January 5, 2007

THE SNOW'PERSON' COMETH! Finally! A New Year, glazed with beautiful snow! What fun students had at noon recess, playing in that sticky white stuff! Fourth grade students Issy R, Maddy O, Allyson T, Alyssa C, Madison S, and Lizzie R show their delightful creation of a most fashionable snowman!

We are all happy to be back to school after our Winter Break!

A CHIRP OF KNOWLEDGE..
“Teaching to the Core – Reading, Writing, and Mathematics.”

Happy New Year and welcome back! We feel that our students are back and ready to learn. I was struck as I visited many classrooms this week, to hear and see a review of classroom expectations. As we know, setting the stage for our learners is critically important, to create the highest possible learning opportunity for students. We know that making each minute count, in a stage of rigor, tenacity and well planned instruction, all work together to promote excellence for our students. Given the second quarter will be ending January 19th, we certainly need to protect students' time and make each moment one of great learning.

We invite your help as parents, in asking your child about hallway, recess and lunchroom behavioral guidelines. Mr. Naumann and I, along with all staff, will plan to support and reinforce our students' best behavior and practices.
The New Year is a good time to review the core values that we all share in the Morley community. We know that we can only sustain our academic excellence through constant and never-ending attention to the following:

AT MORLEY......
1. We emphasize the importance of learning. This can take place in many forms.

2. Strong leadership guides our instructional program. This leadership is found in each of us.

3. Curriculum is based on clear goals and objectives. Upcoming parent/teacher conferences will be a great time to reacquaint ourselves with these.

4. Students are grouped to promote effective instruction. Sometimes in homogeneous or heterogeneous groupings, self-contained or departmentalized settings. Excellence remains the constant.

5. School time is used for learning. It is what we're about. It's our mission.

6. Learning progress is monitored closely. This is accomplished through formal district/classroom assessments as well as informal observations.

7. Discipline is firm and consistent. We hope to mirror the high expectations you have in your home.

8. There are high expectations for quality instruction.

9. Incentives and rewards are used to build strong motivation. Many of the incentives are rewards that are internally held by learners.

10. Parents are invited to become involved in the process. You are an invaluable resource to us in this core-value!

11. Teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and support staff continually strive to improve instructional effectiveness. We always look forward to hearing your suggestions, comments and concerns about this core-value.

12. There are pleasant conditions for learning. We thank our PTO for their help in making this a daily reality.

Lastly, we ask that you take some time as this year begins, to review safety sheet that is included in this newsletter. No core value overrides the importance that we put on making Morley the safest environment possible for our scholars. Much of the sheet is a review. We have had an increase in the number of U-turns, especially before school. Our crosswalk monitors are happy to move a cone, on an as needed basis, to provide for a right turn onto Monterey.

We also have had an increase in double-parking on Monterey, especially after school. We encourage those picking up, to pull over farther down on Monterey, knowing that students may use the crosswalk to reach those vehicles that have done so. Also, please pull into the curb cut, from 70th St., instead of holding up all traffic just to drop off close to the doors. It only takes a minute to walk down the sidewalk from the top of the curb cut near 70th. We are very fortunate to have such a long cut in which to pull in and drop off our children.

Lastly, let me thank you for your passion for academic excellence at Morley. We couldn't do it without our family partners.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS:
January 6 – Happy birthday to Mrs. Jolene Siedhoff, Morley Custodial Team.

7 - Happy birthday to Miss Courtney Brock, Second Grade Teacher

9 - 4th and 5th Gr. – Geographic Bee

10 – “ “ “ – Second Round
8:15 am Spirit Team Meeting

19 –END OF SECOND QUARTER

15 – SCHOOL NOT IN SESSION – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

18 – 7:00 pm - PTO Valentine Party Planning Meeting
7:00 pm – 4th Gr. Second Quarter Party

22 – SCHOOL NOT IN SESSION – SEMESTER BREAK

23 – Happy birthday to Mrs. Evelyn Campbell, Fifth Grade Teacher

24 – Wear Team or Morley Shirts “Team Up Against Drugs”

29 – 6-8 pm – PTO Rolling Skating Party

JANUARY 25 AND FEBRUARY 1 – PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

8. During peak time (8:45-9:10 & 3:20-3:45) please do not leave vehicles unattended in the cutouts located on the north side of Monterey Drive. If you use the cutouts for unloading, please pull as far ahead as safely possible, to allow others to share the cutout for the same purpose.
9. Please be respectful of the grassy areas, especially on private property.
Neighbors have called the office reporting that mailboxes/driveways are being
blocked. We strive to be considerate neighbors to those in the area.

10. Please do not use the staff parking lots! These lots are not meant for picking up or dropping off students. Instead, please drop off in the upper cutout on the north side of Monterey (by the flagpole).
11. VIP parking stalls are only to be used by the VIP staff and their clients. The
two staff parking lots are for staff only (other than the handicap stalls, of course) so it is necessary that volunteers and visitors find parking on the south side of the building. We would appreciate compliance with this guideline even during times when school program take place during the school day.
12. We encourage the voluntary “one way” traffic flow. If this is followed, we
won’t have children crossing the street at places other than the crosswalks, which could be dangerous.
Thank you so much for your cooperation. Please help others, also, as we fully implement our safer, recommended traffic pattern.

IF THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE CUTOUTS, PLEASE CIRCLE AROUND!

DO NOT BLOCK DRIVING LANES AND PLEASE DO NOT DOUBLE PARK!