Welcome to Morris School!We would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new teaching staff to Morris School. Alphabetically speaking, we welcome Mr. Justin Antoski, Mr. Daniel Lehmann, Ms. Jozie Mahara, and Ms. Ainsley Wray. Mr. Antoski has been hired by the division to act as a surplus teacher to cover any teacher absences at Albright, Lowe Form, and Morris schools. Mr. Antoski is based out of Morris School and has been a tremendous help thus far. This is Mr. Antoski's first role after earning his Education degree. Mr. Lehmann is helping us with Grades 5-12 Physical Education and Health, Grade 12 Geography, & Law. Mr. Lehmann comes to Morris School with approximately 6 years of teaching experience including Gilbert Plains, Carman, & Winnipeg. Ms. Mahara has taken on the role of our fourth Grade 3/4 teacher. Ms. Mahara spent her first year after graduating subbing in the Hanover School Division. Ms. Wray has an assignment for the creative individual. She is teaching our Grades 7-12 Visual Arts, Grades 7-10 Drama, and Grade 10 ELA. Ms. Wray is a recent Education Faculty grad. I know our community will do its best to welcome and support our new teaching staff. Next week's blog will feature new support staff in our building. School Photos approaching Our annual school photos will be taking place Wednesday, October 7 & Thursday, October 8. A schedule will be set up so each grade level and class will know what day they will have their photos taken. Our photographers, Lifetouch, want you to know how they have prepared to take our photos as well as keep everyone safe. Their Youtube video can be viewed here. Additional information can be found here. School immunizations Another tutoring opportunity!
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Welcome back everyone!A school is not a school unless there are students in it. This week we were excited to see all of those "eyes" (not completed faces, but we'll take what we can get)!! Our staff worked very hard to ensure we made our students feel welcome and safe. We had to balance teaching and learning the new protocols in place as well as establishing our normal routines and getting start on academics. Our first week is complete and we believe that everyday got a little better for the majority of our community. We will work on improving some aspects of our day, but overall Morris School appreciates our students and staff for how well they have adapted to what has been placed in front of them. As our days progress, we will all be more comfortable and clear about what is expected and then we can start looking at what else can be done, beyond the basics, as a school community. We appreciate everyone's understanding and patience as we continue to navigate through this together. Way to Go, MAV's!! Mystery artist(s) gr8tly appreciated!!Sometime between 4 pm Labour Day and 8 am Tuesday, September 8th we had an artist or artists invade our school grounds delivering positive messages for our students. We appreciate your kind and warm salutations. It can be said that many students and staff noticed this gesture. Thank you for making our school a better place!! Maverick Media kicks off at Morris School! Our school has an exciting new venture to announce. Based on some feedback and guidance from our neighbouring school in Rosenort, we have launched Maverick Media to the world this week. We've started with some basic announcements, but the plan is to do our first live, student announced show on Monday morning (September 14th). As you can also tell by the image associated with this article, we are working to develop a logo for our new undertaking as well as many other aspects to be unveiled as the school year progresses. Under the leadership and guidance of Mr. Tony Lopez as well as the Grade 9 and 10 GCT class, and the on air talent of our Grade 7 & 8 students, our Maverick Media outlet is looking to give ownership to our morning announcements to our students, highlight people and programs within our school community, and to bring some additional school spirit to our day! If you feel you have a Maverick Media worthy story, please see Mr. Lopez (or any staff member for that matter) and we will do our best to pursue it and get it to the "masses" within the Morris School community. Maverick Media can be accessed by clicking HERE. Our daily telecast will occur immediately following O'Canada in and around 8:51 AM. If you can't catch the live show, all shows will be archived on our Youtube channel. From our Guidance Counselors... Dear Families, On behalf of the Morris School Guidance Department, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your children back to school! We are looking forward to working with each of them. As the past 6 months have brought much uncertainty for our families, it is our belief that social emotional support systems will be more important than ever this school year. As Guidance Counselors, it is our primary responsibility to support the social-emotional development of all of our K to 12 students. Our goal is to advocate for all students in the K to 12 community and to support them with counselling to work through overwhelming feelings. We hope to help our students continue to develop strategies to build greater resiliency. Kindergarten to Grade 6 Guidance - Amy Charron: I am so excited to return to the role of K-6 Guidance this year, in addition to my role as Kindergarten Teacher! Some of you I have met in the past two years while I have been working in Morris School in different positions, and I look forward to connecting with you again. For those of you I have not yet met, I wanted to reach out to let you know I am available and eager to support you and your families. Grade 7 to Grade 12 Guidance- Laurie Edel: Many of you know me from school and community. I have taught and supported students as our grade 7-12 Guidance Counselor for the past six years. Working with students in career and mental health supports are my primary roles. We are so excited to work with your children, and we are looking forward to having a great school year! If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call or email one of us at any time. All the best, Amy Charron Lauren Edel K-6 Guidance 7-12 Guidance acharron@rrvsd.ca ledel@rrvsd.ca 204-746-2612 ext. 3294 204-746-2612 ext. 3227 Drop Offs & Pick upsAs we start the new school year, there have been many changes to ensure we are following Provincial and Divisional protocols. One thing that hasn't changed, but may be new for some members of our school community is our Kindergarten to Grade 4 drop-off & pick-up procedures. A number of students are driven to school. In order to maintain a good flow of traffic, our school relies upon the circle at the end of Toronto Avenue to remain clear. Those who stop there to "quickly" drop off their students disrupt the traffic flow significantly. We would ask everyone to keep the circle clear. You can achieve this by not parking any further east than the east end of our school building. That will ensure everyone can access the circle turnaround freely.  The start to our mornings - a new normal As per our Return to School plan, we would ask that families to ensure they are screening their students prior to bringing/sending them to school. Please access the Shared Health Screening tool at https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/ to conduct a daily screening. By completing this on a daily basis you will keep all members of our school community safe AND receive guidance from trained professionals on next steps if (we hope there never is an IF) you need to take further action. Morris School - Cash online We want to apologize for the delay of placing specific fees on our Cash Online system. With suspension of some activities and adjustments to others, we wanted to ensure we got it right. It is anticipated that more and more fees will be placed online as the month progresses and we make decision on the programs that are running and what charges will be associated with them. As per our blog entry at the end of the last school year.... A variety of fees will be due during the upcoming school year (Student Fees, Art Supplies, Band Fees, Hockey Academy, Sport Team Registrations, etc.) at Morris School. The Red River Valley School Division has an online payment system that can be accessed via the school's website (https://morris.rrvsd.ca) to conveniently pay for these fees. You can find it under the For Parents menu item. It is called School Cash. Your ability to pay online assists our front office staff as it reduces the amount of cash (bills & change) and cheques on a daily basis. This allows our front office staff to directly serve our students and staff more effectively. In addition, due to the most recent COVID-19 health & safety recommendations, our previous encouragement to use the School Cash payment method as your main method of payments has been adjusted to a requirement. We don't want to have our staff handling cash or cheques in the office. The School Cash allows us the opportunity to follow those protocols. Please contact Mr. Watson if you have any questions or would like some assistance getting set up on School Cash if you are not already. Breakfast club starts Monday Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, our vendors, and our school volunteers, we are happy to start up Morris School's Breakfast Club program again this year. Our school's belief is in line with the Breakfast Club of Canada's... We Believe We believe all Canadian children deserve an equal chance at success. We believe a child can not learn on an empty stomach. We believe a healthy breakfast can change a life, a journey, a society. With the changes to some health and safety protocols, we have adjusted how we will deliver our program this year. As we are experiencing with a number of program deliveries this year, how we do things may change, but what and why we do it will not. Our school's canteen is also looking to open soon as well. Stay tuned for more information as the days progress. A message from canadian optometrists Present research confirms the importance of vision and eye health on students’ learning. According to statistics provided by the Canadian Association of Optometrists, four out of every ten school-aged children have a vision problem that may negatively affect learning. Children who cannot see the board clearly, focus on a picture, or follow words in a book may not be able to reach their full potential. Manitoba Health covers the cost of children’s comprehensive eye examinations, therefore all families can access this free service. If you don’t currently have a family optometrist, you can find one by going to the MAO website at http://optometrists.mb.ca/find-an-optometrist.cfm and selecting Find an Optometrist, or call the Manitoba Association of Optometrists @ 204-943-9811. Voluntarily student accident insuranceThree attachments have been added to the email that included the link to this week's blog. The attachments were a Voluntary Student Accident digital brochure, as well as a letter to parents and a sheet of plan highlights to share. Social Media Warning Our school received the following email from our Divisional Student Services Administrator, Jaclyn Koskie this week... I want to bring to your attention a disturbing video of a suicide that is currently circulating on TikTok and other social media platforms. The video is extremely graphic and the content is highly distressing. Social media platforms are warning people not to watch a video that begins with the image of a man with a grey beard sitting in front of a desk. Additionally, the video clip has also been hidden inside other videos that appear unrelated so exercise caution watching any video content. TikTok and other social media platforms are working to remove the video and to prevent sharing.  Thank you, Class of 2020! Our graduating class of 2020 capped off an interesting year with convocation ceremony. The event was held over three days from Wednesday, June 24 to Friday, June 26. The intimate celebration was held for each individual graduate with their parents and family members in attendance. Congratulations to all for making it this far and persevering through an interesting finish to your 13 year educational career. We also celebrated the "what will be" for our graduates as they work towards their next goals. Alexa Beaulieu - Graduated with Honours; Access Credit Union Scholarship Brysen Beaulieu Jaycob Black Zoe Blatz Alexsei Blizniuk - Graduated with honours; Family Studies 40S award; Morris Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Austin Bowcott Victoria Bryan Deanna Chanthavong - Partner in Education Scholarship Lanessa Chanthavong Cody Clark - Town of Morris Technical Training Scholarship; Morris Graduate Athletic Award Charley Courcelles - Law 40S Award Erik Derksen - Graduated with Honours; University of Manitoba Guertin Centennial Scholarship Cullen Driedger Amber Cassidie Friesen Ryley Froelich - Morris Legion Ladies Auxiliary Bursary Sydnee Gauthier Jillian Heppner Mackenzie Holness Daniel Isaak Kamryn Janke - Graduated with Honours; English Transactional Award; University of Manitoba Chown Centennial Scholarship; University of Manitoba Queen Elizabeth II Entrance Scholarship Jonathan Jackman Hillary Jorgenson - Co-Valedictorian; Graduated with Honours Art 40S & Family Studies 40S Awards; Co-Curricular Award; Morris School General Proficiency Award; Manitoba School Board Student Leadership Award; Canadian Mennonite University Leadership Award Justin Keck - Graduated with Honours; Pre-Calculus Math Award; Geography 40S Award Cara Klippenstein - Co-Valedictorian; Graduated with Honours; Governor General's Award; Graduate Athletic Award; Co-Curricular Award; Nellie McClung Trailblazer Scholarship; University of Manitoba Queen Elizabeth II Entrance Scholarship; Applied Math Award; Concert Band 40S Award; Biology 40S Award; ELA Comprehensive Award; Physics 40S Award; Darian Komar Jaala Marten - Steinbach Bible College Academic Entrance Scholarship; Winkler/Lowe Farm Co-op Scholarship Amanda Martens Aiden Martin Vanessa Maurer - Graduated with Honours; Access Credit Union Scholarship Christina Neufeld - Essential Math 40S Award; Walter Anderson Memorial & Vocational Award Tyler Pankiw - Graduated with Honours; Morris School Co-Curricular Award; Portage-Lisgar Conservative Electoral District Association Candice Bergen Leadership Award; University of Manitoba Guertin Centennial Scholarship Erika Resendes - Graduated with Honours; Psychology 40S Award; Global Issues Award; University of Winnipeg Entrance Scholarship Andrew Saindon-Brusse Abram Schmith Zachary Schroeder - Chemistry 40S Award Holly Siemens - Graduated with Honours; Morris School Graduating Liberal Arts Award Mikayla Stokman Travis Stuski Declan Wall Alicia Wiebe Zach Wiebe Thank you, Ms. Johnson Morris School would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Karen Johnson for taking on the role of Art teacher part way through this past school year. As we were all dealing with Mr. Maddocks' illness and his eventual passing, Ms. Johnson came in and confidently took over the reins. Her skill as an artist, demeanour, and ability to build relationships with students is commendable. We wish her well as she looks for a role closer to her residence. Thank you, Ms. Johnson. morris school - cash online A variety of fees will be due during the upcoming school year (Student Fees, Art Supplies, Band Fees, Hockey Academy, Sport Team Registrations, etc.) at Morris School. The Red River Valley School Division has an online payment system that can be accessed via the school's website (https://morris.rrvsd.ca) to conveniently pay for these fees. You can find it under the For Parents menu item. It is called School Cash. Payments will not be set up for the 2020-21 school year until late August, so if you login looking to pay for something now, you won't be able to do so. Your ability to pay online assists our front office staff as it reduces the amount of cash (bills & change) and cheques on a daily basis. This allows our front office staff to directly serve our students and staff more effectively. In addition, due to the most recent COVID-19 health & safety recommendations, our previous encouragement to use the School Cash payment method as your main method of payments has been adjusted to a requirement. We don't want to have our staff handling cash or cheques in the office. The School Cash allows us the opportunity to follow those protocols. Please contact Mr. Watson if you have any questions or would like some assistance getting set up on School Cash if you are not already. summer tutoring available Supply lists at the tip of your finger!    Some reminders from AFM & Mehgan Smith students are back in the building!!On Thursday, June 4 Morris School welcomed our students back. Due to the current public health recommendations, the welcome back was limited to two students per class in approximately 33% of the classes in the school. It was a start. and from all accounts, the 45-minute to 1 hour visits were positive and productive. The focus for our teachers and their students varied, depending on each student's experience during remote learning. Our goal is to ensure that every student is invited back into the school at least once before the end of June. Due to the lack of busing and the length of each appointment, an invitation to meet with a teacher is an optional one with families. Please simply communicate a "yes" or a "no" to the staff member when they reach out and invite your student(s) to the school. June 15-19 Sign up schedule posted The next round of school visits are open and ready to be filled. Parents are asked to log into their Conference Manager account and book an appointment with their current teacher (K-8) or a teacher of a course where you would appreciate some time for you to ask questions or complete an assignment with them (9-12). You can access Conference Manager by clicking here. This is the same software we use to book parent-teacher & Strong Beginnings appointments. If you do not have an account, you can easily register for one and then book an appointment for your student(s). Due to the success of taking in two students for appointments, the school has decided to expand the classroom capacity to a maximum of four (4) students per booking. Appointments are between 45-minutes to one (1) hour. In this next round of meetings, our K-6 students will find out who their teachers will be for the 2020-21 school year. A third round of meetings can be booked with your student's 2020-21 teacher during the week of June 22-25. Sign up for those appointments will open up mid to late next week (June 15-19). Entrance/Exit Door Locations Kindergarten (Mrs. Roberge): Main School Doors 1/2 Blanchette: East Doors - Closest to Playground 1/2 Martens: Grade 5/6 Doors - Middle of the Early Years Wing 1/2 Yeats/Bially: East Doors - Closest to the Playground 3/4 Edel: East Doors - Closest to the Playground 3/4 Johnston: Grade 5/6 Doors - Middle of the Early Years Wing 5/6 Moore: Grade 5/6 Doors - Middle of the Early Years Wing 5/6 Petty: Main School Doors 5/6 Willems: Main School Doors 7/8 Cory: Vocational Doors (south side of the school - between Vocational Shop & School) 7/8 Lucier: Vocational Doors (south side of the school - between Vocational Shop & School) 7/8 Stevenson: Bus Loop Doors Ms. Demond: Bus Loop Doors Mr. Ricard: Bus Loop Doors Other Senior Years' Teachers: Main School Doors Chloe Edel's contribution to our blog! Social justice in the minds of our youth! One of our talented Morris Students, Chloe Wesley, is a talented student, artist, as well as a champion of social justice. She composed a blog entry (she didn't really know it would be a blog entry...it was an email to Mr. Watson that is turning into a blog entry). Chloe's challenge to us is to educate ourselves, to gain an appreciation and understanding of some of the most current events happening to people in our communities. There are a number of great resources available for all ages that can be used to educate ourselves and others. Chloe's hope if for everybody to be very mindful and educated about these topics. Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/ MMIW: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/ MMIW / BLM GoFundMe: https://gf.me/u/x6zfji MANSO Anti-Racism Campaign: https://mansomanitoba.ca/anti-racism-campaign-manitobans-covid-19-doesnt-discriminate-nor-should-you/ LINKS FOR PETITIONS / OTHER DONATIONS NATIVE ADDICTIONS SOURCES: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/native-addictions-services/?utm_expid=.Basg8QZUTfG1KiOq9U3nAA.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadahelps.org%2Fen%2Fexplore%2Fcharities%2Fcategory%2Findigenous-peoples%2F NATIVE WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF CANADA: https://www.nwac.ca IT STARTS WITH US / MMIW: http://itstartswithus-mmiw.com MCC MMIW https://mcccanada.ca/learn/more/missing-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw BLACK VISIONS COLLECTIVE https://www.blackvisionsmn.org NORTH STAR HEALTH COLLECTIVE https://www.northstarhealthcollective.org BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BAIL FUND https://brooklynbailfund.org WOMEN FOR POLITICAL CHANGE https://www.womenforpoliticalchange.org MINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND https://minnesotafreedomfund.org JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR PETITION http://chng.it/MTp2R4R7JC JUSTICE FOR AHMAUD ARBERY - PASS GEORGIA HATE CRIME BILL PETITION http://chng.it/9F9wSfMGXp JUSTICE FOR AHMAUD ARBERY PETITION https://www.change.org/p/liberty-county-distric-attorney-justice-for-ahmaud-arbery?signed=true FUNERAL FOR 16 YEAR OLD ALAJUNAYE DAVIS https://www.gofundme.com/f/rke75-funeral-arrangements?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link-tip A visit to our Grads!Some members of our school staff were able to venture out and deliver some Graduation information and a small gift to the members of our Class of 2020. Thanks to the Red River Valley School Division, our graduates were gifted a lawn sign recognizing their accomplishments despite some challenges faced by our students. Congratulations to all. We look forward to seeing you during your Grad Photo & Individual Convocation Sessions. Textbook, instrument, & tech returns As the year winds down, we would ask students who have any textbooks, outstanding library books, band instruments, or technology (laptops, power cords, or MiFi devices) to drop them off to the school before Wednesday, June 24. The school is open from 8 - 4 pm every weekday, so please do your best to get them back to the school before the end of the year. If you have any questions or will find it difficult to return any items, please contact the school. Attention current Grade 6 & 7 students As this school year rapidly draws to a close we are looking ahead to the 2020-2021 school year. Understanding that, a letter was sent out via email to all students with the attempt to have you select your elective courses for the next school year. Those who do not hand in their option forms will have their elective courses selected for them. Please contact the school or deliver your form prior to Monday, June 22. If you have questions, please call the office.  Morris School's Phase 2 OpeningAs per update sent by Mr. Curtis, Red River Valley School Division Superintendent, our teachers will be in the building this week preparing and delivering remote learning as well as hosting students by invitation. Our school community will continue to deliver new remote learning until Friday, June 12. Teachers will also be extending invitations to students into the school, ensuring we follow the health and safety recommendations set out by the province. Between June 15 and 25 our school will focus on assisting those who have experienced difficulties with the remote learning process as well as assisting students with some initial transitioning to their next school year. Every student will be contacted with the purpose of inviting them back to the school to meet with their teacher(s). We have set up a schedule from June 4 to June 12 that allows students to visit their teachers. A second schedule will be set up from June 15 to 25. When a staff member invites a Morris School student into the school, it's important to understand a few things:
From a teacher perspective, our next two weeks look like this: Monday & Tuesday - staff reporting to Morris School for meetings and to continue delivering remote learning. Staff will also be connecting with families to book appointments for visits to the school later in the week. Wednesday - Remote Learning & contacting students to book appointments Thursday, June 4 until Friday, June 12 - Teachers will be hosting students on a rotational basis to meet physical distancing and other public safety guidelines. We will also continue to deliver remote learning and contacting students to book appointments. If you have any questions, please contact the school. We appreciate everyone's flexibility & patience as we navigate through these unprecedented times. Class of 2020 - graduation newsThe School Grad Committee has been working super hard to find a way to make Graduation a special and memorable time for you and your families this year during class suspensions. We are all very excited to announce that we WILL be hosting an in-person individual convocation ceremony for every grad!!! Convocation will be held in our school gym for grads and their families (limited number) with staff being able to attend virtually (and some in-person). All procedures for this must and will follow the Public Health requirements. To accommodate the requirements, convocation will be held over THREE days, June 24, 25, & 26 to provide for social distancing and cleanings. You must arrive and exit at the times that will be provided to you to make this work for everyone. Plans are in the making to provide a live stream of the event for your friends and family who cannot attend. We will also provide a photo area outside (weather permitting) prior to your scheduled time to enter the school as well as an indoor photo session that will be timed. Grad Photos also had to be adjusted due to Public Health requirements. Grad photos will now happen over TWO days and will now be held on June 18 & 19 in the gym. There will be an online sign up and payment for the sitting fee is encouraged online as well. If you prefer in person, a tap card is best. Grads will receive their caps, gowns and V-stoles on Grad Photo day for pictures and will keep them until their convocation is completed the following week. They must arrive at the school on their convocation day in their cap and gown/ V-stole and return the gown and V-stole only after the ceremony. Detailed info about designated parking, entrance screening and info, online bookings, times and a scheduled outline of what to do for Grad Photos and Convocation will be delivered in several ways. Teachers will be delivering INFO packages to homes next week AND we will also be posting it on our website Monday/Tuesday, June 1 & 2nd. We will also be reaching out to our Prom/Decorating parent/student committee. IF you have questions after you receive the information, you may certainly contact me or any member of the Teacher Grad Committee. Please know that all plans are based on present Public Health requirements and are subject to change.Let's keep our fingers crossed MB stays on the right curve with Covid 19! Grads, do not forget to get ALL your coursework needed into your teachers for your credits!!! Again, we are so excited to be able to provide the Class of 2020 and their families with a special celebration. See you all soon! Corinna Derewianchuk & the Grad Committee student leadership continues to challenge!Our Morris School Leadership Group continues with their Challenges through the Month of June. This week the challenge set out to our students is to post their favourite photos and videos of our students playing sports. If you don't have those photos, please consider posting photos or videos doing something athletic. Be sure to tag @mav_spirit in your Instagram post. If students don't have their own Instagram accounts, parents can use their accounts to post the photos. We thank the Leadership Group for these great challenges. We also thank those students and families who have participated and accepted the challenges. We're baaaaaaaacccccckkkkk!! After some time away, the Morris School blog is back! The gap between blog posts was due to a feeling that our school families were receiving a tremendous amount of information (albeit important) from a variety of sources. So the idea of giving you one more email or one more thing to read, was not something we wanted to do to you. If you've missed the blog, we apologize. We'll be back on a weekly basis to hopefully pass on information from the school. No...thank you! Someone took the time this week to express their gratitude to our school staff in a creative way. Our staff would like to thank all of our students and their families for dedicating themselves to a new delivery method of education. Our teachers are also working hard adapting to the new delivery as well. The school would like to commend everyone for adapting. It's required an "all-in" and growth mindset from all involved. So...whomever is responsible for the message, we THANK YOU! Grad video submission requestThe above graphics speak for themselves...here's a way our Class of 2020 can contribute to a tradition and some normal into their altered Graduation experience: With summer approaching, the grad committee is putting a grad video together. We need your help to make this possible. Grads of 2020, please submit your favourite memories over the years at Morris School. Whether it be winning a medal, pranks in class, hanging out with friends or studying for finals. Instructions: Step 1: Click on the link (https://forms.gle/rxYauKDtxUZzc71X8) Step 2: Log into a Gmail account step 3: Upload and submit your pictures and videos Sincerely, Grad Video committee Update for Grade 12 students The past few weeks have presented incredible challenges for all of us. We all thought that you would be experiencing your final months of high school with plans for Graduation in June. Those plans are not canceled but, we know they are postponed. We are determined to make our way together toward that milestone with the first priority being graduation pictures. We have to work out some details, but we hope to have some plans for graduation pictures at the school. We realize there will have to be social distancing measures but it is our intention to try to complete grade pictures next month. Secondly, Mrs. Edel has spoken to almost all of you about your credits and current courses for graduation. Completing your course work is an absolute priority for each of you at this time. If your mark is below 50% you will not receive the credit unless you hand in assignment work to boost the mark to a passing grade. This policy was in the government's recent announcement. Thirdly, the choices we make every day will make a difference. Each of us needs to take care of ourselves by staying physically and emotionally strong and healthy. We need to eat nutritious food, get enough sleep, exercise, get outside, and breath fresh air. We all need people so make sure to communicate even if it is virtually with friends and family. We will get through this and yes, I firmly believe “we will be stronger together”. MAV'S SPIRIT WEEKLY CHALLENGE"Our Student Leadership Group have created a series of "Challenges" for our students. With the idea of trying to keep our students connected while we're home, these challenges are asking our students to document some positives. Submissions tagged with the @mav_spirit Instagram account will earn a student the chance of winning a prize. The prizes will be drawn on Friday's each week. Winning entries will be drawn (random draw) and posted on the school's Instagram & Twitter account @morrisschool1. This past week's Challenge was a deemed "Back to Nature." Congrats to Natasha Driedger and Ginger Jorgenson for winning this past week's Challenge. Next week's Challenge is "Quar-Activities." We encourage all those with Instagram accounts (parents could enter their student's Challenge entry). Don't forget to tag @mav_spirit in your post.   Student leadership newsThank you for those who attended the student leadership meeting yesterday. It was wonderful to meet with 17 students from our group on Google Meet to discuss what we can do to encourage our student body. The Mavs with Spirit is off to a great start. We had a tech glitch this week but the account has been updated. This coming week is Mav Spirit: Core Activities Last year our school hosted a presentation by the organization, Live Different. Over the past number of weeks, Live Different has been developing interactive programming that will effectively meet the needs of young people right where they’re at with an important message. They have started offering the “Own Your Story” program in a live, (interactive online format), where students are able to watch cool videos, listen to meaningful stories, and participate in practical learning activities all led by Live Different staff. Our student leadership team is participating in this program on May 21st. All interested grade 8-12 students are welcome to attend. Many of our students lead in the community, on teams, and at school. We are hoping to use this as a motivational message that we can carry to our friends, families, school, and community. If you are interested in participating please let Mrs. Edel know by text or by email so that she can forward you the presentation Zoom link. Mr. Stevenson's class works on poetry Mr. Stevenson's 7/8 class has been writing "Martian" poems. This style of poetry is attributed to the poet Craig Raine who wrote "A Martian Sends a Postcard Home." Using the process of "defamiliarization," the author uses the voice of an alien to narrate what everyday life on Earth might look like to an outsider. Students had to decipher the difficult language of Raine's poem before trying their own hands at writing as "Martians." Here are a couple of examples.    Our students at work!!Our Morris School Students have been hard at work over the last few weeks. It's great to see our students completing the work that is assigned by our teachers, but also trying new things and learning outside of your new "classroom!" Way to go, MAV's!  Good news from the library A message from Mrs. Dekezel... Free e-book access Valley Regional Library (the public library on Main Street in Morris) is closed but please know that public library members can still access e-books for free through eLibraries Manitoba. The website is elm.lib.overdrive.com Overdrive is a very easy to use program that allows you to download books to your laptop, phone or tablet. If you are a resident of the Town or Rural Municipality of Morris you are entitled to a free membership. All you need to access the books is your library card number and PIN. If you are already a member you can get those two pieces of information from the library by emailing valleylib@mts.net or leaving a message 204-746-2136. They are answering emails and returning calls during regular business days - Tues, Wed, Thur. If you live in the Town or R.M. and are not yet a member you can sign up for a membership through that same email - valleylib@mts.net - or phone number 204-746-2136. Patrons are allowed to check out books to read on your device for two weeks, with renewals if there is no waiting list. Memberships are available to residents outside the Town or R.M. for a reasonable fee. Or you might have a library in your own area that could provide this service to you free. If you have any questions please contact me at ddekezel@rrvsd.ca and I would be happy to assist anyway I can. RRVSD-AFM Site is live!! Our divisional AFM counselor, Mehgan Smith, is excited and eager to inform you that the RRVSD-AFM School-based website is up and running. The site was specifically designed for the RRVSD and incorporates many links to the General AFM website as well as links to other valuable supports and resources. Here is the link: https://sites.google.com/rrvsd.ca/rrvsd-afmsite Some of the information you can expect to find on the site includes:
RCMP's I.C.E. presentation moved online Morris School had planned to host RCMP Constable Gord Olson this spring to present on behalf of the RCMP ICE Unit. Constable Olson has contacted us and delivered the following message: My name is Gord Olson and I am a Constable with the Manitoba RCMP ICE Unit. Most of you who are receiving this have met and know me. I hope this reaches you well. For those that do not know me .... I have been in our Internet Child Exploitation Unit for the last 10 years. I have been delivering a Presentation to as many schools as I can fit in off the side of my desk a year and have been doing this since 2013. It is called Before You Hit Send and is appropriate for Grades 5 through 12. I may have been in your school or in one of your Division's schools. I know I have not made it to all of the schools in Manitoba but I have put a pretty good dent in the numbers! I am sending this as I have started a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Cst.GordOlson I have uploaded my Before You Hit Send Parent Presentation that your parents and students can watch while there are staying home. There is also an opportunity for parents to send me a Facebook Message with any questions they may have as well. I am also adding other tips daily/weekly dealing with social media, screen time, and the like.  Students busy at work!!With our first week of suspended classes finishing up, we would like to congratulate all the staff and students for their work this week. It's definitely been a different experience, but we have adjusted as best we can and made it work! We are proud of everyone's efforts. Here's just a few examples of what's been going on in our Morris School Community. Welcome back, Mrs. FisherMorris School is excited to welcome back Mrs. Marylyn Fisher. Mrs. Fisher was on leave. She will resume her role as our Early Years' Guidance counselor. Her official return date is Monday, April 6. She is excited to reconnect with our K-6 students as soon as possible. Welcome back, Mrs. Fisher. We would like to thank Mrs. Charron for her work in Early Years' Guidance during Mrs. Fisher's absence. We are lucky enough to have Mrs. Charron stay in our building as she is also teaching Grade 5/6 and 7/8 Physical Education/Health this semester. Guidance has a google classroomIn addition the documents attached in the last email sent to the Morris School community, Guidance counselors wanted to make you aware of a Guidance Google Classroom that has been set up. The code to join is 6wcrk3v. Both students and parents are encouraged to join. Homeroom Class Feedback request (Grades K-7)As a school team, we will begin the creation of class lists for the Grades 1-8 classes for the 2020-21 school year. We anticipate having the following number of classes next year: Kindergarten: 2 Grades 1/2: 3 Grades 3/4: 3 Grades 5/6: 3 Grades 7/8: 3 Staffing has not been finalized, but we anticipate some teachers moving from one grade to another next year due to the number of Grade 3/4 classes increasing. A variety of factors will be considered in each split grade classroom. One of the factors we consider is recommendations from parents. To be clear, we will consider parent recommendations as it pertains to a student who you feel your student would benefit by having in their class. We will not entertain teacher requests. As a school team, we will do our best to honour your requests. Please email Mr. Watson your requests. If you have any questions, please see Mr. Watson. musicians rewarded for their talents & work!Grade 9 student, Mikayla Wiebe and Grade 10 student, Jill Kolodka were awarded scholarships and invited to represent Morris School in a day of music making with the community band from Roland, MB this past Saturday the 14th. They spent the entire day learning brand new music with musicians of all ages and levels, and finished the day off with an evening concert to show off their hard work. Congratulations, ladies! I.C.E. Presentation available onlineMorris and Rosenort School had planned to host a speaker from the RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit, but with our suspended classes, the presentation has been postponed. Constable RG Olson was good enough to send a digital copy of his presentation from an event hosted for parents at Springs Church in Winnipeg. It is similar to the presentation he gives to students, with a few changes based on his audience...like a good speaker does. The link to the presentation is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFTgJV1WSsY Contact information - is yours up-to-date?As we have gone through the week of suspended classes, we have had a number of incorrect addresses, phone numbers, etc. uncovered. We would ask all parents to contact Ms. Danielle (Denny) LeBlanc to provide the school with your updated contact information. Denny can be reached at dleblanc@rrvsd.ca or 204.746.2612 ext 3222. Gifted & generous student adds to the libraryOne of our Morris School students, Chloe, has an amazing talent and a generous spirit. Not only did she create the awesome work of art in this photo, but she gifted it to Mrs. Dekezel in the library! Not only it is a great piece of art, but it sends an important message. We are proud to have students like Chloe in our school!! Thank you, Chloe!  Mehgan's MusingsAddictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM) In partnership with Red River Valley School Division Writer: Mehgan Smith, AFM Youth Counsellor I am reaching out to all students, staff and families during this time to acknowledge that there have been many changes for all of us but that we are not alone. Naturally, with change comes stress and with the unknown comes anxiety. Coping with alcohol or other drugs is not an effective way to deal with difficult emotions and stress. This may help in the short term but cause difficulty over the long term. Counsellors can work with you on harm reduction strategies, navigate resources and abstinence based programs and offer compassion and validation. Services are confidential and non-judgmental. RRVSD Support staff including myself are available via email. Now is the time to use our healthy coping strategies and stress management tools to help us get through this time together. Connect with others whenever possible. Please try to be patient with each other and be kind. There are many educational resources available online through sites such as Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba (ADAM) http://www.adam.mb.ca/ and AFM http://afm.mb.ca/. Please take care of yourselves. I encourage you to continue to practice self-care and self-love. We are going to get through this. AFM School-based Services Concerns about drugs, alcohol or gambling can start at an early age. They can have a huge impact on health, safety, and well-being. AFM counsellors (some based in schools and others in community offices) provide information on alcohol, drugs, and gambling. We also help if you’d like to make healthier lifestyle choices in these areas. We talk to youth ages 12-18 about their own use, as well as use by friends, family, and other loved ones. Parents and caregivers can also talk to us about their concerns. AFM counsellors offer via email and phone at this time:
SIGNS THERE MAY BE A CONCERN WITH ALCOHOL, DRUGS OR GAMBLING
Please email if you are needing support or just want to check-in and say hi. Please note: I will not be available March 24 through to April 6, 2020. I return to work Tuesday, April 7. Mehgan’s AFM email: msmith@afm.mb.ca or msmith@rrvsd.ca Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursdays Other school supports available:
Reference – AFM School-based pamphlet: https://afm.mb.ca/publications/afm-services-school-and-community-based-youth-services/ For general information, visit the AFM website: www.afm.mb.ca For information on Cannabis, visit our new website: www.weedingoutthefacts.ca One of our own recognized with an award!We’ve been a bit distracted so we are late in CONGRATULATING Hillary Jorgenson for being awarded the Manitoba School Board Association’s Student Citizenship Award for Region 2. Hillary is our Student Leadership Group President and was recognized for her service within our school and greater community. Congratulations Hillary! March 18Schoolwork Pick up Hours
The school is open from 8 am until 4 pm for parents to pick up work for the remainder of the week (Wednesday to Friday inclusive). Teacher Contact To ensure we maintain the relationships that have been built over the last school year , our teachers will be in direct contact with families and students over the time classes are suspended. Homeroom teachers will be contacting students and families in a variety of ways (phone, email, google classroom/hangouts or other technologies). March 17 updateInformation is constantly being updated, so things may change. The division website (https://www.rrvsd.ca) is doing their best to keep up-to-date. We will post some of those updates, but the division website is a great source of information. Students Working While at Home This Week As per our message yesterday, teachers may not yet be able to provide take home materials for the families of students who have chosen to be away from school today (or this week) as they are busy teaching the students who are in attendance and when they are not teaching, they are working to prepare material for the two weeks where classes are suspended. We want to ensure teachers prepare materials that are accessible to all and can be completed by all students. Information will be available by the end of the day on Friday, March 20. Some teachers may communicate with their respective parents sooner than Friday, others may need the weekend to ensure the materials are completed. Either way, teachers will communicate their plans to you directly. Locker Clean Up We will be cleaning lockers while the students are away, so we would ask for all students to clean out their lockers by the end of the day on Thursday. Those lockers not cleaned out will be cleared and contents put into a labeled garbage bag and into the students' homeroom class or closest classroom to your student's locker. Last Day of Classes this week...Thursday, March 19 There may be some confusion based on what the Province has been telling the public and what the Red River Valley School Division Calendar indicates. The last day of school this week for Morris School students is Thursday, March 19th. The following day is an in-service day/admin day at the school. Students have the day off as per our previously posted schedule. Milk Program The Milk program in K-6 has been suspended until further notice. Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair is going on as planned, with the exception of Thursday evening in keeping with no extra-curricular activities after school and no parent/teacher conferences. Phone Issue We have recently uncovered an issue we've been having with our phones regarding our voicemail system. Voicemails were being allowed to be left, but the phone was not indicating anyone in our school had a voicemail. The system is currently being worked on and we hope to have it rectified within the next 24 hours.  Some additional resources...   MARCH 16 UPDATEInformation is constantly being updated, so things may change. The division website (https://www.rrvsd.ca) is doing their best to keep up-to-date.
However, here are a few things to update you after our day at Morris school...
From our superintendent...On Friday, March 13, Mr. Brad Curtis (RRVSD Superintendent) sent the following information to us and asked us to send to parents... This afternoon the Premier of Manitoba announced that all schools in Manitoba will be closed to students from March 23rd to April 12th. After consultation with all school divisions in Manitoba and the Chief Medical Officer of Manitoba, all schools in Red River Valley School Division will be proceeding in the following manner: Parents/Guardians: if you feel that you want to keep your children at home for health reasons, that is your decision to make and we respect that choice. Please inform the school in the manner that you usually would for attendance purposes. Students will not suffer consequences for absences from school during this time. For the week of March 16th to March 20th; all schools will only be delivering regular classroom instruction for students. That is, there won't be any: before school programs, after school programs, extra curricular programs, practices for any sports teams. Outside school groups will not be allowed access to any schools until further notice. As of today, daycares in schools will continue to operate until further notice. A remote meeting will be held on Monday morning at 10:00 am with Principals and Department Managers to discuss future plans. Communication will be constant, as things are rapidly changing each day/hour. On that note, I will refer you to the website link given below for the most up to date information from Manitoba Health. Please use it and share it.\ https://www.manitoba.ca/health/coronavirus/public.html#11 WE are in the education business. Let's make sure we ALL do our part to educate everyone that we are around. Thanks for your help. Brad Curtis Superintendent/CEO RRVSD Morris, Mb. 204-746-2317 ext. 2225 This afternoon, he sent the following update...       More information to follow...Seeing as this is a very fluid and active time, information will be changing quickly. Please consult the blog, our social media, or our school's website to keep as up-to-date as we can keep you as it pertains to Morris School. Our teachers will also be working to organize their courses in such a way as to allow your students to keep progressing while they do so from home. We will rely on our teaching staff to communicate their plans to all of you via email. In the meantime, there are some excellent ideas and resources below that may act as an active and stimulating way to spend some time while your student(s) is(are) away from school. Scholastic offering free resources whiles schools are closed: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/articles/resources/scholastic-learn-at-home--free-resources-for-school-closures.html# Virtual tours of many famous museums around the world. https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours The following came from Kim Jones McClelland via Mrs. Marla Brandt (Lowe Farm School Principal)... Teacher friends & parents, who may be thinking about how they are going to plan to deliver education over the next number of weeks. Here is a really great list I found in a Principal’s group that DOES NOT require technology and the internet. Now that many schools are closed, I've got some suggestions for fun, meaningful, and generally tech-free learning opportunities (especially for elementary schoolers):
STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math      scholastic book fair - coming soon! The Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the School Library beginning Monday, March 16th and running to Friday, March 20th. The Book Fair will be open the evening of Thursday, March 19th during Parent/Teacher Conferences and Friday morning as well. Be sure to drop by and check out the newest Scholastic releases and support this Library fundraiser. The library will add new books for our students' enjoyment based on sales. Don't forget to enter the family draw for $25 of free books for your students and $25 of free books for your student's classroom. March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month Tyson Hamel is a Grade 6 student at Morris School. His little brother, Shawn, has Cerebral Palsy. Tyson decided he would like to raise awareness for CP and his little brother Shawn. Cerebral Palsy is a neurological disability that affects thousands of children and adults worldwide. March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, which allows us to celebrate and educate others about the disorder. Green is associated with new growth, vibrant lives, and renewal of life. Because thousands of children are affected by cerebral palsy, and a new generation of adults is navigating the world with this disorder, green seems to be the perfect match! Please join us in wearing green this Thursday!!! Town Bus runs coming to a closeThe last town bus runs will be Thursday, March 19. class of 2020 - grad photos This year's Grad Photo Session will be Friday, March 20. Students can find out more information in the office. It is a day off school, so students need plan appropriately to ensure they book and make their scheduled photo session as there won't be any buses running that day. Covid-19 and your student(s)With all the cancellations of sporting events and the professional leagues around the continent as well as the media coverage dealing with the COVID-19 virus, it is adjusting our students focus and eroding some of the "normal" from their school day. We acknowledge this and are doing our best to assist our students as they learn about the virus and ways they can contribute to keeping themselves, their classmates, and their family members safe. Mrs. Charron, our early years guidance counsellor shared an email from group from gozen.com. According to their website, GoZen! creates online social and emotional learning programs loved by kids ages 5-15, parents, professionals, and schools. If you or your students are feeling anxious about what's going on in the world right now, please find our latest blog with interviews from Dr. Laura Markham, Dr. Shefali Tsabary, and Natasha Daniels. These experts provide amazing advice on navigating through this experience with strength and self-compassion. The link to the video is: https://gozen.com/coronavirus-anxiety/     morris school students bring home the 'ship!A contingent of our Morris School community helped their hockey team capture the Pembina Valley Region's Peewee Silver B Championship banner recently. Congratulations to the group on your achievement. Congratulations to the following Morris School students: Ethan Funk Zach Hamblin Brayden Hansen Sam Johnston Nazar Khlyvniuk Ethan Lamotte Nic Leflar Brennan Sabourin Jax Sanders Scott Saurette Logan Siemens Tyson Wiebe   |
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