10/3/22

Dear Morse Street Families,

As we enter into our sixth week of school, we are settling into our curriculum work in all our classrooms. Your children and their classroom teachers have taken time to build relationships and routines so that they are ready to build stamina, excitement and energy around their learning. Our Responsive Classroom practices of Morning Meeting, Quiet Time, Closing Circle, Interactive Modeling, and Reinforcing Language, provide a positive learning environment that lends itself to some predictability across our classrooms and grade levels. As our students move from grade to grade, it takes less time to settle into routines as each grade builds on the last.

Predictability in structures and expectations is also embedded in conflict resolution and problem solving conversations that I have been having in classrooms. Each year, I take time to visit every classroom to talk about actions that help us stay safe while learning at school as well as things that might prevent us from feeling safe and learning at school. I use visuals so that students can sort and categorize as we think through scenarios that might happen at this age and stage. I also share that it is never ok to hurt or scare another person at school or in other settings. Instead, when you are frustrated or angry there are other strategies to use; talk it out, walk away, or ask for help. These are our three “go to” options that we share as replacements to hitting or hurting someone else. Kelley Herzog, our school counselor, will go into more options or choices through her guidance lessons during the school year. It is helpful for your children to reinforce these problem solving strategies at home and in settings outside of school.

We have a short week of learning this week due to our early release and professional development day on Friday. Our classroom teachers will be working on updating our Social Studies curriculum on Thursday and Math Instruction on Friday. We wish you an enjoyable long weekend.

Warmly,

Julie Nickerson, Principal

Students who become ill during the school day will be assessed by the school nurse and receive appropriate care and supervision in the nurse's office. The school nurse will dismiss the student only after a parent or other designated emergency contact has been informed. In accordance with Maine Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, a child should not attend school if he/she exhibits one or more of the following symptoms or infections:

• Fever - Fever is defined as having a temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher.
• Diarrhea - Watery, foul-smelling, runny and/or bloody stools.
• Vomiting - In the last 24-hour period.
• Rash - An unexplained rash with fever or behavioral change. Child can return to school if a physician has determined the illness is not communicable and fever is gone.
• Bacterial infections requiring antibiotics - If your child is placed on antibiotics for any kind of infection please consult school nurse for return to school recommendations.

Students should be fever-free without the aid of fever-reducing medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for 24 hours before returning to school.

Brooke Rich, RN, BSN, MEd

School Nurse

Morse Street School,

Phone: 207-865-6361 Ext 2

richb@rsu5.org