The Quokka
New Morning School Week 2 9.12.22
A Note from the Heads
Dear Parents,
We so enjoyed seeing all of the students and families come in with bright smiles last week as we kicked off the school year! We had an all school meeting to connect and sing Happy Birthday to New Morning School, goal setting for elementary and middle school is underway, and our youngest learners in preschool and K-1 are making new friends. All in all we are really glad to be back together again!
We're looking forward to our first Community Meet and Greet on Tuesday, September 13 at 6:30pm (for parents only). Bring a dish to pass for our potluck dinner to start. We'll break out into classroom groups so that you can learn a bit from your classroom teachers about what the year will be like this year. See you then!
Warm regards,
Elaine Kennedy, Head of School & Pauline Nagle, Associate Head of School
Golden Nuggets
Our Values
Our Value focus this month is Be Kind. Each class will be talking about ways to spread kindness both big and small. We hope that you chat about this as a family as well and get into the spirit of kindness this month. Below is a .pdf Random Act of Kindness calendar to start the conversation!
BE KIND
Everyone does the best that they can
with the resources that they have.
Start with that and show kindness throughout your day.
Quote of the Week
-Morgan Freeman
News to Note
Communication through Remind
Remind101 is a communication tool that we will be using this year to send important reminders via text and email. We are currently working through our set-up process and hope to be sending reminders and information through Remind very soon! You can help us get started by joining your child's class group.
Simply click on the link below and enter their class code. Thanks for participating!
Miss Marisa's Code: @nmsmarisa
Miss Danielle's Code: @nmsdaniell
Miss Lucy's K-1 Code: @nmslucy
Elementary Code: @nmselem
Middle School Code: @nmsmiddle
Arrival and Pick-Up Details
As we return to our community based arrival/dismissal procedures, which allows parents to come in to the building, we've had a few questions about arrival and pick-up procedures. Here are some clarifications. Feel free to ask your child's teacher or check in with Kit in the front office if you have any additional questions!
Students and families should enter and exit through the main front door. We keep all exterior doors locked for safety purposes. This helps us ensure that students are safely picked up each day, as well as allow teachers time to check-in with parents at dismissal inside the building.
Arrival: Students arriving early should put their items away in their lockers and head down to the gym for Kids Club. Students can enter their classrooms at 8:25am.
Pick-Up: Please let your child's teacher know your regular pick-up plans (kids club, pick-up at inside classroom door, front-porch pick-up). If you plan to pick-up your child at the front door, students may wait on the front-porch. Simply pull up for pick-up. We ask that students do not cross the parking lot on their own. This helps us see that students are safely picked up and avoids possible mishaps in the parking area.
Thank you for all of your help getting our children to and from school safely! While we know entering the building for drop-off or pick-up takes extra time, it really does help keep our school family connected. We love seeing you!
Kids' Club on Half Days or No School Days
We offer Kids' Club on half-days and most non-school days throughout the year, based on need. If you would like Kids' Club to be offered and held for your child, please sign up for dates and times in the office as soon as possible. This helps us know how many kids will attend and be sure to schedule staff to work.
We have a few dates upcoming in September, so please check your schedules and let us know if you need extended care for your child. Thanks for helping us out with early sign-ups!
THANK YOU! Plymouth Fall Festival
A huge THANK YOU to all of the parents that spent time at the Plymouth Fall Festival this weekend! Spin Art was a success and it is always a great way to connect New Morning School with the community. Thanks again to Kristen Haas for organizing!
Anniversary Wear On-line Store - Order between Tues, Sept 6 and Fri, Sept 30!
We are thrilled to offer spirit wear and additional items for purchase to celebrate our 50th year! The New Morning School 50th Anniversary items will be available for purchase on-line through the Target Marketing link below. You'll find t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, travel mugs and more! You can download detailed order information by clicking on the .pdf or read below.
- View the items by clicking on the “SHOP” button on the main menu on the homepage, but you will need to register for an account to be able to place an order.
- Go to “MY ACCOUNT” menu selection.
- Click on the “Create an Account” button.
- Fill out the information and click “Register”.
- Once your registration request has been approved, you will be able to start adding items to your cart.
The New Morning School order will be open from Tuesday, September 6th through Friday, September 30th. Payment will not be taken at the time of your order. There are a few items that have order minimums and will not be billed to you if those minimums are not met. We will not process orders until after the NMS order is closed on the 30th.
An invoice will be emailed to the address provided with your order. We will provide additional payment information to you at the time of invoice. Please allow 2-3 weeks for order fulfillment after the order has closed.
If you have any questions, concerns or problems placing an order, please contact Target Marketing at: sales@targetmi.com or 248-437-7550
Me and My Shadow - Parent/Tot Class NOW ENROLLING
Do you know anyone with a 2 or 3 year old child? Invite them to Me and My Shadow!
Parents and Tots enjoy music, art, play and stories together, while socializing and meeting other families. We have a few openings, so feel free to spread the word!
Our Fall class is on Thursdays from 5:30p-6:45p, taught by our very own, Kim Balluff. Kim has over 10 years of experience in early childhood education and is excited to bring the New Morning experience to new families.
NMS Happenings
Upcoming Dates
Mon, 9/12: No School for EL and MS (Goal-setting)
Tue, 9/13: Community Meet & Greet Potluck 6:30p (parents only please)
Thu, 9/15: Me and My Shadow Parent/Toddler Class begins 5:30p
Sept 26-29: Aide Meetings 12:30-1:00p (attend on your aiding day)
Fri, 9/30: No School - Professional Development Day (Kids' Club available)
Classroom Updates
Preschool Brainstormers
Preschool Teachers:
Marisa Downs marisa@newmorningschool.com
Danielle Provencher danielle@newmorningschool.com
Preschool Lead Aide: Crystal GerwatowskiHere’s to a fantastic 1st week preschool families & friends !!
It was a great week back to familiar faces and an extraordinary time for building new friendships as well!
This week, we will continue to navigate our classrooms and learn and play together. We will be creating art with finger paints and watercolors as well as measuring ourselves and friends alike. We are going to start filling out daily plans. Keep an eye out for it, as they are sent home almost daily. It’s a fantastic way to catch up with your child and find out about their day!!
Preschool families, we are excited to announce that we have the awesome opportunity to receive Spanish instruction for our kiddos Mondays and Fridays. We have gym class every Thursday and Friday. Please make sure to have your child wear gym shoes or remember to send in a pair on those days .
This month of September, we celebrate birthdays with Remy, Charles, & Ryan. We wish them a very happy birthday & many more to come!! 🥳
A humongous thank you to our rock star aides this week! You all are amazing.
~Marisa and Danielle
*A few notes:
We are requesting donations for our preschool playground sandbox. Sand toys, pails, and/or shovels will be greatly appreciated!
If you haven't already, here's a reminder to send in your family photo for our family trees, a binder to create a portfolio of your child's year, and a change of clothes.
Don’t forget to check out New Morning School on Facebook and Instagram. Give us a follow!
Primary Explorers (Grades K-1)
Teacher: Lucy Bratt lucy@newmorningschool.com
K-1 Lead Aide: Shelley Blakeney
Dear Families,
Welcome to week two! We had a wonderful first week, the children all really impressed me with the way they came in so eagerly, full of excitement to learn and to make new friends. We spent our time getting to know each other, our classroom routines and how we use our spaces. I began some initial assessments of the children and they also had their first tastes of Gym, Science and Art. No wonder they were all so tired by the end of the week!
This week I shall continue to assess each of the children in all areas of reading, writing and math. This will enable me to customize everybody’s learning according to their current level and future needs. Once this is done, we shall commence learning proper. I will be providing more information about what this will look like at our Community Meet & Greet on Tuesday evening. I look forward to seeing you there.
Our theme of “All About Me” will also continue this week. If you have not yet sent in a family photo, this week would be a great time to do so, please!
Finally, thank you to everyone who sent in supplies for our classroom. You have been very generous. I have one more request - crafting activities have been very popular and we are already running low on make-it supplies. If you could save small boxes, packages and toilet paper/kitchen paper inner tubes to send in we will gratefully take them off your hands!
Have a fantastic week,
Ms. Lucy
Elementary Scholars (Grades 2-5)
Teachers:
Hannah Diaz hannah@newmorningschool.com
Christine Jansen christine@newmorningschool.com
Cynthia Weber cynthia@newmorningschool.com
EL Lead Aide: Karen Staples
Our first All School Meeting in 2 years!
Last week was spent getting to know our new students and creating a community of kindness.
Community Eat and Meet Returns!
We are looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening. We will go over plans for the year and be available to answer any questions you may have!Snacks
There have been questions about snacks. The scholars are welcome to have a snack in the morning and a snack in the afternoon. It should be a healthy snack, like: fruit, veggies, cheese sticks, or yogurt.
Spelling
We will start spelling in a few weeks.
Have a wonderful week!
Christine, Hannah and Cynthia
Middle School Leaders (Grades 6th-8th)
Teachers:
Linda Hyde linda@newmorningschool.com
Nicole Matoian nicolem@newmorningschool.com
Hello Middle School parents,
We hope you enjoyed your weekend and the Plymouth Fall Festival!
We have a busy week ahead of us as we begin diving into our curriculum after Goal
Setting on Monday. We will begin the week with reading, writing, and math
assessments to determine group placement.
In Language Arts, students, at all levels, will begin a poetry writing unit. Students will
begin by reading poems about summer vacation and then using those poems as
models for their own poems. Also, students will practice making precise language
choices by working with a thesaurus and learning synonyms for common words and
applying them to their writing. This week students will continue reading 50 minutes a
day (in celebration of our school's 50th Anniversary) and recording unfamiliar
vocabulary words as they read. These words will become the basis of their
vocabulary/spelling study for the following week.
In Social Studies, students will review geography and map skills in preparation for our
study of the European Renaissance Period.
In Math, students will begin with math assessments and games to determine a starting
point for this year’s math groups, as well as review previously learned material to
ensure their readiness for new concepts.
We are looking forward to seeing you at Tuesday night's Meet and Greet!
Ms. Linda and Ms. Nicole
Helpful Links
Contact Us
School Contact Information
Office Phone: 734.420.3331
Email: nms@newmorningschool.com
Elaine Kennedy, Head of School elaine@newmorningschool.com
Pauline Nagle, Associate Head of School pauline@newmorningschool.com
Joan Barrett, Admissions Director joan@newmorningschool.com
Kit Zrull, Administrative Assistant nms@newmorningschool.com
Celebrating 50 Years of Innovation
14501 N. Haggerty Rd., Plymouth, Michigan 734.420.0331