December is Here!

Greetings Parents and Community Members!

I hope you had a restful, relaxing, and fun Thanksgiving break! It was great seeing all of our smiling students back bright and early on Monday morning. The kids were energized and ready to come back to school, see their friends, and finish out 2021 in strong fashion. There is a lot in store for these next three weeks, so it’s important that everyone continues to come to school each day, on time and ready to learn by 7:45am. See below for some updates to help get you through this busy season.

1. Inclusive Schools Week (December 6-10) – Inclusive Schools Week provides an opportunity for educators and community members to teach students not just about disabilities, but also about the intersection of disabilities with other categories of identity, like race, gender, cultural heritage, language preference and other differences. Education and awareness can be a powerful tool to bridge across various differences and enable all students to find their voices and be appreciated for their unique selves. During the week, students will take part in themed dress up days, have tailored SEL lessons during morning meetings, learn some ASL sign language on our AM announcements, and have access to a virtual library with inclusive books in their Google Classrooms. Learn more HERE.
2. School Based Parent Survey – In keeping with the theme of inclusion and family engagement, we want to hear from you! Please complete THIS brief survey to provide feedback on your experience with family engagement and inclusion at Brandon. Your feedback matters, and it will help us make adjustments in order to best serve our Morris Brandon students and families. Please complete this survey by December 12.
3. Winter Conferences – Be on the lookout for information from your child’s teacher regarding Winter conferences. Conferences can begin as soon as classes finish their MAP Growth winter administration. Conferences will be 15 minutes in length and will be held virtually. Additionally, the entire day of January 3 will be dedicated to parent teacher conferences as needed.

We have a lot to look forward to in the next three weeks before Winter Break! This includes this week’s Holiday Toy Drive, a virtual Winter performance from our students, and class celebrations. I look forward to updating our families on everything Morris Brandon at my next Principal Coffee Talk (Friday, December 10 at 10am). I have a lot to fill you in on, including instructional data, COVID mitigation updates, and plans for the second semester, so don’t miss out! All information, including Zoom links, will be posted at morrisbrandon.com.

Until next time,
j