Readers Become Leaders At Morley

MORLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

77 Bretton Road W Hartford, CT 06119 860.233.8535/Fax: 860.233.7705

http://www.morley.whps.org

February 5, 2014 Dear Families and Friends, Please join our “Readers Who Become Leaders” at Morley School on the last Friday morning of the month, February 28th (read below). If you are unable to at-tend, feel free to contact your child’s teacher and read another day! Yours in Reading, Ellen

PLEASE JOIN US FOR

DR. SEUSS’S BIRTHDAY/READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY

CELEBRATION WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Friday, February 28th 2014

8:30AM - 8:50AM Morley friends and families visit in the auditorium and enjoy refreshments (thanks to PTO). Students report promptly to classrooms at 8:30 a.m.

8:50AM - 9:30AM Friends and families proceed to classrooms for grand conversations/shared reading/writing activities in the K-5 classrooms

9:35AM Students and teachers resume their busy day of learning. Thank you for visiting.

Thank you for making reading/writing a priority in Morley children's lives!

Important Dates to Jot Down . . . 2/6 - 2/28/14

Recognition of Religious Holidays

9/14 Yom Kippur* (Judaism), 10/14 Dussehra/Durga Puja (Hinduism), 10/15 Eid al-Adha* (Islam), 11/3 Diwali (Hinduism), 11/28-12/5 Chanukah* (Judaism),

12/25 Christmas (Christianity), 1/6 Epiphany/Three Kings Day (Christianity), 4/15-4/22 Passover* (8 days) (Judaism), 4/18 Good Friday (Christianity), 4/20 Easter (Christianity),

5/14 Buddha Day Visakha Puja (Buddhism), 6/28-7/22 Ramadan* (Islam)

Date Day Event Location Time

2/6 Thursday Homework Center Rm 16/Barrieau 3:20PM - 4:20PM

Inter-El Choir Auditorium 3:30PM - 500PM

2/7 Friday Grade 2 Field Trip Springfield Museum 8:45AM - 12:45PM

STEM Recess Activity Auditorium 11:45AM - 12:30PM

2/11 Tuesday Love & Logic Auditorium 7:00PM - 9:00PM

Homework Center Rm 16/Barrieau 3:20PM - 4:20PM

French Club Room 3/Ashworth 3:25PM - 4:25PM

2/13 Thursday Homework Center Rm 16/Barrieau 3:20PM - 4:20PM

Inter-El Choir Auditorium 3:30PM - 500PM

Grade 2 JAPAN NIGHT As Scheduled 6:30PM

2/14 Friday Valentine’s Day

2/17 - 2/21 Winter Break

Homework Center Rm 16/Barrieau 3:20PM - 4:20PM

French Club Room 3/Ashworth 3:25PM - 4:25PM

2/25 Tuesday Love & Logic Auditorium 7:00PM - 9:00PM

2/26 Wednesday EFFIE”S PLACE PTO Fundraiser EFFIE”S PLACE 4:00PM - 8:00PM

2/27 Thursday BOOK SWAP / SPIRIT DAY

Homework Center Rm 16/Barrieau 3:20PM - 4:20PM

Inter-El Choir Auditorium 3:30PM - 500PM

2/28 Friday Dr. Seuss Day - See Front Page As Scheduled

Parent Information Resources to Address Developmental Concerns

Parents often contact me about concerns regarding their child’s learning, attention/focus, social/emotional or

behavioral development. In some cases the issues are more apparent in school, and teachers may report

difficulties in the classroom that are impacting a child’s progress. Other times, the home setting is more

stressful, as parents have so many activities they must accomplish every night and having homework

completed becomes a marathon or a battle. Parents can feel isolated, confused, frustrated and worried during

these situations and reach out to the school for help or ideas. At Morley School, we know that maintaining

positive, supportive and collaborative relationships with parent and families is the key to their child’s success

in school. As educators, we may sometimes forget the stress families are under on a daily basis because of all

the tasks that must be accomplished everyday in school to teach children and comply with federal and state

mandates as well as district initiatives.

Under our current Connecticut State Department of Education Scientific Research-Based Intervention proto-

col for helping children experiencing challenges in learning or behavioral skills, a multidisciplinary team

called the Student Success Team (SST) meets every six to eight weeks to track reading, math and behavioral

data for children referred for extra support. If a child is not making expected gains over time, given extra

teacher support, then a more intensive level of additional instruction is added. When a child fails to make the

projected progress after receiving Tier 1, 2 and 3-leveled interventions, the team then looks to the special

education team to meet with parents and discuss further individualized evaluations to determine whether the

child requires specialized instruction.

Information about this process can be found on the West Hartford Public Schools website at:

www.whps.org Also on the Connecticut State Department of Education Website under Parents & Community at:

www.sde.ct.gov

Other resources that parents and families may find helpful in answering questions about their child’s

development include:

American Academy of Pediatrics website (also in Spanish), under Ages & Stages, with information on many

health and developmental topics specific from prenatal to young adults at:

www.healthychildren.org

National Association of School Psychologists (some articles in Spanish) at:

www.nasponline.org

The VTech company has a website showing their products but also has a free milestones (Language &

Cognition; Physical & Motor; Social/Emotional areas) guideline for ages 0 to 9 at:

www.vtechkids.com/milestones

Hope you find these resources helpful. Please call me with any other concerns you may have regarding your

child’s development or progress.

By Diane Horan, Ed.D., LPC, NCSP

Morley School Psychologist

2/3/14

GRADE 5 TO 6 TRANSITION (ORIENTATION) NIGHT

6:30-8:30 PM

King Philip Middle School with be hosting the following schools on the following evenings:

Monday, March 17 – Aiken, Norfeldt, Smith and Wolcott

Monday, March 24 – Braeburn, Bugbee, Charter Oak, Morley and Whiting Lane

If for some reason, parents and students are unable to attend on the evening your school is attending, you

are more than welcome to attend the other presentation. As in the past, prior to the Orientation program at

7:00 PM, parents and students are welcome to take a self-guided tour from 6:30 - 7:00 PM. There will be a

Special Education Orientation meeting from 6-6:30 PM for parents and students who receive these services.

Information to follow.

CALLING FUTURE KINDERGARTNERS

If you have (or know of a child) eligible for kindergarten in the fall (5 years old on or before 1/1/15), please call the school office at 233.8535. We want to add your child’s name to our list of incoming students.

Our incoming kindergarten parent meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 10rd at 6:30 pm.

More Love and Logic!

Parenting the Love and Logic WayTM

a 6-week course

being offered two times in Winter/Spring 2014:

TUESDAYS, Feb 4 to Mar 18 (7-9 PM) Morley Elementary School

or

MONDAYS, Mar 24 to May 5 (7-9 PM) (location tbd)

Register On-Line

through West Hartford Continuing Education: www.WHLifeLearn.org

Contact Carolyn Cass or Laura Wilson:

CarolynCass.ParentingPartners@gmail.com LauraWilson.ParentingPartners@gmail.com

Facilitators of the Parenting the Love and Logic Parent Way curriculum

are independent and are not employees of the Love and Logic Institute, Inc.

YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

It’s time to order your Morley all school yearbook. The sale will run from Feb. 3-25. The yearbook features all of the student’s Lifetouch photos taken in the fall, special pages devoted to the 5th graders and a lot of other fun stuff! Don’t be left out . . . order yours today! Yearbooks are $18 each and checks should be made payable to Morley PTO. You can also write a note to your special Morley student in the Words & Wishes section. Each message is $2 and should be 100 characters or less.

Some examples of messages:

Jill – You did a great job in 2nd grade! We love you! Mom & Dad Ben – You were the best book buddy ever. Your friend, Jackie Miss Jackson – I loved being in your class this year. Sincerely, Annie

Student name___________________________________ Teacher______________________ Grade____________ Parent name_____________________________________ Email________________________ Phone____________ # of yearbooks ($18 each):________ # of Words & Wishes messages ($2 each):______ Total:____________ Words & Wishes message: ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ If you need more space for more messages, please use the back.

YEARBOOK PHOTOS NEEDED Did you take any pictures from the first day of school? Halloween? A fall field trip? Please

send us your photos (hard copies or on disk) for the 2013-2014 Morley Yearbook. There is a

box located in the office for the photos. Please send copies as photos will not be returned.

Questions? Contact Christie Kennedy at 5_kennedys@comcast.net

WEST HARTFORD

SPECIAL EDUCATION PTA

Friday, February 7, 2014: Coffee and Conversation. Come meet with other parents whose children receive

services through the West Hartford Public Schools. Look for the SEPTA sign on the table, usually in the back of

the restaurant. 9:30 - 10:30 AM at Panera Bread, Bishop's Corner. Contact Kris Atkins at kwherry@comcast

for more information or if you have any questions.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 7PM at Whiting Lane School Media Center. “Transition Planning” with

Glenn McGrath, Director of Pupil Services, West Hartford and his staff. For those families whose children are

transitioning next year to Preschool, Kindergarten, Middle School, High School and Post Secondary. If you

have any questions about this meeting, please contact Lisa Roland at lawr888@comcast.net.

Friday, March 7, 2014: Coffee and Conversation. Come meet with other parents whose children receive

services through the West Hartford Public Schools. Look for the SEPTA sign on the table, usually in the back

of the restaurant. 9:30 - 10:30 AM at Panera Bread, Bishop's Corner. Contact Kris Atkins at

kwherry@comcast for more information or if you have any questions.

Yearbooks can be ordered now until February 25th. The yearbooks cost $18

each and will be delivered during the last week of school. Please see the at-

tached order form for more details. Questions? Please email Christie Kennedy

at 5_kennedys@comcast.net

Earn cash for our school each time you clip

Box Tops coupons. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Clip Box Tops : Find Box Tops coupons on hundreds of

your favorite products. Each Box Top coupon is worth 10¢

for our school.

2.Send Box Tops to School: Turn in your Box Tops cou-

pons to the box in the office. Our school will collect the

Box Tops and send them to Box Tops for Education.

3. Our School Earns Cash: Twice each year, Box Tops

will send a check to our school for each Box Tops coupon

redeemed, up to $20,000 each year.

SHOPRITE FOR EDUCATION

Shop Rite will be giving away more than $220,000

worth of free Educational Equipment this year. Please

go to www.shopriteforeducation.com and click on the

Shopper Login link Use School Code: 50162.. Every

time you shop and scan your Price Plus Card, Morley

School will earn valuable credit toward FREE educa-

tional equipment. It’s that easy!

Remember . . . You must re-register each school year to participate in

this program. Sign up today!!

Dear Parents:

Welcome to the start of a new school year and another year of A+ School Rewards. Morley

School will have the opportunity to earn cash through Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards Program.

All you have to do is: Log on to www.stopandshop.com/aplus to register online

OR Dial 1-877-275-2758 to register your card over the phone.

After you register your card, each shopping trip at Stop & Shop using your Stop & Shop Card earns CASH for our

school! Each month, the amount of CASH awarded will be updated on the Stop & Shop website. You can track

the amount of points you earn for our school by checking your grocery receipt and online when you create an ac-

count at www.stopandshop.com. Our school will receive a check at the end of the program. The money can be

used for any of our school’s educational needs.

Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year for our school to receive

credit. Attending to this simple process makes a HUGE difference to our school. We need your support.

Please be sure to register your card to benefit Morley School using ID # 06290.

Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same.

It could mean the world to our children.

DROPPING OFF OR PICKING UP STUDENTS

Please remember, for the safety of your children . . .

Do not enter the school parking lot

AND DO NOT PARK IN THE BUS LANE

to drop off or pick up students.

Thank you for your cooperation!

TELEPHONE CALLS TO SCHOOL Please note that all calls to teachers will be put into voicemail unless it is an emergency. Teachers will check their voicemail at the end of each day. Please make arrangements with your children before school so that there are few interruptions to classroom teaching. We understand that there are times that you need to get an emergency message to your child and in those instances, please let the office know that you need to be put directly through to the teacher. We appreciate your understanding.

IS YOUR CHILD GOING TO BE ABSENT OR TARDY?

Please remember to call the school office (233-8535) if your child will be tardy or absent. You may report an absence before 8:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m. by using the voice mail system at the same number. Any absence reported by the teacher, but not the parent, will alert the office to a potential problem and will necessitate a call to your home.

ATTENTION PARENTS OF BUS RIDERS

Attendance is taken every afternoon on the bus to insure the safe homecoming of all our students. It is assumed that all children who are eligible to ride the bus will do so unless they are sick or have been signed out early. If your child will not be riding the bus either routinely (s/he will attend MEDC for example) or occasionally (an after school visit with a walker), a note must be received in the office. When a child is not on line for the bus in the p.m. and no note is received, we look for that child and thus hold up the bus. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated!

SUPERVISION BEFORE SCHOOL Bus students are not to exit the bus in the morning until 8:20 AM at the elementary schools.

All students should not be on school grounds before 8:20 AM.

Parents will be called if their children are consistently dropped off before this time.

There is no supervision on the grounds until 8:20 a.m. Please be sure that your child(ren) are not arriving or being dropped off before that time.

There is no access to the school before the first bell at 8:30 am.

Please be sure to stay tuned to the radio or television or call the source line at 233-2334 to be sure there is no “delay” due to the weather. Thank you for your cooperation in the safety of your children.

SAFETY ISSUE REMINDER

All bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller blades and skates are not to be used on school property

(sidewalks, blacktop, etc.) because of safety concerns. Once your child arrives on school grounds

they are asked to walk their bicycles, scooters and skateboards to the bike racks and to remove their

roller blades and skates.

None of the above are allowed to be used within the school building!

Also, only grades 3-5 are allowed to ride their bicycles to school and must have a permission slip

filed in the office. Remember, helmets must be worn by all children 12 and under.

REMINDER

Please remember that the entrance to the cafeteria from the kindergarten

playground is used for Morley Extended Day Care students and

employees only. This is for the safety of the students in that program.

Please do not ask to enter the building using that entrance while the

daycare program is in session.

Thank you for your cooperation.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Once students are dismissed from school at the end of the day, they are not allowed to re-enter after 3:30 pm to pick up forgotten Items, use the bathrooms or get a drink of water. Please remind your children to be responsible and remind them of this school policy.

RESPONSIBLE STUDENTS

Just a reminder about helping students be responsible: We encourage parents not to bring in “forgotten” items to school for their child. If you must bring something in the office, we ask that you make sure your child’s name and teacher’s name is on the item. You can leave the item on the office counter and we will leave a message in the teacher’s voice mail.

Thank you for helping make your child responsible.

Rules For Before and After School and During Recess

Play areas on school grounds include, playscapes, grass areas, playgrounds, swings

and blacktop. Children should refrain from climbing brick walls and playing in

garden areas. These areas are not safe or appropriate for play.

IMPORTANT DISTRICT POLICY NOTICE

It has been brought to our attention that per district policy, no dogs will be allowed on

school property at arrival, during the school day and at dismissal because of pet

allergies and children who are fearful of dogs. See Morley School Handbook.

SAFETY MESSAGESAFETY MESSAGE Please remember that students who are walkers must leave the premises at dismissal Please remember that students who are walkers must leave the premises at dismissal

unless there is an adult present to supervise them while they play on school grounds.unless there is an adult present to supervise them while they play on school grounds.

Parents and/or guardians are reminded that public school grounds technically become Parents and/or guardians are reminded that public school grounds technically become

public parks once students are dismissed, and the responsibility for supervision of their public parks once students are dismissed, and the responsibility for supervision of their

children shifts to them.children shifts to them.

Medical supplies and treatment are not available outside regular school hours.Medical supplies and treatment are not available outside regular school hours.

Thank youThank you

INCLEMENT WEATHER SCHOOL

CLOSING & DELAYS

The following radio and television stations will

carry the necessary information.

RADIO STATIONS:

WTIC 1080 am WKND 1480 am

WHCN 105.9 fm WKSS 95.7 fm

WRCH 100.5 fm WRYM 840 am

TELEVISION STATIONS:

Channel 30, 3 and 8 and Channel 5 Cable Access.

BY PHONE:

West Hartford Sourceline 860.233.2334

INTERNET:

www.whps.org

Reminder: Whenever there is a delayed

opening, ALL morning activities such as Choir,

Band, etc. are cancelled.

Early Dismissals: It is very important that you

review early dismissal emergency procedures

with your child. Listen to your radios.

It is appreciated if you don’t call the

school to check on school closings.

The radio and the television both provide

accurate up-to-date information.

PLEASE POST THIS INFORMATION AT

HOME AND AT WORK!

EMERGENCY EARLY CLOSING

In the event of an emergency early closing,

these are the early closing times on ALL

days.

High School 11:00 a.m.

Middle School 11:45 a.m.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 1:00 p.m.

Give your children 3 to 5 homes to go to

in the neighborhood, in a certain order.

Show them where an extra house key is

kept.

Remind them to go to the designated

neighbor, but then be certain to leave a

note for you (on the back door or in the

mailbox) as to where they are staying.

We suggest that you walk through a simula-

tion with your children to give them the

experience in a non-threatening situation.

REMEMBER—In the event of an

emergency early closing, Morley

Extended Day Care will close when

school closes.

OUTDOOR RECESS POLICY

The recess policy dictates that all students

will go outside for recess if the temperature is

20º Fahrenheit or above. Youngsters should

be appropriately dressed to spend time

outdoors during recess. Warm clothes,

gloves, hats, and boots are required during

the winter months.

Children well enough to come to school

should be well enough to be outside during

recess.

Exceptions for medical reasons may be

granted on an individual basis. In the event

of inclement or severely cold weather,

outdoor recess will be canceled.

REMINDER TO ALL PARENTS SUPERVISION BEFORE SCHOOL

Bus students are not to exit the bus in the

morning until 8:20 AM at the elementary

schools.

All students should not be on school grounds

before 8:20 AM.

Parents will be called if their children are

consistently dropped off before this time.

Thank you for your cooperation in the

safety of your children.

PLEASE POST THIS

BY YOUR PHONE AND

TAKE A COPY TO WORK ! !