Dear Lower School Parents,

We’re about to complete our spring conference cycle, and I’m hoping you‘ve gained new insights into this phase of your child’s learning and classroom experiences. Teachers plan these April conversations with the idea that some time remains for collaboration on shorter-term goals so that children can end their year on a high note. Working together on these goals is most effective.

As we approach our last full month, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the network of
diversity committee support that informs and enriches our division.

Within the Lower School, we connect closely with the:

• Parent Multi-Cultural Committee: In addition to planning the amazing Karamu’, this group looks at aspects of diversity within the school as a whole. It is co-chaired by Mario Murillo and Noreen Stallings-Hall.
• Lower School Parents of Children of Color: The POCOC looks at quality of life issues for our kids of color. Many thanks to current co-chair, Myra Mason, as she moves on to Middle School and to Rona Jolliffe-Espeut and a warm welcome to Rhonda Hartley and Charlotte Hinson, new committee co-chairs.
• Lesbian and Gay Straight Alliance: The LGSA focuses on quality of life and educational issues in addition to planning the bi-annual Visibility exhibit. Thanks go to the current Chair Nancy Murray as she moves on. LREI’s LGSA is now in need of a chair. Please contact Nancy if you are interested in participating.
• Asian-American Families Committee: Chaired by Ruth Yang, this group of parents meets to enhance the experiences of our many Asian-American students.
• Adoptive Parents Committee: Happily, this is a growing group that enhances the experience of children who were adopted by increasing our understanding of adoptive families. The current chair is Denise Adler. An upcoming initiative of this committee is an Early Childhood Breakfast Conversation at 8:45AM on Tuesday, May 16th, with speaker…
• Community Service Committee: Not strictly speaking an affinity group, but linked because of its active humanitarian efforts. Here thanks go to the chairs, Jennifer Edson and Denise Adler.
  

One or possibly two meetings remain for each of these committees. I wanted to write this note as a thank you to those of you who take these extra steps. It is your commitment that moves our division from school to community. Our children are the beneficiaries.

This Week's Attachments:

Kindergarten - Brooke and Charles

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

An Invitation to Meet the Incoming High School Principal

Spanish Resource List


Announcements:

To the Fourth Grade parents:

We just wanted to remind everyone about our Bronx Zoo field trip next Tuesday, May 2. It is important for all students and the chaperones to arrive at school at 8:15 that morning. We have added two chaperones to our Bronx Zoo Trip. David Fenton and Lorna Mehta's names were pulled out of the hat and will be joining us. Also, everyone will need to bring a bag lunch. It should be a fun day!

Please look for our letter in this week's blog with news on our upcoming bake sale and details about our social studies curriculum.

Thank you,
The Fourth Grade Teachers

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.

Lost and Found - Please look through our lost and found bin on the first floor. At the end of the month, we will donate clothing items that remain there.

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 8AM-6:30PM.

Save the date - Early Childhood! - Hollee McGinnis from the Adoption Institute will present a morning workshop for Early Childhood parents on Tuesday, May 16th.

Save the date - Fourth Grade! - The Fourth Grade Moving Up Ceremony will be on the morning of Monday, June 13th.


Upcoming Events:

4/28 - Half Day (school closes at noon, fours-first grades - 11:45AM) for Parent-Teacher Conferences

5/3 - 8:45AM - Kindergarten Assembly

5/4 - 8:00AM - Lesbian Gay Straight Alliance (LGSA) Meeting

5/4 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Fourth Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/5 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Third Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/9 - 8:45AM - Parents of Children of Color (POCOC) Meeting

5/10 - 8:45AM - Fours and EK Assembly

5/10 - 6:00PM - Erin and Carin's Fourth Grade Picnic

5/11 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Second Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/11 - 8:45AM - Multicultural Committee Meeting

5/11 - 6:00PM - Suzanne and Patricia's Fourth Grade Picnic

5/12 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in First Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/15 - 6:00PM - Colleen and Ronnie's Second Grade Picnic

5/16 - 6:00PM - Kinjal and Caroline's Second Grade Picnic

5/17 - 8:45AM - First Grade Assembly

5/17 - 6:00PM - Kelly and Meredith's Third Grade Picnic

5/18 - 8:45AM - Parent Rep Meeting

5/19 - Grandparents and Special Friends Day!

Click here to access the full calendar.

Dear Lower School Families,

One thing can be said about our community – we don’t shy away from difficult issues or uncomfortable conversations. As parents, we advocate passionately for our children and our beliefs, we listen to the views of others and seek out common ground. As a faculty, we look at difficult but necessary changes in program in order to serve your children in the best way possible. I am proud to represent an institution that grapples; that knows no status quo. At this moment, conversation - and grappling - is occurring on a few different fronts, a backdrop to the powerful learning taking place in our classrooms.

A recent case in point was the Monday evening Open PA Meeting in which issues related to class placement were discussed. On the faculty level, our Tuesday afternoon meeting looked at scheduling options for the upcoming year with the goals to:

• Provide a satisfying, coherent school experience for the students
• Ensure sufficient time for in-depth play, research and exploration, and
• Honor – do justice to - the content areas and programs that we teach.
  

We are in full agreement that a shift is called for in order to reach a school day that is less frantic and fragmented. We are thinking outside of that box. The issue – and the grappling – lies with deciding what must give in order to reach that goal. Work for the upcoming months.

May all of you enjoy your upcoming parent teacher conferences and profit from a lively exchange of insights, anecdotes and shared appreciation for your child.

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Parents of Kindergarten students moving to First Grade next year should read this letter from Harriet Lieber and Mary Young.

Gina and Elizabeth's First Grade

Chap and Michael's Third Grade

Kelly and Meredith's Third Grade

Parent Rep Meeting Minutes

Spanish Resource List

Announcements:

For information on Parent-Teacher Conference Childcare, click here.

Fourth Grade Parents - Don't forget the What to Expect in Fifth Grade Meeting with Mark and Elaine on Tuesday, 4/25 at 8:45AM in the Cafeteria.

Big Auction - Next Wednesday, April 26 is the Big Auction. We hope you are planning on attending but if that is not possible and you 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. Many thanks for supporting LREI.

Lost and Found - Please look through our lost and found bin on the first floor. At the end of the month, we will donate clothing items that remain there.

Save the date! - 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 8AM-6:30PM.

Sites for Kids - Check out these web links with resources and information for kids:
www.metmuseum.org (click "Enter Here" and the MuseumKids)

http://www.moma.org/education/ (click on "Destination: Modern Art")

www.enchantedlearning.com


Upcoming Events:

4/21 - School Closed for Parent-Teacher Conferences

4/25 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Fifth Grade with Mark and Elaine, Cafeteria

4/26 - 8:45AM - Third and Fourth Grade Assembly

4/26 - 6:00PM - Big Auction

4/28 - Half Day (school closes at noon, fours-first grades - 11:45AM) for Parent-Teacher Conferences

5/3 - 8:45AM - Kindergarten Assembly

5/4 - 8:00AM - Lesbian Gay Straight Alliance (LGSA) Meeting

5/4 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Fourth Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/5 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Third Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/9 - 8:45AM - Parents of Children of Color (POCOC) Meeting

5/10 - 8:45AM - Fours and EK Assembly

5/10 - 6:00PM - Erin and Carin's Fourth Grade Picnic

5/11 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Second Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

5/11 - 8:45AM - Multicultural Committee Meeting

5/11 - 6:00PM - Suzanne and Patricia's Fourth Grade Picnic

5/12 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in First Grade with Elaine, Cafeteria

Bienvenido a todos!

So good to be back! One would expect that, following a two-week break, the curriculum wheels gain momentum slowly. Not so around here. Walking through our school yesterday and today, I happened on:

• A puppet assembly (Manhattan Kids Project) for Second through Fourth Graders promoting sensitivity to people with disabilities
• A typical New Amsterdam meal of porridge and apples enjoyed by Third Graders who ate from their own clay bowls and with their own chiseled spoons.
• A group of Second Graders writing and illustrating their wishes for adult careers.
• A Kindergarten class enjoying African folk tales as told to them by Sixth Graders.
• First Graders visiting, then diagramming renovation plans for nearby Father Demo Square (or "triangle", as one child pointed out).
• A series of "demo" classes with movement teacher, Deborah for NYU’s dance faculty.
• A puppet-making workshop for faculty led by Ann.
• Fourth Graders initiating a rain forest exploration, and related to their study of biomes, having written Desert Brochures, such as – "The Great Basin Trip: Have you ever traveled to a desert? Now is your chance! You will see exciting things like poisonous plants and unusual animals. The weather is different from what you are used to, also. Enjoy the trip!"
• First Graders displaying their step-by-step "How To" Books such as – "How to Take care of a Little Sister: You need an older brother and a little sister! Then you ask them if they need anything. If they need help, help them. Play with them. Hold them. Feed them milk. Give them hugs and kisses. But most of all give them love."
• And, the four early childhood classes positioned to begin their studies of – music and musical instruments, art and artists, storytelling, and transportation.
  

Finally, a reminder that this Tuesday, April 11th, is Poem in your Pocket Day at LREI. Please see that your child comes to school with a poem that they have chosen or written in their pocket. If this is not easy to do at home, not to worry - Jesse will have a store of extras in the library.

P.S. Podría ser en español también!

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Fours

Kelly and Meredith's Third Grade

Food Drive

Spanish Resource List


Announcements:


Afterschool's First Friday
Friday, April 7th at 4:15pm
LREI's Performing and Physical Arts Space

Afterschool at LREI welcomes Maria Terrero for an afternoon of Afro-Dominican music and dance. In this demonstration and workshop we will explore the music and dance of Congos de Villa Mella, a cultural form which comes from the Dominican Republic.
Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend and participate. Contact the Afterschool office at 212-477-5316 ext. 239.


- Please remember these dates:

• School closed next Thursday and Friday, (4/13 and 4/14)
• School closed on Friday, 4/21 for Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Half Day of school on Friday, 4/28 for Parent-Teacher Conferences (school closes at 12:00, fours-fourth grades - 11:45AM)

- Don't forget about the second part of the diversity meeting series, which will be on Monday, April 17 at 6:00PM.

- Childcare will be provided for parent-teacher conferences. Please click here for more information.

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.


- Click here for details on this Saturday's LREI Spring Arts Project at Hudson Guild!


- This Saturday - 7 PM, at Charlton Street - COFFEEHOUSE! This COFFEEHOUSE will have a bit of a harder rocking theme, with some of our louder bands playing. 7-9pm. $3 students and $5 guests


- An invitation from Hawthorne Valley Farm - Greetings from Hawthorne Valley Farm! We cordially invite all families to our OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, April 8th at 2:00 pm. Come tour the farm and the Main House. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and tour the farm where the children stay during the Visiting Students and Summer Camp programs. Visit our website, http://www.vspcamp.com/, for driving directions and please RSVP to Helen at (518) 672-4790. There are spaces available in our ONE WEEK CAMP, July 16 to July 21, for ages 8 and 9, call for more information. This camp offers a day camp option. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, April 8th at 2:00 pm, Hawthorne Valley Farm, 327 Rt 21C, Ghent, NY.


Upcoming Events...

4/11 - 8:45AM - Parents of Children of Color (POCOC) Meeting

4/11 - Poem in Your Pocket Day

4/13-4/14 - School Closed

4/17 - 6:00PM - Diversity Parent Meeting, Part II

4/20 - 8:45AM - Parent Rep Meeting

4/21 - School Closed for Parent-Teacher Conferences

4/25 - 8:45AM - What to Expect in Fifth Grade with Mark and Elaine

4/26 - 8:45AM - Third and Fourth Grade Assembly

4/28 - Half Day (school closes at noon, fours-first grades - 11:45AM) for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Click here to access the full calendar.