Morris Elementary School
Week of January 15th
Hello Parents and Guardians,
The chorus and band concert on Thursday evening was truly remarkable, showcasing the immense talent and dedication of our students. I appreciation all the students who dedicate time to practice their instruments and hone their singing skills for chorus. Your hard work and commitment truly shined during the performance. I would also like thank Mrs. Pollard for her instruction, guidance and commitment to nurture the musical talent in our students.
The students absolutely loved the fresh snow we receive over last weekend. Unfortunately, some of our students do not have snow pants. If there is anyone willing to donate some snow pants we would greatly appreciate it. We are in need of sizes 6/7, 10/12 and 14/16.
Thank you to all the families who have adjusted their pick time at the end of the day. Arriving shortly after 3:05 ensures that you will not be waiting in car line and that you will drive through the parking lot, to the back door where you will pick up your child. I have timed cars entering the parking lot shortly after 3:05 and from entry to exit it is less than a 5 minute wait.
Please remember students who are involved with a morning club should not be dropped off before their scheduled time. There is no supervision at the school until the adult running the club opens the door. The parking lot is busy in the morning. Following this procedures ensures everyone's safety.
Morris in the news before we left for winter break our first grade students traveled to the LCC to practice their math skills in the Math Olympics. Here is the article published in iberkshires. https://www.iberkshires.com/story/74148/Lenox-First-Graders-Compete-in-Math-Olympics.html. The staff at Morris Elementary School are always finding ways to make learning fun and engaging. Thank you to the parents, teachers and the math specialist for making this day fun and exciting.
Substitute Nurse Needed
I am reaching out to our school community, hoping you know someone interested in becoming a substitute nurse. We have been unable to secure a substitute nurse when Nurse Shove is absent. We have tried using a temp agency, but that has been unsuccessful. The health and well-being of our students are of the utmost importance, and having a pool of qualified substitute nurses ensures we can continue providing excellent care when our regular nurse is unavailable. If you know someone in the medical field who can help us, please give them my contact information: bkelley@lenoxps.org. Thank you for your support.
A message from Nurse Shove
The state no longer requires individuals exposed to Covid to quarantine and there is no contact tracing performed. Students exposed to Covid may continue to come to school. We ask that if your child becomes symptomatic, they should be tested for Covid right away. If the result is negative for Covid, they may continue in school if their symptoms are minor.
If a student does test positive, they must isolate for 5 days. The day that they test positive is considered day zero. On day 6, students may return to school if mild symptoms and fever free for 24 hours without the aid of medication. Please test your child on day 6. If they are still testing positive, we recommend that they wear a mask in school until they test negative.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school nurse.
Navigating Peer Friends
Happy New Year from your Morris School Adjustment Counselors! With the start of the new year, we thought this would be a good time to review and continue our conversation and shared discussion on friendships! Please join us on Thursday, January 18th from 6-7pm in the Morris Library. Light refreshments will be served. Please reach out to Beth or Cherilyn via email with any questions.
Safe Routes to School Contest
Your student(s) are invited to design a yard sign promoting safe roads to school for our Morris student walkers and bus riders.
The contest is now open and the deadline for entries to be turned into the Morris main office is February 12th.
This year's theme is "BUS STOP SAFETY".
Please remember that all signs need to be hand drawn or digitally created in landscape format. The four winning designs from all participating schools in MA will be made into yard signs and distributed to all the schools entered in the contest. This contest is for students in Grades 2-8. Your design can be submitted on 8 1/2 x 11 paper/or digitally in a landscape format.
All submissions must be received to the main office by the end of the school day on February 12th. At that time I will collect them and prepare to send them to them to the Safe Routes to Schools Office in Boston.If you could please download and fill out the form below as a parent/guardian's signature is required for your student to participate. Please hand that in along with the artwork. To learn more about how to enter the contest or to see past winning designs please see the link below.
Thank you and good luck!
Amy Freeman
Administrative Assistant to the Principal
PBIS Winners
Before the holiday day break we held a PBIS booster for the playground. A booster is used to reinforce, practice and teach expectations in areas of the school that are seeing some challenging behaviors. Students received a special green ticket for following the "ROAR" expectations on the playground. Students placed their tickets with their names in a special bucket within the classroom. One student's name was drawn and that student receive a special reward. I am proud of all of our students who continually follow our expectations.
Calendar items
- No School in Observance of Martin Luther King- January 15th
- PTO Meeting - January 16th 6:30 p.m. in the Library
- Navigating Peer Friends- January 18th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
- Budget Presentations- January 22nd 6:30 p.m.
- Elementary, Student Services, Technology, Administration
- Safe Routes to Skill -Winter Walk to School - February 7th - 8:00 a.m. Lilac Park
Family Valentine Dance
The signups for the Family Valentine Dance are going great; there are up to 140 guests confirmed. Please make sure you RSVP to this link click this link. The dance is limited to 200 guests.