10.31.2012

And Now We Wait...

Message from Head of School, Aaron Cooper regarding PSE&G and power in our area.


Dear Members of the Elisabeth Morrow Community,
I hope this finds you safe and well and digging out from the storm. I am writing to update you on the situation at Elisabeth Morrow.
As of Wednesday morning, October 31, the school remains without power. Due to the tireless work by our maintenance department, we are ready to open school as soon as power is restored. I will be in touch as soon as that occurs. If we are able to open up this week, we will hold regular school on Friday, November 2 and will work to reschedule conferences as necessary. Please plan accordingly.
Last night, I was able to attend the Englewood City Council meeting, where the Mayor and Council spoke about the situation in Englewood and reported on the results of their call with the President of PSE&G. I was also able to speak with representatives of PSE&G during the day yesterday. As you may have seen on the news, over 1.4 million customers (customer is defined as an account, so the number of people affected is much greater) were without power in New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Over 60% of Englewood is also currently without power. PSE&G is telling all customers, from the city to individuals to large accounts like EMS, that power could be out until Monday November 5. In reality, some power will be restored before Monday and undoubtedly others will be without power beyond next Monday. PSE&G will spend the bulk of the day Wednesday working on switching stations and substations, as those need to be in working order before other problems are addressed. Afterwards, others without power are serviced in an order of priority, with schools coming after water, hospitals, fire and police stations, and some other municipal buildings. They do not yet have a time scheduled to begin working in our area. As a result, I think that school will most likely be closed for the remainder of the week. As mentioned, should power be restored earlier, I will communicate that fact immediately.
Once power is restored and we are able to open school, I will communicate alternate plans for parent-teacher conferences, potential effects on the Book Fair, and other scheduling changes. Until then, stay warm, be safe, and enjoy the unexpected time with your children. For those near Englewood, the public library is open and has power and internet (I am writing this from the library while my children stock up on books and we charge our various devices.)
I wish you all continued safety and a speedy return to power if yours is out.
My very best,

10.30.2012

Our Good Fortune...

Our school grounds had only one tree fall and as you can see, it was a big one, but it did not strike any buildings.  We hope everyone in our community is safe, although we realize that many are trying to manage without power.  As of now, the school is also without power.  Please click this link to read this important message from Aaron Cooper regarding our status for tomorrow.

10.27.2012

Girls' Athletics Update - Volleyball and Tennis


Girls' Volleyball Update

This last week was a busy one for the Girls' Volleyball team, with matches on October 18, 23, and 25.

The match on Oct. 18th against Montclair Kimberly Academy ended in a loss for the first team with Rene Spiewak leading the team with 5 service points and Queen Smith with 4 defensive digs. The second team tied their match  25-23 and 20--25. Wynter Moore led the offense with 6 service points.

The team then traveled to The Bronx on Oct. 23rd to face Horace Mann. The girls had a slow start in the first game and lost 25-13, however, they came back strong and had a close game losing on the last service, 22-25.  A third game was played and the EMS girls pulled out a victory.  Isabel Riedel led the team with 8 service points while Erika Herman contributed 6 defensive digs and 5 service points.  The second team lost their match in two games although Caroline Ju kept the team alive with 13 service points and Maxie Anthon defended with 5 key digs.

On Oct. 25th, the team played away at Tenafly Middle School and won an exciting match in a three games. The first game the girls lost 21-25, but they had a strong second game and won 25-19. The tiebreaker was a nail biter with EMS coming up with the win 25-21.  Isabel Riedel dominated the court with 17 service points, 8 defensive digs and 2 kills.  Erika Herman hustled around the court and came up with a team high of 10 digs. She also contributed 2 kills and 12 service points. Brigette Candler added 12 service points and 6 digs to the win. The second team came out on the court and won the first game in overtime, 26-24. It was a whole team effort and a great victory.  They lost the second game and the match ended in a tie. Liel Sterling led the team's offense with 5 service points and 1 dig.

     ~Coach Smith


Girls' Tennis Update

the Girls' Tennis team had a great season.  They were victorious over Saddle River Day School and Trinity, but came up one court short to Dwight-Engelwood and Montclair Kimberly Academy.  The last match against Horace Mann was a true test of their improvement and their ability to hang in there against highly-trained, tournament-level middle schoolers. And, although they did not win, the matches were hard fought.  Overall, we had a committed group of players, anchored by the singles play of Hannah and Maddy.  Melissa was a solid court 3 singles player. Emma and Isabella had a superb record at first doubles and jelled as a team. Court two doubles was a combination of Claire/Lucia/Sophie/Julia and our exhibition specialist was Lillian. Great job ladies- it was a pleasure!!

     ~Coach Loring


10.26.2012

First Grade Hosts The Little School Assembly

The first grade sang some seasonal songs at the Little School weekly assembly as a culmination to an interdisciplinary study of apples. $1,300 was raised by The Apple Bake Sale for Special Olympics. Community service is an expectation for all students young and old at Elisabeth Morrow.








10.25.2012

Guest Chef, Mr. Baly!

On Wednesday, Mr. Baly was the "guest chef" in the Morrow House cooking club.  Students made baked ziti, garlic bread, and salad.  Mr. Baly emphasized the importance of using the best ingredients, especially whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes when making pasta sauce!







10.24.2012

Scenes from The First Grade Apple Bake Sale

Each year the 1st grade classes along with their families host an Apple Bake Sale. Here are some images capturing this beloved tradition. The proceeds from the event will be donated to The Special Olympics.The event was a huge success!









EMS Math Team Earns Runner-up Honors in CBA Contest


On Saturday, Oct. 20,  seven Elisabeth Morrow Algebra I students and their parents traveled to Monmouth County to participate in the 41st Annual Christian Brothers Academy 8th Grade Math Contest. EMS was represented by: Caleb Shaia, Austin Kwak, William Chung, Kelly Yen, Annika Kim, Pantelis Paliouras, and Christian Maloney. Approximately 40 schools, with teams of 5 to 8 students, competed in either the private or public school division. 

I am pleased to announce that Annika Kim came in 6th place and Pantelis Paliouras came in 2nd place, both in the private school division. The team as a whole came in 2nd in the private school division which is an excellent achievement considering this was the first time that Elisabeth Morrow has competed in this contest. Kudos to all who participated!!

And, lest any of you out there think these questions are easy, here is an example of one of the problems:   It takes 1242 digits to number the pages of a book consecutively. How many pages are in the book?

~ Ms. Toth, EMS Math Chair



Dr. Day Leading Tree Tours for the American Museum of Natural History


This Saturday, October 27, is the opening day celebration for the Theodore Roosevelt Hall of North American Mammals with many family oriented activities planned for the event (Full Event Flyer-Download PDF).  EMS Science teacher Leslie Day along with Trudy Smoke, author and illustrator of the Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York Cityare leading family tree-walks for the museum at 11 a.m. and noon. The walks will leave from the newly restored Theodore Roosevelt Hall on the second floor. This event is free with the museum admission fee.

10.23.2012

Girls' Sports Update

2012 EMS Girls' Soccer Team
After a sluggish start to the 2012 season, the Girls’ Soccer team defeated Dwight Englewood yesterday, 4-0.  Dominating the field were Adinah Scheri with 3 goals and Chrissie Anagnos scoring one.  The win was a total team effort.  The team’s passing, shots on goal and communication on the field came together and resulted in the Eagles victory.  Keep it up girls!!

In other news, the Girls’ Volleyball team lost to Dwight Englewood in a tiebreaking match. Losing the first game 13-25, the girls came back strong and won the second game 25-20.  The tiebreaker was exciting but ended in a 25-20 victory for Dwight. Leading the team in service points was eighth grader Sarah Abrahamsen with seven and Brigette Candler with six. The defensive highlight was Sophie Shin with two digs.

The Girls Volleyball second team split their match against Dwight Englewood with a 25-22 win and a 25-21 loss. Max Musto led the second team with nine service points and Nikki Quinn had two defensive digs.


10.22.2012

Modelling Cells

Eighth graders have been hard at work developing models of real life places to serve as metaphors for cells.  In this example, Central Park serves as the metaphor:  
  • The Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir serves as the cell's central vacuole.
  • The police station is the cell membrane because it protects the inner workings of the cell.
  • The park rules are the cell wall because it lets certain things in and out of the cell.
  • The Arsenal building that houses the park commissioners and rangers is the nucleus because it houses DNA and RNA.






NanoTech Scientists

Mrs.Weeks and twenty-seven of her seventh grade students gave presentations on nanotechnology at Liberty Science Center on Saturday as part of the American Chemical Society's National Chemistry Week program. Thank you for all who came out to Liberty Science Center.  














10.20.2012

Morrow House Cooking Club

October is National Hispanic American Heritage Month and recently the Cooking Club prepared a Latino menu to celebrate.  The cooks, faculty and staff enjoyed a flavorful Taco Salad, Steak and Chicken Fajitas with seasoned peppers and onions and salsa and chips.  The students enjoyed their Latino lunch al fresco in the Apple Tree Courtyard.
~ Christine Fiocchi




Third Grade Clan Naming


The third grade is studying about the Lenni Lenape. Every Lenape Indian belonged to a clan. The three clans were wolf, turkey and turtle. Students from the three third grade classes participated in a ceremony to determine which clan each class would represent.


The ceremony began after the three classes formed a large circle in a clearing in the woods. The oldest child from each class was selected to take part in the stone passing. They entered into the middle of the circle and stood back to back. While all the other children sang a song the three young elders passed three stones around. When the music stopped the eldest child stopped passing the stones and held onto their class’s stone.


They walked back to their classroom and looked at their stones.


Mrs. Goldman’s class got the turkey stone. Mrs. Barile’s class got the turtle stone.  Mrs. Wein’s class got the Wolf stone.


All three classes were happy! They all cheered.





After having seen their stones all the children got to eat three sisters soup which was beans, squash, and corn. It was good. YUM YUM! It was a fun ceremony!!
~Mrs. Goldman's Class

Kindergarten Kaleidoscope

Recently, Kindergarten students searched for signs of Fall in nature on the EMS campus and took pictures using a "kaleidoscope" in Photo Booth on their IPADS.  The photographer in each of them emerged as they engaged in an integration of science, art, and technology. Can you guess what objects the children photographed?



10.19.2012

7th Graders to Present on Nanotechnology at LSC


Mrs.Weeks and her 7th grade science students are hard at work preparing for their big day at Liberty Science Center this Saturday. 27 of our students will be doing presentations about Nanotechnology, as part of the American Chemical Society's National Chemistry Week program. Please join us at LSC from 2-4 this Saturday!

And the Mystery Readers Are....

Each week our second grades host a mystery guest to read to the children. Armed with a family favorite, each reader surprised the class and shared stories and the joy only a book can bring to children. The readers were Zane, Maverick's brother in Mrs. Holden's class and Auntie, Grandma and mom all showed up for Maya in Mrs. Keller's class.