The Weekly Update #4

Dear Morse Street Families,

As you know from the Superintendent’s communication, March 13th is now a student day of school. This will be an early release day and students will be dismissed at 11:50am. This day replaces one of our snow days that we have already had, and will no longer need to be made up in June. We will be sending details of our remote learning plan out separately, should we need to use the remote learning days also mentioned in the Superintendent’s recent communication to families.

At this time of year, when the days start to get longer and the sun shines a little brighter, our students tend to start resisting wearing boots and winter gear. I’m sure we can all relate, but there is still a considerable amount of snow on our playground, and when that melts it becomes a considerable amount of mud. It is expected that students continue to wear boots for recess beyond the time they might make the change at home. In order to preserve our classroom environments where being on the floor is an integral part of how we learn, it is important that students wear boots (preferable), or at the very least have two pairs of shoes (outside and inside). We would appreciate your support with this by sending your child to school with all the necessary gear.

Last night our School Counselor, Kelley Herzog, and one of our School Social Workers, Cindy Kivler, hosted a Parent Night to discuss Building Resiliency in Children. Over time we have observed this to be a trait that is not as strong as it once was. They talked to parents about the importance of helping children build the relationships, skills, and experiences that tip the scales in favor of positive outcomes, in spite of natural stressors and adversity.

Some of the ideas suggested were helping children feel like they matter by building a sense of contribution to the communities to which they belong. This provides empathy while helping them learn to tolerate the frustration that often comes with learning something new or the discomfort of disappointment (often, this includes tolerating our own discomfort as they work through this). It is also important to use language that praises action and helps develop their sense of identity, instead of generalized praise or praising outcome only. For example, “Oh my goodness, you are a problem solver!” instead of “Good job”. These are just a few of the topics discussed last night. Here are a few recommended resources if you would like to learn more about this topic.

Center of the Developing Child, A Guide to Resilience

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resource-guides/guide-resilience/

Penn State Positive Psychology Center

https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/research/resilience-children

Maine Youth Thriving (formerly Maine Resiliency Network)

https://maineyouththriving.org/about-us/our-story/

We hope this is helpful information for you and your family.

Warmly,

Julie Nickerson

Julie Nickerson, Principal

3/10- MUSICAL MOOSE DAY- wear your best band/musical shirt or dress like a rockstar!

3/10-Gelato Fiasco PTC Fundraiser

3/13- Early Release- No Pre-K , students dismissed at 11:50 am

3/16-PK Families visit PE/Music

3/17- GREEN DAY- wear green!

3/20-Grade 2-Celebration of Learning, 2:30 pm

3/23- 3/37-1st Grade Families visit Art

3/24- HAT/SUNGLASSES DAY

3/30-4/3- Second Grade Families Visit Library

3/31-ATHLETIC DAY-wear a favorite team jersey or athletic attire

4/9- Incoming Kindergarten Parent Information Night, 6pm

4/14- Freeport PTC meeting @ MLS, 6pm

4/17- Professional Compensation Day-NO School

4/20-4/24- April Break- No School

5/5- 1st Grade Evening with the Specialists, 6-7 pm

5/12- K afternoon with the Specialists, 1:45pm

5/21- Grade 2 Evening with the Specialists, 6-8pm

Join us as the Portland Sea Dogs take on the Hartford Yard Goats in a thrilling game that promises excitement for the whole family. With every discounted ticket purchase, you'll be directly supporting Freeport Elementary School, making this event a home run for us all!

Discounted Tickets Available: Grab yours now and be part of an amazing day that combines community, fun, and support for our school. Don't miss out!

Bring your friends, family, and school spirit for an afternoon filled with cheers, laughter, and lasting memories. Let's show our Freeport pride and fill those stands!

Batter up! 🌟⚾️

We are excited to welcome all children who reside in Freeport and will be 5 years of age on or before October 15, 2026 to join Kindergarten in the fall. Screening will take place on Friday, May 1st. Please visit the Morse Street School website to complete the pre-registration located under student registration, or contact the school office by calling 207- 865-6361.

If your child is currently enrolled in our Pre-K program with Ms. Stephan or Ms. Harrison, you do not need to register. Unless we hear otherwise we will assume that your child will be continuing on to Kindergarten.

Kindergarten Parent Information Night will be on Thursday, April 9th, from 6-7pm at Morse Street School in the music room.

We are excited to welcome all children who reside in Freeport and will be 4 years of age on or before October 15, 2026 to join our free public Pre-K in the fall. Please visit rsu5.org to complete the pre-registration form, or contact the school office by calling 207-865-6361.

Our half-day Pre-K program is designed to prepare students with the foundational skills needed to be successful in Kindergarten and beyond as well as instill a love of learning in these important early years.

We are happy to offer 64 spaces, 2 classes of sixteen in each AM & PM session. If there are more children registered than spaces available, priority will be given to those with academic or developmental needs, and the remaining places will be determined through a lottery.