Dear Morse School Parents & Caregivers,

I hope that you and your family enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving break and that your week is off to a great start.  It is hard to believe that it is already December!  

This has been a very unusual school year but a lot of positive things are happening in both our in-person and our remote classrooms.  Over the last few weeks, Morse School teachers have administered a variety of formative assessments to help us get a better understanding of each child’s individual academic needs.  Your child’s teacher will share some of this data with you when discussing your child’s progress during this week’s parent conferences.  It is our sincere hope that the conferences also provide you and your child’s teacher with an opportunity to discuss your child’s overall experiences with school this year, as well as to identify some learning goals for the coming months.  In an effort to provide as flexible a conference schedule as possible for our parents, caregivers, and teachers, there will be no asynchronous learning assigned tomorrow (Wednesday 12/2) afternoon.

School Council Congratulations
Congratulations to Nekeya Dancy and Sweta Joshi, who were unanimously approved to serve as parent representatives on the Morse School Council!  This year, the School Council will play an important role in reviewing and updating our School Improvement Plan. All members of the Morse School community are welcome and encouraged to attend School Council meetings.  Our next meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, December 10th from 6:00-7:30pm.

December Materials Pickup for Remote Learners
In order to provide reliable and consistent support for our remote learners, we have scheduled materials pickup for the first week of every month. Our December pickup week is underway!  Parents of remote learners, please stop by any day this week between 7:15am-3:00pm. (Tomorrow, Wednesday 12/2, pickup hours will be extended to 4:00pm.)  Please remember that this is also an opportunity to pick up art supplies and exchange library books.  Please be sure to return the library books that your child borrowed last month!  If you have any questions or are unable to pick up your child’s materials during these days and times, please contact our Clerk Elaine Delaney at 617.349.6575 or via email at [email protected].

COVID Clarification
In the Superintendent's message to the CPS community yesterday, Dr. Salim indicated that a classroom at the Morse School had been closed due to a positive COVID case.  Please know that the "classroom" in question is not a traditional “homeroom" in which a cohort of students spends the bulk of their school day, but rather a former classroom that has been converted into a specialist workspace, which includes intermittent adult and student use.  Based on recommendations from the Department of Public Health, this room did receive a deep clean and was taken out of circulation for a period of time that coincides with the quarantine period of the affected individual.  I regret any confusion caused by my previous messages about this.

Flu Shots Required by December 31 
A reminder to families that the flu vaccine is now required for all Massachusetts public school students, including students learning remotely. Under this new state requirement, students should receive the vaccine no later than December 31, 2020, unless a religious or medical exemption is provided.  Families can either email a copy of the documentation to Nurse Sam ([email protected]) or send it to her by fax: 617.349.7766.  If you have questions about where or how to get your child vaccinated, please contact Nurse Sam.

Friends of Morse Appreciation & Upcoming 12/8 Meeting
A special thank you to the Friends of Morse for helping mobilize Thanksgiving donations for several Morse School families for whom food security is a concern.  Last month, the Friends of Morse also helped bring Wee the People to the Morse School to offer the ABCs of Racism workshop to parents and caregivers.  These are just a few of the many many ways in which the Friends of Morse works to support our community.  If you are interested in learning more about the organization or finding out how you can get involved, please consider attending the group’s next meeting next Tuesday (12/8) from 6pm-7:30pm. The Zoom link is here.

As always, I am grateful to you for being a member of the Morse School community.  I wish you all the best for a great first week of December!

Sincerely,
Principal Chad Leith

Healthy Snack of the Week
Here's Cambridge in Motion's Healthy Snack of the Week:
Carrot Stick with Hummus & Pumpkin Seeds: Try walnuts, sunflower seeds or almonds as well!

In Our District & Community