SPRING BREAK!
   Spring break happens during the week of March 19-23, in the Athens City Schools. Classes resume at their  regular times on  Monday, March 26.
   Students departing  Morrison prior to our  vacation will not be  given  assignments in advance, but will be permitted time to complete their work when they return.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION AND HEALTH SCREENING
     Kindergarten registration will occur at Morrison on Tuesday, April 24, between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  In addition to parents completing the paperwork required to register their sons or daughters for school, children will participate in a health screening in the areas of vision, hearing, and gross motor.
     Parents will need to: (1) provide school personnel with their child's current immunization data, birth certificate, and social security number, (2) go with their child from station to station during the screening process.
   Children are eligible to attend kindergarten if they are five years of age on or before September 30, of the current school year.
   Pre-registration packets will be coming home in mid-March.

 P.T.O. TO MEET
     The next meeting of the Morrison P.T.O. will occur on Tuesday, March 27, at 7:00p.m. in the school's conference room.  All interested P.T.O. members are invited.

TESTING IN PROGRESS
     Throughout the week of March 5,students in all grades except kindergarten  participated in either Proficiency or CBE testing.  We appreciate parents who helped our young people "do their best on the tests" by seeing that they got plenty of rest nightly, a good breakfast each morning, and came to school with a positive attitude about the tests. "We are going after those tests," were the words spoken by one student as he entered Morrison on the first day of testing.

BOOKS AND FOOD
     Our annual P.T.O. Book Fair and Dinner happens on  the evening of  Tuesday, April 3, beginning at 5:00  p.m. and concluding at 7:30 (or  whenever we run  out of food.)    Hundreds of new paperback books, software, posters, and numerous other items will be available for purchase.
     Chairs for the Book Fair are Lisa Williams and Mary Ann Gulino.  Karen Aftabizadeh and Sandi Mathews chair the dinner which will feature Subway subs.

   MUSIC ON COURT
     Our third annual "Music on Court"event happens this year on Wednesday, April 25, beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Instrumental music and physical education students in grades 4-6will present a special program for parents and interested friends. We look forward to another enthusiastic gathering of Morrison families to view our talented young people in action.

CONFERENCES COMING
     Follow up sessions to our goal setting conferences will occur for students in grades 1-3 and their parents during the evenings ofApril 17, and 18.  Information will be coming home requesting conference times from parents.  Please complete the information and return it to school prior to Friday, March 30.

EARLY DISMISSAL
     During the month of April, we will dismiss school EARLY on April 5, at 1:30 and April 19, at 1:30 so that faculty members may participate in staff development activities.  Please mark your calendars and make the necessary child care arrangements.

REALEYES
   On March 14, representatives from the Ohio Optometric Association will present a program that teaches basic concepts of eye science and safety with an emphasis on good eye care.  These sessions will occur in each of our fourth grade classrooms.  We are pleased that our students could participate in a program dealing with such an important topic.
 

GRANDPARENTS / SENIOR FRIENDS DAY
     "Reflections: I am like my grandparents, grandchild ...." is the theme for our school's thirteenth annual Grandparents' and  Seniors' Day at Morrison on Thursday, April 12.  This special day begins with registration and refreshments at
9:00 - 9:50 and concludes at 12:45 p.m.  Grandparents are invited to "reflect" upon the similarities between themselves and their grandchildren and to share these in the school setting. Senior friends may also do this reflecting for children they have "adopted" for the day,
   Registration materials will be coming home soon.  We encourage parents to complete the registration information for the grandparents /senior friends and return it to Morrison by no later than March 16.

FOOD AND FITNESS WEEK
   During the week of March 26, students will participate in some special fitness activities and examine the nutritional value of certain foods.  The week's theme is "Don'tjust sit, get fit."
We encourage families to continue nutritional and fitness activities at home.
   Food and Fitness Committee members include: Sabrina Kotts, Lesley Michigan, Heidi Mullins, Scott Porterfield, and John Gordon.      (2)

  NOTES FROM MUSIC
Electronic Keyboards
   During the month of February, Morrison students enjoyed a piano/keyboard unit in the music room.  On ten electronic keyboards, students learned about tone color, finger placement, scales, and improvisation.  Students in grades 1 and 2 focused on high and low sounds, 5-note scales, and patterns of black and white keys.  Older students played accompaniments to songs they had previously learned to sing. They also played melodies by ear, and by reading musical notation.  In addition, students who take piano lessons were invited to bring piano books or music to practice and perform for their classes.

MUS/ART SHOW
    During March, 4th - 6th graders and the Kids Next door will begin working on music for the Morrison Mus/Art Show which takes place on Thursday, May 10. The musical portion of the program is called "Sing and Celebrate the 20th Century." This entertaining musical revue includes popular music from each decade of the 20th century. All parents and interested friends are invited to attend this spring event.

KIDS NEXT DOOR
   After a successful performance at the O.U. Inn in February, Kids Next Door has begun rehearsing for the Grandparents' Day program which is scheduled for April 12.  We hope many grandparents and senior friends will be in attendance on this day to hear our Kids Next Door under the direction of Michele Hayes.

BOX TOPS, BOX TOPS
   Thanks for your support of our Box Tops For Education campaign.  Chair Margie Innis has reported 944.00 earned already this year. Parties are planned for the 1st and 2ndplace winners on each floor.

CONGRATULATIONS MACKEY
     Mackey Newman was chosen as an exhibitor for the Young People's Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Ohio Art Education Association and held at the State Office Tower in Columbus, March 4-30.  It is a distinct honor to have one's art chosen for this exhibit because only 200 pieces were selected from throughout Ohio.  We commend Mackey and his teacher, Martie Rector.

THINKING CAP QUIZ BOWL
 One hundred seventh-three teams entered the Twelfth Annual Ohio 5th/6th Grade Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl on January 31. The ranking for Morrison's sixth grade team was 38th  in the state.
   The quiz consisted of timed questions on a computer disk that had to be answered by  the students. Topics included general knowledge, mathematics, language arts, science & nature, social studies, and sports and leisure.
     Our high ranking team included Drake Bolon, Ian Robinson, Patrick Hale, Katlynd Full, Breanna Kitchen, Harrison Xue.

   We commend Claire Lew, Kathy Gulino, and Laura Snoddy for winning the Morrison Spelling Bee.  They represented Morrison in the district bee where they encountered some really difficult words.  That event was won by 7th grader, David Green.
   Well done, girls.
 

FIRST GRADE NEWS    FIFTH GRADE NEWS
    There was a birthday celebration in Mrs.Brooks' first grade class and the honored was not a student.  The first graders celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2.  The class began the day by listening to the book, Are You My Mother?  The children continued reading,  listening, and sharing various Seuss books throughout the day.  Later the class made a snack of green eggs and ham, complete with green ketchup!  The birthday celebration ended with watching the video "Horton Hears a Who."
   Ms. Brinkman's class has been learning about different forces in science (pushes, pulls, etc.) that make toys move. Class members have enjoyed these hands-on activities.  We have created pinwheels and paper airplanes to help us learn!  There is more fun to come in room 208!
    "Where do you live?"  Mrs. Stork's classhas found many answers to this question in the social studies unit, We Belong.  Students discovered that they not only live in a community like Athens or The Plains but also at a particular house number on their street, in the state of Ohio, in the United States of America and on the planet Earth.  To help them learn about the community in which they live, the students constructed a three-dimensional model of a village with buildings made out of cardboard.
 

Revolutionary War Projects
   All fifth graders have been hard at work on their Revolutionary War projects!  This is an annual event and tradition.  Projects were due on March 7, and will be on display in the conference room for the entire school to view until March 16..   Teachers are encouraged to visit with their classes and enjoy these wonderful projects.  A fifth grade "family night" viewing is being scheduled and the date will be announced soon.     Excellent work fifth graders!

Woodland Altars!
   It's that time again. Fifth graders are getting "geared up" for their outdoor education experience at Woodland Altars on May 23, 24, 25.   Keep those dates
on your calendars!   It's getting closer than you think!  More information will be coming as we get closer to the time of departure.

Yearbook News!
   The 2000-2001 Morrison Yearbook left for the printers on March1.  This 56 page, hard cover, fun-filled and memory-laden book will arrive at Morrison sometime in late May.  Advisors, Mrs. Conroy and Miss Kotts wish to thank all sixth graders on the staff who gave so freely of their time and talents to produce a quality project!  Much more than just a yearbook was produced.  We learned much about cooperation, compromising, and how much work it takes to reach a group consensus.  Well done everyone!
 

Morrison Fifth Graders Ace Essay Contest!
   Athens County Scottish Rite sponsored an essay contest for fifth graders on the topic, "What My Family Means to Me."  They award a first place and an honorable mention winner each year.  This year, both awards were won by Morrison students!   First place winner for 2001 is Emily Climer from Mrs. Conroy's homeroom.  Honorable mention winner for 2001 is Akela Jennings from Mrs.Van Dyke's homeroom.  Congratulations Morrison writers!!

Sojourner Truth Play at Stuart's Opera House
   Morrison fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will be attending a live performance at the historic Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, on the morning of March 15.  Please ask your children to share details with you about this exciting historical and cultural event.
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LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS STILL BEING RECRUITED
   If you have a free morning or afternoon and would like to help our students by volunteering in the library, we could utilize your assistance.  Please contact Librarian, Gerry Hikida or John Gordon if you have questions about this important service to students.
 

MORNING TRAFFIC BECOMING A PROBLEM AT MORRISON
   We are starting to have problems in the mornings with vehicles speeding through the Morrison parking lot.  Some impatient drivers attempt to cut in front of buses and aren't stopping for children and adults  in the crosswalk.
   Drivers in a hurry are hazardous to the health and safety of your children and our students. This type of foolish driving cannot continue.  We request that all drivers be courteous to our students and other parents and always consider safety first.  If problems persist with unsafe and rude driving behavior, the police will be contacted.