Morton Magic!
Shout out to Leslieanne Cupid for the teacher treats!
Have a shout out to a parent or member of our community? Please share at info@75morton.org and we will be sure to include in the weekly newsletter!
Student Life at Morton
Every day is full of learning and fun! Check out some of the things happening at Morton this week.
6th-graders create origin storyboard timelines with original drawings in social studies!
8th-graders participate in spiderweb discussion in English class!
7th-graders participate in a Socratic seminar discussing Christopher Columbus!
Girls' soccer ended their season with a celebration!
Help Beautify 75 Morton
We need approximately forty people to help beautify the tree beds surrounding our school, using native plants that have been purchased with grant money from NYC Parks Department.
The planting will be happening on Thursday 11/18, from 3:30 (arrival time) to approximately 5pm.
Masks must be worn outside while planting.
Sign up here and we'll see you there!
Dear Families,
This week is our first official Parent-Teacher Conference of the year. It has always botered me that it is called a parent conference rather than a family conference. We know that families come in many different configurations, and we welcome any member of the family who would like to join, including your child!
Conferences are an opportunity to discuss your child's progress, both academically and socially. You will be meeting with your child's advisor, who will share comments from other teachers. We've found that 15 minutes with an advisor leads to richer conversations than hopping from teacher to teacher for 4-minute intervals.
A few notes before PTC on Wednesday and Thursday:
1) Please read this FAQ about Jumprope before your conference. Jumprope is a standards-based grading platform that captures students' work habits and academic progress.
2) Teachers use rubrics to score students. Each subject area has content-specific rubrics for each academic outcome, but the entire school uses the same Thunderbolt Thinking Work Habits that can be found here.
3) If you haven't arranged a time with your child's advisor, please email or call them. If you would like to meet with a Specials teacher, sign up for 5 min conferences here.
4) Sharing questions with the advisor before the conference can help them to prepare. If there is a question that is best answered by a specific content area teacher after the conference, you can arrange a separate meeting with them at another time.
5) Be patient with your child and teachers. Everyone is readjusting and coming back from a year and a half of learning that had different expectations. We're all working to get our groove back, and we are looking for growth, not perfection.
Counselors will also have office hours during PTC to discuss high school. More information will be shared soon.
Warmly,
Valerie
And Also:
Students reviewed the importance of wearing a mask in advisory on Friday. Slides are here. Please reinforce at home!
Kids aged 5 - 12 are now eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19. You can locate a vaccination site here (for first or second dose). You can also earn $100 for 75 Morton by naming us as the referring organization.
From Previous Newsletters:
Jumprope Slides from the information session are located here. Students also used these slides in their WIN period recently to learn how to log-on and use Jumprope
Parent University is an online education portal from the NYC Dept. of Education which offers free, pre-recorded and live, online courses in adult education, arts, early childhood education, enrollment, health and fitness, multilingual learners, parent leadership, remote learning and technology, school buildings and operations, and special education. This short video tutorial explains how to create an account.
Question? Check the family handbook first!
Important Dates:
Wednesday, 11/17 - Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences (5 - 7:3pm) on zoom
Thursday, 11/18 - Afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences (1 - 3pm) on zoom. Students have early release at 11:30am. No afterschool program.
Monday, 11/22 - Spirit Week begins
Wednesday, 11/24 - Pep Rally
Thursday and Friday, 11/25 - 11/26 - No School - Thanksgiving
Thursday, 12/2 - SHSAT testing @75 Morton
Friday, 12/3 - End of 1st Marking Period
“Looking for a way to support our teachers and show them some love? Teachers love snacks! You can have them sent to the main office. Email jill@75morton.org or PTA@75morton.org if you have questions.”