Message from Principal Chad Leith
Dear Morse School Parents and Families,

It was wonderful to see so many members of our community on Friday evening’s International Festival and Potluck Celebration. The event was a wonderful way for us to acknowledge and celebrate the cultural diversity represented among our school’s children and families. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the many parents who volunteered their time to organize activities and prepare food to share. A special thank you to first grade parents Isabelle and Tim for taking on the heavy lifting for behind-the-scenes organizing. I am also grateful to the Morse School staff members who came out to enjoy the event. We received over 100 family flags designed by students and these flags will remain posted on the windows surrounding our interior garden for the next few weeks.

We will also continue to celebrate our school’s cultural and linguistic diversity by highlighting a different language each day during our morning greeting. Languages we have featured so far include Arabic, Amharic, Bengali, Sinhalese, German, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Spanish, and Turkish! Please be sure to ask your child about each day’s greeting. Our multilingual morning greetings will continue through the end of October!

Reminder! Principal’s Coffee Tomorrow (Tuesday 10/23) from 8:30 - 9:15AM
As a reminder, I will be hosting an informal coffee for parents and caregivers tomorrow morning in the Morse School Library. This will be an open forum to ask questions and share your thoughts about how things are going at the Morse School. I am eager to hear your opinions about strengths of our school and things you believe we might do differently in the future to strengthen our community and enhance learning experiences for our children. If you are unable to stop by tomorrow morning, please also consider completing the brief online community questionnaire that I posted to the Morse School website earlier this year. Your perspectives will help guide my decision-making as your principal.

School Council Recap
Thanks to the Morse School Council parent and staff representatives for their thoughtful contributions to last Tuesday’s School Council Meeting. The agenda and meeting minutes have been posted to the Morse School website. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any of the members if you have questions, concerns or suggestions. Once we have finalized a day and time for our next meeting, I will add the date to our school calendar and send an announcement through my weekly family newsletter.

Best wishes for a wonderful week!

Chad Leith
Principal

CPS Events and Outside Opportunities

STEAM it Up!
October 25 | 6 - 8PM
Rindge Avenue Upper School, 70 Rindge Ave.
Have you ever wanted to hack electronics? Maybe you’d like to create and launch a zipline car? Is biotech your thing? Are you a parent who would like to learn more about our K-8 Math and Science curriculum and out-of-school time STEAM opportunities? If this sounds like fun and you’d like to spend some great family time eating pizza and learning together, come to the STEAM It Up! event at Rindge Avenue Upper School gym! View event details >>

Mental Health Awareness Night
We invite parents, guardians, youth workers, teens who work with youth, and anyone else who has love and investment for our youth to please join us at Rindge Avenue Upper Campus (RAUC) on Friday October 26 at 7PM for a Mental Health Awareness Night. There will be free food!

Currently we have two amazing guest speakers: Alice Cohen, CPS Social and Emotional Learning Lead Teacher, will be talking about attachment and self regulation in adolescence. Building competency and independence while maintaining family relationships. She will discuss making meaning of behavior, keeping relational lines open, dealing with our own worries while parenting, and what to do if sudden concerning changes occur. David G. Stewart, PhD., ABPP, Chief of Psychology Department of Psychiatry from Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School will present on adolescent substance as well as emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents.
                     
Immigration Legal Screening Clinics
3rd Wednesday each month, 5:15-7:15PM
Free consultations with an immigration attorney for Massachusetts immigrants and their families
Community Legal Services & Counseling Center (CLSACC)
90 Third St., Cambridge
617.349.4396; [email protected] 
See flyer >>

Cambridge Affordable Housing Information Sessions
Learn about the eligibility requirements and application process for the following programs Cambridge Rental and Homeownership Programs: Inclusionary Housing Rental Program for studios, 1BR, 2BR, & 3BR units
throughout Cambridge, Homeowner Resale Pool, First-Time Homebuyer Workshop, Downpayment Assistance, and HomeBridge. Open to all. No RSVP Necessary. Learn more >>

Rep. Katherine Clark – Cambridge Office Hours
Hosted by Rep. Clark's Immigration Issues Liaison Katie Worley
3rd Thursday each month, 3-4PM  
Cambridge City Hall, 795 Mass Ave. (Mayor's Office, 2nd fl)
Staff will be on site to answer questions about immigration benefits, USCIS cases, Passports, and more. If you have questions or need assistance outside of scheduled hours, please do not hesitate to contact our district office: 
701 Concord Ave., Suite 101, Cambridge, MA 02138 
617.354.0292, katherineclark.house.gov

Cambridge Flu Clinics 
The flu (influenza) can be a serious illness. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from influenza is for all adults and children over 6 months old to get a flu shot every year. Cambridge Public Health is offering free flu shots at:

• Kennedy-Longfellow School - Wednesday, October 24 from 5:30 - 7:30PM in the cafeteria
• Peabody School - Wednesday, November 7 from 5:30 - 7:30PM in the gym.

There is no charge, but please bring your health insurance card if possible. For more information and the full list of flu clinics, visit our website or call the recorded flu clinic info line, 617.665.3855.

Cambridge Bicycle Safety
Does your child bike to school? Do you bike with your child to school? Would you or your child like to get around by bike but feel it is not safe? 

Cambridge Bicycle Safety is an all-volunteer group of Cambridge residents who are asking for safer bike lanes and a complete network of protected lanes throughout Cambridge. Separated lanes in the last two years--Cambridge, Brattle and sections of Mass Ave--have been the result of people in the community organizing. But we need more voices. 
We are looking for stories of parents and their children who bike or would like to bike. If you have a story and want to learn more, email us.

Stay Connected
Stay up-to-date with all Morse School news. Follow us on Facebook!