Morris school hosting a food drive!Our Senior Year's Leadership Group has been actively looking for ways for our students to serve the greater community of Morris. Last week during Earth Day, our student body were out and about cleaning up the community of debris. This week and next they will be hosting a Food Drive for Morris & the surrounding area. The local food back is in great need so the more our school community can assist, the better off we'll be as a community. Please consider donating non-perishable food items between now and Tuesday, May 4. student leadership putting words into action!Our Senior Years Leadership Group, led by Bryce Neustater and Karly Edel, are putting meaningful words into action. After participating in "Live Different" virtual presentations, the group asked themselves, "so what? How can we do something more than sit through a presentation and be passive learners?" Our student leaders got together and brainstormed ideas that would benefit our community, get our students active and doing something different than attending school every other day and going through the motions. They thought about what it means to have the spirit of a Maverick. The words Compassion, Hope, Empathy, & Resiliency were the words they chose. They immediately put in a plan of action that would put these important words into action. They organized a community clean up and a food drive thus far. As a school, we are always proud of our students, but these young people have stepped up their game! Way to go, MAV's! Gr 3/4's combine structures unit & nature walkAs a practical way to wrap up their unit of study on structures, Mr Ricard took the Grade 3/4's on a walk to visit the structures built by our Grade 10/11 Outdoor Education students. It didn't hurt to have a taste of the fresh outdoors during this experiential learning activity!! Way to go, MAV's! tactile artistry keeps churning out product!The Grade 7/8 Tactile Art class is working hard on their Beading Unit. Students started out by making bead wrapped keychains and have moved on to wristlets. There might be some lucky Moms out there getting some handmade gifts for Mother’s Day this year! grad photos?...check!Over the last two days, our Class of 2021 have been actually combing their hair and dressing up to come to school!! Why...? Well...they've been having their Grad Photo bookings in the Junior Gym. Donning their cap & gowns, sitting up straight, and tilting their heads juuuust so! It's just one step closer to accomplishing one of the end goals at the end of the K-12 experience! As always, we're proud of our MAV's! fundraising project hits the news!As reported on in the Morris School Weekly Blog last week, the Southeast Journal & the South Central Post highlighted our ambitious community project...the Morris School Outdoor Courts Renewal & Expansion. We are excited about the opportunity to provide a new & improved experience for our students and the members of our community of all ages. As mentioned in last week's blog, thanks to a few dedicated Morris community members, a committee has been struck to tackle the project of revamping and expanding the outdoor courts at Morris School. The cost of the project is large, but so is the level of determination of the committee as well as the anticipated level of generosity and vision of our community. The letter below provides some great detail about the project and how people and local organizations can support the project, including a link to an online donation portal. Grade 7/8 wax poeticallyApril was poetry month! The 7/8s have been analyzing poems for metre and rhyme scheme. Now they have started to craft poems of their own! Here are some examples. If you read them out loud, can you hear the rhythm? Over the next few blog entries, we will share numerous creations from our students...enjoy! Major fundraising project to be announcedThe Morris School Blog has the pleasure of "scooping" all the major Morris media outlets with the following story... Thanks to a few dedicated Morris community members, a committee has been struck to tackle the project of revamping and expanding the outdoor courts at Morris School. The cost of the project is large, but so is the level of determination of the committee as well as the anticipated level of generosity and vision of our community. The letter below provides some great detail about the project and how people and local organizations can support the project, including a link to an online donation portal. The benefit to our school is obvious. To have the opportunity for our students to benefit from the use of the courts during recess and Physical Education classes as well as on their own free time during the evening & weekends is excellent. The finished courts will allow our students to get outside and be active on a state of the art facility. The new courts will also provide our greater community with the opportunity to take advantage the courts as well. The plan it to ensure diverse athletic interests and passions to be served by this project. There will be a number initiatives planned to assist with raising the money required for this project. The first is the introductory letter as well as the opportunity to donate online. How to do that is contained within the body of the letter below. We hope our school community does their best to get behind this project as it will benefit all students. As pictured below, we have our first donors. Thanks to Susan Chartier & Gilles Buisson for their generation donation to help kickstart the fundraising campaign. If you have questions about the project, please direct those to any committee member listed below. Mr. Watson is currently the Morris School contact on the committee. Last weekend to shop at the virtual book fair!LAST WEEKEND TO SHOP! THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY PLACED ORDERS! WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT! Shop the Scholastic Book Fair and support the Morris School Library at the same time! Morris School's Link Address is: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5153807 Attn class of 2021 - grad photos this week!The week is Here! April 29 & 30 = CLASS OF 2021 GRAD PHOTOS READ THE INFORMATION BELOW! morris school celebrates earth dayFrom lessons in class, artwork in the halls, to putting thought into action, our Morris School students of all ages found a way to commemorate Earth Day! Our students were hard at work at the school and around town cleaning up and making the world a bit better. Way to go, MAV’s! Access declares "We can change the world!"Scientists estimate that Earth is 4.54 billion years old. Humans haven’t been around nearly that long, but in the relatively short time we’ve inhabited the third rock from the Sun, we’ve been a bit careless with our resources. Everyday we see problems we would like to fix. And there are things that kids everywhere can do to help. Over the past couple of months, students in the Access program have been studying Earth and the Environment and looking for little changes that they can make to make a positive impact on the planet. They have been working on reducing food waste by composting, re-using glass jars by canning jam & recycling old clothing with tie-dye! We have also started some seeds that we’ll plant in our class garden and participated in two outdoor clean-ups. Grade 7/8 Drama gets commercial!This week the Grade 7/8 Drama class performed a collection of commercials for the class. Each group chose well known products, or invented new ones, and created a commercial to present to their peers. To prepare, the students were asked to brainstorm ideas for their commercial. Once they had decided on a product and storyline, the students worked together to write a script and plan their staging. We spent a number of classes rehearsing and working on memorization. Here are some photos from their final performances. empowering INDIGENOUS youthEmpowering Indigenous Youth – April 30th 2021. An exciting opportunity for Indigenous students across Canada! Empowering Indigenous Youth is an exciting work-readiness webinar led by our Junior Achievement partners, JA Central Ontario. It brings together a panel of inspirational role models for young Indigenous students in grades 7-12 – each with their own unique career path, experiences, and journeys to share. On April 30th 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM CT (1:30pm - 2:45pm EST), Indigenous students in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by a virtual panel of Indigenous role models. This panel will share their career journeys and answer students' questions to inspire them as they plan their own career paths. Teachers can register their entire class or students can join independently. This is a fantastic opportunity for Indigenous students across Canada – we would love for you to share this opportunity with your teachers and colleagues to ensure as many students as possible benefit from this amazing event. Below you will find the link for more information about the event and the event webpage. To register, click here: Registration (gotowebinar.com) If you have any questions or would like any more information, please contact Jenny Early, Director, Marketing & Communications, at [email protected] or 519-731-6599. About the event Our keynote speaker, the incredible Notorious Cree, will kick us off in style with an inspirational talk and hoop dance. We will then be joined by Emcee James Mckay, Sr. Manager BMO Office of Inclusion and Talent Acquisition, who will introduce our panels and activity lead. Students will be guided through an interactive career-planning activity by J'net Ayayqwayaksheelth, Royal Ontario Museum School Programs Indigenous Outreach and Learning Coordinator. Our fantastic panelists will then have the opportunity to share their experiences, advice and expertise with students. Our panelists are: MPP Suze Morrison, NDP Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Centre, Jennifer Harper, Founder and CEO, Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC., and Tsista Kennedy, Artist. Empowering Indigenous Youth site: https://www.jacentralontario.org/events/empoweringindigenous-youth/ Grade 1/2's read to each other at lunchWith the support of our awesome Educational Assistants, the students in Mrs. Blanchette's Grade 1/2 class have been using their reading talents to entertain their classmates during the lunch portion of their day. Each day, one student is selected to read to the class while they are either eating their lunch or waiting for their lunch recess to begin. Way to Go, MAV's!! Grade 5/6's take advantage of great weather!Mr. Moore's lead and some warm weather encouraged all the Grade 5/6 classes to take a walk to the soccer fields and participate in some "Camp in the Box" activities supplied by Tim Horton's Camp. Mr. Moore's class executed some games of "Wolves vs Sheep." The game encourages to students to work as a team. Mrs. Skoglund and Mr. Petty's classes played some "Tree Hugger," a game that allows students to develop trust with their partner as well as use sense of touch and direction. Way to Go, MAV's! KINDERGARTEN VISIT DAYKindergarten Visit Day Information We are currently looking at scheduling visit days later this spring for the 2021-2022 Kindergarten students.This visit will involve the opportunity to pick up the Kindergarten Readiness Bags and will consist of an approximately half day visit at the school on an even school cycle day. Please ensure your child is registered at your earliest convenience as they must be registered in order to be invited. Please refer to the Kindergarten Info Presentation which can be found at the following link for more information regarding the Kindergarten program, how to register, and the Kindergarten Readiness Bags being shared this spring. https://morris.rrvsd.ca/news/what_s_new/kindergarten_2021_22 Gr 7/8 concert band make it a wonderful worldThe Grade 7/8 Concert Band students recently completed a project where they performed Louis Armstrong's, "What a Wonderful World." All of the students learned how to play the ukulele, mallet percussion, and sign language parts for the song. They recorded all of the parts separately and put it together to create this compilation video! Here's the YouTube clip! Way to Go, MAV's! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgtZrY5g2sk high school mentoring programThe Step-up Virtual program is a summer high school student mentoring program. The link is included. https://www.stepupvirtual.com/programming The student applications open soon: This year, Step Up Virtual will host two program cohorts:
Student applications will be live April 26th- please stay tuned! what is a peanut aware school?Morris School is a Peanut Aware School. What does that mean? We have students in our school who have allergies to peanuts and/or tree nuts. Reactions can range from mild to severe and may even be fatal. We need your help in providing the safest environment possible for these students. Please be mindful as you plan lunches & snacks for your student(s). Thank you for helping us remain a Peanut Aware School. mother nature hits us with some moisture......in the form of SNOW! Our dry spring got a bit of moisture boost this week! It affected the number days we were in school, but it didn't affect the enthusiasm of our students. Way to go, MAV's! Grades 1-8 class placements requestsIt's that time of year where we work to create homeroom classes for our students in Grades one through eight for the 2021-22 school year. Our school is open to receiving parent requests as it pertains to any social consideration our team should consider when creating our homeroom classes. If you have a request, please email Mr. Watson. To be clear, our school will not consider requests for specific teachers. Scholastic online book fair - up & running!Shop the Scholastic Book Fair and support the Morris School Library at the same time! Morris School's Link Address is: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5153807 Guidance website: Gr 7 to 12 students & familiesMrs. Edel, our Senior Years' Guidance Counselor, has updated her website and encourages all students and their families to seek out the website as a resource. The website can be found at https://sites.google.com/rrvsd.ca/morrisschoolgrade7-12guidance/home?authuser=0 Some examples of information that can be found on Mrs. Edel's website include... Mental Health Supports The COVID-19 pandemic brings a high level of stress and anxiety as it rapidly changes the way we work, socialize, and live. Caring for your mental health is important in these times. If you need help or know someone who does, you are not alone. The Province of Manitoba has established a hub of services available for all Manitobans, including:
Visit the Province's Mental Health Services page for more information and resources. Peers Being There to Support Others: https://bethere.org/Home Mindfulness for Youth: http://mindfulnessforteens.com/guided-meditations/ Crisis Support: http://klinic.mb.ca/crisis-support/ Kids Help Phone: https://kidshelpphone.ca/ Southern Health-Santé Sud - Wellness Support Line The Southern Health-Santé Sud Wellness Support Line is a confidential phone number anybody can call. A mental health clinician is ready to listen, support and refer you to local resources. https://www.southernhealth.ca/en/home/wellness-support-line Mental health supports for students 16 years of age: http://www.manitoba.ca/covid19/bewell/managestress.htm coding experience hosted by women in comp sciThe event is open to all levels and is being hosted in collaboration with the group WICS (Women in Computer Science, Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba). This workshop aims to close the Gender gap in Computer Science and empower girls to pursue STEM careers. The link to register is https://www.genequ.net/event-details/closing-the-gender-gap-in-computer-science-coding-workshop Outdoor Education build some sheltersDuring the past few weeks, the Outdoor Education class has been studying and building outdoor shelters. Before we headed outside, the class had to create a story and situation of how their group became stranded in the wilderness. They then had to research different styles of shelters they think they could build in this type of environment. We then ventured out into the wilderness where each group had to locate the perfect location for their shelter. They then spent 6 classes building their shelter using only what they may have had in their pack and what they could find in the bush around their shelter. Each group did a fantastic job building a shelter each member could fit into and survive in for an extended period of time. Here are some photos of the finished shelters for each group. still accepting kindergarten registrationsKindergarten Visit Day Information We are currently looking at scheduling visit days later this spring for the 2021-2022 Kindergarten students.This visit will involve the opportunity to pick up the Kindergarten Readiness Bags and will consist of an approximately half day visit at the school on an even school cycle day. Please ensure your child is registered at your earliest convenience as they must be registered in order to be invited. Please refer to the Kindergarten Info Presentation which can be found at the following link for more information regarding the Kindergarten program, how to register, and the Kindergarten Readiness Bags being shared this spring. https://morris.rrvsd.ca/news/what_s_new/kindergarten_2021_22 early years students participate in livestreamOur school is hosting NED’s Mindset Mission, a live streaming school event for the K-4 students. A world-class performer takes our students on an interactive educational journey filled with storytelling, illusions, yo-top tricks and humor. NED’s message and memorable friends inspire students, promote academic achievement, and support our school goals. Never give up Encourage others Do your best® Our school received this program at no-cost because another school community has paid-it-forward to us. Now it’s our turn—you can help by purchasing a NED-messaged yo-top and accessories. A yo-top is both a mindset tool and tangible reminder of NED’s message. While learning to yo, children will make mistakes, try again, and improve. Read more at www.MindsetMission.com/yoyos. class of 2021...Grad photos (April 29 & 30)Report cards/progress report updateAfter some well documented issues with Maplewood, we are anticipating emailing Senior Years Progress Reports and K-8 report cards out this upcoming week. If you don't receive your student's report by Friday, April 16, please contact the school. We appreciate everyone's patience as we waited for Maplewood to solve their issues. April online Book fair ready to go!Shop the Scholastic Book Fair and support the Morris School Library at the same time! Morris School's Link Address will be: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5153807 The Book Fair will run from April 12 to 26 Attn: Class of 2021 - Grad Photo InformationGrade 3/4 continue to learn about structuresOur Grade 3/4 classes had a new structure challenge this week. Through the design process, they are learning a ton about structures, planning good use of limited materials, working together under pressure, and how to be a solid contributor to a team. Way to go, MAV's! vote for st. adolphe in kraft hockeyvilleAs per our last blog post, St. Adolphe is vying for this year's Kraft Hockeyville title! Voting is open now and will close on Saturday, April 10 at 4 pm. Check out the following link: www.krafthockeyville.ca/#/landing yearbooks for sale!This has been a school year like no other! Order your yearbook for your students to look back on the memories of 2020-2021! Orders can be made online or sent in to Mrs. Dekezel (cheques made out to Morris School). family studies taking care of egg babiesMorris Students are Egg Parents!!! Morris students in our Gr. 11 Family Studies class are getting a little taste of what parenthood could look like by adopting some Egg Babies for the week! Students were tasked with taking care of a very delicate, very unboiled egg from Monday to Friday of this past week. Every student decorated their egg with a face, hair, clothes, etc. and had to carry their baby around with them wherever they went in a secure “car seat”. Some students choose to have their babies in “Egg-Care” (at 5 cents an hour), while others brought their babies everywhere they went. Students were to base their days on specific scenarios that was given to them by Mrs. Lucier. Some days were smooth and easy, while other days they had an extremely fussy Egg Baby that did not let them get any sleep! We have many students who made it through the week with their Eggs still intact, while a few others had some Egg-cidents! Good Job, Mavs! You made it through the whole week and all did an awesome job! Check out some of the students with their Egg Babies! Grade 7/8 Post-Hobbit assignment gets creativeGrade 7/8s are completing their "Thorin Poster" assignments in ELA. After reading The Hobbit, the students were challenged to demonstrate their knowledge of the character Thorin Oakenshield: his history, personality, motivation, relationships, and how he changes. Although The Hobbit centers around Bilbo Baggins, Thorin is a very central character to the story as he is the catalyst for the entire adventure. He embarks on a quest to win back his kingdom of old from the clutches of the evil dragon, Smaug. Here are some examples of student work. march madness crowns a championThanks to all those who participated in the MORRIS MAVERICKS 1st Annual MARCH MADNESS BRACKET CHALLENGE! After the dust settled and the tournament ended, here are your winners: Overall Champion- Mr. Lehmann 111 pts Top-ranked Lowe Farm teacher: Mr. Antoski 107 pts Gr. 8 Champ- Tyson Wiebe 105 pts Gr. 6 Champ- Ben Houle 102 pts Gr. 12 Champ- Natasha Claeys 84 pts Gr. 11 Champ- Zach Norris 77 pts Hope you enjoyed the MADNESS! camp-in-the-box with Mr. moore (the sequel)Mr. Moore's Grade 5/6 class jumped into another Tim Hortons Camp Camp-in-the-Box activity this week. This"Tree Hugger" activity is meant to teach leadership as well as requiring these students to use their senses to be aware of surroundings. |
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