Monkey Flower (Mimulus), X7
Marsh Marigold (Caltha Palustris), X14
Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis), X5

If you are unable to donate a plant, please consider making a $10 donation through the CitySprouts website. If you want to donate cash, please put it in an envelope and leave in the CitySprouts addressed to our CitySprouts Garden Coordinator, Alessandra. Make sure you mark your donation “Morse Rain Garden.”


My First Days Jitterbug
Submitted by: Neal Klinman, Kindergarten Teacher

Kindergarten classes are off to a great start at the Morse School and these early projects by students in Kindergarten B-7 showcase the collective teamwork and expressive powers of drawing and writing in the early grades.

Many students and family members contributed to the large "Welcome" mural during the orientation sessions as well as during the first days of school.

Later, students completed their "Jitterbug" pictures to express how they felt during the those first days in Kindergarten.

Many more writing and drawing opportunities and endeavors await our young authors and illustrators.

Garden News
Volunteer with your child's class to help press apple cider in the school garden!
Submitted By: Andrea Locke, CitySprouts Community Relations Coordinator
During CitySprouts' Annual Cider Pressing we introduce children and teachers to the school garden by setting up an apple press and teaching kids how to make cider. We would love parent/guardian volunteers to help set up, do a little crowd control, and clean up afterwards. Come enjoy fresh cider and see how much the kids love being outside in the garden. We will press cider at Morse on October 10, 11, 15.
If interested, contact Andrea Locke.



2018-2019 Morse School Open House/Curriculum Night
This year’s Morse School Open House/Curriculum Night took place on Wednesday, September 26th from 6 – 8PM. All parents and caregivers were invited to meet with their child’s classroom teacher, connect with other parents, and gain an understanding of what students will be learning and how they will be learning, during the coming school year. 
Read more >>

Liaison Office Relocated
Denise Sullivan's Morse Family Liaison’s office has been relocated to Room D37. Room D37 is located right in the Main Lobby, on the left side of the Family Information Station. As your Family Liaison, Denise is here to answer any questions you may have and help figure out how to be active in your child’s school in one or more ways. She organizes the Weekend Food Backpack program, in addition to gathering and organizing content for the school newsletter, as well as creating and sending it to every Morse Family. Created and oversees the Morse Google Group (information on how to join is listed further along in the newsletter, so keep reading). She gives tours to potential families throughout the year. Also, helps give information about after-school & summer programs to current families. She works with Friends of Morse on school community gatherings. Plus many other small details. Think of her as your bridge between home and school. If you need to get in touch with her please email her.

Marker Recycling at Morse
Friendly reminder that Morse is participating in its second year in the Crayola ColorCycle marker recycling program! Last year Morse recycled 1,861 markers - let's see if we can beat that this year!

The box to drop off markers is already outside room D4 (D4 is located in the middle of the building). From the Main Lobby walk down the hallway toward the Library, at the first double door take a left (the water fountain will be on your right) you will see a large window and the drop off box is located there. Feel free to bring any dead markers (any brand/style) you find during classroom setup and toss in there! More Info >>



Weekend Backpack Volunteers
The Morse’s Weekend Backpack team is looking for some extra hands to help out for a few minutes on Friday mornings. It’s a great opportunity to put in a quick volunteer effort for few minutes and meet other Morse parents before you head out for work or other commitments! The program is run by Food For Free, a Cambridge-based nonprofit. Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach underserved populations. Food for Free operates the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program in all of the district's schools to ensure that all of our kids have the nutrition they need to sustain themselves through the weekend. Our Morse teams packs up two lunches, two breakfasts, milk, and fresh fruit for participating Morse families every Friday morning.

Interested in helping out? We need help with weekly pickup at CRLS and also bag packing in the Morse Cafeteria.

*Pickup people--families driving to school or willing to pick up boxed food donations by car at CRLS’ loading dock on Cambridge Street between 7:30-8AM on Friday mornings. Consider signing up for a Friday or two (or more) to pick up 2-3 boxes of food donations to drive to the Morse. Pull into the loading dock at CRLS on Cambridge St. and Food for Free staff will put the 2-3 boxes of food donations in your truck. You drive it to the Morse and the local Morse team will help unload your car. Super easy. Sign up for one date, two, or more here.

*Bag packers. 8:25-9AM Morse Cafeteria. Join our Friday morning team of bag packers as we pack each individual bag to prepare them for the kids to take home later that day. We’re an efficient bunch (coffee helps!) and are usually are done before 9AM.

Please contact the Morse’s Weekend Backpack parent organizers, Amy Devin, Amanda Trombley, or Denise Sullivan to join us!


Do you know about the Family Information Station?
Located in the Main Lobby near the Auditorium doors is the Family Information Station. On this organized station you can find many helpful pieces of information.

Featuring: Copies of the CPS school year calendar, the monthly Morse calendar & Newsletter, Title One monthly calendar, important notices, afterschool programs, out-of-school time activities, and much more. Please stop by and help yourself to any material that you need.

How Morning Drop Off / Afternoon
Pick Up Happens
Written By: Denise Sullivan, Family Liaison

Morning Drop Off:
In the mornings drop off safety is a big issue. During rush hour everyone in the city is trying to get somewhere else. Please follow these simple rules to help your child get in and out of the building safely. Learn more >>

Dismissal Procedure/Afternoon Pick-up:
For the safety of all the Morse School students, all doors remain locked until the very end of the day. We ask that all adults picking up their child/children wait outside the building at the indicated dismissal door or in the Main Lobby until 2:25PM. Learn more about dismissal procedures >>

What is the Cambridge Public Schools Visitor Policy?
Find out! View the Visitor's Policy >>


What is the “Apple” of the Week?
Each week in grades JK-5, students will be awarded “Apple Student of the Week”. Children are awarded this because they have (in some manner) displayed the core virtue of the month or put good effort into following the Morse School code. Mr. Leith or Mrs. Headley presents the weekly apple awards in each classroom (actually it is a big bowl of fruit that students can choose from). The classroom teacher, specialists and support staff, tell either of them who the Apple Awardees are and why they have been selected. This is a very special award, but each classroom can have many children receiving apples every week. By the end of the school year all students have had the honor of being selected more then once.

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