Weekly Newsletter
Hello Morris Families & Guardians,
Our students did a remarkable job during Thursday's practice safety drills! They followed all expectations, and we were back in our classrooms by 10:15 a.m. I’m incredibly proud of both our students and staff for their attentiveness and cooperation.
A special thank you to School Resource Officer Colvin, The Lenox Police Department, Fire Chief O'Brien, and members of the Massachusetts State Police for assisting us with the drills. They also praised our students for their outstanding behavior and for approaching the drills with such seriousness.
School Start and End Times Reminder
We would like to remind families that school starts promptly at 8:40 a.m. Many children are being dropped off after this time, which can affect their morning routine. Please plan accordingly to ensure your child arrives on time for a smooth start to their day.
Trunk or Treat Event
Mrs. Soules, several Morris Elementary staff members, and I will be participating in the Lenox Community Center's Trunk or Treat event this Friday, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. We hope to see many of our families there for a fun evening of Halloween festivities!
Hydroponics at Morris
We are excited to share that Morris Elementary has implemented a Fork Farm hydroponic system! This innovative system can grow 20-30 lbs of lettuce in a month or between 200-288 plants, using up to 98% less water and land than traditional agriculture. Currently, we are growing lettuces, kale, collards, arugula, dill, cilantro, basil, and parsley.
This year, teachers can sign up for a six-week session where students learn how to grow food from seed to plate. We hope to incorporate this into the curriculum at various grade levels in the future. In addition, we plan to grow seedlings in the spring, which could be sold in a fundraiser for our school community. Students will get to harvest and try the food they’ve grown, which is known to encourage them to try new foods—especially when they've had a hand in growing it!
Classroom Liaison
Thank you to everyone who already signed up to be their classroom liaison! We have just three more spots to fill!
- Grade 2: Ms. Counsell
- Grade 3: Mrs. Noyes
- Grade 4: Mrs. Codey
Sign up and encourage friends to sign up via this link for a great opportunity to connect families within your classroom, to help with school communication and engagement, and to build a warm, inclusive and fun environment. Reminder: this role can be fully virtual and is not a heavy lift while adding so much to the Morris community and experience!
Unified Basketball Game
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the Unified basketball game at LMMHS. I encourage all families to join us in cheering on these remarkable athletes at their next game on Tuesday, October 22nd at 4:30 p.m. Let’s show our support and school spirit!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
At the end of the month, we will be hosting Parent-Teacher Conferences, an excellent opportunity to discuss your child’s academic progress and growth so far this year. These conferences are a valuable time to strengthen the home-school partnership, and we encourage all families to attend.
Click here to schedule your conference.
Attendance Reminder
If your child is going to be absent due to illness or any other reason, please make sure to notify the school office at 413-637-5570 . It's important for us to maintain accurate attendance records and ensure your child’s safety.
Bus Pick Times for Delayed Start on October 28th
Pick up from LCC
- 10:35 Morris - 10:40 at Morris (54 Students)
The full route times are also listed below:
Route times for delayed start
- Green start time @ 10:00 am drop off @ school @10:40 am
- Blue start time @ 10:08 am drop off @ school @ 10:40 am
- Red start time @ 10:07 am drop off @ school @ 10:40 am
- Yellow start time @10:08 am drop off@ school @ 10:40 am
BOOK FAIR -VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
During select times, students will be able to shop the Book Fair while at school and Scholastic has something called eWallet that you can preload instead of sending your children to school with cash. Plus, you can share the link to your student's eWallet with family and friends so others can contribute funds to your child!
To add funds to an eWallet for your student, visit
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/morriselementaryschool6
To learn more about eWallet, visit Scholastic Book Fair eWallet: A Safe, Cashless Way to Shop
AND, we still have a few spots left to volunteer at the Book Fair. Morris Book Fair 2024
Title 1 News
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parents/guardians of Title 1 students are welcome to schedule a conference with their child’s interventionist during the day or evening of parent teacher conferences.
The Title 1 Parent Meeting will be held in the Morris conference room on Tuesday, October 29th at 6:00 pm. This meeting is to discuss Title 1 in general, not your specific child.