School Closed Until Monday, January 3, 2011

The Elisabeth Morrow School will reopen on Monday, January 3, following the Winter Vacation. We wish you all best wishes of the Holiday Season.

Early Morning Performance in Little School

Fourth grade trumpeter and saxophonists, and the Little School Cello Ensemble with Ms. Kalayjian, perform holiday music in the foyer of Little School early in the morning to an enthusiastic crowd. We applaud their performance. ~Ms. Phend

Animal Shelter Donations

First and fourth graders, along with Mrs. Lester, helped load Mrs. Connolly's and Miss Evans' cars with animal shelter donations. A special thanks to all the Little School children who donated items. The animals and staff at the Bergen County Animal Shelter truly appreciated our generosity. ~Ms. Evans

Ringing in the Holidays

Thursday morning's Sing-a-Long with the children in the Early Childhood Programs helped ring in the Holiday Season. This evening, Morrow House performs the Winter Concert and Friday morning Little School puts on its holiday performance. Below, a few highlights from Chilton House:

Developing Strategies

Ms. Barile's 2nd grade was divided into small groups and given large numbers of items. Their task was to determine "how many." The goal was to develop a strategy for grouping the items for the most efficient counting. Once developed, the groups shared their methodologies. Developing alternate solutions for a problem develops creativity and the understanding that there are often many successful ways to accomplish a task.

The Kindergartners in C4 Enjoyed Their First Snowy Day at School

What a Way to Start the Day!

Sra. Bonasorte’s eighth grade Spanish class enjoyed a typical Spanish breakfast today, courtesy of parents and Sra. Bonasorte. The students learned about traditional breakfast foods of Spain, Colombia and Puerto Rico, which included “tortilla española de patatas y cebolla “(potato and onion Spanish omelet), pan de queso (sweet cheese bread) and the traditional churros con chocolate caliente (churros pastry with hot chocolate Spanish style.) ¡Delicioso!

Hamsters Lost and Found!

During the blackout on the evening of December 1, seven hamsters escaped in Mrs. Goldman's room. Students built a hamster trap with books, a trash can, and food. On Friday, December 3, two hamsters were found under their cages and three were in the trap. The trap remained up over the weekend and the last two hamsters were found in the trap on Monday, December 6.

Waiting for Spring

Recently, the PreKindergarten students in C3 planted tulip bulbs with Mrs. Lowry. We look forward to seeing the tulips bloom in the spring.

Science Club

Recently, Mrs. Weeks' science club extracted copper metal from copper sulfate, commonly used as a root killer in outdoor waste water pipes.

At Neiman Marcus

Last Friday afternoon, members of the middle school orchestra and chorus performed at Neiman Marcus at Garden State Plaza. Both parents and shoppers appreciated their efforts. Below, highlights from "Sleigh Ride."

A photo of the performance. Photo: Kim Kachikian

Learning About Biographies

EMS first graders learned that biographies give an account of a person's life and achievements. They explored different types of biographies to help determine their area of interest. They read about people who overcame problems, faced obstacles and criticism, but persevered to succeed. As a culminating project, they prepared a presentation to share what they had learned with their classmates. ~Ms. Evans

Fourth Grade Instrumentalists

Fourth grade instrumentalists perform holiday music in the Little School (Elementary School) foyer with flute teacher, Marcia Hankle. The flautists, percussionists and French horn player began taking lessons in October. We commend them for their performance.

Post: Mrs. Phend

HEADlines: Nominated

HEADlines: Nominated: "Marianne Malmstrom, our technology teacher, as been nominated in the category of Best Educational Use of Video/Visual by Edublog Awards, a ..."

Get in the Spirit . . .

On Wednesday afternoon, members of our Middle School Orchestra and Middle School Chorus performed at the Southeast Senior Center in Englewood. The guests loved the performance and gave them a standing ovation. Give a click and enjoy "Jingle Bell Rock!"

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Middle School Researchers

Essential to their studies here, Elisabeth Morrow middle school students learn how to conduct their research using books, on-line and periodical resources. The topics range from the American Revolution to earthquakes and assistance is always available from our librarians.

Hanukkah Celebration

Elisabeth Morrow families are encouraged to share traditions with one another to foster a sense of respect and understanding. The families in our Kindergarten Program shared their traditions, keepsakes, memories and holiday treats to help bridge an understanding of Jewish traditions about Hanukkah yesterday morning.

Seventh Grade Science News

In a recent lab activity, 7th grade science students did activities studying the properties of solids, liquids and gases.

Also, Science teacher Gail Weeks recently attended the National Science Teachers Association conference in Baltimore. In addition to the many workshops she participated in, she was able to attend a talk given by Bill Nye "The Science Guy" and speak with him briefly after the program.

Post: Mrs. Weeks

The Friday Everyday Science Club

Recently in Mrs. Weeks' Friday Everyday Science Club, students engineered balloon rocket assemblies to achieve fastest speed and furthest distance travelled along a string track. They also worked with marble "roller coaster" kits that consist of various sections that stick to walls. Students worked in teams to create a track that would keep a marble rolling for the longest time.

Post: Mrs. Weeks

More on Middle School Science

Video from Friday's "Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander" Rally in the Middle School

Click here for more information on the Middle School.

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Mrs. Gold visits the 3-year-olds

Ms. Gold shared a few Hanukkah traditions with the 3-year-olds today.

Sharing of Traditions

The 7th grade took part in a sharing of traditions on last Thursday during their advisory time. The first traditions to be shared were those associated with the celebrating of Hanukah. Parents and students brought in food and games to share with each other. Students took turns talking about how they celebrated Hanukah and what traditions they had at home After enjoying latkes, jelly donuts, cookies and chocolate (gelt) coins, the students played dreidel. The next traditions to be explored will be those associated with the holidays of Christmas and Kwanzaa on December 16. Please talk with your child about sharing some of your family's traditions.

Kids playing dreidel ~Dr. Day | Blog Post: Ms. Eastwood

PreK's visit with Mrs. Chechik

Mrs. Fasciotti and Ms. McConville's PreKindergarten class recently enjoyed a visit from Mrs. Chechik, May Darel's mom. She came to celebrate Hanukkah with us. After listening to her read Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah, Mrs. Chechik demonstrated how to spin a dreidel. The jelly donuts she brought the children were delicious! Thank you for coming Mrs. Chechik.

Pictures and Post: Ms. McConville

More information about Early Childhood Programs.

Character Matters at EMS

Images from today's "Be an Upstander, not a Bystander" rally in the Middle School.

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Highlights from the 3rd Grade Lenni-Lenape Assembly

Character Matters at The Elisabeth Morrow School

Be An Upstander Not A Bystander Rally


Morrow House · Friday, December 3


10:45 AM to 11:30 AM

This rally will launch a year-long campaign celebrating the 4C's, (really should be the 5 C's to include "Courage,") Kindness, Respect and Empathy. It will be a student generated rally complete with raps, skits, powerful mini tech driven clips, song and dance routines, etc... all performed to promote school spirit, raise awareness and evoke positive actions and reactions for all.


This event is for students only.

A Selection From...

Last week's Thanksgiving Performance.
The Elisabeth Morrow School Chorus singing All Things Bright And Beautiful.
Ms. Carey White directing.
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Helping others . . .

When Morrow House students visited Little School to ask for donations to the Center for Food Action, Mrs. Wein's third graders got right on the case. They decided to help the babies by all bringing in diapers.

More to be thankful for . . .

During this time of Thanksgiving, we would like to express our gratitude to Hanita Walia and Annitsa Philliou for such a wonderful Book Fair. We extend our thanks to all the terrific volunteers who gave of their time and talents to provide so much fun and enjoyment for our community! Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving from Chilton House

"At this time of the year we all value friends, family and give thanks for all of our many gifts. Here are two videos from our Early Childhood Program that capture children preparing "friendship soup" with vegetables from home to be shared as a class community and a listing of things we give thanks for in our young lives." ~Mrs. Brennan, Director of Early Childhood Programs

More information about Early Childhood Programs at The Elisabeth Morrow School.

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Bring The Family Together...

"When I was 10 and my brother was 6, we were photographed for an advertisement for McDonnell Aircraft (which later merged with Douglas Aircraft and then into Boeing). The tag line was: “Bring the family together for Thanksgiving.” In the photo, I am on the left and my brother on the right. Every Thanksgiving I am reminded of this picture, and my wish is that your families are brought together this Thanksgiving." ~Dr. Lowry