Dear Morse School Students and Families,
Wow! We cannot believe it is already March! We have had a week of exciting events including author visits, field trips, and lots of learning. We are also gearing up for Read Across America Week, March 4-8.
Author Visits
Courtesy of Cambridge's Chinese American Association, Belmont Books & the CPS Library Media Department, Kelly Yang did a virtual visit for students in grades 4-5 across the district this past Tuesday. So many of our Morse students love her books and many teachers have read their books in the classrooms! She is a New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of FRONT DESK and winner of the 2018 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. We are so grateful that our students had this opportunity!
This afternoon, author John Patrick Green will be coming to our library to talk to our grade 1-3 students. John is the writer of the hit graphic novel series InvestiGators and is known for creating animal characters who have human jobs. We look forward to learning about how he got started in comics and graphic novels!
Field Trips
Real-world experiences that can offer deeper engagement with curriculum, cultural growth and/or opportunities for students to build their critical thinking and collaborative skills are an essential part to their learning. This week, our 4th graders in E3 and E6 visited MIT Edgerton Center to make quizboards. They came up with their own quiz questions and answers then learned how to use basic circuits to create the quizboards. Our E8 4th graders will also visit MIT to make quizboards in the coming weeks. Our JK/K students had a field trip to Wheelock Family Theater to watch Mr. Popper's Penguins. They had great reviews of the show - giving it two thumbs up! Finally, this morning our 5th graders visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History. They enjoyed the exhibits and explored a Forest Ecology educational program.
Read Across America Book Swap
Next week is Read Across America Week! We are excited for our Whole School Book Swap, and Monday, March 4 is Cozy Clothes and Drop Everything and Read Day! Wear your coziest clothes and enjoy a good book! Contact Ms Pennell at [email protected] for more information.
Drum Call
TOMORROW, March 2nd at 4PM is the first Drum Call workshop. Save time and register online at www.drumcallcps.com. The last day to register online is TODAY, March 1st. Walk-in registration is available on Saturday, March 2nd. Please come join Morse School families and staff in the Morse gym for a free, vibrant celebration of West African dancing and live drumming!
MCAS
Our students in grade 3-5 will participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System Assessments in April and May. Please save the dates below. Please note that one of the dates is right after April vacation. While not ideal, we were limited by the April vacation as well as the early release day and being mindful of religious holidays. If your child will be absent on a testing day, please let us know asap. We have make-up days scheduled for students who are unable to attend. We are preparing students for the assessment and working to alleviate the anxiety students sometimes feel about these kinds of assessments.
At our virtual School Council meeting on March 21st from 6:30 - 7:30PM, we will share an overview of what is to be expected in the MCAS. The link will be shared closer to the date.
Upcoming Events
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Cozy Clothes Day | March 4th
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No School for Students | March 5th
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E8 Field Trip | March 6th
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Principal Candidates' Community Q & A | March 6th 6-7:30PM, Morse Auditorium
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Math & Literacy Carnival | March 7 from 6-7:30PM
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Early Release Day | March 13th
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Spring Picture Day | March 14th
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Principal's Coffee | March 20th from 8:30-9:30AM
Wishing you all a wonderful start to March!
Sincerely,
Samantha Headley