Guest Conductor David Hoose

Lexington Symphony’s 2014–2015 20th-anniversary season continues on Saturday, April 11, 2015, with “European Delights,” an adventurous sampling of colorful musical fare featuring works by Mendelssohn, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky. The concert will take place at 8 p.m. at Lexington High School Auditorium (251 Waltham Street, Lexington, Massachusetts) and will be led by guest conductor David Hoose, who will yield the baton at this concert in the stead of Lexington Symphony Music Director Jonathan McPhee.

The appetizer for this delectable program is German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s boisterous Symphony No. 4. Known as the “Italian,” this orchestral symphony is inspired by Mendelssohn’s experience of the sights, sounds, and ambiance of Italy.

Offered as the next course is English composer Sir Edward Elgar’s poignant and romantic Serenade for Strings. Lexington Symphony’s own accomplished pianist, Paul Carlson, will impart the final flavor of the evening with a performance of one of the most beloved Russian piano concertos of all time: Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The high drama and soaring melodies of this celebrated masterpiece will balance out this very European presentation for the senses.    

A pre-concert Conductor’s Talk will be offered by Hoose at 7 p.m. Tickets for European Delights, which are priced at $50/$40/$30 and $15 for students, can be purchased online at www.lexingtonsymphony.org, by telephone at 781-523-9009, or at the door.

The Research Institute for Learning and Development, (ResearchILD), located in Lexington, MA, will hold its 30th annual International Learning Differences Conference, “Executive Function and Learning Differences: Past, Present, and Future,” on Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21 at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, MA.  The conference, chaired by Dr. Lynn Meltzer, President of ResearchILD, will address the cognitive, as well as the social-emotional needs of diverse learners, worldwide.

Faculty members, Chinedu Okeke on left, and Namhla Sotuku, from the University of Fort Hare in East London, South Africa attended last year’s Learning Differences Conference at Harvard University Graduate School of Education. The conference, which is being held on March 20 and 21, is hosted by ResearchILD in Lexington and is currently in its 30th year.

Nearly 20 national and international experts in the educational field will address the evolution of and future directions for research and theory in the field of learning differences.  Conference attendees include teachers from across every grade and content level, school psychologists, child and adolescent development specialists, school administrators and other educational professionals, from across the country and the globe.

Thirty years ago we began this conference to stress the importance of understanding the critical role that executive function plays in teaching students with learning differences,” states Lynn Meltzer, “Today, understanding the role that effective executive function strategy use plays in the lives of students, everywhere, has never been more important and relevant to academic success for ALL students, everywhere in the world.”

The Learning Differences Conference is one of the premier conferences in the field of learning, and features experts covering the medical, psychological and academic aspects of learning differences.  It includes a combination of plenary and smaller concurrent sessions and provides attendees with opportunities for in-depth discussions with conference faculty.  A teacher panel, representing schools that are currently implementing executive function strategy curriculum in their classrooms will lend a practical perspective to the theoretical framework being presented.  There will also be an emphasis on strategies that work across the grades in different subjects including reading, writing, math, and science and a panel that stresses the important role of self-advocacy for students.

The cost for attending this conference is $625 with student discounts available to those who qualify.  Please go to www.researchild.org/ldc30 to see agenda details and full speaker biographies.  The conference fee includes breaks, a networking lunch, and a certificate of educational hours will be offered upon completion.

Please contact Anna Lavelle, conference Coordinator at alavelle@researchild.org for ResearchILD for additional information.

About ResearchILD
ResearchILD is one of two organizations that comprise the Institutes for Learning and Development, and is a Lexington-based non-profit organization founded by Dr. Lynn Meltzer and Dr. Bethany Roditi, in 1995. ResearchILD’s mission is to transform the lives of children, adolescents, and adults by teaching strategies that develop the persistence and resilience needed to attain success in school and in life. Its sister organization, ILD, provides one-to-one psychological, speech, language and educations services that transform the lives of one student at a time. ResearchILD is internationally recognized for its cutting-edge research and best practices in executive function, teacher training, program development, mentoring programs, and multi-media software for strategy instruction. ResearchILD also provides scholarship support for educational services, sponsors teacher training, and professional development. ResearchILD is currently developing SMARTS Online, an online curriculum offering teachers executive function strategies for classroom use, worldwide.

 

17th annual Trivia Bee

Wednesday, November 14

Cary Hall

You won’t want to miss this fun and exciting town-wide tradition. Over forty teams sponsored by local businesses, organizations and invidviduals test their trivia know-how in this friendly battle of wits. Many local civic organizations and all nine Lexington Schools will be represented. Many Lexington friends provide the supporting cast, including our colonially-outfitted Master of Ceremonies, Jeff Leonard, and our Queen Bee, Thelma Goldberg. Be prepared for some questions relating to Lexington’s Colonial period in celebration of the 300th! Admission is free and fun for the entire family.

If you would like to participate from the sidelines, consider sponsoring a team from one of the nine public schools, a town employee, or general sponsorship of the event. Team sponsorship is a tax-deductible fee of $375; through your sponsorship you will “bee” investing in our schools. For more information about the Trivia Bee, to register a team, or participate as a sponsor, please visit our secure website at lexedfoundation.org or call us at 781-372-3288

17th annual Trivia Bee

Wednesday, November 14

Cary Hall

You won’t want to miss this fun and exciting town-wide tradition. Over forty teams sponsored by local businesses, organizations and invidviduals test their trivia know-how in this friendly battle of wits. Many local civic organizations and all nine Lexington Schools will be represented. Many Lexington friends provide the supporting cast, including our colonially-outfitted Master of Ceremonies, Jeff Leonard, and our Queen Bee, Thelma Goldberg. Be prepared for some questions relating to Lexington’s Colonial period in celebration of the 300th! Admission is free and fun for the entire family.

If you would like to participate from the sidelines, consider sponsoring a team from one of the nine public schools, a town employee, or general sponsorship of the event. Team sponsorship is a tax-deductible fee of $375; through your sponsorship you will “bee” investing in our schools. For more information about the Trivia Bee, to register a team, or participate as a sponsor, please visit our secure website at lexedfoundation.org or call us at 781-372-3288

2nd Annual Multi-Cultural Bazaar

Thursday, December 6th

This event will honor and celebrate Lexington’s diverse student population. The Bazaar will feature a global marketplace of gifts and treasurer created by talented local artisans and designers. It will also include live music and dance performances highlighting a variety of world traditions.

Founded in 1989, LEF is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to funding grants bringing today’s technologies, training and innovative instruction into the classroom and the hands of every student. LEF funds grants across a wide spectrum of academic disciplines and areas: math, science, language arts, social sciences, the arts and physical and social wellness. In addition, our grants deliver classroom technology and training and fund professional development programs for educators. Grants are teacher initiated and range from small classroom-specific programs to large district-wide projects, increasing learning and sustaining Lexington Public School excellence. Since 1991, LEF has awarded more than $4 million to all nine Lexington schools and the central administration.