Readers Become Leaders At Morley Mr. Ryan Cleary, Principal

MORLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 77 Bretton Road W Hartford, CT 06119

860.233.8535 / Fax: 860.233.7705 http://www.morley.whps.org

February 4, 2015 Dear Morley Community, Well, winter weather is certainly here! I hope that everyone was safe and warm over the extended weekend. Snowy days, although responsible for a bit of craziness, are one of the pieces of New England life that we all know and love. I’d like to say thank you to our head custodian Larry Bohman and his staff for an amazing amount of hard work keeping slick and snowy surfaces well treated. Also, thanks to everyone for helping keep our students safe in inclement weather conditions. As we move quickly through February and approach March, there is a lot going on! Our Kid’s Lit Quiz Team just did a fantastic job at CCSU and our 3

rd Grade play is happening today! Also, we have exciting

events such as the 5th Grade Pasta Dinner, Japan Night, The STEM Science Fair, Yoga classes, Read

Across America Day, Character Trait continued focus, and of course “The Event” (just to name a few) coming up that will keep us busy. I am excited about all of these events, and the many that will happen in between, because they each create a different opportunity for our children to shine. Students will have the chance to enjoy some social time together, create learning presentations, explore the world of science, and learn body control, allowing us to truly teach to the whole child. As I say so often, it takes a community to do what we do with our children, and the many people who work to make these and all Morley events happen have my deepest gratitude. Another major event that will begin in the coming weeks is state testing. Beginning in mid March, students in grades 3-5 will begin their state assessments. Please see Mrs. Brouse’s curriculum corner for more information. While state assessments always presents a challenge, it is a necessary part of the educational process. As described above, at Morley, we teach to the whole child. Demonstrating learning is a significant piece of that whole child. These assessments are important, because the literacy and numeracy skills they measure are the foundation for a great deal of future learning. Please note that Mrs. Brouse and I will host a “State Assessment Parent Information Session” this Friday, February 6

th,

after drop off in the auditorium. Please see the email sent out to families yesterday for more details, and a reminder email will be sent tomorrow (Thursday). Please feel free to contact me here in the office with any questions. While this focus on student performance is very real, please know that each of your children are seen for all of their talents. Equally important as reading and mathematics skills are your children’s abilities to sing, draw, dance, run, create, paint, inspire, and play, hence our many community events here at Morley. My favorite part of being the principal of Morley is seeing how these skills come to life in our classrooms. I am proud of every poem read and written, area of a garden computed, basketball passed, note sung, painting created, problem creatively approached, and most importantly, challenge persevered. That is who we have always been at Morley, and who we will continue to be. Thank you for your tireless commitment to the success of our students. Together, we will continue to make our community a better place. As always, thank you for your continued support of teaching, learning, and literacy at Morley School.

Respectfully,

Ryan Cleary, Principal

Curriculum Corner

Dear Morley Families, This spring, as part of the CT State Testing Program, West Hartford Public Schools will administer assessments to all students in grades three to five to measure their achievement in reading, writing, mathematics and science (science is grade 5 only). CT has recently adopted a new on-line testing platform for the literacy (reading and writing) and mathematics assessments, however, the science assessments for grade 5 students continue to be administered via a paper and pencil format.

These assessments measure student achievement based on the Connecticut Core Standards that form the foundation of our elementary curriculum. Students will be asked questions that require a close reading of text and may ask them to support their answers with details from text, problem solve, demonstrate both procedural skill and conceptual understanding of mathematical topics, and grade appropriate questions that measure students’ understanding of basic science principles and their underlying interrelationships (science grade 5 only). Students will encounter questions throughout the different content area tests that may ask them to explain their reasoning or support their statements with evidence. These are all tasks and thinking skills your students encounter on a daily basis in their classroom instruction and should feel confident as they apply their learning in these assessments.

To support students with the newer on-line platform for testing, students will engage in classroom

activities that will help them become comfortable with navigating the online testing platform. We have dedicated computer labs / laptop stations for instruction and testing, and students should feel comfortable using the technology that is integrated into their daily classroom activities. In regards to the time dedicated to testing, students will take two subtests for each discipline (literacy and math) the testing schedule will allow students to finish the tests in the time that they need. Students will be assessed first in literacy, followed by math, and the testing will rotate by grade level so that students have a break between tests.

Students will receive individual score reports for their performance on the literacy and mathematics

assessments and 5th grade students will receive separate score reports for science. The Connecticut State Department of Education anticipates that the on-line format of the literacy and mathematics tests will enable quicker results but the specific time frame has not yet been published. More specifics on score reports will be shared as soon as information is available.

As a reminder, we will be hosting a parent’s breakfast this Friday after students enter the building to

discuss what state testing will look like here at Morley. If you can’t attend, or have further ideas to discuss regarding the administration of state assessments, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at kelly_brouse@whps.org or by phone at 860-233-8535 ex. 5652.

Most kindly,

Kelly

From the Resource Room: Peg Flower

Not quite clear just what phonemic awareness means and how it progresses? Well…..

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear the sounds that make up words and to be able to

manipulate those sounds. Phonemic awareness is multi-leveled and progresses through

five sequential stages normally during the end of kindergarten through the first to second

grade year. The stages are listed below:

Stage 1- Children begin to rhyme words using pictures ,and they begin to clap and count

syllables in spoken words.

Stage 2- Children can begin to blend together sound units to form a word. The teacher

would say sp -ill and the child blends the word to say spill.

Stage 3 – Children in the early stages of phonemic development may have difficulty

sequencing sounds. A word may sound like one complete sound. Children at this stage

begin to understand where a sound is in a word with oral instruction. (At the beginning,

middle or end) This is the beginning stages of phonemic blending. We might ask the child

to say book. What sound do you hear first? Or last? Medial or middle sounds are usually

acquired last.

Stage 4 – At this point children should be able to divide words into separate sound or

phonemes. This skill is the reverse of phoneme blending identified in stage 3. This can be

a difficult skill and the range of acquisition varies from student to student. Children may

be able to identify isolated sounds but are not able to break a word into separate

phonemes. The teacher may begin by having the child count the number of sounds in a

word. After this skill is mastered, the child attempts the more difficult task of identifying

the individual number of phonemes (sounds) in a word. (i.e. - bit- 3)

Stage 5- This is the highest level of phonemic awareness. Children will manipulate sounds

within words by adding, deleting, transposing or exchanging phonemes. (i.e. - replace the

medial sound in hot with an a) These manipulations coupled with phonemic instruction

across the six syllable types is the start to “Breaking the Code” in reading.

Date Day Event Time Location

2/4 Wed. Grade 3 Play Performance for Families 7:00 - 8:00 PM Auditorium

2/5 Thurs. Band Rehearsal Grade 4 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

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

Inter-El Choir 3:30 - 5:00 PM Auditorium

2/6 Fri. Orchestra Rehearsal Grade 5 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

Grade 5 Pasta Dinner 6:00 - 7:30 PM St. James Church

2/10 Tues. Band Rehearsal Grade 5 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

Choir Rehearsal Grade 4 7:50 - 8:30 AM Music Room

Orchestra Rehearsal Grade 4 1:00 - 1:30 PM Auditorium

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

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

2/11 Wed. Choir Rehearsal Grade 5 7:50 - 8:30 AM Music Room

2/12 Thurs. Band Rehearsal Grade 4 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

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

Inter-El Choir 3:30 - 5:00 PM Auditorium

2/13 Fri. Orchestra Rehearsal Grade 5 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

2/16 Mon. Winter Recess - No School

2/17 Tue. Winter Recess - No School

2/18 Wed. Choir Rehearsal Grade 5 7:50 - 8:30 AM Music Room

Hall High School Concert Band Performance 9:00 - 9:30 AM Auditorium

2/19 Thurs. Band Rehearsal Grade 4 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

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

Inter-El Choir 3:30 - 5:00 PM Auditorium

2/20 Fri. Orchestra Rehearsal Grade 5 7:45 - 8:30 AM Auditorium

Important Dates to Jot Down . . .

Recognition of Religious Holidays

9/25 - 9/26 Rosh Hashanah* (Judaism), 10/4 Yom Kippur* (Judaism), 10/4 Dussehra/Durga Puja (Hinduism), 10/5 Eid al-Adha* (Islam), 10/23 Diwali (Hinduism), 12/17 - 12/24 Chanukah* (Judaism), 12/25 Christmas (Christianity),

1/6 Epiphany/Three Kings Day (Christianity), 4/3 Good Friday (Christianity), 4/5 Easter (Christianity), 4/4 - 4/11 Passover* (8 days) (Judaism), 5/4 Buddha Day - Visakha Puja (Buddhism), 6/18 - 7/17 Ramadan* (Islam)

* All holy days begin at sunset the day before.

Save the date . . .

Hello Morley Community!

Please remember to check out the Morley PTO

website: www.morleypto.com

for important information regarding upcoming PTO

and Morley events!

Morley Night at

Effie’s Place

91 Park Rd

Tuesday

February 24th

4:00 - 8:00 PM

February Winter

Recess 2015

Monday, 2/16 &

Tuesday 2/17,

SCHOOL REOPENS

Wednesday, 2/18

KP Orientation

Grade 5 to 6

March 16

Address and Phone Changes

Please notify the school office if you have moved and call the Residency Office 860.561.6620 to

make an appointment to have your address changed.

Notify the school office if your home phone number, work number or cell phone number has

changed. It is important that we have updated phone numbers at all times.

Thank you!

5th to 6th Grade Orientation

King Philip Middle School

Monday, March 16, 2015

What’s happening. . .?

6:30-7:00 PM Self-Guided Tours*

7:00-8:00 PM Presentation in Auditorium

8:00-8:30 PM Refreshments – Large Cafeteria

6:00-6:30 PM Orientation/Question/Answer Session for Children with Special Needs–Rm 22

6:00-6:30 PM Special Education Program – Room 13

*6th grade teachers will be available to greet you in their classrooms.

Forgotten Items Delivered to School

As it is important that children learn to be responsible for their homework, lunches, instruments, music, etc., please consider letting your child go without something he or she has forgotten. You are sure to be pleasantly surprised with the long-term results!

If it is absolutely necessary to drop off items for students during the school day, please label the items and bring them to the school office. Although the office staff cannot interrupt classroom instruction, they will do their best to notify the classroom teacher of the item (s) in a timely manner.

Thank you for your cooperation.

CALLING FUTURE KINDERGARTNERS

If you have (or know) a child eligible for kindergarten in the fall (5 years old on or before 1/1/16), please call the school office (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 9th, 6:30 pm.

IMPORTANT DISTRICT POLICY NOTICE

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.

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 coupons 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 educational equip-

ment. It’s that easy!

Remember . . .You must re-register each

school year to participate in this

STOP & SHOP

Morley Elementary School

Join Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards Program. Starting October 3, 2014 through March 19, 2015 Morley School can earn

cash through this program. All you have to do is: Log on to www.stopandshop.com/aplus select Customer

Registration to register online using your Stop & Shop Card

Safety Reminder:

Please remember that the parking lot should NOT be used for drop off in the morning! Our parking lot is small and tight, creating safety concerns for children walking through while cars are moving in and out. Please drop students off on the side of the road where they can safely walk down the sidewalk, which is patrolled by teachers during drop off. Thank you for your commitment to our students' safety!

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.

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!

DROPPING OFF OR PICKING UP STUDENTS

Please remember, for the safety of your children, no one should be driving into the parking lot to drop off or pick up students. No cars are allowed to enter the parking lot during arrival or dismissal times (except for handicap parking). Thank you for your cooperation!

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 a.m. 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.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

SCHOOL CLOSINGS & DELAYS

The following radio and television stations will carry

the necessary information about late openings.

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 Channel 5 Cable Access.

BY PHONE:

West Hartford Sourceline 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.

You should receive a phone notification (no later

than 6:30 AM through the WHPS School District

regarding cancellations or delays due to inclement

weather. PLEASE be sure your telephone

number is kept up to date with the school office.

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 simulation

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 dur ing 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 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 8:20a.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.

PLEASE POST THIS BY YOUR PHONE AT HOME & AT WORK ! !