Message from Principal Chad Leith: April 12, 2019

Dear Members of the Morse School Community, 

Our children and teachers are all looking forward to a well-earned April vacation week! Before we head out for the weekend, I wanted to share some brief announcements and reminders: 

2nd Trimester Awards Assembly
Yesterday afternoon we celebrated the end of our 2nd trimester with an awards ceremony for students in Grades 3-5. As we did at our 1st trimester awards assembly in December, this trimester’s awards included: the Respectful Student Award, the Responsible Citizen Award, the Pat Beggy Kindness Award, the Active Learner Award, the Growth Mindset Award and awards for Overall Excellence in Math, Reading, Writing, Science, Social Studies and Spanish(Grades 4 & 5). This trimester we also introduced the “Excellent Attendance Award,” which was earned by all students in Grades 3-5 who were present at least 95% of school days since September. Congratulations to all of this trimester’s award recipients! 

Celebrating Poetry Month
April is Poetry Month, and over the past few weeks, many of our children have been reading and writing poems in their classrooms. We hope that many Morse School students will consider submitting their original poems to this year’s 21st Annual Cambridge Public Library Poetry Contest, which is open to all children in grades K-8 (please follow this link to see the flyer with more information). Last year the Morse School was well-represented among contest winners! Please remember that your local Cambridge Public Library will also be open throughout the April Vacation week! 

Fortnite: Understanding & Monitoring Online Play
We have recently encountered several situations where Morse School children have complained of inappropriate language and online bullying they have experienced when playing Fortnite. As some of you may already be aware, Fortnite is incredibly popular right now. Here's a resource to explain how the game works. Fortnite is a survival game; the goal is to kill as many people as possible. The game is relatively violent and students often link up with friends to play online. In some versions, unknown older children or adults can join as well. We have come to understand that the language that is used in chats (both verbal and written) is wide ranging and often explicit. The online parent media review website Common Sense Media recommends the game for children 13 and older. If your child plays Fortnite, I strongly encourage you to take some time to understand and monitor his or her use of the game. Violent images, explicit language, and the challenges of navigating online social connections can be overwhelming for young children and can affect their overall social well-being in school. 

Reminders:

  • April 23rd-30th - MCAS (Grades 3-5) - Please see our informational flyer about how you can help your children do their best!
  • May 1st - Parent Workshop on helping our kids navigate digital tools. Please see flyer for more information!
  • May 3rd - First Annual Morse Marathon - Please see our flyer with information about how you can support your Morse School runner and volunteer for this event!
My very best wishes for a wonderful, restful break! I look forward to welcoming students, families and staff members back on April 22nd!   

Sincerely,

Chad Leith
Principal 
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