W. L. Morse 2008-2009 News

Myths and Legends Came to Life at Morse

Myths and Legends from China, Brazil, and the United States came to life at Morse on June 3rd.  For the past 12 weeks, Peter Royston has been working with our 3rd grade classes to transform Myths and Legends into their own, original mini-theater productions.  Throughout these weeks, our 3rd graders have integrated the Social Studies curriculum with the study of theater dynamics.  Peter Royston’s Theater Residency at Morse offers our students a valuable learning experience as they explore the art of adapting voices, actions, choreography, and songs to, ultimately, bring their stories to an audience filled with family and friends. Mr. Royston’s work with children allows them to gain a different perspective about the art of teamwork and collaboration outside the classroom. Special thanks to Sue Barrett for her work with the Art Club in designing our striking stage backdrop. Also, special thanks to Mrs. Joy Giuseffi for selecting a variety of contemporary music that allowed our children to enhance their stories with song. This project was made possible through funding provided by the District Elementary Arts program, which is jointly funded by the School District, the EPTA and the Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns.  (Posted 6/8/09 )

Grade 3 Field Day Rescheduled

3rd Grade Field Day is postponed until Friday, June 19th. (Posted 6/11/09 )

Lunchtime Literature Circles are a Success at Morse

Our first round of lunchtime literature circles just came to a close at Morse. Seven parents dedicated one day each week to facilitating literature circles with second and third grade students during lunch and recess.  Each group met to discuss a different book or series of books, ranging from books about Harry Houdini to a study of Love that Dog, a book about releasing the poet within.  Students all enjoyed and looked forward to the literature circles, even though they met during recess.  One girl reported, "I look forward to literature circle day the most!" The parent facilitators report that they enjoyed the types of discussions they were able to have and found it, "a great way to interact with kids and be a part of school."  The staff at Morse is quite grateful for our parent volunteers and the Foundation's support, both of which made this possible.  We look forward to continuing to offer literature circles next school year!  (Posted 5/14/09 )

Challenge Fair at Morse

On Tuesday evening, May 12^th, WL Morse had its annual Challenge Fair.  This is an event in which Third Grade Social Studies Enrichment Students present the results of their Independent Study Projects.  These three month research and problem solving projects were in response to the question “What price do we pay for progress?”  After spending time learning research skills from other, shorter lived projects, the students were exposed to historical and present-time events that demonstrate both sides of that issue.  Some of the topics chosen for independent study were: “How the deforestation of the Amazon Basin affects the native peoples living in the area”; “Causes, effects and possible solutions to the Great American Dustbowl”; “The Interstate Highway System and its benefits and problems”; “How the introduction of American fast foods has led to obesity and related problems in China” and “Indian Point, Friend or Foe” among many others.  Students presented their work to parents, relatives, friends and the school community with great success.  We celebrated their hard work, curiosity and determination as well as the incredible help and cooperation from parents and teachers.  Great job everyone! (Posted 5/14/09 )

“Poem in Your Pocket Day”

April is National Poetry Month.  During this month, students throughout the country study and celebrate poetry.  Students at W.L. Morse have been studying poetry all month and will join in the national celebration by participating in “Poem in Your Pocket Day” on  Thursday, April 30^th, 2009.

To celebrate the imagination and creativity of poetry, students of all ages are asked to carry a poem in their pockets to share with friends, classmates, teachers, family and friends. Students will be given opportunities to read their favorite poems throughout the day.  Join us in celebrating this Thursday!  Keep a poem in your pocket to share with someone!

KEEP A POEM IN YOUR POCKET
Keep a poem in your pocket
And a picture in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.
The little poem will sing to you.
The little picture it brings to you
A dozen dreams to dance to you
At night when you’re in bed.
SO...
Keep a picture in your pocket
And a poem in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.

Beatrice Schenkde Regniers

(Posted 4/27/09 )

Africa: Customs, History, Music, and Legend at Morse School

On April ^1st Morse students enjoyed a performance of “Journey to Africa” presented by the Ishangi Family Dancers.  This event was generously funded by the BOCES Arts-in-Education Program.  Morse School has been lucky enough to enjoy visits from the Ishangis for 7 years, supporting the integration of African art and culture into the art curriculum.  Second grade artists have recently completed beautiful illustrations of an African folktale using concepts from textile design.  Third graders decorated masks.  Examples of both projects can be seen in the Morse Museum. 

The Ishangi Family Dancers were founded in 1958 and have performed all over the world including twice at the United Nations.  Their presentation is a wonderful blend of music, dance, and narration. In the course of the concert, students learned about authentic African customs, history, musical instruments, masquerades, and legends. The objectives of the program are to introduce students to the culture, dance, music, and history of West Africa. The program is entertaining and educational, incorporating everyday activities such as how clothing is washed by hand by beating the cloth on rocks. All dance and musical presentations were thoroughly explained.  What a wonderful culmination to our study in the Morse Art Studio!  (Posted 4/1/09 )

African Art Celebrated at Morse School

Second grade artists combined African textile designs with a traditional African folktale, “The Hatseller and the Monkeys.”  The border around the illustration was created by combining Kente textile designs from West Africa with our own carefully designed patterns.  The paintings on the inside of the project were created after we read the African folktale, “The Hatseller and the Monkeys.”  When we created these illustrations, we experimented with a technique using the idea of batik (a method of dyeing textiles).  Drawings were traced on top of a special wax paper leaving a secret wax version of our drawings on the bottom sheet of paper.  Then we painted with watercolors.  The wax kept the paper white where we traced.  We used mixed media—pastels and markers—to finish decorating the details on our pictures.  Third graders each created masks.

Examples of this art work are on display on the first floor at Morse school.  A travelling exhibition will be on view at the Warner Library beginning in early April. The Ishangi Family Dancers will be performing on April 1^st for the entire school in celebration of our study of African art forms. (Posted 3/28/09 )

Second Graders Celebrate their Non Fiction Work

For several weeks, our second grade students have been learning to be better readers and writers of non-fiction.  We are very proud of all that they have accomplished!  In reader’s workshop, students learned more about how good readers read non-fiction to learn more about the world.  They also learned to use the features of non fiction to understand information, and take notes, recording what they learn and new questions for further investigation.  In writer’s workshop, they learned about what a good writer must do to help teach his or her reader about a topic.  Each student selected a subject to research and write about, from states and countries to mammals and non mammals.  Once they gathered their research, they worked on writing sentences and paragraphs and designing an informational poster on which to publish important information about their topic.  On Wednesday morning family and friends joined us in classrooms for a breakfast to celebrate these remarkable accomplishments and all that our students have learned during this unit.  For family and friends who could not attend, we welcome you to come and visit the posters.  They will remain up through parent conferences for all to see. Click here to see a sample of the students projects. (Posted 3/19/09 )

Morse Students Celebrate “Music in Our Schools Month”

March has been officially designated as “Music in Our Schools Month”, (MIOSM^®), the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation.  The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music.

There are a lot of special things happening at Morse this month to celebrate. Take a look at the March lunch menu for instance!   Classroom teachers worked with their students to brainstorm and come up with fun musical names for everyday lunch items.   We are listening to interesting musical facts and trivia during morning announcements.  Musicians from the Westchester Philharmonic will come and spend a day showing kids lots of different instruments. The second grade students will experience woodwind instruments, while third graders will see and hear instruments from the percussion family.   Both grades will attend a special MIOSM presentation on March 24 by the band and orchestra directors and students from Washington Irving School.(Posted 3/9/09 )

Morse Family Math Night was a Big Hit!

On Tuesday night, students, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles from more than 70 Morse families came to enjoy a variety of math games and activities.  Everyone played "Guess your Number" and a most exciting game of Greedy Pig at the end.  The cafeteria was packed and the energy in the room was exciting!  We all look forward to even more fun (and space!) next year.   Special congratulations to Gabriel Romero and Isaiah Burgess for making the closest estimate of the night!  Hannah Miller's mom, Virginia, was the adult to come the closest to estimate, so congratulations to her as well.  We are very thankful that so many families supported this event and continue to support mathematics!  To download a packet of fun math activities for home, click here. (Posted 2/13/09 )

Morse Teachers, Students and Parents Celebrated Healthy Heart Week!

In honor and celebration of Healthy Heart Month, Morse PE teachers welcomed Morse parents to come and participate in PE Class.  Students and parents (and even Mrs. Fitzgerald) competed in the Morse version of the Olympics, designed especially for Healthy Heart Week.  Teams worked together in and out of PE class to understand the importance of cardiovascular fitness and good sportsmanship.  Everyone who participated had a great time too!  Special thanks to Mr. Farrell and Mrs. Brennen for making this possible! (Posted 2/13/09 )

The Morse Third Grade Mask Tradition Goes On!

Every January, after studying masks from around the world, third grade students each design, decorate and title three-dimensional masks.   In our American culture, we use masks at Halloween.  Special protective masks are worn by athletes, doctors and soldiers.  In other parts of the world masks are used for many different reasons.  The third grade has studied some of these masks and created their own designs. The masks are will be on display on the first floor at Morse School through March. (Posted 2/10/09 )

Morse flyers and announcements are online

Morse families can now find all flyers, monthly newsletter and letters from the office posted on the Morse page of the district web site--just another (green) way to stay informed!   To visit the Morse page, go to http://www.tufsd.org/wlm/index.html or click on Winfield L. Morse on the top of the district web site. (Posted 2/10/09 )

Morse  FLIP:  Fun Lunch Indoor Program

For the next five weeks, the EPTA proudly presents Morse  FLIP:  Fun Lunch Indoor Program. On certain days during lunch, rain or shine, parent volunteers will lead special activities.

• Wednesday:  Learn to Sew:  See a school wide project take shape!

• Thursday: Play Bingo:  Have fun with kids from other classes!  

• Friday: Learn Origami:  The colorful art of Japanese paper folding

On these days, one or two students from each class will be able to sign up for FLIP in the morning.   Students will rotate so as many children as possible will be able to participate.  At lunchtime, the students will bring their lunch (from home or purchased) to the activity & enjoy trying new projects & meeting new classmates.    Parents do not have to do anything; this is just an optional way to have winter fun!

Many thanks to the parents who are offering to lead these activities.   Please feel free to email Jennifer Povman at jpovman@optonline.net or call the school at 914-631-4144 if you would like to volunteer to help. (Posted 1/27/09 )

Winter Wonderland at Morse: A Celebration of Literacy

Students, staff, family members and friends thoroughly enjoyed Winter Wonderland, a day to celebrate literacy together at Morse.  The day started early for the SHHS Project YOU! students who set up a fantastic book sale for Morse students and families.  Teachers were thrilled to work with Project You to give every student at Morse a brand new book to take home!  Guests of all ages thoroughly enjoyed the assembly that featured the storytelling of Mr. Roscoe Orman, best known as “Gordon” on Sesame Street.  The crowd laughed along as he read one of his own books, Ricky and Mobo and one of our students’ favorites, Stone Soup.  They also had the chance to hear Mr. Orman speak about his work as Gordon on Sesame Street and how he became an author.  After the assembly, parents enjoyed a discussion about the value of listening to literature with Mr. Orman and the head of AudibleKids.com, the leading collection of children’s audiobooks online.  Parents at each grade level also met with Mrs. Fitzgerald, Mr. Lichtenwalner (ELA staff developer) and Mrs. Hickey (Challenge teacher) about how to help their students develop as readers and spellers.  Please visit the Morse page to download the materials that were handed out to parents.  In addition to these presentations, parents enjoyed the chance to spend time in their children’s classrooms, engaging in activities that celebrate reading and writing.  Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us and who helped to make Winter Wonderland so special! (Posted 1/25/09 )

Click here for the Morse 08- 09  Student Handbook

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