Morse Messenger: February 2019
Published on Mar 1, 2019 12:03


February 2019
black history month doorsBlack History Month Door Project 
For February, the doors around the school have been created to feature famous notable figures for Black History Month. Take a peek >>

100 days
100th Day of School
On Monday, February 11, Room B6 celebrated 100 Happy Days in School. Here are samples of our 100 Days work which includes counting, building, and sorting.

quiz boards
4th Grade Quiz Boards 
In January and February, students in fourth grade (E6, E3, and E8) took a trip to the MIT Edgerton Center to put to use their knowledge about how energy flows through circuits by making game show quizboards! Hear more >>

mail
International Mail 
Submitted by Mrs. Kelly Graeber
The Morse Morning Singers received its first piece of international fan mail this month! Ella's Granny set us a letter all the way from Ireland complementing the singers for singing in parts. She was "bowled over" by the performance she watched on video and said, "I cannot believe you managed to bring them to such a high standard in such a short time... I just had to drop a line to 'Congratulations and well done!'" We are so glad she did! Ella Armitage in in 3rd grade, C2 – this is her first year singing with the Morse Morning Singers.

ecsb visit
East Cambridge Savings Bank Visits JK
To celebrate the 100th day of school, B8 welcomed 2 visitors from East Cambridge Savings Bank. Ms. Jen and Ms. Kristie showed us several U.S. bills including a 5, 10, and 20 dollar bill. Our junior kindergarten mathematicians compared a $100 bill to 100 $1 bills. B8 students have been using the 100-chart to practice counting to 100. So together, we counted the $1 bills by ones to 100. We also looked at 100 pennies. Before leaving, Ms. Jen and Ms. Kristie told us all about the work they do at the bank and read the book, The Go-Around Dollar by Barbara Johnston Adams. Each B8 student received $1 and an activity book from the East Cambridge Savings Bank.

officer visit
Special Start Visit with Officer Ortiz
The 3 Special Start classrooms at the Morse (A2, A3 & A5) have spent the past several weeks learning about "Community Helpers". On Tuesday, Feb 12, Officer Ortiz came in to speak to the classes and show them his gear and car. The students had wonderful questions and listened very carefully to all of the information Officer Ortiz was telling them. The highlight of the visit was, of course, the Police car! The students were able to explore the inside and outside of the car, listen to the siren up close, and hear what the dispatcher was saying on the radio. It was an awesome connection to our own community. Thank you, Officer Ortiz!

world book fair

Grade Two World Book Fair
The January newsletter contained an article about the second graders in rooms C1 & C3 researching their family histories leading to their creation of a non-fiction on a country of their choice. They presented those non-fiction books at the World Book Fair Feb. 14th to their families and staff of the Morse.

Increasing Math Fluency at Home
The Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks, adopted in March 2017, outlines the math fluencies that each student needs to develop at every grade level. According to the frameworks, students reach fluency by building understanding of mathematical concepts and by building automaticity in the recall of basic computation facts (10).
Find out how to build math fluency at home >>

"Make 100" Morse School Math Challenge
We’re halfway through the 2018-2019 school year! Actually, we’re more than halfway there. Students in grades 1-5 reached the 100th day of school on Thursday, February 7th and Special Start, JK, and Kindergarten students on February 11th. To celebrate, we are doing a “Make 100” Morse School Math Challenge. Our goal is to collect 100 different combinations that represent 100. We will accept submissions from March 1st to March 15th. Give your submission to your teacher, put them in Miss Vincent’s mailbox, or bring them to C6. Be sure to write your name and grade on it. Below you will find the Criteria for Success for your combinations. Students can submit as many combinations as they want. When we reach our school wide goal, each student will receive a special prize. I can’t wait to see the wonderful mathematical thinking of the Morse School scholars.

Criteria for Success:
Your “100” combination has one of the following:

Grades K-2

  • A picture or model that shows 100.
  • Skip counting to 100.
  • An addition or subtraction equation that makes 100.
  • An equation that uses both addition and subtraction to make 100.
  • A story problem with an answer of 100.
Grades 3-5
  • A multiplication or division model or equation that makes 100.
  • An equation that uses more than 1 operation (+, -, x, ÷). to make 100.
  • An equation that uses at least one fraction to make 100.
  • An equation that uses Order of Operation (GEMDAS or PEMDAS) to make 100.
  • A word problem with an answer of 100.
From the School Nurse – Susan Aries
February is American Heart Month, and this underscores the importance of raising awareness of heart disease and coronary heart disease – the most common type of heart disease and the number one killer of both men and women in the United States.

Chances are someone you know has experienced heart trouble or a heart attack. According to the American Heart Association, more than one third of Americans have some type of cardiovascular disease (CVD) . In one of the largest analyses of lifetime risks for CVD, researchers have found that middle-age adults who have one or more elevated traditional risk factors for CVD, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, have a substantially greater chance of having a major CVD event, such as heart attack or stroke, during their remaining lifetime than people with optimal levels of risk factors.

“Prevention of cardiovascular disease is a lifetime opportunity for and a responsibility of individuals, families, communities, and the health care system. Cardiovascular disease can be prevented and controlled throughout the course of an adult’s lifetime,” said Susan B. Shurin, M.D., acting director of NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. It is important for adults to know their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, and whether they are at risk for diabetes. Additionally, you should understand the different approaches you can take to prevent or control your risks for cardiovascular disease. Prevention starts with everyone. Protect yourself and your loved ones from heart disease and stroke by understanding the risks and taking these steps:
· Eat a healthy diet
· Maintain a healthy weight
· Be active for at least 30 minutes/day
· If you smoke – get help to quit
· Limit alcohol use

A healthy diet, thirty minutes of exercise/day, and a healthy lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight heart disease.

Sleep Needs Across the Lifespan
Read article >>

Markets
Citywide Free Markets
View Flyer Here >>
                                     

In Our District & Community

MIT Winter Family Day
March 2 | 11AM - 3PM
Bundle up and enjoy outdoor and indoor activities for the whole family! Make art and build creatively, check out music and dance performances, and warm up inside with food, games, books, and more. Free and open to the public; all children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration necessary. Event details >>

Camp Info Fair
March 6 | 6:30-8PM
CRLS
Learn more >>

Title I Books for Bingo
March 13 | 6 - 7:30PM
King Open Cafeteria
Learn more >>


Cambridge Winter Farmers Market

Saturdays through April 6 | 10AM-2PM
Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street
Learn more >>
See flyer >>

Mind Matters: Families Make a Difference 
Do you have a child ages 4-8? Sign up now for a fun, friendly class! Learn more >>

Upcoming School Committee Meeting
All meetings are open to the public. Public comment welcome.
Public Hearing on the Proposed 2019-20 CPS Budget 
Tuesday, March 19 | 6PM | School Committee Meeting Room at CRLS
The purpose of a Public Hearing is inviting input from the public regarding the budget.

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 >>

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] 

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anemone

UPCOMING EVENTS
March 1 | 6PM
FoM Movie Night

March 11 | 6PM
5th Grade Ballroom Dance Performance
CRLS War Memorial

March 11 | 6:30PM
FoM Meeting

April 5 | 6PM
FoM Movie Night

Morse Calendar >>
District Calendar >>

hands
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED 2019-20 CPS BUDGET
March 19 | 6PM
Details >>


BOOK DONATIONS
Are you KonMari-ing your home library? Looking for a place to donate your books? The Morse Library would love to be the recipient for your gently used books. Some of our favorite donation categories include picture books, chapter books, and those beginning reader popular series (think Star Wars, Princess, Ninjago, Lego, etc.). So, if it no longer sparks joy for your family, maybe it will for our school library. Just remember to thank the book for its service before packing it up. Thank you in advance!

Sarah Pennell
Library Media Specialist, Morse School
[email protected]

LEARN MORE ABOUT PUTNAM AVE. UPPER SCHOOL!
Check out the latest PAUS newsletters >> 

INTRODUCING OUR NEW CITYSPROUTS GARDEN COORDINATOR MARICELA ESCOBAR
A little about me:
I come from a background in farming and education having worked in various farm education programs in the area. I enjoy every aspect of gardening/ farming from the initial planning phases for the upcoming growing season to using cover crops to improve the health of the soil. The most wonderful part of gardening comes from working in community with schools to care for the gardens.

Update on the garden:
The winter season provides an opportunity to reflect and plan for the upcoming growing season. As we get a little more daylight every day and the seed catalogs arrive in the mail, we can start imagining what our hopes and dreams are for our gardens. Would we like to try growing something new? Will we grow the same cherry tomatoes as last year?

With students, we can start this planning process as well as take this time to take a more in-depth look at seeds and how they become plants. After the February vacation, we can start planting our first crop, onions, indoors.

Maricela Escobar 
Garden Educator
[email protected]

Times @ Morse School:
Monday Mornings
Thursday Afternoons


2018-19 DHSP SCHOOL YEAR RESOURCE GUIDE 
This handy guide is available via Find It Cambridge! Take a look >>

find it

FIND IT CAMBRIDGE 
Looking for things to do in Cambridge? Then take a peek at Find It Cambridge!
www.finditcambridge.org

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Baldwin

Morse School
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Cambridge, MA 02139
617.349.6575
Fax: 617.349.6576
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