Unicef Kid Power Returns to Morse!
Written by Denise Sullivan, Family Liaison
Students in the 3rd, 4th & 5th grade are once again getting active to help save lives. How, you ask? Each student is wearing a Unicef Kid Power Band. Each band keeps track of daily steps, helping the Morse School earn points. A total of 10 points equals one therapeutic food packet that helps feed severely malnourished children around the world. Want to help, too? Check on the progress of the Morse School classes and get more information on how you can help >>



Students in Ms. Bishop's Class Share Pi Day Thoughts
–On March 14th it was Pi day and it was really fun. The first activity we did was making bracelets. We picked all different colored beads for each number in Pi. Our class also made Pi shirts. We put our piku on the front and the Pi symbol on the back. A piku is a haiku but about Pi.
–Pi is infinite, its numbers go on and on forever. For short we say Pi=3.14. In class we did different activities. My favorite part was being an Ambassador; I liked going into Mr. Macomber’s class and telling the kids how to get the circumference of a circle. I showed them how to measure the diameter and the multiply the diameter by 3.14.
–We made Pi bracelets. My bracelet was a rainbow. The Pi bracelets mean the first 8 numbers in Pi (3.1415926). I can’t wait for Pi day next year.

What is a WIN Group?
Fondly referred to as "WIN" by students and teachers, the Morse School "What Individuals Need" Block is currently in its second year of implementation for third, fourth, and fifth graders.
Learn more >>



Rooms C1 & C3 Expert Fair
Last month, the second graders held an Expert Fair to show off their expert topic books to their families and friends. Throughout the expert topic-writing unit, they learned how to research their specific topic. With the help of Ms. Pennell, students found books in the library that they could use to gather information. Next, they learned how to paraphrase the information that they had read into their own words, and then how to organize their writing into book format. Topics ranged from wild animals, sports, arts, and much more! The morning of the fair was filled with excitement and pride, and was a wonderful end to a unit the second graders worked so hard on. The second graders have now moved on and are now focusing on their poetry unit. Keep an eye out for some wonderful poems in next month's newsletter!

Dancers' Reflections of the Ballroom Dancing Showcase
Our 5th graders participated in the recent Ballroom Dancing Showcase. Here's what they had to say >>



Little Free Library Project – Created by Special Start Room E2
This February, students from the Morse Special Start Integrated Pre-k opened up a classroom workshop and used tools to build many different things. We tested the strength of different building materials and built our own playhouse. After a very important lesson on tool safety from our very own Head Custodian, Dan Wright, we practiced using real tools by hammering nails and using screwdrivers to turn screws. When we became very good at using these tools, we were ready for our final project, a Little Free Library. Learn more >>



NEW Afterschool Crazy 8s Math Club
Written by Regina Byrnes, Math Coach
Stop by the library on any given Thursday after school and you will see 40 Morse students in grades JK - 5 having fun exploring math as part of the newly formed Morse School Crazy 8s Math Club. Crazy 8s is a recreational math club funded by grants obtained by the founder of Bedtime Math. In case you don’t know about Bedtime Math, check out their website: http://bedtimemath.org/. Bedtime Math offers daily math problems to explore with your child at home. Sometimes you might read to your child at bedtime; other times you might do bedtime math. Or both. Morse School Crazy 8s is an after school math club that is running for the 8 weeks between February and April vacation. The club is facilitated by Regina Byrnes, Morse Math Coach and Carol Copeland, Library and Computer Aide, and supported by a group of parent volunteers: Poonam Thakur, Meenu Janardhanan, Winnie Cheung, and Corain McGinn. During the 8 weeks students across the grade levels have been and will be exploring 3-D shapes, mathematical codes, money combinations, patterns, Venn diagrams, and symmetry, among other mathematical topics in a fun, engaging and “crazy” manner. The participating students are excited each week and are having a great time while exploring math concepts. In the words of Minnah, a Morse 5th grader, “What I like about Crazy 8’s club is all the fun activities we do. Also, I like all the math we do, I always learn a lot of new things, for example, I learned that 30 dimes, is the same weight as 12 quarters and has the same value. If you have the same weight of dimes and quarters, they have the same value!” This is the first year of Crazy 8s Math Club at Morse, but we hope to be able to continue to offer this fun and exciting club to Morse students next year as well. Thanks to our parent volunteers who have helped make our CRAZY math Thursdays a reality!

Gallery 263 More than Just the Morse School Art Show Space!
With the Morse School Art Show kicking off on May 31st, let's learn more about Gallery 263, the local art gallery that hosts our show! Read more >>

And the Family Survey Results Tell Us...
Hear a recap from the recent survey, and then get ready for a follow-up activity that's happening soon! Learn more >>