Morse School 40 Granite Street Cambridge, MA 02139 617.349.6575 Fax: 617.349.6576 morse.cpsd.us
Unicef Kid Power Returns to Morse! Written by Denise Sullivan, Family Liaison Students in the 3rd, 4th & 5th grade are once again getting active to help save lives. How, you ask? Each student is wearing a Unicef Kid Power Band. Each band keeps track of daily steps, helping the Morse School earn points. A total of 10 points equals one therapeutic food packet that helps feed severely malnourished children around the world. Want to help, too? You can check on the progress of the Morse School classes and get more information on how you can help, by visiting: www.unicefkidpower.org.
Patricia Beggy Principal pbeggy@cpsd.us Samantha Headley Assistant Principal sheadley@cpsd.us Denise Sullivan Family Liaison desullivan@cpsd.us Aleida Inglis Adjustment Counselor ainglis@cpsd.us Elaine Delaney Secretary edelaney@cpsd.us Joyce Costello School Psychologist jostello@cpsd.us "We are one heart, We are one hand, We are people and children of many different lands." –One Heart, One Hand – Morse School Song Montgomery-Grout
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Students in Ms. Bishop’s Class Share Pi Day Thoughts On March 14th it was PI day and it was really fun. The first activity we did was making bracelets. We picked all different colored beads for each number in Pi. Our class also made Pi shirts. We put our piku on the front and the Pi symbol on the back. A piku is a haiku but about Pi. Pi is infinite, its numbers go on and on forever. For short we say Pi=3.14. In class we did different activities. My favorite part was being an Ambassador; I liked going into Mr. Macomber’s class and telling the kids how to get the circumference of a circle. I showed them how to measure the diameter and the multiply the diameter by 3.14. We made Pi bracelets. My bracelet was a rainbow. The Pi bracelets mean the first 8 numbers in Pi (3.1415926). I can’t wait for Pi day next year.
March 2016
Ms. Pennell enjoys reading all these new books!
What is a WIN Group? Fondly referred to as "WIN" by students and teachers, the Morse School "What Individuals Need" Block, is currently in its second year of implementation for third, fourth, and fifth graders. Since its inception in the fall of 2014, the goal of the WIN Block has been to provide Morse students with what they need in order to help them reach their academic potential. Twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, each child in third, fourth, and fifth grade receives thirty minutes of time to focus on whatever they individually need to move their learning forward. For some students, this means receiving a literacy or math intervention that provides them with valuable instruction and practice in an area where they need additional support. This extra support may come in the form of direct instruction from a teacher or time to work on a computer-based intervention like Dreambox or Lexia. Other students may participate in an enrichment WIN group, such as Math Olympiads, that offers them the opportunity to work on challenging material and concepts and culminates with an international math contest. Newly created placements for computer programming and helping students make smart book selections have been added this year. WIN groups range in size and are currently led by over twenty Morse faculty members. Most placements are changed at regular intervals throughout the year to respond to the varying needs of learners. Furthermore, because every student in each participating grade level has WIN at the same time, students do not miss out on any regular classroom instruction time.
Parents came in to hear from all of our second grade experts!
A sample of one of the finished expert books.
Below: A snapshot of a recent newsletter created by Mrs. Headley's 3rd grade WIN group!
Rooms C1 & C3 Expert Fair Last month, the second graders held an Expert Fair to show off their expert topic books to their families and friends. Throughout the expert topic-writing unit, they learned how to research their specific topic. With the help of Ms. Pennell, students found books in the library that they could use to gather information. Next, they learned how to paraphrase the information that they had read into their own words, and then how to organize their writing into book format. Topics ranged from wild animals, sports, arts, and much more! The morning of the fair was filled with excitement and pride, and was a wonderful end to a unit the second graders worked so hard on. The second graders have now moved on and are now focusing on their poetry unit. Keep an eye out for some wonderful poems in next month's newsletter!
Here's the sign from our Expert Fair
Dancers' Reflections of the Ballroom Dancing Showcase
Quotes: Written by Grade 5 Dancers •On March 14, 2016, the 5th graders from five different schools came to perform a dancing act. Students from the five schools: Morse, Graham & Parks, Tobin, and two others, promenaded in and formed a circle of their own school. The students then proceeded to dance the Meringue, the waltz, the salsa, the swing, and the tango, in that order. Each student put forth their best effort, and the teachers were overjoyed with the wonderful outcome. The final part of the showcase was the music “Cotton Eyed Joe” was put on, and all the students did the line dance to it. •After we were done dancing, a dance group called Star Dance School danced. They did an awesome job with the dance movement and timing. The M.I.T. dancers also danced with the beat and it looked like they practiced a lot. At the end I was jumping for joy. I really enjoyed dancing and socializing with my friends. If I could I would do it a second time. •Butterflies floated in my stomach. Though I didn’t want to admit it, I was freaked out. The series of dances happen during the Salsa, Swing, and Tango and then the pro-dancers twirled onto the floor. Wo1! They were spectacular! Finally after one last dance we stood up for a dance off! We took positions. “5,6,7,8”…wind brushed my face, my hips were swaying and my feet were tap, tap, tapping! It was a truly a moment to remember. •“Yahoo!” I shouted as we went into the C.R.L.S. gym. At 7, we had to go into the hallway; I knew exactly what was happening. The exhibition was starting. Leaving me with nervous nerves. My heart was pounding. AWESOMEST NIGHT EVER! •I was about to die when I saw like 500 parents (exaggeration). My stomach was aching with pain and I was sweating bullets. I hear everybody being nervous and some people felt so scared they didn’t want to do it. But we all did it. •The Ballroom Dance exhibition was at C.R.L.S. There were a lot of different dances. One of the dances was the Tango. The tango is simple, it goes, T-A-N-G-O and repeats two times. The ballroom dance was awesome. I really enjoyed it. •My mom and dad went with me to get dress up clothes or should I say a suit. When we got home I tried on my suit and it felt good. Hours later on March 14th, I was at C.R.L.S. I was so nervous and scared that I was sweating. When it was time to dance I persevered through it. •At first I did not like ballroom. But as we got to the Showcase it was kind of exciting. One thing I wished happened was that we all got a ribbon. •This was an amazing event. Parents were screaming for their children. These fifth graders did a fantastic job. •Also, we got to do a Meringue compition, whoever won got to have a trophy. My partner and me won. I smiled so hard, my lips hurt for a while. •One thing I learned about Ballroom Dancing is that some kids don’t like holding a girl’s hand, but in a few weeks you will start to like it. •We walked all around the gym a couple of times, and then all of a sudden my nerves went away. I messed up on one part but I kept going anyway. The Swing dance we did was the funnest and the most confusing. My favorite art was when the people cheered. I wish I could do this again because it was so much fun. One thing I would change is I wouldn’t be so nervous and scared. In the end, I did my best and worked very hard and that’s all that matters. •There was also a kids dance group and professional dancers. And overall the annual ballroom dancing expedition was a great success. It was wonderful. •My heart was frozen I didn’t know what to do. I was feeling nervous; scared I didn’t even know what I was feeling. The dances that we were going to dance were the Meringue, Waltz, Salsa, Swing, and the Tango. The meringue was one of the complicated dances I danced I was so worried that I did some wrong steps and I started sweating. The salsa was my favorite dance because there were so many steps and the whole dance I was moving my feet and the salsa was very fast unlike the other dances. I loved the tango because when we went close to the other partner and we said ola everybody was clapping and that was the one time everybody in the whole gym was smiling. That was how our big day went I'll never forget that day. I'll even tell this story to my kids. •On March 14, 2016, the fifth graders from Morse, Baldwin, Tobin, King Open, Graham & Parks, and Kennedy-Longfellow schools participated in a ballroom dance showcase at them Rindge & Latin high school. The students, such as myself, had been performing for two months on the Meringue, Waltz, Salsa, Swing, and Tango. My favorite dance was the Salsa from the teachers. The ballroom dancing experience was a time I will never forget. •5 schools pact in the hallway about to go out to a room of parents, neighbors, relatives and strangers to have the time of their lives!! We have been practicing for thousands of months and now today tonight was the time we would be show everyone in the crowd why we weren't having regular gym class. Now back to the hallway, we were all spread out in a long line across a huge hallway preparing ourselves for the biggest night we would ever have in 5th grade! I don't know about the other students but I was terrified! When the first dance started I forgot all steps and had to rely on muscle memory. The professionals had beautiful long dresses chasing after them as they did more complex steps than I could ever imagine. When it was all over and the winner had taken home their trophy and the parents had used up all the data in their phone filming us, I was exhausted. I didn't believe the teachers when they said I would have fun but now that's its over it was the greatest time I've ever had. •Things that I liked about the Ballroom Dancing Exhibition is that how everybody got dressed, also how every single school knew how to get into their own circle not just a big huge blob of kids in tuxes and dancing. I was amazed how all the M.I.T dancers danced it was amazing; I knew they had to take A LOT of practice. , I was shaking like maracas falling on the floor, until we got out in the gym. When we got in the gym I heard everybody cheering for their children/child and sometimes for the school that the children or their child go to. But the most best part was when Donnie won the trophy I was really proud of him. •It was the night of the ballroom dancing day. I was ready. I had everything ready and I was on my way to the big showcase. “Escort position” Mrs. OC said. We all got in escort position and we were ready to dance. I was happy to get this over with and nervous to dance in front of more than 400 people. The dancing was absolutely the best. It was strange because in school practicing I didn't like it but during the big showcase it seemed to me so much fun. •All schools danced extraordinarily well in my opinion. The only bad thing for me was that two of my dancing partners that I had practiced with were missing so I had to dance with the teachers and a student from another school. There were also professional dancers from the Star Dance School and M.I.T. who did an amazing job. That is all I have to say about the spectacular ballroom dancers. •Over all I had an awesome time at the ballroom dancing expedition. Before I got in I was feeling kind of nervous. I had butterflies in my stomach. I was kind of overwhelmed by how many people were actually there. Once I started dancing all the nervousness went away. My favorite part was at the end when we were dancing the Meringue and being judged, because I always love a good competition.
NEW Afterschool Crazy 8’s Math Club Written by Regina Byrnes, Math Coach Stop by the library on any given Thursday after school and you will see 40 Morse students in grades JK - 5 having fun exploring math as part of the newly formed Morse School Crazy 8s Math Club. Crazy 8s is a recreational math club funded by grants obtained by the founder of Bedtime Math. In case you don’t know about Bedtime Math, check out their website: http://bedtimemath.org/. Bedtime Math offers daily math problems to explore with your child at home. Sometimes you might read to your child at bedtime; other times you might do bedtime math. Or both. Morse School Crazy 8s is an after school math club that is running for the 8 weeks between February and April vacation. The club is facilitated by Regina Byrnes, Morse Math Coach and Carol Copeland, Library and Computer Aide, and supported by a group of parent volunteers: Poonam Thakur, Meenu Janardhanan, Winnie Cheung, and Corain McGinn. During the 8 weeks students across the grade levels have been and will be exploring 3-D shapes, mathematical codes, money combinations, patterns, Venn diagrams, and symmetry, among other mathematical topics in a fun, engaging and “crazy” manner. The participating students are excited each week and are having a great time while exploring math concepts. In the words of Minnah, a Morse 5th grader, “What I like about Crazy 8’s club is all the fun activities we do. Also, I like all the math we do, I always learn a lot of new things, for example, I learned that 30 dimes, is the same weight as 12 quarters and has the same value. If you have the same weight of dimes and quarters, they have the same value!” This is the first year of Crazy 8s Math Club at Morse, but we hope to be able to continue to offer this fun and exciting club to Morse students next year as well. Thanks to our parent volunteers who have helped make our CRAZY math Thursdays a reality!
Little Free Library Project – Created by Special Start Room E2 Written by Joe Maloney, Special Start Teacher This February, students from the Morse Special Start Integrated Pre-k opened up a classroom workshop and used tools to build many different things. We tested the strength of different building materials and built our own playhouse. After a very important lesson on tool safety from our very own Head Custodian, Dan Wright, we practiced using real tools by hammering nails and using screwdrivers to turn screws. When we became very good at using these tools, we were ready for our final project, a Little Free Library. Mr. Joe showed us how he cut out all of the pieces, and we had to figure out how to put them together. We decided which parts should be used for the roof, walls, door and floor. Then, we had to figure out what tools we needed to put it together. We used a drill with a screwdriver bit to put all of the screws in and assemble the library. When it was all put together, we painted it with navy and gold paint to show our Morse school pride! The last step was to put the library outside. Our teachers dug a hole while we mixed some concrete. When the concrete was mixed, we put a post into the hole and then filled it up with the concrete. We used a level to make sure our post was straight, and then we used braces to hold it in place until the concrete was hard. The last step was to pick some books from our classroom to donate to our library! We hope that everyone in the Morse community enjoys and uses our Little Free Library! So please feel free to take a book and/or leave some books!
Gallery 263 More than Just the Morse School Art Show Space! Alexa Photopoulos, JK Para-professional, interviewed by Ms. Kerr, Morse Art Teacher Spotlight on Gallery 263: Located at 263 Pearl St.; on the corner of Pearl & Putnam Ave. just a few blocks from the Morse School! With the Morse School Art Show kicking off on May 31st, let's learn more about Gallery 263, the local art gallery that hosts our show! Did you know that Ms. Photopoulos from room B8 works at the gallery?! I asked her some questions about her work there: Ms. Kerr: What is your job at Gallery 263? Miss Photopoulos: I'm proud to be the Managing Director of Gallery 263. In this job, I am responsible for handling the gallery's finances, communicating with artists, writing grants, and making connections with other arts groups and nonprofit organizations in Cambridge. How did you get involved with the gallery? I walked by the gallery one day; there was a beautiful painting in the window. I thought, "Hmm, I've never noticed this place before!" and went inside. I checked out the show, which was great, and noticed a sign in the window, seeking artists for their next exhibit. I submitted a piece, and it was accepted! After that, I kept applying to more and more opportunities the gallery offered, and since I liked the space and the people there so much, I started volunteering as well. Eventually, the gallery needed a new staff member, and I was so pleased when they hired me for the job. Are you an artist, too? Yes, I am! My training in school was mostly in sculpture--my favorite materials to work with are wood, plaster, and fabric. These days I also make more two-dimensional work--I especially like collage, printmaking and painting with watercolors. What's your favorite thing about hosting the Morse School Art Show? The best thing about the Morse School Art Show is watching our students really see themselves as artists. It's very exciting and validating to have your work displayed in a gallery--even for grownups!--and it is a very special thing to be able to give that experience to Morse students. Morse shows are also so colorful and full of life--it's a real joy to be surrounded by such beautiful, vibrant art, and I know all our gallery visitors love it, too. Besides art shows, what else happens at Gallery 263? In addition to showing art by children and adults, the gallery hosts live music shows 5-8 times per month, weekly yoga classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and special events like workshops, storytelling nights, stand-up comedy, theater, and special celebration. You can learn more by checking out our website! Gallery 263 is located at 263 Pearl Street. Learn more at gallery263.com. Don't forget, the Morse School Art Show is going to be May 31st-June 4th. The artists' reception will be Wednesday June 1st, from 4:30-6:30pm. Mark your calendars!
And the Family Survey Results Tell Us… Written by Denise Sullivan, Family Liaison; PowerPoint created by Jennifer Lavalle, Instructional Technology Specialist This past fall 2015 during Report Card Pick up time, we asked Morse families to participate in a brief survey. This survey was created through the Morse School Council in conjunction with the Family Engagement work that is happening throughout the Cambridge Public School District. The survey was distributed in a few ways, on the evening of Report Card Pick up we had hard copies available, as well as computers set up in the Main Lobby and a few staff members walking around with a Chrome Book asking families to participate. We also made families aware of the on line link for some time after Report Card Pick Up Night. We are planning to have an easy follow up activity during the next Report Card Pick Up event, Thursday, April 14, 2016. This will help us better define some of the barriers that stop families from being “physically” involved in the Morse School Community. Your input is valuable so please take some time to participate! Here is what the results told us: •We had a total of 109 Families participated out of the 225 JK -5 families enrolled at the Morse. •95.4% feel the Morse School has a good sense of community that their family is a part of. •87.2% feel that there is another Morse parent they can go to with questions. •75.2 % understand what their child is learning from school •99.1% know where or who to go to with a question or concern about their child. •74.3% are interested in sharing a part of their family’s culture, a hobby or interest in their child’s class or in another class. Here are some of the responses to the question: What does it mean to be involved in your child's education or to be involved at your child's school? •"Knowing what they are learning, or should be, and their progress. Knowing strengths, and how to improve weaknesses. Communication with teachers is key. Be aware of social skills and relationships with students and staff." •"I think a child learns from his teachers, his parents and himself. Each one of these three components is vitally important and they should play off one another. Therefore the connection between parents and teacher (school) is of paramount importance." •"I like to do pick ups and drop offs as much as I can so that I can check in with my son's teacher and get to know the other students and families. Seeing the teacher often means we can have little conversations about how he's doing and also keeps us on the same page. I also try to go to as many FMS meetings as I can." •"One word, EVERYTHING." To see more results of the Morse Family Involvement Fall 2015 Survey, visit: http://bit.ly/1S3q4lO
More Info on 5th Grade Orienteering Program Written by Julia Bishop, Grade 5 teacher One of the highlights for the Morse School fifth graders, for the past several years, has been the Orienteering Program facilitated by Barb Bryant, a Morse School neighbor, and Cambridge parent. Orienteering involves map-reading skills, compass use, cooperative work, and having a great experience outdoors. The fifth grade Orienteering Program originally included a few local courses in the Morse/City Sprouts Garden, Magazine Beach, and a course through Cambridgeport, as well as a trip to the Middlesex Fells Reservation in June. The program has since grown to include a fall field trip to Fresh Pond Reservation and activities provided by the USA Junior Team when they are training in Cambridge. Barb Bryant, and her newly created nonprofit, Navigation Games, are committed to a variety of programs here in Cambridge. Learn more: www.navigationgames.org
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Reminders & Upcoming Events Time to Think about Summer Plans for Your Child Start to plan for what your child will do over the summer months. Where to begin? See all the possibilities here: http://bit.ly/1VMZ9hu Note: Some of the information for the 2016 dates may not yet be available in those links provided, so please contact the programs directly for more information. Annual Literacy & Math Carnival Night March 30 | 6:15-7:15PM Fun! Fun! Fun! See details on right... Please arrive on time so that you do not miss out on a chance to win a prize, as prizes will be awarded throughout the entire Math/Literacy Carnival. Upcoming 4th Grade Poetry Show April 1 | 8:45AM Written by Jaelyn Bean, Room E6 The 4th graders in E6 and E8 have been working hard on their poetry unit. They are getting ready for their poetry show! In their first week of poetry, they worked on breaking up their poems. In week two, the 4th grade poets worked on articulation, rate, and voice level. These young 4th graders would add these skills to make their poems clear and easy to understand. Week three for these talented poets looks at movement, the favorite week for everyone. 4th graders added movement that will make the poem come alive, but without distracting it at the same time. They have worked hard putting it all together! The 4th graders are doing this to learn more about poetry, our English language and how to perform on stage. The 4th graders are making a poem come to life to show their teachers and fellow students that they are understanding poetry. 4th graders are doing this because they are going to make their brains grow, too! They are training hard to make a performance worthy poem. Hopefully you will come to the 4th Grade Poetry Show on Friday, April 1st, 2016 at 8:45AM!
