Dear Morse School Parents and Caregivers,
I’d like to begin this week’s newsletter by extending a very warm welcome to Ms. Kasey Clermont, who has joined us as our Interim Family Resource Liaison while Denise Sullivan is out on leave. Ms. Clermont was born and raised in Cambridge and since 2018 has been working in various roles at Cambridge Street Upper School. Her professional and educational experiences also include time spent in Tanzania and Malawi, as well as in Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago. Ms. Clermont earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Bridgewater State with a focus on Global Studies/Social Justice, and is currently completing a graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling/School Adjustment Counseling at Cambridge College. Many thanks to Morse parents Sweta Joshi and Kim Bostic-Williams, who served on the hiring committee. Ms. Clermont will be reaching out to families soon to introduce herself, and she and I hope to schedule some virtual and in-person family meetings over the coming weeks to hear your questions, concerns and suggestions. In the meantime, Ms. Clermont can be reached at [email protected].
Celebrating Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
September 15th-October 15th is Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month and we are taking the opportunity each morning during our morning announcements to acknowledge and celebrate Latinx leaders, artists, authors, athletes, and changemakers. Señora Viria Guillen, our 4th and 5th grade Spanish teacher, has put this display up on our Main Lobby and has been introducing our older learners to the countries and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Our homeroom teachers and our librarian Ms. Pennell have also been looking for opportunities to highlight the books and stories that lift up the contributions and voices of Latinx individuals.
Save the Date - Fall 2021 Morse Marathon
This year’s Boston Marathon will take place in October, and so we have decided to follow suit and schedule this year’s Morse Marathon for Tuesday, October 26th! For those new to our school, the Morse Marathon is an annual school-wide fun run/walk that takes place at beautiful Magazine Beach Park. The event is aimed at promoting fitness and community. It also helps to raise funds for the Friends of Morse, a parent-led organization that supports enriching learning experiences for our students, along with other important volunteer contributions to our school (such as installing a set of beautiful new picnic tables along the Granite Street side of our building!). If you are interested in volunteering to help out on Morse Marathon Day, please consider attending the next Friends of Morse meeting on October 19th at 8:30PM (meeting details and Zoom link to follow).
Virtual Back-to-School Night Reminder
Finally, a friendly reminder that our JK-5 Back-to-School/Curriculum Night virtual classroom meetings will take place tomorrow (10/6) and Thursday (10/7). Meetings have been scheduled in a staggered fashion, so that Morse families with multiple children can attend each child's classroom meeting. The goal of our fall 2021 virtual classroom meetings will be to:
- Build a sense of community among different families with children in the same classroom.
- Share updates and information about what and how your child will learn this year and how we will monitor your child's progress.
Suggest ways in which you can support your child’s learning and growth at home.
- Hear your questions, concerns, and suggestions.
Please keep your eye out for a separate email with a link to join your child’s classroom meeting. If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or your child’s teacher. We look forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Principal Chad Leith