Gently Used Books Needed

Middle School
Do your children have two or three (or 100) books that they have outgrown and do not read anymore? Would they be willing to donate those books to children less fortunate?


For his Bar Mitzvah community service project Lane Lubell, Middle School seventh-grader, is collecting gently used books to donate to abused and neglected children who need to appear at Juvenile Court. The waiting room of each child protection courtroom has a bookcase for donated books. While the children are waiting, they are encouraged to read the books and take one home. Currently the bookcases are empty. There are approximately 12,000 abused and neglected children. There is a book drop-off location at The Catherine Cook School located in the Lower Level Lunchroom. Please drop your donated books and Lane will get them to the children. Thank you for your donation.

Global Ethics Website

From Head of Middle School
Imagine this: small groups of middle school students sit together at round tables, engaged in animated discussions about how they can help build a school culture of integrity and how they will know integrity when they see it. Students draw and doodle as they think and talk, and a visual practitioner captures the flow of conversation, recording words, phrases, and images in a colorful mural as the dialogue moves along.
This past Tuesday, that's how CCS Middle School students spent part of their afternoon, immersing themselves in a Values Café to deepen their understanding of one of the core values they identified earlier in the year. But this work has deeper roots: it grows out of a conversation that middle school students and CCS staff have been having all year long.
It began with a thought experiment: you have a block of stone for the front of the school in which to carve five words that will capture the values that CCS strives to cultivate. You have room for only five words, so they must be chosen carefully. Faculty and staff started this process in the August pre-planning days, when we closed down the front office, put the room preparation, curriculum planning, and floor waxing on pause, and gathered in the gymnasium to begin this work together. After school opened in September, each of twelve middle school advisory groups went through a similar process to identify five values, then came together in larger and larger configurations, debating and refining the lists until the whole middle school came to agreement. This culminated in an October discussion between staff and student representatives where, through lively and respectful debate, adults and students came to agreement about the five main values that underlie our work together: Respect, Responsibility, Compassion, Integrity, and Diversity.
Since then, the conversation has taken many forms, from small group activities in advisories to help students connect the values with their everyday school experiences, to whole staff work to develop norms for professional interactions and ways to deal constructively with differences.
Along the way, many people have shared responsibility for moving the work forward. An advance team of three teachers attended the Ethical Literacy planning conference in June to learn from other schools who have taken on this work. A team comprised of thirteen middle school teachers and administrators from throughout the school received Ethical Literacy training last August and created an action plan that will drive the process over the next several years. The Tuesday sessions and summer training were led by Institute for Global Ethics facilitator Don Proffit, who also facilitated faculty discussion and planning sessions and met with trustees.
The bottom line is that the work of building a school culture of integrity belongs to everyone. No one has a lock on ethics and no one handles tough decisions perfectly every time. But by making this an intentional process, we empower our students, and our staff, to handle complex "right vs. right" decisions more effectively their whole lives long. We invite you to learn more about this work by viewing the photographs of our Tuesday sessions, visiting the Global Ethics website, or asking us-middle school students, staff, or trustees. We are eager to share what we are learning.
Warmly,
Cory Stutts
Head of the Middle School

Ilene and Larry Lubell are proud to announce, that our son Lane is going to be celebrating his Bar Mitzvah on March 7th.

This is amazing since I would swear it was just two years ago Lane left the womb; and no more than 10 years ago since I my self was standing on the same spot, under the watchful eyes of Rabbi Binstock.


Lane is an absolute delight. Thirteen years ago if given a blank Order form, allowing Ilene and I, the magical power to construct the “Perfect child” to our exact specifications, our collective imagination could never have created a child as wonderful as Lane.

Latest News

We made the first of many trips to Uncle Dan's to stock up on gloves and hats. I would yell at Lane, problem is I loose mine at the same rate he does.

As far as the weather in November goes; so far so good. The way I look at it - each day that ticks by brings us that much closer to spring. That said, I don't think it is healthy to live in a cold climate; then spend a third of your life waiting. The nicer weather will come; best to try to get out as much as possible during winter to avoid that winter Blah, cooped-up feeling.

Well, we are back in the Fencing tournament season. Lane fenced well at the NAC in Saint Louis. It was Y14 so there are a lot of 14 -15 year old boys that are pushing 6 feet; but he won his first D.E. then lost to the reigning National Champion for Y14.
Dante was off his game a bit due a bad cough ( I could hear him from the street)

I did get to go to Jack in the Box on the drive back home.

It is amazing how easy it is to eat 8 Tacos.

We are happy to see how well Sam, Harrison and Mason did in Rochester. WOW!
Click here for the Windy City Fencing Results Blog, for all of the current results.

Ilene and I just celebrated our 17th anniversary; wow is that scary. Not the idea of spending my life with Ilene- just that 17 years went by that quickly.

Thanksgiving is a special treat this year because Shirley is in remission, and eating better again.

We also just came from a parent teacher conference. We are used to hearing "Lane is very bright, well behaved, a delight to have in class, BUT.....
The "BUT" is about how Lane still needs work on organizing himself, that he will do the homework on-time, but sometimes forget to turn it in on-time. This time there was no "BUT" ! That makes us very proud.

For the last few years, one down-side to Thanksgiving has become Judy and Jerry taking off for Florida. I'm happy that they have a lot of fun down their, but we miss them here.

I'm glad to see the Obama is stepping up to the plate early and repairing to hit the ground running. The economy seems to be slipping from bad to worse, Banks are closing, and the Big three Automakers have two wheels hanging of a cliff. There are no easy answers, but I'm glad the Obama seems to be taking a centrist; "Get the job done" path. He looks like he views his position as being the nation's CEO who was hired to solve problems, not to take the nation to the "Left".

Lane watching Mason at a Fencing exhibition

Taylor and Lane hanging out

Soccer Season Sam Being Silly

Mallory out for Korean food

Ilene and Lane Lubell

Forest at my office.

This is an endorsement 40 years in the making.

Last week it was Colin Powell, But that endorsement for Obama pales in comparison to the importance of this vote of confidence.
Click below
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d

Some New Photography

Photos 2008

Lubell For President

2008

Just when you thought this years election cycle could not get any stranger, the number of write-in and third party candidates grows.

Bob Barr is the 2008 Libertarian nominee for President of the United States. Previously, he represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. Known for being "Right-of-center" Conservative views, and a leading voice in the movement to impeach Clinton.

Ralph Nader was born in 1937 to Rose and Nathra Nader, immigrants from Lebanon. In 1958, he received a LLB with distinction from Harvard Law School.

Nader’s career as a public advocate started at the age of 31 with an article titled “The Safe Car You Can't Buy,” which along with his subsequent book, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” documented safety defects in U.S. cars and criticized the automobile industry's safety practices, specifically targeting the Corvair.

Ralf was popular with the "Left" till he cost Al Gore the election.

Lubell For President in 2008?