Reports on the Week

Today's blog may seem a bit fragmented - so much has happened over the past week that I am dying to share (note - this blog is excerpts of a the week :)

Friday afternoon I made may way up to the north central portion of Central Park (a part that I have never been to before). There were fields and fields of young ones playing soccer. Our gators just happened to be all the way on the other end. It was wonderful to see both the girls and boys play - and to see so many parents and classmates along for support. I say this constantly, it is so important that children are able to explore their interests and passions - to have opportunities and outlets for expression. It is my hope that Sports, Lab AfterSchool and Clubs are meeting this need.



On the club front - the application to form a club has been created by the SGO (student government organization). Any student that is interested in forming a club should fill-out the form and submit it to my office for approval. This week SGO has already received three club applications. It is important to note that this is all a learning process for our children. Yes it would be much more efficient (and much easier) to do this all as adults but then so much would be lost in the process of learning how. I was reminded of that today as I sat in the first SGO meeting at lunch. Led by one of our fearless 8th graders the group spent the period brainstorming ideas for the school and then building committees. I was so proud to see the future leaders of our world in action at Lab.

I also snuck into a 7th grade music class yesterday. Mr. Schwartz was playing an electric guitar over his head as the students learned new notes to a rock song. They are practicing for an upcoming performance at our school's first ever pep rally. It was a mixture of loudness, passion and tune that only a music teacher could love or recogize. It was brilliant. I can't wait to hear what they play for the entire school.

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year - Curriculum Night. I see this night as a moment to bring our larger school family together to see old friends and welcome new ones. I hope that the night provides a taste of what it's like to be a middle schooler here.

I must go but before I do I also want to do a quick plug for a book group I'm starting. The flyer is posted on SchoolHub and will also be handed out. Our first book is Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. It is a wonderful book that explores the importance of nature in the development of a child. I promise to blog more about this (I have some great accompanying articles to send out as well).

All for now...

Warmly, Meg

Beginnings

What a busy end (to last week) and start (to this week)...sorry I have not gotten on sooner! The flag football team played their first game on Friday night. I love sports - but I must admit that football is one of my favorites. Since coming to Lab it has been a dream of mine to start a football team. Standing on makeshift football field on the banks of the East River I couldn't of been happier - or prouder of our Gators. It was so great to see our teams play and to spend time with parents and siblings. Good luck to the team and coaches playing the game. And a tremendous thank you to the PA and Y-water (our sponsor) for making this dream a reality. This week I am headed to a soccer game (I will be sure to report out :) )

I am looking for pictures - please send them my way. I am working on a way to post on a secure site so we can honor and celebrate all that our labbies are doing.

The Guidance Department and I hosted High School information meetings today for 8th grade families. We had a pretty good turnout - it was so nice to see everyone. If folks missed the meeting and would like information they should email Jeanine Mastrangelo. Ms. Mastrangelo has also created a HS info email exchange for 8th grade families. The handout (with dates and deadlines) distributed at the meeting will also be backpacked home tomorrow. I know that the HS admissions process can be very stressful. I promise that Lab staff and faulty are here to support you in this process. Please let us know what we can do to help.

Next week is our annual Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 15th. This is a great opportunity to experience what it's like to be a Lab Middle Schooler. Parents will get a chance to meet their student's teachers, see the classrooms and meet other parents (during "passing periods"). More information will be coming home this week. I hope to see you all there.

I am going to sign-off for now. I am hopeful that more parents will subscribe to my blog (please spread the word).

Warmly, Meg

DDR and other events...

Friday afternoon Lab School held the first ever Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) dance party as a welcome mixer for our 6th grade students. For those less hip than our middle schoolers and don't know what this is (me included) DDR is a game involving a series of dance moves projected onto a screen. The players are to replicate the moves by hopping on parts of a large "DDR" pad on the floor. Trust me, it is harder than it looks. Along with the DDR competion, students also limboed, "danced" and ate lots and lots of ice cream. The event was a highlight of my week. It is always a treat to get to interact with students in contexts other than the classroom. I was able to see a crazy, creative and loving side to the 6th grade class - our newest Labbies. The event would not of happened with out the hard work of Ms. Feurtado and Mr. Evans (who organized the event), the PA for helping buy ice cream and donate prizes and all of the teachers and parents that offered to help chaperon. I took nearly 50 pictures and will be certain to share them soon.

On Tuesday I hosted our annual Inclusion Information night. Parents of both inclusion and general ed students gathered in the library to learn about Lab's Collaborative Team Teaching (CTT) program and meet some of our faculty. The highlight of the evening was hearing our students share their experiences with CTT. The CTT program is central to our school's values and cornerstone to our work - I must admit the students said it much better. Their words almost brought tears (happy ones) to my eyes.

I am off to Lunch Duty with the 6th graders. Hopefully there will be one more blog update before this short week ends.

Warmly,
Meg