Author: SHERRI VARN

Students in Grades K-5 ran laps to raise funds for Morningside PTO.  Throughout the previous week Boosterthon personnel (funrun.com) and the PTO conducted a pep rally, sent out information, and presented fitness, leadership and character lessons as the students participated.  Sponsors and parents pledged per lap or a set amount to help the students,  and each students goal was to walk, dance, hop, or run 35 mini laps.

Third, Fourth and Fifth grade students competed in the MSE Spelling Bee on January 12, 2015.  After 14 rounds of words, Aaron Nieves, a third grader buzzes to the top and wins the competition.  Congratulation Aaron!!           

On Thursday, December 11, 2014,  the Morningside Elementary Chorus under the direction of Donna Calvert presented a upbeat singing and speaking presentation for parents and guests to celebrate traditions around the world.  The students dressed in traditional costumes from their country or state and told about the  traditions that are part of that country’s holiday time. Student’s also played bells, tambourines and other percussion instruments throughout the program.             .

Morningside Elementary PBIS team hosted their very first Bingo for books to reward students with books and to inform parents about our behavior procedures for the classroom, hallway, cafeteria and playground.  Parents, grandparents and friends joined their children for an evening of fun, food, and at least two books per student.

The Math Team for School Improvement joined with teachers of all grades to use geometry in a fun early release lesson.  Each grade level had an appropriate plan beginning with Kindergarten students using shapes to create fall and winter pictures and ending with the upper grades making monsters with specific parameters such as “if you own a pet your monsters legs should be intersecting” or ” if you are a girl your eyes are NOT a polygon.”                                           

Morningside Elementary celebrated Thanksgiving by giving to others.  Students brought in food and decorated boxes to send home to our wonderful Grace Packs families.  Our Kindergarten also celebrated with their annual POW WOW.  They dressed up in costumes they made and parents brought in an abundance of  “authentic”  Thanksgiving  food for the students to sample.                            

Parents, Grandparents and friends of third, fourth and fifth grade students at Morningside Elementary gathered on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 to celebrate Principal’s honor roll (all A’s including conduct), A/B honor roll, and perfect attendance.  Principal, Cortina Bell-Gray congratulated students and gave them special pencils and academic achievement bracelets.  

Our PBIS team had an ELA activity where students read to their buddy classes and a Sports day where students showed their skills and learned about good sportsmanship.  

Science costumes give a whole new meaning to Science vocabulary.  On Wednesday, October 29, 2014, students and teachers at Morningside Elementary dressed up as their favorite Science term.  Some of the terms included texture, stars, clouds, the skeletal system, camouflage, atoms and color.  The students paraded through the halls showing their costumes to their fellow school mates.

The cafeteria filled as fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other male caregivers joined in support of their students at Morningside Elementary on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. Our guests enjoyed donuts and the speakers included volunteer, Myron Varn, volunteer coordinator Heather Ritter, and administrators, Cortina Bell-Gray and Cynthia Roach.      

Aliza Ahmed, Erika Austria, Kendrick Carpenter, Nichapa Dancharnjitt, Noah Hamilton, Angela Witz-Schaffer and Charley Willoughby represented our school, county, region, and state at the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition in Ames, Iowa, May 27-31, 2014. They ranked 2nd in the world overall with a perfect score in the spontaneous competition! What a life changing opportunity and experience to meet and greet students who came from all over the world.

Students at Morningside Elementary switched places with Mrs. Bell-Gray, Principal; Mrs. Roach, vice-principal; and various teachers to help raise money for the Odyssey of the Mind team to go to the World competition. The students enjoyed carrying the radios, visiting classrooms, and teaching other students.

Highlights Magazine illustrator, Sally Springer, was our guest at Morningside Elementary for our Young Author’s celebration . She creates the Hidden Picture for the magazine and gave a hidden picture to each student in honor of their writing and creativity.

Fifth grade students at Morningside elementary planted trees in celebration of Earth day, April 22, 2014.

The “Not so Haunted House”  team from Morningside Elementary took their show to Palms district competition and won first place.  On Saturday, April 12, 2014, the team competed against 18 other state winners and won first place launching them to World.  Our team will be participating in Odyssey of the Mind world competition from May 28-31, 2014.