Welcome to Morse School: SY25-26!

Dear Morse School Community,

Meet Your Morse Administration Team

I am Samantha Headley, Morse Principal and I am fortunate to partner with Kristin Allison, Morse Assistant Principal to lead our school. While this is our third year partnering together as the school administration team, Ms. Allison and I have a long history of collaboration at Morse. We've each been with the Morse community for over 20 years and care deeply about our students, staff and families. We look forward to partnering with you to make this year another successful year for our students.

First Day of School

Remember students in Grades 1-5 begin on September 2nd. Students in the Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP) and Kindergarten begin on September 4th. A reminder for the safety & security of all staff and students as well as for equity purposes, only staff and students are permitted in the building without an appointment which includes arrival and dismissal. Please be sure to notify your child's teacher of what their dismissal plan will be on the first day of school. We are also hoping you will bring in your family survey as well as ensure that all annual forms are completed through the CPS Family Portal.

Arrival

Only bus students and those having breakfast will enter through the main entrance. All other students should arrive at their assigned entrance. 

• Free breakfast begins at 7:50am and closes at 8:10am 

• Arrival for all students 8:00 - 8:15am

  • First Bell is at 8:00am (Students can begin to go to class.)

  • Final Bell is at 8:15am (All students should be in their classroom and class will begin.) 

  • All CPP - Grade 5 students must come in through Main Entrance after 8:15am to get a late slip.

Dismissal

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, all CPP - Grade 5 students are dismissed at 2:45pm to their designated areas. On Wednesdays, all CPP - Grade 5 students are dismissed at 2:15pm. Please review the dismissal locations here.

Bus Transportation

If your child is eligible for bus transportation, you should have received communication from the Transportation Department. Please note that students should be at their bus stop 10 minutes prior to the listed time.

Lunch

School lunch is free for all students. However, we are no longer providing bottles of water so please provide your child with a reusable bottle that can be filled at school. You can review the lunch menu here.

Our school community separates our recycling and food waste! We invite you to review these documents with your child(ren) before school starts.

We Recycle at School PDF
Cafeteria Set Up and Tips
Elementary and Upper School Cafeteria Waste Station Signs

Medical Needs

If any students have daily medications or an Epi Pen or Inhaler they need to take at school please be in touch with our school nurse, Emma Rome ([email protected]) and bring them on the first day of school. Please note that a caregiver must bring them directly to Nurse Emma.

Communication
We believe that engagement is part of a successful school-home partnership. Please be on the lookout for the following weekly ParentSquare communications.

• CPS Connect - District wide newsletter shared bi-weekly

• Take Home Tuesday - Morse Family Liaison newsletter shared every Tuesday

• Morse School News - Principal newsletter shared every Friday

• Classroom Teacher Newsletter - sent monthly

• Special Subject Newsletter - sent monthly

School Council Elections

The Morse School Council is a diverse representative team of staff members, community members and caregivers who serve in an advisory capacity to improve the school. They play an important role in adopting educational goals and identifying needs to support students in relation to the goals. They review and support the School Improvement Plan and contribute ideas to school based topics as they arise. 

Please check out this video to hear from some council caregivers (text translation available in bottom right hand corner). For the 2025-2026 school year, there is one open parent/caregiver seat. If you are interested in being part of this team, we ask that you provide your name, a photo, and a brief statement of interest to our Family Liaison, Amy Diaz ([email protected]) by September 12th. The Friends of Morse will manage the election process and families can vote between September 15th - September 22nd. 

Please review the district's Family To Do List to ensure you are ready for school.

Upcoming Events

• First Day of School Gr. 1-5 | September 2nd

• CPP Classroom Visits | September 3rd from 11:30-12:30

• Kindergarten Classroom Visits | September 2nd & 3rd (Sign up info in previous email)

• First Day of School CPP & K | September 4th

• Family Listening Conferences | September 8th - 26th (Information coming from Individual Teachers)

• FMS Welcome Back Picnic | September 12th

• CPP - Grade 5 Back-To-School Night | September 30th 6-8pm

I hope you have a wonderful long weekend and I look forward to seeing you all next week!

Sincerely,

Samantha Headley