Dear Lower School Families,

Early Tuesday morning, parents waved good-bye to a class of Fourth Graders as they climbed eagerly onto a bus to head for the Hawthorne Valley Farm just outside of Poughkeepsie in Ghent, NY. This was the first of four four-day, three-night farm experiences to be enjoyed this month. Next week, a similar adventure will be had by our second Fourth Grade, and the following two weeks will see visits from Third Grade classes to a farm owned and run by Manhattan Country School.

While the two settings differ somewhat in their configuration and agenda, each is an intimate farm setting with a staff of highly trained and enthusiastic educators. Hawthorne Valley is an actual working farm and maintains a stand at the Union Square Farmers’ Market. It engages students in cattle herding, horseback riding, cooking, hiking and gardening; its focus is ecological and its kitchen, vegetarian. The Manhattan Country School farm for Third Graders is purely educational in focus. It is located further north in the town of Roxbury. Activities there include weaving, hiking, barn chores and cooking.

These four-day adventures represent a large time and educational commitment on the part of our teachers and students, as well as our parents. They represent a continuation of LREI’s tradition of teaching and learning outside the walls of a classroom. While their legacy may be difficult to quantify, it resonates throughout the school year and on into Middle School.

These trips, this time away from home with classmates and teachers, reflect the emerging independence that eight and nine year old students both strive for and shy away from. It allows children to draw strength from their classroom community and feel pride in their own emerging autonomy. They master real-world responsibilities, such as waking early in the morning to feed farm animals or cooking the entire evening meal with a small group of classmates. They also sing together with classmates around a campfire and share in silly evening rituals such as “pajamas on parade”. As a result, the community of students is strengthened and they return with a more intimate and authentic appreciation for each other.

Farm trips also take students from the urban to the rural, allowing them the opportunity to work side-by-side in a very different type of setting – to meet the realities imposed by nature, such as mucking out a stall or quietly enjoying a sunset or early dawn. Students learn to identify animal tracks, care for growing vegetables and dye and spin yarn. The experience is rich in shared sensory experience – weather, plants, foods, soil, animals. And during their daily writing and sharing times, students call up and reflect on these sensations.

Our hope is that when children return from their farm trip, albeit eager for home and a warm bath, they are just a bit older and more responsible, emotionally and aesthetically nourished and with the beginnings of a new kind of assuredness that comes from having enjoyed an extended and extraordinary natural experience with their class.

Let me end by thanking our teachers for their upbeat, round-the-clock participation: Suzanne Cohen, Caroline Johnston, Gwen Morrison, Thomas Murley, Kelly O’Keefe, Ayanna Greenidge, Sandra Chapman, Meredith Pressman, and finally, Dave Cataletto who will attend all four farm trips!

Elaine



This Week's Attachments:

Second Grade Letter

Third Grade Math Letter

Third Grade Trip Letter

Fourth Grade Keyboarding Letter

Parent Rep Meeting


Anouncements:

Class Photos
This is a reminder that class and individual photos will be on October 16th!
We still need some parent volunteers.
Our goal is to have one person 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
Photo Scholarships
Our photographer, Coffee Pond Photography, is able to offer a limited number of photo scholarhips. Please contact Delia Hernandez, X 238, if you receive financial aid and are unable to pay for photographs.

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.

How to Continue Diversity Conversations at Home



In the Next Few Weeks...

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- Learn-Your-Library morning

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

11/3- Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences. LS closed.

11/7- Third and Fourth Grade Math and Science Night, 6:00

11/8- Suzanne and Caroline's Farm Breakfast, 8:30

11/14- Gwen and Thomas' Farm Breakfast, 8:30

11/15- Chap and Meredith's Farm Breakfast, 8:00

11/21- Kelly and Ayanna's Farm Breakfast, 8:30