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 it in the weekly newsletter!
75 Morton Celebrates the 75th Day of School!
Monday, January 9th is the 75th Day of School! To celebrate our school pride, the homeroom with the largest percentage of students wearing blue and gold wins a prize!
Morton SWAG is available for purchase and will be delivered to students on Monday for Morton day!! Here's the link:
https://75mortonpta.membershiptoolkit.com/75morton_store
Check out the awesome poster created by our School Spirit Club!
Student Life at Morton
Check out all of the happenings at 75 Morton!
710 prepares to celebrate 75 Morton on the 75th Day of School (Monday, January 9th)!
7th graders observing and gathering evidence on their first chemical reaction while practicing lab safety! We formed a *new substance*!
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Our 8th-grade social studies classes are working on a project and some students have requested magazines/newspapers for a collage that they are creating. If you have anything extra at home that you are looking to get rid of, we will gladly take it off your hands. You can send it to the office!
Thank you in advance! - Jess and Abby, 8th grade SS
Dear Families,
Our wonderful AP Katie Altman went on maternity leave on Friday, and Grace How has joined us to fill her shoes. Grace is a fantastic addition to our community and knows many of our 8th graders who went to PS 51. She is outside during dismissal each afternoon if you would like to say hello!
On Monday, we will begin using Yondr bags. We expect the first day to move slowly, so we will begin allowing students into the building at 8:10am. As students enter, they will swipe into the CASS machine with their ID, and then go to a table labeled 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. There each student will get a pouch with their name on it. An administrator will watch as they power off their phone and place it into the pouch with their headphones and smartwatches. Then, the pouch will be locked and placed in their backpack. Homeroom will be extended until 9am and students will not be marked late if they are still waiting outside at 8:40am. Yondr staff will be there to help with this process as well.
An additional change moving forward is ALL students line up on one side of Morton St towards Greenwich. There will be a line painted on the sidewalk for students to follow, which we hope helps to create a smoother start to the day.
At the end of the day, students will exit at Morton St and there will be three adults waiting with magnets to unlock bags. It will move very quickly, we promise! All students have to do is tap the pouch to the magnet, and it's done! It will not keep students from catching the M11 school-tripper bus or meeting you for pick up as normal.
Zoom video link from Wednesday is
Passcode: erP0&xUp
I'm excited to be a cell-phone free school! We will keep you posted on how Monday goes!
Valerie
Yondr Bags
We are excited to become a cell phone-free school. Cell phones distract students from learning and engaging with others around them. Many students do not follow our current cell phone policy, and we believe everyone- students, teachers, and staff - will have a more positive school experience in a cell-phone free school.
Middle schools throughout District 2 use Yondr bags - Wagner, Baruch, MS 131, and East Side Middle School to name a few. After speaking with their principals, I believe that Yondr bags are the right fit for us. Each of the schools has seen an improvement in school culture since the implementation last year and will continue to use the bags moving forward.
Yondr bags are a pouch that students place their cell phones, headphones, and smart watches into at the beginning of the day and lock them. At the end of the day, students unlock the bag with a magnet to access their phone. You can watch a video of the process here. Students keep their pouches with them in their backpacks during the school day and take them home at night.
After speaking with the SLT and PTA, we have decided to allow students to unlock their phones for use during outlunch.
Please read through the family letter and watch the informational video for more information.
And Also:
Senior Breakfast - Thursday, January 12th! 8th grade families, please reach out to the PTA to help with this 75 Morton tradition.
From Previous Newsletters:
Jumprope: Families should be checking Jumprope weekly to monitor student scores. If you need login support, please email your child's advisor.
Check out our 75 Morton Library Website! Families can support monthly reading challenges by encouraging their children to participate and donating bookstore gift cards! Please reach out to Donna at donna@75morton.org to learn more.
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:
January 9th - Yondr bags begin
January 11th - SLT - 5:00 pm
January 12th - Senior Breakfast
January 16th - No School - MLK Jr Day
January 25th - 8th grade STEAM Field Trip - MoMA (8A)
January 25th - Morton Day - Bowling Advisory Field Trip - 6th/7th Grades
January 26th - Morton Day - Bowling Advisory Field Trip - 8th Grade
January 31st - 8th grade Drama Field Trip - Henry IV
February 1st - 8th grade STEAM Field Trip - MoMa (8B)
February 8th - 8th grade SNOWBALL
February 9th - 8th grade Jewish History Museum Field Trip
February 16th - Photo Day!
February 20th - 24th - Mid-Winter Break
February 27th - 6th grade Arts Swap
March 7th - Career Day
March 16th - Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences - Half Day for Students
75 Morton Goals
Goal #1
Create space and time for staff to connect, create, and share joy in order to build community, encourage a sense of well-being, and demonstrate trust.
Goal #2
Teachers reflect upon and then revise school policies and procedures so that all voices and experiences are heard and the school community can be responsive to teacher and student needs.
Goal #3
Develop teacher pedagogy around discussion, with a focus on equity of voice, in order to create learning environments where students know their voices matter, to amplify voices that may not be heard, and improve student comprehension
Goal #4
Create a school-wide understanding of restorative practices and implement those practices in a consistent, transparent manner to staff, students, and families.
Equity Vision
At 75 Morton, we believe that all students can achieve high-levels of academic success. We believe students learn best when:
their identities are affirmed and nurtured
their voices are heard and valued
authentic connections are built between students, families, and staff