Dear Morse School Community,
It's hard to believe it's been a whole week since our International Festival and Potluck! A huge thank you to Hannah Hinzman and her amazing crew of caregivers that came together to run another amazing night celebrating the diversity in our community. The food was delicious and I hope you got to taste a new dish!
School Council
The School Council met yesterday to discuss how to strengthen home/school partnerships to support student success. The team is working on some ways that you can prepare yourself for the upcoming Term 1 caregiver/educator conferences. Be on the lookout for this in the next newsletter. Also, we discussed an issue raised around school lunch portions and options. We will share an update around this topic in the next newsletter as well. If you would like to reach out to our School Council
Report Cards and Caregiver/Educator Conferences
As mentioned in previous district and school communication, we have shifted to a three-term academic calendar. As we approach the end of our first term, educators will have report cards ready on December 8th. We ask that you each set up a time to meet with your child's teacher(s) to discuss how your child is doing and partner to develop a plan to support your child. Your child's teacher has sent home a Caregiver Pre-Conference Survey. Please complete the short survey to help teachers prepare for the conference and your time together.
Morse Community Live Stream
On this morning’s Live Stream, we highlighted the importance of handwashing. Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. By handwashing you help protect yourself and others in our community. Thank you to 5th grader Benji for his demonstration video!
Next we gave a big shout out to our Morse Girls on the Run participants for completing the celebratory 5K. These runners were able to explain the importance of positive self-talk and share the goals they achieved during the Fall Season. Thank you to the Quick Queen Coaches (Lynn, Hannah, Roni, Kailtlyn, Saroja, Emily, and SooJin). Their support in fostering a sense of belonging and building a positive community is appreciated!
Speaking of gratitude…we shared a video in which many students shared how they are grateful for: family, pets, school, friends, teachers, and so much more. It was a nice way to end our Live Stream and we hope to hear more expressions of gratitude in the coming days!
Health & Safety
As we've shared in our Student and Family Handbook, recess is an important part of our students’ school day, helping them to stay active while fostering creativity and healthy social development. Children at all grade levels will participate in at least 20 minutes of outdoor recess each day whenever possible, including during the winter months. We encourage any family in need of weather related clothing to contact our Family Liaison, Ms. Diaz, at 617-349-6679.
Please note we are not enforcing a dress code when asking students to wear pants or shorts with performance tights to go out in cold temperature weather. We are supporting their health and safety by asking them to dress appropriately for the weather. If the windchill is below 32°F, students need long pants and a winter coat for outdoor recess. With the fluctuating temperatures, we hope families will partner with us by sending their children to school with appropriate gear. Your support will help this from being a distraction to the important learning and teaching happening at school.
Morse Caregiver Literacy Workshop
On Wednesday, our Literacy Coach, Natalie Dean, and Literacy Interventionists, Maureen Bobbin and Joanna Nicolich, facilitated a caregiver workshop to support language development at home. The workshop was designed to support our family engagement goals of helping students at home and building a stronger partnership with school. We are grateful for Friends of Morse for funding child care for the workshop and two raffle prizes. If you are looking for language and literacy suggestions, please review the slides here.
Upcoming Events
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12:15PM Early Dismissal | November 26
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No School - Thanksgiving Break | November 27 & 28
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Picture Retake Day | December 2
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Grade 2 C1/C3 Celebration of Learning | December 2, 8:45-9:30AM
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Grade 3 C2/C4 Celebration of Learning | December 4, 8:30-9AM
Morse School Calendar- 2025-2026
Due to the short holiday week, the next Principal's Newsletter will go out on December 5th. I hope you and your family find gratitude and joy this Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Samantha Headley