Morton Magic!
Have a shout-out to a parent or member of our community? Please email info@75morton.org and we will be sure to include in the weekly newsletter!
Shout out to Corinne for the delicious cookies she baked for our teachers!
Shout out to the PTA executive board for participating in our first hybrid (in-person/virtual) meeting of the year!
Shout out to the new families who joined us on Wednesday for orientation. It was a pleasure to meet you.
Student Life at Morton
Check out all of the happenings taking place this first full week of school!
6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students wrote down their hope for the year to create a powerful display in our entryway!
7th-grade drama majors create their notebooks!
8th-grade create paper cranes during their advisory lesson remembering 9-11
6th-graders work on answering questions during their advisory lesson on remembering 9-11
7th-grade science students work together to solve a problem and practice working effectively as a team!
7th-grade ELA students began their independent reading response notebooks!
Dear Families,
Last week, my husband and I attended our daughter's curriculum night. We had an opportunity to meet her brand new principal and teacher and hear all about the 3rd grade. We asked a lot of questions (I guess that happens when your father is a teacher and your mother is a principal...poor Evie), and it made me feel more connected to her community.
We are so excited to have you meet your child's teachers on Thursday, September 22nd at Meet the Teacher Night. You will get to learn about each of them, as well as the curriculum for the year. There will definitely be fun slideshows, a question and answer period, and an opportunity to participate in an advisory circle to meet other families.
The schedule is below, and you can pick and choose which sessions are the best fit for you and your family. Each session is 30 minutes in length, and most sessions happen two times so that you have a chance to meet everyone! While this event is virtual, we look forward to meeting you in person at other school events as we move forward in the year.
See you Thursday!
Valerie (and Evie, my daughter, who helped me write this one)
Meet the Teacher Night Schedule
Meet the Teacher Night Events
Pick and choose what works for your family
5:30 - 6:00 - Advisory Circles
Meet your child's advisor and participate in a community-building circle!
6:00 - 7:00 Parent Coordinator Office Hours
Meet our Parent Coordinator Hope and ask any questions that you have.
6:00 - 6:30- 8th Grade
Meet 8th grade teachers and learn about the curricular outlines for the year
6:00 - 6:30 - 7th Grade
Meet 7th grade teachers and learn about the curricular outlines for the year
6:00 - 6:30 - 6th Grade
Meet 6th grade teachers and learn about the curricular outlines for the year
6:30 - 7:00 Arts
Meet our Drama, Vocal, STEAM, Instrumental, and Visual Art Teachers
6:30 - 7:00 - Specials Teachers
Meet your PE, Spanish, and Library teachers
6:30 - 7:00- Service Providers
Meet our counselors and speech providers
7:00 - 7:30 - Specials Teachers - Session 2
Meet your PE, Spanish, and Library teachers (same as session 1)
7:00 - 7:30 - Service Providers - Session 2
Meet our counselors and speech providers (same as session 1)
7:00 - 7:30- 8th Grade - Session 2
Meet 8th grade teachers and learn about the curricular outlines for the year (same as session 1)
7:00 - 7:30- 7th Grade - Session 2
Meet 7th grade teachers and learn about the curricular outlines for the year (same as session 1)
7:00 - 7:30- 6th Grade - Session 2
Meet 6th grade teachers and learn about the curricular outlines for the year (same as session 1)
7:00 - 7:30 Arts - Session 2
Meet our Drama, Vocal, STEAM, Instrumental, and Visual Art Teachers (same as session 1)
Out Lunch Update
8th graders began out lunch before the other grades and it is going well.
7th and 6th-grade Families
Please complete the online blue card, which includes the out lunch permission slip. Otherwise, students will be given a hardcopy during their outlunch townhall. There is ONE DAY turn around time for permission slips. If your child brings it back Wednesday, they can attend Thursday. Please prepare appropriately.
7th-grade students will begin getting IDs this coming week. Please help your child find their old ID - it will help the process go faster.
And, as always, if a student does not have an ID card on them, they may not go to out lunch. No exceptions. If a student is late (8:41 or after) they are not allowed to attend outlunch.
Permission Slip - Governors Island Field Trips
Each grade will be going on a field trip to Governors Island
Wednesday, September 21st - 7th grade
Thursday, September 22nd - 6th grade
Friday, September 23rd - 8th grade
Please fill out the permission slip allowing your child to attend.
And we need YOU to help chaperone!
Banned Books Week - September 18th - 24th
I'm sure we can all think about a book that changed our minds, heart, or way of viewing the world. I still remember reading Jane Yolen's historical fiction The Devil's Arithmetic when I was in 3rd grade. It taught me empathy, the importance of remembering, and the horrors of the Holocaust - all of which have stayed with me 34 years later. The power of books is also why I became a Literature major in college and taught ELA for nearly two decades.
Books are crucial for us to engage with others who are different from us as well as to see our own experiences reflected back. However, as the American Library Association makes clear, "private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials." One of the class novels in the 8th grade, Of Mice and Men, is on banned book lists across the country.
As we build a culture of reading across our school, we want to recognize that everyone has a right to read the book of their choice. If you would like to support our librarian, Donna, please reach out to her at donna@75morton.org.
Additionally, the Brooklyn Public Library has a "Book Unbanned" initiative, and NYPL supports reading banned books and has a series of events this week. My family is going to the book store today to buy a banned book for each of us. Read a banned book today!
And Also:
Student Council - Students will be emailed this application to complete if they are interested in being a member of the 75 Morton Student Council. SC will take place during lunch (6/7 grade) or advisory (8th grade). It is due Wednesday, September 28th. Candidates will be giving speeches the week of October 4th!
From Previous Newsletters:
Starting September 8, a supplemental M11 trip is scheduled to serve MS297 students on school days from the M20 bus stop located across the street from the school.
The "school-tripper" bus will load in the existing bus stop on Hudson Street at Barrow Street. This means students won't have to walk 1/2 a mile up Hudson to catch the M11.
It will arrive by 3:08 PM, head up Hudson, and then rejoin the regular M11 route at Greenwich & Bethune, and continue to its last drop-off at Amsterdam Avenue & 66th Street.
Anyone who needs to travel north of 66th Street can transfer to a regular M11 bus at any stop along the way.
Huge shout out to Council Member Erik Bottcher and the MTA for making this possible!
Blue Card - We need every family to complete the blue card. While there will be a hard copy sent home, filling out the electronic version is easier for all of us! We will share a family directory (see permissions in blue card document) soon after school begins. Fill out the necessary Blue Card for emergency contact information.
Supplies - We purchased all supplies for all students. Please contribute $75 here to help off-set costs - and consider donating an additional $75 to sponsor a student in need. Students should bring a backpack and pen/pencils on the first day of school. Pay for your students' school supplies HERE. You will be directed to our school Family Portal, Membership Toolkit, to create an account or log into your existing account (returning families). From there you will be directed to purchase your students' school supplies.
Transportation - Please email our community associate tiffany@75morton.org for questions about transportation.
Family Handbook - Families are responsible for reading our Family Handbook. School policies and procedures, grading, and staff information can be found there. Students will also be receiving a student handbook they will review during orientation.
Important Dates:
September 19th - Afterschool Begins
September 22nd - Meet the Teacher Night - VIRTUAL zoom 5:30 - 7:30pm
September 26-27th - Rosh Hashanah - No School
October 5th - Yom Kippur - No school
October 10th - School Closed - Italian Heritage/Indigenous People's Day
Looking for a way to support our teachers and show them some love? Teachers love snacks during meetings! You can have them sent to the main office or email PTA@75morton.org if you have questions.