Written by: Morse School Literacy Leadership Team
Summer vacation is almost here! Our students have all made such significant gains this school year, and we want them to continue this progress over the vacation. To support student success, the Morse School’s Literacy and Math Leadership Teams have organized some great ways to encourage continued learning. Students who participate in these activities and return them will earn raffle tickets with the chance to win an ice-cream party in the fall.
This summer we’re asking students to engage in a minimum of 20 minutes of reading/writing and 20 minutes of math each day. Students can track their minutes on a calendar that will be sent home before the end of the year, along with a BINGO card with suggestions for fun math and literacy activities. Additionally, the Morse will embrace Cambridge Public Library’s theme “Every Hero Has a Story,” adding “Not All Heroes Wear Capes.” To align with this theme, students are being asked to read at least one book this summer about a hero. To get everyone excited about summer learning, students and many of the Morse School’s “heroic” staff members participated in a lively Summer Learning Kick-Off Assembly!
On June 17th an Assembly was held in the Morse School Auditorium to make sure all students became excited to participate. During the Assembly the staff dressed as their favorite hero (real & fictional) and spoke to the students. Here is who came to visit to encourage the children to read and do math this summer:
Juliette Low – The first Girl Scout; aka: Mrs. Gallant, Grade 4 teacher
Superman – aka: Mr. Macomber, Grade 3 teacher
Rosie the Riveter – representing the woman who went to work in factories and shipyards when the men went off to WWII: aka Mrs. Graeber, Music teacher
Pippi Longstocking – from the first Pippi series: aka Ms. Bobbin, Early Childhood Resource Specialist
Hypatia – Scholar, teacher, mathematician, astronomer and librarian of ancient Alexandria: aka Ms. Pennell, Library Media Specialist
Bindi Irwin – “after the tragic death of my father Steve Irwin, I pledged to continue his work with Wildlife Conservation. I pledged to care for all creatures (not just the cute fuzzy ones like the Koala, but the rugged ones too- the Crocodiles!) So please students, visit a wildlife sanctuary and take out a non-fiction book on Crocs from your local library.” aka Ms. Bellino, Kindergarten Teacher
Danica Patrick – Racecar driver; aka Mrs. Marsland Grade 4 Para-professional
Wonder Woman – aka Ms. S. Bishop, Learning Disability Specialist
Jane Goodall, and the book I was promoting was "Me..Jane" by Patrick McDonnell; aka Ms. Marissa, Grade 1-2 Teacher
Abby Wambach – U.S. Women's Soccer player; aka Miss Emily, Grade 2 Teacher
Zero the Hero - The book is Zero the Hero by Joan Halub and Tom Litchenheld; aka Ms. Byrnes, Instructional Math Coach
Madeline – aka Miss Pat, Principal
Please check out our banner story on the school’s homepage!
Copies of all materials needed for a successful summer student are available online as well.