September 28, 2006

Dear Lower School Parents,

Few things make children happier than birthday celebrations! Party planning, invitation writing, gift giving and receiving … all make for great anticipation and excitement. As it should be.

I could also have said: Few things make children happier – or have greater potential to hurt children’s feelings– than birthday celebrations!

This year, I hope you’ll join with me in working to safeguard our children’s feelings and self-esteem. I hope that together we’ll make efforts to ensure that each child feels valued and included within the important community of their classroom; that we’ll be sensitive to feelings of exclusion, being left out of a party that everyone else seems to be attending or of hosting one that is "less than" those hosted by classmates.

Here are a few tips: (You’ll also find these on P.17 of your Family Handbook.)

Invitations:

It’s fine to invite your child’s entire class or grade - or all the boys or girls - and to talk to your child about why it’s important to invite some classmates whom they may not consider close friends.

It’s fine to invite just a few friends, possibly for a movie or sleepover.

It’s not fine to invite all but a few from the class or grade, or all but a few of the girls or boys.

It’s fine to send invitations through the mail, rather than distributing them in school.

Party Planning:

It’s fine to hold a party on the weekend. It’s difficult when parties occur directly after school, though sometimes this is unavoidable. If it’s necessary, we request that you arrange a meeting place outside of school rather than picking up the invitees at the school door.

It’s fine to have a party that reflects your own style. No one at LREI should feel the pressure of expensive party planning. This isn’t who we are.

As I’m sure you can tell, I have strong feelings about arranging events in ways that value all our children. I’m guessing that you feel the same. Whatever your response, please know that I’m happy to talk about it should you wish. For starters, birthdays will be the topic of this Friday’s Second through Fourth Grade Morning Meeting in the Big Room. Please do your best to arrive promptly at 8:30AM.

My best,

Elaine

Reminders:

1. Scooters and Strollers: Please be sure these are folded completely and stored near your child’s classroom. If scooters are placed in cubbies, we ask that you purchase a bag in which to hang them so they will not roll.

2. Lost and Found: Our Lost and Found box is located on the landing directly across from the auditorium door nearest the Reading Room. It isn’t a bad idea to check this periodically.
Thank you.

This Week's Attachments:

Beth and Molly's Fours

Lauren and Laura's Kindergarten

First Grade Homework Letter

Dorothy and Stacey's First Grade Field Trip

Colleen and Michael's Second Grade Schedule

Spanish Letter

Math Letter


Announcements:

Class Photos will be on October 16th!
We need 21 parent volunteers; one for each class and two groups of four to work with the photographers.
The class volunteers will work for approximately one hour.
In addition, there will be a morning group of parents, 8:30-11:30 and an afternoon group, 11:20-2:20 to work with the photographers.
Please contact Delia Hernandez, X 238, if you would like to volunteer.

Photo Schedule:
8:45 Early Kindergarten
8:50 Fours
9:15 Dorothy/Stacey 1st
9:25 Jamie/Bonnie 1st
9:45 Lauren/Laura K
9:50 Gina/Rebecca 1st
10:15 Colleen/Michael 2nd
10:25 Tasha/Romy 2nd
10:45 Luise/Julia K
10:55 Middle School
11:40 Kelly/Ayanna 3rd
11:50 Chap/Meredith 3rd
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Gwen/Thomas 4th
1:35 Suzanne/Caroline 4th
1:55 Middle School

Don't miss the current display of children's wood working! Featured in the lobby display case, xylophones created by Third graders reveal their excellent drilling skills and ability to measure with string. Each xylophone also reflects each child's unique sensibility in color and sound.

Multicultural Brunch Announcement:
The Multicultural brunch originally scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 30th is postponed.
We will notify the community with details when it is rescheduled.
Sorry for any inconvenience.

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.

Click Here to access the NYSAIS survey.

In the Next Few Weeks...

10/2- Yom Kippur: School Closed

10/3- Suzanne and Caroline's 4th Grade Class Farm Trip

10/4- 8-9AM- Chap/Meredith Farm Meeting

10/5- 6PM- 4s- 1st Grade Curriculum Meeting

10/6- Suzanne and Caroline's 4th Grade Returns from Farm Trip

10/9- Columbus Day: School Closed

10/10- Gwen and Thomas' 4th Grade Class Farm Trip

10/11- 8-9AM- Kelly/Ayanna Farm Meeting

10/13- Gwen and Thomas' 4th Grade Class Farm Trip Returns

10/16- Photo Day

10/17- Chap and Meredith's 3rd Grade Farm Trip

10/19- 8:45- Parent Rep Meeting

10/20- Chap and Meredith's 3rd Grade Class Farm Trip Returns

10/23- Photo Day (raindate)

10/24- Kelly and Ayanna's 3rd Grade Class Farm Trip

10/25- 8:45- 2nd Grade Assembly

10/27- Kelly and Ayanna's 3rd Grade Class Trip Returns

10/29- Halloween Fair

Student "Where-With-All"

As the NY Mets won the Eastern Division Championship, commentators praised Willie Randolph for having had the "where-with-all" to get there. Listening, I thought about what qualifies as "where-with-all" in the realm of student performance. What exactly are those qualities that allow students to meet challenges head-on, persevere in the face of adversity and take personal risks?

The short answer is their belief in process – in working step by step toward a resolution, their belief in strategizing – approaching work from more than one vantage point, and their belief in themselves – trusting that their own efforts will be appropriately valued.

Students in our Lower School expect the road to mastery to be made up of many steps and component parts. They may begin with a "seed idea", an estimate or basic sketch, and then backtrack, revising and editing, computing more fully or adding color and detail. As children move through the grades and grow better able to extend their work over time, these stages become more complex and fulfilling.

Where-with-all also reflects a child’s ability to strategize, to choose one approach over another in the interests of accuracy and efficiency. Teachers ask, "How else could you solve that?" "What else could we put here?" "Is there another way to find out?", urging students to expand their problem solving techniques. In large measure, students also learn from each other as they brainstorm ideas, compare hypotheses and assess outcomes.

Finally, where-with-all is about having the confidence to share your personal views, ideas and renderings knowing that these will be different from your classmates’. An especially beautiful example of this hangs in our main hallway – a collection of Fourth Grade paintings of an arrangement of sunflowers. Although painted from observation, each of these is different from one another. Some students focused on faithfully representing what they saw, others were inspired by more playful interpretations they’d seen in example from Van Gogh and Georgia O'Keefe. Some flowers appear to be a family; another is drawn from "a bee’s perspective". As art teacher Ann Schaumburger notes, "All art is autobiographical"; this may be particularly so at LREI where a teacher’s questions open the door for creativity.

As students and teachers discuss goals for the year, plotting out the weeks and months ahead, let’s not forget that the oft elusive quality of "where-with-all" resides in all our students, just waiting to be tapped.

Elaine

Reminders:

1. Please do not allow your child to bring valuables into school as these can be easily misplaced or lost. Pokemon cards and other trading items should also remain at home.

2. I hope you will make every effort to attend your child/ren’s Curriculum Meetings. Parents of Second through Fourth Graders will meet at 6PM on Thursday, September 28th, and parents of Fours through First Graders on Thursday, October 5th. As always, we will post a childcare sign-up sheet at the front desk. This year, Specialist teachers will be on hand to meet informally with parents beginning at 5:30PM in the auditorium.

3. Family Handbooks were sent home on Wednesday of this week. Please contact Kate Greathead (Kgreathead@LREI.org) if you did not receive a copy. I encourage you to read through your handbook, paying special attention to Pp. 11 and 12 and 17 through 19.


This Week's Attachments:

Diane and Lisa's Early Kindergarten

Luise and Julia's Kindergarten

Tasha and Romy's Schedule

Suzanne and Caroline's Fourth Grade


Announcements:

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.

Click Here to access the NYSAIS survey.


In the Next Few Weeks...

9/28- 8:45- Parent Rep Meeting

9/28- 6PM- 2nd-4th Grade Curriculum Meeting

9/29- 8AM- LGSA Parent Welcome Breakfast 6th Ave

10/2- Yom Kippur School Closed

10/3- Suzanne and Caroline's 4th Grade Class Farm Trip

10/5- 6PM 4s- 1st Grade Curriculum Meeting

10/6- Suzanne and Caroline's 4th Grade Returns from Farm Trip

10/9- Columbus Day: School Closed

10/10- Gwen and Thomas' 4th Grade Class Farm Trip

10/13- Gwen and Thomas' 4th Grade Class Farm Trip Returns

10/16- Photo Day

10/17- Chap and Meredith's 3rd Grade Farm Trip

10/19- 8:45- Parent Rep Meeting

10/20- Chap and Meredith's 3rd Grade Class Farm Trip Returns

10/23- Photo Day (raindate)

10/24- Kelly and Ayanna's 3rd Grade Class Farm Trip

10/25- 8:45- 2nd Grade Assembly

10/27- Kelly and Ayanna's 1st Grade Class Trip Returns

10/29- Halloween Fair

September 21, 2006

Dear Lower School Parents,

It is a pleasure to be writing you on the eve of the second week of school in this shiny new school year. Welcome all! This is also a week in which white lilies bloom in each classroom honoring the event five years ago which rocked our city and our school, a day in which our teachers became heroes, and during which I watched with a group of Kindergartners as the first tower imploded. The lily allows teachers to listen for children’s feelings and memories and for children to join together in support of each other.

As I visit classrooms, I can almost feel the groups, or "classroom communities" taking shape. This is a week of new connections and of firsts. As they choose line partners and lunch tables, share books and go about their daily jobs, children renew and create friendship ties. They internalize rhythms and routines – going upstairs to the roof, setting mats out for rest, gathering on the rug for an end-of-day story – and experience the ebb and of flow of a full day of school.

First Graders are gradually beginning special activities such as art, shop and gymnastics. Their specialist teachers first visit them in their classrooms then invite them into the studio, gym or shop. Second Graders are packing their first homework assignments into their backpacks along with a "best work checklist". They’ll also be joining their first Morning Meeting in the Big Room. Third Graders prepare for their first four-day farm trip (and Fourth Graders their second). And Fourth Graders adjust to their status as the senior members of the Lower School.
These "firsts" are moments to savor. They offer opportunities for personal growth, renewed commitment and a sense of pride in having conquered the new – and enjoyed it. For some, these early days also provide a welcome return to structure after the leisurely summer months. Each of your children has worked hard this week and deserves our recognition.

Elaine

P.S. As some of you are aware, administrators worked hard over the summer to create a schedule that would reflect what we know about child development. In particular, we focused on our First Grade, reducing the number of special classes and transitions in order to build in greater consistency and create longer stretches of uninterrupted time. We believe that a better-paced, more child-friendly schoolday enhances both learning and enjoyment. I was pleased to see our concerns echoed in September 11th Newsweek cover article, "The New First Grade: Too Much Too Soon?"



This Week's Attachments:

Gina and Rebecca's First Grade

Jamie and Bonnie's First Grade

Colleen and Michael's Second Grade

Tasha and Romy's Second Grade

Third Grade Letter

Chap and Meredith's Third Grade Schedule

Gwen and Thomas' Fourth Grade


In the Next Few Weeks...

9/18- Afterschool Programs Begin

9/28- 8:45- Parent Rep Meeting

9/28- 6PM- 2nd-4th Grade Curriculum Meeting

9/29- 8AM- LGSA Parent Welcome Breakfast 6th Ave

10/2- Yom Kippur School Closed

10/3- Suzanne and Caroline's 4th Grade Class Farm Trip

10/5- 6PM 4s- 1st Grade Curriculum Meeting

10/6- Suzanne and Caroline's 4th Grade Returns from Farm Trip

10/9- Columbus Day: School Closed

10/10- Gwen and Thomas' 4th Grade Class Farm Trip

10/13- Gwen and Thomas' 4th Grade Class Farm Trip Returns

10/16- Photo Day

10/17- Chap and Meredith's 3rd Grade Farm Trip

10/19- 8:45- Parent Rep Meeting

10/20- Chap and Meredith's 3rd Grade Class Farm Trip Returns

10/23- Photo Day (raindate)

10/24- Kelly and Ayanna's 3rd Grade Class Farm Trip

10/25- 8:45- 2nd Grade Assembly

10/27- Kelly and Ayanna's 1st Grade Class Trip Returns

10/29- Halloween Fair


Announcements

Two Reminders from the P.A.

1. Please join us at one of the welcome fairs next week.
Tuesday, 6-6:30PM in the Charlton St. PAC or
Thursday 8-9 AM in the 6th Avenue Cafeteria

Here for more details.

2. Remember to fill out your parent survey.

As you have read in our last email, in November a group of educators from other independant schools in New York State will visit LREI. These professional colleagues will be serving as members of the team that will perform our ten-year re-accreditation exercise, a requirement for all NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independant Schools) member schools. As part of this process NYSAIS asks that all parents complete a survey. We have chosen to do this on-line. Anonymous responses, and the summary of these responses, will be presented to our visitors. The goal of the visit is to gauge the extent to which LREI does what it says it does.

Click Here to access the NYSAIS survey.