Seventh Grade Adventure Week

Low ropes and hanging out....a few images from the seventh grade trip, taken by students.

Gone Fishing

As a part of their Adventure Week, the fifth graders took a day trip to go fishing. (Photos by Ann Rothberg).

Eighth Grade Adventure Week Trip

High ropes course, games, hiking, campfires...all part of the eighth grade Adventure Week trip at Harriman State Park out in Northwest New Jersey.

A Taste of the Revolutionary War Era

As part of Adventure Week, the fifth grade spent the day on campus participating in activities that reflected some of the common pastimes of children during the Revolutionary War era.

Games, puzzles and stories in the woods.

Quilting. In this case, each student designed his or her own square for a quilt to be assembled later.

Making puppets from yarn or wool

Cooking on an open fire

And when the day was done, the fifth graders enjoyed a cookout and games on the lawn.

Hula-Hoop and Gaga!

Hula-Hoops you know, but Gaga? Apparently it's a first grade favorite...

Some Summer Improvements

At Elisabeth Morrow, we take great pride in the beauty of our campus. This summer, while students, parents and teachers were away, our excellent maintenance crew was hard at work making necessary upgrades and improvements. Much of the work focused on Morrow House and Little School, as Chilton House checked off many of it's "to do's" last year. Here are some of our recent improvements.

a fresh coat of paint for the Little School entrance.

New carpet for in the Little School hallways.

Some wonderful new, custom-built cubbyholes for a fourth-grade classroom.

New patio doors for Morrow House, as the old ones had deteriorated. These new doors are easier to open and will keep the cold air out this winter.

And new slate shingles were added and sealed for the Morrow House roof.

Little School Science

Ms. Milne sent an update on what's happening in some of the Little School Science classes.

Second-grade students harvested vegetables they planted last spring when they were in first grade. These harvested vegetables will be added to the “Friendship Soup” the second graders will make at Thanksgiving.

Also, our Director of Environmental Education, Mr. Lyon, spoke to the second-grade science classes about oceanography and marine biology.

Third-grade students are working on skills needed for all areas of science. In the above picture they are practicing the important skill of sketching.

Fourth graders are studying the invertebrates of our temperate biome. In these pictures, above and below, the students are collecting invertebrates found on our campus grounds.

Adventure Week

It's a bit quiet up in Morrow House. That's because it's Adventure Week at the Elisabeth Morrow School; students and teachers are away on trips.

Fifth Grade: takes three separate day trips;

1) West Point to study the Revolutionary War history of the area,

2) The Alpine Boat Basin for river study along the Hudson and then a hike along the Palisades,

3) A Revolutionary-War-era-style cookout on school grounds.

Sixth Grade: heads to Connecticut with Nature's Classroom, an organization that mixes the study of environmental science with group building activities.

Seventh Grade: goes to YMCA Camp Bernie in Hackettstown for a trip involving low ropes activities, rock climbing, hiking and rappelling.

Eighth Grade: heads out on a camping trip with Project USE in Northwest New Jersey. The trip involves high ropes activities, zip lines and hikes, while learning to cook their own meals and practicing "leave no trace" camping.

Morrow House Officers

Congratulations to Jakob Solheim, the newly elected Student Council President, and to Ryan Kitts, Rachel Park and Phoebe Gennardo, the newly elected officers.

Pumpkin Picked

Here, a first grade class poses with the pumpkin that was randomly growing in the Little School courtyard. The class picked the pumpkin last Friday.

Morrow House Elections

Today’s assembly at Morrow House featured speeches by the twelve candidates for Student Council President. The speeches were well thought out and well presented. Among the key issues: improved snacks, increasing the number of casual days and more social opportunities, such as dances and sports nights. Mr. Cooper oversees the election results and will announce the Student Council officers on Monday. Best of luck to all the candidates.

Pictured above: the candidates with Morrow House Principal, Ms. DiPaolo, and Assistant Head of School, Mr. Cooper.

BoxBall! Game on.

If you were wondering what the kids were doing at recess when they moved up to Morrow House...yeah, they're playing BoxBall. It looks more like an Elisabeth Morrow version of Four Square, but whatever, the games are fast-paced and intense!

After School Adventures Booklets are now out

Our After School Adventures booklets went out yesterday or you may click this link for the PDF version. For questions or further details, please contact Elisabeth Morrow’s Director of Auxiliary Programs, Liza Hards at LHards@elisabethmorrow.org or 201.568.5566 x7150.

What's Cooking?

On the menu from today’s cooking club?

• Harvest Veggie Medley with vegetables from our gardens

• Pasta with Pesto, with basil from our gardens

• Sautéed purple, white and green beans, all from our gardens

• Fresh pickles, from cucumbers grown in our gardens

...and for desert? Peach and blueberry shortcake….not from our gardens (yet). The Cooking Club whips up delicious dishes weekly in Morrow House. Ms. Winter, Ms. Fiocchi and Mme. DiGirolamo sponsor the club.

Elisabeth Morrow Bass Player Makes Semi-Finals

Eighth-grade Elisabeth Morrow student, Daryl Johns, has made it to the semi-finals of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition. This prestigious competition was open to all bass players, around the world, under thirty years of age and selection was based only on the quality of the submitted CD/tape—all other information was withheld from the judging, including name, age, residence and country of origin. Daryl will be travelling to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC on October 9 to compete for the three finals spots against fifteen other semi-finalists. Should he make the finals, Daryl would get the opportunity to perform with several jazz greats in front of three thousand people at the Kennedy Center. Congratulations and best of luck, Daryl!

Here's a My 9 News clip about Daryl:

Meeting Mr. Sandwich

In Chilton House for a quick visit with a Kindergarten class during lunch. In this video, we get to meet Mr. Sandwich.

Good Morning!

Head of School, Dr. Lowry, started his morning greeting students as they entered Little School. At The Elisabeth Morrow School this isn't uncommon as there is always someone at the door to say "hello."

Family Field Day

The Family Field Day traditionally kicks off the year at Elisabeth Morrow. It provides an opportunity for teachers, parents and students to reconnect and have some fun.












(Images by Shelley Kusnetz Photography)

Elisabeth Morrow Teacher Swims Hudson River

When she's not running or peddling, outdoor enthusiast and Elisabeth Morrow first-grade teacher, Ms. Lori Lowell, might be found paddling on the river. Yesterday, however, she left the kayak at home and dove in with three hundred other swimmers for The Hudson River Swim For Life, which raises money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This was Ms. Lowell's third time participating in the Swim for Life and this year's crossing took her 2.5 hours. The three-mile swim from Nyack to Sleepy Hollow was challenging, she said. The weather was great and the water was warm enough, but the windy conditions made the water choppy. "Waves were splashing in my face," she said with a laugh. "I told my kids I must have swallowed a gallon of water." So why swim the Hudson River? "I did it because I love to swim and I thought it was a really neat challenge." Ms. Lowell also raised over $350 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

President Obama's Speech

Today's Morrow House assembly started with a moment of silence in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy. This was followed by President Obama's speech to America's students (originally broadcast on September 9th). Afterwards, Dr. Lowry echoed the President's sentiments, reminding Elisabeth Morrow students to do the best they can with the advantages and opportunities they have been given.

A Little School Assembly

Today's Little School assembly was about introductions. In this picture, Ms. Phend, Principal of the Little School, asked the new first graders to turn and give a “silent wave” to the older students. Students new to Elisabeth Morrow were also introduced.

Below, as is the custom with Little House, a flag salute starts every assembly.

First Day Of School

A brief chat with a few fourth grade students on their first day of class:

Elisabeth Morrow Student Wins Baseball Writing Award

Congratulations to Elisabeth Morrow graduate, Adam Kirsch ’07 (now attending Bergen Tech). His paper, Resolve, Risk, and Reward: Latin America's Role in Developing Ballplayers, tied for the high school division of the Jack Kavanagh Award from the Society for Baseball Research.

New Student Orientation

School starts tomorrow, but new students and families dropped in today to see their classrooms and meet their teachers.