Beautiful Ribbons Blowing in the Breeze on the Fence
Written By: Denise Sullivan, Family Liaison

Hear all about the lovely ribbons that are tied to the fence by our Morse School Song banner! Read more >>

The Kindness Rock Project
Submitted By: Peggy Tryon, Occupational Therapist
Created By: Room E3, Diana Leonard's class, with some assistance also from Room E2, Marissa Costello's class

There will be a basket of rocks with messages written on them in the front office and in the library under the tree plant. When a student or staff member needs some encouragement, is having a hard day, or just needs a positive message someone can take a rock to give to student or staff. When ready, the student or staff member will return it to the basket so others can use. The Morse School will rock with kindness!


Saturday School
Submitted By: Sally Dewart, Paraprofessional

Saturday School writing enrichment Academy has flown by! In this Saturday morning group, we've had the pleasure of exploring various genres of poetry, choosing our favorite creative writing topic, and playing some wacky word games. Our 4th and 5th grade writers have had the chance to meet journalists Gideon Bradshaw and Beena Sarwar and ask questions about fact-finding and media literacy. We've laughed with Comedian Nick Chambers and learned what it takes to write comedy for different audiences and how to connect with our readers. We eagerly anticipate meeting authors Mary Walsh and Carol Beggy and learning more about their craft! Saturday School Article in Cambridge Chronicle written by Beena Sarwar >>  



Art Studio News
Submitted By: Aimee Kerr, Art Teacher

Congratulations to the following students!!
Aryana A.A.; Max B.; Zooey M.; Alexander S.; Clara H.;
Pac S.; Khan E.; Giulietta G.; Adriana L.D.; Leena H.; Maysam M.; John W.; Dallas Y.; Matt H.; Justin L.;
Matthew M.; Henry B.; Amelia L.D.

These students were selected to represent the Morse School at the annual Cambridge Public Schools Art Show. This citywide K-8 show is currently on display at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center located at 41 Second St, Cambridge, MA. Their work will remain at the gallery until April 7th, so go check it out!



Children, Adolescents, and Digital Media
Submitted By: Jennifer Lavalle, Instructional Technology Specialist ([email protected], 617.349.6575 x165)

At the Morse, we teach students what it means to be a healthy digital citizen. A digital citizen is a person who uses technology to connect with other people and find information. A healthy digital citizen balances the time spent online and offline, knows how to make good choices about when it is helpful and appropriate to use technology, and determines when it is time for a technology break. It is a challenging thing to do and it takes practice.

Thankfully, there is a growing body of research to help us understand the impact of the ever-changing landscape of technology and media on children. The American Academy for Pediatrics released an updated report in October 2016 titled, Children and Adolescents and Digital Media Technical Report. It explains several interesting studies and contains helpful recommendations. It has notes on topics such as the differences between traditional, new digital, and social media, as well as daily screen time for different age groups. It also links to the Family Media Use Plan: a tool to help caregivers establish safe and healthy expectations for media use at home.

I hope you find it helpful and please feel free to reach out to discuss!

Links:
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages
/default.aspx
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/10/19/
peds.2016-2593

Giving at the Morse
Hear how students in Room E7 (grade 5) have been focusing on charity, from a bake sale for the East Cambridge Fire Fund to a visit to the Mayor's office. Learn more >>



The Go Green Challenge
For the last few years the City of Cambridge has issued a Go Green Challenge for all Cambridge Public Schools. Last year the Morse School won! This year we are defending our title and trying our hardest to spread the word on ways to Go Green. Find out more >> 



The Great Leprechaun Mystery of 2017
Written By: Denise Sullivan, Family Liaison

Every year, the teaching assistant in room Kindergarten B8 arranges the design and building of a leprechaun trap and some leprechaun antics for or near Saint Patrick's Day. To the surprise of both Mr. K and Mrs. V (above mentioned teaching assistant) they were both completely caught off guard to find leprechaun clues all around their classroom on Friday, March 17, 2017. Mr. K. and Mrs. V. invited other classrooms to come and visit and to enjoy the mystery with their class.

The excitement level this caused was very high. Many students were over heard, telling their families about the leprechaun “visit” at dismissal time. Found around the room, were cheeky poems, and little green footprints. The fun continues as no one here at school knows who was behind it all, as no one has confessed to being the visiting leprechaun. Do we really have a leprechaun in our school? Will he/she come back next year around the same time, and visit another or other classrooms? By Monday, March 20th all signs of the Leprechaun had disappeared. Mr. K says “What a wonderful reminder of the power of imagination and wonder.”

Exploring Culture
Submitted By: Therese Bellino, Kindergarten Teacher & Member of Morse Cultural Proficiency Team

The Morse Cultural Proficiency Group, in recognition of Woman’s History Month, reached out to Jane Hirshi, Director of CitySprouts, to find out more about it’s founding and mission. Read more >>