Family and Community Newsletter - September 6th - 9th, 2022
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 our awesome PTA for your work this week answering parent questions!
Dear Families,
Welcome to the official start of the 2022 - 2023 school year at 75 Morton! After a rejuvenating summer, we are ready for a fantastic year. We are focused on ensuring high academic performance for all students, building community amongst students, staff, and families, and helping students feel joy in their school experience. As you can see in the pictures above, our staff got a jump on building community and having fun when we got together last week for paper plane contests and hula-hoop challenges!
On top of the amazing things that are already happening at 75 Morton, we have made some changes, some of which are listed below. These changes will help us to meet our goals for the year and are based on feedback from teachers, students, and families.
Academics:
Revised ELA curriculum utilizing Expeditionary Learning and Reader's and Writer's Workshop curriculums.
ELA in 7th and 8th grade will be seven periods a week instead of five to provide more opportunities for independent reading and conferences during the school day
New math curriculum using Illustrative Math in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade
8th-grade Living Environment class will now be six periods a week instead of five to provide more lab time.
All 6th-grade classes will take Health.
Partnerships with NYU, SunWorks, and Urban Advance Science Initiative
Building Community
6th-grade students will have advisory four times a week instead of three.
Revised advisory lessons
Focus on "Creating a Caring Community" with families, including more in-person events
Homeroom every morning from 8:40 - 8:52
Partnerships with Change Impact and Dunalastair Schools - Chile
Creating Joy
7th and 8th-grade students will begin their Art majors!
6th grade will experience all of the art classes over the course of the year, changing each marking period
Updated Morton Days, including field trips, such as our school-wide trip to Governor's Island in September
Partnerships with Ballroom Basix and City Lore
And much, much more!
We're excited for the year ahead of us, and we can't wait to see you on September 8th.
Finally, enjoy the last day of summer break. I will be picking up my mom from the airport and she'll be spending the week with us in full grandparent mode. My husband and I - two educators - need all the help we can get this first week of school with us and our 3rd grader!
With respect and gratitude,
Valerie
First Day of School - Thursday, September 8th
Arrivals:
- 8th graders line up on Morton towards Hudson
- 7th and 6th graders line up on Morton towards Barrow
- Students eating breakfast line up on Morton towards Barrow
Students eating breakfast can enter at 8:20 and head straight into the cafeteria. All other students can enter the building at 8:35 and head upstairs to their homeroom class.
Homeroom Locations
Class 610 - room 426
Class 611 - room 422
Class 612 - room 414
Class 613 - room 420
Class 614 - room 412
Class 710 - room 322
Class 711 - room 324
Class 712 - room 326
Class 713 - room 318
Class 714 - room 312
Class 810 - room 526
Class 811 - room 524
Class 812 - room 522
Class 813 - room 512
Class 814 - room 518
Class 815 - room 516
Class 816 - room 520
Dismissal - All students will be dismissed at 3pm from the Morton Street entrance.
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!
And Also:
BIG NEWS! - Starting September 8, a supplemental M11 trip will be 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 leave at 3:15 PM and 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!
School IDs For returning students - Make sure you locate your students' school ID from last year so they can use it for this upcoming year. If the majority of 7th and 8th graders have their IDs by the start of the year it will allow the "Out Lunch" privilege to begin earlier for these grades.
From Previous Newsletters:
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.
Planners - All students will receive a 75 Morton Planner on the first day of school. You can start a family routine by asking to check their planner every evening for announcements and homework.
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.
Schedules - Students will be given their schedules and Art Major (for 7th and 8th graders) on the first day of school. We will share homeroom locations in the next newsletter so students know where to go on the first day of school.
Lockers - Students will receive a lock and locker assignment within the first couple of days of school. Students are not to bring their own locks, but they can decorate the inside of their lockers (no stickers!)
Important Dates:
September 8th - School Begins/Welcome Back Coffee in the Yard
September 14th - New Family Orientation - 8:50am
September 19th - Afterschool Begins
September 22nd - Meet the Teacher Night - VIRTUAL zoom
September 26-27th - Rosh Hashanah - No School
October 5th - Yom Kippur - No school
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.