The LP Bulletin #28Thursday, March 21st

UPCOMING LP EVENTSThursday, March 21st - 2nd Grade Play for Parents - 8:00am and for theSchool - 11:00am/Arts and Crafts After School Club 3:20-4:30Friday, March 22nd - 6th Grade Parent DC Meeting 8:00-9:00 and HalfDay for Students (12:15 dismissal) Monday, March 25th - Arts and Crafts Club - 3:20Tuesday, March 26th - Kindergarten 2020 Coffee - 8:30/Girl Scouts andCooking ClubWednesday, March 27th - All school trip to the Symphony - 10:00/CookingClubThursday, March 28th - 1st Grade Play - 8:00/Last Chess Session.Friday, March 29th - Stuffed Animal Day/Parent viewing ofScreenagers - 7:45-8:45am and 7:00-9:00pm - Cooking ClubTuesday, April 2nd - Sex Education Parent Meeting for 1st Grade and NewFamilies to the school - Promptly at 8:001st Grade to Paul Revere House - 9:30Wednesday, April 3rd - 6th Grade IRS Presentations - 8:05Thursday, April 4th - 5th Grade Play for Parents - 8:00am/6th GradeKeyboard Recital - 8:05amFriday, April 5th - 3rd Grade Special Friends Day - 8:05/6th Grade Dance -7:00-9:00pm

HEADLINES

CURRENT 'HABIT OFTHE HEAD, THEHEART, AND THEHAND'

Appreciation

ATTACHMENTS

2018-2019 SchoolCalendar

2019-2020 Calendar

Next Week: Dismissal on Commonwealth Avenue

On Monday--and all week--dismissal will be in front of the Kindergarten (Baptist Church). NO change forMorning drop-off. At dismissal time on Monday, please line up on Commonwealth Ave. in the same way we do on MarlboroughStreet. The lead car should park away from the intersection 'behind' the drive way cut which is beside thechurch tower. We will use the area beside the Church sanctuary as our 'loading zone.' The supervisor on the gas line repair job has worked with us the past several weeks to minimize disruption toour routines while his workers have been digging 'exploratory holes.' We had spoken several weeks agoabout this dismissal contingency and this morning he asked that we implement it next week. We did asimilar dismissal for several days last year on Commonwealth Ave during a period when Marlborough Streetwas a single lane due to snow. It worked well, and we'll make sure it does, again. FYI: There will be another week this spring (date uncertain) when they will actually replace the gas line inthis block and when we will also need to do dismissal on Comm. Ave.

Snowdrops and Tulips and Buds --Oh my!

It is happening. Find the tender shoots in the muck of the bareground, feel the new light in the evening, listen for the chattering ofthe house sparrows--each their own sign that spring is here.There was a time when the first day of spring was announced on ourcalendars to be March 21st, but the date has been shifted back toMarch 20th. The reasons are complicated. Best I understand, theyinvolve an adjustment to our Gregorian calendar--an imperfect,albeit brilliant, human construct introduced in 1582 (!)--with morerecent astronomical calculations. Long story short, the first day ofspring was yesterday--not today, as I mistakenly announced it wouldbe at Monday Morning Assembly. And, in any event, snowdrops areblooming, the tulips are an inch above the ground, and the tree budsswell fatter by the day. We're not out of March quite yet, but there'shope in the air.

Snowdrops in the Public Garden

Tulip Shoots in our Front Yard.

A Sonogram of the House Sparrow Chatter(a rapidly repeated 'chirp, chirp, chirp')

SCREENAGERS MOVIE: Next Friday (Space Still Available)

When I was recently talking about showing this film here at our school, an educator friend recommendedthat I tell our school parents that this is a "don't miss opportunity" and that, if at all possible, at least oneparent from every LP family (even parents of kindergartners) should plan to see this film. I trust his advice,so I pass it on. This film is not available outside of this sort of private showing. (You will not find it on Netflix.) To see thethree minute trailer just google "Screenager." That's probably enough to convince you to come. The filmmaker, Delaney Ruston, a physician and parent of teens, describes what is a relatively newphenomenon--the explosion of screen time usage among children and teens. Most parents of today grewup before this explosion impacted their own childhood (and perhaps before it impacted their teen years), buthere it is--and in a big way--begging the question: What do we all need to know about the impact of newtechnologies on the emotional and social lives of our children and what should we do to empower ourchildren in safe and healthy ways? Come find out: Next Friday, from 7:45 am to 9:30 am, and again, that evening between 7:00 pm and 9:00pm, we'll be showing this hour-long film in the ballroom. (FYI: We also expect to be showing the film, orexcerpts of it, to our 5th and 6th graders during the school day.) This film has been widely acclaimed andnow shown in hundreds of schools across the nation. We have also invited parents of middle and high schoolLPers to join us. Please inform Claire (ctoker@learningproject.org) by March 27th as to which session--morning or evening--you wish to attend.

Chess Tournament

Louis Tompros reports that 15 LP Chess Players --the largest group ever--are slated to attend theMassachusetts School Team Chess Tournament in Boxboro, MA this Saturday. Since he will be out of townthis week, our four school teams will be lead by the parents of Bryn, Sam, and Milan; ace players in thefourth grade. Two teams will be in the older division (4th/5th Graders) and two teams in the younger division (K-3rdGraders). And we have three first-time tournament players: Sebastian Vuono, Archer Vuono, and IshaniGupta. Hooray!

The tournament runs all day, and all students have the chance to play in all of the rounds -- there's no"elimination" no matter how many games students win or lose. Now, isn't that a lovely arrangement?!

All School Symphony Trip: Attire

This coming Wednesday, March 27th, all classes will be walking down to Symphony Hall to hear a children'sconcert. We are asking that the children dress 'a wee bit' special on this day. We're not looking for partydresses or tuxedos, but please collared shirts in place of sweat shirts or t-shirts, and no sweat pants--as aminimum.

Goals Month

Next week is the home stretch. If your child is still engaged, commend them for their perseverance (a monthis a long time!) and encourage them toward the finish line. But, as earlier advised, please don't 'carry themacross.' (See next commentary)

To Put on the Calendar

The Walk for Hunger is scheduled for Sunday, May 5th. This year, you will need to register online($25 for adults, nothing for people under 18) and then to direct people to your fundraising page forsupport. The "walk" newly includes a 3-mile route, along with the traditional 20-mile trek and a 5K run. This event is an engaging and fun opportunity for children to raise money (and then to 'earn' that money bywalking) which will directly address the problem of hunger in our city and state. For those children (andthere are many) who are deeply concerned about homelessness, this can be a tangible way for them to feelthat they are 'making a difference.' Since the 1970s, LP'ers have intermittently participated in the Walk, sometimes in large numbers,sometimes just a few, sometimes walking with The LP banner, sometimes not. If you would be interested in'leading' the walk this year (meeting on the Boston Common at 8:00 am and starting out together), please letClaire know and you can be the 'point person' for LP walkers. And if you wish to participate in this fashion,also let Claire know so our leader will know how many to expect. In recent years, the group has walkedtogether with the school banner for the first mile or so, then split off to do the walk each at their own bestpace. The walk is a great way to challenge the feet, to collect a pile of steps, and to raise money for a good cause.It's nice that they've added a 3-mile option this year because the longer one can take all day. However, quitea number of LP'ers over the years have 'gone the distance'--all 20 miles! The Gay Pride Parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 8th. This year, again, Jamie Hayhurst plusEmma and her brother, Billy, will get us organized as a group to do the parade. We had about 20 LP'ers lastyear on a beautiful June Saturday. And, Stuffed Animal Day is on Friday, March 29th - more details to follow next week.

The College Admissions Scandal

We've all known for a long time that the 'playing field' for college admissions is far from 'level' and, instead,full of obstacles for economically disadvantaged students, members of various minority groups, and studentscoming from failing school systems. We've also known for a long time that being a good and successfulstudent and a good and emotionally strong human being are far more important in the long run thanattending an 'elite' institution. That said, the revelations of the past week about the extent of immoral

conduct that some parents engaged in was stunning. New heights of absurdity and new lows of depravityseem to have been achieved. Here is a comment I received from an LP parent on one aspect of this scandal. I think it is filled withwisdom on unsuccessful parenting, and a touch of empathic humor at the end: "The part that makes me so sad for these children is that their parents didn't celebrate their independentaccomplishments. Surely they would have been successful in their own right at something in life, regardlessof what it was. But their parents have sent them the message that, even at age 17/18, they aren't good enoughto stand on their own two feet in the world, even if it's to bag groceries while they figure out their next steps." Some decisions like this are akin to squeezing a tube of toothpaste. There's really no way to get it back to theway it was. Ok, I'm pulling the plug on myself before I try to adopt one of these adult children! And a former LP parent, Tom Keane, had an interesting piece on this scandal--touching on privilege andracism-- on WBUR's cognoscenti. Here's the link: https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2019/03/15/college-admissions-scandal-tom-keane

Word of the Week: Recognize (v)

1. To see or observe something as familiar. "I recognize this mitten as my own."2. To understand something is important. "I recognize that truth builds trust."3. To honor or appreciate: "I want to recognize what you've done for the community. 'Recognize'--or its noun form, 'recognition'--is a quite usable word and, as always, I encourage you to use itoften--perhaps deliberately-- at home. The simple fact is that vocabulary development requires repeatedexposures to good words, and so the more often our children encounter good vocabulary (in reading orconversation) the more able they will become to use good vocabulary in conversation and in writing, and tounderstand it when reading. On Monday we linked "Recognition' to our current virtue, "Appreciation" because it is sometimes used as asynonym and because the act of appreciation often begins with a recognition of something worthy toappreciate. You might find ways this week to employ both these words together.

Virtue: Appreciation

Our MMA unit on Appreciation started this week with a great talk by our sixth grade student, Caden, on howhe appreciates his pets at home. Mr. Hajj then built on Caden's introduction by pointing out thatappreciation does three powerful things which we might not always be aware of: 1. It makes relationships stronger.2. It increases our desire to act responsibly.3. It opens our eyes to what we have. As often the case with 'tier two' words (those that are slightly more sophisticated than their more commoncompanions) they represent far more than their limited definitional meaning. Words are ideas--andsometimes highly important and hugely consequential ideas. To wit: 'appreciation.' Imagine life without it!

Quote of the Week:

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

Coat of the Week:

A quilted Calvin Klein waist length jacket, with hood; black exterior, gray interior--and a label inside where aname MIGHT have been written Other items in the lost and found box (bottom shelf of the credenza in the Artist of the Week corner) includethe usual. Have a look if your child is missing a mitten, glove, hat, sweatshirt, etc. Eventually we need totake items to a shelter for redistribution.

Announcements Archaeology Fair:

An amazing Archaeology Fair at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and HarvardSemitic Museum is on Sunday, March 31st from 12-4. Both museums are on Divinity Avenue in Cambridge.Regular admission rates apply.

Reminder: Half Day

Please remember that tomorrow, Friday, March 22nd is a student half day - 12:15 dismissal.

Art and Cooking Club:

Children have been really enjoying Art and Crafts Club this week and are looking forward to Cooking Clubnext week. If you haven't yet paid ($10 per session) -- please send it along to Claire.

Artists of the Week Crazy Hair Day Self Portraits The first graders were inspired by Karen Beaumont's book, I Like Myself!for this expressive project. We focused on the page that read, "Even when Ilook a mess, I still don't like me any less, 'cause nothing in this world, youknow, can change what's deep inside..." We reflected on what we thoughtthe message of Beaumont's book was, and we decided that we should loveourselves just the way we are-- even on crazy hair days! Students thenlearned about the correct proportions of the human face and continued onto draw realistic self portraits. We then added crazy hair using elelemts ofart we learned about earlier in the year, such as line, shape, and color. Totop them off students had the choice to add 3D elements like feathers, pompoms, tissue paper, and pipe cleaners!

Cooper Marshall, First Grade

Watercolor Paper Bird Collages To begin this multimedia project, the second graders worked hard to create three separate sheets ofwatercolor paper. One with geometric patterns, one with organic patterns, and the last with visual textureinspired by bird feathers. Students used the wax resist watercolor technique to bring their paper to life! Aftertheir paper had dried, the second graders cut out shapes of a bird to collage onto a blue background. Somechildren chose to enhance their collage with textured materials like feathers, cotton balls and torn paper.

Madison Holman-Rodriguez, Second Grade

Kente Cloth Paper WeavingsThis project is an extension of the fourth grade study ofAfrica. The students learned about Kente cloth,which traditionally began in Ghana. They watched a videoof Kente cloth being woven by the Akan, and learnedabout its significance in the Ghanese culture. They thenused a weaving technique to interlace colors and patternsto create a Kente cloth inspired design.

Charley Belaney, Fourth Grade

Surrealism LandscapeThis project introduced the third graders to thewhimsical artwork of Surrealists Rene Magritte andSalvador Dali. After examining the work of these twoinventive artists, the students learned how createcompositions with various juxtaposed images. Theyused magazine images and chalk pastel to create abackground, and contrasted that with unusual objectcollaged into their work.

Sophie von Horn, Third Grade

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