Morton Magic!
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!
Shout out to all of the families who completed the NYC DOE survey!
Shout out to Jason Dunn, Jean-Yves Lemoigne, Joann Santos, Luis Lopez, Jolie Chan, Fernanda Barone Marques, Colin Lane, and Jin Montclare for chaperoning 7th grade STEM this week!
Complete the School Survey and enter your child into a RAFFLE for Morton Swag and an Elevator Pass! The survey window now closes on Friday, April 15th!
Our current completion rate: 32.7% - 197/603
1) Complete the school survey!
Link: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/reports/school-quality/nyc-school-survey
Code: f######### (f + Child’s OSIS Number)
You can get your child's OSIS number from any teacher at the school!
2) Enter your child's name into the RAFFLE once the survey is complete!
Link: Raffle Google Form
BONUS: The class with the most surveys completed wins a pizza party!
810 is STILL leading the pack!
Student Life at Morton
Check out what's happening at 75 Morton!
Bea, our comfort dog, helps revise our Equity Vision!
Our hydroponics lab on the 3rd floor is growing, growing, growing!
7th-grade social studies students wrote "Break up Texts" to King George!
8th-grade students practice yoga during the WIN period!
Day 2 of 7th-grade Nature Journaling!
8th-grade students analyze one scene from Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men using the strategy: highlight and annotate!
Dear Families,
This week, students across the state will take the ELA state exam. For many students, this will be their first exam since 2018 - for our 6th graders, that was 3rd grade!
Although there are a variety of opinions regarding state tests, they do provide valuable information to teachers and schools. While they are imperfect, as any assessment is, they are one of the few consistent measures of student learning, especially for a cohort of students across three years. One of my proudest moments as a literacy coach was identifying the growth of a cohort of students after the implementation of a new curriculum and independent reading procedures. The class entered 6th grade with only 37% of students performing at or above grade level, and they left 8th grade at 85%. This data came from the ELA state exam.
As a classroom teacher, my team and I would examine the data from the exam results to make shifts in the curriculum. For example, one year the results revealed that the students performed significantly higher on the writing portion of the exam than the reading portion. This led to curricular changes including the incorporation of additional reading assessments and professional development on reading conferences.
State exam data also highlight the performance of our students with disabilities, our students of color, and our students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. The data from these groups of students helps us to answer the question: Are we providing ALL students the support they need to access the curriculum and succeed?
Thankfully, the State of New York shortened the test (only 2 days instead of 3) and made it untimed. It is a combination of multiple-choice, short responses, and an essay. Teachers have been reviewing test-taking strategies so that students feel confident when the test is placed in front of them.
Please make sure that your child goes to bed early on Monday and Tuesday evenings and eats a hearty breakfast. While the test is designed to take approximately 90 minutes, students who test into their lunchtime will pause on the test, eat/chat, and then return to testing. If your child anticipates testing into lunchtime, please have them pack a lunch or plan to eat school lunch. Students who test into lunchtime (6th grade - 4th period, 7th grade - 5th period, 8th grade - 6th period) will NOT be able to go to out lunch.
Review the guides for families for more information and if you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to email me or AP Katie at katie@75morton.org.
Best,
Valerie
NYS ELA and Math Tests
The ELA test will be administered March 29-30. The Math test will be administered April 26-27
Please see these guides for families for more information.
If you have questions or concerns about the tests, email Katie@75morton.org
And Also:
Out lunch boundaries - Jill sent out a letter on Friday about new outlunch rules. Students are no longer allowed to go to 5 Guys or King's Deli for safety reasons.
From Previous Newsletters:
Access report cards for Marking Period 2 at https://mystudent.nyc/
Consent/removal for in-school testing through the NYCSchools Account or return a signed paper form HERE to the school
Important Dates:
Tuesday and Wednesday, March 29th -30th - ELA State Exam
Friday, April 1st - Senior Breakfast
April 15th - School Surveys Due - Extended Deadline!
April 15 - 24th - Spring Break
April 26th - 27th - Math State Exam
May 2nd - No School - Eid al-Fitr
May 19th - Career Day
May 30th - No School - Memorial Day
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.