Morton Elementary Newsletter
March 2020
Morton Communication
Email: kquain@marysvilleschools.us
Website: https://www.marysville.k12.mi.us/schools/morton-elementary/
Location: 920 Lynwood Street, Marysville, MI, USA
Phone: (810)364-2990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mortonelementaryschool/
Twitter: @mortonstars
Upcoming Events
3/10 MSALT Meeting @ 6:30pm
3/13 Favorite Superhero or Prince/Princess Day
3/16 4th & 5th Grade Clay Day & Kindergarten Orientation (2020-2021) @ 6:00pm
3/18 Music Concert (2nd-5th) - 6:00-8:00pm
3/20 Superhero Action Word Day, MSALT Glow Dance
3/24 MSALT Hungry Howie's Pizza Night & Morton Public Library Night
3/25 MSALT Bottle Drive
3/26 4th Grade Field Trip
3/28 Capes/Crazy Sock Day & Superhero Academy Assembly
3/30 - 4/3 Spring Break
4/6 Classes Resume & Little Caesar's Pizza Fundraiser Begins
4/7 Spring Pictures
4/8 PLC Late Start (schools begins @ 9:45am)
4/9 Encore/Red Carpet Rally
4/10-4/13 Easter Break
4/14 Classes Resume & MSALT Meeting @ 6:30pm
Principal's Corner
Marysville Public Schools is closely monitoring the situation regarding the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The US Center for Disease Control recommends the following precautionary measures to reduce risk:
· Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
· Stay home when you are sick.
· Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
The practices identified above are taught as part of our health curriculum to help protect students from common illnesses such as a cold and influenza. Our teachers also discuss these strategies at school and we encourage parents/guardians to review these strategies with your child as well.
If your child is ill, keep them home from school and notify the school of your child’s absence. A child with a heavy cough and cold, vomiting, and/or fever should stay home. A child must be fever-free, without fever-reducing medication, for 24 hours before returning to school. We encourage parents/guardians to seek medical attention from a healthcare professional should your child have a fever, cough and/or shortness of breath.
The district will continue to watch the developments surrounding COVID-19 with the assistance of St. Clair County Health Department and related agencies. If needed, we will communicate additional steps necessary to protect the health of all of our students, families, and staff.
For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (https://www.cdc.gov/).
The Leader in Me
HABIT 5: SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD
Last month we rolled out Habit 5: Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. Seek First to Understand means to listen to how other people feel before sharing your thoughts. This is one of the hardest habits to master, but it's also one of the most important. A wise woman once told me that you have 2 ears, but only 1 mouth for a reason. You should use your ears more often. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in getting our point across, that we completely ignore the other person.
HOW CAN I SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND IN MY LIFE?
- Listen with your eyes, ears, and heart. -Try to make eye contact when someone is talking to show them that you're paying attention. Use your ears to hear what they have to say and how they feel. Lastly, use your heart to empathize with them and care about what they are sharing with you.
- Repeat back what you hear. -To make sure you really understand, repeat what the other person said.
- Help friends when you see them having a misunderstanding. -Help them take turns explaining their sides of the story. Remind the other person that it is not their turn to talk yet. After they listen to the other person, they'll get their chance to share their feelings. When that time comes, make sure the one who already shared listens to other as well.
WHAT BOOKS CAN HELP ME LEARN ABOUT SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND?
- Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
- Rules by Cynthia Lord
- Veronica Knows Best by Nancy Robinson
Have you ever heard the saying "Two heads are better than one"? When you synergize, you work together to come up with a product that neither person could achieve on their own. It sounds silly, but think of it like this. 1+1=3. If I come up with one idea, and you come up with one idea, we have 2 ideas, butonce we start talking and brainstorming, together we may come up with 3, 4, or5 great ideas.
HOW CAN I SYNERGIZE IN MY LIFE?
- Use cooperative learning strategies at school. - When you're working on a group project, share everyone's ideas. Work together to brainstorm ways to use those ideas to create a project.
- Help other people. - If you and your brother both need to clean your rooms before you can play, why not team up. You can both clean his room, then you can both clean yours. Both rooms will get cleaned better and faster, and then you can play.
- Share victories. - If you play on a sports team, don't let one player do all the action. Use each player's individual strengths to make the best team possible.
WHAT BOOKS CAN HELP ME LEARN ABOUT SYNERGY?
- A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
- Clifford's Spring Clean Up by Norman Bridwell
- The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon
- Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
- The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Monthly Star Citizen and Viking Spirit Winners
January Star Citizens
Viking Spirit Winner
February Star Citizens
Kindergarten Orientation Night
Marysville Public Schools offers Kindergarten Orientation night for families wishing to enroll their child(ren) into Kindergarten or Developmental Kindergarten for the upcoming school year. This meeting provides valuable information on what to expect when enrolling your child into school. Topics covered will include Kindergarten Assessment, Vision & Hearing Screening, as well as Kindergarten Round-Up information. Parent/Guardians can attend any of the sessions listed below, even if it is not the school closest to their home.
Kindergarten Orientation dates for students entering Kindergarten in the Fall of 2020:
March 16, 2020 @ 6:00 PM - Morton Elementary
March 17, 2020 @ 6:00 PM -Gardens Elementary
March 18, 2020 @ 6:00 PM -Washington Elementary
This is an informational meeting for parents/guardians.
School Breakfast Program
Lost & Found Items
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
We will continue to use the south parking lot as a drop-off loop in the morning for all students K-5. When pulling into the drop off loop, please drive as far forward as you can to allow room for additional cars to drop off. When cars stop at the entrance to unload, it causes other cars to get backed up on the street and makes our lot unsafe. If you would like to walk your child up to the doors, take more time to say goodbye, or if your child needs additional time to exit the car, please pull into a parking space on the east side of the parking lot (the side that faces the road.) We request that parents DO NOT park on the west side (playground side) of this lot from 7:30 am to 9:00 am as posted.
Kindergarten will be dismissed out the northwest blue doors in the back parking lot. First and second grade will dismiss out the north end of the building (Lynwood Doors) and third, fourth, and fifth grade students will exit out the south end doors (large playground).
*Please remember there is no parking, stopping or standing in the bus loop at any time during school hours. This also includes evening events as the loop is considered a fire lane. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter.
MSALT Updates
We would like to thank all our volunteers who helped with our annual Family Fun Night and to all the families who attended. Our students had a great time and we collected roughly $3800 which will be used for future activities for our Morton students.
Coming up on March 20th is our very first Neon Glow Dance. See the flyer below for more information.
Lelito'slegacy Foundation
Aiding student athletes by eliminating financial barriers and creating healthy opportunities for deserving youth.
March 20, Mardi Gras Madness @ T's Rockin Road House, 6:00-10:00pm
(all you can east crawfish boil, raffles, games & prizes)
March 25, Jersey Mike's Subs Fort Gratiot Give's Day, 10:00am-9:00pm
(100% of sales will be donated to the foundation)
MPS Board of Education
Dave Schmorrow, President ~ Kevin Palmateer, Vice President ~ Nicole Winston, Secretary ~ Dave Watson, Treasurer ~ Michelle Kut, Trustee ~ Barry Kreiner, Trustee ~ Ben Lasher, Trustee