PIECES OF THE PROJECT

This year’s Third Grade Native American Museum was, in essence, a true museum. Contained in two halls (classrooms), were displays of student-made artifacts, each item bearing carefully wrought, authentic detail. There were tables of clay “clan” animals, cornhusk dolls, papier mache tools and weapons, weaving, coil pots, hewn spoons, wampum belts and two large model villages. Perfect docents, the Third Graders described the objects on display, explained their uses and commented on their own research and creative process.

Their audience was the Second Grade. These visitors gained a sense of the Northeast Woodland culture as well as of the rhythms and demands of Third Grade life. Afterward, one Second Grader told me, “This got me ready for Third Grade!” Additionally, students, and later parents, were treated to costumed re-enactments of two Native American myths, The Three Sisters and Woodpecker and Sugar Maple and the legend, How the Earth Came to Be. Students recited their parts in clear, strong voices, bringing this piece of Native American lore into high focus.

Meanwhile…. behind the scenes, students were busy with the following:

• They researched, acquiring expertise, vocabulary and historic context.
• They organized their findings into notes and then paragraphs.
• They wrote descriptions to read to the Second Graders.
• They wrote “you are there” stories, imagining themselves living at this time in history.
• They listened to and discussed the novel, Birchbark House.
• They travelled to a recreation of a Lenape Village.
• They worked in art and shop to create artifacts and model villages, continually checking their sources for accuracy.
• Finally, they took two tests, or assessments, allowing teachers to gauge levels of understanding and fact acquisition; allowing themselves to consolidate and record their experience.

One piece of this process without the others would be less meaningful and resonant; it would read to progressive educators as incomplete experience. The gathering and organizing of information, the hands-on re-creation of artifacts, the teaching of others and the written assessment – the accountability moment – all combine to make learning a powerful and memorable endeavor.

And, if I have peaked your interest, I hope you will stop into the auditorium for this week’s Lower School Art Show, which boasts many Northeast Woodland artifacts.

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Laura and Lauren's Kindergarten

Colleen and Michael's Second Grade

Tasha and Romy's Second Grade

From Julie

Parent Rep Meeting Notes

This Week's Announcements:

2007-2008 Calendar:
Dear Families,
Click below 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.

Philip Kassen

Click Here

Spanish Resource List:
In order to enrich your child's experience as a Spanish learner, it is important to continue the exploration outside of the classroom.
To support these efforts, we will provide you with a Spanish Resource List in the weekly blog.
The list includes exhibits, events and places to visit as well as online resources.
We are always looking for more resources!
Please contact Delia Hernandez with any feedback and if you'd like to contribute to the list.

Click Here

In the Upcoming Weeks...

2/23- Lower School Art Show

3/1- LGSA Parent Meeting

3/2- Afterschool's First Friday

3/9- Lower School Special Assembly (students only)

3/15- Parent Rep Meeting

3/23-4/9- Spring Break

What Is a Family?

In anticipation of our Families Assembly, early childhood classes have been taking a look at their own families.

Fours invited parents in to cook, read and create art together. Children interviewed their guests, and, as parents responded, they provided a window into their children’s family and home lives. In the course of meeting discussions, Fours described a family as:

people in the same house
they live together
people who grow in the same house
people who have babies
they go away but come back – forever

Early Kindergartners have also been welcoming and interviewing ”family’” visitors. Parents are sharing favorite family recipes, from weiner schnitzel to chocolate chip pancakes. Some have come equipped with baby pictures or clothing and have shared their family’s story. When one parent described the busy day she spends with her EK’s younger sibling, another child chimed in “just like my mom!” When another told about his child’s adoption, a classmate joined in, “just like me!” And when a parent identified her child’s birth country as Guatemala …. “just like me!” EKs enjoyed the story of a classmate’s two fathers, but until a lesbian-headed family came to visit, were reluctant to consider a family with two moms – it was unfamiliar.

Two moms can’t born one baby because both moms have to have a baby.
But they could be adopted.
One of the moms could have a baby in her tummy and the other didn’t.
My brother knows someone with two moms.

Rejoicing in the many ways their families are similar and in their endless differences is both an esteem- and community-building process. Our Fours and EKs are proud of who they are and delight in learning more about their classmates’ families.

Next Wednesday morning, Lower School students will gather for the annual Families Assembly. We will sing songs such as We’re All a Family and Love Makes a Family. Some children will read poems and some teachers will read from a picture book. Children will share as a division as they have done as a class. This gathering, created by our Lower School LGSA Committee, is one of our warmest and most meaningful events.

Families were also the topic of discussion at this morning’s open parent meeting, Bringing the Conversation Home sponsored jointly by the Adoption, LS POCOC and LGSA Committees and chaired by Director of Diversity and Community, Sharon DuPree. Sharon reminded us of the beauty in the range of diversity among LREI families, even though this means we sometimes “bump into each other”. She encouraged parents to share openly – and they did, discussing a range of issues, hearing and counseling each other. Their comments included:

We try to strike a balance between interceding for our kids and helping them be comfortable with who they are – self-possessed and confident.
Language is always personal. Some families refer to a birth mother from early on, others wait.
We should create diverse friendships outside of school so that our children learn about people whom they already know and love.
Children can ask questions - in school or on a playdate – that sound insensitive, when they may be innocent. How do we know what is a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ question? Is it determined by age and level of maturity?
When children bring home questions or misconceptions, we need to stop and probe. If we don’t believe this is important, if we’re not ‘about’ it, our kids will know.

A long weekend ahead – time for many talks!

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Diane and Lisa's Early Kindergarten

First Grade

Third Grade


This Week's Announcements:

Presidents' Weekend:
School will be closed Monday and Tuesday in observance of Presidents' Weekend.

Art Show:
Dear Parents,

You are cordially invited to the Lower School Art Show taking place in the Bleecker Street Auditorium on Feb 22 and 23. We will have an opening for the children on Feb 22 from 3:00- 4:00. Hope you can make it.

Ann

Click Here

LREI Spirit Basketball Game:
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."

In the Upcoming Weeks...

2/16- Viewing of Native American Art in Third Grade, 3:00-3:15PM

2/19-2/20- School Closed for Presidents' Weekend

2/21- Families Assembly (students only), 9AM

2/21- Viewing of Native American Art in Third Grade, 8:30-9:00AM

2/22- Parent Rep Meeting, 8:45AM (New Date!)

2/22-2/23- Lower School Art Show

3/1- LGSA Parent Meeting

"TABLE TOPICS"

Recently I learned of a product called, "Tabletopics Family". It was created "to encourage family connection around the dinner table" and is endorsed by some independent schools as a worthwhile dinnertime conversation starter. This cube of cards includes questions such as,

When is it ok to lie?

Which famous athlete would you love to meet?

What's the hardest part about being a kid and being a parent?

What would be the menu on your ultimate birthday dinner?

With this in mind, I thought we could go over some of our own Lower School "table topics", ways we help our children to deepen their understanding of the world, question the ‘givens’ and reinforce and extend their classroom learning. Most discussions find their center in one of two areas: social studies, such as the dynamics of immigration or the inner workings of a city, and students’ social relationships, embracing everyday conversations, friendships, recess and playdates. These then open doors to the broader world, which children come to know through you: family recollections, personal experiences, current events and real, down-to-earth social, ethical and pragmatic dilemmas.

With regard to specifically reinforcing children’s classroom experience, our teachers suggest the following:

Julie the Spanish teacher encourages, "Ask your child what they spoke about in Spanish. Do they remember what words they used? Can they put them together to make a sentence?" From there we can move to talk about where Spanish is spoken, why we see it written next to English in so many areas of our city.

Ann, the art teacher, suggests responses such as these to children’s art work: "I notice you’ve used a lot of this color / these wavy lines." "You really highlighted the horse’s mane; its fast running legs."

Kelly, a Third Grade classroom teacher, thinking of children’s developing vocabularies: "Show interest in words as your child reads and writes and as you read aloud to your child. Talk about them."

Dorothy, a First Grade classroom teacher, in reference to the foundations of writing: "Ask directed questions when your child tells you about an event or about his/her day. ‘What happened first, second, third…’ ‘What do you do when…?’ Help your child to tell "good" stories, sequenced and detailed."

Dawn, the math teacher advises: "Ask questions that push your child’s mathematical thinking further; use math with your child to resolve everyday problems – count the change in your pockets, predict how much you will owe at the grocery store."

Sue and Helen our music teachers, who often provide us with lyrics, suggest: "Sing!"

Whether your family time is around the dinner table or on the A train, genuine exchanges of information and opinion qualify as authentic learning. Our specialty.

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Luise and Michelle's Kindergarten

First Grade Parents

Gina and Rebecca's First Grade

Colleen and Michael's Class

Third Grade Parents

Gwen and Thomas' Fourth Grade

Valentine's Day

LREI Collection Drive



This Week's Announcements:

Bringing the Conversation Home: Shared Meeting-Adoption, LS POCOC and LGSA Committees:
There will be a meeting Thursday, Feb. 15th, 8:45-9:45 in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria sponsored by Adoption Committee, LS POCOC, and LGSA. Information, conversation, and help with those questions kids ask about topics that may be unfamiliar, difficult, or without a ready answer - from topics in the curriculum to comments made to our children in class, on the playground, or on playdates... All parents welcome. Facilitated by Sharon Dupree, Director of Diversity and Community.

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.

Art Show:
Dear Parents,
You are cordially invited to the Lower School Art Show taking place in the Bleecker Street Auditorium on February 22 and 23. We will have an opening for the children on February 22 from 3:00- 4:00PM. Hope you can make it.
Ann

Shop News:
First Graders are learning how to use hammers and nails and glue to build strong furniture. They have made many kinds of furniture for Fluffy, our little bear who lives in the wood shop. Look in the lobby display case to see some samples of their work!


In the Upcoming Weeks...

2/14-2/16- Fourth Grade ERB Testing

2/15- Bringing the Conversation Home, 8:45AM

2/15- Final Art Auction Reception, 5:30-7:00PM

2/16- Viewing of Native American Art in Third Grade, 3:00-3:15PM

2/19-2/20- School Closed for Presidents' Weekend

2/21- Families Assembly (students only), 9AM

2/21- Viewing of Native American Art in Third Grade, 8:30-9:00AM

2/22- Parent Rep Meeting, 8:45AM (New Date!)

2/22-2/23- Lower School Art Show

"TABLE TOPICS"

Recently I learned of product called, "Tabletopics Family." It was created "to encourage family connection around the dinner table" and is endorsed by some independent schools as a worthwhile dinnertime conversation starter. This cube of cards includes questions such as,

When is it ok to lie?

Which famous athlete would you love to meet?

What's the hardest part about being a kid and about being a parent?

What would be the menu on your ultimate birthday dinner?

With this in mind, I thought we could go over some of our own Lower School "table topics", ways we help our children to deepen their understanding of the world, question the ‘givens’ and reinforce and extend their classroom learning. Most discussions find their center in one of two areas: social studies, such as the dynamics of immigration or the inner workings of a city, and students’ social relationships, embracing everyday conversations, friendships, recess and playdates. These then open doors to the broader world, which children come to know through you: family recollections, personal experiences, current events and real, down-to-earth social, ethical and pragmatic dilemmas.

With regard to specifically reinforcing children’s classroom experience, our teachers suggest the following:

Julie the Spanish teacher encourages, "Ask your child what they spoke about in Spanish. Do they remember what words they used? Can they put them together to make a sentence?" From there we can move to talk about where Spanish is spoken, why we see it written next to English in so many areas of our city.
Ann, the art teacher, suggests responses such as these to children’s art work: "I notice you’ve used a lot of this color / these wavy lines." "You really highlighted the horse’s mane; its fast running legs."

Kelly, a Third Grade classroom teacher, thinking of children’s developing vocabularies: "Show interest in words as your child reads and writes and as you read aloud to your child. Talk about them."

Dorothy, a First Grade classroom teacher, in reference to the foundations of writing: "Ask directed questions when your child tells you about an event or about his/her day. ‘What happened first, second, third…’ ‘What do you do when…?’ Help your child to tell "good" stories, sequenced and detailed."

Dawn, the math teacher advises: "Ask questions that push your child’s mathematical thinking further; use math with your child to resolve everyday problems – count the change in your pockets, predict how much you will owe at the grocery store."

Sue and Helen our music teachers, who often provide us with lyrics, suggest: "Sing!"

Whether your family time is around the dinner table or on the A train, genuine exchanges of information and opinion qualify as authentic learning. Our specialty.

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Julia and Michelle's Kindergarten

Letter to First Grade Parents

Gina and Rebecca's First Grade

Letter to Second Grade Parents

Letter to Third Grade Parents

Gwen and Thomas' Fourth Grade

Valentine's Day

LREI Collection Drive



This Week's Announcements:

Bringing the Conversation Home: Shared Meeting-Adoption, LS POCOC and LGSA Committees:
There will be a meeting Thursday, Feb. 15th, 8:45-9:45 in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria sponsored by Adoption Committee, LS POCOC, and LGSA. Information, conversation, and help with those questions kids ask about topics that may be unfamiliar, difficult, or without a ready answer - from topics in the curriculum to comments made to our children in class, on the playground, or on playdates... All parents welcome. Facilitated by Sharon Dupree, Director of Diversity and Community.

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.

Art Show:
Dear Parents,
You are cordially invited to the Lower School Art Show taking place in the Bleecker Street Auditorium on Feb 22 and 23. We will have an opening for the children on Feb 22 from 3:00- 4:00. Hope you can make it.
Ann

Shop News:
First Graders are learning how to use hammers and nails and glue to build strong furniture. They have made many kinds of furniture for Fluffy, our little bear who lives in the wood shop. Look in the lobby display case to see some samples of their work!


In the Upcoming Weeks...

2/14-2/16- Fourth Grade ERB Testing

2/15- Bringing the Conversation Home, 8:45AM

2/15- Final Art Reception, 5:30-7:00PM

2/19-2/20- School Closed for Presidents' Weekend

2/21- Families Assembly (students only), 9AM

2/22- Parent Rep Meeting, 8:45AM (New Date!)

2/22-2/23- Lower School Art Show

Dear Lower School Families,

Life on the Second Floor:

30 QUADS and a UNIT BLOCK

Yesterday I stepped out of my office to find 3 kindergartners with their teacher lining up unit blocks (the long quadruple units or quads) end to end down the center of the hallway. Students were intent on estimating how many more would be needed to reach the full length. They looked, conferred, and ran back to their classroom for additional blocks. Finally, only a small space remained between the tip of the last block and the end of the hall. Ks put their heads together and decided a small single unit block was needed – and, indeed, they were correct. The next step was to count – and re-count - the number of blocks. It was "30 quads + 1 unit block". Ks then discussed how best to record this finding – do we write 30 + 1 on paper clipped to clipboards, or on papers taped to the blocks themselves? Practicality won out, recordings – including drawings of the "30 + 1" blocks - were recorded on sheets of paper and shared with classmates. Children spoke in mathematical language, using comparisons such as: longer than, too many, not enough, halfway, almost. They estimated and counted, and tomorrow their classmates will repeat the exercise with double, then single unit blocks and these sums will be compared. Personalized measurement, as this is called in textbooks, allows students to have meaningful experiences with measurement before tackling yards, feet and inches.

FOURTH GRADE, 1907

This same day another line formed - all 38 Fourth Graders lined up silently outside a classroom waiting to be guided into long rows of chairs. Their teachers, dressed in turn of the 20th century garb, maintained stern and disapproving airs as they admonished them to sit with their backs "straight as rulers". They first led the Pledge of Allegiance, then instructed these students, many of them immigrants, to copy several times, "Boys and girls have perfect penmanship." Fourth Graders learned breathing exercises and received lessons in hygiene including, among other things, the advice that girls’ hair should be parted in the center and collected in a bun. They were called to stand, hands behind their backs, and recite the Emma Lazarus poem, The New Colossus – which they did to perfection. This you-are-there moment contributed to students’ appreciation of the Immigrant child.

Afterward, reflecting back on the experience, students said:
"The teachers back then only looked at the bad stuff, not the good."
"It was hard because we had to be so precise."
"It was really boring writing something over and over again."
"It was scary to see everyone with their backs straight up and down."
"The teachers were very strict, pushy, and they wanted everything to
be perfect."
"If I were really 12 in a class of nine year olds, I would feel embarrassed."
"I was trying to do everything right. It was hard not to talk at all."
"It was very hard pressure and serious stress."
"Doing this felt like I was actually a kid in 4th Grade in 1907.
"It was a good old once-in-a-lifetime thing."

LREI’s Lower School students have many such opportunities to construct models of meaning that inform and instruct, connect and clarify, as they explain the world and the learner’s place in it.

Elaine

This Week's Attachments:

Luise and Dave and Michelle's Kindergarten

Third Grade Math Letter

This Week's Announcements:

Afterschool:
February 2nd is a First Friday in Afterschool!
Join us for an afternoon of drumming, dancing and singing in the Auditorium this Friday from 4:15-5:15 with Haitian drum master, Galston Jean-Baptiste. Every child will have the opportunity to play a drum in this dynamic and interactive workshop.
Galston Jean-Baptiste, known as "Bonga" in Haitian Creole, has been performing and studying traditional Haitian drum, dance and song since the age of seven. Known for his extensive repertoire of Afro-Haitian rhythms, Bonga is also one of the few expert craftsmen outside of Haiti who continues to build drums and musical instruments using centuries-old techniques.
Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend this Friday's workshop. Please call the Afterschool office with any questions or to register your child at 212-477-5316, extension 239.

Parent Spanish Workshop: ¡Bienvenidos a Todos! Julie Sterling and Delia Hernandez invite you to attend a Spanish workshop for parents on Wednesday, February 7th at 8:45 in the Cafeteria. Join us to learn about our Spanish program and to engage in some activities en español!

Bringing the Conversation Home: Shared Meeting-Adoption, LS POCOC and LGSA Committees:
There will be a meeting Thursday, Feb. 15th, 8:45-9:45 in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria sponsored by Adoption Committee, LS POCOC, and LGSA. Information, conversation, and help with those questions kids ask about topics that may be unfamiliar, difficult, or without a ready answer - from topics in the curriculum to comments made to our children in class, on the playground, or on playdates... All parents welcome. Facilitated by Sharon Dupree, Director of Diversity and Community.


In the Upcoming Weeks...

2/7- Spanish Parent Workshop, 8:45AM, Sixth Avenue Cafeteria

2/8- Gwen and Thomas' Class Publishing Party, Big Room- 8:45AM

2/14-2/16- Fourth Grade ERB Testing

2/15- Bringing the Conversation Home, 8:45AM

2/19-2/20- School Closed for Presidents' Weekend

2/21- Families Assembly (students only), 9AM

2/22- Parent Rep Meeting, 8:45AM (New Date!)