERVICE WILL BE EXPECTED TO ATTEND
* Tuesday June 13, 8:45 AM - Homeroom, Mini-classes/Exam return, Final Thank-you Assembly
* Tuesday, June 13, 12:00 PM - SUMMER VACATION BEGINS!!!!

On a personal note - thanks to all faculty, parents and especially students for the time we have spent together over these three years, and thanks to so many of you who have extended your warm wishes as I move on to a new life in public education. Have a great summer!

Take care one and all,

Tony

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 the files.

Weekly Email June 1, 2006

2006-06-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Parents,

As always, the end of the year brings with it wonderful culminations and achievements. Students are hard at work bringing projects in all of their classes to conclusions, and we will get to see the fruits of those labors during next week's Final Exams/Presentations (see the attached schedule for the last days of school; I will write more about exams and presentations next week). In addition, along with the athletic accomplishments I listed last week, the LREI Boys High School Softball teach won the ISAL Tournament, beating Birch-Wathan-Lennox in the finals 10-6. We are sending four students from that team - including two 10th graders! - to the league all-star game. Once again, go Knights!

Standing out among all of these happenings: Last night was an amazing night that belonged entirely to the Seniors. This year's Senior Project Evening featured so many fabulous presentations that I hesitate to single any of them out. I will say that in the weeks of the internships and during the research process, our students worked in the arts (“Cabaret”, “Special Effects, “The Future of Comics”, “The Integration of Hip Hop & Gospel”, “Theater for Social Change”, “Classical Music & The Test of Time” and “The Political Power of the Image”); real estate (“Real Estate 101” and “Blue: The Lower East Side”); education (“The Products of Lower Expectations” and “The Profit of Racism”); food (“The Food & Food Politics of Classical Rome”, “Chocolate” and “Catering 101”); politics (“Where the Responsibility Lies” and “Iran & The United States: A Complex Alliance”); and on and on. In addition, two of our students’ projects took them abroad (“La Nouvelle Vague” and “Falling in Love with Bavarians”). I am attaching here the program for the evening and the complete list of titles and mentors. Our Mission Statement begins, "Our goal is to educate students to become independent thinkers and lifelong learners and to pursue academic excellence and individual achievement, in a context of respect for others and service to the community." Based on these projects and these presentations, we as a school can be pleased with the extent to which we have succeeded in this goal with these students. Great credit goes to the High School faculty, who worked tirelessly to help them with their papers and their presentations, and especially to Senior Project Coordinators Adele and Antonio. But even greater credit to our students, who followed their passions and made us all very, very proud.

An upcoming event: Family Picnic: Sunday, June 11th
Welcoming families touched by adoption and the friends and classmates who support us. A chance to celebrate LREI's diverse community of families. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Time: 1AM on, throughout the afternoon
Place: Hudson River Park (just north of the World Financial Centre)
We'll set up on the grass just across from the playground. Look for lots of balloons! Bring your own lunch/snack/beverage and something to sit on. There are sprinklers for younger kids so bring bathing suits and towels.
Rain Date: Sometime in September
Sponsored by the LREI Adoptive Families Committee
For more info, contact Susan Glass at: sglass9@nyc.rr.com or Mamie McIndoe at: mmcindoe@marblechurch.org

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email May 25, 2006

2006-05-24T23:00:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

A quick word about some artistic and athletic goings on:

What a terrific night on Tuesday! The High School Sports Awards Evening was a fun, touching and inspiring affair. The number of students who participate in sports continues to escalate - especially current ninth and tenth graders, promising even greater future success - as does the intensity that LREI students are bringing to athletics with each passing year. This year as last year, teams are practicing more and more often and with more and more sophistication, and we continue to compete with - and beat - teams from schools with far larger student populations. The Spring sports are going especially strong this year. First, Boys Softball has the ISAL (Independent School Athletic League) championship game today in Central Park. And, once again, the track team has had an exceptional Spring. In the GISAL Championship, the team finished third, highlighted by the 4x100 meter team's league record-breaking performance. Then, in the New York State Association of Independent Schools meet yesterday, Junior Kristin Crichlow finished 2nd in the girls 100 meters, 8th Grader Emma Vasta-Kuby finished 5th in the 200m and the 4 x100m team finished 3rd. Go Knights!

In addition, I am pleased to announce that the following LREI student films have screened at recent prestigious youth film festivals:

The following films by LREI students have been shown in recent Film Festivals:
The 2006 Interschool High School Student Film and Video Festival, hosted by the Dalton School
* Ava Hamilton - "Ipod" - Honorable Mention for Editing
* Adriane Alicea - Untitled
* Amara Perez - The Heights
* Danielle Miller - My Dog
* The Bollywood Minimester Group - "Bollywood" - Winner for Art Direction, Honorable Mention for Cinematography

The 2006 Westport Youth Film Festival
* Jerelyn Rodriguez - "Made in NY"
* The Bollywood Minimester Group - "Bollywood"

One other item: Attached is a list of the colleges that our seniors have enrolled in for the past three years. This year's class, like their predecessors, had a successful college search process. We are proud of each of them. A list of this year's acceptances can be found at www.lrei.org. Congratulations LREI Class of 2006!!

Important events coming up:

* See the attached letter from Phil about tomorrow's Field Day activities (mandatory for all students in grades 9 - 11, with Seniors greatly encouraged to attend!). Regular start time; students will be released by 1:00 PM at the latest.

* On Wednesday, May 31 we will have our annual Senior Project Presentation Evening, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street. This event is one of the highlights of the year and is open to all members of the community - parents, siblings, friends - no RSVP required!

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR

May
* Thursday 25 Book Fair; Summer 2006 Fun-Raiser; Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email May 18, 2006

2006-05-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

A note on a simply fantastic assembly: On Tuesday, we had a three-person panel speaking from very different vantage points on the pros and cons of various positions on immigration. They were: Michael D. Patrick, LREI '71 (and current Chair of the Board of Trustees), Partner at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, a top immigration law firm; Raquel E. Batista, Executive Director of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the only legal service organization in the Dominican community; and Michael Cutler, retired from the INS in February 2002 after a career that spanned some 30 years and currently a Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank, a Contributing Expert on the nexus between immigration and terrorism for the Counterterrorism Blog, and an advisor to the 911 Families for a Secure America (see the attached bio sheet for more information on these three experts). President Bush's recent proposals were dissected from all sides, and the three took challenging questions from the audience. A follow-up student debate is scheduled for the May 30 assembly.

A packed last few weeks! Coming up:

* Tonight - Come to the Spring Concert! 6:30 PM at Charlton Street.

* See the attached letter from Phil about next Friday's Field Day activities (mandatory for all students in grades 9 - 11, with Seniors greatly encouraged to attend!).

* NYU Courses: Check out the descriptions of the NYU courses for which our students (current tenth and eleventh graders) can sign up, along with a proposal form. The applications will be due to College Guidance Counselor Amy Shapiro on Tuesday, May 23rd.

* High School Sports Awards Night - Tuesday, May 23 at 6:30 PM, Charlton Street PAC.

* May Book Fair: The Literary Committee will have a Spring into Summer Book Fair in the Auditorium on May 25th (see the attached flyer). A selection of the optional reading titles will be sold from 8:00AM-6:00PM.

* Summer 2006 Fun-Raiser: Coming May 25, from 5 PM - 7 PM at
143 Thompson Street: A chance to have a great time, dunk yours truly and help support vital summer work! See the attached flyer for more details.

* The next meeting of Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support: Thursday, May 25, 6:30 PM, Charlton Street.

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR

May
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Thursday 25 Book Fair; Summer 2006 Fun-Raiser; Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email May 11, 2006

2006-05-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

Two signature LREI High School events:

1) On Monday, May 8th at 5 PM in the cafeteria at Charlton Street, we held a reading and celebration of IE: LREI's Literary Magazine. The magazine has poetry, prose, and visual art from students from grades 7 through 12. Five High School students and five middle school students read their works aloud. The event was beautiful and inspiring and showed Middle School and High School students, together, doing what LREI students often do best - writing and presenting. Huge kudos to faculty advisors Jane Belton (HS) and Sarah Barlow (MS), and congratulations to all writers and artists who contributed. Your copy will be mailed home shortly - keep an eye out for it!

2) This Saturday, May 13, 7:00 PM at Charlton Street, we will host the annual Human Rights Coffeehouse. Co-organized by mathematics/music teacher Micah Dov Gottlieb and the High School Human Rights Club, this will be a terrific evening of music, poetry, film and more, all with a human rights theme. Like the IE reading, a uniquely LREI event - students and faculty, from all three divisions, joined together to entertain us while inspiring us to help to make the world a better place. Please join us!

Other announcements:

* Trimester III Interim Reports will go out in the next couple of days. Because so many of our courses are project based, at least 50% of the "assessment" often happens over the last few weeks of the trimester. We always do our best to balance sending the reports in a timely fashion with waiting long enough for students to have completed a sufficient quantity of fully assessed work.

* Summer 2006 Fun-Raiser: Coming May 25, from 5 PM - 7 PM at
143 Thompson Street: A chance to have a great time, dunk yours truly and help support vital summer work! See the attached flyer for more details.

* NYU Courses: Check out the descriptions of the NYU courses for which our students (current tenth and eleventh graders) can sign up, along with a proposal form. The applications will be due to College Guidance Counselor Amy Shapiro on Tuesday, May 23rd.

* May Book Fair: The Literary Committee will have a Spring into Summer Book Fair in the Auditorium on May 25th. A selection of the optional and all of the required reading titles will be sold from 8:00AM-6:00PM. I will speak more about the required reading titles in next week's Blog.

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR

May
* Saturday 13 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 16 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email May 4, 2006

2006-05-03T22:22:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

What an amazing day! Arts Festival 2006 displayed so many facets of the LREI education: the incredible collection of artists of every ilk who are part, one way or another, of the LREI community (parents, alumni, and friends); the rigor with which artistic endeavors are approached at LREI; and, most of all, the aesthetic talents and practiced willingness to take risks of our student body. Students in mixed-grade groups ranging from eighth to twelfth spent the morning in three-hour workshops, followed by an afternoon assembly consisting of slide shows and performances of various kinds. I will let the attached list of workshops speak for itself. Congratulations to the High School Arts Department for putting together a fantastic program!

Important announcements:
* Please join us for a reception to meet incoming High School Principal Ruth Geyer Jurgensen on Monday, May 8th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Charlton Street (see the attached invitation).

* Coming May 13, 7:00 PM at Charlton Street - the annual Human Rights Coffeehouse! There are still some slots available for members of the community to participate with music, poetry, or any other material with a human rights theme. This Coffeehouse is co-organized by mathematics/music teacher Micah Dov Gottlieb and the High School Human Rights Club. If you are interested, please contact Micah at mdgottlieb@lrei.org.

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR

May
* Monday 8 Reception for incoming High School Principal Ruth Geyer Jurgensen
* Saturday 13 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 16 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email April 27, 2006

2006-04-26T22:51:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

Several months ago, I did a "Day in the Life of the High School" blog, in which I described vignettes from a walking tour of classes on a typical day. I have had several requests for a repeat of those snapshots, so without further ado, this morning, here's some of what was going on in and out of the High School:

* Tenth grade English students began a two- to three-page "Zoom In, Zoom Out" exercise focusing on both the details and larger significance of a passage of their choice from Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye.

* Students in the eleventh grade Latin American and Caribbean History elective learned about the merging of Christian and Aztec traditions throughout Mexico's history.

* Ninth grade Chinese students expanded their knowledge of prepositions and continued to build their general oral and written vocabulary.

* Eleventh grade Biology students collaborated on presentations about research into primate learning, speech, biology and adaptation, and the implications about human development.

* Tenth grade French students took a test on double-object pronouns.

* Students in the eleventh grade Art and Politics: Toni Morrison English elective did a close reading of a passage from Beloved.

* Students in ninth and tenth grade Music classes visited Avery Fisher Hall, where they were treated to a normally private rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic.

* Eleventh graders in the Human Rights history elective worked on individual presentations that they will do on different issues concerning children's rights.

* Tenth grade students in Technology learned left-right animation using Adobe Illustrator.

* Eleventh grade Precalculus students worked on solving trigonometric equations in preparation for trigonometry-based projects.

* Tenth grade Physics students used springs to measure the relationship between amplitude and wave speed, along with other characteristics of waves.

* Students in tenth grade Spanish went over the difference between the imperfect and preterite tenses.

* Ninth grade Photography, Media Arts and Studio Art students prepared their final projects for Monday's grade-wide presentations, which will mark the end of the ninth graders' fifth (out of six) arts rotation.

* Students in the eleventh grade required trimester-long history of New York City course, "Gotham," learned about the New York City real estate scene - in the 1800's!

* Tenth grade Drama students performed self-written scenes and monologues which incorporate music.

* Students in tenth grade Photography went outside to Charlton Street to take pictures using self-made pinhole cameras.

* Eleventh grade students in the Exploring Class Dynamics in Global Literature class discussed wedding traditions in the Indian caste society and in working class England.

One of the great joys of being the LREI High School Principal is getting to see all of these different manifestations of an outstanding progressive edcuational program. I hope you have enjoyed these written snapshots of what I see every day.

Important announcements:
1) Please join us for a reception to meet incoming High School Principal Ruth Geyer Jurgensen on Monday, May 8th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Charlton Street (see the attached invitation).

2) A note from Director Phil Kassen about last night's Big Auction: Congratulations to all involved in creating last night’s spectacular Big Auction! A thousand thanks to the Auction Committee Co-Chairs—Mandy Bouquet and Sharon Fong—and to their hardworking committee members. Last night’s event was an overwhelming display of generosity and support of LREI and its progressive mission. For those who were not able to attend, please visit the hall auction in the Sixth Avenue building for a selection of silent auction items and sign-up parties.

3) For tomorrow's LREI High School Arts Festival, students should arrive at Charlton Street at 8:45 AM.

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR
April
* Friday 21 School closed - High School Planning/Meetings Day - No classes
* Friday 28 High School Arts Festival

May
* Monday 8 Reception for incoming High School Principal Ruth Geyer Jurgensen
* Saturday 13 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 16 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email April 20, 2006

2006-04-19T18:19:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

Spring is an exciting time for LREI High School seniors, for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, where they will be for the next four years becomes clearer as college results start to roll in. In a year when the Wall Street Journal has written about colleges rejecting students in record numbers, our students have done exceptionally well, with many getting in to colleges or universities that they had frankly considered to be "reach" schools. Please see the attached list of 2006 college acceptances as they stood as of April 11.

At LREI, Spring also marks the advent of Senior Projects. From the Handbook:

The Senior Project - a major piece of original work in the field of his or her choice - is the culmination of each student's career at the High School. The senior project has two components: the research paper and the practicum. Beginning in March, seniors work on the research component, meeting regularly with their project mentors on the faculty. The research component serves as the factual basis for a five-week practicum, which begins in mid-April. The practicum is a field experience that often involves professional internships and domestic or foreign travel. The Senior Project Evening on May 31 is a major event in the school year to which parents, teachers and the entire school community are invited.

The combination of research and productive work in the outside world makes the Senior Project an appropriate culmination to an excellent progressive educational high school experience, and unlike many Seniors at other schools, LREI Seniors often end up working harder, and with more passion, during the third trimester than they do during the second! Over the past few months, the Senior Project Committee, led by Senior Dean Adele DeBiasi Pelz and Senior Seminar teacher (and Principal-to-be) Ruth Jurgensen, has provided each Senior with as much structure as he or she has needed to select a paper topic and find an appropriate practicum/internship. This year's practicums will take students to Germany and France, and range from photography (studio and sports) to catering to working in a restaurant to early childhood school placement to film editing to theater to Middle Eastern politics to real estate, and on, and on. The Senior Project Presentation evening on May 31 truly is one of the highlights of the year.

The calendar for the next few weeks:

* Thursday, April 20 (tonight!): The next meeting of Parents of Children with Academic Needs, at 6:30 PM.

* Friday, April 21: Professional Development/Planning Day - No classes

* Saturday, April 22nd: Community Service Opportunity - National and Global Youth Service Day - Through this fun-filled day of service, Children for Children - an agency in NYC that plans service projects, hopes to make a lasting impact on New York communities and to encourage young people to become leaders and continue to give back to their own communities. The event will include live entertainment, hands-on service projects, refreshments and Children for Children t-shirts.
Saturday, April 22, 2006,
10am to 3pm
@ Riverside Park,
Riverside Drive at 103rd Street, Manhattan

For more information, email Nick Sullivan at nsullivan@lrei.org.

* Wednesday, April 26: Big Auction We hope you are planning on attending! If you do not have a ticket yet but want one, we need to know for sure by Monday, 10:00 AM. If you do need a ticket, or if you cannot attend but would like to bid on an item, please contact Pippa Gerard at 212-477-5316, ext. 236 or via email at pgerard@lrei.org. The auction catalog is available in the Sixth Avenue lobby or on our website at http://www.lrei.org/caleven/ba2006/index.html.
Many thanks for supporting LREI.

* Friday, April 28: LREI High School Arts Festival - stay tuned for more details ...

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR
April
* Friday 21 School closed - High School Planning/Meetings Day - No classes
* Friday 28 High School Arts Festival

May
* Saturday 13 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 16 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email April 6, 2006

2006-04-06T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dear parents,

Welcome back! As the Spring gets going, a number of important events to keep in mind:

* It's Big Auction time - tickets are going fast - make sure you purchase your ticket(s) by next week. Please inform the development office if there is a group of people who would like to sit together. Tables will accommodate ten people.

This year's raffle prizes include a flat screen tv, dvd camcorder, digital photo lab, and much more. Raffle tickets are on sale in the lobby of both buildings or available by calling or emailing the development office. Family gatherings are a great opportunity to support LREI by selling raffle tickets. If you or your children would like tickets to sell stop by the development office before the long weekend.

Auction information and the catalog are available on the LREI website. For additional information, please contact Pippa Gerard in the Development Office, 212-477-5316.

* Once again, I have attached a workshop proposal, in .pdf format and in .doc format, for the LREI Arts Festival 2006! This year, the Arts Festival is occurring on Friday, April 28, and will involve all students from grades 8 through 12. This is an exciting day when students choose from a variety of workshops offered by faculty, friends, parents and others in and out of the LREI school community. The workshops run in the morning and are followed by an afternoon of exhibitions. For more details, please see the attachment; in particular, if you or someone you know is interested in offering a workshop, please send the form in to me by Friday, April 14.

* This Saturday - 7 PM, at Charlton Street - COFFEEHOUSE! (When I say "Coffee," you say ...). This COFFEEHOUSE will have a bit of a harder rocking theme, with some of our louder bands playing. 7-9pm; $3 students+faculty & $5 guests.

* COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Saturday, April 8
LREI Spring Arts Project at Hudson Guild
Ages: all ages boys and girls LS through High School (COMMUNITY SERVICE CREDIT AVAILABLE)
Hours: 11am - 1:00pm
Location: Elliott Center, 441 W. 26th St (bet. 9th & 10th)
Description: LREI children and parents will make Spring Crafts to decorate the Community Center. The center is located in Chelsea and provides services and programs for young and old which help community members achieve stability and self-sufficiency. For more information, see www.hudsonguild.org

LREI contacts: Denise Adler - 917.363.3343 or Jennifer Edson - 917.740.8654

April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate this, LREI is hosting it's annual Poem In Your Pocket Day next Tuesday, April 11. Students are encouraged to come to school with a poem tucked into their pocket, which they can read to classmates and friends. They can also stop friends in passing and ask them to share their poems or be asked to share theirs. In the High School, we will have our annual assembly dedicated to poetry and other readings.

Other upcoming events:

* The next Parent Rep meeting will be on Tuesday, April 18 at 6:30 PM.

* The next meeting of Parents of Children with Academic Needs will be on Thursday April 20th at 6:30 PM.

All the best,

Tony

April
* Monday 3 School reopens
* Saturday 8 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 11 Poem-In-Your-Pocket Day
* Thursday 13 School closed - Passover
* Friday 14 School closed - Good Friday
* Tuesday 18 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 21 School closed - High School Planning/Meetings Day
* Friday 28 High School Arts Festival

May
* Saturday 13 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 16 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email March 16, 2006

2006-03-16T01:00:00.001-05:00

Dear parents,

GO WILDE! What an amazing show! On three consecutive nights, audiences were transported in time and place to a land of gentility and farce. From outstanding performances to spot-on set and costume design, a truly magnificent evening. Now, on to Scotland for the traveling troupe!

We head into Spring Break and look ahead to a typically packed April and May, Coming up:

* Once again, I have attached a workshop proposal, in .pdf format and in .doc format, for the LREI Arts Festival 2006! This year, the Arts Festival is occurring on Friday, April 28, and will involve all students from grades 8 through 12. This is an exciting day when students choose from a variety of workshops offered by faculty, friends, parents and others in and out of the LREI school community. The workshops run in the morning and are followed by an afternoon of exhibitions. For more details, please see the attachment; in particular, if you or someone you know is interested in offering a workshop, please send the form in to me by Friday, April 14.

* Repeat announcement: For parents of Seniors: A letter outlining the details of how the Senior Project will run during the third trimester.

* Heads up - on the first Saturday back from break, COFFEEHOUSE! (When I say "Coffee," you say ...). This COFFEEHOUSE will have a bit of a harder rocking theme, with some of our louder bands playing.

* COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Saturday, April 8
LREI Spring Arts Project at Hudson Guild
Ages: all ages boys and girls LS through High School (COMMUNITY SERVICE CREDIT AVAILABLE)
Hours: 11am - 1:00pm
Location: Elliott Center, 441 W. 26th St (bet. 9th & 10th)
description LREI children and parents will make Spring Crafts to decorate
the Community Center. The center is located in Chelsea and provides services
and programs for young and old which help community members achieve
stability and self-sufficiency.
For more information, see www.hudsonguild.org

LREI contacts: Denise Adler - 917.363.3343 or Jennifer Edson - 917.740.8654

From my family to yours, wishing you a break filled with rest and relaxation,

Tony

March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Thursday 2 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support Meeting
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes
* March 7 Diversity and Community Discussion
* Thursday 9 - Saturday 11 High School Play
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 17 Founder's Day; School closes at noon for Spring Break

April
* Monday 3 School reopens
* Saturday 8 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 11 Poem-In-Your-Pocket Day
* Thursday 13 School closed - Passover
* Friday 14 School closed - Good Friday
* Tuesday 18 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 21 School closed - High School Planning/Meetings Day
* Friday 28 High School Arts Festival

May
* Saturday 13 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 16 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Thursday 18 Spring Concert; Day 40 of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 23 High School Sports Award Evening
* Friday 26 Field Day - No Classes
* Monday 29 School closed - Memorial Day
* Wednesday 31 Senior Project Presentation Evening

June
* Monday 5 Last day of Trimester III classes
* Tuesday 6-Thursday 8 Trimester III Exams/Presentations; End of Trimester II
* Thursday 8 Senior Banquet
* Friday 9 Graduation
* Monday 12-Tuesday 13 Closing days
* Tuesday 13 School closes at noon for Summer Vacation

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 the files.

Weekly Email March 9, 2006

2006-03-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear parents,

First - THANKS FOR THE APPRECIATION!!!

From all of us to all of you.

Last week's three-day Trimester II Exams/Presentations showed the range of product that results from our excellent progressive program. Just a few highlights:

* Tenth grade English students gave multi-media presentations on major figures from the Harlem Renaissance in the PAC, while ninth grade English students performed scenes from Macbeth. One student in Fairy Tale Literature presented from the point of view of a therapist who treats those characters who, it turns out, do not live so "happily ever after" after all.

* Students in the ninth grade Arts rotations displayed amazing work in Studio Art and Photography and gave rousing dance and dramatic performances. Meanwhile, students in the various music classes entertained the entire High School in a post-exams assembly.

* Students in science classes from all grades gave presentations to their peers on everything from comparative digestive systems in lions and sea lions to futuristic "green" communities to the physics of planetary orbits.

* Students in tenth grade history presented outlines of their upcoming research papers on major historical figures of the United States.

* Students in Calculus demonstrated that using integrals to calculate volumes of revolution actually works by measuring common household shapes (e. g., a Bundt cake pan), performing the calculations and then filling the shapes with water. Meanwhile, ninth grade mathematics students showed their geometrical prowess in everything from designs to bridge-building.

* Students in various French and Spanish classes presented on a variety of cultural aspects of various countries and regions where those languages are spoken. As always, food was involved.

Needless to say - with my apologies to many of my colleagues - this list is not complete. And needless to say, there were many papers handed in and many "traditional" tests being taken. In all, the week represented a terrific window into a High School where students amass the facts and learn the skills they need, but then put those facts and skills to use toward authentic tasks in which they are deeply invested.

Another window into the High School is this year's list of assemblies to date. The attached list - as impressive as it is - does not do justice to the richness of experience that the students have come to expect every Tuesday afternoon. The list of assemblies up through January included civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby and Diana Osana, co-screenwriter for the - I can say this now - Oscar-winning screenplay for Brokeback Mountain, and also included inspiring multi-media presentations on Diwali, Hispanic Heritage, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Chinese New Year. Despite these highlights, the presentations from the past four weeks have raised the bar even higher. The four presentations - by Shirin Neshat, Iranian-born filmmaker, visual artist and political activist; Staceyann Chin, Jamaican-born lesbian, feminist and performance artist; Kyra Gaunt, NYU Associate Professor and author of The Games Black Girls Play; and the Central Asian Cultural Exchange presenting the musical and oral traditions of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan - were, in turns and together, entertaining, absorbing, thrilling, emotionally and intellectually challenging.

In and out of the classroom, we - students and faculty alike - are continually expanding our horizons.

This week's announcements:
* I have attached a workshop proposal, in .pdf format and in .doc format, for the LREI Arts Festival 2006! This year, the Arts Festival is occurring on Friday, April 28, and will involve all students from grades 8 through 12. This is an exciting day when students choose from a variety of workshops offered by faculty, friends, parents and others in and out of the LREI school community. The workshops run in the morning and are followed by an afternoon of exhibitions. For more details, please see the attachment; in particular, if you or someone you know is interested in offering a workshop, please send the form in to me by Friday, April 14.

* COME TO THE SHOW! That is, this year's H.S. Play, Gone Wilde - An Evening with Oscar Wilde (see the press release on the web site), which will open Thursday evening, March 9th at 7pm, with performances Friday, March 10th, and Saturday March 11th, also at 7pm, in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $8 in advance (available at the Charlton Street front desk), $10 at the door.

* Repeat announcement: For parents of Seniors: A letter outlining the details of how the Senior Project will run during the third trimester.

* The next Parent Rep meeting will be on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30 PM. Director of Diversity and Community Sharon Dupree will join us.

All the best,

Tony

CALENDAR
February
* Wednesday 22 VISIBILITY opens at Charlton Street
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes

March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Thursday 2 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support Meeting
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes
* March 7 Diversity and Community Discussion
* Thursday 9 - Saturday 11 High School Play
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 17 Founder's Day; School closes at noon for Spring Break

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 the files.

Weekly Email March 2, 2006

2006-03-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear parents,

A number of important attachments/announcements this week:

* For parents of Seniors: A letter outlining the details of how the Senior Project will run during the third trimester.

* From Phil Kassen, Director:

On Tuesday, March 7th we invite you to join the first of two upcoming diversity discussions. At this gathering, Sharon DuPree—our Director of Diversity and Community—will present our Diversity and Community Action Plan. This plan outlines the ways in which we, the LREI community, will achieve the diversity goals that are central to our mission. We are finishing the last draft of this plan and parent input is essential to the success of these efforts.

During the second part of this evening we will all—parents and faculty—share strategies for having important and often difficult conversations about issues of diversity with your children. Conversations started in school often travel home. How can you continue and expand these conversations so that your children can see that their families are thinking about these important issues as well.

On Monday, April 17th we will host a second conversation. We invite you to join a discussion of the School’s placement policy for Lower and Middle School students. We send home more information about this conversation over the next few weeks, but are hoping to address questions and concerns that we hear in the community.

Finally, please see the attached copy of the Diversity and Community Action Plan and a flyer for the two discussions. I hope to see you on Tuesday.

* Minutes from the most recent Parent Rep meeting. Next meeting: Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30 PM.

* You are cordially invited to attend this year's H.S. Play, Gone Wilde - An Evening with Oscar Wilde, which will open Thursday evening, March 9th at 7pm, with performances Friday, March 10th, and Saturday March 11th, also at 7pm, in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $8 in advance (available at the Charlton Street front desk), $10 at the door.

Other (some repeat) announcements:

* From Middle School Dean of Students Gabrielle Keller: From Monday, March 6th, through Thursday, March 9th, help us build classroom libraries in New York City Public Schools by donating your new and gently used books. For more information, please read the attached flyer.

* VISIBILITY: If you did not have a chance to see the Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love Photo Exhibit (see the attached press release), it has now moved over to Charlton Street, where it looks fantastic and where it will stay through Friday, March 10. Please do stop by to see this inspiring exhibit.

* From Phil Kassen, Director: Please see the attached invitation to join The Glass Menagerie--an adult chorus started at LREI over 20 years ago. We are thrilled to continue to host their rehearsals and that many members of the LREI community are part of this talented group of singers.

* Art Auction: Thanks to all who attended LREI's Art Auction on February 2, 2006. The Art Auction is an annual silent auction of contemporary fine art. This year's auction has raised almost $100,000 for the Tuition Assistance Program. Please help us to meet our goal by browsing the work still available - go to the Events section of www.lrei.org. If you see a piece that you are interested in buying, feel free to drop by LREI's Sixth Avenue Campus (272 Sixth Avenue at Bleecker Street) between 8AM - 5PM, Monday through Friday. You may also call 212.477.5316 ext. 236 to make an appointment.

* Big Auction: LREI's spring benefit, The Big Auction, will be held on Wednesday, April 26. The auction committee needs help in securing donations from the community in order to be able to offer a wide range of items to make the auction exciting for all who attend. We welcome all creative and unique ideas. Please use the attached donation form and return to the Development Office. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss a potential donation, contact Pippa Gerard in the Development Office by phone: 212-477-5316 ext. 236 or email: pgerard@lrei.org.

Take care,

Tony

CALENDAR
February
* Wednesday 22 VISIBILITY opens at Charlton Street
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes

March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Thursday 2 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support Meeting
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes
* March 7 Diversity and Community Discussion
* Thursday 9 - Saturday 11 High School Play
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 17 Founder's Day; School closes at noon for Spring Break

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 the files.

Weekly Email February 23, 2006

2006-02-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear parents,

Four important announcements:

* Final exams/presentations: Trimester II will end with three days of final exams and presentations, Wednesday March 1 - Friday March 3, culminating in an arts assembly on Friday afternoon. Following the lead of other independent schools, after consultation with student representatives, we will not expect students in at times they do not have final exams/presentations - this only affects a small number of students. On each day, students will be expected in at 8:45 AM, unless they do not have a morning final exam.

* Honors Projects: Once again, the following letter was posted for all ninth, tenth and eleventh graders:

February 23, 2006

Dear Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Graders,

As last trimester, we will offer Honors Projects to our students in the ninth, tenth and eleventh grades. By electing to pursue an honors project, students challenge themselves above and beyond the requirements of the curriculum. Honors Projects will run according to the Oxford-Cambridge tutorial system, wherein students meet with teachers once per week to go over work that they have been doing largely on their own. The exact nature of the projects will be defined at least in part by the common interests of the students and teachers, but in all cases, a student who successfully completes an Honors Project will have done a work of considerable scholarship and/or art. Honors projects promote intellectual curiosity, independence, commitment, initiative and rigor. Successful completion of an honors project is entered on the official high school transcript. Honors Projects involve some kind of presentation at the end of the trimester.

In the Spring trimester, Honors Projects will be available to students in the following disciplines:

English
Creative Writing
Mathematics
Science
History
Foreign Language
Visual Art
Technology/Graphic Arts/Animation
Photography
Music
Drama
Dance

Students who are interested in pursuing such a project must be in good academic standing, and must write a letter of interest that suggests a possible topic for study and submit it to my office no later than 1:00 PM Tuesday, February 28. Students will be notified as soon as possible if their proposals have been accepted.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Tony

* You are cordially invited to attend this year's H.S. Play, Gone Wilde – An Evening with Oscar Wilde, which will open Thursday evening, March 9th at 7pm, with performances Friday, March 10th, and Saturday March 11th, also at 7pm, in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $8 in advance (available at the Charlton Street front desk), $10 at the door.

* VISIBILITY: If you did not have a chance to see the Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love Photo Exhibit (see the attached press release), it has now moved over to Charlton Street, where it looks fantastic and where it will stay through Friday, March 10. Please do stop by to see this inspiring exhibit.

Other (some repeat) announcements:

* From Phil Kassen, Director: Please see the attached invitation to join The Glass Menagerie--an adult chorus started at LREI over 20 years ago. We are thrilled to continue to host their rehearsals and that many members of the LREI community are part of this talented group of singers.

* Art Auction: Thanks to all who attended LREI's Art Auction on February 2, 2006. The Art Auction is an annual silent auction of contemporary fine art. This year's auction has raised almost $100,000 for the Tuition Assistance Program. Please help us to meet our goal by browsing the work still available - go to the Events section of www.lrei.org. If you see a piece that you are interested in buying, feel free to drop by LREI's Sixth Avenue Campus (272 Sixth Avenue at Bleecker Street) between 8AM - 5PM, Monday through Friday. You may also call 212.477.5316 ext. 236 to make an appointment.

* Big Auction: LREI's spring benefit, The Big Auction, will be held on Wednesday, April 26. The auction committee needs help in securing donations from the community in order to be able to offer a wide range of items to make the auction exciting for all who attend. We welcome all creative and unique ideas. Please use the attached donation form and return to the Development Office. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss a potential donation, contact Pippa Gerard in the Development Office by phone: 212-477-5316 ext. 236 or email: pgerard@lrei.org.

* The next meeting of the Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support will take place on Thursday, March 2, 2006, 6:30 at Charlton Street.

* Diversity and Community Discussion
March 7, 2006, at 6:00PM
Sixth Avenue Auditorium
Topics:
- Introduction of LREI's Diversity and Community Action Plan.
- How to continue diversity conversations at home.
Hosted by:
Sharon DuPree, Director of Diversity and Community; Phil Kassen, Director; and the divisional principals.

Take care,

Tony

CALENDAR
February
* Wednesday 22 VISIBILITY opens at Charlton Street
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes

March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Thursday 2 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support Meeting
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes
* March 7 Diversity and Community Discussion
* Thursday 9 - Saturday 11 High School Play
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 17 Founder's Day; School closes at noon for Spring Break

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 the files.

Weekly Email February 16, 2006

2006-02-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear parents,

An amazing line-up of assembly speakers in the month of February:

* This past Tuesday, February 14, Iranian-born photographer and filmmaker and LREI parent Shirin Neshat (see, e.g., her Guggenheim Museum website biography) spoke about her life as an exile and an artist.

* Next Wednesday, February 22, acclaimed poet and activist Staceyann Chin (see her biography on her website) will speak to kick off the opening of the Visibility exhibit at Charlton Street. COME SEE THE EXHIBIT STARTING NEXT WEEK! The official opening night this past Monday was inspiring and beautiful.

* The following Thursday, February 28, Kyra Gaunt, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at New York University, will come to speak about her new book, "The Games Black Girls Play" (see the NYU Press Release on her book). Ms. Gaunt lectures nationally and internationally on African American music and is also a jazz vocalist, songwriter and recording artist.

These assemblies are truly representative of the rich life of the High School, both inside the classroom and out.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Two important Auction announcements from Director of Development Pippa Gerard:
* Art Auction: Thanks to all who attended LREI's Art Auction on February 2, 2006. The Art Auction is an annual silent auction of contemporary fine art. This year's auction has raised almost $100,000 for the Tuition Assistance Program. Please help us to meet our goal by browsing the work still available - go to the Events section of www.lrei.org. If you see a piece that you are interested in buying, feel free to drop by LREI's Sixth Avenue Campus (272 Sixth Avenue at Bleecker Street) between 8AM - 5PM, Monday through Friday. You may also call 212.477.5316 ext. 236 to make an appointment.

* Big Auction: LREI's spring benefit, The Big Auction, will be held on Wednesday, April 26. The auction committee needs help in securing donations from the community in order to be able to offer a wide range of items to make the auction exciting for all who attend. We welcome all creative and unique ideas. Please use the attached donation form and return to the Development Office. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss a potential donation, contact Pippa Gerard in the Development Office by phone: 212-477-5316 ext. 236 or email: pgerard@lrei.org.

Other announcements:
* Mid-Trimester Reports: Please let me know if you did not receive your child's reports. Again, my apologies for the delay in mailing.

* The LREI PA Community Service Committee will extend the Room to Grow drive and will collect donations through Friday, February 24th in the Sixth Avenue lobby. For more information on the organization and a detailed list of accepted donations, please visit www.roomtogrow.com.

* The next meeting of the Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support will take place on Thursday, March 2, 2006, 6:30 at Charlton Street.

* Tuesday, February 28 will be the last day of Trimester II classes; final exams and presentations will occur on Wednesday, March 1 - Friday, March 3. These three days, school will begin fifteen minutes later, at 8:45 AM.

* Diversity and Community Discussion
March 7, 2006, at 6:00PM
Sixth Avenue Auditorium
Topics:
- Introduction of LREI’s Diversity and Community Action Plan.
- How to continue diversity conversations at home.
Hosted by:
Sharon DuPree, Director of Diversity and Community; Phil Kassen, Director; and the divisional principals.

Take care,

Tony

CALENDAR
February
* Monday 20 - Tuesday 21 School closed - Presidents Weekend
* Wednesday 22 VISIBILITY opens at Charlton Street
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes

March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Thursday 2 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support Meeting
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes
* March 7 Diversity and Community Discussion
* Thursday 9 - Saturday 11 High School Play
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 17 Founder's Day; School closes at noon for Spring Break

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 the files.

Weekly Email February 9, 2006

2006-02-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear all,

I have had several occasions during the past several months to think about school democracy and student empowerment. Recently, we have had two assembly periods, led by the Honor Board and the Student Government, dedicated to looking at the Student Handbook and proposing changes. FYI - The Honor Board consists of eight students and two faculty members, half of whom are elected by the student body and half elected by the faculty; the job of the Honor Board is to serve on an as-needed basis as an advisory body to the Principal regarding specific disciplinary cases, while also meeting regularly to discuss policies and procedures that relate to the culture of integrity throughout the school. The Student Government, elected entirely by the student body, consists of four officers plus eight class representatives; the Student Government runs open "Town Hall" style meetings, helps to plan assemblies, brings student suggestions to the faculty and administration and serves as an advisory group to the Principal on a regular basis. Much of the discussion about the Handbook has centered around increasing both space and time for students to use electronic devices - cell phones and ipods in particular - and there has been a strong libertarian strain to the conversations. That said, the two student groups have done a terrific job of recognizing the need for rules in running a rapidly growing school, focusing on systems that will help students engage in serious progressive scholarship, and considering what is, and what is not, realistic. In particular, one proposal has started to take a look at how we as a school respond to student lateness, a topic that is demanding closer attention as we grow by students and faculty alike. In addition, the Honor Board has begun to tackle the thorny issue of academic integrity in our increasingly complex technological world. As these conversations have progressed, I have had the opportunity to re-learn what has been made clear to me again and again this year, from the Katrina benefit to the Hispanic Heritage assembly, from the courageous Hotel Rwanda Human Rights Day to the new High School student newspaper to the upcoming planned Diversity and Community Day: The more real responsibility we give to our students, the more they will rise to the occasion. A corollary: The biggest mistake the faculty and administration can make is to underestimate our students.

In January, Dr. Joseph Featherstone (see Director of Education Nick O'Han's December introduction to Dr. Featherstone's work at the school) came to speak first to the faculty and then to the High School student body. In that latter talk, Dr. Featherstone spoke about student democracy and about the inherent limitations in how much governing students can really do in a school. To a certain extent, of course, he's right - students have a limited knowledge of curricula and pedagogy, and ultimately faculty and administration have to make some hard decisions about how to allocate resources, especially that most valuable of resources, time. However, progressive education in general, and at LREI in particular, is built on a foundation of the greatest possible student-faculty partnership. As we move forward with the growth of the High School and make the necessary adaptations to a school of 180 students and beyond, I know I speak for the faculty when I say that I could not be more pleased with that partnership and I could not be more proud of our partners.

All the best,

Tony

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Important item: Because of a technical issue, mid-trimester reports did not mail until yesterday. Rest assured that, because so many projects and presentations happen during the last three weeks of the trimester, students still have plenty of opportunity to raise their overall trimester assessments.

Other announcements:

* Congratulations to all who participated in a terrific Coffeehouse!, organized by High School Math/Music Teacher and Coffeehouse Guru Micah Dov Gottlieb, along with Music Teacher/Jazz Band Director Vin Scialla, who helped to being us our special guest Jimmy Norman through a Jazz Foundation Grant. What a great show! If you weren't there, stay tuned for the next one, on April 8 ...

* Regarding Visibility:

Dear LREI Community,

The exhibit "Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love" is up in the 6th Avenue Auditorium and hallway. We have a record-breaking 117 photos and captions this year!

I think you will find the information at the exhibit's start helpful in allowing you to find ways to explain why we have this exhibit, why this particular group is highlighted, and what the history of the exhibit is at LREI. As always, you will also find moving , important, and fun captions that go with all the wonderful pictures. Thank you to all who are in it, all who helped to hang it up, and all who will attend it!

***PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR OPENING NIGHT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13***

Come to hear our very own Suzanne Cohen and the Lavender Light Gospel Choir, snack on appetizers from La Palapa, a Mexican Restaurant I love (and I am from NM!), and enjoy and evening of community and celebration!

Hope to see you all there next Monday in the 6th Ave. Auditorium from 6-8 PM--

Best and huge thanks for your support,

Sarah Barlow
Interim English Department Chair
8th Grade Core Teacher
Middle School LGSA Representative

* Reminder: The next Parent Reps meeting will move from Tuesday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 15 so we can all celebrate Valentine's Day! Please see the attached minutes from the last meeting.

* The next meeting of the Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support will take place on Thursday, March 2, 2006, 6:30 at Charlton Street.

* The LREI PA Community Service Committee is once again collecting donations for Room to Grow from Monday, February 13th through Friday, February 17th in the lobby of the Sixth Avenue Building. Use this as away to get your children to get rid of items they are not using. Donations should be anything appropriate for children (newborns to 3 years of age) and in good condition (something you would pass on to a friend or family member). Room to Grow accepts books, clothing, video and music tapes, toys, bedding, strollers, highchairs, swings, baby monitors, baby's room accessories. They do not accept stuffed animals, recalled items, furniture, diapers, car seats, cribs. If you would like a tax donation receipt please label all your boxes and bags with your name and address. Please hold onto larger items until the last collection day, Thursday, February 16. For more information on the organization and a more detailed list of what they accept/do not accept go to http://www.roomtogrow.org/.

* For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.

* Outside of the school:

The Parents League of New York and NYC-Parents in Action invite parents of students in grades 7-12 to attend:

Parents Of Teen Scene: AFTERSHOCK
February 16, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Temple Israel
112 East 75 Street

A forum for parents who would like to discuss the issues they encounter as they partner in their teenagers' journey through the high school years.

RSVP to NYC-Parents in Action
212 987-9629

CALENDAR
February
* Wednesday 1- Thursday 2 2006 Art Auction
* Saturday 4 Coffeehouse!
* Wednesday 15 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Monday 20 - Tuesday 21 School closed Ãƒƒƒƒƒ‚– PresidentsÃƒƒƒƒƒ‚’ Weekend
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes
March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes

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 the files.

Weekly Email February 2, 2006

2006-02-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear all,

* Let me make a special plea for you to join us at Saturday's upcoming Coffeehouse! We have four of these events each year, organized by High School Math/Music Teacher and Coffeehouse Guru Micah Dov Gottlieb, along with Music Teacher/Jazz Band Director Vin Scialla, who helped to being us our special guest Jimmy Norman through a Jazz Foundation Grant. Micah writes:

Everyone - It's time for some COFFEE!!!
The next LREI Coffeehouse is Saturday, February 4th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We have some great performers so far including:

*The High School Jazz Band
* The Middle School Band
* The 4th Grade Band
* Special guest Jimmy Norman (he wrote ""Time Is On MY Side" and also composed some of Bob Marley's early songs)

PLUS: We are having a beat box contest with a $25 gift certificate prize. Anyone is invited to beat box for 20-30 seconds; the winner will be determined by a panel of judges. Please contact me at mdgottlieb@lrei.org for more details or if you want to know what "beat box" is!

We would love to have some more Lower/Middle School performers and patrons, and we would love to see faculty there from all three divisions!

Peace and love,

Micah Dov

* You can still come to tonight's final showing of the 2006 Art Auction, a fine art silent auction of established and emerging artists to benefit the LREI Tuition Assistance Program. ADMISSION IS FREE!!!
Where: I-20 Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, 11th Floor
Reception & Final Bidding: Thursday, February 2nd, 6:00PM - 8:30PM
PLEASE NOTE: FINAL BIDDING WILL END IN EACH OF THE THREE GALLERIES IN FIFTEEN MINUTE INTERVALS STARTING AT 8PM.

Visit the Art Auction website to view a full list of artists and preview and for more information on Conditions of Sale, Absentee Bids and other important details.

* Finally, a note from Sarah Barlow on the Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love Photo Exhibit (see the attached press release):

Dear Colleagues and Families,

First of all, it looks like we have about 80 photos with more arriving all day for the Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love Photo Exhibit! We'll have a final count tomorrow, and the LGSA (Lesbian, Gay, Straight Alliance) is sending all who submitted a huge thank you! We're going to have yet another impressive and moving exhibit this year--in order to get the photos up, we need YOUR help.

Tomorrow, Friday, February 3 from noon to 5 pm, the LGSA will be framing all the photos, mounting captions, etc. We'll be working on 6th Ave in various and changing locations and welcome any amount of time you have to help! Faculty, we'd love it if you would pop by and lend a few minutes if you have it.

Further, this Saturday, from 9:30-5 we will be hanging the entire exhibit. Again, we'd love YOUR help. Please bring hammer and we'll make a day of it, OR stop by from anywhere for a few minutes to an hour or to pitch in. We'll be working on 6th Ave in the auditorium. The main doors will be open 9:30-1:00 and you can call the number below to be let in the side door on Bleecker Street from 1:00-5:00. A little time with many hands goes a long way! The contact cell number is Primavera Salva's cell phone @ 917-553-8002.

If we don't see you Friday or Saturday, we're looking forward to seeing you at the show's opening night, Monday, February 13 from 6-8 pm--a gala, must-attend event!

Best,
Sarah Barlow
8th Grade Core Teacher
Interim English Department Chair
Middle School LGSA Representative

Additional announcements:

* Reminder: The next Parent Reps meeting will move from Tuesday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 15 so we can all celebrate Valentine's Day! Please see the attached minutes from the last meeting.

3) The LREI PA Community Service Committee is once again collecting donations for Room to Grow from Monday, February 13th through Friday, February 17th in the lobby of the Sixth Avenue Building. Use this as away to get your children to get rid of items they are not using. Donations should be anything appropriate for children (newborns to 3 years of age) and in good condition (something you would pass on to a friend or family member). Room to Grow accepts books, clothing, video and music tapes, toys, bedding, strollers, highchairs, swings, baby monitors, baby's room accessories. They do not accept stuffed animals, recalled items, furniture, diapers, car seats, cribs. If you would like a tax donation receipt please label all your boxes and bags with your name and address. Please hold onto larger items until the last collection day, Thursday, February 16. For more information on the organization and a more detailed list of what they accept/do not accept go to http://www.roomtogrow.org/.

* For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.

* Outside of the school:

The Parents League of New York and NYC-Parents in Action invite parents of students in grades 7-12 to attend:

Teen Scene XX
February 6, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Trinity School
101 West 91st Street

Learn what really goes on in the teenagers' world as they journey through the high school years!

RSVP to Parents League
212 737-7385

and

Parents Of Teen Scene: AFTERSHOCK
February 16, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Temple Israel
112 East 75 Street

A forum for parents who would like to discuss the issues they encounter as they partner in their teenagers' journey through the high school years.

RSVP to NYC-Parents in Action
212 987-9629

All the best,

Tony

February
* Wednesday 1- Thursday 2 2006 Art Auction
* Saturday 4 Coffeehouse!
* Wednesday 15 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Monday 20 - Tuesday 21 School closed Ãƒƒƒ‚– PresidentsÃƒƒƒ‚’ Weekend
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes
March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes

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 the files.

Weekly Email January 26, 2006

2006-01-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear all,

Once again, many, many events coming up. Participate and enjoy!!

One reminder - if you are looking for community service opportunities for your child, please remember to check out our list of Outside Community Service Opportunities.

All the best,

Tony

The highlights:

* KARAMU! The Parent Multicultural Committee invites you to join us for Karamu! (see the attached flyer), our annual multicultural performance and celebration for the whole family, on Friday, January 27th (tomorrow!). If you do not already have tickets, please check or call into the lobby tomorrow, as the event may be sold out at this point.

* Coming next week: The 2006 Art Auction, a fine art silent auction of established and emerging artists to benefit the LREI Tuition Assistance Program. ADMISSION IS FREE!!!
When: Wednesday, February 1st - Thursday, February 2nd, 12:00 noon - 9:00PM
Where: I-20 Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, 11th Floor
Reception & Final Bidding: Thursday, February 2nd, 6:00PM - 8:30PM
PLEASE NOTE: FINAL BIDDING WILL END IN EACH OF THE THREE GALLERIES IN FIFTEEN MINUTE
INTERVALS STARTING AT 8PM.

A shuttle bus will be available on Wednesday, February 1st between LREI's Sixth Avenue building and I-20 Gallery from 10:00AM-6:00PM.

Kid's Day & Scavenger Hunt: Wednesday, February 1st from 4:00PM - 6:00PM

Visit the Art Auction website to view a full list of artists and preview and for more information on Conditions of Sale, Absentee Bids and other important details.

LREI Contact: Patricia McKee 212-477-5316 x232 or events@lrei.org

* An entreaty for our Visibility exhibit:

In years past, we have had nearly one hundred photos featuring our community members in the Visibility: Lesbian and Gay People We Love Photo Exhibit (see the attached press release). It has been an exciting event with palpable effects on our admissions, press coverage, and connectedness as a group, while it has also helped to solidify our position as a leader in education in the area of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) issues. Alumni have come out for the first time in our exhibit, families have changed the dynamic in their world by inviting beloved friends to be in the exhibit, children have grown up here thinking that LGBT-headed families are part of the fabric of everyday life, and the list goes on. All classes have seen the exhibit in past years and the discussion has resonated or been a touchstone for years afterwards. Recently, this exhibit was touted at the Literary Evening by the producer of "Brokeback Mountain," now an LREI parent, who said he could not wait to see the show!

This year, we have only received 20 photos total (with promises of 10 more). We are at a total of 30 photos.

Please take this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of LGBT AND straight children, families, and faculty by taking (or digging up) a photo and submitting it with a brief caption by Thursday, February 2. It really can make a huge impact and/or even save lives. Once again, the requirements for photos and captions listed are below. Further, please see the attached press release with an invitation to our opening night celebration.

Let's not lose the momentum and joie de vivre of this exhibit! And let's really step up to make this group--still shunned in so many ways--VISIBLE.

Do feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, and thank you so much--

Sarah Barlow
Interim English Department Chair
8th Grade Core Teacher
Middle School LGSA (Lesbian Gay Straight Alliance) Representative

The deadline for photo submissions is Feb. 2nd. Photos can be of individuals or family accompanied by a close friend or relative who is lesbian or gay. The people in the picture do not have to be part of the LREI community. Snapshots are fine, and more than one photo can be submitted. All photos must be UNFRAMED and no larger than 11" x 14" (which is our frame size).

The name of student/parent/faculty/administrator and grade (if student) must be written (lightly not to emboss the photo) on the back of the photo in pencil or with a Sharpie (permanent marker). The caption must include your name and a few lines describing the people in the photo and why they are important to you, or, if you like, something about their experiences of being visible or invisible. Captions can be submitted in any format, including email to Nancy@Workman.com.

Photos will be returned approximately one month after the show (or sooner if necessary). We would prefer to have permission to keep the photo for future shows but this is not required. Please indicate on the photo if this we can keep the photo for future shows.

* Coffeehouse! From High School Math/Music Teacher and Coffeehouse Guru Micah Dov Gottlieb:

Everyone - It's time for some COFFEE!!!
The next LREI Coffeehouse is Saturday, February 4th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We have some great performers so far including:

*The High School Jazz Band
* The Middle School Band
* The 4th Grade Band
* Special guest Jimmy Norman (he wrote ""Time Is On MY Side" and also composed some of Bob Marley's early songs)

PLUS: We are having a beat box contest with a $25 gift certificate prize. Anyone is invited to beat box for 20-30 seconds; the winner will be determined by a panel of judges. Please contact me at mdgottlieb@lrei.org for more details or if you want to know what "beat box" is!

We would love to have some more Lower/Middle School performers and patrons, and we would love to see faculty there from all three divisions!

Peace and love,

Micah Dov

Additional announcements:

* The next Parent Reps meeting will move from Tuesday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 15 so we can all celebrate Valentine's Day!

* Outside of the school:

The Parents League of New York and NYC-Parents in Action invite parents of students in grades 7-12 to attend:

Teen Scene XX
February 6, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Trinity School
101 West 91st Street

Learn what really goes on in the teenagers' world as they journey through the high school years!

RSVP to Parents League
212 737-7385

and

Parents Of Teen Scene: AFTERSHOCK
February 16, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Temple Israel
112 East 75 Street

A forum for parents who would like to discuss the issues they encounter as they partner in their teenagers' journey through the high school years.

RSVP to NYC-Parents in Action
212 987-9629

January
* Monday 2 School closed - Legal Holiday
* Tuesday 3 School closed - Professional Development Day
* Wednesday 4 School reopens
* Thursday 5 LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
* Thursday 12 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support meeting
* Friday 13 School closed (High School) - Parent-Advisor Conferences
* Monday 16 School closed - MLK, Jr. Day
* Tuesday 17 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 27 Karamu!
February
* Wednesday 1- Thursday 2 2006 Art Auction
* Saturday 4 Coffeehouse!
* Wednesday 15 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Monday 20 - Tuesday 21 School closed Ãƒƒ‚– PresidentsÃƒƒ‚’ Weekend
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes
March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes

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 the files.

Weekly Email January 19, 2006

2006-01-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents,

Many of you stopped by my office on Friday - or emailed me - to let me know how helpful you found the parent-advisor conferences. After receiving feedback from the faculty, may I say that the feeling is mutual. The overall picture I got from both sides of the equation was that in these meetings, parents and advisors shared information, learned, strategized and generally got a much more holistic view of each student - and came away with a sense of how to move forward. Thanks for being such terrific partners in your children's education.

Below you will see announcements/descriptions of three important all-school events coming up in the next two months: Karamu!, the Art Auction and Visibility. Please do find ways to participate in one or all of these events, events which truly do set our school apart.

All the best,

Tony

In order:

* KARAMU! The Parent Multicultural Committee invites you to join us for Karamu! (see the attached flyer), our annual multicultural performance and celebration for the whole family, on Friday, January 27th. We kick it off today (Thursday), with the Taste of Karamu bake sale. Students are working on the Karamu! family exhibit that will go up next week; they're also completing the library scavenger hunt for the chance to enter the student raffle. Tickets, t-shirts and raffle tickets for Karamu! will go on sale on Monday morning, January 23rd, in both lobbies. Please note that the event always sells out, so get your tickets early. If you would like to support Karamu! but can't attend, please don't buy tickets-we'd be happy to accept a donation instead. And if you buy tickets but your plans change, please turn them in-there's always a wait list. We still need VOLUNTEERS to contribute food for the potluck dinner and to fill a number of needs on Friday-please check the volunteer board in the 6th Avenue lobby, and/or e-mail LanaFlame@yahoo.com. Thank you!

* Please mark your calendars - only two weeks until the 2006 Art Auction, a fine art silent auction of established and emerging artists to benefit the LREI Tuition Assistance Program.
ADMISSION IS FREE!!!
When: Wednesday, February 1st and Thursday, February 2nd
Gallery Hours: Gallery hours 10:00AM to 8:30PM
Reception and Final Bidding: Thursday, February 2nd, 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Where: I-20 Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, 11th Floor
This year, for the first time, LREI is hosting a shuttle bus on Wednesday, February 1st to take people from LREI's Sixth Avenue campus to the I-20 Gallery from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. The bus will leave Sixth Avenue every hour on the hour, and will leave the Gallery on the half hour. We hope this will allow those who cannot attend the auction either Wednesday or Thursday evening to see all the wonderful art. To pre-register or get further information, please visit our website at www.lrei.org, or call 212-477-5316 x232.

The Art Auction website will go up tomorrow, Friday, January 20th.

* An entreaty for our Visibility exhibit: Please, please, please donate photos of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender friends or family members for Visibility (see the attached flyer). This important event in the life of the school depends on the broad participation of members of the community. When you come in for parent-advisor conferences or any other time, you can deposit photos and captions in the Visibility Drop Boxes at the Lower/Middle School or High School receptionist desks. From the Visibility Committee:

The deadline for photo submissions is Feb. 2nd. Photos can be of individuals or family accompanied by a close friend or relative who is lesbian or gay. The people in the picture do not have to be part of the LREI community. Snapshots are fine, and more than one photo can be submitted. All photos must be UNFRAMED and no larger than 11" x 14" (which is our frame size).

The name of student/parent/faculty/administrator and grade (if student) must be written (lightly not to emboss the photo) on the back of the photo in pencil or with a Sharpie (permanent marker). The caption must include your name and a few lines describing the people in the photo and why they are important to you, or, if you like, something about their experiences of being visible or invisible. Captions can be submitted in any format, including email to Nancy@Workman.com.

Photos will be returned approximately one month after the show (or sooner if necessary). We would prefer to have permission to keep the photo for future shows but this is not required. Please indicate on the photo if this we can keep the photo for future shows.

Additional announcements:

* Come see the Middle School play, Arabian Nights, Friday, January 20 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, January 21 at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The preview was a big hit at Tuesday's assembly, and the show will delight children of all ages!

* Mark your calendar - Saturday, February 4 - Coffeehouse!

* And outside of the school:

The Parents League of New York and NYC-Parents in Action invite parents of students in grades 7-12 to attend:

Teen Scene XX
February 6, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Trinity School
101 West 91st Street

Learn what really goes on in the teenagers' world as they journey through the high school years!

RSVP to Parents League
212 737-7385

and

Parents Of Teen Scene: AFTERSHOCK
February 16, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Temple Israel
112 East 75 Street

A forum for parents who would like to discuss the issues they encounter as they partner in their teenagers' journey through the high school years.

RSVP to NYC-Parents in Action
212 987-9629

January
* Monday 2 School closed - Legal Holiday
* Tuesday 3 School closed - Professional Development Day
* Wednesday 4 School reopens
* Thursday 5 LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
* Thursday 12 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support meeting
* Friday 13 School closed (High School) - Parent-Advisor Conferences
* Monday 16 School closed - MLK, Jr. Day
* Tuesday 17 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Friday 27 Karamu!
February
* Wednesday 1- Thursday 2 2006 Art Auction
* Saturday 4 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Monday 20 - Tuesday 21 School closed Ã‚– PresidentsÃ‚’ Weekend
* Tuesday 28 Last day of Trimester II classes
March
* Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 Trimester II Exams/Presentations
* Monday 6 First day of Trimester III classes

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 the files.

Weekly Email January 12, 2006

2006-01-12T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear parents,

Last Thursday, a good number of recent LREI graduates talked during the day with our eleventh and twelfth graders, and later in the evening with parents, about their college experience. I was struck by the following patterns in their answers:

* LREI graduates are especially prepared for the writing demands of college, but are also prepared for courses in mathematics, science, history, foreign language and the arts;

* LREI graduates know how to approach and work with college and university professors;

* LREI graduates are leaders in the extracurricular lives of the colleges and universities they attend;

* LREI graduates know how to live balanced lives.

I should expand on that last item. During the afternoon session, the panel was asked by a current twelfth grader about the "after-hours" life of college. The answer, which came from several members of the panel, was that they had quickly learned to navigate a healthy balance between the curricular, extracurricular and social lives of their schools. I was also struck by what one graduate from the class of '02, who currently attends a large university with a number of far more traditional courses, said about those courses and about the seminar-style classes that she is taking now in her senior year. She reported that she found her freshman and sophomore lecture courses - many with multiple choice midterms and finals - far easier to navigate than the courses she was used to at LREI, and that she was now having a far easier time with the smaller, discussion based courses than many of her peers.

In all, I could not have been more proud, both of the students from my time and of those from before my time.

Looking ahead
An entreaty for our Visibility exhibit: Please, please, please donate photos of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender friends or family members for Visibility (see the attached flyer). This important event in the life of the school depends on the broad participation of members of the community. When you come in for parent-advisor conferences or any other time, you can deposit photos and captions in the Visibility Drop Boxes at the Lower/Middle School or High School receptionist desks. From the Visibility Committee:

The deadline for photo submissions is Feb. 2nd. Photos can be of individuals or family accompanied by a close friend or relative who is lesbian or gay. The people in the picture do not have to be part of the LREI community. Snapshots are fine, and more than one photo can be submitted. All photos must be UNFRAMED and no larger than 11" x 14" (which is our frame size).

The name of student/parent/faculty/administrator and grade (if student) must be written (lightly not to emboss the photo) on the back of the photo in pencil or with a Sharpie (permanent marker). The caption must include your name and a few lines describing the people in the photo and why they are important to you, or, if you like, something about their experiences of being visible or invisible. Captions can be submitted in any format, including email to Nancy@Workman.com.

Photos will be returned approximately one month after the show (or sooner if necessary). We would prefer to have permission to keep the photo for future shows but this is not required. Please indicate on the photo if this we can keep the photo for future shows.

January and February have many divisional and all-school events. Coming up:

* The next meeting of the Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support will take place tonight - Thursday, January 12th at 6:30 PM.

* No classes Friday, January 13 - Parent-Advisor conferences.

* No school Monday, January 16 - MLK, Jr. Birthday

* Our next Parent Reps meeting will be on Tuesday, January 17.

* For parents of eleventh graders from College Guidance Counselor Amy Shapiro: Veritas Test Prep begins on January 18th. Secure your child's spot with a check for $600, payable to LREI.

* Come see the Middle School play, Arabian Nights, Friday, January 20 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, January 21 at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The preview was a big hit at Tuesday's assembly, and the show will delight children of all ages!

And looking ahead:

* Friday, January 27: Karamu!

* Saturday, February 4 - Coffeehouse!

And outside of the school:

The Parents League of New York and NYC-Parents in Action invite parents of students in grades 7-12 to attend:

Teen Scene XX
February 6, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Trinity School
101 West 91st Street

Learn what really goes on in the teenagers' world as they journey through the high school years!

RSVP to Parents League
212 737-7385

and

Parents Of Teen Scene: AFTERSHOCK
February 16, 2006
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Temple Israel
112 East 75 Street

A forum for parents who would like to discuss the issues they encounter as they partner in their teenagers' journey through the high school years.

RSVP to NYC-Parents in Action
212 987-9629

All the best,

Tony

January
* Monday 2 School closed - Legal Holiday
* Tuesday 3 School closed - Professional Development Day
* Wednesday 4 School reopens
* Thursday 5 LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
* Thursday 12 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support meeting
* Friday 13 School closed (High School) - Parent-Advisor Conferences
* Monday 16 School closed - MLK, Jr. Day
* Tuesday 17 High School Parent Rep Meeting

February
* Saturday 4 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting

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 the files.

Weekly Email January 5, 2006

2006-01-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! I hope the vacation has left you and your family rested and relaxed. Two important events in the next two weeks:

* TONIGHT!!! LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
Join recent LREI graduates and hear them talk about their college experiences and how LREI influenced their transition to college.
Thursday, January 5, 6:30 PM
40 Charlton Street, Library
Panel discussion and questions, reception to follow.

Panelists:
Akim St. Omar '02 - Boston College
Shayna Jeffers '02 - Wesleyan
Thea Bardin '02 - University of Florida
Ian Patrick '03 - Vassar College
Brian Marmolejos '04 - Yale University
Michael Sokol '04 - Drexel University
Alison Wiggins '05 - Skidmore College

* Parent-Advisor Conference Day - Friday, January 13
Your child's advisor should call to set up an appointment in the next couple of days if he or she has not done so already. This is a vital time for you and your child, working with your child's advisor, to take stock of how the first trimester went and look to the remainder of the school year. During the next week and a half, students will discuss their first trimester results with their advisors and set goals for themselves for the remainder of the school year. During the conferences on Friday, parents and advisors will have some time by themselves and then will be joined by the students. The purpose of these meetings is not only to help each student think about how to improve academic performance, but also and in the long run more crucially, to help each student come to know him- or herself as a student and as a person, and to move toward becoming an independent and self-correcting life-long learner.

Other announcements:

* Important announcements for parents of eleventh graders from College Guidance Counselor Amy Shapiro:

(1) Mark your calendars for College Night (see attachment): Tuesday, January 10 for parents of Sarvjit's and Janet's advisees or Wednesday, January 11 for parents of Julia/Ruth's, Vin's, and Karyn's advisees.

(3) Veritas Test Prep begins on January 18th. Secure your child's spot with a check for $600, payable to LREI.

* The next meeting of the Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support will take place on Thursday, January 12th at 6:30 PM.

* Our next Parent Reps meeting will be on Tuesday, January 17.

* Finally, another reminder - please see the invitation to participate in VISIBILITY: Celebrating the Lesbian and Gay People We Love, coming February 13, 2006.

* I am sorry to report that, after struggling with her health over the past several months, first-year Mathematics and Science Teacher Alissa Wall has decided not to return to LREI for the remainder of the school year. Nicholas Taussig, who has been filling in for Alissa since early November, has agreed to stay on and continue to teach her classes. Tenth Grade Dean Tom Murphy will continue to serve as Advisor to Alissa's advisees, as he has been. Please join me in wishing Alissa well.

All the best,

Tony

January
* Monday 2 School closed - Legal Holiday
* Tuesday 3 School closed - Professional Development Day
* Wednesday 4 School reopens
* Thursday 5 LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
* Thursday 12 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support meeting
* Friday 13 School closed (High School) - Parent-Advisor Conferences
* Monday 16 School closed - MLK, Jr. Day
* Tuesday 17 High School Parent Rep Meeting

February
* Saturday 4 Coffeehouse!
* Tuesday 14 High School Parent Rep Meeting

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 the files.

Weekly Email December 15, 2005

2005-12-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Parents,

All the best for a restful vacation filled with family and friends,

Tony

Announcements:

* Tomorrow is a half-day. School will close at 12:00PM (11:45AM, Early Childhood).

* From Phil: In the case of a transit strike, no school on Friday, December 16th. If we decide to close we will send out a community-wide email and phone call.

* Important announcements for parents of eleventh graders from College Guidance Counselor Amy Shapiro:

(1) Proposals for NYU college preview courses (see attachment) are due at the end of the day on Wednesday, Jan. 4th - no exceptions!

(2) Mark your calendars for College Night (see attachment): Tuesday, January 10 for parents of Sarvjit's and Janet's advisees or Wednesday, January 11 for parents of Julia/Ruth's, Vin's, and Karyn's advisees.

(3) Veritas Test Prep begins on January 18th. Secure your child's spot with a check for $600, payable to LREI.

* LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
Join recent LREI graduates and hear them talk about their college experiences and how LREI influenced their transition to college.
Thursday, January 5, 6:30 PM
40 Charlton Street, Library
Panel discussion and questions, reception to follow.

Panelists:
Akim St. Omar '02 - Boston College
Shayna Jeffers '02 - Wesleyan
Thea Bardin '02 - University of Florida
Ian Patrick '03 - Vassar College
Brian Marmolejos '04 - Yale University
Michael Sokol '04 - Drexel University
Alison Wiggins '05 - Skidmore College

* Please see the attached letter from Director of Education Nick O'Han about the visit to the school of Dr. Joseph Featherstone on January 3rd and 4th.

* The next meeting of the Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support will take place on Thursday, January 12th - NOTE THE DATE CHANGE - at 6:30 PM.

* Please note that LREI will be closed on Monday, January 2 and that we will have a professional day on Tuesday, January 3. Classes will resume on Wednesday, January 4.

* There will also be no classes on Friday, January 13 to allow for Parent-Advisor conferences. Your child's advisor will be in touch with you during the first week back to set up appointments.

* Our next Parent Reps meeting will be on Tuesday, January 17.

* A very nice note from Middle School Community Service Coordinator Gabrielle Keller: Last year, for three weeks in February and March, the MS participated in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Pennies for Patients" program. The students collected their pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in core homerooms and together raised more than $1700! On Wednesday, December 14th, Andi Grahlman, LREI's campaign coordinator, came to MS meeting to present the school with a plaque on behalf of the Society. The MS was recognized for tripling its giving last year from the first year, and we also had the highest per capita donation amount in the five boroughs! Congratulations to all the students. We look forward to participating again come February.

* Finally, another reminder - please see the invitation to participate in VISIBILITY: Celebrating the Lesbian and Gay People We Love, coming February 13, 2006.

January
* Monday 2 School closed - Legal Holiday
* Tuesday 3 School closed - Professional Development Day
* Wednesday 4 School reopens
* Thursday 5 LREI College Panel and Parent Reception
* Thursday 12 Parents of Children who Receive Academic Support meeting
* Friday 13 School closed (High School) - Parent-Advisor Conferences
* Monday 16 School closed - MLK, Jr. Day
* Tuesday 17 High School Parent Rep Meeting
* Saturday 21 Coffeehouse!

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 the files.